Events in Sports History in September 1979

Sports History

Sep 2 US Men's Amateur Golf Championship, Canterbury GC: Mark O'Meara wins 8 & 7 over John Cook

Cricket History

Sep 4 Sunil Gavaskar scores his third double century in Test cricket (221) to guide India to a famous draw against England in the 4th Test at The Oval

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 5 American Roscoe Tanner fires 11 aces, breaks the net with his bullet serve and upsets top-seed Björn Borg 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 in the US Open Tennis quarterfinals

  • Sep 5 Oakland A's pitcher Matt Keough beats Milwaukee Brewers, 6-1 for first win after 14 straight losses, ended 1978 with 18 defeats (1 shy of the MLB record 19)
  • Sep 7 The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) makes its debut.

US Open Women's Tennis

Sep 8 US Open Women's Tennis: Tracy Austin becomes youngest US champion (16 years, 9 months); beats Chris Evert 6-4, 6-3

  • Sep 9 South African Ferrari driver Jody Scheckter wins the Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; first RSA champion

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 9 US Open Men's Tennis: John McEnroe wins first Grand Slam title; beats fellow American Vitas Gerulaitis 7-5, 6-3, 6-3

Baseball Record

Sep 12 Boston Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski gets his 3,000th hit off NY Yankee Jim Beattie

  • Sep 12 Indiana Pacers cut Ann Meyers, 1st woman on an NBA club
  • Sep 15 Red Sox Bob Watson is 1st to hit for cycle in AL & NL (Astros)
  • Sep 16 Catfish Hunter Day at Yankee Stadium
  • Sep 16 Ryder Cup Golf, The Greenbrier: US wins, 17-11; new Team Europe replaces Great Britain & Ireland as official opposition to the United States

Baseball Record

Sep 17 Royals' George Brett is 6th to have 20 doubles/triples/HRs in a season

  • Sep 22 Montreal Expo Larry Parrish HRs off Phillies Rawly Eastwick in DH

Baseball Record

Sep 23 MLB St Louis Cardinals legend Lou Brock steals 938th & final base of his career

Sports History

Sep 24 Pete Rose reaches 200 hits in a season for 10th time

  • Sep 24 Russian Olympic and World Champion figure skaters Oleg Protopopov & Ludmila Beloussova ask for asylum in Switzerland
  • Sep 25 California Angels win their 1st NL West pennant
  • Sep 26 1984 summer LA Olympic coverage sold to ABC for $225 million

Boxing Title Fight

Sep 28 Larry Holmes beats Earnie Shavers by TKO in 11th round in Las Vegas for WBC heavyweight boxing title

  • Sep 29 Astros' J R Richard strikes out NL season righty record of 313
  • Sep 29 LA Dodger Manny Mota hits record 146th pinch hit
  • Sep 30 Milwaukee Brewers lose 5-0 ending 213 straight games without a shutout