- 1653 An athlete from Croydon is reported to have run 20 miles from St Albans to London in less than 90 minutes
- 1912 Boston Braves MLB franchise owner James Gaffney buys the Allston Golf Club on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston with a plan to construct a ball park there; ground breaking for Braves Field starts on March 20, 1915
- 1923 Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Queen's University retains title with 54-0 win over Regina Rugby Club; biggest Grey Cup victory margin ever
- 1924 Boston Bruins beat fellow expansion team Montreal Maroons, 2-1 at Boston Arena; first NHL game to be played in the United States
- 1928 CFL Grey Cup, AAA Grounds, Hamilton: Hamilton Tigers win 3rd Cup with 30-0 shutout of Regina Roughriders
- 1928 National League President John Heydler first to propose a baseball rule change calling for a 10th man, or 'designated hitter', to bat in place of the pitcher; ironically, the NL vote in favour of proposal, but the American League turn it down
- 1930 NHL drops 20 minute slashing-about-the-head penalty
Toronto Maple Leafs
1934 Toronto Maple Leafs beat St. Louis Eagles, 4-3 to set an NHL record for the most wins to start the season with 8; Leafs do it again 59 years later; won 10 in a row to start 1993-94 season
- 1936 2nd Heisman Trophy Award: Larry Kelley, Yale (E)
- 1940 Four sets of brothers play in one NHL game when Chicago Blackhawks beat NY Rangers, 4-1; Lynn & Muzz Patrick and Neil & Mac Colville (Rangers); Max & Doug Bentley and Bob & Bill Carse (Chicago)
- 1942 With WWII travel restrictions in mind, MLB owners decide to restrict travel to a 3-trip schedule rather than customary 4; Spring training in 1943 limited to locations north of Potomac or Ohio rivers and east of the Mississippi
- 1945 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts win their 6th title with a 35-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
First Australia - India Test
1947 In first cricket Test match between the 2 nations, India is dismissed for 58 by Australia in Brisbane; fast bowler Ernie Toshack takes 5 for 2 off 2.3 overs; Don Bradman scores 185 as Australia wins by an innings & 226 runs
Ray Lindwall
1951 Legendary Australian cricket fast bowler Ray Lindwall takes his 100th Test wicket when he bowls West Indian spinner Sonny Ramadhin in the 2nd Test in Sydney; Australia wins by 7 wickets
- 1953 Red Sox trade for slugger Jackie Jensen, sending pitcher Mickey McDermott and outfielder Tom Umphlett to Washington; Jensen averages 25 HRs a year for his 7 seasons in Boston; AL RBI leader x 3, and AL MVP in 1958
- 1954 NY Yankees and Baltimore Orioles complete largest trade in MLB history as 17 players, including Don Larsen, Gene Woodling, Bob Turley change teams; first phase of transaction began November 18 and concludes today after the MLB draft
- 1956 21st Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 34-7 in Birmingham
- 1956 Algerian-born French long-distance runner Alain Mimoun wins the men's marathon in 2:25:00.0 at the Melbourne Olympics; first time runners follow painted line
- 1956 American Mildred McDaniel jumps world record 1.76m to win the women's high jump gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; Briton Thelma Hopkins and Russian Mariya Pisareva dead-heat for silver (1.67m)
World Record
1956 Australian women's 4 x 100m relay team of Norma Croker, Betty Cuthbert, Fleur Mellor & Shirley Strickland de la Hunty run world record 44.65 to win the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; Cuthbert's 3rd gold of the Games
Robinson, Aparicio Rookies
1956 Frank Robinson (NL) & Luis Aparicio (AL) voted Rookie of the Year
Gert Fredriksson's 3rd
1956 Gert Fredriksson of Sweden wins his 3rd consecutive K-1 1,000m canoeing gold medal by 2.5s from Igor Pissarov of the Soviet Union at the Melbourne Olympics; also wins K-1 10,000m gold
- 1956 Hungarian boxer László Papp wins his 3rd straight Olympic gold medal when he beats future Hall of Famer José Torres representing the US on points in the light-middleweight final at the Melbourne Olympics
- 1956 In front of 100,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, a US Army baseball team beats an Australian all-star team, 11–5 in an Olympic exhibition game; Sergeant Vance Sutton belts a grand slam for Army
US Defeats Soviet Union
1956 Led by future Basketball Hall of Famers Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, the US wins it's 4th consecutive Olympic gold medal with an 89-55 victory over the Soviet Union at the Melbourne Games
Dawn Fraser
1956 Legendary Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets world record 1:02.0 to win the women's 100m freestyle at the Melbourne Olympics; first of Fraser's 3 consecutive gold medals in the event
- 1956 Romanian canoeist Leon Rotman wins the men's C-1,000m gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; claims the singles double after also winning the C-1 10,000m gold
