December 2008 in Sport

Events in Sport


Sport awardFootball Awards

Dec 2 Ballon d'Or: Manchester United's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins his first award as best football player in the world; Barcelona forward Lionel Messi 2nd, Liverpool striker Fernando Torres 3rd

Football Star Cristiano Ronaldo
Football Star
Cristiano Ronaldo
Football Star Lionel Messi
Football Star
Lionel Messi

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 5 O.J. Simpson is sentenced to 33 years in prison for kidnapping and armed robbery

NFL Running Back and Convicted Criminal O.J. Simpson
NFL Running Back and Convicted Criminal
O.J. Simpson
  • Dec 6 17th SEC Championship Game: #2 Florida beats #1 Alabama, 31-20
  • Dec 6 4th ACC Championship Game: Virginia Tech beats #18 Boston College, 30-12
  • Dec 6 13th Big 12 Championship Game: #4 Oklahoma beats #19 Missouri, 62-21
  • Dec 15 74th Heisman Trophy Award: Sam Bradford, Oklahoma (QB)

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 25 Phil Jackson becomes the sixth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games

NBA Coach Phil Jackson
NBA Coach
Phil Jackson
  • Dec 28 Detroit Lions crash to a 31-21 loss to Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field; first team in NFL history to go winless in a 16-game season

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Dec 30 NFL head coach Mike Shanahan is fired by the Denver Broncos

NFL Head Coach Mike Shanahan
NFL Head Coach
Mike Shanahan

Deaths in Sport

  • Dec 8 Kerryn McCann, Australian athlete, dies at 41
  • Dec 9 Ibrahim Dossey, Ghanaian football player (b. 1972)
  • Dec 13 John Drake, New Zealand rugby union footballer (b. 1959)
  • Dec 17 Dave Smith, American baseball player (b. 1955)

Person of interestSammy Baugh

Dec 17 Sammy Baugh, American football player, dies at 94

American Football Player and Coach Sammy Baugh
American Football Player and Coach
Sammy Baugh
  • Dec 19 Dock Ellis, American baseball pitcher (b. 1945)