Events in Sport
Boxing Title Fight
1918 Jack Dempsey KOs Carl Morris in 14 seconds
Jack Dempsey
- 1922 Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Baseball Clubs formally organizes
- 1922 NSW all out for 786 against South Australia Cricket
- 1923 National Football League Championship: undefeated Canton Bulldogs (11-0-1) repeat as champions
- 1926 Kenesaw Mountain Landis renewed 7-years as baseball commissioner
Donald Bradman
Event of Interest
1930 Golfer Bobby Jones is the first to win the James E. Sullivan Award (best US amateur athlete)
Bobby Jones
- 1945 National Football League Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Cleveland Rams beat Washington Redskins, 15-14; last game before Rams move west to Los Angeles
- 1946 1947 NFL Draft: Bob Fenimore from University of Oklahoma A&M first pick by Chicago Bears
- 1958 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid's French midfielder Raymond Kopa wins award for best football player in Europe ahead of German winger Helmut Rahn and French forward Just Fontaine
- 1962 NY Giant YA Title sets NFL season touchdown pass record at 33 with 6 touchdowns vs Dallas (41-31)
Event of Interest
1967 Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia 76ers scores 68 points vs Chicago
Wilt Chamberlain
- 1972 Miami Dolphins become 1st undefeated NFL team (14-0-0)
Event of Interest
1973 O.J. Simpson becomes 1st NFLer to rush 2,000 yard in a season
O.J. Simpson
Event of Interest
1983 Yogi Berra named Yankee manager for 2nd time
Yogi Berra
Birthdays in Sport
- 1850 Fred Morley, cricketer (legendary Notts & England bowler 1880-83)
- 1882 Jack Hobbs, cricketer (1st-class runs, the most ever)
- 1882 John Berry Hobbs, England, 1st cricket played knighted (1953)
- 1897 Jacobus Petrus Duminy, cricketer (three Tests for South Africa 1927-29)
- 1907 Syd Curnow, cricketer (South African batsman in 7 Tests 1930-32)
- 1909 Lall Singh, cricketer (scored 15 & 29 in India's 1st Test match)
- 1910 Freddie Brown, Peru, cricketer ("Lettuces! Hearts as big as ")
- 1922 Pierre Chany, writer/cycling journalist
- 1929 Doug Ford, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (successful NSW of 50's), born in Maryville, New South Wales
Tom Brookshier
1931 Tom Brookshier, American football player and sportscaster, born in Roswell, New Mexico (d. 2010)
Tom Brookshier
- 1938 Frank Deford, American sportswriter
- 1945 Bobby George, English professional darts player
- 1947 Vincent Matthews, American 400m dash (Olympic gold 1972)
- 1950 Roy Schuiten, Dutch cyclist (d. 2006)
- 1952 Joel Garner, Christ Church, Barbados, West Indian cricketer (two-metre West Indian pace bowler 1977-87)
- 1952 Francesco Graziani, Italian footballer
- 1954 Joslyn Y Hoyte-Smith, Barbados, 4X400m hurdler (Olympic bronze 1980)
- 1955 Graeme Stevenson, cricketer (England medium pacer 1980-81)
- 1958 Bart Oates, NFL center (NY Giants, SF 49ers)
- 1960 Pat Van Den Hauwe, Belgian footballer
- 1962 William "The Refrigerator" Perry, NFL defensive back (Chicago Bears)
- 1963 Cathy Johnston, American golfer, (du Maurier Classic 1990), born in High Point, North Carolina
- 1964 Billy Ripken, 2nd baseman (Bal Orioles, Texas Rangers), born in Havre de Grace, Maryland
- 1964 Evelyn Conley, WPVA volleyballer (US Open-7th-1989), born in San Francisco, California
- 1964 Heike Drechsler, Gera German DR, sprinter (1988 world record)
- 1965 Chris Jones, outfielder (NY Mets), born in Utica, New York
- 1965 Moe Elewonibi, NFL/CFL tackle (Philadelphia Eagles, BC Lions)
- 1965 Romallis Ellis, lightweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1988), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1966 Clifford Robinson, NBA center (Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers)
- 1966 Dennis Wise, English footballer
- 1967 Donovan Bailey, Manchester Jamaica, Canada 100m runner (Olympic 2 gold-96)
- 1968 Darryll Lewis, NFL cornerback (Houston/Tennessee Oilers)
- 1968 Wendy Doolan, Australian golfer (Evian Masters 2004), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- 1969 Charles Mincy, NFL safety (Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- 1969 Craig White, cricketer (England all-rounder 1994-95, AIS graduate)
- 1971 Catherine "Cathy" Symon, rower (Olympics 1996), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1971 Kristen Kane, diver (Olympics 1996), born in Jacksonville, Florida
- 1972 Charles Gipson, American baseball player
- 1972 Željko Kalac, Australian soccer player
- 1973 Kristie Boogert, Rotterdam Neth, tennis star (1996 Paris)
- 1975 Valentin Bădoi, Romanian footballer
- 1977 Sylvain Distin, French footballer
- 1977 Éric Bélanger, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 Gunter Van Handenhoven, Belgian footballer
- 1979 Trevor Immelman, South African golfer (US Masters 2008), born in Cape Town, Western Cape
- 1981 Gareth Williams, Scottish footballer
- 1982 Antrel Rolle, National Football League defensive back
- 1983 Kelenna Azubuike, English basketball player
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
1991 NBA center David Robinson (26) weds Valerie Hoggatt at a Baptist church ceremony in San Antonio, Texas
David Robinson
Wedding of Interest
2000 Tennis player Todd Martin (30) weds Amy Martin in New Jersey
Todd Martin
Deaths in Sport
- 1926 William Larned, American tennis player (US Nationals 1901-02, 07-11), dies of a self inflicted gun shot wound at 53
- 1940 Billy Hamilton, American baseball player (b. 1866)
- 1944 Don Meyer Basketball coach Northern State, Lipscomb, and Hamline
- 1973 Syd Barnes, cricketer (13 Tests for Australia 1938-48), dies
- 1974 Helen Hicks, American golfer (Western Open 1937, Titleholders Championship 1940), dies of throat cancer at 63
- 1984 Debs Garms, American baseball player, dies at 77
- 1985 Dick Pollard, cricketer (England fast-medium bowler 1946-48), dies
- 1985 Merv Waite, cricketer (2 Tests for Aust 1938, 1 wkt avg 190), dies
- 1988 Hunter "Stork" Hendry, Australian cricketer (11 Tests for Australia 1921-29), dies at 93
- 1989 Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentine racing driver (b. 1913)
- 1992 Rinus Terlouw, Dutch soccer player/trainer (Sparta), dies
- 2004 Ted Abernathy, American baseball player (b. 1933)
- 2014 Ernie Terrell, American boxer (WBA champ 1965-7), dies at 75
December in History
![The Tower that Twice Defied Hitler]()
The Tower that Twice Defied Hitler
The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of France and twice managed to upstage Adolf Hitler. The man who built it, Gustave Eiffel was born on this day.
December 15, 1832![Melodrama at Theatre Leaves Actor Dead]()
Melodrama at Theatre Leaves Actor Dead
One of England’s most popular actors arrived at the stage door on this day to prepare for another performance. He would never make it to the stage.
December 16, 1897![Bowled Over by William and Harry]()
Bowled Over by William and Harry
The royal princes are the latest celebrities to favour headgear that was introduced on this day
December 17, 1849![The Face that Launched a Thousand Quips...]()
The Face that Launched a Thousand Quips...
The greatest and most famous clown of them all, and by whose name, Joey, all circus clowns became known, was born on this day, December 18, 1778.
December 18, 1778
