Events in Sports History on April 4

  • 1911 Hugh Chalmers, automaker, suggests idea of baseball MVP
  • 1913 75th Grand National: Percy Woodland wins aboard 100/9 chance Covertcoat; owner Sir Charles Assheton-Smith's 2nd straight GN victory and 3rd overall
  • 1921 Stanley Cup Final, Denman Arena, Vancouver, BC: Ottawa Senators (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 2-1 for a 3-2 series victory
  • 1930 England cricket batsman Andy Sandham ends Day 2 of 4th Test against West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica unbeaten on 309; 1st triple century in Test history; out for 325
  • 1930 Les Ames makes the 1st Test Cricket century by a wicketkeeper (149)

4th Augusta National Invitation

1937 4th Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Byron Nelson wins first of his 5 major titles by 2 strokes ahead of Ralph Guldahl

5th Augusta National Invitation

1938 5th Augusta National INvitation (Masters): Henry Picard wins his only Masters, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Harry Cooper and Ralph Guldahl

Mack vs Griffith

1948 84-year-old Connie Mack challenges 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home to 1st base; it ends in a tie

  • 1959 France beats Wales, 11-3 at Stade Colombes to win the Five Nations Rugby Championship outright for the first time
  • 1970 124th Grand National: 15/1 chance Gay Trip wins by 20 lengths, giving Irish jockey Pat Taaffe his second GN winner

Sports History

1974 Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th in Cincinnati, facing Jack Billingham

  • 1981 135th Grand National: Bob Champion aboard 10/1 hope Aldaniti wins by 4 lengths from 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile
  • 1983 45th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston, 54-52; Wolfpack win with buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation 30 foot shot from Dereck Whittenburg
  • 1985 Tulane University cancels its basketball season amidst scandal

NHL Record

1986 Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season

  • 1987 141st Grand National: Jockey Steve Knight wins his second GN aboard 28/1 shot Maori Venture by 5 lengths from The Tsarevich
  • 1988 50th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Oklahoma, 83-79; Jayhawks power forward Danny Manning named tournament Most Outstanding Player
  • 1988 Eddie Hill becomes the world's first driver to cover the quarter mile in under 5 seconds
  • 1988 Largest crowd (55,438) at an MLB Opening Day game at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium; Reds win over St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 in 12 innings
  • 1988 MLB New York Mets set Opening Day record with 6 HRs, in a 10-6 win over Expos at Montreal

Sports History

1989 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last NBA game in Seattle

Sports History

1989 NY Yankee Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons, his 287th win puts him 19th overall as Yanks beat Twins on opening day 4-2

  • 1992 146th Grand National: 14/1 shot Party Politics, ridden by Welsh jockey Carl Llewellyn wins by 2½ lengths from Romany King
  • 1992 Game 1 of Mayor Challenge - NY Yankees beat NY Mets 6-4 at Yank Stad
  • 1993 12th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Texas Tech beats Ohio State, 84-82; future Hall of Fame forward Sheryl Swoopes MOP
  • 1993 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Tom Shaw wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from Mike Hill
  • 1994 56th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Arkansas beats Duke, 76-72; Razorbacks' first title in first title game

Sports History

1994 LA Dodger Darryl Strawberry begins substance abuse treatment

  • 1994 Largest Opening Day crowd at Yankee Stadium, 56,706
  • 1994 MLB Chicago Cubs Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes, hit 3 HRs in 1993 hits 3 HRs on Opening Day vs Mets starter Dwight "Doc" Gooden at Wrigley Field, Chicago
  • 1997 Anaheim Ducks clinch their 1st-ever playoff berth
  • 1997 Braves officially open Turner Field against Cubs
  • 1998 151st Grand National: Carl Llewellyn wins aboard Earth Summit; first GN winner who was also successful in both Scottish and Welsh Grand Nationals
  • 1998 NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season

Sports History

1999 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Graham Marsh of Australia wins his second Champions Tour major by 3 strokes from Larry Nelson

  • 2005 67th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Illinois, 75-70; Tar Heels' 4th national championship
  • 2006 25th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Duke, 78-75 OT; Terrapins' first national title; Laura Harper MOP
  • 2009 162nd Grand National: French-bred 100/1 outsider Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, wins by 12 lengths from defending champion Comply or Die

Golf Major

2010 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Yani Tseng of Taiwan wins her 2nd major title by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Suzann Pettersen of Norway

  • 2011 73rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Butler, 53-41; Huskies' point guard Kemba Walker scores 16 points
  • 2016 78th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Villanova defeats North Carolina, 77-74; Wildcats guard Phil Booth, 20 points
  • 2021 39th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Stanford Cardinal defeat Arizona Wildcats, 54–53 to win their third NCAA title

Golf Major

2021 ANA Inspiration Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Patty Tavatanakit of Thailand wins her first LPGA Tour event by 2 strokes from NZ's Lydia Ko who cards a 10-under-par final round

  • 2022 83rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Caesars Superdome, NO, Louisiana: Uni of Kansas overcome record 16 point first half deficit to beat North Carolina Tar Heels, 72–69: Jayhawks 4th national title