TODAY'S EVENTS IN SPORTS HISTORY 2025

APRIL 6
17th British Open

1877 17th British Open Men's Golf, Musselburgh Links: Jamie Anderson wins his first of 3 consecutive Championships; beats fellow Scot Bob Pringle by 2 shots


GolferJamie Anderson

• 1896 First modern Summer Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece; American athlete James Connolly becomes the first modern Olympic champion when he wins the triple jump (then 2 hops and a jump); later places 3rd in long jump and 2nd in high jump

Jeffries vs Finnegan
1900 James J. Jeffries KOs Jack Finnegan in 1 for heavyweight boxing title


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionJames J. Jeffries

• 1926 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Maroons beat Victoria Cougars (WHL), 2-0 for a 3-1 series victory
• 1935 H Levitt sinks 499 basketball free throws, misses & sinks 371 more

3rd Augusta National
1936 3rd Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Horton Smith wins his second Masters, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Harry Cooper, with defending champion Gene Sarazen 3rd


GolferGene Sarazen
8th US Masters
1941 8th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Craig Wood wins his first major title, 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Byron Nelson; Masters' first wire-to-wire champion


GolferByron Nelson

GolferCraig Wood

• 1947 11th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jimmy Demaret wins his 2nd Masters by 2 strokes over Byron Nelson and amateur Frank Stranahan

US Masters Golf
1952 16th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Sam Snead wins his second green jacket by 4 strokes over Jack Burke Jr


GolferSam Snead

• 1954 Montreal Canadiens score 3 goals in 56 sec in playoff game against Det
• 1957 Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.

US Masters Golf
1958 22nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins the first of his 4 Masters titles, 1 stroke ahead of Doug Ford and Fred Hawkins; first of his 7 major titles


GolferArnold Palmer
Sports History
1973 Roberto Clemente Day, Pittsburgh Pirates retire his #21


Baseball PlayerRoberto Clemente

• 1973 Yankee Ron Blomberg becomes 1st designated hitter, he walks
• 1974 Yankees 1st home game at Shea Stadium, while Yankee Stadium is renovated; beat Cleveland Indians 6-1
• 1977 Kingdome opens, Seattle Mariners 1st game, loses to Angels 7-0

Sports History
1979 Baltimore manager Earl Weaver wins his 1,000th game as a skipper, a 5-3 Orioles victory over the Chicago White Sox


MLB ManagerEarl Weaver
NHL Record
1980 Gordie Howe completes a record 26th NHL season


Ice Hockey LegendGordie Howe

• 1982 Largest crowd ever to see a baseball game in Minnesota 52,279

Golf Major
1986 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Pat Bradley wins the 4th of her 6 major titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Val Skinner


LPGA GolferPat Bradley

• 1986 Soccer ball juggled non-stop for 14:14 hrs
• 1987 Los Angeles Dodger's GM Al Campanis appears on TV program ABC News: Nightline saying Blacks may not be equipped to be in baseball management, sparking a racial controversy

Sports History
1987 Middleweight World Boxing Championship bout: Sugar Ray Leonard upsets Marvelous Marvin Hagler at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada


BoxerSugar Ray Leonard

• 1988 NJ Devils' 1st playoff game; lose to NY Islanders 4-3 (OT) in 1st round
• 1991 145th Grand National: In Canadian distillery Seagram's final year of race sponsorship, New Zealand-bred chestnut gelding Seagram wins, ridden by Nigel Hawke

Sports History
1991 Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona suspended for 15 months by Italian League for testing positive for cocaine use


Football LegendDiego Maradona

• 1992 1st game at Camden Field, Baltimore, Maryland - Orioles beat Cleveland Indians 2-0
• 1992 54th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Duke beats Michigan, 71-51; back-to-back titles for Blue Devils and coach Mike Krzyzewski
• 1993 Florida Marlins lose their first-ever game, 4-2, to the LA Dodgers
• 1996 American baseball player Albert Belle shows off his arm by hitting Sports Illustrated photographer Tony Tomsic in the hand prior to a game
• 1997 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Gil Morgan wins first of 3 Champions Tour majors by 6 strokes from Isao Aoki
• 2002 155th Grand National: 8-year-old 20/1 shot Bindaree, ridden by Jim Culloty and trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies wins by 1¾ lengths from What's Up Boys
• 2002 France beats Ireland 44-5 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; their 13th title

Sports History
2004 23rd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 70-61; UConn's Diana Taurasi is named Most Outstanding Player for the 2nd straight year


Basketball PlayerDiana Taurasi
Golf Major
2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: top-ranked Lorena Ochoa of Mexico shoots a bogey-free final round 67 to win by 5 strokes ahead of Suzann Pettersen and Annika Sörenstam


GolferAnnika Sörenstam

GolferSuzann Pettersen

GolferLorena Ochoa

• 2009 71st NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Michigan State, 89-72; Tar Heels' 5th national title; Ty Lawson 21 points
• 2010 29th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Stanford, 53-47; UConn forward Maya Moore scores 23 points
• 2013 166th Grand National: Ryan Mania wins aboard 66/1 Auroras Encore for trainer Sue Smith

Sports History
2013 Bayern Munich win their 23rd German Bundesliga title with 6 games to spare


Football StarThomas Müller
Cricket History
2014 ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Mirpur: Sri Lanka wins their first title with 6 wicket victory over India with 13 balls remaining; Player of the Series: Indian batsman Virat Kohli (319 runs)


CricketerVirat Kohli

• 2014 ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Dhaka: captain Meg Lanning's 44 from 30 balls leads Australia to 106/4; beat England 105/8 to win by 6 wickets (with 29 balls remaining); 3rd consecutive T20 WC

Golf Major
2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: 19-year-old Lexi Thompson shoots a bogey-free final round 68 to win her first major title, 3 strokes ahead of Michelle Wie


GolferMichelle Wie

• 2015 77th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Duke beats Wisconsin, 68-63; Blue Devils' point guard Tyus Jones, 23 points
• 2019 Tampa Bay Lightning beats Boston Bruins, 6-3 in the season finale for their 62nd regular season win, tying the NHL record held by Detroit Red Wings (1995-96); 128 points, 4th in NHL history
• 2020 149th British Open Men's Golf Championship is cancelled for the first time since WWII due to the COVID-19 pandemic; Royal St George's GC to host event in 2021

 

APRIL 7

• 1896 American athlete Robert Garrett wins the throwing double at the Athens Olympics by taking out the shot putt (11.22m); wins the discus the previous day

First Olympic 1500m

1896 Australian athlete Edwin Flack wins gold in the first Olympic 1500m final at inaugural modern Games in Athens; goes on to win 800m two days later


Olympic RunnerTeddy Flack

• 1928 44-year old NY Rangers GM Lester Patrick replaces his injured goaltender in a Stanley Cup game and beats Montreal Maroons, 2-1 in OT; Rangers go on to win series, 3-2

7th US Masters
1940 7th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jimmy Demaret wins the first of his 3 Masters titles, 4 strokes ahead of runner-up Lloyd Mangrum


GolferJimmy Demaret

• 1943 NFL adopts free substitution rule; helmets made mandatory and 10-game schedule for all teams approved

10th US Masters
1946 10th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: American Herman Keiser wins his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of tour money-leader Ben Hogan; first Masters in 4 years because of World War II


GolferBen Hogan

• 1951 105th Grand National: John Bullock wins aboard 40/1 shot Nickel Coin; of 36 runners, only 3 complete the course
• 1951 15th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Hogan wins the first of his 2 Masters titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Skee Riegel
• 1956 10th NBA Championship: Despite 30 points from Pistons forward George Yardley, Philadelphia Warriors beat Fort Wayne, 99-88; Warriors wrap up series, 4-1

US Masters Golf
1957 21st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Doug Ford wins his only Masters, 3 strokes ahead of 3-time champion Sam Snead


