- Jan 1 31st Fiesta Bowl: #2 Oregon beats #3 Colorado, 38-16
- Jan 1 68th Sugar Bowl: #12 LSU beats #7 Illinois, 47-34
- Jan 2 68th Orange Bowl: #5 Florida beats #6 Maryland, 56-23
- Jan 3 College Football, 4th BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Pasadena: #1 Miami beats #2 Nebraska, 37-14, at 88th Rose Bowl
Spain Second Title
Jan 5 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Spain wins 2nd title; Arantxa Sánchez Vicario & Tommy Robredo beat American pair Monica Seles & Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-2 for a 2-1 victory
Schottenheimer Fired
Jan 13 In a controversial move, Marty Schottenheimer is fired as head coach of the Washington Redskins after just one season
- Jan 19 "Tuck Rule Game" AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
Capriati Defeats Hingis
Jan 26 Australian Open Women's Tennis: American Jennifer Capriati wins her 2nd consecutive Australian title; beats Martina Hingis 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
- Jan 27 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: New England Patriots beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-17
Australian Men's Tennis Open
Jan 27 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Thomas Johansson of Sweden wins his only Grand Slam title; beats Russian star Marat Safin 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6
- Jan 27 NFC Championship, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis: St. Louis Rams beat Philadelphia Eagles, 29-24
- Jan 29 The San Diego Chargers hire Marty Schottenheimer as their 13th head coach
Malone 2nd to 34,000 Points
Jan 30 Utah's Karl Malone becomes 2nd player in NBA history to register 34,000 career points by scoring 18 in a 90-78 win over Chicago at the Delta Center; trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387 points)
- Feb 2 52nd NHL All-Star Game, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA: World beats North America, 8-5; MVP: Éric Dazé, Chicago Blackhawks, RW
Super Bowl XXXVI
Feb 3 Super Bowl XXXVI, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: New England Patriots beat St. Louis Rams, 20-17; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB
51st NBA All-Star Game
Feb 10 51st NBA All-Star Game, First Union Centre, Philadelphia, PA: West beats East, 135-120; MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F
Daytona 500
Feb 17 44th Daytona 500: Ward Burton's win first for Dodge since Richard Petty's victory in the 1974 race
- Mar 2 40-year old South African boxer ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala ends his 22-year career with a 7th-round TKO win over Columbia’s Juan Herrera to retain his WBU junior flyweight title in Johannesburg
- Mar 9 Joe Sakic plays his 1,000th career game
- Mar 10 43rd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Alabama, 61-58
- Mar 10 49th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats NC State, 91-61
- Mar 24 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Unheralded New Zealander Craig Perks chips-in twice on the final 3 holes for his only PGA Tour career win, 2 strokes ahead of Stephen Ames
- Mar 31 21st NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Oklahoma, 82-70; Huskies conclude perfect season (39-0)
Sports History
Mar 31 Andre Agassi wins his 700th career match and captures his second straight Key Biscayne title with a 6–3, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 win over Roger Federer at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Florida
Golf Major
Mar 31 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Defending champion Annika Sörenstam of Sweden shoots a final round 68 to win, 1 stroke ahead of compatriot Liselotte Neumann
- Apr 1 64th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Maryland beats Indiana, 64-52; Terrapins' first title in first title game
- Apr 6 155th Grand National: 8-year-old 20/1 shot Bindaree, ridden by Jim Culloty and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies wins by 1¾ lengths from What's Up Boys
- Apr 6 France beats Ireland 44-5 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; their 13th title
US Masters Golf
Apr 14 66th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods becomes the 3rd player to claim back-to-back Masters, 3 strokes ahead of Retief Goosen of South Africa
- Apr 15 106th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Rodgers Rop claims men's event in 2:09:02; Margaret Okayo women's winner in 2:20:43
- Apr 20 NFL Draft: Fresno State quarterback David Carr #1 pick by Houston Texans
- Apr 28 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Superstition Mountain G&CC: Jim Thorpe wins his lone career major title with birdie on first playoff hole against John Jacobs
- May 1 Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego
- May 4 128th Kentucky Derby: Victor Espinoza aboard War Emblem wins in 2:01.13
Baseball Record
May 4 Barry Bonds hits his 400th home run as an SF Giant, in a 3-0 win over Cincinnati. Bonds is first player with 400 homers for one team and 100 with another (Pirates)
- May 4 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (73,963): Arsenal beats Chelsea, 2-0 for 8th title
- May 10 Anaheim Angels crush the Chicago White Sox 19-0. The Angels join the 1923 Indians, 1939 Yankees and 1950 Red Sox as the only teams to beat two opponents by 19 or more runs in the same season
Laureus Awards
May 14 Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Michael Schumacher; Sportswoman: Jennifer Capriati; Team: Australian Men's National Cricket team
- May 15 10th UEFA Champions League Final: Real Madrid beats Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at Glasgow
- May 18 127th Preakness: Victor Espinoza aboard War Emblem wins in 1:56.36
- May 18 Micky Ward beats Arturo Gatti by majority decision in a junior welterweight boxing bout in Uncasville, Connecticut; 'The Ring' Fight of the Year; first fight in their legendary trilogy
Coach Babcock
May 22 Mike Babcock is named head coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
- May 25 Super Rugby Final, Jade Stadium, Christchurch: Crusaders win 4th title with a 31-13 thumping of the ACT Brumbies; flyhalf Andrew Mehrtens boots 3 penalties, 2 conversions and a dropped goal for the winners
- May 26 Indianapolis 500: Defending champion Hélio Castroneves of Brazil becomes fifth driver in Indy 500 history to win back-to-back races for his second of 4 race victories
- May 28 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Carolina Hurricanes beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 games to 2
- May 31 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Colorado Avalanche, 4 games to 3
- May 31 The New Jersey Nets defeat the Boston Celtics 96-88 in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Championship, winning the series 4 games to 2 to advance to their first NBA Finals appearance.