- 1956 US men's 4 x 100m relay team of Thane Baker, Leamon King, Bobby Morrow & Ira Murchison sets world record 39.60s to win the gold medal at the Melbourne Olympics; Morrow's 3rd gold medal of the Games
Billy Cannon
1959 25th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Cannon, LSU (HB)
- 1962 27th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 38-0 in Birmingham, their fourth straight shutout in the series
- 1962 Classifications in minor league baseball are overhauled; Eastern and South Atlantic leagues are promoted from Class-A to Class-AA; classes B, C and D are abolished with those leagues being promoted to Class-A
- 1963 Wendell Scott wins the Grand National Series Jacksonville 200 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver to win a race at NASCAR's premier level
- 1964 After just 3 seasons in MLB the Houston Colt .45s change name of the team to Astros; owners say move signals a step into the future for the franchise and the city of Houston
- 1966 Ecuadorian national baseball team defends its title with a 4-3 win over Brazil in the South American Championship; last win for next 50 years; Eloy Guerrero drives in Ramón Sotomayor with the winning run
- 1967 Pacific Northwest Sports, Inc. is awarded one of the 2 American League baseball expansion franchises; new team named the Seattle Pilots
Wilt Chamberlain
1967 Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 52 points in 76ers' 133-109 win over Seattle SuperSonics; sets NBA record for 22 free throw misses
Ernie Banks Released
1971 Chicago Cubs release longtime star and future Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, ending his 19-year MLB career; announce Banks will serve as a coach on manager Leo Durocher's staff; Banks finishes with 512 home runs and 1,636 RBI
- 1973 38th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 35-0 in Birmingham
Australia Victory
1973 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Cleveland, Ohio: Rod Laver and John Newcombe beat American pair Stan Smith and Erik van Dillen 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to give Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead, (ends 5-0); 23rd Cup title for Australia
Jack Nicklaus
1973 Jack Nicklaus finishes at 13-under-par 275 to win the Walt Disney World Open by 1 stroke from Mason Rudolph; becomes the first player to reach $2 million in PGA Tour career earnings
- 1974 American Jacqueline Hansen runs female world record marathon 2:43:54.5 in Culver City, California
- 1974 South Africa is awarded the Davis Cup tennis title after India refuses to travel to South Africa for the final in protest of the South African government's apartheid policies
Rodney Hogg
1978 Australian cricket fast bowler Rodney Hogg debuts in 1st Test v England in Brisbane; after Australia all out 116, Hogg makes instant impact by dismissing both high profile England openers Graham Gooch (2) and Geoff Boycott (13)
- 1979 44th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 25-18 in Birmingham
Australia vs. West Indies
1979 Australia's World Series Cricket men return to the fold in the drawn 1st Test v West Indies in Brisbane; ex-WSC players Bruce Laird (92), Greg Chappell (74) & David Hookes (33no) provide the scoring on Day 1 in home side's 229/5
- 1980 46th Heisman Trophy Award: George Rogers, South Carolina (RB)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1981 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar passes Oscar Robertson (26,710) to become the NBA’s second all-time leading scorer behind Wilt Chamberlain; scores 14 points in 117-86 Lakers' win over Utah Jazz in Los Angeles
- 1984 49th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 17-15 in Birmingham
Doug Flutie
1984 50th Heisman Trophy Award: Doug Flutie, Boston College (QB)
- 1984 American boxer Greg Page KOs home town favourite Gerrie Coetzee in 8th round to win WBA heavyweight title in Sun City, South Africa
Chris Evert's 1,000th
1984 American tennis icon Chris Evert wins her 1,000th career professional match; beats Pascale Paradis of France 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 in the round of 16 at the Australian Open; Evert goes on to win the event
- 1988 NBC bids a record $401 million to capture television broadcasting rights for the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympic Games
Nadia Comăneci
1989 Romanian 5-time Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Nadia Comăneci arrives in NYC requesting political asylum to the United States; granted
- 1990 55th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 16-7 in Birmingham
- 1990 56th Heisman Trophy Award: Ty Detmer, Brigham Young (QB)
US Victory
1990 Davis Cup Tennis, St. Petersburg, Florida: Rick Leach and Jim Pugh beat Australian pair Pat Cash and John Fitzgerald 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 to clinch an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends 3-2) for the US
Patrick Ewing
1990 New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing scores career high 22 field goals in his 50 point haul in 113-96 win v Charlotte at Madison Square Garden
French Victory
1991 Davis Cup Tennis, Lyon: Frenchman Guy Forget upsets Pete Sampras 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to clinch a 3-1 final win over the US
Dan Marino
1991 Miami quarterback Dan Marino sets an NFL record when he reaches 3,000 yards passing for the 8th time in his career during Dolphin's 33-14 win over Tampa Bay at Joe Robbie Stadium
Payne Stewart
1991 Reigning US Open champion Payne Stewart wins only 1 hole, but claims the Skins Game at La Quinta and sets record in the process; 3-foot birdie putt at 14th hole earns 8 skins worth $260,000; record for most money won on 1 hole
- 1993 St Louis Blues' Bob Berry coaches his 800th career NHL game, a 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto; also coached LA Kings, Montreal Canadiens & Pittsburgh Penguins
- 1996 Davis Cup Tennis, Malmo, Sweden: Arnaud Boetsch beats Sweden's Nicklas Kulti in closest deciding match in Cup history 7-6, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6, 10-8 to give France 3-2 victory
David Campese
1996 Flamboyant Australian rugby union winger David Campese ends his 15-year, 101 Test career at Cardiff Arms Park in Wales; Wallabies beat Wales, 28-19; Campese scores record 64 career tries
- 1996 South African cricket all-rounder Lance Klusener takes 8-64 on debut in Proteas' 329 run 2nd Test win v India in Kolkata
Wayne Gretzky
1996 Wayne Gretzky becomes first and only player in NHL history to reach 3,000-point plateau (including playoffs); records an assist in NY Rangers' 6-2 win over Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden
- 1997 Golden State Warriors NBA guard Latrell Sprewell assaults head coach P.J. Carlesimo; suspended for 10 games
- 1997 In their 81st season, Montreal Canadiens become first team in history to play 5,000 NHL games; host the Penguins but lose, 1-0; franchise record 2,625-1,603-772 with .620 winning percentage
- 2001 Nicaraguan baseball team wins the Central American Games; Ramon Padilla ends 15 year stint with the national team with 2 homers in the 9-0 finale against Guatemala
- 2002 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
- 2006 Canadian jockey Russell Baze becomes North American horse racing's all-time win leader when Butterfly Belle wins 4th race at Bay Meadows, San Mateo, California; 9,531 victories passes record of Laffit Pincay Jr
- 2007 12th Big 12 Championship Game: #9 Oklahoma beats #1 Missouri, 38-17
- 2007 16th SEC Championship Game: #5 LSU beats #14 Tennessee, 21-14
- 2007 3rd ACC Championship Game: #6 Virginia Tech beats #12 Boston College, 30-16
- 2007 Davis Cup Tennis, Portland, Oregan: Bob and Mike Bryan team to give US an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends 4-1) over Russia; beat Nikolay Davydenko and Igor Andreev 7-6, 6-4, 6-2; 32nd US title
Earl Lloyd Honored
2007 T. C. Williams High School’s newly constructed basketball court is named after Earl Lloyd
Ballon d'Or
2009 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
- 2012 21st SEC Championship Game: #2 Alabama beats #3 Georgia, 32-28
- 2012 8th ACC Championship Game: #13 Florida State beats Georgia Tech, 21-15
Beckham's Triumphant Farwell
2012 Ex-England soccer captain David Beckham leaves LA Galaxy triumphantly with a second MLS Cup winner's medal after a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo in Carson, CA; final game of a 6-year stint in US
- 2012 FC Barcelona with 13 wins and a draw sets new La Liga start to Spanish football season record; Lionel Messi scores twice in 5-1 win over Athletic Bilbao; pass Real Madrid's 1991-92 season mark
- 2012 Ukrainian Anna Ushenina beats Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria, 3½-2½ in 2 rapid tie breaks to win the World Women's Chess Championship in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
Sports History
2014 Thierry Henry leaves the New York Red Bulls after four-and-a-half years at the club
- 2014 Utility Claudio Liverziani becomes first 3-time MVP in the Italian Baseball League; 291/.444/.472 season, with 30 HRs and 20 RBI in 38 games for Fortitudo Bologna
- 2015 After finishing the season with the largest payroll in MLB history at $298.3 million, the Los Angeles Dodgers are assigned the largest luxury tax bill ever, $43.7 million
- 2015 In the largest deal ever for a MLB pitcher, Boston Red Sox land one of the biggest catches of the off-season, signing free agent David Price for 7 years and $217 million
- 2016 Joel Embiid is named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for NBA games played in October and November
- 2018 British boxer Tyson Fury dominates much of the fight but survives 2 knockdowns to force a split decision draw with defending WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder at the Staples Center, Los Angeles
Lewis Hamilton
2019 British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton wins season-ending Abu Dhabi GP to claim his 6th F1 World Drivers C'ship by 87 points from teammate Valtteri Bottas; Mercedes' 6th straight Constructors title
