Events in Sport
Event of Interest
Jan 5 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Spain wins 2nd title; Arantxa Sánchez Vicario & Tommy Robredo beat American pair Monica Seles & Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-2 for a 2-1 victory
Monica Seles
Event of Interest
Jan 13 In a controversial move, Marty Schottenheimer is fired as head coach of the Washington Redskins after just one season
Marty Schottenheimer
- Jan 19 "Tuck Rule Game" AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
Australian Open Women's Tennis
Jan 26 Australian Open Women's Tennis: American Jennifer Capriati wins her 2nd consecutive Australian title; beats Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
Martina Hingis
- Jan 27 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Thomas Johansson of Sweden wins his only Grand Slam title; beats Russian star Marat Safin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6
- Jan 27 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: New England Patriots beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-17
- Jan 27 NFC Championship, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis: St. Louis Rams beat Philadelphia Eagles, 29-24
- Jan 29 The San Diego Chargers hire Marty Schottenheimer as their 13th head coach
Event of Interest
Jan 30 Utah's Karl Malone becomes 2nd player in NBA history to register 34,000 career points by scoring 18 in a 90-78 win over Chicago at the Delta Center; trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Feb 2 52nd NHL All-Star Game, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA: World beats North America, 8-5; MVP: Éric Dazé, Chicago Blackhawks, RW
Super Bowl
Feb 3 Super Bowl XXXVI, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: New England Patriots beat St. Louis Rams, 20-17; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB
Tom Brady
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 10 51st NBA All-Star Game, First Union Centre, Philadelphia, PA: West beats East, 135-120; MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F
Kobe Bryant
- Feb 24 IXX Winter Olympic Games close in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Mar 2 40-year old South African boxer ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala ends his 22-year career with a 7th-round TKO win over Columbia’s Juan Herrera to retain his WBU junior flyweight title in Johannesburg
- Mar 9 Joe Sakic plays his 1,000th career game
- Mar 10 49th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats NC State, 91-61
- Mar 10 43rd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Alabama, 61-58
- Mar 24 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Unheralded New Zealander Craig Perks chips-in twice on the final 3 holes for his only PGA Tour career win, 2 strokes ahead of Stephen Ames
- Mar 31 21st NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Oklahoma, 82-70; Huskies conclude perfect season (39-0)
Event of Interest
Mar 31 Andre Agassi wins his 700th career match and captures his second straight Key Biscayne title with a 6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 win over Roger Federer at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Florida
Andre Agassi
Roger Federer
- Mar 31 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Defending champion Annika Sörenstam of Sweden shoots a final round 68 to win, 1 stroke ahead of compatriot Liselotte Neumann
- Apr 1 64th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Indiana, 64-52; Terrapins' first title in first title game
- Apr 6 155th Grand National: 8-year-old 20/1 shot Bindaree, ridden by Jim Culloty and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies wins by 1¾ lengths from What's Up Boys
- Apr 6 France beats Ireland 44-5 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; their 13th title
US Masters Golf
Apr 14 66th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods becomes the 3rd player to claim back-to-back Masters, 3 strokes ahead of Retief Goosen of South Africa
Tiger Woods
- Apr 15 106th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Rodgers Rop claims men's event in 2:09:02; Margaret Okayo women's winner in 2:20:43
- Apr 20 NFL Draft: Fresno State quarterback David Carr first pick by Houston Texans
- Apr 28 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Superstition Mountain G&CC: Jim Thorpe wins his lone career major title with birdie on first playoff hole against John Jacobs
- May 1 Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego
Baseball Record
May 4 Barry Bonds hits his 400th home run as an SF Giant, in a 3-0 win over Cincinnati. Bonds is first player with 400 homers for one team and 100 with another (Pirates)
Barry Bonds
- May 4 128th Kentucky Derby: Victor Espinoza aboard War Emblem wins in 2:01.13
- May 4 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (73,963): Arsenal beats Chelsea, 2-0 for 8th title
- May 10 Anaheim Angels crush the Chicago White Sox 19-0. The Angels join the 1923 Indians, 1939 Yankees and 1950 Red Sox as the only teams to beat two opponents by 19 or more runs in the same season
Event of Interest
May 14 Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Michael Schumacher; Sportswoman: Jennifer Capriati; Team: Australian Men's National Cricket team
Michael Schumacher
- May 15 10th UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid beats Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at Glasgow
- May 18 127th Preakness: Victor Espinoza aboard War Emblem wins in 1:56.36
- May 18 Micky Ward beats Arturo Gatti by majority decision in a junior welterweight boxing bout in Uncasville, Connecticut; 'The Ring' Fight of the Year; first fight in their legendary trilogy
Appointment of Interest
May 22 Mike Babcock is named head coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Mike Babcock
- May 25 Super Rugby Final, Jade Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders win 4th title with a 31-13 thumping of the ACT Brumbies; flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens boots 3 penalties, 2 conversions and a dropped goal for the winners
- May 26 Indianapolis 500: Hélio Castroneves wins in 3:00:10.871 (267.954 km/h)
- May 28 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Carolina Hurricanes beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 2
- May 31 The New Jersey Nets defeat the Boston Celtics 96-88 in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Championship, winning the series 4 games to 2 to advance to their first NBA Finals appearance.
- May 31 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Colorado Avalanche, 4 games to 3
- Jun 8 134th Belmont: Edgar Prado aboard Sarava wins in 2:29.71
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 8 French Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins her first French title; beats older sister Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
LPGA Championship
Jun 9 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: Se Ri Pak of South Korea wins second of 3 titles in this event; finishes 3 strokes ahead of Beth Daniel
Se Ri Pak
Beth Daniel
- Jun 9 French Open Men's Tennis: In an all-Spanish final Albert Costa beats Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 for his lone major title
Event of Interest
Jun 12 Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets 4-0 in NBA finals MVP: Shaquille O'Neal, L.A.
Shaquille O'Neal
NHL Record
Jun 13 Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1 for a 4-1 series win; Red Wings' 10th title; coach Scotty Bowman retires with record 9th title
Scotty Bowman
- Jun 16 US Open Men's Golf, Bethpage State Park: Tiger Woods wins his second Open title, 3 shots ahead of runner-up Phil Mickelson
Boxing Title Fight
Jun 21 Lennox Lewis retains boxing's WBC world Heavyweight crown with an eight round knockout over Mike Tyson
Lennox Lewis
Mike Tyson
- Jun 26 NBA Draft: Shanghai Sharks (China) center Yao Ming first pick by Houston Rockets
FIFA World Cup
Jun 30 FIFA World Cup Final, International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan: Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil beats Germany, 2-0 to win record 5th title; first World Cup held in Asia
Ronaldo
Event of Interest
Jun 30 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Caves Valley GC: Don Pooley wins by 1 stroke in a playoff with Tom Watson
Tom Watson
- Jul 6 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams beats older sister Venus 7-6, 6-3 for her first Wimbledon singles title
- Jul 7 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia wins his only Wimbledon singles title beating David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
- Jul 7 US Open Women's Golf, Prairie Dunes CC: Juli Inkster wins her second US title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Annika Sörenstam; Inkster's 7th and final major victory
- Jul 9 73rd All Star Baseball Game: 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of available pitchers at Miller Park, Milwaukee
Sports Awards
Jul 10 10th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Venus Williams win
Venus Williams
Tiger Woods
- Jul 14 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Australian Stewart Ginn wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from American trio Hubert Green, Mike McCullough & Jim Thorpe
British Golf Open
Jul 21 British Open Men's Golf, Muirfield: Ernie Els of South Africa wins first of 2 Open titles in a playoff from Australians Stuart Appleby & Steve Elkington, and Frenchman Thomas Levet
Steve Elkington
- Jul 21 With a record 6 races remaining, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th F1 World Drivers Championship with victory in the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; 3rd straight title win
Event of Interest
Jul 28 89th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)
Lance Armstrong
- Aug 6 32-year old reliever Robb Nen becomes 16th and youngest closer to record 300 career saves as he protects Giants 11-10 lead v Cubs
- Aug 9 SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits his 600th career home run
- Aug 10 New Zealand beats South Africa, 30-23 in Durban to win their fourth Tri Nations Rugby Series; All Blacks score 4 tries to 2
- Aug 11 British Open Women's Golf, Turnberry Ailsa Resort: Karrie Webb wins by 2 strokes from fellow Australian Michelle Ellis & Paula Martí; 5th different major for Webb, career "Super Slam"