Boxing Title Fight
Jun 1 In a battle of former heavyweight boxing champions in Atlantic City, Evander Holyfield beats Hasim Rahman by TKO; fight stopped 1:40 into 8th round because of giant welt above Rahman's left eye
- Jun 8 134th Belmont: Edgar Prado aboard Sarava wins in 2:29.71
Lewis KOs Tyson
Jun 8 British-Canadian Lennox Lewis retains boxing's WBC Heavyweight title with eighth-round knockout of American Mike Tyson at The Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 8 French Open Women's Tennis: American Serena Williams wins her first French title, defeating her older sister Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 9 French Open Men's Tennis: In an all-Spanish final Albert Costa beats Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 for his lone major title
LPGA Championship
Jun 9 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: Se Ri Pak of South Korea wins second of 3 titles in this event; finishes 3 strokes ahead of Beth Daniel
Senior PGA Championship
Jun 9 Senior PGA Championship, Firestone CC, Akron, Ohio: Fuzzy Zoeller wins his only Champions Tour title by strokes ahead of runners-up Hale Irwin and Bobby Wadkins
NBA Finals
Jun 12 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets, 113-107 for a 4-0 sweep and 3rd straight title; MVP: Shaquille O'Neal for 3rd consecutive Finals series
Stanley Cup
Jun 13 Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat Carolina Hurricanes, 3-1 for a 4-1 series win; Red Wings' 10th title; coach Scotty Bowman retires with record 9th title
- Jun 16 US Open Men's Golf, Bethpage State Park: Tiger Woods wins his second Open title, 3 shots ahead of runner-up Phil Mickelson
- Jun 22 WLAF World Bowl 10, Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf: Berlin Thunder beats Rhein Fire, 26-20
- Jun 26 NBA Draft: Shanghai Sharks (China) center Yao Ming first pick by Houston Rockets
FIFA World Cup
Jun 30 FIFA World Cup Final, International Stadium, Yokohama, Japan: Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil beats Germany, 2-0 to win record 5th title; first World Cup held in Asia
US Senior Golf Open
Jun 30 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Caves Valley GC: Don Pooley wins by 1 stroke in a playoff with Tom Watson
- Jul 6 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams beats older sister Venus 7-6, 6-3 for her first Wimbledon singles title
- Jul 7 US Open Women's Golf, Prairie Dunes CC: Juli Inkster wins her second US title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Annika Sörenstam; Inkster's 7th and final major victory
- Jul 7 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia wins his only Wimbledon singles title beating David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-1, 6-3, 6-2
- Jul 9 73rd All Star Baseball Game: 7-7 tie when both teams ran out of available pitchers at Miller Park, Milwaukee
ESPY Awards
Jul 10 10th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Venus Williams win
- Jul 14 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Australian Stewart Ginn wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from American trio Hubert Green, Mike McCullough & Jim Thorpe
British Golf Open
Jul 21 British Open Men's Golf, Muirfield: Ernie Els of South Africa wins first of 2 Open titles in a playoff from Australians Stuart Appleby & Steve Elkington, and Frenchman Thomas Levet
- Jul 21 With a record 6 races remaining, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th F1 World Drivers Championship with victory in the French Grand Prix at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours; 3rd straight title win
Tour de France
Jul 28 89th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)
- Jul 28 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal County Down: Noboru Sugai of Japan wins by 2 shots from John irwin of Canada
- Aug 6 32-year old reliever Robb Nen becomes 16th and youngest closer to record 300 career saves as he protects Giants 11-10 lead v Cubs
- Aug 9 SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits his 600th career home run
- Aug 10 New Zealand beats South Africa, 30-23 in Durban to win their fourth Tri Nations Rugby Series; All Blacks score 4 tries to 2
Women's British Open
Aug 11 British Open Women's Golf, Turnberry Ailsa Resort: Karrie Webb wins by 2 strokes from fellow Australian Michelle Ellis & Paula Martí; 5th different major for Webb, career "Super Slam"
Canadian Women's Open
Aug 18 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Summerlea GC: Meg Mallon wins by 3 from Michelle Ellis, Rosie Jones, Catriona Matthew & Michele Redman
- Aug 18 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: American Rich Beem wins his first major title by 1 stroke from Tiger Woods
- Sep 4 After blowing an 11-run lead to Kansas City, Scott Hatteberg's bottom of the 9th walk off HR gives Oakland a historic MLB victory, 12-11; A's set AL record 20 game winning streak
- Sep 4 Argentina pulls off one of the biggest upsets in basketball history, beating the US, 87-80 in 2nd round of the World Championships; 1st US loss in 59 games since sending NBA players to international competition in 1992
- Sep 7 US Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins second US title; beats older sister Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3
- Sep 8 Rookie quarterback David Carr throws for 2 TDs as the Houston Texans beat Dallas Cowboys 19-10 to become only the 2nd expansion team (1961 Minnesota Vikings) to win their inaugural game
- Sep 8 Texas Rangers set a major league record by homering in their 26th consecutive game as Texas falls to the Tampa Bay
US Men's Tennis Open
Sep 8 US Open Men's Tennis: Pete Sampras wins 14th and final Grand Slam title; beats fellow American Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
- Sep 9 MLB Arizona Diamondbacks' lefthanded pitcher Randy Johnson reaches 300 strikeouts for the fifth consecutive season, extending his major league record
NFL Record
Sep 15 Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon begins NFL record-tying (Kurt Warner, Steve Young) streak of 6 consecutive 300-yard passing games, throwing for 403 yards in Raiders' 30-17 victory at Pittsburgh
- Sep 22 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Interlachen CC: US regains Cup 15½-12½; Rosie Jones gains winning point in her 3 & 2 victory over Karine Icher
- Sep 29 Ryder Cup Golf, The Belfry: Europe wins 15½-12½ after teams tied at 8 points going into Sunday singles matches
- Sep 29 Seattle running back Shaun Alexander sets NFL record for most touchdowns in a half with 5 in 1st half of 48-23 win v Minnesota Vikings at Seahawks Stadium; runs for 4 plus 80-yard reception
- Oct 1 Free agent center Wang Zhizhi, the first ever Chinese-born player in the NBA, signs a 3-year offer sheet with the Los Angeles Clippers; waived in 2003 and moves to Miami Heat
- Oct 5 For the first time in its 42-year old history, the Anaheim Angels win a post-season series by beating the Yankees, 9-5 to take the ALDS, 3-1
Election of Interest
Oct 10 Former cricketer Imran Khan elected to the Pakistani Parliament after winning the seat of Mianwali-I
- Oct 13 Michael Schumacher wins season ending Japanese F1 Grand Prix for his record 11th victory of the year & 3rd straight World Drivers Championship; title margin: 67 points from Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello
- Oct 13 MLB American League Championship: Anaheim Angels beat Minnesota Twins, 4 games to 1
- Oct 14 MLB National League Championship: San Francisco Giants beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 1
- Oct 26 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Arlington Park, winners: Volponi, Vindication, Azeri, High Chaparral, Starine, Storm Flag Flying, Domedriver, Orientate
- Oct 27 Baseball World Series: Anaheim beats San Francisco Giants, 4-1 in Game 7 at Edison Field to win Angels' first title; MVP: Anaheim 1st baseman Troy Glaus
- Nov 2 14th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 14-7 in South Bend
Sports History
Nov 2 Mark Messier plays his 1,616th NHL game, a 3-2 Rangers loss against the St. Blues, to move into 2nd place on the all-time games played list; passes Larry Murphy and ends career with 1,756 games, just 11 shy of Gordie Howe
Federation Cup
Nov 3 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Gran Canaria, Spain: Janette Husárová beats Spaniard Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6-0, 6-2 to give Slovakia their first title, 3-1
- Nov 11 Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters beats American Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3 to win the season-ending WTA Tour Championship at the Staples Center, Los Angeles
- Nov 17 54th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Tony Stewart wins
- Nov 17 Australian Leyton Hewitt scores back-to-back season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles with a classic 7–5, 7–5, 2–6, 2–6, 6–4 victory over Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero in Shanghai, China
- Nov 23 67th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 17-7 in Tuscaloosa
- Nov 24 CFL Grey Cup, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: Montreal Alouettes beat Edmonton Eskimos, 25-16; Don Matthews' 5th Grey Cup title as a head coach
- Dec 1 Davis Cup Tennis, Paris: Mikhail Youzhny beats Paul-Henri Mathieu 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to give Russia 3-2 win over France; only time in event history that a 2-set deficit turned around in a live 5th rubber of a Final
- Dec 7 11th SEC Championship Game: #4 Georgia beats #22 Arkansas, 30-3
- Dec 11 Joe Sakic scores his 500th career goal at Vancouver
- Dec 12 Ballon d'Or: Inter/Real Madrid forward Ronaldo is named best football player in Europe for a second time ahead of Real Madrid left back Roberto Carlos and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
- Dec 15 68th Heisman Trophy Award: Carson Palmer, USC (QB)
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions