- Jan 1 36th Fiesta Bowl: #9 Boise State beats #7 Oklahoma, 43-42 (OT)
- Jan 1 93rd Rose Bowl: #8 Southern California beats #3 Michigan, 32-18
- Jan 2 73rd Orange Bowl: #5 Louisville beats #15 Wake Forest, 24-13
- Jan 3 73rd Sugar Bowl: #4 LSU beats #11 Notre Dame, 41-14
- Jan 3 High profile Miami Dolphins NFL head coach Nick Saban resigns after agreeing to return to college football and take head coaching job at Alabama
Coach Cowher Resigns
Jan 5 Bill Cowher resigns as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jan 5 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dmitry Tursunov beats Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-4, 7-5 to give Russia an unassailable 2-0 lead, and first title
Phil Jackson Wins #900
Jan 7 Phil Jackson wins his 900th game as a head coach, becoming the fastest coach to reach 900 career wins
- Jan 8 9th BCS National Championship: #2 Florida beats #1 Ohio State, 41-14
Sports History
Jan 20 Utah coach Jerry Sloan passes Larry Brown for 4th on the NBA's all-time win list (1,010) after the Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls, 95-85 at the United Center
- Jan 21 AFC Championship, RCA Dome, Indianapolis: Indianapolis Colts beat New England Patriots, 38-34
- Jan 21 NFC Championship, Soldier Field, Chicago: Chicago Bears beat New Orleans Saints, 39-14
- Jan 24 55th NHL All-Star Game, American Airlines Centre, Dallas, TX: West beats East, 12-9; MVP: Daniel Briere, Buffalo Sabres, C
Williams Beats Sharapova
Jan 27 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2; first time the tournament used Hawk-Eye system for official line-calls
Federer Defends Title
Jan 28 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Swiss ace Roger Federer successfully defends his title beating Fernando González of Chile 7-6, 6-4, 6-4
Canadiens Retire Dryden's #29
Jan 29 Ken Dryden's #29 jersey is retired by the Montreal Canadiens
Super Bowl XLI
Feb 4 Super Bowl XLI, Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Miami, FL: Indianapolis Colts beat Chicago Bears, 29-17; MVP: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis, QB
- Feb 10 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: AFC beats NFC, 31-28; MVP: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals, QB
Coach Schottenheimer Fired
Feb 12 Marty Schottenheimer is abruptly fired as head coach of the San Diego Chargers due to lack of playoff success and a strained relationship with ownership
- Feb 18 49th Daytona 500: Kevin Harvick wins by 0.02s over Mark Martin in the closest finish since the first race at Daytona in 1959
56th NBA All-Star Game
Feb 18 56th NBA All-Star Game, Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, NV: West beats East, 153-132; MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F
Sports History
Feb 18 Dale Jarrett uses his final champion's provisional at the Daytona 500, finishing 22nd
Oilers Retire Messier's #11
Feb 27 Mark Messier's #11 jersey is retired by the Edmonton Oilers
- Mar 10 28th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Georgetown beats Pittsburgh, 65-42
- Mar 11 48th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Florida beats Arkansas, 77-56
- Mar 11 54th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #8 North Carolina beats NC State, 89-80
- Mar 18 Former England Test cricket batsman, and Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer is found dead one day after his team's defeat to Ireland puts them out of the World Cup in the West Indies; cause of death remains suspicious
- Mar 28 Sri Lankan cricket fast bowler Lasith Malinga produces unprecedented sequence of 4 wickets in 4 balls, as South Africa scrambles to a 1-wicket Super 8's ICC World Cup win in Guyana
Phelps Smashes 400m Medley Record
Apr 1 American super swimmer Michael Phelps smashes his own world record in the 400m individual medley (4:06.22) to win his record 7th gold medal at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia
36th Kraft Nabisco Championship
Apr 1 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Morgan Pressel wins by 1 from Brittany Lincicome, Catriona Matthew & Suzann Pettersen; youngest-ever winner of an LPGA major at 18 years, 313 days
- Apr 2 69th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Florida beats Ohio State, 84-75; Gators' back-to-back titles; forward Corey Brewer named Most Outstanding Player
- Apr 2 Laureus World Sports Awards, Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain: Sportsman: Roger Federer; Sportswoman: Yelena Isinbayeva; Team: Italy Men's National Football team
- Apr 3 26th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Rutgers, 59-46; Volunteers' 7th national title; Candace Parker is named Most Outstanding Player
US Masters Golf
Apr 8 71st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Zach Johnson wins his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods
- Apr 14 160th Grand National: 33–1 shot Silver Birch, ridden by Robbie Power, edges out McKelvey to win by three-quarters of a length
Boston Marathon
Apr 16 111th Boston Marathon: Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya goes back-to-back for 3rd title in 2:14:13; Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia wins women's race in 2:29:18
Cricket World Cup
Apr 28 Cricket World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: Australia defeats Sri Lanka by 53 runs to win their 3rd consecutive World Cup; Glenn McGrath Player of Series
- Apr 28 ICC Men's Cricket ODI World Cup, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados: Australia 3-peat with 53 run win over Sri Lanka; Player of the Match: Adam Gilchrist (AUS) 149 (104) & 2 catches
- Apr 28 NFL Draft: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell first pick by Oakland Raiders
Kentucky Derby
May 5 133rd Kentucky Derby: Calvin Borel aboard 9-2 favourite Street Sense wins on his home track in front of special guest, Queen Elizabeth II
- May 13 At 16 years, 65 days Matthew Briggs debuts for Fulham in a 3-1 defeat at Middlesbrough; youngest player to appear in an English Premier League match
PGA Players Championship
May 13 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: American Phil Mickelson wins by 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Sergio García of Spain; event played in May for the first time
- May 15 Jerry Sloan leads the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference finals with a win over the Golden State Warriors
- May 19 132nd Preakness: Robby Albarado aboard Curlin wins in 1:53.46
FA Cup Final
May 19 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (89,826): Chelsea beats Manchester United, 1 – 0 (a.e.t.); Didier Drogba scores 116' winner for Blues' 4th title
- May 19 In an all South African final the Bulls (Pretoria) edge the home team Sharks, 20-19 in Durban for their first Super 14 Rugby title; Bulls flyhalf Derick Hougaard boots 2 penalties & 2 conversions
- May 19 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Ottawa Senators beat Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 1
- May 22 NHL Western Conference Final: Anaheim Ducks beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 2
- May 23 UEFA Champions League Final, Athens: Filippo Inzaghi scores twice as AC Milan beats Liverpool, 2-1 for 7th title
- May 27 Indianapolis 500: Scotsman Dario Franchitti declared the winner with 34 laps remaining when race halted by torrential rain
Senior PGA Championship
May 27 Senior PGA Championship, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Ocean Course: Denis Watson of Zimbabwe wins his lone major title by a 2 stroke margin from Eduardo Romero of Argentina
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 9 French Open Women's Tennis: Justine Henin wins her 3rd consecutive French singles crown; beats Ana Ivanović of Serbia 6-1, 6-2
Sports History
Jun 9 Stacy Lewis wins medalist honors in Garland, Texas, sectional to qualify for the U.S. Women's Open
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 10 French Open Men's Tennis: Spaniard Rafael Nadal wins title for the 3rd consecutive year; beats Roger Federer 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
LPGA Championship
Jun 10 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Bulle Rock GC: Suzann Pettersen of Norway wins her first major title by 1 stroke ahead of Australian Karrie Webb
- Jun 14 NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs edge Cleveland Cavaliers, 83-82 for a 4-0 series sweep; MVP: Tony Parker
- Jun 17 US Open Men's Golf, Oakmont GC: Ángel Cabrera wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods; first Open won by an Argentine or a South American
Sports History
Jun 22 Patrick Kane is selected by the Chicago Blackhawks as the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft
- Jun 23 WLAF World Bowl 15, Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt: Hamburg Sea Devils beat Frankfurt Galaxy, 37-28
Sports History
Jun 25 Thierry Henry transfers to Barcelona for €24 million
- Jun 28 Craig Biggio of the Houston Astros becomes the 27th member of the 3000 hit club, going 5 for 5 against the Colorado Rockies
- Jun 28 NBA Draft: Ohio State center Greg Oden first pick by Portland Trail Blazers
US Women's Golf Open
Jul 1 US Open Women's Golf, Pine Needles: American Christie Kerr wins by 2 strokes from Lorena Ochoa & Angela Park
Swiss Win America's Cup
Jul 3 America's Cup: Swiss defender Alinghi beats Team New Zealand by 1 second to take the series 5-2 off Valencia, Spain
- Jul 7 Sprint-Nextel and NASCAR announce NASCAR Nextel Cup Series renamed the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2008
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 7 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Lowest ever seeds contest final, Venus Williams (20) beats Marion Bartoli (18) 6-4, 6-1
US Senior Golf Open
Jul 8 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Whistling Straits: Brad Bryant wins by 3 strokes from Ben Crenshaw
- Jul 8 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roger Federer of Switzerland wins the singles title for 5th consecutive year; beats Spaniard Rafael Nadal 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 2-6, 6-2
- Jul 10 78th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 5-4 at AT&T Park, San Francisco
- Jul 15 Copa América Final, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Defending champions Brazil win their 8th title with a 3-0 win over Argentina
- Jul 15 MLB Philadelphia Phillies lose to visiting St. Louis Cardinals, 10-2 to become the first franchise in major American sport with 10,000 all-time losses
NZ Win Tri Nations Rugby
Jul 21 New Zealand beats Australia, 26-12 at Eden Park, Auckland to win their 3rd consecutive Tri Nations Rugby Series; flyhalf Dan Carter lands 7 penalties for the All Blacks
- Jul 22 British Open Men's Golf, Carnoustie: Irishman Pádraig Harrington beats Sergio García of Spain by 1 in a 4-hole aggregate playoff to claim his first major championship; first Irishman to win the Open in 60 years
- Jul 25 Patrick Kane signs a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks
- Jul 29 94th Tour de France won by Alberto Contador of Spain
Senior Open Championship
Jul 29 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Muirfield: Tom Watson wins his 3rd Open Senior title by 1 shot from Mark O'Meara and Stewart Ginn
- Jul 31 Boston Celtics obtain former MVP and 10-time All-Star Kevin Garnett in a 7-for-1 deal with Minnesota Timberwolves; then the NBA's biggest ever trade for one player
Baseball Record
Aug 4 32-year-old Alex Rodriguez becomes the youngest player in MLB history to hit 500 home runs, connecting on the 1st pitch he sees as NY Yankees beat Kansas City, 16-8
Baseball Record
Aug 4 San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds homers off Clay Hensley in 2nd inning of 3-2 loss to San Diego to tie Hank Aaron’s 33 year-old MLB career home run record of 755
Sports History
Aug 5 Atlanta left-hander Tom Glavine becomes only the 23rd pitcher in MLB history to reach the 300 win milestone as the Braves beat Cubs, 8-3
- Aug 5 British Open Women's Golf, St. Andrews: Lorena Ochoa of Mexico leads wire-to-wire to win the first of her 2 major titles, 4 strokes ahead of Maria Hjorth and Jee Young Lee
- Aug 7 San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds hits his 756th career home run to break Hank Aaron's long-standing MLB record
- Aug 11 Jason Koumas makes his Wigan Athletic debut
- Aug 12 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Southern Hills CC: Defending champion Tiger Woods wins his 4th PGA C'ship by 2 shots from Woody Austin
- Aug 19 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Royal Mayfair GC: Mexican Lorena Ochoa wins by 3 from Paula Creamer
- Aug 19 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Crosswater Club: Mark McNulty of Zimbabwe wins lone career major title by 5 strokes from David Edwards
- Aug 22 The Texas Rangers rout the Baltimore Orioles 30-3, the most runs scored by a team in modern MLB history.
- Aug 24 11th Athletics World Championships open at Osaka, Japan
- Sep 1 Clay Buchholz becomes first Boston Red Sox rookie to pitch a no-hitter. In just his second MLB appearance; beats Baltimore Orioles 10-0 at Fenway Park
- Sep 1 In one of the biggest upsets in college football history, 109,218 fans see Appalachian State's Corey Lynch block a Jason Gingell 37-yard field goal attempt with 6 seconds remaining to inspire an epic 34-32 win v Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Sep 1 Tyson Gay helps US win the men's 4 x 100m relay at the world track & field championships in Osaka, Japan to join Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene as the only men to win 3 gold medals at one world meet
Sports History
Sep 3 Pedro Martínez returns from the disabled list, wins his 207th career game, and collects his 3,000th career strikeout
- Sep 8 US Open Women's Tennis: Belgian Justin Henin beats Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-1, 6-3; Henin wins event without losing a set
- Sep 9 US Open Men's Tennis: Switzerland's Roger Federer wins 4th consecutive US title; beats Novak Đoković of Serbia 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
- Sep 16 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Moscow, Russia: Svetlana Kuznetsova beats Francesca Schiavonea of Italy 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 to give Russia an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends, 4-0)
- Sep 16 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Halmstad GK, Sweden: US retains Cup 16-12; after trailing by a point US dominates singles 8½-3½
- Sep 23 Anna Stöhr wins a gold medal in bouldering at the IFSC World Championship in Aviles, Spain
- Sep 24 ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Johannesburg: India wins inaugural tournament with a 5-run win over Pakistan; Man of the Series: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi (91 runs • 12 wkts)
