- Jan 1 76th Sugar Bowl: #5 Florida beats #3 Cincinnati, 51-24
- Jan 1 96th Rose Bowl: #8 Ohio State beats #7 Oregon, 26-17
- Jan 1 Suicide car bomb detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100
- Jan 3 Phil Taylor successfully defends his PDC World Darts title with a 7–3 victory over Simon Whitlock of Australia in the final in London; Taylor's 13th PDC and 15th overall world championship
- Jan 4 39th Fiesta Bowl: #6 Boise State beats #3 TCU, 17-10
- Jan 5 76th Orange Bowl: #10 Iowa beats #9 Georgia Tech, 24-14
Shanahan Introduced as Coach
Jan 5 Mike Shanahan is formally introduced as head coach of the Washington Redskins
- Jan 7 College Football, 12th BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Pasadena: #1 Alabama beats #2 Texas, 37-21
3rd Spanish Title
Jan 9 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: María José Martínez Sánchez & Tommy Robredo of Spain beat British pair Laura Robson & Andy Murray 7-6, 7-5 to clinch a 2-1 win; Spain's 3rd title
Bryant Surpasses Chamberlain Record
Jan 21 LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 career points at 31 years, 151 days; beats Wilt Chamberlain by 35 days
- Jan 24 AFC Championship, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Colts beat New York Jets, 30-17
- Jan 24 NFC Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Saints beat Minnesota Vikings, 31-28 (OT)
Williams Retains Title
Jan 30 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams retains her title; beats Justine Henin of Belgium 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Federer Defeats Murray
Jan 31 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer outclasses Scotsman Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 for his 4th Australian title
- Jan 31 NFL Pro Bowl, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens: AFC beats NFC, 41-34; MVP: Matt Schaub, Houston Texans, QB
Super Bowl XLIV
Feb 7 Super Bowl XLIV, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Miami, FL; New Orleans Saints beat Indianapolis Colts, 31-17; MVP: Drew Brees, New Orleans, QB
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 14 59th NBA All-Star Game, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX: East beats West, 141-139; MVP: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, G
1st Olympic Gold by a Canadian in Canada
Feb 14 Alexandre Bilodeau wins the Gold Medal in the freestyle skiing men's moguls event, becoming the first Canadian to win a Gold Medal during a Canadian-hosted Olympics
- Feb 14 America's Cup: Team USA defeats Alinghi 2-0 to win in Spain
Cricket History
Feb 24 Sachin Tendulkar scores the first double century in One Day International cricket
- Feb 28 XXI Winter Olympic Games close in Vancouver, Canada
Laureus Awards
Mar 10 Laureus World Sports Awards, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE: Sportsman: Usain Bolt; Sportswoman: Serena Williams; Team: Brawn F1 team
- Mar 13 31st Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: #7 West Virginia beats #22 Georgetown, 60-58
- Mar 14 51st SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Mississippi State, 75-74 (OT)
- Mar 14 57th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #4 Duke beats Georgia Tech, 65-61
- Mar 20 France edges England, 12-10 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; France's 17th title
- Apr 2 Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant signs a three-year contract extension with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers worth $87 million
Golf Major
Apr 4 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Yani Tseng of Taiwan wins her 2nd major title by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Suzann Pettersen of Norway
- Apr 5 72nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Duke beats Butler, 61-59; Blue Devils' forward Kyle Singler, 19 points
- Apr 6 29th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Stanford, 53-47; UConn forward Maya Moore scores 23 points
- Apr 10 163rd Grand National: Tony McCoy wins aboard 10/1 joint-favourite Don't Push It by 5 lengths ahead of Black Apalachi
US Masters Golf
Apr 11 74th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson wins his 3rd green jacket by 3 strokes from England's Lee Westwood
- Apr 19 114th Boston Marathon: Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya wins 4th men's title in 2:05:52; Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia women's champion in 2:26:11
- Apr 22 NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford first pick by St. Louis Rams
- Apr 25 IPL Cricket Final, DY Patil Stadium, Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs; Suresh Raina 57 no (35)
- May 1 136th Kentucky Derby: Calvin Borel wins aboard Super Saver, his third Derby success in 4 years
- May 8 Last piece of Yankee Stadium falls in the Bronx, New York, marking the end of the two year demolition process
- May 9 Oakland A's Dallas Braden becomes 19th pitcher to throw a perfect game (4-0 vs Tampa Bay)
- May 9 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: South African Tim Clark fires a final round 67 for his first PGA Tour victory, 1 stroke ahead of Robert Allenby of Australia
- May 15 135th Preakness: Martin Garcia aboard Lookin At Lucky wins in 1:55.47
FA Cup Final
May 15 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (88,335): Chelsea beats Portsmouth,1-0; Didier Drogba scores 59' winner; Blues' 6th title
- May 15 Jessica Watson at age 16 becomes the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world
- May 16 ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: England beats Australia by 7 wickets with 3 overs to spare for their first title; Player of the Series: England batsman Kevin Pietersen (248 runs)
- May 16 ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: Elise Perry with 3 for 18 off 4 overs leads Australia (106/8) to 3 run victory over New Zealand 103/6
UEFA Champions League Final
May 22 UEFA Champions League Final, Madrid: Internazionale beats Bayern Munich, 2-0; Inter's 3rd title and first treble (Italian Serie A & Cup)
- May 23 NHL Western Conference Finals: Chicago Black Hawks beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 0
- May 24 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Philadelphia Flyers beat Montreal Canadians, 4 games to 1
- May 29 In an all South African Super 14 Rugby final, the Bulls (Pretoria) retain title, 25-17 over the Stormers (Cape Town) at the Orlando Stadium, Soweto; Morné Steyn kicks 6 penalties and a conversion for the Bulls
- May 29 Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay becomes 20th pitcher to throw a perfect game (1-0 vs Florida Marlins), in Miami
- May 29 Super Rugby Final, Orlando Stadium, Soweto: Bulls (Pretoria) successfully defend their title with a 25-17 win over the Stormers (Cape Town) in an all-South African final
Indy 500
May 30 Indianapolis 500: Scotsman Dario Franchitti driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing wins his 2nd Indy title ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti
Senior PGA Championship
May 30 Senior PGA Championship, Colorado GC: Tom Lehman wins first of 3 Champions Tour major titles with a par on the first hole of a playoff with Fred Couples and David Frost
Sports History
Jun 3 Canadian sportscaster Ron MacLean saves a man from drowning in the Delaware River in Philadelphia
- Jun 5 142nd Belmont: Mike Smith riding Drosselmeyer wins in 2:31.57
- Jun 5 French Open Women's Tennis: Francesca Schiavone of Italy wins her first and only Grand Slam title; beats Samantha Stosur of Australia 6-4, 7-6
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 6 French Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins 5th French title; defeats Robin Söderling of Sweden 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Sports History
Jun 7 MLB Draft: Southern Nevada outfielder Bryce Harper first pick by Washington Nationals
Stanley Cup
Jun 9 Patrick Kane scores the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime
- Jun 9 Stanley Cup Final, Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA: Chicago Blackhawks edge Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3 in OT for a 4-2 series win; first Championship for Chicago since 1961
- Jun 17 NBA Finals: Depending champion Los Angeles Lakers beat Boston Celtics, 83-79 in Game 7 for franchise's 16th NBA title; MVP: Kobe Bryant
- Jun 20 US Open Men's Golf, Pebble Beach GL: Irishman Graeme McDowell wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Grégory Havret of France
Sports History
Jun 24 In the longest match in tennis history, American John Isner defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon after 11 hours, 5 minutes of play over 3 days
- Jun 24 NBA Draft: Kentucky point guard John Wall first pick by Washington Wizards
- Jun 25 NHL Draft: Windsor Spitfires (OHL) left wing Taylor Hall first pick by Edmonton Oilers
- Jun 27 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Locust Hill CC: American Christie Kerr takes her second major title with a 12 stroke win over Song-Hee Kim of South Korea
- Jul 2 FIFA World Cup: Ghana, only African team remaining in last 8, are beaten 4-2 on penalties by Uruguay; Netherlands upset Brazil 2-1
- Jul 3 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Serena Williams successfully defends her crown overpowering Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 6-2
- Jul 4 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Spaniard Rafael Nadal beats Tomáš Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 for his second Wimbledon title
- Jul 8 During 1st round of the John Deere Classic, Paul Goydos becomes the 4th, and oldest player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59; round included 12 birdies and 6 pars
- Jul 11 FIFA World Cup Final, Soccer City, Johannesburg, South Africa: Andrés Iniesta scores an extra time winner as Spain beats the Netherlands, 1-0 for first World Cup title
- Jul 11 US Open Women's Golf, Oakmont CC: Paula Creamer wins her first major championship, 4 shots ahead of runners-up Na Yeon Choi and Suzann Pettersen
- Jul 13 81st All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 3-1 at Angel Stadium, Anaheim
- Jul 14 18th ESPY Awards: Drew Brees, Lindsey Vonn win
- Jul 18 "150th Anniversary" British Open Golf, St Andrews: South African Louis Oosthuizen wins his only major title, 7 strokes clear of runner-up Lee Westwood of England
- Jul 25 97th Tour de France won by Andy Schleck of Luxembourg
Senior Open Championship
Jul 25 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Carnoustie: Bernhard Langer of Germany wins by 1 stroke from American Corey Pavin
- Aug 1 Australian Stuart Appleby finishes with an 11-under-59 to win the Greenbrier Classic at White Sulphur Springs, to become only the 5th player and first non-American to break 60 on the PGA Tour
Women's British Open
