Events in Sport
Boxing Title Fight
1899 World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retains title; beats Irishman Tom Sharkey on points in 25 rounds at Coney Island Athletic Club, Brooklyn, NYC
James J. Jeffries
Baseball Record
1934 NY Yankees 1st baseman Lou Gehrig wins American League Triple Crown after hitting .363 with 49 HRs and 165 RBI; but Philadelphia A's catcher Mickey Cochrane (.320, 2 HRs, 76 RBI) is named AL MVP
Lou Gehrig
- 1935 Korean runner Sohn Kee-chung sets new men's marathon world record, 2:26:42 in Tokyo, Japan
- 1935 Philadelphia Eagles beat Boston Redskins, 7-6 at Fenway Park; respective quarterbacks combine to throw an NFL record 11 interceptions
- 1937 Frenchman Maurice Archambaud cycles world record for distance in one hour, 45.796 km in Vigorelli, Milan, Italy
- 1937 Howie Morenz Memorial Game, Montreal Forum: NHL All-Stars beat Montreal All Stars, 6-5
Baseball Record
1942 Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams wins American League Triple Crown (.356 average, 36 HRs, 137 RBI); but NY Yankees pitcher Joe Gordon is AL MVP
Ted Williams
- 1945 Australian Test cricket batsman Lindsay Hassett is 124 not out as Australian Services draws with Prince's XI at Delhi; follows his 187 in 1st innings
NHL All-Star Game
1948 2nd NHL All-Star Game, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: All-Stars beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1; Gordie Howe's first of 23 All-Star appearances
Gordie Howe
- 1948 Kleggie Hermsen and Bones McKinney each score 17 points as Washington Capitols beat Philadelphia Warriors, 77-70 at Washington Coliseum to win first of 15 straight games to start season; best start in NBA history
- 1953 MLB Rules Committee restores the sacrifice fly rule, eliminated in 1939; rule says a sacrifice fly is not charged as a time at bat
- 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates starter Vern Law (20-9, 18 complete games) wins MLB's Cy Young Award
Event of Interest
1962 Wilt Chamberlain of the San Francisco Warriors scores 72 points at the Los Angeles Lakers, then 4th-highest point total in NBA history; hits 29 field goals & 14 free throws; remains 6th highest game total
Wilt Chamberlain
- 1963 Joe Weatherly finishes 7th in the season ending Golden State 400 at Riverside International Raceway; retains NASCAR Sprint Cup by 2,228 points from 14-time winner Richard Petty
- 1964 Philadelphia voters narrowly approve $25 million to build a new multi-purpose stadium that would become Veterans Stadium
- 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax is named Cy Young Award winner by a unanimous vote and for a third time; posts 26-8 record, 1.73 ERA and record-shattering 382 strikeouts
- 1968 New York Jets kicker Jim Turner lands 6 field goals and an extra point to beat Buffalo Bills, 25-21 at Shea Stadium
- 1968 English Lotus driver Graham Hill wins his 2nd Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez; wins title by 12 points from Scotsman Jackie Stewart
- 1968 David Pearson is declared NASCAR Grand National champion as Cale Yarborough wins season ending Peach State 200 at Jefferson, Georgia; Pearson finishes 126 points ahead of Bobby Isaac to secure his 2nd title
- 1970 Future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson wins his second NL Cy Young Award (23-7 record, 274 strikeouts and 3.12 ERA
- 1973 BYU receiver Jay Miller sets an NCAA football single game record with 22 catches (for 263 yards) en route to a 56-21 victory over New Mexico at Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah
Event of Interest
1975 Chris Evert becomes first tennis player to achieve the No. 1 ranking as the WTA Tour rankings debut; Evert holds top-spot for first 26 weeks
Chris Evert
- 1980 After acquiring MLB's Oakland A's for $12.7m, Walter Haas Jr. appoints himself CEO; leads team to 4 AL West Divisional titles and 1989 World Series Championship
- 1980 Walter Hass Jr becomes CEO of Oakland A's
- 1981 Milwaukee Brewers future Baseball Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers (6-3 record, 28 saves and 1.04 ERA) wins American League Cy Young Award, with 22 of 28 possible 1st-place votes
- 1982 Detroit Pistons block 20 Cleveland Cavalier shots in 128-119 win at Coliseum at Richfield; ties NBA regulation game record
- 1982 Pitcher Pete Vuckovich becomes Milwaukee Brewers' second consecutive American League Cy Young Award winner; edges Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles; Vuckovich, 18-6 with 105 strikeouts and 3.34 ERA
