Events in Sport
- 1911 Hugh Chalmers, automaker, suggests idea of baseball MVP
- 1913 75th Grand National: Percy Woodland wins aboard 100/9 chance Covertcoat; owner Sir Charles Assheton-Smith's 2nd straight GN victory and 3rd overall
- 1921 Stanley Cup Final, Denman Arena, Vancouver, BC: Ottawa Senators (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 2-1 for a 3-2 series victory
- 1930 Andrew Sandham makes Test Cricket 1st triple century
- 1930 Les Ames makes the 1st Test Cricket century by a wicketkeeper (149)
US Masters Golf
1937 4th Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Byron Nelson wins first of his 5 major titles by 2 strokes ahead of Ralph Guldahl
Byron Nelson
- 1938 5th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Henry Picard wins his only Masters, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Harry Cooper and Ralph Guldahl
Event of Interest
1948 84-year-old Connie Mack challenges 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home to 1st base; it ends in a tie
Connie Mack
Event of Interest
1974 Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th
Hank Aaron
- 1981 135th Grand National: Bob Champion aboard 10/1 hope Aldaniti wins by 4 lengths from 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile
- 1983 45th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston, 54-52; Wolfpack win with buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation 30 foot shot from Dereck Whittenburg
- 1985 Tulane University cancels its basketball season amidst scandal
NHL Record
1986 Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season
Wayne Gretzky
- 1987 141st Grand National: Jockey Steve Knight wins his second GN aboard 28/1 shot Maori Venture by 5 lengths from The Tsarevich
- 1988 50th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Oklahoma, 83-79; Jayhawks power forward Danny Manning named tournament Most Outstanding Player
- 1988 Eddie Hill becomes the world's first driver to cover the quarter mile in under 5 seconds
Event of Interest
1989 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last NBA game in Seattle
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- 1989 NY Yankee Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons, his 287th win puts him 19th overall as Yanks beat Twins on opening day 4-2
- 1992 Game 1 of Mayor Challenge - NY Yankees beat NY Mets 6-4 at Yank Stad
- 1992 146th Grand National: 14/1 shot Party Politics, ridden by Welsh jockey Carl Llewellyn wins by 2½ lengths from Romany King
- 1993 12th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Texas Tech beats Ohio State, 84-82; future Hall of Fame forward Sheryl Swoopes MOP
- 1993 5th Seniors Golf Tradition: Tom Shaw
Event of Interest
1993 WrestleMania IX, Caesar's Palace, LV, NV: Yokozuna beats Bret Hart for WWF Heavyweight title
Hulk Hogan
Event of Interest
1994 LA Dodger Darryl Strawberry begins substance abuse treatment
Darryl Strawberry
- 1997 Anaheim Ducks clinch their 1st-ever playoff berth
- 1997 Braves officially open Turner Field against Cubs
- 1998 NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season
- 1998 151st Grand National: Carl Llewellyn wins aboard Earth Summit; first GN winner who was also successful in both Scottish and Welsh Grand Nationals
- 2005 67th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Illinois, 75-70; Tar Heels' 4th national championship
- 2006 25th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Duke, 78-75 OT; Terrapins' first national title; Laura Harper MOP
- 2009 162nd Grand National: French-bred 100/1 outsider Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, wins by 12 lengths from defending champion Comply or Die
- 2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Yani Tseng of Taiwan wins her 2nd major title by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Suzann Pettersen of Norway
- 2011 73rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Butler, 53-41; Huskies' point guard Kemba Walker scores 16 points
- 2016 78th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Villanova defeats North Carolina, 77-74; Wildcats guard Phil Booth, 20 points
Birthdays in Sport
- 1888 Tris Speaker, American baseball player, hit more doubles than Pete Rose, born in Hubbard, Texas (d. 1958)
- 1895 Charlie Hallows, English cricket batsman (Lancs played for England 1921-28), born in Little Lever, Lancashire (d. 1972)
- 1899 William Brann, South African cricketer (South African batsman v England 1922-23), born in Port Elizabeth, Cape Province (d. 1953)
- 1916 Mickey Owen, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Nixa, Missouri (d. 2005)
