Events in Sport
- 1621 Governor Bradford head of the colony of American Plymouth disallows sport on Christmas Day
- 1884 1st "World Championship" Baseball Series, Polo Grounds, NYC: Providence Grays (NL) beat NY Mets (American Association), 12-2 in 6 innings for 3 game sweep; game abandoned because of bitter cold
- 1905 1st College Football Crab Bowl Classic: Navy beats Maryland 17-0 in Annapolis
- 1909 Australasian Championships Men's Tennis, Perth: Anthony Wilding of New Zealand wins his 2nd Australasian title; beats Ernie Parker of Australia 6–1, 7–5, 6–2
- 1925 Lester Patrick takes over NY Rangers
- 1926 Lester Patrick becomes 1st coach & gm of NY Rangers
Event of Interest
1937 Casey Stengel signs to manage Boston Bees
Casey Stengel
Donald Bradman
NFL Record
1953 Cleveland Browns' QB Otto Graham sets club record with 4 fumbles
Otto Graham
Event of Interest
1955 Branch Rickey steps down as GM of the Pirates
Branch Rickey
Event of Interest
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 F1 World Drivers Championship; edges Graham Hill by 1 point
Graham Hill
- 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 Austrian driver Jochen Rindt wins F1 World Drivers Championship 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
- 1972 Eddy Merckx (Belgium) covers 30 miles, 1,258 yards in 1 hr
- 1973 Cubs trade Ferguson Jenkins to Rangers for Bill Madlock & Vic Harris
Event of Interest
1973 SF Giants trade Willie McCovey to San Diego Padres for pitcher Mike Caldwell
Willie McCovey
Boxing Title Fight
1980 Mike Weaver KOs Gerrie Coetzee in 13 for heavyweight boxing title
Mike Weaver
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 unbeaten 337 for Transvaal against Northern Transvaal, South African 1st-class cricket record score
- 1996 Frank, brother of Yank manager Joe Torre, receives a heart transplant
- 1997 9th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 52-20 in South Bend
- 2003 World Series Baseball: Florida beats New York Yankees, 2-0 in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium for Marlins second title; MVP: Florida pitcher Josh Beckett
- 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
- 2005 Then longest Baseball World Series game in time (5 hours, 41 mins) and tied longest in innings (14, tied with Game 2, 1916 WS and Game 1, 2015 WS); Chicago White Sox beat Houston Astros, 7-5 game 3 at Minute Maid Park, Houston
- 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
Event of Interest
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
Lewis Hamilton
- 2020 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins Portuguese Grand Prix at Autódromo Internacional Do Algarve for his 92nd career victory; moves 1 win clear of Michael Schumacher in all-time F1 victories list
Birthdays in Sport
- 1889 Smoky Joe Wood, American baseball pitcher (Boston Red Sox), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 1985)
Denny Shute
1904 Denny Shute, American golfer (British Open 1933, PGA C'ship 1936-37), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 1974)
Denny Shute
Primo Carnera
1906 Primo Carnera, Italian boxer (World Heavyweight Champion 1933-34), born in Sequals, Italy (d. 1967)
Primo Carnera
- 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)
- 1924 Bobby Brown, American baseball third baseman (NY Yankees; World Series 1947, 49–51) and executive (president American League 1984-94), born in Seattle, Washington (d. 2021)
- 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 cricket batsman (8 Tests @ 21.19), born in Dundee, Natal (d. 1997)
- 1929 Peter Loader, English cricketer (England quick in 13 Tests 1954-59, later WA), born in Wallington, London
- 1929 LaDell Andersen, American college basketball coach (Utah State, BYU), born in Malad City, Idaho (d. 2019)
- 1931 Jimmy McIlroy, Irish footballer and football manager, born in Lambeg, 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, English cricket wicket-keeper (6 Tests), born in Birmingham, Warwickshire
- 1938 Robert Webster, American diver (Olympic gold 1960, 64), born in Berkeley, California
- 1939 Zelmo Beaty, American basketball player (St Louis Hawks, Utah Stars), born in Hillister, Texas (d. 2013)
- 1940 Bobby Knight, American college basketball coach (Indiana, Olympic gold 1984), born in Massillon, Ohio
- 1941 Bobby Keetch, English footballer and entrepreneur, born in Tottenham, North London (d. 1996)
- 1948 Dan Gable, American 68kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1972), born in Waterloo, Iowa
- 1948 Dan Issel, American NBA coach and player (27,482 points, Denver Nuggets), born in Batavia, Illinois
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 (Montreal Canadiens), born in Rouyn, Quebec
- 1950 John Matuszak, American NFL defensive end (Oak Raider) and actor (The Goonies), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (d. 1989)
- 1952 Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek soccer midfielder (46 caps; Olympiacos; Panathinaikos) and manager (Panathinaikos), born in Piraeus, Greece (d. 2004)
- 1953 Mark McNulty, Irish-Zimbabwean golfer (The Tradition 2007; 16 European Tour titles), born in Bindura, Zimbabwe
- 1953 Muffin Spencer-Devlin, American golfer (3 LPGA Tour titles), born in Piqua, Ohio
Mike Eruzione
1954 Mike Eruzione, American ice hockey player (Olympic gold Medal 1980), born in Winthrop, Massachusetts
Mike Eruzione
- 1955 Danny Darwin, American baseball pitcher (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Bonham, Texas
- 1958 Dipak Patel, Kenyan-New Zealand cricketer (in Kenya New Zealand off-spin all-rounder), born in Nairobi, Kenya
- 1958 Kornelia Ender, East German swimmer (Olympic-4 gold-1972, 76), born in Plauen, East Germany
- 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), born in Sliedrecht, Netherlands
- 1964 Pat Swilling, American NFL defensive end and linebacker (Oakland Raiders), born in Toccoa, Georgia
- 1965 Steve Decker, American baseball catcher (SF Giants), born in Rock Island, Illinois
- 1965 Warren Ayres, Australian cricketer (Victorian right-handed batsman since 1987-88), born in Melbourne, Australia
- 1966 Wendel Clark, Canadian NHL left wing (NY Islanders), born in Toronto, Ontario
- 1967 Anthony Johnson, American NFL fullback (Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- 1967 Kelly Chase, Canadian NHL right wing (Hartford Whalers), born in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan
- 1968 Corey Miller, American NFL linebacker (NY Giants), born in Pageland, South Carolina
- 1969 Corey Harris, American NFL cornerback (Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- 1969 Eric Guliford, American NFL wide receiver (Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints), born in Kansas City, Kansas
- 1969 Josef Beranek, Czech NHL center (Vancouver Canucks, Olympic Gold 1998), born in Litvinov
- 1969 Larry Thomas, American baseball pitcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Miami, Florida
- 1969 Oleg Salenko, Russian-Ukrainian footballer, born in Leningrad, Soviet Union
- 1970 Kelvin Ingram, American NFL guard (Seattle Seahawks), born in Fort Pierce, Florida
- 1970 J.A. Adande, American sports columnist, born in Los Angeles, California
- 1970 Peter Aerts, Dutch kickboxer and martial artist, born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- 1971 Pedro Martínez, Dominican-American baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic
- 1971 Geoffrey Prommayon, Thai-American soccer player (PSV), born in Udon Thani, Thailand
- 1971 Laura Chapot, equestrian show jumper (Olympics 1996)
- 1971 Lee Gissendaner, NFL/WLAF receiver (Minnesota Vikings, Scottish Claymores), born in Akron, Ohio
- 1971 Simon Charlton, English footballer (Southampton), born in Huddersfield, England
- 1972 Leland Taylor, American football defensive tackle (Baltimore Ravens), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- 1973 Steve White, American football defensive end (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- 1974 Chris Murray, Canadian NHL right wing (Montreal Canadiens), born in Port Hardy, British Columbia
- 1974 Frank Middleton, American NFL football player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Beaumont, Texas
- 1974 Lee Byung-Kyu, South Korean baseball player, born in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, South Korea
- 1975 Ryan Clement, American football quarterback, born in Denver, Colorado
- 1976 Steve Jones, Northern Irish footballer, born in Derry, Northern Ireland
- 1977 Birgit Prinz, German footballer (three-time FIFA World Player of the Year), born in Frankfurt am Main, West Germany
- 1978 Riley Mants, 200m breaststroker (Olympics 1996), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
- 1978 Russell Anderson, Scottish footballer (Sunderland), born in Aberdeen, Scotland
- 1979 Rob Hulse, English footballer (Sheffield United), born in Crewe, England
- 1979 Tony Torcato, American baseball player, born in Woodland, California
- 1980 Ilana Goldfogel, American pairs skater (with partner Erik Schulz), born in Denver, Colorado
- 1981 Shaun Wright-Phillips, English footballer (Manchester City), born in Greenwich, England
- 1982 Jerome Carter, American football player (St. Louis Rams), born in Lake City, Florida
- 1987 Darron Gibson, Irish football player (Manchester United), born in Derry, Northern Ireland
- 1987 Fabian Hambüchen, German gymnast (Olympic gold 2016, silver 2012, bronze 2008), born in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
- 1990 Mirim Lee, South Korean golfer (ANA Inspiration 2020), born in Seoul, South Korea
- 1993 Xander Schauffele, American golfer (British Open 2018, US Masters 2019 runner-up), born in San Diego, California
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
Abebe Bikila
1973 Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian Olympic marathon champion (Olympic gold, marathon 1960, 64) and Africa's first world record breaking athlete in any sport, who won the 1960 Olympics marathon barefoot, dies of a brain haemorrhage at 41
Abebe Bikila
- 1980 Víctor Galíndez, Argentine boxer (WBA light heavyweight title 1974-79), dies in stock-car race pit area accident at 31
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
Bill Sharman
2013 Bill Sharman, American basketball player, dies from complications from a stroke at 87
Bill Sharman
