Events in Sport
- 1880 British Open Men's Golf, Musselburgh Links: Scotsman Bob Ferguson wins first of 3 straight titles; beats Peter Paxton by 5 strokes
Olympic Games
1896 Australian athlete edwin flack claims the middle distance double at the Athens Olympics winning the 800m final in 2:11.0; his 2nd victory of the Games after success in the 1,500m
Teddy Flack
- 1896 Greek shooter Pantelis Karasevdas scores a perfect 40 hits to win the military rifle event at the Athens Olympics; Greek 1-2-3 with Pavlos Pavlidis and Nicolaos Trikupis taking out the minor placings
- 1912 1st exhibition baseball game at Fenway Park (Red Sox vs Harvard)
- 1913 Brooklyn Dodger's Ebbets Field opens, Phillies win 1-0
- 1928 Top-Oss soccer team forms in Oss
Event of Interest
1931 Chicago Cy Wentworth beats Montreal Canadiens at 13:50 of 6th period
George Hainsworth
- 1932 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs beat New York Rangers, 6-4 for 3-0 series sweep; Toronto's first SC as the Maple Leafs
- 1935 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Maroons beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1 for 3-0 series sweep; Maroons last defunct team to win the Cup
- 1941 PGA establishes Golf Hall of Fame
- 1941 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Dorothy Kirby wins comfortably by 16 strokes ahead of Helen Sigel
- 1945 NFL requires players to wear long stockings
- 1946 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 6-3 for a 4-1 series victory
Event of Interest
1947 Baseball suspends Bkln Dodger Leo Durocher for 1 year
Leo Durocher
NBA Record
1959 Bill Sharman hits a NBA record 56 consecutive foul shot
Bill Sharman
US Masters Golf
1962 26th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins the 3rd of his 4 Masters titles in an 18 hole Monday playoff with Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald; tournament's first 3-way playoff
Arnold Palmer
Gary Player
Baseball Record
1965 1st game at Astrodome, Houston beats Yankees 2-1 in exhibition as Mickey Mantle hits 1st indoor homerun
Mickey Mantle
- 1966 Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens
- 1967 31st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Gay Brewer wins his only major title by 1 stroke over runner-up Bobby Nichols
- 1968 Minn's Wayne Connelly is 1st to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot
- 1969 Chic Cub Billy Williams hits 4 consecutive doubles beat Phillies 11-3
US Masters Golf
1972 36th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus leads wire-to-wire to win the 4th of his 6 Masters titles, 3 strokes ahead of Bruce Crampton, Tom Weiskopf and Bobby Mitchell
Jack Nicklaus
US Masters Golf
1978 42nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 42 year old Gary Player shoots a record-tying final round 64 (−8) to win by 1 stroke from Rod Funseth, Tom Watson and Hubert Green
Gary Player
Tom Watson
- 1978 Brewers sweep Orioles 11-3, 16-3, & 13-5 (each with a grand slam)
Event of Interest
1978 In separate NBA games Denver's David Thompson scores 73 points & San Antonio's George Gervin scores 63 points (33 in 1 quarter)
George Gervin
- 1980 Los Angeles Kings tie NHL record with two shorthanded playoff goals (vs NY Islanders)
- 1981 LA Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela's 1st start, beats Astros 2-0
- 1982 LA Lakers block 21 Denver shots setting NBA regulation game record
- 1983 137th Grand National: Ben de Haan wins aboard 13/1 bet Corbiere; Jenny Pittman first female GN winning trainer
- 1985 White Sox pitcher Tom Seaver starts a record 15th opening day game
Event of Interest
1987 For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Beliveau as all time playoff scoring champ
Wayne Gretzky
US Masters Golf
1989 53rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Englishman Nick Faldo wins the first of his 3 Masters titles after a final round 65 (−7) and a birdie on the 2nd hole of a sudden-death playoff with Scott Hoch
Nick Faldo
Event of Interest
1989 Mike Tyson strikes a parking attendant when asked to move his car
Mike Tyson
Baseball Record
1989 Rickey Henderson steals his 800th career base in NY's 4-3 loss to Clev
Rickey Henderson
- 1990 NY Islanders beat NY Rangers 4-3 in double overtime-Rangers lead 2-1
- 1992 Florida drops rape charges against NY Mets Gooden, Boston & Coleman
- 1992 Record 18 golfers shoot in 60s in Masters round 1 (old record 12)
- 1993 Colorado Rockies 1st home game & 1st victory, 11-4 over Mont Expos
- 1994 147th Grand National: Jockey Richard Dunwoody wins his second GN aboard Irish 16/1 shot Miinnehoma by 1¼ lengths from Just So
- 1995 59th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Crenshaw wins his 2nd Masters title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Davis Love III
- 1997 Cleveland Indians pitcher Jose Mesa is acquitted of rape
- 1997 Major League Soccer announces Miami & Chicago expansion
- 1997 NFL announces it will give $3M to CFL & possible "World Classic Bowl"
- 2000 64th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Fijian Vijay Singh wins by 3 strokes from Ernie Els of South Africa
- 2005 158th Grand National: 9-year-old 7/1 favourite Hedgehunter, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie Mullins, win by 14 lengths from 40/1 shot Royal Auclair
US Masters Golf
2006 70th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 2nd green jacket by 2 shots from South African Tim Clark
Phil Mickelson
- 2011 164th Grand National: Jason Maguire wins aboard Irish 14/1 shot Ballabriggs; first GN win for trainer Donald McCain Jr., son of 4-time winning trainer Ginger McCain
- 2013 32nd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 93-60; Huskies' 8th National title
- 2016 169th Grand National: David Mullins victorious aboard 33/1 Rule The World; wins by 6 lengths from race favourite The Last Samuri
- 2017 81st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Spaniard Sergio García beats Justin Rose of England in a sudden-death playoff, after they completed 72 holes at -9; Garcia's 1st major title in his 74th attempt
Birthdays in Sport
- 1848 Francis MacKinnon, English cricketer (later the 35th Mackinnon of Mackinnon), born in Paddington, London (d. 1947)
Curly Lambeau
1898 Curly Lambeau, American Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback, coach (founder, first coach Green Bay Packers), born in Green Bay, Wisconsin (d. 1965)
Curly Lambeau
- 1917 Vincent O'Brien, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Churchtown, County Cork, Ireland (d. 2009)
- 1920 Alexander Moulton, English engineer and bicycle designer (folding bicycle), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England (d. 2012)
- 1920 F Don Miller, Boxing coach (Olympic-1956), born in Racine, Wisconsin
- 1921 Jean-Marie Balestre, French president of motor sport's FIA, born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France (d. 2008)
- 1931 Bill Gilbert, sports author (They Also Served, Big E), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1940 Jim [James Wilfred] Roberts, Canadian NHL defenceman (1st Blues draft pick), born in Toronto (d. 2015)
- 1946 Alan Knott, English cricket wicket-keeper (1967-81), born in Belvedere, Kent
- 1956 Miguel Ángel Russo, Argentine footballer, born in Lanús Partido, Argentina
Seve Ballesteros
1957 Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer (British Open 1979, 84, 88, US Masters 1980, 83), born in Pedreña, Spain (d. 2011)
Seve Ballesteros
- 1958 Tony Sibson, English boxer, born in Leicester
- 1961 Kirk McCaskill, Canadian MLB pitcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada
- 1962 Freddie Joe Nunn, American NFL defensive end (Indianapolis Colts), born in Noxubee County, Mississippi
- 1962 Jeff Turner, American NBA forward (Vancouver Grizzlies), born in Bangor, Maine
- 1964 Rob Awalt, American football player, born in Landstuhl, Germany
- 1965 Hal Morris, American baseball infielder (Cincinnati Reds), born in Fort Rucker, Alabama
- 1965 Helen Alfredsson, Swedish golfer (Nabisco Dinah Shore 1993), born in Gothenburg, Sweden
- 1965 Paolo Canè, Italian tennis star, born in Bologna, Italy
- 1966 Oliver Barnett, American NFL defensive end (SF 49ers), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- 1967 Graeme Lloyd, Australian baseball pitcher (NY Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers), born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- 1968 Janne Ojanen, Finnish hockey forward (Team Finland), born in Tampere, Finland