Gil Hodges
1924 Gil Hodges, American MLB 1st baseman, manager (8-time All Star), born in Princeton, Indiana (d. 1972)
Gil Hodges
- 1932 Bapu Nadkarni, Indian cricketer (economical Indian slow left-armer 1956-68), born in Nashik, Bombay, British India
- 1933 Bill France, Jr., NASCAR pioneer, born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2007)
- 1935 Easton McMorris, West Indian cricketer (WI batsman of 60's), born in St Andrew, Kingston, Jamaica
- 1938 A Bartlett Giamatti, American President of Yale and baseball commissioner (1989), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1989)
- 1939 JoAnne Carner, American LPGA golfer (US Women's Open 1971, 76), born in Kirkland, Washington
- 1939 Ernie Terrell, American boxer (WBA champ 1965-7), born in Belzoni, Mississippi (d. 2014)
- 1940 Richard Attwood, British racing driver, born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire
- 1944 Lawrence A. Hough, American rower (Pairs w/o cox-1968 olympic silver), born in Janesville, Wisconsin
- 1945 Bryan Andrews, New Zealand cricketer (NZ medium-pacer, toured Australia 1973-74), born in Christchurch, New Zealand
- 1947 Ray Fosse, American baseball player and broadcaster, born in Marion, Illinois
- 1952 Rosemarie Ackermann, German high jumper (Olympic gold 1976), born in Lohsa, Sachsen, Germany
- 1952 Gregg Hansford, Australian motorcycle and touring car racer, born in Australia (d. 1995)
- 1956 Tom Herr, American baseball player, born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- 1957 Paul Downton, English cricketer (England wicket-keeper in 80's), born in Farnborough, London
- 1957 Kelso, American racehorse, born in Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky (d. 1983)
- 1958 Derek Kallicharran, cricket all-rounder (Guyana, USA 1994 ICC Trophy), born in Berbice, Guyana
- 1958 John Wesley Jones, American sprinter, 4X100m relayer (Olympic gold 1976), born in Lawton, Oklahoma
- 1958 Lam Jones, American athlete, NFL receiver (Olympic gold 4 x 100m relay 1976; NY Jets), born in Lawton, Oklahoma (d. 2019)
- 1960 Bev Smith, Canadian basketball forward (Olympics 1996), born in Salmon Arm, Canada
- 1960 Jonathan Agnew, English cricket broadcaster, born in Macclesfield, Cheshire
- 1962 Sherrin Smyers, Australian LPGA golfer (1995 Youngstown-11th), born in Newcastle, Australia
- 1962 Tina Tombs, LPGA golfer (1990 Jamie Farr Toledo), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1963 Dale Hawerchuk, Canadian ice hockey player (Philadelphia Flyers), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1963 Jack Del Rio, American football player, NFL linebacker (Minnesota Vikings), born in Castro Valley, California
- 1964 Gregory Thomas Kraft, PGA golfer (1993 Walt Disney-2nd), born in Detroit, Michigan
- 1964 Paul Parker, English soccer player, born in West Ham, Essex
- 1964 Branco [Cláudio Ibrahim Vaz Leal], Brazilian footballer and coach, born in Bagé, Brazil
- 1965 Tony Burse, American football running back (Edmonton Eskimos), born in LaFayette, Georgia
- 1966 Michal Clingman, WPVA volleyballer (Nationals-9th-1994), born in Indio, California
- 1966 Myriam Schropp, German tennis star, born in Mannheim, Germany
- 1966 Stanislav Medrik, Olympic ice hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia), born in Nitra, Slovakia
- 1967 Juliana "Juli" Furtado, American cyclist (Olympics 10th 1996), born in NYC, New York
- 1968 Andre Bowden, fullback and linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy), born in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
- 1969 Anthony Tucker, American basketball forward (NY Knicks), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1969 Carlos Reyes, American baseball pitcher (Oakland A's), born in Miami, Florida
- 1969 Dennis de Nooijer, Dutch soccer player (Sparta), born in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands
- 1969 Gerard de Nooijer, Dutch soccer player (Sparta), born in Oost-Souburg, Netherlands
- 1970 Barry van Galen, Dutch soccer player (Roda JC), born in Haarlem, Netherlands
- 1970 Jason Stoltenberg, Australian tennis star, born in Narrabri, Australia
- 1971 Felipe Lira, baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers), born in Santa Teresa, Venezuela
- 1971 Jaime Fernandez, Australian rower (Olympics 1996)
- 1971 Yanic Perreault, Canadian ice hockey center (LA Kings), born in Sherbrooke, Canada
- 1972 Chad Eaton, American football player (New England Patriots), born in Exeter, New Hampshire
- 1972 Jim Werland, Ventura California, American canoeist (alt-Olympics 1996)
