- Jan 1 75th Orange Bowl: #21 Virginia Tech beats #12 Cincinnati, 20-7
- Jan 1 95th Rose Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #6 Penn State, 38-24
- Jan 2 75th Sugar Bowl: #6 Utah beats #4 Alabama, 31-17
- Jan 4 Phil Taylor, with a 7–1 victory in the final over Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld wins his 12th PDC World Darts title, his 14th in all; his 110.94 average remains a record for the PDC World Darts Championship final
- Jan 5 38th Fiesta Bowl: #3 Texas beats #10 Ohio State, 24-21
- Jan 8 College Football, 11th BCS National Championship, Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens: #2 Florida beats #1 Oklahoma, 24-14
Hopman Cup
Jan 9 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Russia's Marat Safin 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and Slovakia's 3rd title
Ronaldo Player of the Year
Jan 12 Cristiano Ronaldo is awarded 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year for the first time at a ceremony in Zurich
- Jan 18 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens, 23-14
- Jan 18 NFC Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: Arizona Cardinals beat Philadelphia Eagles, 32-25
- Jan 25 57th NHL All-Star Game, Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec: East beats West, 12-11, SO; MVP: Alexei Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens, RW
Williams' 10th Grand Slam
Jan 31 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams wins 10th Grand Slam singles title; outclasses Dinara Safina of Russia 6-0, 6-3
Nadal's First Australian Title
Feb 1 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Spanish ace Rafael Nadal wins his first Australian title; beats Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
- Feb 1 Super Bowl XLIII, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23; MVP: Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh, WR
- Feb 8 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 30-21; MVP: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals, WR
- Feb 15 51st Daytona 500: Matt Kenseth wins shortened race; called off with 48 laps to go after a severe rainstorm hits the track
58th NBA All-Star Game
Feb 15 58th NBA All-Star Game, US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ: West beats East, 146-119; MVPs: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F; Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers, C
- Mar 1 Steven Holcomb pilots USA-1 sled to victory in the 4-man competition at the World Bobsled Championships at Mt Van Hoevenberg, NY; first American win in the event in 50 years
- Mar 3 The Sri Lankan cricket team is attacked by terrorists while on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore for 2nd Test against Pakistan; match abandoned
- Mar 13 30th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: #5 Louisville beats #10 Villanova, 69-55
- Mar 14 Canterbury winger Hazem El Masri becomes highest point scorer in Australian Rugby League history; 33rd minute penalty in Bulldogs' 34-12 win over Manly at ANZ Stadium, Sydney takes him to 2,178; Andrew Johns, 2,176
- Mar 15 50th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Mississippi State beats Tennessee, 64-61
- Mar 15 56th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #9 Duke beats #22 Florida State, 79-69
- Mar 21 Ireland completes a Grand Slam with a 17-15 win over Wales at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to win the Six Nations Rugby Championship
- Mar 22 Cricket Women's World Cup: England defeats New Zealand by 4 wickets
- Apr 4 162nd Grand National: French-bred 100/1 outsider Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, wins by 12 lengths from defending champion Comply or Die
Kraft Nabisco Championship
Apr 5 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Brittany Lincicome eagles the final hole to win her first major title, 1 stroke ahead of fellow American Cristie Kerr
- Apr 6 71st NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Michigan State, 89-72; Tar Heels' 5th national title; Ty Lawson 21 points
- Apr 7 28th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 76-54; Huskies' 6th national title with center Tina Charles MOP
- Apr 12 73rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ángel Cabrera wins his 2nd major title in a playoff with Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry; Cabrera, first Masters champion from Argentina and South America
Laureus Awards
Apr 16 Laureus World Sports Awards, (ceremony cancelled GFC): Sportsman: Usain Bolt; Sportswoman: Yelena Isinbayeva; Team: China Olympic team
- Apr 20 113th Boston Marathon: Deriba Merga of Ethiopia wins men's event in 2:08:42; Salina Kosgei of Kenya women's champion in 2:32:16
NFL Draft
Apr 25 NFL Draft: Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford first pick by Detroit Lions
- May 2 135th Kentucky Derby: Calvin Borel wins aboard 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird after running dead last until the final turn
Sports History
May 6 Marco van Basten resigns as manager of Ajax after the team fails to qualify for the Champions League
- May 10 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Henrik Stenson of Sweden shoots a bogey-free final round 66 to win by 4 strokes from Englishman Ian Poulter
Sports History
May 11 Patrick Kane scores his first career hat-trick in the NHL playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks
- May 16 134th Preakness: Calvin Borel aboard Rachel Alexandra wins in 1:55.08
- May 24 Indianapolis 500: 2001 and 2002 champion Hélio Castroneves of Brazil wins his record tying 3rd Indy title from the pole position; 60th victory in the race for Firestone
- May 24 IPL Cricket Final, New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, RSA: Deccan Chargers beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 6 runs; Herschelle Gibbs top scores, 53 (48)
- May 24 Manchester United wins 1-0 at Hull City Stadium to win English Premier League title for 3rd consecutive season, for a second time; equals Liverpool's record of 18 league titles
- May 24 Senior PGA Championship, Canterbury GC: Michael Allen wins his lone major title by 2 strokes from runner-up Larry Mize
- May 26 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Carolina Hurricanes, 4 games to 0
- May 27 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Chicago Black Hawks, 4 games to 1
- May 27 UEFA Champions League Final, Rome: Barcelona beats Manchester United, 2-0; first Spanish treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League
- May 30 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,391): Chelsea beats Everton, 2-1; Frank Lampard scores 72' winner
- May 30 Super Rugby Final, Pretoria: Morné Steyn kicks 5 conversions & 2 penalties as the Bulls thump the Chiefs (Waikato, NZ), 61-17
141st Belmont Stakes
Jun 6 141st Belmont: Kent Desormeaux aboard Summer Bird wins in 2:27.54
- Jun 6 French Open Women's Tennis: Svetlana Kuznetsova beats fellow Russian and World #1 Dinara Safina 6-4, 6-2
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 7 French Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer wins his only French title, outclassing Robin Söderling of Sweden 6-1, 7-6, 6-4
- Jun 12 Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Pittsburgh Penguins edge Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 for a 4-3 series win; Penguins 3rd Championship
- Jun 14 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Bulle Rock GC: 22-year-old Tour rookie Anna Nordqvist of Sweden wins her only major title by 4 strokes ahead of runner-up Lindsey Wright
- Jun 14 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat Orlando Magic, 99-86 in Game 5 for franchise's 15th NBA championship; MVP: Kobe Bryant
- Jun 21 ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Lord's, London: Pakistan wins their first title beating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets; Player of the Series: Sri Lankan all-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan (317 runs)
- Jun 21 ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Lord's: England 86/4 win inaugural event; beat New Zealand 85; England's Katherine Brunt takes 3 for 6
US Golf Open
Jun 22 US Open Men's Golf, Bethpage State Park: Lucas Glover wins his only major title, 2 strokes ahead of runners-up Ricky Barnes, David Duval and Phil Mickelson
Coach Babcock
Jun 24 Mike Babcock is named head coach of Team Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics (they would win the gold medal)
- Jun 25 NBA Draft: Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin first pick by Los Angeles Clippers
- Jul 4 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams beats older sister Venus 7-6, 6-2 for her 3rd Wimbledon singles title
- Jul 5 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roger Federer beats Andy Roddick of the US 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14 for a record 15th Grand Slam singles title
ESPY Awards
Jul 19 17th ESPY Awards: Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin wins
British Golf Open
Jul 19 British Open Men's Golf, Turnberry: American Stewart Cink wins his only major championship by 6 strokes in a 4-hole playoff with 5-time champion Tom Watson
Senior Open Championship
Jul 26 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Sunningdale: American Loren Roberts wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Mark McNulty and Fred Funk
Women's British Open
Aug 2 British Open Women's Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes GC: Catriona Matthew wins her lone major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Karrie Webb; first Scot to win the title
- Aug 2 Michael Phelps ends the World Swimming Championships in Rome with his 5th gold medal as part of the US 4x100m medley relay team that recorded the 43rd world record of the controversial meet
- Aug 2 US Open Senior Men's Golf, Crooked Stick GC: Fred Funk wins by 6 strokes from Joey Sindelar with a tournament record score (-20)
- Aug 15 12th Athletics World Championships open at Berlin, Germany
PGA Championship
Aug 16 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: Yang Yong-eun of South Korea wins his first major title by 3 strokes from Tiger Woods
- Aug 16 Usain Bolt of Jamaica edges American Tyson Gay to win 100m in world record 9.58s at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin
- Aug 20 12th Athletics World Championships: Usain Bolt wins 200m
- Aug 23 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Rich Harvest Farms: US wins 3rd consecutive Cup 16-12; win 8 of 12 singles to dominate final day
- Aug 23 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Crosswater Club: Mike Reid wins his second Champions Tour major with birdie on first playoff hole against John Cook
- Aug 29 Cristiano Ronaldo makes his debut for Real Madrid, scoring a penalty in their 3-2 win over Deportivo La Coruña
Sports History
Sep 3 Pedro Martínez becomes the 10th pitcher in history to win at least 100 games in each league
Canadian Women's Open
Sep 6 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Priddis Greens GC: Suzann Pettersen of Norway wins by 5 strokes from a group of 5 players
- Sep 12 South Africa claims 3rd Tri Nations Rugby Series with 32-29 win over defending champions New Zealand in Hamilton; Steyn bros dominate with the boot; Morné kicks 2 penalties, 2 conversions & dropped goal; François, 3 penalties
US Open Women's Tennis
Sep 12 US Open Women's Tennis: Belgian Kim Clijsters becomes first unseeded player and wildcard to win the tournament; beats Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 7-5, 6-3
- Sep 14 US Open Men's Tennis: Juan Martín del Potro of Argentina wins his first Grand Slam title; beats defending champion Roger Federer 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2
- Oct 2 The International Olympic Committee votes to award Rio de Janeiro, Brazil rights to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics
- Oct 4 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, Baltimore CC: Jay Haas wins his third and final Champions Tour major title by 1 stroke from Tom Watson
- Oct 5 Australia wins cricket's Champions Trophy at Centurion Park in Gauteng, South Africa by 6 wickets (28 balls remaining) v New Zealand; chasing 200, Shane Watson is 105 not out in Australia's 206/4
- Oct 11 Presidents Cup Golf, Harding Park GC: US down International team, 19½–14½; their 2nd consecutive win by that score and 3rd straight overall
- Oct 18 British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 5th in Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to clinch his first F1 World Drivers Championship
- Oct 21 MLB National League Championship: Philadelphia Phillies beat Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 1
- Oct 24 19th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 20-16 in South Bend (Notre Dame's first win in the series in nine years)
- Oct 25 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4 games to 2
F1 World Champion
Nov 1 British Mercedes driver Jenson Button finishes 3rd in inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to win his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 11 points from Sebastian Vettel
Serena vs Venus
Nov 1 Tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams clash in the season-ending WTA Championship decider at Doha, Qatar; Serena wins 6-2, 7-6
- Nov 4 Baseball World Series: NY Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 7-3 in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium to win Bronx Bombers' record 27th title; MVP: NY outfielder Hideki Matsui
- Nov 6 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Santa Anita Racetrack; Day 1 winners: Man of Iron, Tapitsfly, She Be Wild, Midday, Informed Decision, Life Is Sweet
- Nov 7 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Santa Anita Racetrack; Day 2 winners: Pounced, California Flag, Dancing In Silks, Vale of York, Goldikova, Furthest Land, Conduit, Zenyatta
Sports History
Nov 7 Jerry Sloan becomes the first coach in NBA history with 1,000 wins for one team after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nov 8 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Reggio Calabria, Italy: Flavia Pennetta beats American Melanie Oudin 7-5, 6-2 to give the home team an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends 4-0) and their 2nd title
- Nov 27 74th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 26-21 in Auburn
- Nov 29 CFL Grey Cup, McMahon Stadium, Calgary: Montreal Alouettes come from behind to beat Saskatchewan Roughriders, 28–27 on a 33-yard Damon Duval field goal as time runs out
Sports History
Nov 29 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia wins his only ATP World Tour Finals tennis title with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Argentine star Juan Martín del Potro in the final in London, England
Ballon d'Or
Dec 1 Ballon d'Or: FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is named best football player in the world; wins award by a then record margin, 240 points ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid with Barcelona midfielder Xavi 3rd
- Dec 3 Patrick Kane signs a five-year, $31.5 million contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks
- Dec 4 Montreal Canadiens retire Hall of Fame center Elmer Lach's jersey (No. 16), as part of team's centennial celebration
- Dec 5 14th Big 12 Championship Game: #3 Texas beats #21 Nebraska, 13-12
- Dec 5 18th SEC Championship Game: #2 Alabama beats #1 Florida, 32-13
- Dec 5 5th ACC Championship Game: #12 Georgia Tech beats #25 Clemson, 39-34
- Dec 6 98th Davis Cup: Spain beats Czech Republic in Barcelona (5-0)
- Dec 11 Tiger Woods announces an indefinite leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage.
- Dec 14 75th Heisman Trophy Award: Mark Ingram, Jr., Alabama (RB)
- Dec 19 Former Welsh and Lions captain Gareth Thomas is the first international rugby player to reveal he is gay
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