Events in Sport
- 1621 Governor Bradford head of the colony of American Plymouth disallows sport on Christmas Day
- 1884 1st World Series OK by AA, Providence (NL) sweeps NY Mets (AA) in 3
- 1905 1st College Football Crab Bowl Classic: Navy beats Maryland 17-0 in Annapolis
- 1925 Lester Patrick takes over NY Rangers
- 1926 Lester Patrick becomes 1st coach & gm of NY Rangers
Donald Bradman
NFL Record
1953 Cleveland Browns' QB Otto Graham sets club record with 4 fumbles
Otto Graham
- 1956 White Sox manager Marty Marion resigns. AL Lopez replaces him
- 1964 Dutchman Anton Geesink is 1st non-Japanese Olympic judo gold medal winner
- 1964 Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Phoenix Thunderbirds Ladies' Golf Open
- 1964 "The Wrong Way Run", Viking Jim Marshall runs 66 yards in wrong direction for a safety (NFL's #1 blooper)
- 1964 15th Formula One WDC: John Surtees wins by one point
- 1964 English driver John Surtees finishes 2nd behind American Dan Gurney in season ending Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to clinch his first World Championship of Drivers title; edges Graham Hill by 1 point
- 1968 Longest Olympic field hockey game, The Netherlands beats Spain 1-0 in 2h25m (6 OT)
- 1968 US men's basketball team beats Yugoslavia 65-50 to win the gold medal at the Mexico City Olympics; 7th straight basketball title for the Americans
- 1968 Czech gymnast Věra Čáslavská wins the uneven bars and vault gold medals at the Mexico City Olympics; her 6th & 7th career gold medals and her 4th at these Games
- 1968 American swimmer Claudia Kolb wraps up the women's individual medley double in Mexico City, winning the 400m I/M in Olympic record 5:08.5; she also won the 200m I/M in OR 2:24.7
- 1968 East German swimmer Roland Matthes wins the 200m backstroke gold medal in Olympic record 2:09.6 at the Mexico City Games; wraps up backstroke double
- 1970 Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Women's Golf Charities Open
- 1970 Austrian driver Jochen Rindt wins World F1 Drivers title by 5 points from Jacky Ickx after Mexican GP; only season World Championship awarded posthumously, after Rindt's death in Italian GP practice at Monza
- 1973 Cubs trade Ferguson Jenkins to Rangers for Bill Madlock & Vic Harris
- 1973 SF Giants trade Willie McCovey to San Diego Padres for pitcher Mike Caldwell
- 1975 Denver Nuggets 1st game at McNichols Sports Arena beat St Louis Spirits
- 1978 Padres Gaylord Perry is 1st to win Cy Young in both leagues (NL)
Boxing Title Fight
1980 Mike Weaver KOs Gerrie Coetzee in 13 for heavyweight boxing title
Mike Weaver
- 1981 11th NYC Women's Marathon won by Allison Roe in 2:25:29
- 1981 12th NYC Marathon won by Alberto Salazar in 2:08:13
- 1982 David Hookes scores Cricket century in 34 balls 43 mins, SA v Victoria
- 1986 Trailing 5-3 with 2 out & no one on in bottom of 10th, NY rallies to win Game 6 of the World Series, 6-5, Bill Buckner misplays a ball
- 1987 Minnesota Twins win their 1st World Series championship beating St Louis Cards, 4 games to 3 in 84th World Series
Boxing Title Fight
1990 Evander Holyfield KOs Buster Douglas in 3 for heavyweight boxing title
Evander Holyfield
- 1991 Aaqib Javed takes 7-37 in 10 overs v India in cricket 1-dayer at Sharjah
- 1992 Rene Lachemann hired as Fla Marlins 1st manager
- 1993 Daryll Cullinan hits 337* for Transvaal, South African 1st-class cricket record
- 1997 9th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 52-20 in South Bend
- 2003 Florida beats New York Yankees, 2-0 in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium for Marlins second Baseball World Series; Florida pitcher Josh Beckett MVP
- 2003 15th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 27-25 in Chestnut Hill
- 2003 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Santa Anita Racetrack; winners: Pleasantly Perfect, Action This Day, Adoration, Johar, High Chaparral, Islington, Halfbridled, Six Perfections, Cajun Beat
- 2008 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Santa Anita Racetrack; Day 2 winners: Muhannak, Desert Code, Albertus Maximus, Goldikova, Midshipman, Donativum, Midnight Lute, Conduit, Raven's Pass
- 2009 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4 games to 2
- 2012 The double dip recession in the UK economy ends with growth of 1.0% in GDP in the third quarter of 2012, with help from the London Olympic Games
- 2015 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins US F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas to clinch his second consecutive World Drivers Championship
Birthdays in Sport
- 1889 Smoky Joe Wood, American baseball pitcher (Boston Red Sox), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1985)
Denny Shute
1904 [Herman] Denny Shute, American golfer and three-time major champion, born in Cleveland, Ohio
Denny Shute
- 1912 Jack Kent Cooke, Canadian entrepreneur, NFL team owner (Washington Redskins), born in Hamilton, Canada (d. 1997)
- 1917 Lee MacPhail, American Baseball Hall of Fame executive (AL President), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 2012)
- 1923 Bobby Thomson, Scottish-American baseball player, born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2010)
- 1925 Yakov Rylsky, USSR sabre team (Olympic bronze 1956), born in Aleksandrovka, Verkhubinsky District, Kazakhstan (d. 1999)
- 1927 Franklin "Bud" Held, American javelin world champ (1949, 51, 53-55), born in Los Angeles, California
- 1927 Headley Keith, South African cricketer (solid left-handed for South Africa in the 1950's), born in Dundee, Natal
- 1929 Peter Loader, English cricketer (England quick in 13 Tests 1954-59, later WA), born in Wallington, London
- 1931 Jimmy McIlroy, Irish footballer and football manager, born in Lambeg, Ireland
- 1932 Harry Gregg, Irish footballer and football manager, born in Magherafelt, Ireland
- 1933 Ron Archer, Australian cricketer (Aussie all-rounder mid-50's), born in Highgate Hill, Queensland
- 1933 Roy Swetman, English cricketer (England wicket-keeper late 50's), born in Westminster, London
- 1936 Alan Smith, cricket wicket-keeper (England1962-63 Aust-NZ tour)
- 1938 Robert Webster, diver (Olympic gold 1960, 64), born in Berkeley, California
- 1939 Zelmo Beaty, Hillister, TX, basketball player (St Louis Hawks, Utah Stars), (d. 2013)
- 1940 Bobby Knight, college basketball coach (Indiana, Olympic gold 1984)
- 1941 Bobby Keetch, soccer player/entrepreneur
- 1948 Dan Gable, Waterloo Iowa, 68kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1972)
- 1948 Dan Issel, NBA coach/player (27,482 points, Denver Nuggets)
Dave Cowens
1948 Dave Cowens, American NBA forward (Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks), born in Newport, Kentucky
Dave Cowens
- 1949 Réjean Houle, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1950 John Matuszak, American NFL defensive end (Oak Raider) and actor (The Goonies), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1989)
- 1952 Imran Khan, Pakistani cricket all-rounder, politician (88 Tests, 3,807 runs, 362 wickets), born in Lahore, Pakistan
- 1952 Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek footballer and manager (d. 2004)
- 1953 Mark Will McNulty, Bindwa Zimbabwe, PGA golfer (1982 Danny Thomas-4th)
- 1953 Muffin Spencer-Devlin, Piqua OH, LPGA golfer (1985 MasterCard Pro-Am)
Mike Eruzione
1954 Mike Eruzione, American ice hockey player (Olympic gold Medal 1980), born in Winthrop, Massachusetts
Mike Eruzione
- 1955 Danny Darwin, Bonham Texas, pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates)
- 1958 Dipak Patel, cricketer (in Kenya New Zealand off-spin all-rounder)
- 1958 Kornelia Ender, Halle GDR, swimmer (Olympic-4 gold-1972, 76)
- 1960 Kelli McMullen-Temple, Canadian equestrian (Olympics 1996), born in Columbus, Ohio
- 1964 Barb Broen-Ouellette, volleyballer (Olympics 1996), born in Edmonton, Alberta
- 1964 Johan de Kock, Dutch soccer player (Roda JC)
- 1964 Pat Swilling, NFL defensive end/linebacker (Oakland Raiders)
- 1965 Derrick Rostagno, tennis star, born in Los Angeles, California
- 1965 Leigh Ann Mills, Melbourne FL, LPGA golfer (1985 Mazda Champions)
- 1965 Steve Decker, catcher (SF Giants), born in Rock Island, Illinois
- 1965 Warren Ayres, cricketer (Victorian right-handed batsman since 1987-88)
- 1966 Wendel Clark, Kelvington, NHL left wing (NY Islanders), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1967 Anthony Johnson, NFL fullback (Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers)
- 1967 Kelly Chase, Porcupine Plain Ca, NHL right wing (Hartford Whalers)
- 1967 Mazhar Hussein, cricketer (UAE batsman World Cup 1996)
- 1968 Corey Miller, NFL linebacker (NY Giants)
- 1969 Corey Harris, NFL cornerback (Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins)
- 1969 Eric Guliford, NFL wide receiver (Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints)
- 1969 Josef Beranek, Czech NHL center (Vancouver Canucks, Olympic Gold 1998), born in Litvinov
- 1969 Larry Thomas, pitcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Miami, Florida
- 1969 Oleg Salenko, Russian former footballer
- 1970 Kelvin Ingram, NFL guard (Seattle Seahawks)
- 1970 J.A. Adande, American sports columnist
- 1970 Peter Aerts, Dutch kickboxer and martial artist
- 1971 Pedro Martínez, Dominican-American baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic
- 1971 Jeffrey Prommayon, soccer player (PSV)
- 1971 Laura Chapot, equestrian show jumper (Olympics 1996)
- 1971 Lee Gissendaner, NFL/WLAF receiver (Minnesota Vikings, Scottish Claymores)
- 1971 Stephanie Martin-Cobb, LPGA golfer
- 1971 Simon Charlton, English footballer
- 1972 Leland Taylor, defensive tackle (Baltimore Ravens)
- 1973 Joe Angel Acosta Jr, PGA golfer (1995 Greater Milwaukee-3rd), born in San Diego, California
- 1973 Steve White, defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- 1974 Chris Murray, Port Hardy, NHL right wing (Montreal Canadiens)
- 1974 Frank Middleton, NFL football player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Beaumont, Texas
- 1974 Lee Byung-Kyu, Korean baseball player
- 1975 Ryan Clement, former XFL quarterback
- 1976 Steve Jones, Irish footballer
- 1977 Birgit Prinz, German footballer
- 1978 Riley Mants, 200m breaststroker (Olympics 1996), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- 1978 Russell Anderson, Scottish footballer
- 1979 Rob Hulse, English footballer
- 1979 Tony Torcato, American baseball player
- 1980 Ilana Goldfogel, pairs skater (& Erik Schulz), born in Denver, Colorado
- 1981 Shaun Wright-Phillips, English footballer
- 1982 Jerome Carter, American football player
- 1987 Darron Gibson, Irish football player
- 1987 Fabian Hambüchen, German gymnast and Olympic medallist
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
1997 NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (38) weds news anchor Jane Skinner (30) at First Presbyterian Church in Lake Forest, Illinois
Roger Goodell
- 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning skier Picabo Street (37) weds John Reeser (31) on top of Alabama's Prospect Mountain in Hanceville
Deaths in Sport
- 1910 Willie Anderson, Scottish golfer (4-time US Open champion), dies of epilepsy at 31
- 1929 James Lillywhite Jr, cricketer (two Tests for England 1877), dies
- 1942 Ted Arnold, English cricketer (England all-rounder in 10 Tests 1903-05), dies at 65
- 1973 Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian distance runner (Olympic gold, marathon 1960, 64), dies of a cerebral bleed at 41
Bobby Riggs
1995 Bobby Riggs, American tennis player ("The Battle of the Sexes", US Open 1939, 41), dies of prostate cancer at 77
Bobby Riggs
Payne Stewart
1999 Payne Stewart, American golfer (US Open 1991, 99; PGA 1989), dies in a plane crash at 42
Payne Stewart
Richard Harris
2002 Richard Harris, Irish actor (A Man Called Horse, This Sporting Life) and singer (MacArthur Park) dies of Hodgkin's disease at 72
Richard Harris
- 2012 John Connelly, English footballer (20 English caps), dies from cancer at 74
Bill Sharman
2013 Bill Sharman, American basketball player, dies from complications from a stroke at 87
Bill Sharman
- 2016 Carlos Alberto Torres, Brazilian footballer, Captain of winning World Cup team (1970), dies at 72