- 1972 Matt Wagner, American baseball pitcher (Seattle Mariners), born in Cedar Falls, Iowa
- 1973 Peter Hoekstra, Dutch soccer player (PSV, Ajax), born in Assen, Netherlands
- 1973 Ryan Coughlin, Canadian football offensive linebacker (Montreal Alouettes), born in Renfrew, Ontario
- 1973 Tiffany Woosley, American basketball player (Houston Comets), born in Shelbyville, Tennessee
- 1973 Loris Capirossi, Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer, born in Castel San Pietro Terme, Italy
- 1973 Chris McCormack, Australian triathlete (ITU World Championships), born in Sydney
- 1974 O. J. Santiago, American football tight end (Atlanta Falcons), born in Whitby, Ontario, Canada
- 1974 Dave Mirra, American BMX rider, born in Chittenango, New York (d. 2016)
- 1975 Kisha Ford, American WNBA guard and forward (NY Liberty), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- 1976 Emerson, Brazilian footballer (Brazil national team), born in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- 1976 Sébastien Enjolras, French racing driver, born in Seclin, France (d. 1997)
- 1977 Omarr Smith, American football defensive back, born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1978 Jason Ellison, American baseball player, born in Quincy, California
- 1978 Alan Mahon, Irish footballer (Tranmere Rovers), born in Dublin
- 1979 Charles Butler, American figure skater, born in Salt Lake City, Utah
- 1979 Rebecca Stoyel, Australian gymnast (Olympics 1996)
- 1979 Roberto Luongo, Canadian ice hockey goaltender, born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- 1980 Björn Wirdheim, Swedish racing driver, born in Växjö, Sweden
- 1983 Fabian Geiser, Swiss footballer (Le Mont), born in Langenthal, Switzerland
- 1983 Doug Lynch, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- 1983 Ben Gordon, British-American basketball player, born in London
- 1984 Arkady Vyatchanin, Russian-Serbian backstroke swimmer, born in Vorkuta, Russia
- 1985 Rudy Fernández, Spanish basketball player (Real Madrid), born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain
- 1986 Aiden McGeady, Republic of Ireland national team footballer, born in Rutherglen, Scotland
- 1986 Cameron Barker, Canadian professional ice hockey player, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- 1987 Cameron Maybin, American baseball player, born in Asheville, North Carolina
- 1988 Frank Fielding, English football goalkeeper, born in Blackburn, Lancashire
Deaths in Sport
- 1938 Cyril Christiani, cricket wicket keep (WI 1935), dies of malaria at 24
- 1959 Stanley Snooke, cricketer (bro of S J, duck in South African Test), dies
- 1963 Endzion Barelli, dies 2 days after winning a boxing match at 18
- 1967 Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1898)
- 1984 John Arnold, cricketer (Eng bat v NZ 1931, scored 34 only Test), dies
- 1991 Luc de Rijck, Belgian soccer player (Turnhout), dies
- 1991 Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
- 1992 Samuel Reshevsky, Polish-American chess grandmaster, dies at 80
- 1996 Barney Ewell, American athlete (b. 1918)
- 1999 Early Wynn, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (9-time All Star), dies of a stroke at 79
- 2004 Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist, dies at 84
- 2008 Francis Tucker, South African Rally Driver (b. 1923)
- 2010 Alec Bedser, English cricketer (mighty post-war England medium-pacer), dies at 91
- 2013 Ian Walsh, Australian rugby league player, dies at 80
- 2015 Elmer Lach, Canadian professional ice hockey player, dies at 97
- 2018 Ray Wilkins, English former footballer and captain of the National Soccer Team, dies at 61
April in History
![Flash! Bang! It's the Human Cannonball!]()
Flash! Bang! It's the Human Cannonball!
An excited crowd looked up in astonishment and wonder when, in 1877, the first human cannonball flew above their heads.
April 2, 1877![The Computer That Came By Truck]()
The Computer That Came By Truck
It didn't have the sleek lines that Steve Jobs would admire and it needed to be carried on a truck, but the computer age had finally arrived in rural England.
April 3, 1957![Lionheart Richard, The Stranger King]()
Lionheart Richard, The Stranger King
Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood’s king is considered one of the great English monarchs. Yet he cost his country a fortune and barely lived there.
April 6, 1199![The Man Who Sold His Wife]()
The Man Who Sold His Wife
Most modern readers believe Thomas Hardy was plunging into deep fiction when he wrote about a man selling his wife in, The Mayor of Casterbridge. He wasn't.
April 7, 1832