- 1982 San Diego guard Randy Smith plays his 845th consecutive game in Clippers' 130-111 loss in Philadelphia; passes Johnny “Red” Kerr's NBA record; goes on to play in 906 straight games
- 1985 French McLaren driver Alain Prost wins his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship, finishing 4th in the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; wins title by 20 points from Italian Michele Alboreto
- 1985 Bill Elliott wins Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta Raceway to become first driver to win 11 super-speedway races in 1 season; also first driver to win $2m in prize money in a single season
Baseball Record
1987 Oakland A's first baseman Mark McGwire wins American League Rookie of the Year with 49 home runs, 118 RBI; second to win AL award unanimously; first Carlton Fisk 1972
Mark McGwire
Event of Interest
1987 New York center Marcel Dionne becomes just the second player in NHL history to register 1,700 career points, scoring a goal for the Rangers in a 5-3 loss at Calgary
Marcel Dionne
- 1989 NBA expansion Minnesota Timberwolves make NBA debut; lose 106-94 against SuperSonics at Seattle Center Coliseum; Tyrone Corbin T-Wolves top scorer with 20 points
- 1989 Šarūnas Marčiulionis and Alexander Volkov become first Russians to play in a regular season NBA game; Marciulionis scores 19 as Golden State lose 136-106 to Phoenix; Volkov held scoreless in Atlanta's 126-103 defeat by Indiana
- 1990 Atlanta Hawks' center Moses Malone sets an NBA record for free throws made in a career by hitting 7-of-9 in a 121-120 win over Indiana Pacers at the Omni; passes Oscar Robinson's record (7,694)
- 1990 TCU quarterback Matt Vogler completes 44 passes including 5 touchdowns for an NCAA football record 690 passing yards in a 56-35 loss to Houston at the Astrodome; Cougars quarterback David Klingler throws for 7 TDs
- 1991 New York City Marathon: Salvador Garcia of Mexico men's champion in 2:09:28; Liz McColgan of Scotland wins women's title, 2:27.0
Event of Interest
1991 Ayrton Senna wins Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide; shortest F1 race ever run (14 laps) because of wet conditions; Senna retains his 3rd World Drivers Championship by 24 points from Nigel Mansell
Ayrton Senna
- 1993 Defenseman Ken Daneyko sets New Jersey Devils 'Ironman' record by playing 322nd consecutive NHL game in 2-3 loss at LA Kings
Event of Interest
1993 Greg Maddux becomes first pitcher since Sandy Koufax to win the National League's Cy Young Award in successive MLB seasons and the first in successive seasons with different teams; Cubs 1992, Braves 1993
Greg Maddux
- 1994 Small forward Glenn Robinson signs the then most lucrative rookie contract in NBA history, a 10-year, $68.15 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
- 1995 With a 105-91 victory over Charlotte at the United Centre, Chicago wins their first of an NBA record 72 games in one season and their first of an NBA record 37 home games won at the start of a season
- 1995 First NBA game at FleetCenter in Boston; Celtics lose to Milwaukee Bucks, 101-100
- 1995 First NBA game at Rose Garden in Portland; Trail Blazers lose 92-80 to Vancouver Grizzlies
- 1995 First NBA game at SkyDome in Toronto; Raptors beat New Jersey Nets, 94-79
Event of Interest
1996 San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice grabs 3 passes for 45 yards and a TD to become 1st player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions in 24-17 win over New Orleans Saints; finishes career with 1,549
Jerry Rice
Event of Interest
1996 Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant becomes the then youngest player to make his NBA debut (18 years, 2 months, 11 days) in 91-85 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Great Western Forum
Kobe Bryant
- 1996 New York City Marathon: Giacomo Leone of Italy, man's champion in 2:09:54; Anuta Catuna of Romania takes women's title in 2:28:18
- 1997 American racing legend Willie Shoemaker retires from thoroughbred training with a 90 winners from 713 start record; rode record 8,833 winners as a jockey, before becoming a trainer in 1990
- 1997 Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra becomes 6th player to be unanimous choice for American League Rookie of the Year; leads AL in hits (209), triples (11), multi-hit games (68); also sets AL rookie-record with 30-game hitting streak
Event of Interest
1999 Los Angeles Lakers debut in the STAPLES Center, with 103-88 win v Vancouver Grizzlies; Magic Johnson & Chick Hearn co-host ceremony unveiling Lakers' retired jerseys & championship banners in new building
Magic Johnson
- 2001 Arkansas beats Mississippi, 58-56 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford in 7 overtime periods; the longest game in NCAA football history
- 2001 San Antonio Spurs guard Steve Smith plays first game against Portland after being traded from the Trail Blazers; ties NBA record for most 3-point field goals in a game without a miss; goes 8-for-8, scores 36 points in 106-90 win
- 2002 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Gran Canaria, Spain: Janette Husárová beats Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-0, 6-2 to give Slovakia their first title, 3-1
Hall of Fame
2003 Grant Fuhr, Pat LaFontaine, Red Wings owner Mike Illitch and Ottawa 67’s coach Brian Kilreais are inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Grant Fuhr
Pat LaFontaine
- 2007 Navy beats Notre Dame 46-44 in triple overtime, ending the Fighting Irish's NCAA Football-record winning streak against the Midshipmen at 43 games; last Navy win over Notre Dame, 35-14 in 1963
- 2012 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Santa Anita Racetrack; Day 2 winners: George Vancouver, Groupie Doll, Tapizar, Mizdirection, Shanghai Bobby, Little Mike, Trinniberg, Wise Dan, Fort Larned
- 2013 Nick Foles connects with Riley Cooper 3 times to become 7th passer in NFL history with 7 TD tosses in a game during Philadelphia Eagles’ 49-20 win over the Raiders at Oakland; Foles completes 22 of 28 for 406 yards
- 2013 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Cagliari, Italy: Sara Errani of Italy outclasses Russia's Alisa Kleybanova 6-1, 6-1 for an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends 4-0) and 4th title for the home country
- 2013 New York City Marathon: Geoffrey Mutai becomes first repeat winner in 15 years in slow 2:08:24; fellow Kenyan Priscah Jeptoo wins women's race in 2:25:07
- 2015 Melbourne Cup won by Prince of Penzance ridden by Michelle Payne; first female jockey to win the event
- 2017 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Del Mar Racetrack; Day 1 winners: Rushing Fall, Battle of Midway, Mendelssohn, Forever Unbridled
- 2018 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; Day 2 winners: Shamrock Rose, Stormy Liberal, City of Light, Sistercharlie, Roy H, Expert Eye, Monomoy Girl, Enable, Accelerate
Event of Interest
2019 British Mercedes driver and defending champion Lewis Hamilton finishes second in the US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas to clinch his 6th F1 Drivers World Championship
Lewis Hamilton
- 2019 Australian world #1 Ashleigh Barty beats Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6–4, 6–3 to win the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, China, recieves US$4.42m the biggest winner's cheque in tennis history
Birthdays in Sport
- 1856 Jim McCormick, Scottish-born American baseball pitcher and manager (first Scot in MLB; NL wins leader 1880, 82; NL ERA leader 1883), born in Thornliebank, Renfrewshire (d. 1918)
- 1863 Billy Murphy, New Zealand boxer (world featherweight champion 1890; first world champion in any class from NZ), born in Auckland, NZ (d. 1939)
- 1863 Blanche Bingley-Hillyard, British tennis player (Wimbledon 1886, 89, 94, 97, 99-1900), born in Greenford, England (d. 1946)
- 1866 Harry Staley, American baseball pitcher (MLB record 9 RBI 1893; record lasts 70+ years), born in Jacksonville, Illinois (d. 1910)
- 1871 Albert Goldthorpe, English rugby league five eighth (RL pioneer; Hunslet 713 games), born in Leeds, West Yorkshire (d. 1943)
- 1880 Edward Barrett, Irish heavyweight wrestler and all-round sportsman (Olympic gold tug-of-war 1908), born in Ballyduff, County Kerry (d. 1932)
- 1881 George Mehnert, American wrestler (Olympic gold flyweight 1904, bantamweight 1908), born in Newark, New Jersey (d. 1948)
- 1887 Nat Fleischer, American boxing writer (established Ring Magazine), born in New York City, NY (d. 1972)
- 1893 Charley Barrett, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Cornell undefeated National C'ship 1915), born in Bellevue, Pennsylvania (d. 1924)
- 1893 Robert Lindley Murray, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1917-18), born in San Francisco, California (d. 1970)
- 1899 Ralph Greenleaf, American pocket billiards player (20-time world champion), born in Monmouth, Illinois (d. 1950)
- 1900 Roger Blunt MBE, New Zealand cricket all-rounder and broadcaster (9 Tests; BBC), born in Durham, England (d. 1966)
- 1900 Adolf Dassler, German entrepreneur (founder sportswear company Adidas), born in Herzogenaurach, Germany (d. 1978)
- 1902 Charles Jones, West Indian cricket batsman (4 Tests), born in born in Georgetown, British Guiana (d. 1959)
Bronko Nagurski
1908 Bronko Nagurski, Canadian-American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame fullback (Chicago Bears), born in Rainy River, Ontario (d. 1990)
Bronko Nagurski
- 1911 Kick Smit, Dutch soccer striker and manager (29 caps; HFC Haarlem), born in Bloemendaal, Netherlands (d. 1974)
- 1918 Bob Feller, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (AL Triple Crown 1940; 3 x no-hit games), born in Van Meter, Iowa (d.2010)
- 1923 Glen Brand, American wrestler (Olympic gold middleweight 1948), born in Clarion, Iowa (d.2008)
- 1930 Brian Robinson, English cyclist (Tour de France: first Briton to finish and first stage winner), born in Mirfield, West Riding of Yorkshire
- 1934 Derek Richardson, English cricket batsman (1 Test; Worcestershire 383 first class games ), born in Hereford, Herefordshire
- 1934 Bob Hopkins, American basketball forward and coach (Syracuse Nationals; Seattle SuperSonics), born in Jonesboro, Louisiana (d. 2015)
Roy Emerson
1936 Roy Emerson, Australian tennis player (12 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Blackbutt, Queensland
Roy Emerson
- 1937 Jim Houston, American College Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Ohio State; Pro Bowl 1964-65, 69-70; Cleveland Browns), born in Massillon, Ohio (2018)
- 1938 Frank McKinney, American swimmer (Olympic gold 4x100m medley), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1992)
- 1939 Frits Flinkevleugel, Dutch soccer defender (11 caps; DWS, FC Amsterdam), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2020)
- 1944 Mel Farr, American NFL running back (Pro Bowl 1967, 70; Detroit Lions), born in Beaumont, Texas (d. 2015)
- 1945 Ken Holtzman, American baseball pitcher (2 x no hitters; MLB All Star 1972-73; World Series 1972-74), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- 1945 Gerd Müller ["Der Bomber"], German soccer striker (62 caps; Bayern Munich 453 games, 398 goals), born in Nördlingen, Germany
Larry Holmes
1949 Larry Holmes, American boxer (world heavyweight champion, 20 successful title defences), born in Cuthbert, Georgia
Larry Holmes
- 1949 Roswitha Krause, German swimmer and team handball player (first woman Summer Olympic medals in different sports; silver 4x100m freestyle 1968, handball 1976), born in Dahme, Germany
- 1950 Karen Stives, American equestrian rider (Olympic gold team, silver individual 1984), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
- 1951 Azmat Rana, Pakistan cricket batsman (1 Test, top score 49; 2 ODIs), born in Lahore, Punjab (d. 2015)
- 1951 Dwight Evans, American baseball right fielder (MLB All-Star 1978, 81, 87; Boston Red Sox), born in Santa Monica, California
- 1955 Phil Simms, American NFL quarterback (Super Bowl 1986 [MVP], 90; NY Giants) and broadcaster (ESPN, NBC CBS), born in Springfield, Kentucky
- 1956 Bob Welch, American baseball pitcher (AL Cy Young Award 1990; Oakland A's; World Series 1981, 89, 2001), born in Seal Beach, California (d. 2014)
- 1957 Steve Johnson, American basketball center (NBA All Star 1988; Portland Trail Blazers), born in Akron, Ohio
- 1958 Andy Mapple, English water skier (World Slalom C'ship 1981, 89, 95, 97, 99, 2001), born in Lytham, Lancashire (d. 2015)
- 1958 Derrike Cope, American auto racer and team owner (Daytona 500 1990), born in San Diego, California
- 1958 Brady Hoke, American college football coach (San Diego State, Michigan), born in Dayton, Ohio
- 1960 Karch Kiraly, American indoor & beach volleyball player (3 x Olympic gold 1984, 88, 96), born in Jackson, Michigan
- 1962 Kym Hampton, American basketball center (WNBA All Star 1999; NY Liberty), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- 1963 Howard Ballard, American NFL tackle (Pro Bowl 1992-93, Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks), born in Ashland, Alabama
- 1963 Ian Wright MBE, English soccer striker and broadcaster (33 caps; Crystal Palace, Arsenal), born in London, England
- 1963 Shigeaki Hattori, Japanese auto racer and team owner (Hattori Racing Enterprises: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2018), born in Okayama, Okayama
- 1964 Bryan Young, New Zealand cricket batsman (35 Tests, top score 267; 74 ODIs), born in Whangarei, Northland
- 1967 John Tomac, American professional cyclist (Mountain Bike Hall of Fame), born in Owosso, Michigan
- 1968 Antonio Pettigrew, American athlete (World C'ship gold 400m 1991), born in Macon, Georgia (d. 2010)
- 1968 Lee Germon, New Zealand cricket wicketkeeper and captain (12 Tests, 29 dismissals; 37 ODIs), born in Christchurch, Canterbury
- 1968 Paul Quantrill, Canadian baseball pitcher and coach (MLB All Star 2001; Toronto Blue Jays), born in London, Ontario
- 1971 Diego Alessi, Italian auto racer (ADAC GT Masters 2013), born in Rome, Italy
- 1971 Dwight Yorke, Trinidad & Tobago soccer striker (74 caps; Aston Villa, Manchester United), born in Canaan, Trinidad and Tobago
- 1971 Unai Emery, Spanish soccer manager (Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, PSG, Arsenal) born in Hondarribia, Spain
- 1972 Armando Benitez, Dominican baseball pitcher (NL saves leader 2004; MLB All Star 2003-04), born in Ramón Santana, San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic
- 1972 Ugo Ehiogu, English soccer defender (4 caps; Aston Villa, Middlesborough), born in London, England (d. 2017)
- 1974 Tariq Abdul Wahad, French basketball forward (first French player in NBA; Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks), born in Paris, France
- 1975 Darren Sharper, American NFL defensive back (5-time Pro Bowl; Super Bowl 2009, Green Bay Packers), born in Richmond, Virginia
- 1976 Guillermo Franco, Mexican soccer striker (25 caps; Villarreal), born in Corrientes, Argentina
- 1979 Pablo Aimar, Argentine soccer midfielder (52 caps; Valencia, Benfica), born in Río Cuarto, Argentina
- 1981 Sten Pentus, Estonian auto racer (Formula Baltic 2000), born in Tallinn, Estonia
- 1981 Vicente Matías Vuoso, Mexican soccer striker (15 caps; Santos Laguna), born in Mar Del Plata, Argentina
- 1981 Rodrigo Millar, Chilean soccer midfielder (37 caps; Huachipato, Colo-Colo), born in Arauco, Chile
- 1982 Evgeny Plushenko, Russian figure skater (2 x Olympic gold, singles 2006, team 2014; World C'ship gold singles 2001, 03, 04), born in Dzhamku, Russia
- 1984 LaMarr Woodley, American NFL outside linebacker (Super Bowl 2008; Pro Bowl 2009; Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Saginaw, Michigan
- 1986 Paul Derbyshire, Italian rugby union flanker (24 caps; Benetton Treviso), born in Cecina, Livorno, Italy
Colin Kaepernick
1987 Colin Kaepernick, American NFL quarterback (protest kneel during national anthem; SF 49ers), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Colin Kaepernick
- 1990 Ellyse Perry, Australian soccer defender and cricket all-rounder (top Test score 213no; NSW; Sydney Sixers), born in Sydney NSW
- 1992 Joe Clarke, English slalom canoeist (Olympic gold K1 2016), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
- 1995 Kelly Catlin, American road cyclist (Olympic silver 2016, World C'ship gold 2016-18), born in St, Paul, Minnesota (d. 2019)
Weddings in Sport
- 2012 Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson (24) weds Mark Caldwell (27) at the Main Street Garden Park in Dallas, Texas
Deaths in Sport
- 1960 Bobby Wallace, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop, pitcher, manager, umpire and scout (St. Louis Browns), dies at 86
- 1968 Vern Stephens, American baseball shortstop (8-time MLB All Star; AL HR leader 1945; 3×AL RBI leader), dies of a heart attack at 48
- 1969 Zeki Rıza Sporel, Turkish soccer striker (16 caps; Fenerbahçe), dies at 71
- 1971 Étienne Gailly, Belgian long distance runner (famous Olympic bronze finish 1948), dies at 48
- 1982 Jack Westland, American politician (US House of Representatives 1953-65) and golfer (US Amateur C'ship 1952), dies at 77
- 2006 Alberto Spencer, Ecuadorian soccer forward (11 caps; 5 caps Uruguay; most goals in Copa Libertadores [54] 1960-72), dies of heart failure at 68
- 2008 Alan Ford, American swimmer (world 100m freestyle record 55.4; Olympic silver 1948), dies of emphysema at 84
- 2011 Matty Alou, Dominican baseball outfielder (NL batting champion 1966; MLB All-Star 1968-69), dies of diabetes complications at 72
- 2012 Tommy Godwin, British track cyclist (Great Britain coach; 2 x Olympic bronze 1948; President British Cycling Federation), dies at 91
- 2013 Gerard Cieślik, Polish soccer striker and manager (45 caps, 27 goals), dies at 86
- 2015 Tom Graveney, England cricket batsman (79 Tests; top score 258; 732 first class games), dies of Parkinson's disease at 88