Aug 1 British Open Women's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: 21-year-old Yani Tseng of Taiwan becomes youngest-ever winner of 3 major championships, 1 stroke ahead of Katherine Hull of Australia
- Aug 1 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Sahalee CC: Berhard Langer of Germany wins by 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Fred Couples
Baseball Record
Aug 4 On 3rd anniversary of his 500th MLB career home run, Alex Rodriguez reaches the 600 HR mark in the NY Yankees 5-1 win v Toronto; 7th and youngest to reach milestone
Sports History
Aug 5 Group led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan & Pittsburgh attorney Chuck Greenberg is confirmed as winning bidder in court ordered auction of Texas Rangers MLB franchise (value $593m)
- Aug 7 Hampered by a back injury Indian cricket batsman VVS Laxman scores a brave, unbeaten 103 to guide India to a 5 wicket win v Sri Lanka in Colombo; draw series
Hall of Fame
Aug 7 Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, John Randle, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Floyd Little & Dick LeBeau are inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Aug 14 1st Summer Youth Olympic Games opens in Singapore
- Aug 15 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Martin Kaymer of Germany wins his first major title by 1 stroke in 3-hole aggregate playoff with Bubba Watson
- Aug 21 New Zealand clinch their 10th Tri Nations Rugby Series with one match remaining, scoring 2 tries in the last 3 minutes to beat South Africa, 29–22 in the first-ever Test at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg
- Aug 29 Canadian Open Women's Golf, St. Charles CC: Michelle Wie wins by 3 from Suzann Pettersen, Jiyai Shin, Jee Young Lee & Kristy McPherson
US Open Women's Tennis
Sep 11 US Open Women's Tennis: Belgian defending champion Kim Clijsters beats Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-2, 6-1 for her third US singles crown
- Sep 13 US Open Men's Tennis: Rafael Nadal wins his first US crown; beats Novak Đoković 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; first Spanish man to win US title since Manuel Orantes 1975
- Oct 2 20th College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 31-13 in Chestnut Hill
- Oct 4 Ryder Cup Golf, Celtic Manor Resort, Wales: Europe wins 14½-13½; with scores level Irishman Graeme McDowell holds nerve to beat Hunter Mahan 3 & 1
- Oct 5 Injured Indian cricket batsman VVS Laxman is the hero with 73 not out as the home team chases down 216 to beat Australia with just 1 wicket to spare in the 1st Test at Mohali
- Oct 6 Phillies ace Roy Halladay pitches only the 2nd postseason no-hitter in MLB history in Game 1 NLDS, 4-0 v Cincinnati Reds, at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
Senior Players Championship
Oct 10 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC Potomac: Mark O'Meara wins his lone Champions Tour major title with par on first playoff hole against Michael Allen
- Oct 22 MLB American League Championship: Texas Rangers beat New York Yankees, 4 games to 2
- Oct 23 MLB National League Championship: San Francisco Giants beat Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 2
- Oct 31 Belgian tennis star Kim Clijsters beats Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 for her 3rd season ending WTA Championship in Doha, Qatar
- Nov 1 Baseball World Series: San Francisco beats Texas Rangers, 3-1 in Game 5 at Arlington to clinch Giants first title since relocating from NYC in 1958; MVP: SF shortstop Édgar Rentería
- Nov 5 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; Day 1 winners: Eldaafer, More Than Real, Dubai Majesty, Awesome Feather, Shared Account, Unrivaled Belle
- Nov 6 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; Day 2 winners: Pluck, Big Drama, Chamberlain Bridge, Uncle Mo, Goldikova, Dakota Phone, Dangerous Midge, Blame
- Nov 7 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, San Diego, California: Flavia Pennetta of Italy beats American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 6-2 to wrap up a 3-1 win and 3rd title for the Italians
Sebastian Vettel
Nov 14 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit to claim his first F1 World Drivers Championship by 4 points from Fernando Alonso; Red Bull's first Constructors title
- Nov 26 75th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 28-27 in Tuscaloosa
- Nov 28 CFL Grey Cup, Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton: Montreal Alouettes retain Championship with 21-18 win over Saskatchewan Roughriders; Alouettes' quarterback Anthony Calvillo's 3rd title
- Nov 28 In a classic matchup, Roger Federer wins his 5th season-ending ATP World Tour Finals tennis title with a 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 victory over Rafael Nadal of Spain in the final in London, England
- Dec 4 15th Big 12 Championship Game: #10 Oklahoma beats #13 Nebraska, 23-20
- Dec 4 19th SEC Championship Game: #2 Auburn beats #18 South Carolina, 56-17
- Dec 4 6th ACC Championship Game: #12 Virginia Tech beats #20 Florida State, 44-33
- Dec 5 99th Davis Cup: Serbia beats France in Belgrade (3-2)
- Dec 13 76th Heisman Trophy Award: Cam Newton, Auburn (QB)
- Dec 19 "Miracle at the New Meadowlands", Philadelphia Eagles trail New York Giants by 21 points with eight minutes to play, before scoring 4 touchdowns in final 7 minutes, including dramatic walk-off punt returned for a touchdown by DeSean Jackson
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions