Events in Sports History on February 1

  • 1905 Dutch soccer club ADO Den Haag forms in The Hague; ADO represents the amateur branch of the club

Thorpe Signs with Giants

1913 American all-round athlete Jim Thorpe signs to play baseball with the NY Giants; unlike his other sporting endeavours the Olympic-medal winner's career in MLB was uninspiring (1913-19)

  • 1914 Chicago White Sox and New York Giants play a 10-inning, 3-3 tie in Cairo, Egypt in an exhibition MLB game; part of special 56-game world tour
  • 1919 Brooklyn Robins trade former NL MVP Jake Daubert to Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Tommy Griffith; result of a salary grievance

Bradman's 299 Not Out

1932 Australian cricket's master batsman Don Bradman scores 299 not out in 10 wicket 4th Test win vs South Africa in Adelaide; runs out of partners going for 300

  • 1948 Finland goes 1-2 in the Nordic combined event at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics; Heikki Hasu takes gold ahead of teammate Martti Huhtala
  • 1948 Johnny Palmer sets a 36-hole PGA Tour scoring record with rounds of 62-64 in the Tucson Open; finishes runner-up by 1 stroke to Skip Alexander who cards tournament record total 264

Curly Lambeau Resigns

1950 Green Bay Packers founder, player and coach Curly Lambeau resigns after 31 seasons and 6 NFL titles to his credit

  • 1954 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Mervyn Rose wins his first Grand Slam title; beats fellow Australian Rex Hartwig 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, 6-2
  • 1954 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Thelma Coyne Long beats Jenny Staley 6-3, 6-4 for the 2nd of her 2 Australian singles titles
  • 1954 Dutch soccer club De Graafschap "The County" forms in Doetinchem, Netherlands
  • 1955 Hap Day becomes the first man to serve as Toronto Maple Leafs' captain, coach and general manager when he is appointed to run the famous Canadian NHL club
  • 1956 Hayes Alan Jenkins leads only US sweep of Olympic men's figure skating medals at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Games; Ronald Robertson wins silver with bronze to Jenkins' younger brother, David
  • 1958 Manchester United beats Arsenal, 5-4 at Highbury in the team's last game on British soil, 5 days prior to the plane crash at Munich airport that killed 7 players
  • 1958 Tommy Taylor scores 2 goals and Duncan Edwards 1, in Manchester United's 5-4 win vs Arsenal at Highbury; pair amongst 7 players killed 5 days later when team’s charter plane crashes at Munich airport
  • 1959 Outfielder Zack Wheat, a Brooklyn Robins favourite of the 1910s and 1920s, is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; Wheat hit .317 over 19-year career, and batted .300 or better 14 times

Goggin Wins

1959 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: Willie Goggin, using a borrowed set of woods, wins by 1 stroke ahead of Leland Gibson, Paul Runyan and Denny Shute

Laver Beats Fraser

1960 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: In a classic all-Australian final Rod Laver beats Neale Fraser 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6, 8-6; Laver's first Grand Slam title

  • 1960 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith wins first of 11 Australian singles titles; beats fellow Australian Jan Lehane 7-5, 6-2
  • 1961 Australian cricket tail-enders Ken Mackay (62no) and Lindsay Kline (15no) hang on for 100 minutes to earn a famous draw on the final day vs West Indies in 4th Test in Adelaide
  • 1962 MLB's National League releases its first 162-game schedule due to expansion (18 games between opponents)
  • 1964 French sisters Christine Goitschel (gold) and Marielle Goitschel (silver) become first female siblings to win Olympic gold and silver in the same event when they dominate the slalom in Innsbruck

Emerson's Third Title

1965 Australian Championship Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson wins 3rd consecutive Australian title; beats fellow Australian Fred Stolle 7-9, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-1

Smith's 6th Straight Win

1965 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Australian Margaret Smith wins 6th straight home singles title; beats Maria Bueno of Brazil 5-7, 6-4, 5-2; Bueno retired injured

Patterson vs. Chuvalo

1965 Former world heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson beats Canadian George Chuvalo by unanimous decision in a 12-round non-title clash at New York’s Madison Square Garden; 'The Ring' names bout Fight of the Year.

American Basketball Association

1967 The 10-team American Basketball Association (ABA) with George Mikan as Commissioner is formed and lasts 9 years; its three-point shot remains a feature of the game

Lombardi Steps Down

1968 Vince Lombardi steps down as NFL Green Bay Packers head coach in favor of longtime assistant Phil Bengtson; stays on as Packers' general manager for 1968

Petty's Ford Win

1969 In his first start in a Ford, legendary driver Richard Petty wins the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California; previous 92 NASCAR victories were in Plymouths

  • 1969 Tim Wood wins second of 3 straight US Men's Figure Skating titles whilst Janet Lynn takes first of her 5 consecutive Women's National Championships in Seattle
  • 1970 Former MLB Commissioner Ford Frick as well as ex-players Earle Combs and Jesse Haines are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Sawchuk's Final Victory

1970 Rangers' goalie Terry Sawchuk records his 447th (and final) victory, and 103rd career shutout when New York beats the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-0; both are NHL records at the time

  • 1972 1972 NFL Draft: Walt Patulski from University of Notre Dame first pick by Buffalo Bills
  • 1973 Outfielder Monte Irvin is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues; fourth inductee through the committee
  • 1976 62nd Rose Bowl: #11 UCLA beats #1 Ohio State, 23-10
  • 1979 English international forward Trevor Francis becomes Britain’s first £1 million soccer player when he transfers from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest

31st All-Star Game

1981 31st NBA All-Star Game, Coliseum at Richfield, OH: East beats West, 123-120; MVP: Nate Archibald, Boston Celtics, PG

The Underarm Bowl

1981 Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell sensationally instructs younger brother Trevor to bowl underarm to Brian McKechnie with NZ needing 6 from last ball to tie 3rd World Series ODI in Melbourne; Australia wins by 6

  • 1981 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 21-7; MVP: Eddie Murray, Detroit Lions, PK
  • 1984 American lawyer and businessman David Stern becomes NBA Commissioner, succeeding Larry O'Brien; stays in position until 2014
  • 1985 Patient innings from Dilip Vengsarkar (137) and Mohammad Azharuddin (122) set India up for 5th cricket Test draw vs England in Kanpur; Azharuddin, 3 centuries in 1st 3 Tests

Pro Bowl: AFC beats NFC

1987 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 10-6; MVP: Reggie White, Philadelphia Eagles, DE

  • 1991 Australian cricket fast bowler Craig McDermott sets up a 9 wicket, 5th Test win over England with a career best 8-97 in Perth

Potvin's #5 Retired

1992 Defenseman Denis Potvin's #5 becomes first number retired by NY Islanders; Potvin played entire 15 year NHL career in NY

Bonds' Record Contract

1992 Slugging outfielder Barry Bonds signs highest single year contract in MLB history, $4.7 million with Pittsburgh Pirates

Gillooly Pleads Guilty

1994 Jeff Gillooly pleads guilty for his part in attack on American Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan; plea bargain, confesses to racketeering in exchange for testimony implicating ex-wife Tonya Harding

  • 1994 South African cricket fast bowler Fanie de Villiers bravely survives 197 minutes for 30 on last day of 3rd Test against Australia in Adelaide; Proteas finally all out 129; Australia win by 191, draw series

Stockton Surpasses Johnson

1995 Utah Jazz guard John Stockton passes Magic Johnson's all-time NBA assists mark of 9,221, in a 129-98 win over the Denver Nuggets at the Delta Centre in Salt Lake City

  • 1995 Zimbabwe batsmen Andy (156) & Grant Flower (201) set world record brotherly stand of 269 to propel Zimbabwe to first ever victory in Test cricket in 1st Test against Pakistan in Harare

Bourque's Scoring Record

1997 Future Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque scores a goal and an assist to become the Boston Bruins' all-time scoring leader, with 1,341 points in an 18-year NHL career

  • 1998 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats Marcelo Rios of Chile 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
  • 1998 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 29-24; MVP: Warren Moon, Seattle Seahawks, QB, HI

Federer's First Australian Title

2004 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer wins his first Australian title; beats Marat Safin of Russia 7-6, 6-4, 6-2

Super Bowl XXXVIII

2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII, Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX: New England Patriots beat Carolina Panthers, 32-29; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB

Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction

2004 Wardrobe malfunction: Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC censorship guidelines.

  • 2005 Arsenal’s English Premier League record 33-game unbeaten streak at home ends when the Gunners go down, 4-2 to Manchester United at Highbury
  • 2006 High school senior Epiphanny Prince scores US girls national prep basketball record 113 points in Murry Bergtraum HS's 137-32 win over Brandeis HS; surpasses Cheryl Miller's 105

Sports History

2006 Thierry Henry breaks Arsenal legend Cliff Bastin's league goals record, bringing his league goal tally to 151

  • 2008 Canadian jockey Russell Baze rides his 10,000th career winner aboard Two Step Cat in 3rd race at Golden Gate Fields, Albany, CA; prevails in a 3-horse photo finish
  • 2008 Minnesota starter Johan Santana signs a 6-year, $137.5 million deal with the New York Mets to become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history; trade from Twins to Mets official the next day

Nadal's First Australian Title

2009 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

  • 2009 Super Bowl XLIII, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Arizona Cardinals, 27-23; MVP: Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh, WR

Silver NBA Commissioner

2014 American businessman and lawyer Adam Silver becomes the 5th NBA Commissioner

Manning's MVP Record

2014 Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning becomes all-time record-holder for MVP trophies, winning his 5th at the NFL Honours in New York; also 2013 Offensive Player of the Year

  • 2014 Ray Guy (Oakland/LA Raiders) becomes second pure kicker, and first pure punter to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Đoković Defeats Murray

2015 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Serbian ace Novak Đoković wins an Open era record 5th men's singles crown, beating Scotsman Andy Murray 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-0

  • 2015 France defeats Qatar, 25-22 to win the World Men's Handball Championship in Lusail, Qatar
  • 2015 Super Bowl XLIX, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ: New England Patriots beat Seattle Seahawks, 28-24; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB
  • 2018 Pedro Martínez is announced as part of the 2018 induction class for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
  • 2020 Australian Open Women's Tennis: 21-year-old American Sofia Kenin wins her first Grand Slam title with a 4–6, 6–2, 6–2 victory over Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain
  • 2020 San Diego State University retires Kawhi Leonard's number 15, making him the first Aztecs men's basketball player to have his jersey retired
  • 2022 At age 44, Tom Brady, regarded as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, announces his retirement after a 22 year career and a record 7 Super Bowl titles with the NE Patriots and TB Buccaneers. Lasts 40 days.
  • 2023 At age 45, Tom Brady, regarded as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, announces his re-retirement after a 23 year career and a record 7 Super Bowl titles with the NE Patriots and TB Buccaneers