- Aug 18 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: American Rich Beem wins his first major title by 1 stroke from Tiger Woods
Golf Tournament
Aug 18 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Summerlea GC: Meg Mallon wins by 3 from Michelle Ellis, Rosie Jones, Catriona Matthew & Michele Redman
Meg Mallon
- Sep 4 Argentina pulls off one of the biggest upsets in basketball history, beating the US, 87-80 in 2nd round of the World Championships; 1st US loss in 59 games since sending NBA players to international competition in 1992
- Sep 4 After blowing an 11-run lead to Kansas City, Scott Hatteberg's bottom of the 9th walk off HR gives Oakland a historic MLB victory, 12-11; A's set AL record 20 game winning streak
- Sep 7 US Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins second US title; beats older sister Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3
- Sep 8 Rookie quarterback David Carr throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the 2nd expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game
- Sep 8 Texas Rangers set a major league record by homering in their 26th consecutive game as Texas falls to the Tampa Bay
US Men's Tennis Open
Sep 8 US Open Men's Tennis: Pete Sampras wins 14th and final Grand Slam title; beats fellow American Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Pete Sampras
Andre Agassi
- Sep 9 Pitcher Randy Johnson reaches 300 strikeouts for the fifth consecutive season, extending his major league record
- Sep 15 Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon begins NFL record-tying (Kurt Warner, Steve Young) streak of 6 consecutive 300-yard passing games, throwing for 403 yards in Raiders' 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh
- Sep 22 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Interlachen CC: US regains Cup 15½-12½; Rosie Jones gains winning point in her 3 & 2 victory over Karine Icher
- Sep 29 Ryder Cup Golf, The Belfry: Europe wins 15½-12½ after teams tied at 8 points going into Sunday singles matches
- Sep 29 Seattle running back Shaun Alexander sets NFL record for most touchdowns in a half with 5 in 1st half of 48-23 win v Minnesota Vikings at Seahawks Stadium; runs for 4 plus 80-yard reception
- Oct 1 Free agent center Wang Zhizhi, the first ever Chinese-born player in the NBA, signs a 3-year offer sheet with the Los Angeles Clippers; waived in 2003 and moves to Miami Heat
- Oct 5 For the first time in its 42-year old history, the Anaheim Angels win a post-season series by beating the Yankees, 9-5 to take the ALDS, 3-1
Election of Interest
Oct 10 Former cricketer Imran Khan elected to the Pakistani Parliament after winning the seat of Mianwali-I
Imran Khan
- Oct 13 Michael Schumacher wins season ending Japanese F1 Grand Prix for his record 11th victory of the year & 3rd straight World Drivers Championship; title margin: 67 points from Ferrari team mate Rubens Barrichello
- Oct 13 MLB American League Championship: Anaheim Angels beat Minnesota Twins, 4 games to 1
- Oct 14 MLB National League Championship: San Francisco Giants beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
- Oct 26 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Arlington Park, winners: Volponi, Vindication, Azeri, High Chaparral, Starine, Storm Flag Flying, Domedriver, Orientate
- Oct 27 Anaheim beats San Francisco Giants, 4-1 in Game 7 at Edison Field to win Angels' first Baseball World Series; Anaheim 1st baseman Troy Glaus MVP
- Nov 2 14th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 14-7 in South Bend
Event of Interest
Nov 2 Mark Messier plays his 1,616th NHL game, a 3-2 Rangers loss against the St. Blues, to move into 2nd place on the all-time games played list; passes Larry Murphy and ends career with 1,756 games, just 11 shy of Gordie Howe
Mark Messier
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
Apr 20 MLB Outfielder Carl Yastrzemski (62) weds Nancy Benson
Carl Yastrzemski
Wedding of Interest
Apr 20 MLB player Mark McGwire (38) weds Stephanie Slemer (26) in Las Vegas, Nevada
Mark McGwire
- Jun 6 Former "Survivor" contestant and talk show host Elisabeth Filarski (25) weds former Boston College quarterback Tim Hasselbeck (24) at St. Mary
Wedding of Interest
Jun 8 Five-time Wimbledon champion Björn Borg (46) weds real estate broker Patricia Ostfeldt (35) near Stockholm
Björn Borg
Wedding of Interest
Dec 26 Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal (30) weds Shaunie Nelson at The Beverly Hills Hotel's Crystal Garden
Shaquille O'Neal
Deaths in Sport
- Jan 3 Al Smith, American baseball outfielder and third baseman (3-time MLB All Star; Cleveland Indians), dies at 73
- Jan 6 Fred Taylor, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster (Ohio State University 1959-76; MLB Washington Senators 1950-52), dies at 77
- Jan 15 Steve Gromek, American baseball player (b. 1920)
- Jan 16 Bobo Olson, American boxer (b. 1928)
- Jan 18 Alex Hannum, American Basketball Hall of Fame coach (1st ABA, NBA winning coach), dies at 78
- Jan 22 John Shea, American 500m/1500m speed skater (Olympic gold 1932), dies at 91
- Jan 23 Paul Aars, American racecar driver (b. 1934)
- Jan 25 Winston Place, English cricketer (England opener in West Indies 1948), dies at 87
- Jan 29 Night Train Lane, American NFL defensive back (Rams, Cards, Lions), dies at 74
- Jan 30 Louis Salica, American flyweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1932), dies at 89
- Feb 7 Jack Fairman, British racing driver (b. 1913)
- Feb 11 Frankie Crosetti, American baseball shortstop and 3rd base coach (record 17 World Series titles as player & coach; NY Yankees), dies from complications of a fall at 91
- Feb 14 Nándor Hidegkuti, Hungarian footballer (b. 1922)
- Feb 16 Walter Winterbottom, England football manager (b. 1913)
- Mar 4 Velibor Vasović, Yugoslavian footballer (b. 1939)
- Mar 6 Bryan Fogarty, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1969)
- Mar 6 Alice Bauer, American golfer (co-founder LPGA), dies of colon cancer at 74
- Mar 17 Paul Runyan, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1934, 38; Ryder Cup 1933, 35), dies at 93
- Mar 23 Ben Hollioake, English cricketer (b. 1977)
- Apr 9 Pat Flaherty, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1956), dies from cancer at 76
- Apr 13 Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racecar driver, dies at 73
- Apr 15 Byron "Whizzer" White, American football player & U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 84
- Apr 18 Wahoo McDaniel, American football player & professional wrestler, dies at 63
- Apr 29 Bob Akin, American industrialist and race car driver (b. 1936)
- May 6 Saleh Selim, Egyptian football player and 10th president of the Egyptian Al-Ahly Sporting Club, dies at 71
- May 7 Seattle Slew, American racehorse (b. 1974)
- May 9 Dan Devine, American football coach, dies at 77
- May 12 Erich Kulas, ECW Wrestler (Mass Transit)
- May 13 Valeri Lobanovsky, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1939)
- May 17 Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer (b. 1927)
- May 26 Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian marathoner (Olympic gold 1968), dies at 69
- May 31 Subhash "Fergie" Gupte, Indian cricketer (brilliant Indian leg-spinner), dies at 72
- Jun 1 Hansie Cronje, South African cricket batsman and captain (68 Tests, 3,714 runs, 43 wickets; 188 ODIs; life ban for match-fixing 2000), dies in a plane crash at 32
- Jun 17 Willie Davenport, American bobsledder and hurdler (Olympic gold 1968), dies at 59
- Jun 17 Fritz Walter, German footballer, dies at 81
- Jun 20 Tinus Osendarp, Dutch runner (b. 1916)
- Jun 22 Darryl Kile, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1993, 97, 2000; no-hitter 1993; Houston Astros), dies of coronary disease at 33
- Jun 23 Pedro 'El Rockero' Alcazar, Panamanian boxer (b. 1975)
- Jun 26 Jay Berwanger, American football player (b. 1914)
- Jun 26 Jay Berwanger, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (1st Heisman Trophy winner 1935, Chicago), dies from lung cancer at 88
- Jun 30 Pete Gray [Wyshner], MLB one-armed outfielder (St Louis Browns), dies at 87
Ted Williams
Jul 5 Ted Williams, baseball hall of famer and last player to bat over.400 in a single season (Boston Red Sox) dies at 84
Ted Williams
- Jul 7 Bison Dele, American basketball player (b. 1969)
- Jul 19 Spec Shea, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star, World Series 1947; NY Yankees, Washington Sens), dies after heart surgery at 81
- Jul 20 Michalis Kritikopoulos, Greek soccer striker (28 caps; Olympiacos), dies from cardiac arrest at 56
- Jul 24 Gus Tinsley, American College Football Hall of Fame end and coach (All-American 1935, 36; coach LSU 1948-55; NFL: Chicago Cardinals), dies at 87
- Aug 5 Chick Hearn, American NBA broadcaster (called 3,338 LA Lakers games), dies at 85
- Aug 5 Darrell Porter, American baseball catcher (MLB All Star 1974, 78-80; World Series MVP 1982), dies of heart failure at 50
- Aug 12 Enos Slaughter, American baseball player, dies at 86
- Aug 15 Kyle Rote, NFL halfback (NY Giants 1951-61), dies at 74
- Aug 16 John Roseboro, American baseball player and coach (b. 1933)
- Aug 23 Hoyt Wilhelm [James], American Major League Baseball player and knuckleball pitcher (New York Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers), dies of heart failure at 80
- Aug 26 Bea Barrett, American golfer (Western Open 1938), dies at 85
- Sep 3 Len Wilkinson, English cricketer (England leg-spinner just before WW II), dies at 85
- Sep 8 Laurie Williams, West Indian cricketer (West Indian ODI all-rounder v NZ 1996), dies at 33
Johnny Unitas
Sep 11 Johnny Unitas, American football player, dies of a heart attack at 69
Johnny Unitas
- Sep 14 Jim Barnes, American basketball player (Olympic gold 1964), dies of a stroke at 61
- Sep 18 Bob Hayes, American athlete (2 x Olympic gold 100m, 4x100m relay 1964) and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver (3-time Pro Bowl; Dallas Cowboys), dies of kidney failure at 59
- Sep 18 Mauro Ramos, Brazilian football player (b. 1930)
- Sep 24 Leon Hart, American College Football Hall of Fame end and fullback (Heisman Trophy 1949, Notre Dame), dies at 73
- Sep 28 Hartland Molson, Canadian businessman (Molson family), senator and sports executive (Montreal Canadiens), dies at 95
- Sep 30 Arthur Hazlerigg, British peer and cricketer, dies at 92
- Oct 5 Chuck Rayner, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1920)
- Oct 8 Jacques Richard, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1952)
- Oct 9 Anwar Hussain, Pakistani cricketer (four Tests for Pakistan v India 1952-53), dies at 82
- Oct 12 Audrey Mestre, French diver (b. 1974)
- Oct 17 Aileen Riggin, American diver (Olympic gold 3m springboard 1920, 24), dies at 96
- Oct 17 Fred Scolari, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1952, 53; Washington Capitols; Baltimore Bullets), dies at 80
- Oct 24 Herman Gaviria, Colombian football player (b. 1969)
Richard Harris
Oct 25 Richard Harris, Irish actor (A Man Called Horse, This Sporting Life) and singer (MacArthur Park) dies of Hodgkin's disease at 72
Richard Harris
- Nov 15 Sohn Kee-chung, Korean athlete and long-distance runner, dies at 90
- Nov 19 George Fullerton, South African cricketer (South African keeper-batsman 1947-51), dies at 79
- Nov 22 C. S. Nayudu, Indian cricketer (brother of C K, 11 Tests as leggie), dies at 88
- Dec 1 Dave McNally, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1969-70, 72; World Series 1966, 70; Baltimore Orioles), dies from lung cancer at 60
Roone Arledge
Dec 5 Roone Arledge, American sports broadcasting pioneer, dies of prostate cancer at 71
Roone Arledge