Events in Sports History in 1981

Events 1 - 200 of 215

• Jan 1 47th Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma beats #2 Florida State, 18-17
• Jan 1 47th Sugar Bowl: #1 Georgia beats #7 Notre Dame, 17-10
• Jan 1 67th Rose Bowl: #5 Michigan beats #16 Washington, 23-6

• Jan 3 NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 34, Austin Carr
• Jan 4 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Brian Teacher wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats home favourite Kim Warwick 7-5, 7-6, 6-3
• Jan 11 AFC Championship, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego: Oakland Raiders beat San Diego Chargers, 34-27
• Jan 11 NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles beat Dallas Cowboys, 20-7
• Jan 12 MLB Cincinnati Reds become last team to sign a free agent, outfielder Larry Biitner

• Jan 15 Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America

• Jan 22 O A "Bum" Phillips becomes head coach of New Orleans Saints
• Jan 23 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy becomes 1st in NHL to score 50 goals in 50 games
• Jan 24 Islanders scored 5 power play goals against Nordiques

• Jan 25 Super Bowl XV, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Oakland Raiders beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10; MVP: Jim Plunkett, Oakland, QB
• Jan 29 AL approves sale of White Sox to Jerry Reinsdorf & Eddie Einhorn for $20 million, & 80% of Mariners to George Argyros for $104 million

• Feb 1 Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell sensationally instructs younger brother Trevor to bowl underarm to Brian McKechnie with NZ needing 6 from last ball to tie 3rd World Series ODI in Melbourne; Australia wins by 6
• Feb 1 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 21-7; MVP: Eddie Murray, Detroit Lions, PK
• Feb 3 Australia beats NZ 3-1 to win cricket's World Series Cup

• Feb 10 33rd NHL All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood: Campbell Conference beats Wales Conference, 4-1; MVP: Mike Liut, St. Louis Blues, G

• Feb 12 Arbitrator Goetz declares Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk a free agent

• Feb 20 Quebec's Czech rookie brothers Peter and Anton Šťastný each score first career NHL hat-tricks in Nordiques' 9-3 win at Vancouver; Peter adds 3 assists and Anton 2

• Feb 25 Exec Board of Baseball Players' Association votes unanimously to strike on May 29 if the issue of free-agent compensation remains unresolved
• Feb 25 NHL most penalized game; Bruins vs Northstars, 84 penalties (392 mins)
• Feb 25 NY Islanders give up their most goals (11) vs Calgary Flames
• Feb 26 84 penalties (406 mins) assessed for a brawl between NHL Minn & Bost
• Feb 28 Calvin Murphy (Hou), sets NBA record with 78 consecutive free throws
• Mar 1 Houston Rockets guard Calvin Murphy misses a free throw in a 102-86 loss in San Antonio, ending his NBA record consecutive free throw streak at 78
• Mar 3 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy 9th & final hat trick of season, in his 4th career 4-goal game, an 8-8 tie with visiting Edmonton Oilers
• Mar 3 NY Islanders & Edmonton Oilers play to an 8-8 tie

• Mar 5 Men's Figure Skating Champions in Hartford won by Scott Hamilton (USA)
• Mar 6 Worlds Ladies' Figure Skating Champ in Hartford won by Denise Biellmann
• Mar 7 22nd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Ole Miss beats Georgia, 66-62
• Mar 7 28th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: North Carolina beats Maryland, 61-60
• Mar 8 Dennis Lillee ct by Qld 12th man Dennis Lillie in Shield game
• Mar 11 Johnny Mize and Rube Foster are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Mar 14 NCAA St Joseph's upsets top seed DePaul 49-48
• Mar 17 FC Lisse, Dutch soccer team forms
• Mar 18 Buffalo Sabres sets NHL record of 9 goals in 1 period (vs Toronto)
• Mar 19 Buffalo Sabres beat Toronto Maple Leafs 14-4
• Mar 21 France beats England 16-12 at Twickenham, London for it's 7th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship and 3rd Grand Slam title