GolferSam Snead

• 1958 Dodgers erect 42-foot screen in left field at LA Coliseum to cut down on home runs, since it is only 250 feet down the line
• 1962 Indian cricketer Polly Umrigar slams 172 not out vs West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 248 minutes

US Masters Golf
1963 27th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 23-year-old Jack Nicklaus wins the first of his record 6 Green Jackets with a 3-foot par putt on the final hole to finish 1 stroke ahead of Tony Lema


GolferJack Nicklaus

• 1963 Public stock offering of 115,000 shares in Milwaukee Braves withdrawn after only 13,000 shares are sold to 1,600 new investors
• 1969 Dodgers' Bill Singer is credited with 1st official save, against Reds

Sports History
1969 Ted Williams begins managing Washington Senators, they lose to Yanks 8-4


Baseball PlayerTed Williams

• 1970 MLB Milwaukee Brewers (former Seattle Pilots) 1st game, lose to Angels 12-0

Sports History
1971 Dismissal of Curt Flood's free agency suit against baseball is upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [1]


Baseball PlayerCurt Flood

• 1973 Doug Walters' best Test Cricket bowling, 5-66 v WI Georgetown
• 1977 MLB Toronto Blue Jays 1st game, they beat Chicago 9-5

Sports History
1978 US Court of Appeals upholds Commissioner Bowie Kuhn's voiding of attempted player sales by A's owner Charlie Finley in June 1976


MLB CommissionerBowie Kuhn
Sports History
1979 Houston Astro Ken Forsch no-hits Atlanta Braves, 6-0, becoming with his brother Bob Forsch the only MLB siblings to accomplish the feat


Baseball PitcherBob Forsch
Sports History
1979 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy scores 4 goals on his first 4 shots in 9-2 win over visiting Philadelphia Flyers


Ice Hockey GreatMike Bossy
Sports History
1984 Detroit Tiger Jack Morris no-hits Chicago White Sox, 4-0


Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherJack Morris

• 1985 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Alice Miller shoots a final round 67 (−5) to win her only major title, 3 strokes ahead of Jan Stephenson of Australia
• 1989 NY Supreme Court takes America's Cup away from SD Yacht Club for using a catamaran against NZ. Appeals court eventually overrules
• 1990 144th Grand National: Marcus Armytage aboard 16/1 bet Mr Frisk wins in race record 8m 47.8s; 2 equine fatalities during the race
• 1990 NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 5-2, Rangers lead 2-0 in preliminary
• 1991 Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Jack Nicklaus wins his second of 4 event titles by 1 stroke from Jim Colbert, Jim Dent & Phil Rodgers
• 1994 NY Yankees beat Texas Rangers 18-6
• 1995 Baseball exhibition season begins late due to strike
• 1996 Pakistan beats Sri Lanka to win Cricket's Singer Cup in Singapore

Fastest ODI 50
1996 Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya hits the fastest ODI fifty off 17 balls vs Pakistan in Singapore


CricketerSanath Jayasuriya

• 1996 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Defending champion Jack Nicklaus wins his 4th event title by 3 strokes from Hale Irwin
• 1997 150th Grand National: Tony Dobbin aboard New Zealand bred Lord Gyllene wins at 14/1 by 25 lengths; race postponed 2 days because of IRA bomb threat
• 2000 1st regular season MLB game at Enron Field (now Minute Maid Park) in Houston, Texas; visiting Philadelphia Phillies beat Astros 4-1, Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen hits first homer at new park

Cricket History
2000 South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje is charged by Delhi police with fixing One Day International matches against India


CricketerHansie Cronje

• 2001 154th Grand National: Richard Guest wins aboard Red Marauder; trainer Martin Pipe saddles 10 of 40-strong field, Blowing Wind best at 3rd place
• 2003 65th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Syracuse beats Kansas, 81-78; Orangemen win first title; Carmelo Anthony named tournament Most Outstanding Player
• 2008 70th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Memphis, 75-68; first time since seeding began, all 4 top seeds advance to the Final Four
• 2009 28th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Louisville, 76-54; Huskies' 6th national title with center Tina Charles MOP

Golf Major
2013 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Inbee Park wins her 2nd major title, 4 strokes ahead of fellow South Korean So Yeon Ryu; first of Park's 3 straight major victories in 2013


GolferInbee Park

• 2013 Sweden wins the 2013 World Men's Curling Championship defeating Canada
• 2014 76th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Kentucky, 60-54; 2nd time a school has won both men's & women's Div I national titles in same year
• 2015 34th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Notre Dame, 63-53; Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis & Moriah Jefferson, 15 points for Huskies
• 2018 Vegas Golden Knights suffer a 7-1 end of regular season defeat at Calgary but finish with an NHL expansion team record 51 victories; previous record 33 by Anaheim Ducks & Florida Panthers 1993-94
• 2019 38th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Baylor beats Notre Dame, 82-81; Lady Bears' point guard Chloe Jackson, 26 points
• 2019 ANA Inspiration Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Ko Jin-young wins her first major title by 3 strokes over fellow South Korean Lee Mi-hyang

NBA Record
2019 Retiring NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Dwyane Wade (Miami) play their final home games, both victories; Magic Johnson sensationally quits as LA Lakers president of basketball operations; Houston Rockets convert NBA record 27 three-point field goals in 149-113 win over Phoenix


NBA LegendMagic Johnson

Basketball PlayerDwyane Wade

• 2022 MLB Cleveland Guardians lose in first game under their new name, 3-1 to the Royals in Kansas City

 

APRIL 8

2nd Augusta National

1935 2nd Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Gene Sarazen wins Monday playoff with Craig Wood by 5 strokes


GolferGene Sarazen

GolferCraig Wood
Louis vs Musto
1941 In his 4th title defense in 9 weeks Joe Louis beats Tony Musto by TKO in the 9th round at the Arena, Saint Louis, Missouri to retain NYSAC heavyweight boxing crown


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionJoe Louis

• 1943 1943 NFL Draft: Frank Sinkwich from University of Georgia first pick by Detroit Lions
• 1943 Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Detroit Red Wings beat Boston Bruins, 2-0 for a 4-0 series sweep and their 3rd SC Championship
• 1945 1945 NFL Draft: Charley Trippi from University of Georgia first pick by Chicago Cardinals
• 1956 20th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Burke Jr. wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of amateur Ken Venturi; final Masters played without a 36-hole cut

Sports History
1963 Detroit Tigers claim young pitcher Denny McLain on waivers from the Chicago White Sox; McLain goes on the win Cy Young Award 1968, 69 and AL MVP 1968


Baseball PitcherDenny McLain
Sports History
1966 American Football League votes in 36-year-old Al Davis as commissioner after Joe Foss resigns; appointment lasts 3 months when AFL merges with NFL


American Football Coach and ExecutiveAl Davis

• 1967 121st Grand National: John Buckingham aboard rank 100/1 outsider Foinavon avoids famous carnage to win by 15 lengths from favourite Honey End

Sports History
1968 Major League Baseball decides to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr


Civil Rights ActivistMartin Luther King Jr.

• 1969 Expansion teams Royals, Expos, Padres & Pilots win their 1st games
• 1969 First Major League Baseball game featuring a Canadian team; Montréal Expos beats NY Mets, 11-10 at Shea Stadium; KC Royals, SD Padres and Seattle Pilots also win on debut
• 1972 126th Grand National: Graham Thorner aboard 14/1 bet Well To Do wins from 1970 winner Gay Trip; Black Secret & General Symons dead heat for 3rd
• 1972 Alvin Kallicharran scores 100* in his 1st Test Cricket innings v NZ

Sports History
1974 Hammerin' Hank Aaron hits his 715th home run off LA Dodger Al Downing in Atlanta, breaking Babe Ruth's record


Baseball PlayerHank Aaron
Sports History
1975 Frank Robinson debuts as 1st African American baseball manager (Cleveland Indians beat New York Yankees, 5-3)


Baseball Outfielder and ManagerFrank Robinson

• 1976 1976 NFL Draft: Lee Roy Selmon from University of Oklahoma first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• 1979 People's Republic of China joins International Olympic Committee
• 1980 Islander Potvin's 2 shorthanded goals tie NHL record vs Kings & set NHL rec of 2 shorthanded playoff goals in 1 period
• 1981 Islanders scored 9 goals against Toronto in playoffs
• 1982 Tracy Caulkins wins her 36th US swimming title aged 19

Golf Major
1984 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Juli Inkster wins the first of her 7 major titles in a sudden-death playoff with Pat Bradley, with a par on the 1st extra hole


LPGA GolferPat Bradley

• 1989 143rd Grand National: Irish 12-year-old Little Polveir, ridden by jockey Jimmy Frost wins by 7 lengths from West Tip
• 1989 California Angels pitcher Jim Abbott, born without his right hand, makes MLB debut, lasting only 4 2/3 innings

US Masters Golf
1990 54th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Nick Faldo of England goes back-to-back with a par on the 2nd sudden-death playoff hole with Raymond Floyd


Golfer and Six-Time Major Championship WinnerNick Faldo

Golfer and Four-Time Major Championship WinnerRay Floyd
Sports History
1991 Jockey Bill Shoemaker paralyzed in a car accident


Racing Hall of Fame JockeyBill Shoemaker

• 1991 Major league umpires & baseball reach a 4-year agreement
• 1991 Oakland A's stadium becomes 1st outdoor arena in USA to ban smoking
• 1993 Indians' Carlos Baerga is 1st to switch hit HRs in same inn (vs Yanks)
• 1994 Atlanta Brave Kent Mercker no-hits Dodgers, 6-0

Sports History
1994 MLB outfielder Darryl Strawberry enters Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for substance abuse rehabilitation


Baseball PlayerDarryl Strawberry

• 1995 148th Grand National: Irish rider Jason Titley wins aboard 40/1 outsider Royal Athlete; trainer Jenny Pitman's second GN victory
• 1995 American Bruce Seldon defeats by RTD over Tony Tucker in 7 rounds to win vacated WBA boxing title

Boxing Title Fight
1995 Oliver McCall beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title


BoxerLarry Holmes

• 2000 153rd Grand National: Irish 10/1 shot Papillon, ridden by jockey Ruby Walsh and trained by his father Ted Walsh wins by 1¼ lengths from Mely Moss

US Masters Golf
2001 65th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tiger Woods wins his 2nd Masters and 6th major title, 2 strokes ahead of David Duval


GolferTiger Woods

GolferDavid Duval
Sports History
2003 22nd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 73-68; UConn guard Diana Taurasi is named Most Outstanding Player


Basketball PlayerDiana Taurasi

• 2006 159th Grand National: 11–1 Irish shot Numbersixvalverde, ridden by Niall Madden wins by 6 lengths from defending champion Hedgehunter
• 2007 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
• 2008 27th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Stanford, 64-48; Volunteers' back-to-back titles; coach Pat Summitt, 8 national championships

US Masters Golf
2012 76th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Bubba Watson wins on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with South African Louis Oosthuizen


GolferLouis Oosthuizen

• 2013 75th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Louisville beats Michigan, 82-76; Cardinals' forward Luke Hancock hits 22 points
• 2014 33rd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Notre Dame, 79-58; 2nd time a school has won both men's & women's Div I national titles in same year

Sports History
2014 Mike Babcock wins his 414th career game as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, becoming the winningest coach in Red Wings history (passing Jack Adams)


NHL CoachMike Babcock

• 2017 170th Grand National: Derek Fox wins aboard 14/1 One For Arthur; second ever Scottish-trained winner of the event
• 2018 82nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Patrick Reed wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of fellow American Rickie Fowler
• 2019 81st NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Virginia beats Texas Tech, 85-77 OT; Cavaliers first ever National title; forward De'Andre Hunter, 27 points