- 1969 Amy Feng, Chinese born-American table tennis player (Olympics 1996), born in Tianjin, China
- 1969 Karl Krikken, English cricketer (Derbyshire 1989-, wicketkeeper), born in Bolton, Lancashire
- 1969 Timothy Young, American rower (Olympic silver 1996), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1970 Chuck Bradley, American NFL offensive tackle (BC Lions, Barcelona Dragons), born in Covington, Kentucky
- 1970 Neal Caloia, American marksman (Olympics 1996), born in Torrance, California
- 1971 Anthony Redmon, American NFL guard (Arizona Cardinals), born in Brewton, Alabama
- 1971 Derwin Gray, NFL center (Indianapolis Colts), born in San Antonio, Texas
- 1971 James Hundon, American football wide receiver (Cincinnati Bengals), born in San Francisco, California
- 1971 Wang Yang, youngest Olympic record breaker at age 17 (Olympics 1988)
- 1971 Peter Canavan, Gaelic footballer, born in Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
- 1971 Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian auto racer (World F1 champion 1997; Indianapolis 500 1995; Indy Car World Series 1995), born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
- 1972 Brian DeMarco, NFL tackle (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Berea, Ohio
- 1972 Craig Jones, Australian rower (Olympics 1996), born in Queanbeyan, Australia
- 1972 Jeffrey van As, Dutch soccer player (MVV), born in Leiden, Netherlands
- 1972 Karen Clark, Canadian synchronized swimmer (Olympic silver 1996), born in Calgary, Alberta
- 1974 Ben Bordelon, American football tackle (San Diego Chargers), born in Mathews, Louisiana
- 1975 Robbie Fowler, English footballer (Liverpool), born in Toxteth, Liverpool, England
- 1978 Jorge Andrade, Portuguese soccer defender and manager (51 caps; Deportivo La Coruña), born in Lisbon, Portugal
- 1980 Jerko Leko, Croatian footballer, born in Zagreb, Croatia
- 1981 Ireneusz Jeleń, Polish footballer (Polish national football team), born in Cieszyn, Poland
- 1981 Milan Bartovič, Slovak ice hockey player, born in Trenčín, Slovakia
- 1981 Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player, born in Queens, New York
- 1982 Carlos Hernández, Costa Rican footballer, born in San José, Costa Rica
- 1984 Adam Loewen, Canadian baseball player, born in Surrey, British Columbia
- 1987 Jarrod Mullen, Australian rugby league footballer, born in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
1981 NFL coach Bill Cowher (23) weds Kaye Young
Bill Cowher
- 2010 Philadelphia Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos (30) weds Julie Lesicki at St. Augstine Catholic Church in Philadelphia
Deaths in Sport
- 1978 Vivian McGrath, Australian tennis player (Australian C'ship 1937), dies at 62
- 1991 Forrest Towns, American athlete (Olympic gold 110m hurdles 1936), dies at 77
- 2001 Willie Stargell, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder/1st baseman (7-time All Star), dies of a stroke at 61
- 2002 Pat Flaherty, American racecar driver (b. 1926)
- 2005 Jerrel Wilson, American NFL punter (Pro Bowl 1970-72; Super Bowl 1970; KC Chiefs), dies of cancer at 63
- 2006 Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, and official (b. 1916)
- 2009 Nick Adenhart, American baseball player, dies at 22
- 2010 Zoltán Varga, Hungarian Footballer (b. 1945)
- 2010 Aladár Kovácsi, Hungarian pentathlete and Olympic champion (1952, Helsinki), dies at 77
- 2012 Mark Lenzi, American springboard diver (Olympic gold 1992), dies at 43
- 2014 Bertha Tickey, American softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1973), dies at 91
- 2019 Marilynn Smith, American golfer, co-founder LPGA (Titleholders Championship 1963-64), dies at 89
April in History
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, 1199The 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, 1832Step Aboard the Titanic – Las Vegas Style
Even by Las Vegas standards it was controversial, a $1.2 billion recreation of the doomed Titanic, along with the iceberg that caused its destruction.
April 8, 1999Yes, We Have Some Bananas
A strange fruit went on sale in London on this day, the like of which nobody had seen before. Known to scientists as the Plantaine fruit, it is now unremarkable.
April 10, 1633