- Sep 30 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Hongkou Football Stadium, Shanghai, China: Birgit Prinz and Simone Laudehr score as Germany beats Brazil, 2-0
President's Cup
Sep 30 Presidents Cup Golf, Royal Montreal GC: David Toms and Scott Verplank remain undefeated as US beats International team, 19½–14½
- Oct 3 South Africa's Mark Boucher breaks Ian Healy's record to become the wicketkeeper with most dismissals in Test cricket (395); stumps Umar Gul off Paul Harris in 2nd innings of 1st Test win v Pakistan in Karachi
- Oct 4 Patrick Kane makes his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks against the Minnesota Wild
Jones Admits Using Steroids
Oct 5 After years of angry denials, triple gold medal winning American sprinter Marion Jones admits she used steroids 2000-01; pleads guilty to lying to federal investigators; announces retirement in tearful apology; medals returned to USOC
- Oct 7 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, Baltimore CC: Loren Roberts wins his third of 4 Champions Tour major titles by 6 strokes from Tom Watson
- Oct 13 17th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 27-14 in South Bend
- Oct 15 MLB National League Championship: Colorado Rockies beat Arizona Diamondbacks, 4 games to 0
- Oct 19 Patrick Kane scores his first NHL goal against José Théodore of the Colorado Avalanche
- Oct 20 6th Rugby World Cup Final, Stade de France, Saint-Denis: Springboks fullback Percy Montgomery lands 4/4 penalties as South Africa beats England, 15-6
F1 World Champion
Oct 21 Finnish Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen wins season ending Brazilian F1 Grand Prix to claim his first World Drivers Championship by 1 point from Lewis Hamilton
- Oct 21 MLB American League Championship: Boston Red Sox beat Cleveland Indians, 4 games to 3
- Oct 21 Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas sets NFL record for most points scored in a game (no touchdowns) with 26 in 38-36 win over the Texans at Reliant Stadium, Houston
- Oct 26 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Monmouth Park; Day 1 winners: Maryfield, Nownownow, Corinthian
- Oct 27 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Monmouth Park; Day 2 winners: Indian Blessing, War Pass, Lahudood, Midnight Lute, Kip Deville, Ginger Punch, English Channel, Curlin
- Oct 28 Baseball World Series: Boston Red Sox beat Colorado, 4-3 in Game 4 at Coors Field, Denver to sweep the Rockies and win their 2nd title in 4 years; MVP: Boston 3rd baseman Mike Lowell
Sports History
Nov 1 5-time Grand Slam tennis winner Martina Hingis admits testing positive for cocaine during Wimbledon; maintains innocence; retires from tennis; no desire for fight with anti-doping authorities
- Nov 2 Patrick Kane is named the NHL Rookie of the Month for October
- Nov 3 Navy beats Notre Dame 46-44 in triple overtime, ending the Fighting Irish's NCAA Football-record winning streak against the Midshipmen at 43 games; last Navy win over Notre Dame, 35-14 in 1963
Henin Wins WTA
Nov 11 Justine Henin of Belgium beats Russian Maria Sharapova 5–7, 7–5, 6–3 to win $1m winners cheque and her 2nd straight season-ending WTA Tour Championship in Madrid, Spain
- Nov 18 59th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Jimmie Johnson wins
- Nov 18 Roger Federer scores back-to-back season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles beating Spaniard David Ferrer 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 in the final in Shanghai, China
- Nov 24 72nd Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 17-10 in Auburn
- Nov 25 CFL Grey Cup, Rogers Center, Toronto: Saskatchewan Roughriders win 3rd title; defeat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 23-19
- Dec 1 12th Big 12 Championship Game: #9 Oklahoma beats #1 Missouri, 38-17
- Dec 1 16th SEC Championship Game: #5 LSU beats #14 Tennessee, 21-14
- Dec 1 3rd ACC Championship Game: #6 Virginia Tech beats #12 Boston College, 30-16
- Dec 1 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
Dec 1 T. C. Williams High School’s newly constructed basketball court is named after Earl Lloyd
Ballon d'Or
Dec 4 Ballon d'Or: Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaká is named best football player in the world; first year in which players from clubs outside the UEFA federation eligible for nomination
- Dec 8 73rd Heisman Trophy Award: Tim Tebow, Florida (QB)
Mitchell Report Released
Dec 13 The Mitchell Report is publicly released listing the names of 89 Major League Baseball players that have presumably used anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. Notable players named include Roger Clemens and Miguel Tejada.
- Dec 29 American boxer Steve Cunningham defends his IBF cruiserweight title for the first time with a 12th-round TKO of local favourite Marco Huck in Bielefeld, Germany
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions