- Jan 1 34th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Utah beats #19 Pittsburgh, 35-7
- Jan 1 91st Rose Bowl: #6 Texas beats #13 Michigan, 38-37
- Jan 3 71st Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn beats #9 Virginia Tech, 16-13; first perfect season in school history
- Jan 4 Adam Gilchrist of Australia becomes the most prolific century scoring wicket keeper in cricket history when he smashes 113 from just 120 balls in the 3rd Test against Pakistan in Sydney
- Jan 4 College Football, 7th BCS National Championship, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens: #1 Southern California beats #2 Oklahoma, 55-19, at 71st Orange Bowl (USC later vacates Championship)
- Jan 8 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-4, 6-1 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and 2nd Slovakian title
- Jan 23 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: New England Patriots beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 41-27
- Jan 23 NFC Championship, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles beat Atlanta Falcons, 27-10
Williams Beats Davenport
Jan 29 Australian Open Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Serena Williams wins her 2nd Australian title; beats Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
Australian Men's Tennis Open
Jan 30 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Marat Safin of Russia wins his second and final Grand Slam title; beats local hero Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
- Feb 1 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
- Feb 6 Super Bowl XXXIX, Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, FL: New England Patriots beat Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21; MVP: Deion Branch, New England, WR
- Feb 7 Britain's Ellen MacArthur becomes the then fastest person to sail solo around the world, taking 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds
NFL Pro Bowl
Feb 13 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 38-27; MVP: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts, QB, HI
- Feb 16 2004-05 NHL season is cancelled by Commissioner Gary Bettman; first time a North American professional sports league has called off a season due to labor dispute
Sports History
Feb 20 47th Daytona 500: Jeff Gordon able to hold off Kurt Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr over 3 extra laps to win his third Daytona 500
- Feb 20 54th NBA All-Star Game, Pepsi Center, Denver, CO: East beats West, 125-115; MVP: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers, G
- Mar 12 26th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Syracuse beats West Virginia, 68-59
- Mar 13 46th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Florida beats Kentucky, 70-53
- Mar 13 52nd ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #3 Duke beats Georgia Tech, 69-64
- Mar 19 Wales beats Ireland, 32-20 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff to win the Six Nations Rugby Championship and become the 1st team to complete a Grand Slam playing more games away than at home
Golf Major
Mar 27 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Annika Sörenstam of Sweden wins event for the 3rd time, 8 strokes ahead of American Rosie Jones
PGA Players Championship
Mar 28 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: 48-year old Fred Funk becomes oldest event winner, 1 stroke ahead of runners-up Luke Donald, Tom Lehman, and Scott Verplank
- Apr 2 Bubba Stewart becomes first African-American to win a major motor sports event when he takes out the Monster Energy AMA Supercross C'ship event in Irving, Texas
- Apr 2 Newcastle United teammates Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer are sent off for fighting each other in a 3-0 home defeat to EPL rivals Aston Villa at St. James’ Park
- Apr 4 67th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Illinois, 75-70; Tar Heels' 4th national championship
- Apr 5 24th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Michigan State, 84-62; Bears' small forward Sophia Young is named Most Outstanding Player
- Apr 5 The Washington Nationals lose their inaugural season opener, 8-4 to the Philadelphia Phillies; first team to represent the nation's capital since the Washington Senators left after the 1971 season
- Apr 9 158th Grand National: 9-year-old 7/1 favourite Hedgehunter, ridden by Ruby Walsh and trained by Willie Mullins, win by 14 lengths from 40/1 shot Royal Auclair
US Masters Golf
Apr 10 69th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 4th green jacket on the 1st hole of a playoff with Chris DiMarco
- Apr 10 At 16 years, 271 days James Vaughan scores for Everton in a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park; becomes youngest goalscorer in EPL history
- Apr 10 Cricket Women's World Cup: Australia defeats India by 98 runs
- Apr 18 109th Boston Marathon: Hailu Negussie of Ethiopia claims men's section in 2:11:44; Catherine Ndereba of Kenya wins back-to-back races and 4th overall women's title in 2:25:12
- Apr 23 NFL Draft: University of Utah quarterback Alex Smith first pick by San Francisco 49ers
Sports History
May 1 17-year old Lionel Messi scores his 1st senior league goal for FC Barcelona in 2-0 win against Albacete Balompié, at the Spotify Camp Nou in Barcelona
- May 7 131st Kentucky Derby: Mike Smith aboard 50-1 longshot Giacomo wins ahead of another outsider Closing Argument; exacta payout $9,814.80
Laureus Awards
May 15 Laureus World Sports Awards, Casino Estoril, Portugal: Sportsman: Roger Federer; Sportswoman: Kelly Holmes; Team: Greece Men's National Football team
- May 21 130th Preakness: Jeremy Rose aboard Afleet Alex wins in 1:55.04
- May 21 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (71,876): Arsenal beats Manchester United, 5-4 on penalties after 0 – 0 (a.e.t.); Gunners' 10th title
- May 25 13th UEFA Champions League Final: Liverpool beats Milan (3-3, 3-2 on penalties)
Sports History
May 28 Super Rugby Final, Christchurch: Canterbury Crusaders claim their 5th title with a 35-25 win over the NSW Waratahs; Dan Carter lands 3 conversions & 2 penalties for the winners
Indy 500
May 29 Indianapolis 500: Dan Wheldon becomes first British-born winner since Graham Hill in 1966; first Indy 500 victory for car owner Michael Andretti of Andretti-Green Racing
- May 29 Senior PGA Championship, Laurel Valley GC: Mike Reid wins his first of 2 Champions Tour major titles with a birdie on the first playoff hole against Jerry Pate and Dana Quigley
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 4 French Open Women's Tennis: Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne wins 1st of 3 straight French titles; beats Mary Pierce of France 6-1, 6-1
- Jun 4 Panamanian jockey Eddie Castro sets a North American record with 9 wins on the 13-race card at Calder Race Course in Miami, Florida
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 5 French Open Men's Tennis: Spaniard Rafael Nadal beats Mariano Puerta of Argentina 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 to claim his first French title
- Jun 11 137th Belmont: Jeremy Rose aboard Afleet Alex wins in 2:28.75
- Jun 11 WLAF World Bowl 13, LTU arena, Düsseldorf: Amsterdam Admirals beat Berlin Thunder, 27-21
- Jun 12 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Bulle Rock GC: 3-peat for Annika Sörenstam of Sweden; wins by 3 strokes ahead of 15-year-old amateur Michelle Wie
- Jun 14 Asafa Powell of Jamaica sets a new Men's 100 meters world record of 9.77 at the Athens Olympic Stadium
Sports History
Jun 19 Michael Schumacher wins controversial United States Formula 1 Grand Prix where only 6 of 20 cars complete the race amongst ridicule of F1 safety and tyre rules
- Jun 19 US Open Men's Golf, Pinehurst CC: Michael Campbell of New Zealand holds off a charging Tiger Woods to clinch his only major title by 2 shots
NBA Finals
Jun 23 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs beat defending champion Detroit Pistons, 81-74 in Game 7 for club's 3rd title; MVP: Tim Duncan, his 3rd MVP award
- Jun 26 US Open Women's Golf, Cherry Hills CC: Birdie Kim holes out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to win her lone LPGA title, 2 strokes ahead of teenage amateurs Brittany Lang & Morgan Pressel
- Jun 28 NBA Draft: Utah center Andrew Bogut first pick by Milwaukee Bucks
- Jul 1 Texas Rangers pitcher Kenny Rogers is suspended for 20 games and fined $50k for shoving a cameraman - sentence later overturned
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 2 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Venus Williams beats fellow American Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6, 9-7 for the 3rd of her 5 Wimbledon singles titles
- Jul 3 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roger Federer makes it 3 straight Wimbledon titles beating American Andy Roddick 6-2, 7-6, 6-4
Senior Players Championship
Jul 10 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Peter Jacobsen wins his second Champions Tour major title by 1 stroke from Hale Irwin
- Jul 12 76th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 7-5 at Comerica Park, Detroit
Appointment of Interest
Jul 15 After declining an offer to remain with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Mike Babcock is named head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
ESPY Awards
Jul 17 13th ESPY Awards: Lance Armstrong, Annika Sörenstam win
- Jul 17 British Open Golf, St. Andrews: Tiger Woods wins his 10th major title wire-to-wire by 5 shots from Scotsman Colin Montgomerie
- Jul 17 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Glen Arbour GC: South Korean Meena Lee wins by 1 from Australian Katherine Hull
- Jul 24 92nd Tour de France: no winner; Lance Armstrong retires after winning a record seventh consecutive victory but disqualified in 2012 for doping
Senior Open Championship
Jul 24 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal Aberdeen: Tom Watson wins his second Open Senior title in a playoff with Ireland's Des Smyth
- Jul 31 British Open Women's Golf, Royal Birkdale GC: Jeong Jang of South Korea leads wire-to-wire to win her first LPGA event and lone major title, 4 strokes ahead of Sophie Gustafson
- Jul 31 US Senior Open Men's Golf, NCR CC: Allen Doyle wins by 1 stroke ahead of Loren Roberts and D. A. Weibring for his 3rd Champions Tour major title
- Aug 5 NBA announces Las Vegas will host the 2007 All Star game; first time event will be held in a city without an NBA team
Baseball Record
Aug 5 St. Louis Cardinals 1st baseman Albert Pujols becomes the first player to connect for 30 home runs in each of his first 5 MLB seasons
- Aug 6 10th Athletics World Championships open at Helsinki, Finland
Sports History
Aug 7 American sprinter Justin Gatlin blitzes field to win 100m in 9.88 at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki, Finland
- Aug 7 In one of cricket history's closest Tests, and despite a brave unbeaten 43 from Australian tail-ender Brett Lee, England sneaks a 2-run win in series turning 2nd Test at Edgbaston
- Aug 11 American Justin Gatlin becomes only the 2nd athlete to take sprint double, winning 200m in 20.04 at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland
PGA Championship
Aug 15 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Baltusrol GC: American Phil Mickelson wins by 1 stroke from Australian Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjørn of Denmark
- Aug 28 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Reserve Vineyards & GC: Loren Roberts wins first of 4 Champions Tour majors with bogey on 2nd playoff hole against Dana Quigley
- Sep 3 After beating South Africa the previous weekend, New Zealand clinch their 6th Tri Nations Rugby Series with a 34-24 win over Australia in Auckland; All Blacks winger Doug Howlett crosses for 3 tries
Sports History
Sep 4 20-year-old Kyle Busch becomes youngest driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race when he out duels Greg Biffle in the Sony HD 500 at California Speedway
- Sep 10 125th US Open Women's Tennis: Belgian Kim Clijsters wins her first of 4 Grand Slam titles; beats Mary Pierce of France 6-3, 6-1
Solheim Cup
Sep 11 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Crooked Stick GC: US regains Cup 15½–12½; Meg Mallon clinches with 3 & 1 victory over Karen Stupples
- Sep 11 US Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer retains title; beats Andre Agassi 6-3, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1; Agassi's last appearance in a Grand Slam final
Radio History
Sep 12 Mark Messier announces on ESPN radio that he will retire from the NHL
- Sep 18 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Paris, France: Russian pair Elena Dementieva & Dinara Safina win deciding doubles rubber 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 over Amélie Mauresmo & Mary Pierce of France; clinches Russia's 2nd consecutive title, 3-2
- Sep 25 Presidents Cup Golf, Robert Trent Jones GC: Chris DiMarco, Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson unbeaten as US beat International team, 18½–15½
F1 World Champion
Sep 25 Spanish Renault driver Fernando Alonso takes 3rd place in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to clinch his first Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
- Sep 27 Atlanta Braves clinch their 14th straight division title thanks to Philadelphia's loss to the New York Mets
- Sep 29 Chicago White Sox clinch their first division title since 2000 and become just the 10th team in the history of baseball to be in first place on every day of the season
- Oct 2 NFL plays first regular season game outside the United States when the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 31-14 in Mexico City, Mexico
Sports History
Oct 5 NHL great Wayne Gretzky makes his coaching debut for the Phoenix Coyotes in 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena
- Oct 5 NHL opens regular season after 10-month lockout of entire 2004-05 season; Ottawa's Daniel Alfredsson & Dany Heatley first players to score winning goals in a shoot out in NHL history; both score v Toronto goalie Ed Belfour in 3-2 OT victory
- Oct 8 NHL great Wayne Gretzky gets his first win as a coach as the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 at Jobing.com Arena, Phoenix
- Oct 16 MLB American League Championship: Chicago White Sox beat Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4 games to 1
F1 World Champion
Oct 16 Renault driver Fernando Alonso wins season-ending Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit; first Spanish Formula 1 World Drivers champion; wins by 21 points from Kimi Räikkönen
Sports History
Oct 17 Thierry Henry becomes Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with two goals against Sparta Prague in the Champions League
- Oct 19 MLB National League Championship: Houston Astros beat St. Louis Cardinals, 4 games to 2
- Oct 25 Then longest Baseball World Series game in time (5 hours, 41 mins) and tied longest in innings (14, tied with Game 2, 1916 WS and Game 1, 2015 WS); Chicago White Sox beat Houston Astros, 7-5 game 3 at Minute Maid Park, Houston
- Oct 26 Baseball World Series: Chicago beats Houston, 1-0 in Game 4 at Minute Maid Park to sweep Astros and win White Sox first title in 88 years; MVP: Chicago outfielder Jermaine Dye
- Oct 29 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Belmont Park; winners: Saint Liam, Stevie Wonderboy, Pleasant Home, Shirocco, Intercontinental, Folklore, Artie Schiller, Silver Train
- Nov 13 French tennis star Amélie Mauresmo beats countrywoman Mary Pierce 5–7, 7–6, 6–4 for the season ending WTA Tour Championship at the Staples Center, Los Angeles
- Nov 19 70th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 28-18 in Auburn
- Nov 20 57th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Tony Stewart wins
- Nov 20 David Nalbandian of Argentina outlasts defending champion Roger Federer 6–7, 6–7, 6–2, 6–1, 7–6 in Shanghai, China to win his only career season-ending Tennis Masters Cup title
- Nov 27 CFL Grey Cup, BC Place, Vancouver: Edmonton Eskimos beat Montreal Alouettes, 38-35; first time in 44 years Grey Cup goes into overtime
Ballon d'Or
Nov 28 Ballon d'Or: FC Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Ronaldinho is named best football player in Europe ahead of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard and Liverpool's Steven Gerrard
Joe Thornton
Nov 30 The Boston Bruins trade captain Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks
- Dec 3 10th Big 12 Championship Game: #2 Texas beats Colorado, 70-3
- Dec 3 14th SEC Championship Game: #13 Georgia beats #3 LSU, 34-14
- Dec 3 1st ACC Championship Game: #22 Florida State beats #5 Virginia Tech, 27-22
- Dec 4 94th Davis Cup: Croatia beats Slovak Republic in Bratislava (3-2)
- Dec 10 71st Heisman Trophy Award: Reggie Bush, USC (RB); Bush later forfeits trophy
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions