Events in Sports History in 2000

Belichick Rejects NY Jets

Jan 4 A day after accepting the head coaching position at the New York Jets, Bill Belichick resigns and moves to the New England Patriots

Jan 4 American businessman and investor Mark Cuban purchases a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise for $285m from H. Ross Perot, Jr.
Jan 4 College Football, 2nd BCS National Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #1 Florida State beats #2 Virginia Tech, 46-29, at 66th Sugar Bowl
Jan 8 "Music City Miracle", in AFC Wild Card Playoff, Tennessee Titans defeat Buffalo Bills 22-16 in last 16 seconds with Kevin Dyson, running length of the field for a game-winning touchdown
Jan 8 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Amanda Coetzer & Wayne Ferreira wrap up South Africa's first title (3-0) with an abbreviated 8-1 mixed doubles win over Tamarine Tanasugarn & Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand

Marino's Last Game

Jan 9 Miami Dolphin QB Dan Marino wins his last career NFL game (20-17 vs Seattle)

Jan 15 Utah's Jerry Sloan becomes 12th coach in NBA history to reach the 700-victory plateau when the Jazz defeat the LA Clippers, 112-75 at the Delta Center, Salt Lake City

Jordan Wizard's Part Owner

Jan 19 Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships as a player, returns to the NBA, joining the Washington Wizards as part owner and President of Basketball Operations

Jan 23 AFC Championship, Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville: Tennessee Titans beat Jacksonville Jaguars, 33-14
Jan 23 Dallas' Don Nelson becomes the 6th coach in NBA history to win 900 career games when the Mavericks defeat the Detroit Pistons, 99-91 at The Palace of Auburn Hills
Jan 23 NFC Championship, Trans World Dome, St. Louis: St. Louis Rams beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 11-6

Davenport Defeats Hingis

Jan 29 Australian Open Women's Tennis: American Lindsay Davenport claims her 3rd and final career Grand Slam title; beats Martina Hingis 6-1, 7-5

Malone 3rd to Score 30,000

Jan 29 Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz becomes the 3rd player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points; finishes with 35 in a 96-94 loss to Minnesota; behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419)

Agassi's 4th Consecutive Final

Jan 30 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Andre Agassi beats defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Agassi makes 4 consecutive Grand Slam finals, 1st since Rod Laver (1969)

Jan 30 Super Bowl XXXIV, Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA: St. Louis Rams beat Tennessee Titans, 23-16; MVP: Kurt Warner, St. Louis, QB

Ray Lewis Involved in Murder

Jan 31 Linebacker Ray Lewis involved in a fight resulting in the deaths of Jacinth Baker and Richard Lollar. Lewis indicted 11 days later on murder and assault charges (murder charges later dropped)

50th NHL All-Star Game

Feb 6 50th NHL All-Star Game, Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON: World beats North America, 9-4; MVP: Pavel Bure, Florida Panthers, RW

NFL Pro Bowl

Feb 6 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 51-31; MVP: Randy Moss, Minnesota Vikings, WR, HI

NBA All-Star Game

Feb 13 49th NBA All-Star Game, Oakland Arena, Oakland, CA: West beats East, 137-127; MVPs: Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, F; Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers, C

ESPY Awards

Feb 14 8th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Mia Hamm win

NHL History

Feb 15 Martin Brodeur becomes first goaltender in NHL history to get credit for a "game winning" goal as New Jersey wins, 4-2 over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers

Daytona 500

Feb 20 42nd Daytona 500: Polesitter Dale Jarrett wins his 3rd Great American Race ahead of Jeff Gordon and Bill Elliott

Sports History

Mar 2 America's Cup, Auckland: Team New Zealand beats Italian yacht Prada Challenge by 0.48s for a 5-0 series sweep; NZ only the 2nd country in 150 years to successfully defend the Cup

Yachtsman and Environmentalist Peter Blake

Mar 2 St. Louis Blues become just the 2nd team in NHL history to win 10 straight games on the road, with a 5-2 victory in Atlanta; tie mark set by Buffalo 1983-84

Sports History

Mar 6 Long-time Boston Bruin defenseman Ray Bourque is traded to the Colorado Avalanche