• Mar 24 Bombay beat Delhi by innings & 46 to win Ranji Cricket Trophy

• Mar 29 AIAW Women's Basketball Championship, Louisiana Tech beat Tennessee 79-59 in Eugene
• Mar 29 Tiina Lehtola ski jumps female record 110m

• Apr 1 Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky has an assist (his 103rd) in the Oilers 4-4 tie with Colorado Rockies to break Bobby Orr's 10-year mark for most assists in a single NHL season
• Apr 4 135th Grand National: Bob Champion aboard 10/1 hope Aldaniti wins by 4 lengths from 8/1 favourite Spartan Missile
• Apr 5 Philadelphia Flyers amass a record 2,621 penalty minutes
• Apr 8 Islanders scored 9 goals against Toronto in playoffs

• Apr 17 New York Islander Dennis Potvin's 3 playoff power-play goals vs Edmonton Oilers tie NHL record
• Apr 17 Ranger's Anders Hedberg is 2nd to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot
• Apr 18 Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox tie Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings (game resumed 23rd June)
• Apr 19 Oakland A's runs record to 11-0
• Apr 20 85th Boston Marathon: Toshihiko Seko of Japan wins men's race in 2:09:26; Allison Roe of New Zealand takes women's title in 2:26:46
• Apr 22 Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts

• Apr 24 San Antonio blocks 20 Golden State shots to set NBA reg game record
• Apr 25 Seattle Mariners MLB manager Maury Wills is suspended for 2 games after ordering Kingdome grounds crew to enlarge batter's boxes by one foot
• Apr 27 1st female soccer official is hired by NASL

• Apr 29 NFL Draft: South Carolina running back George Rogers first pick by New Orleans Saints

• May 2 107th Kentucky Derby: Jorge Velásquez on Pleasant Colony wins in 2:02
• May 4 Yankee Ron Davis strikes out 8 consecutive Angels, ran record of 13 strikeouts of last 14 faced, also saved Gene Nelsons 1st win, 4-2
• May 5 16th and final MLB pre-season Mayor's Trophy Game prior to inter-league play; NY Mets beat NY Yankees, 4-1 to hold 8-7-1 edge
• May 10 Montreal Expo Charlie Lee no-hits SF Giants, 4-0
• May 12 NY Islanders tie their own record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a period vs Minnesota North Stars
• May 13 Dinamo Tbilisi wins 21st European Cup Winner's Cup against Carl Zeiss Jena of East Germany 2-1 in Düsseldorf
• May 14 35th NBA Championship: Bost Celtics beat Houston Rockets, 4 games to 2

• May 16 106th Preakness: Jorge Velásquez aboard Pleasant Colony wins in 1:54.6
• May 16 Houston shortstop Craig Reynolds hits 3 triples as Astros beat Chicago Cubs, 6-1
• May 17 Islanders score 5 power play goals against Flyers in a playoff
• May 21 Stanley Cup Final, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY: NY Islanders win back-to-back titles; beat Minnesota North Stars, 5-1 for 4 games to 1 series win

• May 27 25th European Cup: Liverpool beats Real Madrid 1-0 at Paris
• May 27 Lenny Randle tries to blow a slow roller foul but umpire says no
• May 30 LA Dodgers are quickest to get 1,000,000 attendance in a season in only 22 games

• Jun 6 113th Belmont: George Martens aboard Summing wins in 2:29
• Jun 6 French Open Women's Tennis: Czech teenager Hana Mandlíková beats Sylvia Hanika of Germany 6-2, 6-4 for her only French singles crown
• Jun 7 French Open Men's Tennis: Björn Borg of Sweden wins 11th and final career Grand Slam title; Open era record 6th French title; beats Ivan Lendl 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1
• Jun 8 Seattle Mariners draft Mike Moore #1

• Jun 11 Mariners beat Orioles 8-2 at Kingdome, then players go on strike
• Jun 12 Baseball players begin a 50 day strike, their 3rd strike
• Jun 12 Larry Holmes TKOs Leon Spinks in 3 for WBC heavyweight boxing title

• Jun 18 Test cricket debut of Terry Alderman, v England at Trent Bridge
• Jun 21 US Open Men's Golf, Merion GC: David Graham wins his second major title and becomes the first Australian to win the US Open, 3 strokes ahead of runners-up George Burns and Bill Rogers

• Jun 23 Longest game in Professional Baseball: Pawtucket Red Sox finally beat Rochester Red Wings 3-2 in 33 innings (game began 18th April)

• Jul 4 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: John McEnroe ends Björn Borg's streak of 5 straight Wimbledon titles with a famous 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory

• Jul 11 Sebastian Coe of UK sets record for 1K (2:12.18)

• Jul 19 South African Springbok rugby team arrives in New Zealand beginning 56 days of 'near civil war' in the country between anti-apartheid protesters and tour supporters [1]
• Jul 25 Anti-apartheid protesters in Hamilton, New Zealand, force the cancellation of a rugby match between the provincial team Waikato and South Africa’s Springboks by invading the pitch during the game [1]
• Jul 26 US Open Women's Golf, La Grange CC: Pat Bradley shoots final round 66 (−6) to finish 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Beth Daniel; second of Bradley's 6 major titles
• Jul 29 Anti-apartheid protesters against the Springbok rugby tour are confronted by police who use batons to stop them marching to South Africa’s Consul in New Zealand
• Jul 31 Mid-season strike by MLB players ends after 42 days causing cancellation of 713 games; players and owners come to an agreement on free agent compensation
• Aug 2 England cricket all-rounder Ian Botham takes 5 for 11 to end Australia's chase of 151 target, all out 121 for 29 run defeat in 4th Test at Edgbaston
• Aug 9 52nd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 5-4 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland

• Aug 10 Pete Rose, 3,631 career hit, breaks Stan Musial's NL hit record
• Aug 13 American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 200 m butterfly record (2:05.96) in Brown Deer, Wisconsin
• Aug 13 Test Cricket debut of Mike Whitney for Australia versus England at Old Trafford

• Aug 15 Ian Botham scores a century in 86 balls v Australia at Old Trafford
• Aug 15 Robin Leamy of US swims record 7.98 kph for 50 m
• Aug 16 American swimmer Mary T. Meagher breaks her own world women's 100 m butterfly record (57.93) in Brown Deer, Wisconsin; holds 100/200m double WR
• Aug 16 Highest score in World Cup soccer match (New Zealand-13, Fiji-0)
• Aug 18 Football running back, Herschel Walker, of U of Georgia, takes out a Lloyd's of London insurance policy for $1 million
• Aug 28 Britain's Sebastian Coe sets a then 1-mile word record of 3:47.33
• Aug 29 28th Golf Walker Cup: US wins 15-9
• Aug 29 Phillies minor leaguer Jeff Stone steals pro baseball record 121st base en route to 122 (Spartanburg (South Atlantic League))
• Aug 30 Bill Shoemaker becomes the first jockey to win a $1 million thoroughbred horse race when John Henry takes the inaugural Arlington Million by a nose over The Bart
• Aug 31 Dirk Wellham scores 103 on Test Cricket debut, v England at Lord's
• Aug 31 MLB Kansas City Royals fire manager Jim Frey, replace him with Dick Howser
• Sep 1 Fast bowler Terry Alderman takes his 42nd wicket of the series on the last day of the 5th cricket Test vs England at The Oval; haul remains record by an Australian bowler in England; England wins series 3-1
• Sep 1 Mike Brearley's last day as England cricket captain in 6th Test draw v Australia at The Oval; maintains his unbeaten record at home as England's 3-1 series win confirmed
• Sep 3 Longest MLB game in Fenway Park history is suspended after 19 innings at Seattle Mariners 7, Boston Red Sox 7; Mariners win 8-7 in 20 the following morning
• Sep 4 Longest MLB game at Fenway Park ends in 20 innings; Seattle Mariners beat Boston Red Sox, 8-7
• Sep 6 Robert Granville "Bob" Lemon named NY Yankee manager for 2nd time
• Sep 7 Cleveland Browns' Brian Sipe sets club record with 57 pass attempts
• Sep 7 West Tampa Fl defeats Rich Va, 6-4 to win American Legion World Series

• Sep 12 US Open Women's Tennis: Tracy Austin wins her second US title; beats Martina Navratilova 1-6, 7-6, 7-6
• Sep 13 Atlanta Falcons tie record of 31 points in 4th quarter (vs Green Bay)
• Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: John McEnroe wins 3rd straight US title; beats Björn Borg 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 in Borg's last Grand Slam match
• Sep 17 Fernando Valenzuela sets NL rookie record with 8th shutout of season

• Sep 21 Enterprise Radio (all sports) goes off the air

• Sep 25 Nolan Ryan's 5th career no-hitter as Astros beat Dodgers 5-0
• Sep 30 International Olympic Committee votes to award Seoul, South Korea as host of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games
• Oct 2 17-year-old gelding Behavin Jerry, the oldest winning racehorse in modern times, sets record for most career starts by a thoroughbred, 307

• Oct 3 Milwaukee Brewers and Montreal Expos clinch their first-ever postseason appearances; Brewers beat Detroit, 2 - 1, for AL East title; Expos defeat NY Mets, 5 - 4, for NL East second playoff spot
• Oct 7 In 1st Eastern Division championship Yanks beat Brewers 5-3
• Oct 9 United States Auto Club appeals panel restores disputed Indianapolis 500 victory to disqualified first-across-the-line Bobby Unser
• Oct 11 Yanks beat Brewers 7-3 & win only Eastern Championship Series
• Oct 14 Yank Graig Nettles is 1st to get 2 hits in same inning of an ALSC game
• Oct 15 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Oakland Athletics, 3 games to 0

• Oct 18 NY Giant Joe Danelo ties NFL record of 6 field goals in a game
• Oct 19 LA Dodgers beat Montreal Expos for NL pennant
• Oct 19 MLB National League Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers beat Montreal Expos, 3 games to 2
• Oct 20 1st NBA game at Meadowlands Arena, NJ Nets lose to NY Knicks 103-99

• Oct 28 Baseball World Series: LA Dodgers beat NY Yankees, 9-2 at Yankee Stadium to clinch series, 4 games to 2; first co-MVP's: LA's Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, Steve Yeager
• Nov 1 Darrell Waltrip wins his 4th straight NASCAR Cup race, the American 500 at North Carolina Motor Speedway; ties Richard Petty record 1967; 12th win of season; goes on to win Winston Cup crown
• Nov 3 Milwaukee Brewers future Baseball Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers (6-3 record, 28 saves and 1.04 ERA) wins American League Cy Young Award, with 22 of 28 possible 1st-place votes
• Nov 6 Larry Holmes TKOs Renaldo Snipes in 11 for heavyweight boxing title
• Nov 10 Donald Driver and Michael Valenti's musical comedy "Oh, Brother!" opens at ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 3 performances
• Nov 11 Donald Driver and Michael Valenti's musical comedy "Oh, Brother!" closes at ANTA Theater, NYC, after 3 performances
• Nov 11 LA Dodgers starter Fernando Valenzuela becomes first MLB rookie to win a Cy Young Award; Milwaukee Brewers' Rollie Fingers takes AL Award

• Nov 14 In the first world championship fight between 2 Puerto Ricans in boxing history, WBC Super Welterweight champion Wilfred Benitez beats Carlos Santos in a 15-round unanimous decision at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
• Nov 16 Dennis Lillee kicks Javed Miandad after he had waved his bat at Dennis
• Nov 17 NBA NY Knick Bill Cartwright, ties record of 19 of 19 free throws
• Nov 18 Phillies 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt wins his 2nd consecutive NL MVP

• Nov 22 CFL Grey Cup, Olympic Stadium, Montreal: Edmonton Eskimos 4th consecutive Championship; beat Ottawa Rough Riders, 26-23; final Grey Cup game for Rough Riders, fold in 1996
• Nov 25 Rollie Fingers is 1st relief pitcher to win AL MVP
• Nov 28 46th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 28-17 in Birmingham
• Nov 28 Bear Bryant wins his 315th game to out distance Almos Alonzo Stagg, becomes college football's winningest coach
• Nov 29 Australian cricketer Greg Chappell scores 201 v Pakistan at The Gabba (Brisbane)

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