Events in Sports History on April 17

Police Halt Boxing Match

1860 Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fight out brutal 2 hour, 27 minute draw near Farnborough, England; police stop fight acknowledged as first world title bout

  • 1875 Modern Snooker invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain, a bored British officer in Jabalpur, India
  • 1892 1st Sunday NL baseball game, Reds beat Cards 5-1
  • 1899 3rd Boston Marathon won by Lawrence Brignolia in 2:54:38
  • 1905 9th Boston Marathon won by Fred Lorz in 2:38:25.4

15th Boston Marathon

1911 15th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar in race record 2:21:39.6; first of 7 race victories

  • 1916 20th Boston Marathon won by Arthur Roth in 2:27:16.4
  • 1922 26th Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar in race record 2:18:10; his 2nd race victory; first of 3 consecutive wins
  • 1923 Longest NL opening game, Phillies & Dodgers tie 5-5 in 14

Ruth's Ulcer Surgery

1925 NY Yankee Babe Ruth has ulcer surgery

  • 1933 37th Boston Marathon won by Leslie Pawson in 2:31:01.6
  • 1933 Chicago Bears win their 1st NFL Game beating NY Giants 23-21
  • 1934 Fenway Park in Boston re-opens after a major renovation including a hand-operated electronic scoreboard, though it didn't help the Red Sox who lost to the Washington Senators 6-5
  • 1939 43rd Boston Marathon won by Ellison Brown in 2:28:51.8; his second victory in the event

Joe Louis KOs Jack Rope

1939 In his 6th title defense, world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis KOs Jack Roper in 1 at Wrigley Field, Los Angeles, California

  • 1944 48th Boston Marathon won by Gerard Cote of Canada in 2:31:50.4; second straight victory; 3rd of 4 titles

Robinson's 1st MLB Hit

1947 Jackie Robinson bunts for his 1st major league hit

  • 1950 54th Boston Marathon won by Kee Yong Ham of South Korea in 2:32:39

Sports History

1951 NY Yankee Mickey Mantle's 1st game, he goes 1 for 4

Baseball Trade

1960 MLB Cleveland Indians trade reigning home run champion Rocky Colavito to Detroit Tigers for reigning AL batting champion Harvey Kuenn; fans are unhappy

  • 1961 65th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:39; his 2nd event title
  • 1964 1st game at Shea Stadium, NY Mets lose to Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3
  • 1966 100th international soccer match between Netherlands and Belgium (3-1)
  • 1967 71st Boston Marathon: Dave McKenzie of New Zealand wins in 2:15:45; American Bobbi Gibb 1st woman for 2nd straight year in 3:27:17 (unsanctioned)

Sports History

1967 Italian boxer Nino Benvenuti beats American Emile Griffith in a 15 round points decision to win world middleweight crown at Madison Square Garden; start of famous trilogy of fights between the pair

  • 1968 A's 1st game in Oakland-Alameda Stadium, lose 4-1 to Baltimore Orioles
  • 1969 Mont Expos Bill Stoneman no-hits Phillies, 7-0
  • 1972 76th Boston Marathon: Olavi Suomalainen of Finland wins men's race in 2:15:39; American Nina Kuscsik takes inaugural women's title in 3:10:26; first year women's race officially sanctioned
  • 1972 Kiteman attempting to throw out 1st ball in Phillie Vet crashes into centerfield seats

Sports History

1976 Australian tennis star Evonne Goolagong Cawley wins her second WTA Tour Championship at the Los Angeles Sports Arena; beats Chris Evert 6–3, 5–7, 6–3

Baseball Record

1976 NL greatest comeback: trailing 12-1, Philadelphia Phillies beat Chicago Cubs, 18-16 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field; Mike Schmidt hits 4 consecutive HRs

Boston Marathon

1978 82nd Boston Marathon: US double; Bill Rodgers wins his 2nd men's title in 2:10:13; Gayle Barron women's champion in 2:44:52

  • 1981 New York Islander Dennis Potvin's 3 playoff power-play goals vs Edmonton Oilers tie NHL record
  • 1981 Ranger's Anders Hedberg is 2nd to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot
  • 1983 Grete Waltz runs female world record marathon (2:25:29)

Baseball Record

1983 Nolan Ryan strikes out his 3,500th batter

  • 1983 NY Islanders tie NHL record with 3 shorthanded playoff goals vs NY Rangers
  • 1984 Braves pitcher Pascual Perez suspended due to cocaine usage

Sports History

1987 Julius Erving becomes 3rd NBA (and ABA) player to score 30,000 points

  • 1988 Ethiopian Belayneh Densimo runs world record marathon (2:06:50)

Boston Marathon

1989 93rd Boston Marathon: Abebe Mekonen of Ethiopia takes men's race in 2:09:06; Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway wins her 2nd women's title in 2:24:33

Senior PGA Championship

1994 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: Lee Trevino beats Jim Colbert by 1 stroke for his second title in the event

Boston Marathon

1995 99th Boston Marathon: Cosmas Ndeti of Kenya claims 3rd straight title in 2:09:22; Uta Pippig of Germany wins 2nd consecutive women's event in 2:25:11

Sports History

1997 NJ Devil Martin Brodeur is 2nd NHL goalie to score in a playoff game

  • 1999 NFL Draft: University of Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch first pick by Cleveland Browns
  • 2000 104th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Elijah Lagat wins men's race in 2:09:47; Catherine Ndereba takes women's title in 2:26:11

Boston Marathon

2006 110th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot wins 2nd men's title in 2:07:14; Rita Jeptoo takes women's title in 2:23:38

  • 2015 James Anderson becomes the highest wicket-taking bowler in England's test cricket history
  • 2017 121st Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Geoffrey Kirui takes men's title in 2:09:37; Edna Kiplagat women's champion in 2:21:52
  • 2021 San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau ties Gordie Howe's NHL record for most regular season games played at 1,767