- Jan 1 40th Fiesta Bowl: #9 Oklahoma beats #25 Connecticut, 48-20
- Jan 1 97th Rose Bowl: #3 TCU beats #4 Wisconsin, 21-19
- Jan 3 77th Orange Bowl: #5 Stanford beats #12 Virginia Tech, 40-12
- Jan 3 Adrian Lewis of England wins his first PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-5 win over Scotsman Gary Anderson at the Alexandra Palace, London
- Jan 4 77th Sugar Bowl: #6 Ohio State beats #8 Arkansas, 31-26
US Clinch Victory
Jan 8 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands & John Isner beat Belgian pair Justine Henin & Ruben Bemelmans 6-1, 6-3 to clinch a 2-1 victory; 6th title for the United States
Ballon d'Or
Jan 10 Ballon d'Or: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wins 2nd straight award from teammates Andrés Iniesta & Xavi; Brazilian forward Marta wins women's award for 5th consecutive year
- Jan 10 College Football, 13th BCS National Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: #1 Auburn beats #2 Oregon, 22-19
- Jan 23 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat New York Jets, 24-19
- Jan 23 NFC Championship, Soldier Field, Chicago: Green Bay Packers beat Chicago Bears, 21-14
Clijsters Defeats Li
Jan 29 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Kim Clijsters wins her 4th and final Grand Slam title; beats Li Na of China 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
- Jan 30 58th NHL All-Star Game, RBC Centre, Raleigh, NC: Team Lidstrom beats Team Staal, 11-10; MVP: Patrick Sharp, Chicago, LW
Đoković Defeats Murray
Jan 30 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković wins his 2nd Australian title; beats Scotsman Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3
- Jan 30 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 55-41; MVP: DeAngelo Hall, Washington Redskins, DB
Super Bowl XLV
Feb 6 Super Bowl XLV, Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX: Green Bay Packers beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-25; MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay, QB
Laureus World Sports Awards
Feb 7 Laureus World Sports Awards, Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, UAE: Sportsman: Rafael Nadal; Sportswoman: Lindsey Vonn; Team: Spanish Men's National Football team
Sports History
Feb 10 Jerry Sloan resigns as head coach of the Utah Jazz
- Feb 20 53rd Daytona 500: 20-year-old Trevor Bayne, driving for Wood Brothers Racing, wins to become the youngest Daytona 500 winner
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 20 60th NBA All-Star Game, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA: West beats East, 148-143; MVP: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers, F
- Mar 2 One of cricket’s great upsets; Kevin O’Brien smokes fastest century in World Cup history off 50 balls (ends 113 off 63) to help Ireland beat England by 3 wickets in Bangalore
- Mar 5 David Silva scores 38' winner as Manchester City scores 1-0 win over Wigan at City of Manchester Stadium to start EPL record 20 home game winning streak; streak ends 31/3/12
- Mar 12 32nd Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: #9 Connecticut beats #3 Louisville, 69-66
- Mar 13 52nd SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Florida, 70-54
- Mar 13 58th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: #5 Duke beats #6 North Carolina, 75-58
- Mar 19 Despite a final round 24-8 defeat to Ireland at the new Aviva Stadium in Dublin, England wins the Six Nations Rugby Championship courtesy of their opening 4 straight victories
Sports History
Mar 22 Lawrence Taylor pleads guilty for misdemeanors of sexual misconduct and is sentenced to six years probation
Cricket World Cup
Apr 2 Cricket World Cup, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai: India beats Sri Lanka by 6 wickets; first country to win on home soil; MS Dhoni Man of the Match, Yuvraj Singh, Player of Series
- Apr 2 ICC Men's Cricket ODI World Cup, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India: India beats Sri Lanka by 6 wickets for their second title; Player of the Match: MS Dhoni (IND) 91 no (79)
Golf Major
Apr 3 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Stacy Lewis shoots final round 69 to win her first major, 3 strokes ahead of defending champion Yani Tseng
- Apr 4 73rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Butler, 53-41; Huskies' point guard Kemba Walker scores 16 points
- Apr 5 30th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Texas A&M beats Notre Dame, 76-70; Aggies center Danielle Adams scores 22 of her 30 points in the 2nd half
- Apr 9 164th Grand National: Jason Maguire wins aboard Irish 14/1 shot Ballabriggs; first GN win for trainer Donald McCain Jr., son of 4-time winning trainer Ginger McCain
- Apr 10 75th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Charl Schwartzel of South Africa birdies the final 4 holes to win his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Australian pair Adam Scott and Jason Day
- Apr 18 115th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Geoffrey Mutai wins men's race in record 2:03:02; Caroline Kilel takes women's section in 2:22:36
- Apr 28 NFL Draft: Auburn quarterback Cam Newton first pick by Carolina Panthers
- May 7 137th Kentucky Derby: John Velazquez aboard Animal Kingdom wins in 2:02.04
Sports History
May 8 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Shoal Creek G&CC: Tom Lehman wins second of 3 Champions Tour majors with par on 2nd playoff hole against Australian Peter Senior
- May 14 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (88,643): Manchester City beats Stoke City, 1-0; Yaya Touré scores 74' winner; Citizens' 5th title
PGA Players Championship
May 15 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: K. J. Choi of South Korea defeats David Toms on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to win $1.71 million winner's cheque
- May 21 136th Preakness: Jesús Castañón aboard Shackleford wins in 1:56.47
- May 24 NHL Western Conference Finals: Vancouver Canucks beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 1
- May 27 NHL Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Bruins beat Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 games to 3
- May 28 IPL Cricket Final, M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai: Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 58 runs; Murali Vijay 95 (52), Ravichandran Ashwin 3/16
- May 28 UEFA Champions League Final, London: FC Barcelona beats Manchester United, 3-1; 4th title for Barça
Indy 500
May 29 Indianapolis 500: 2005 champion Dan Wheldon of England wins his 2nd Indy 500; 4 months later he is killed in a race accident in Las Vegas
Senior PGA Championship
May 29 Senior PGA Championship, Valhalla GC: Tom Watson wins his 6th and final Champions Tour major title with a birdie on the first playoff hole against David Eger
- Jun 4 French Open Women's Tennis: Li Na becomes first Chinese player to win a Grand Slam singles title; beats Italian defending champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6
- Jun 5 French Open Men's Tennis: Defending champion Rafael Nadal wins his 6th French title; beats Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-1
- Jun 6 MLB Draft: UCLA pitcher Gerrit Cole first pick by Pittsburgh Pirates
- Jun 9 Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy announces agreement to examine brains of recently deceased San Francisco 49ers football players Joe Perry and John Henry Johnson for signs of injury [1]
- Jun 11 143rd Belmont: Jose Valdivia Jr aboard Ruler On Ice wins in 2:30.88
- Jun 12 NBA Finals: Dallas Mavericks beat Miami Heat, 105-95 in Game 6 for first title in franchise history; MVP: Dirk Nowitzki
- Jun 15 Stanley Cup Final, Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC: Boston Bruins defeat Vancouver Canucks, 4-0 for 4-3 series win; Bruins end 39-year Stanley Cup drought
US Golf Open
Jun 19 US Open Men's Golf, Congressional CC: Irishman Rory McIlroy wins by 8 strokes ahead of Australian Jason Day; sets 11 tournament records, including lowest total 72-hole score (268) and lowest total under par (−16)
Sports History
Jun 23 Kawhi Leonard is selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers and traded to the San Antonio Spurs on draft night
NBA Draft
Jun 23 NBA Draft: Duke point guard Kyrie Irving first pick Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jun 24 NHL Draft: Red Deer Rebels (WHL) center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first pick by Edmonton Oilers
- Jun 26 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Locust Hill CC: Yani Tseng of Taiwan scores her 4th major title win by 10 strokes over Morgan Pressel
- Jul 1 NBA owners begin the second player lockout in 12 years, shortening the season by 16 games before a salary agreement was reached
- Jul 2 American twin brothers Bob & Mike Bryan earn their record equalling 11th Grand Slam doubles title with a straight sets win over Robert Lindstedt & Horia Tecău at Wimbledon
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 2 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Czech left hander Petra Kvitová wins her first Grand Slam title beating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4
- Jul 3 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković of Serbia beats Spaniard Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 for his first Wimbledon title
- Jul 9 Super Rugby Final, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane: Queensland Reds beat Canterbury Crusaders 18-13 at home for their first SR title
- Jul 11 US Open Women's Golf, The Boardmoor: Ryu So-yeon wins her first major in a playoff with fellow South Korean Hee Hung Seo
- Jul 12 82nd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 5-1 at Chase Field, Phoenix
- Jul 13 19th ESPY Awards: Dirk Nowitzki, Lindsey Vonn win
British Golf Open
Jul 17 British Open Men's Golf, Royal St George's GC: Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland claims his only major title; wins by 3 strokes from American pair Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.
FIFA Women's World Cup Final
Jul 17 FIFA Women's World Cup Final, Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany: Japan beats US, 3-1 on penalties; 2-2 after extra time
- Jul 24 98th Tour de France won by Cadel Evans of Australia; first and only Australian to win the event
- Jul 24 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Walton Heath: Russ Cochran wins by 2 shots from fellow American Mark Calcavecchia
- Jul 24 Copa América Final, River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires: Diego Forlán scores twice as Uruguay beats Paraguay, 3–0 to earn their 15th title
- Jul 31 British Open Women's Golf, Carnoustie GL: Yani Tseng of Taiwan becomes first to successfully defend the Open as a major championship, 4 strokes ahead of Brittany Lang
US Senior Golf Open
Jul 31 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Inverness Club: Olin Browne wins by 3 strokes ahead of Mark O'Meara; 5th player in history to win on Nationwide Tour, PGA Tour and Champions Tour
- Aug 14 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Atlanta Athletic Club: Keegan Bradley wins first major title by 1 stroke in 3-hole aggregate playoff with fellow American Jason Dufner
Senior Players Championship
Aug 20 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, Westchester CC: Fred Couples wins first of 2 Champions Tour major titles with birdie on 3rd playoff hole against John Cook
- Aug 27 13th Athletics World Championships open at Daegu, South Korea
- Aug 27 Australia claims final Tri Nations Rugby Series with 25-20 win over New Zealand in Brisbane; Argentina's Pumas join competition the following year; series rebranded The Rugby Championship
Canadian Women's Open
Aug 28 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Hillsdale CC: Brittany Lincicome wins by 1 stroke from Michelle Wie and Stacy Lewis
Sports History
Sep 3 Following his disqualification in the 100m, Jamaica's Usain Bolt runs a season best 19.40 to win the 200m at the World Athletics Championships in South Korea
US Open Women's Tennis
Sep 10 US Open Women's Tennis: Samantha Stosur becomes first Australian to win a Grand Slam title since 1980; upsets Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3
- Sep 12 US Open Men's Tennis: Novak Đoković wins his first US title; beats Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1
- Sep 25 Solheim Cup Women's Golf, Killeen Castle, Ireland: Europe regain Cup 15-13; Azahara Muñoz beats Angela Stanford 1-up to clinch the Cup for Europe
- Oct 8 Irish professional darts player Brendan Dolan plays 1st perfect 9 dart game on TV in semi-final against James Wade at PDC World Darts Championship in Dublin
F1 World Champion
Oct 9 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finishes 3rd in the Japanese F1 Grand Prix to clinch his second consecutive World Drivers Championship
- Oct 15 MLB American League Championship: Texas Rangers beat Detroit Tigers, 4 games to 2
- Oct 16 MLB National League Championship: St. Louis Cardinals beat Milwaukee Brewers, 4 games to 2
- Oct 23 7th Rugby World Cup Final, Eden Park, Auckland: Tournament favourites New Zealand edge France, 8-7; crowd 61,079
- Oct 27 MLB World Series Game 6: St. Louis Cardinal 3B David Freese hits game-tying 2 run triple with 2 outs in the 9th and then hits walk-off home run in the 11th
- Oct 28 Baseball World Series: St. Louis beats Texas Rangers, 6-2 in Game 7 at Busch Stadium to win Cardinals' 11th title; MVP: Cardinals 3rd baseman David Freese
Sports History
Oct 30 Czech tennis star Petra Kvitová beats Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7–5, 4–6, 6–3 in the WTA Championship decider in Istanbul, Turkey
Sports History
Nov 2 Prodigious Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th goal for Real Madrid in his 105th game for the club in a 2-0 Champions League win over Olympique Lyon
- Nov 4 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; Day 1 winners: Secret Circle, Stephanie's Kitten, Musical Romance, My Miss Aurelia, Perfect Shirl, Royal Delta
- Nov 5 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Churchill Downs; Day 2 winners: Afleet Again, Wrote, Amazombie, Regally Ready, Caleb's Posse, St Nicholas Abbey, Hansen, Court Vision, Drosselmeyer
- Nov 6 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Moscow, Russia: Czech pair Lucie Hradecká & Květa Peschke beats Maria Kirilenko & Elena Vesnina of Russia to clinch a 3-2 win for the visitors in the final
- Nov 19 21st College Football Holy War: Notre Dame beats Boston College 16-14 in South Bend
- Nov 26 76th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 42-14 in Auburn
- Nov 27 CFL Grey Cup, BC Place, Vancouver: BC Lions beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 34-23 for their 6th Championship
- Nov 27 German Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel finishes 2nd in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace to retain his F1 World Drivers Championship; wins by 122 points from Jenson Button
Federer Wins ATP Finals
Nov 27 Roger Federer claims a record 6th ATP World Tour Finals tennis title with a 6–3, 6–7, 6–3 win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final in London, England
Sports History
Dec 4 Pedro Martínez officially announces his retirement from professional baseball
- Dec 8 The NBA and players union reach financial agreement to end a 161-day lockout, shortening the season by 16 games
- Dec 10 Kawhi Leonard signs a multi-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs following the conclusion of the NBA lockout
- Dec 12 77th Heisman Trophy Award: Robert Griffin III, Baylor (QB)
Barry Bonds Sentenced
Dec 15 Barry Bonds is sentenced to 30 days of house arrest, two years of probation and 250 hours of community service, for an obstruction of justice conviction stemming from a grand jury appearance in 2003
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions