Events in Sports History in 2001

Jordan Scores 30,000 Points

Jan 4 Washington Wizards forward Michael Jordan becomes 4th player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points; hits a free throw in 2nd quarter of an 89-83 win against his old team, the Chicago Bulls

Switzerland Clinch Title

Jan 6 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Roger Federer beats American Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-3 to clinch Switzerland's unassailable 2-0 lead, (ends 2-1)

Jan 11 New York Knicks hold an opponent under 100 points for NBA-record 29th straight game in a 76-75 loss to the Houston Rockets; streak snaps 46-year-old NBA record of 28 straight set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1954-55
Jan 13 Atlanta Hawks retire Dominique Wilkins' No. 21 in pre-game ceremonies at Philips Arena; joins Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson as the only Hawks to have their numbers retired
Jan 14 AFC Championship, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland: Baltimore Ravens beat Oakland Raiders, 16-3
Jan 14 NFC Championship, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford: New York Giants beat Minnesota Vikings, 41-0
Jan 18 New York's Mike Richter picks up his 267th career NHL win to become the winningest goaltender in team history; passes Ed Giacomin; Rangers beat the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 in overtime
Jan 21 Pittsburgh Penguins beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0 in first-ever NHL game featuring 2 European trained coaches; Czech Ivan Hlinka behind the bench for Pittsburgh, and Fin Alpo Suhonen, Chicago

Capriati Defeats Hingis

Jan 27 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Jennifer Capriati wins her first Grand Slam title; beats Martina Hingis 6-4, 6-3

Agassi Retains Title

Jan 28 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Andre Agassi retains title; beats Frenchman Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 for his 3rd Australian trophy

Super Bowl XXXV

Jan 28 Super Bowl XXXV, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL: Baltimore Ravens beat New York Giants, 34-7; MVP: Ray Lewis, Baltimore, LB

Feb 4 51st NHL All-Star Game, Pepsi Centre, Denver, CO: North America beats World, 14-12; MVP: Bill Guerin, Boston Bruins, RW
Feb 4 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 38-17; MVP: Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders, QB
Feb 11 50th NBA All-Star Game, MCI Centre, Washington, D.C.: East beats West, 111-110; MVP: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers, G

ESPY Awards

Feb 12 9th ESPY Awards: Tiger Woods, Marion Jones win

Track and Field Athlete and Drug Cheat Marion Jones

Feb 16 Mathieu Schneider of the Los Angeles Kings becomes the first defenseman in history to score a goal against all 30 NHL teams as LA beats Minnesota, 4-0

Daytona 500

Feb 18 43rd Daytona 500: Michael Waltrip wins tragic race; last lap crash claims life of Dale Earnhardt, prompting sport to implement new safety procedures

Mar 1 Carolina center Ron Francis scores a goal on his 38th birthday in Hurricanes' 3-1 win over NY Islanders to become only the 2nd player in NHL history to score 50+ points for 20 straight seasons
Mar 10 22nd Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Boston College beats Pittsburgh, 79-57
Mar 11 42nd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Ole Miss, 77-55
Mar 11 48th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats #6 North Carolina, 79-53

Golf Major

Mar 25 Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Sweden's Annika Sörenstam shoots a final round 69 to win the first of her 3 titles at this event, 3 strokes ahead of 5 runners-up

Mar 26 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Tiger Woods wins the first of his 2 PC's, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Vijay Singh of Fiji

World Record

Mar 30 At 15 years, 9 months American swimmer Michael Phelps breaks 200m butterfly world record at the US World Championship trials at Austin, Texas; becomes youngest male to set a world mark

Sports History

Mar 31 German brothers Michael and Ralf Schumacher become first siblings to share front row of the grid in a Formula 1 World Championship event; qualify 1st and 2nd respectively for Brazilian GP in São Paulo

Apr 1 20th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Notre Dame beats Purdue, 68-66; Fighting Irish forward Ruth Riley is named Most Outstanding Player
Apr 2 63rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Duke beats Arizona, 82-72; Blue Devils' 3rd title; forward Shane Battier MOP

Baseball Record

Apr 2 New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens becomes American League all-time strikeout leader, recording his 3,509th K in a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals; Walter Johnson previous record 3,508 Ks

Sports History

Apr 2 Seattle outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has 2 hits and becomes first Japanese position player to play in a regular season MLB game as Mariners beat Oakland A's, 5-4 at Safeco Field

Apr 7 154th Grand National: Richard Guest wins aboard Red Marauder; trainer Martin Pipe saddles 10 of 40-strong field, Blowing Wind best at 3rd place
Apr 8 65th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 2nd Masters and 6th major title, 2 strokes ahead of David Duval
Apr 15 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Doug Tewell wins his second & final Champions Tour major by 9 strokes from Mike McCullough
Apr 16 105th Boston Marathon: Lee Bong-Ju of South Korea men's winner in 2:09:43; Catherine Ndereba of Kenya wins back-to-back women's titles in 2:23:53
Apr 21 NFL Draft: Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick first pick by Atlanta Falcons
May 5 127th Kentucky Derby: Jorge Chavez aboard Monarchos wins in 1:59.97
May 9 Accra Sports Stadium Disaster: 129 Ghanaian football fans die in a stampede caused by the firing of teargas by police following a decision by the referee in a crucial match between arch-rivals Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko
May 12 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (72,500): Liverpool beats Arsenal, 2-1 with Michael Owen scoring twice for the Reds
May 18 101-year-old Harold Stilson becomes oldest golfer to record a hole-in-one when he aces the 108-yard, par-3, 16th hole at Deerfield CC, FL
May 19 126th Preakness: Gary Stevens aboard Point Given wins in 1:55.40
May 19 Manchester United lose 3-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane but win English Premier League title for the 3rd consecutive season
May 21 NHL Western Conference Final: Colorado Avalanche beat St. Louis Blues, 4 games to 1
May 22 Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Tiger Woods; Sportswoman: Cathy Freeman; Team: French Men's National Football team
May 22 NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Pittsburgh Penguins, 4 games to 1
May 23 9th UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich beats Valencia (1-1, 5-4 on penalties) at Milan
May 23 Marco Siffredi becomes the first person to snowboard down Mount Everest via the Norton Couloir (some share record accreditation with Stefan Gatt)
May 26 Super Rugby Final, Canberra: Fullback Andrew Walker kicks 5 penalties & 3 conversions as the ACT Brumbies win their first title; beat Coastal Sharks (Durban), 36-6
May 27 Indianapolis 500: race rookie Hélio Castroneves of Brazil leads for the final 52 laps to win first of 4 Indy 500s; Penske Racing sweeps 1st-2nd with Gil de Ferran the runner-up

Senior PGA Championship

May 27 Senior PGA Championship, Ridgewood CC, NJ: 5-time British Open champion Tom Watson wins first of 6 Champions Tour major titles with a 1 stroke win over Jim Thorpe

May 29 U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments

US Women's Golf Open

Jun 3 US Open Women's Golf, Pine Needles Lodge & GC: Defending champion Karrie Webb of Australia repeats by 8 strokes ahead of runner-up Se Ri Pak; largest margin in 21 years

Ray Bourque Retires

Jun 8 Ray Bourque plays the final game in his NHL career

Jun 9 133rd Belmont: Gary Stevens aboard Point Given wins in 2:26.80

French Open Women's Tennis

Jun 9 French Open Women's Tennis: American Jennifer Capriati wins her second major title; beats Kim Clijsters of Belgium 1-6, 6-4, 12-10

Jun 9 Stanley Cup Final, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO: Colorado Avalanche beat defending champion New Jersey Devils, 3-1 for 4-3 series win; Avalanche 2nd title
Jun 10 French Open Men's Tennis: Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil wins his 3rd French title; beats Spaniard Àlex Corretja 6-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-0

NBA Finals

Jun 15 NBA Finals: Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 100-86 in Game 5 to win back-to-back titles; MVP: Shaquille O'Neal for second straight year

Jun 18 US Open Men's Golf, Southern Hills CC: Retief Goosen of South Africa wins first of 2 US Open titles in an 18-hole Monday playoff, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Mark Brooks

LPGA Championship

Jun 24 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: 26-year-old Australian Karrie Webb becomes youngest woman to win career slam; beats runner-up Laura Diaz by 2 strokes

Jun 27 NBA Draft: Glynn Academy center Kwame Brown first pick by Washington Wizards

Sports History

Jun 29 Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci (39) becomes a naturalized US citizen at the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma federal courthouse

Jul 1 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Salem CC: Bruce Fleischer wins his lone major title by 1 stroke from Gil Morgan and Isao Aoki of Japan
Jul 4 In a world record fee for a soccer goalkeeper, Juventus signed Parma's Gianluigi Buffon in a £32.5m deal including midfielder Jonathan Bachini
Jul 7 Australian cricketer Karen Rolton smashes an unbeaten 209 to set a new world record for highest score in a women's Test in Australia's 9 wicket win v England at Headingley
Jul 7 In his first appearance at Daytona since the death of father Dale Earnhardt Sr., Dale Jr. wins Pepsi 400 coming from 7th with 9 laps remaining to beat teammate Michael Waltrip

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 8 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Venus Williams wins 3rd career Grand Slam singles title; beats Justine Henin 6-1 3-6 6-0; Henin first Belgian player (male or female) to reach Wimbledon singles final

Wimbledon Men's Tennis

Jul 9 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: 3-time runner-up Goran Ivanišević wins his lone major title beating Patrick Rafter of Australia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7

Jul 10 72nd All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 4-1 at Safeco Field, Seattle
Jul 13 International Olympic Committee votes to award Beijing the 2008 Summer Olympic Games
Jul 15 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Allen Doyle wins his 2nd Champions Tour major with par on first extra hole of a playoff with Doug Tewell
Jul 18 Chris Sharma completes the first ascent of the route Realization/Biographie in Ceüse, France, the world's first consensus 9a+ (5.15a) route

British Golf Open

Jul 22 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes: David Duval wins his only major title by 3 shots from Niclas Fasth of Sweden

Tour de France

Jul 29 88th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)

Senior Open Championship

Jul 29 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal County Down: Australian Ian Stanley wins in a playoff with Bob Charles of New Zealand

Jul 29 Copa América Final, Estadio El Campín, Bogotá: Defender Iván Córdoba scores winner as home team Columbia edge Mexico, 1-0
Aug 3 8th Athletics World Championships open at Edmonton, Canada
Aug 3 Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia becomes first athlete to achieve Olympics-World Championships marathon double; runs 2:12:42 to beat Kenya's Simon Biwott by just 0.1s in Edmonton World Championships

Cricket Record

Aug 4 Australian cricket spinner Shane Warne skittles England (162) with 6/33 to guide tourists to a 7 wicket 3rd Test victory at Trent Bridge; Aussies regain Ashes with record 7th straight Test win v England

Aug 5 British Open Women's Golf, Sunningdale GC: Se Ri Pak of South Korea wins by 2 strokes from Mi Hyun Kim; event gains LPGA major status for first time
Aug 5 Cleveland Indians tie a MLB record in erasing a 12 run Seattle lead to win 15-14, also preventing the Mariners from reaching a record 117 season wins

Sports History

Aug 6 Two-time champion Marion Jones is disqualified and has her string of 42 consecutive 100m final victories snapped by Zhanna Pintusevich-Block of Ukraine at the World Athletics Championships in Edmonton, Canada

Canadian Women's Open

Aug 19 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Angus Glen GC: Annika Sörenstam wins by 2 from Kelly Robbins

F1 World Champion

Aug 19 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins the Hungarian Grand prix at the Hungaroring to clinch his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship and equal Alain Prost's record of 51 Grand Prix victories

PGA Championship

Aug 19 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Atlanta Athletic Club: David Toms wins his first major title by 1 stroke from Phil Mickelson

Sep 1 Australian Rugby Union team gives all-conquering captain John Eales perfect send off in his final international with a famous last minute, 29-26 win over New Zealand in Sydney; Wallabies retain Tri Nations Series

Baseball Record

Sep 1 Facing 4-time Cy Young Award winner Greg Maddux, Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa hits the longest home run in Turner Field history as his 53rd of the season travels 471 feet to straight away center

Sep 1 Jockey Tim Moccasin caps a streak of 14 consecutive victories, a North American record, at Marquis Downs in Saskatoon, Canada aboard Intricate Stitch in the 5th race
Sep 2 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins the Belgian Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for his record 52nd F1 Grand Prix victory
Sep 3 In just his 11th start, St. Louis Cardinals' rookie pitcher Bud Smith no-hits the San Diego Padres, 4-0
Sep 8 US Open Women's Tennis: Venus Williams successfully defends title; beats younger sister Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 9 US Open Men's Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt of Australia becomes youngest (20) world #1 player; beats Pete Sampras 7-6, 6-1, 6-1

Sports History

Sep 17 Despite suffering from lung cancer and Parkinson's disease, Jack Buck stirs emotions by reading a patriotic-themed poem during the pregame ceremonies on baseball's first night back after the September 11th terrorist attacks

Baseball Record

Oct 2 Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa becomes first player in MLB history to total 60 home runs in three seasons; Chicago slugger connects off Reds starter Lance Davis to reach milestone in 5-4 loss

Paul Coffey Retires

Oct 3 After a 21-season career, Paul Coffey officially retires from the NHL, having won 4 Stanley Cups with Edmonton Oilers, finishing 2nd on all-time list for points by defensemen (1,531 in 1,409 games), and playing in 14 All-Star Games

Henderson Equals Cobb

Oct 3 San Diego outfielder Rickey Henderson scores a run in the 3rd inning of the Padres' 12-5 loss to LA Dodgers to tie the MLB record of 2,245 runs scored held by the legendary Ty Cobb

Barry Bonds Walks to a Record

Oct 3 San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds Is walked for the 171st time in 11-8 win at Houston; breaks Babe Ruth's 1923 MLB single-season record for walks

Oct 4 Boston Bruins retire future Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Ray Bourque's #77 jersey in the NHL season opener at Boston Garden; beat visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 4-2
Oct 4 Brendan Shanahan scores a hat trick in Red Wings 4-3 OT win at San Jose; becomes second player in NHL history to score an opening-night hat trick twice in his career
Oct 4 SF Giants slugger Barry Bonds hits his 70th home run in 10-2 win v Houston; ties Mark McGwire for the most MLB home runs in a single season
Oct 5 Barry Bonds hits his 71st and 72nd home runs in 11-10 loss v LA Dodgers at Pacific Bell Park; breaks Mark McGwire's MLB single season HR record
Oct 5 MLB's Atlanta Braves become first pro sports team to win 10 straight division titles after mauling the Marlins, 20-3 to clinch the NL East title; NBA's Boston Celtics (1957-65) & LA Lakers (1982-90) both won 9 in a row
Oct 14 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins his 4th F1 World Drivers Championship by 58 points from David Coulthard; takes out Japanese GP at Suzuka for 9th win of the season
Oct 20 Despite 20-14 final round loss to Ireland in Dublin, England retains Six Nations Rugby Championship; set new records for points scored (229), tries scored (29) and overall points-difference (+149)
Oct 21 MLB National League Championship: Arizona Diamondbacks beat Atlanta Braves, 4 games to 1
Oct 22 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Seattle Mariners, 4 games to 1
Oct 27 13th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 21-17 in Chestnut Hill
Oct 27 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Belmont Park; winners: Tiznow, Johannesburg, Unbridled Elaine, Fantastic Light, Val Royal, Banks Hill, Tempera, Squirtle Squirt
Nov 1 In the Wallabies’ 400th rugby union Test match in history, Australia routs Spain 92-10 (Australian record score) in Madrid; Matt Burke kicks an Australian record 10 conversions
Nov 3 Arkansas beats Mississippi, 58-56 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford in 7 overtime periods; the longest game in NCAA football history
Nov 3 San Antonio Spurs guard Steve Smith plays first game against Portland after being traded from the Trail Blazers; ties NBA record for most 3-point field goals in a game without a miss; goes 8-for-8, scores 36 points in 106-90 win

Sports History

Nov 4 American tennis star Serena Williams wins the WTA Tour Championship in Munich, Germany after Lindsay Davenport defaults the final due to a knee injury; Williams' first season-ending title

Nov 4 Baseball World Series: Arizona beats New York Yankees, 3-2 in Game 7 at Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix for Diamondbacks' first title; co-MVP: Arizona pitchers Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling
Nov 11 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Madrid, Spain: Kim Clijsters beats Elena Dementieva 6-0, 6-4 to clinch Belgium's first title with unassailable 2-0 lead (ends, 2-1)
Nov 17 66th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 31-7 in Auburn
Nov 18 Home crowd favourite Leyton Hewitt wins his first of 2 season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles with a 6–3, 6–3, 6–4 victory over Frenchman Sébastien Grosjean in Sydney, Australia

Sports History

Nov 23 53rd NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jeff Gordon wins

Nov 25 CFL Grey Cup, Olympic Stadium, Montreal: Calgary Stampeders claim their 5th Championship in team history; beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 27-19
Dec 1 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
Dec 2 Davis Cup Tennis, Melbourne: Nicolas Escudé defeats Wayne Arthurs of Australia 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to give France a 3-2 victory; 9th French title, despite not playing a single match on home soil
Dec 8 10th SEC Championship Game: #21 LSU beats #2 Tennessee, 31-20
Dec 10 67th Heisman Trophy Award: Eric Crouch, Nebraska (QB)
Dec 18 Ballon d'Or: Liverpool forward Michael Owen is named best football player in Europe ahead of Real Madrid striker Raúl and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn
Dec 20 90th Davis Cup: France beats Australia in Melbourne (3-2)