Mar 11 21st Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: St. John's beats Connecticut, 80-70
Mar 12 41st SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Arkansas beats Auburn, 75-67
Mar 12 47th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats #20 Maryland, 81-68

Sports History

Mar 18 England clinch inaugural Six Nations Rugby Championship with 59-12 thrashing of Italy at Stadio Flaminio, Rome; England flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson kicks 7 goals and winger Austin Healey scores 3 tries

NHL Record

Mar 23 Joe Sakic records his 400th career goal and becomes the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche all-time leading point scorer

Golf Major

Mar 26 Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Karrie Webb of Australia wins the first of her 2 titles in this event, 10 strokes ahead of defending champion Dottie Pepper

Mar 27 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: 1983 champion Hal Sutton leads wire-to-wire to win by a stroke ahead of runner-up Tiger Woods

Boxing Title Fight

Apr 1 American boxer Chris Byrd wins WBO Heavyweight title after Ukrainian champion Vitali Klitschko retires with a shoulder injury at the end of the 9th round in Berlin, Germany

Boxer and Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko

Apr 1 Michelle Kwan pushes through all 7 triple jumps at the Palais des Exposition in Nice, France to become the first American since Peggy Flemming to win 3 world figure skating titles
Apr 2 19th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 71-52; Huskies' point guard Shea Ralph is named the Most Outstanding Player
Apr 2 Adam Gilchrist takes his 10th catch in the 3rd cricket Test against New Zealand in Hamilton to create an Australian record for dismissals by a wicketkeeper; Australia wins by 6 wickets for 3-0 series sweep
Apr 2 Atlanta center Ray Ferraro scores a goal and added 2 assists as the Thrashers end an NHL record 17-game home winless streak (0-15-2) with a 5-4 win against the visiting New York Islanders

Sports History

Apr 2 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Tom Kite wins his lone Champions Tour major with birdie on 6th playoff hole with Tom Watson & Larry Nelson

Golfer and Three-Time Major Championship Winner Larry Nelson

Apr 3 62nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Michigan State beats Florida, 89-76; Spartans only top-4 seed to advance to the Final Four
Apr 7 1st regular season MLB game at Enron Field (now Minute Maid Park) in Houston, Texas; visiting Philadelphia Phillies beat Astros 4-1, Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen hits first homer at new park

Cricket History

Apr 7 South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is charged by Delhi police with fixing One Day International matches against India

Apr 8 153rd Grand National: Irish 10/1 shot Papillon, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh and trained by his father Ted Walsh wins by 1¼ lengths from Mely Moss

US Masters Golf

Apr 9 64th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Fijian Vijay Singh wins by 3 strokes from Ernie Els of South Africa

Apr 11 MLB: Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco, California and Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan open
Apr 11 South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is sacked after admitting dishonesty following match-fixing allegations in India
Apr 15 NFL Draft: Penn State defensive end Courtney Brown first pick by Cleveland Browns

Senior PGA Championship

Apr 16 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: Doug Tewell wins first of 2 Champions Tour major titles with a convincing 7 stroke margin from the foursome of Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Larry Nelson and Dana Quigley

Apr 17 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

Baseball Record

May 1 Barry Bonds is first MLB player to hit a homer into San Francisco Bay as Giants beat Mets, 10-3; hits 35 there during his SF career

May 3 The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet.

Kentucky Derby

May 6 126th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Fusaichi Pegasus wins in 2:01.12

May 17 Turkish side Galatasaray defeat Arsenal 4–1 on penalties, becoming the first Turkish football team to win the UEFA Cup in Copenhagen
May 20 125th Preakness: Jerry Bailey aboard Red Bullet wins in 1:56.00
May 20 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (78,217): Chelsea beats Aston Villa, 1-0; Roberto Di Matteo scores 73' winner
May 24 8th UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid beats Valencia 3-0 at Saint-Denis

Laureus Awards

May 25 Laureus World Sports Awards, Monte-Carlo Sporting, Monaco: Sportsman: Tiger Woods; Sportswoman: Marion Jones (rescinded); Team: Manchester United FC

Track and Field Athlete and Drug Cheat Marion Jones

May 26 NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 3
May 27 NHL Western Conference Final: Dallas Stars beat Colorado Avalanche, 4 games to 3
May 27 Super Rugby Final, Canberra: Crusaders claim their 3rd consecutive title with a 20-19 win over the ACT Brumbies; flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens kicks 5 penalties for the winners
May 28 Indianapolis 500: reigning CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya leads for 167 laps to cruise to victory; first rookie winner since Graham Hill 1966

Belmont Stakes

Jun 10 132nd Belmont: Pat Day aboard Commendable wins in 2:31.20

French Open Women's Tennis

Jun 10 French Open Women's Tennis: France's Mary Pierce beats Conchita Martinez of Spain 6-2, 7-5 for her 2nd and last career Grand Slam singles title and her 1st singles title at Roland Garros

Jun 10 Stanley Cup Final, Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX: New Jersey Devils defeat Dallas Stars, 2-1 in double OT for a 4-2 series victory
Jun 11 French Open Men's Tennis: Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil wins his second French title; beats Sweden's Magnus Norman 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6

Sports History

Jun 14 Greg Maddux makes his 387th putout, breaking Jack Morris' career record

Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher Jack Morris

Jun 18 100th US Open Men's Golf, Pebble Beach GL: Tiger Woods wins his first US Open by a major championship record-setting 15 strokes over Ernie Els and Miguel Ángel Jiménez

NBA Finals

Jun 19 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat Indiana Pacers, 116-111 in Game 6 to win the franchise's first title in 12 years; MVP: Shaquille O'Neal

Jun 25 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: Juli Inkster goes back-to-back; beats Stefania Croce of Italy on second hole of a sudden-death playoff
Jun 25 WLAF World Bowl 8, Waldstadion, Frankfurt: Rhein Fire beats Scottish Claymores, 13-10
Jun 28 NBA Draft: Cincinnati power forward Kenyon Martin first pick by New Jersey Nets
Jul 2 UEFA European Championship Final, Feijenoord Stadion, Rotterdam, Netherlands: David Trezeguet scores in extra time to give France a 2-1 win over Italy

US Senior Golf Open

Jul 2 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Saucon Valley CC: Hale Irwin wins by 3 strokes ahead of Bruce Fleischer for his second US Senior title

Jul 4 Canadian jockey Russell Baze scores his 7,000th career victory aboard This Is the Moment at the Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton, California
Jul 6 Real estate developer Stan Kroenke announces the acquisition of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and the Pepsi Centre for $450m from the Ascent Entertainment Group
Jul 6 West Ham United FC pays a record £1.8 million for the late Bobby Moore's collection of memorabilia; 79 items including his 1966 World Cup winner's medal

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 8 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Venus Williams wins her first career Grand Slam singles title; beats fellow American Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6

Jul 9 Police fired tear gas at fans during a World Cup qualifying soccer game between Zimbabwe and South Africa, setting off a stampede that killed twelve people in Harare, Zimbabwe

Wimbledon Men's Tennis

Jul 9 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: American Pete Sampras wins 4th straight Wimbledon singles title; beats Patrick Rafter of Australia 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 for his 13th Grand Slams title

Jul 11 71st All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 6-3 at Turner Field, Atlanta
Jul 15 World record Rugby attendance of 108,874 see New Zealand beat Australia, 39-35 in Tri Nations match at Stadium Australia, Sydney; 5 tries each with Andrew Mehrtens' goal kicking (6) the difference

Senior Players Championship

Jul 16 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Raymond Floyd wins his 4th and final Champions Tour major by 1 stroke from Larry Nelson and Dana Quigley

Golfer and Four-Time Major Championship Winner Ray Floyd

Jul 20 The leaders of Salt Lake City's bid to win the 2002 Winter Olympics are indicted by a federal grand jury for bribery, fraud, and racketeering

Tour de France

Jul 23 87th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)

Jul 23 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Lytham & St. Annes: Tiger Woods beats Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els by 8 shots to win his first Open title; becomes youngest player at 24 to win all 4 major titles

US Women's Golf Open

Jul 23 US Open Women's Golf, Merit Club: Australian Karrie Webb wins by 5 strokes ahead of runners-up Cristie Kerr and Meg Mallon; third of Webb's 7 major titles

Jul 30 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal County Down: Irishman Christy O'Connor Jr. successfully defends his title by 2 shots from John Bland of South Africa
Aug 3 England cricket wicket-keeper Alec Stewart becomes only the 4th batsman to score a century (105) in his 100th Test, during the 3rd Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford
Aug 5 Moni Maker wins the $500,00 Nat Ray at the Meadowlands in world record 1:52.1 to become harness racing's first $5m stakes earner

Sports History

Aug 7 Los Angeles Lakers announce retirement of former star player and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jerry West; name Mitch Kupchak to succeed him

Aug 13 Canadian Open Women's Golf (du Maurier Classic), Royal Ottawa GC: Meg Mallon wins by 1 from Rosie Jones
Aug 20 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Valhalla GC: Tiger Woods becomes first since Ben Hogan (1953) to win 3 majors in a calendar year; wins back-to-back PGA titles in 3-hole playoff with Bob May
Aug 26 Australia clinches first Tri Nations Rugby Series with a 19-18 win over South Africa in Durban; Wallabies centre Stirling Mortlock lands 4 penalties and a conversion

Sports History

Sep 4 England claim first series (3-1) over West Indies since 1969; win 5th Test by 158 runs at The Oval, London; Windies captain Courtney Walsh's 132nd and final Test

Sep 9 US Open Women's Tennis: Venus Williams wins her first US title; beats fellow American Lindsay Davenport 6-4, 7-5
Sep 10 Indiana University fires basketball coach Bob Knight after an altercation with a student; Knight had spent 29 years at the school, compiling a 662-239 record
Sep 10 US Open Men's Tennis: Marat Safin of Russia wins his first Grand Slam title; beats home favourite Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 6-3
Sep 15 27th Olympic Games opens at Sydney, Australia

Baseball Record

Sep 16 Sammy Sosa becomes the second player to hit 50 or more home runs in three consecutive years, joining Mark McGwire

Sep 17 Dan Marino's #13 jersey is retired by the Miami Dolphins

Baseball Record

Sep 19 Ken Griffey Jr. pinch-hits his 400th home run becoming the first major league player to reach the mark as a pinch-hitter

Baseball Hall of Fame Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

Sep 25 American basketball player Vince Carter jumps over 7 foot 2 Frédéric Weis in 2000 Summer Olympics, known in France as "le dunk de la mort" (the dunk of death)

Olympic Gold

Sep 27 United States baseball team, managed by Tommy Lasorda, wins Olympic Gold Medal in Sydney, Australia

Baseball Pitcher and Manager Tommy Lasorda

Oct 1 An all-African podium for the men's marathon at the Sydney Olympics as Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia runs 2:10:11 for the gold medal, 0.20s ahead of Kenyan Erick Wainaina with bronze to Ethiopian Tesfaye Tola
Oct 1 Cuban boxer Félix Savon wins his 3rd consecutive Olympic heavyweight gold medal at the Sydney Games; easily beats Russian Sultan Ibragimov on points 21-13; retires after victory ceremony
Oct 1 German canoeist Birgit Fischer teams with Katrin Wagner to win the K2 500m gold medal at the Sydney Olympics; becomes first woman to win 2 or more medals at 4 Summer Olympics; only 4th woman to win 7 career gold
Oct 1 Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the IOC declares the XXVII Olympics in Sydney, Australia the "best Olympic Games ever" at the closing ceremony
Oct 1 NBA stars Ray Allen and Vince Carter each score 13 points as the US beats France 85-75 to win the men's basketball gold medal at the Sydney Olympics
Oct 1 Norwegian canoeist Knut Holmann beats Petar Merkov of Bulgaria for the second consecutive day to win the K-1 500m gold medal at the Sydney Olympics; beat Markov in K-1 1000m the previous day
Oct 1 Stephanie Cook of Great Britain scores 5,318 points to beat American Emily de Riel by just 8 points to win the inaugural Olympic women's modern pentathlon at the Sydney Games
Oct 1 United States wins the most medals (97), and the most gold medals (40) in Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia
Oct 7 Last ever competitive soccer match at Wembley Stadium, England defeated 1-0 by Germany, last goal scored by Liverpool's Dietmar Hammann. Match is Tony Adams' 60th at Wembley, the record for most appearances at the stadium.

F1 World Champion

Oct 8 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka to clinch his 3rd, and 1st of 5 straight F1 World Drivers Championships

Oct 8 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Loch Lomond GC: Europe regains Cup 14½-11½; Carin Koch holes winning putt, coming back from 3 down to beat Michele Redman
Oct 11 South African Cricket Board issues former captain Hansie Cronje with a life ban as a result of match-fixing allegations
Oct 16 MLB National League Championship: New York Mets beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
Oct 17 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Seattle Mariners, 4 games to 2
Oct 22 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, his 4th straight race victory to finish season; 3rd, and 1st of 5 straight F1 World Drivers Championships; wins by 19 points from Mika Häkkinen

President's Cup

Oct 22 Presidents Cup Golf, Robert Trent Jones GC: Davis Love III, Stewart Cink and Kirk Triplett are unbeaten as US outclasses International team, 21½–10½

Oct 23 "Monday Night Miracle", down 30-7 at the end of the third quarter, New York Jets pull together an improbable comeback with 4 touchdowns and a field goal in the fourth quarter, eventually defeating the Miami Dolphins 40-37 in overtime

World Series

Oct 26 Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat NY Mets, 4-2 in Game 5 at Shea Stadium to win "Subway Series"; Yankees 3rd straight title; MVP: Derek Jeter

Nov 1 Pat Riley becomes only 2nd coach in NBA history to accumulate 1,000 regular season victories when Miami Heat open season with a 105-79 victory v Orlando Magic; Lenny Wilkens is first to achieve the mark
Nov 4 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; winners: Tiznow, Macho Uno, Spain, Kalanisi, War Chant, Perfect Sting, Kona Gold, Caressing
Nov 11 12th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College, 28-16 in South Bend
Nov 11 155 skiers and snowboarders die when a funicular railway catches fire in an alpine tunnel near Kaprun, Austria
Nov 18 65th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 9-0 in Tuscaloosa
Nov 19 Swiss tennis star Martina Hingis wins WTA Tour Championship at Madison Square Garden, NYC; beats Monica Seles, 6–7, 6–4, 6–4
Nov 20 52nd NASCAR Sprint Cup: Bobby Labonte wins
Nov 25 12th Rugby League World Cup: Australia beats New Zealand 40-12

US Victory

Nov 25 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Las Vegas, Nevada: Lindsay Davenport beats Conchita Martínez of Spain 6-1, 6-2 to give US an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends, 5-0) and record extending 17th title

Nov 26 CFL Grey Cup, McMahon Stadium, Calgary: BC Lions defeat Montreal Alouettes, 28-26; Lions, first team ever to finish with regular season record below .500 and win Grey Cup
Dec 2 5th Big 12 Championship Game: #1 Oklahoma beats #8 Kansas State, 27-24
Dec 2 9th SEC Championship Game: #7 Florida beats #18 Auburn, 28-6
Dec 2 England holds off a determined comeback by South Africa to notch up their 3rd Southern Hemisphere rugby scalp of the autumn with a 25-17 win at Twickenham; previously beat Australia, 22-19 and Argentina, 19-0
Dec 3 French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil wins the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup for the only time; beats Andre Agassi 6–4, 6–4, 6–4 in the final in Lisbon, Portugal
Dec 9 Tottenham defender Ledley King scores fastest goal in English Premier League history when he nets after 9.82 seconds in 3-3 draw at Bradford City
Dec 10 89th Davis Cup: Spain beats Australia in Barcelona (3-1)
Dec 11 66th Heisman Trophy Award: Chris Weinke, Florida State (QB)

Ballon d'Or

Dec 19 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid's Portuguese midfielder Luís Figo is named best football player in Europe ahead of Juventus midfielder Zinedine Zidane and Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko

Football Player and Manager Zinedine Zidane

Dec 23 Cricket Women's World Cup: New Zealand defeats Australia by 4 runs

Lemieux's Return

Dec 27 Pittsburgh Penguins center and part-owner Mario Lemieux scores a goal and 2 assists in his return to the NHL after more than 3 years out with injury problems and lingering cancer issues; Penguins beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0