This Day in Sports History: March 17
Sam Greenwood via Getty Images
March is an exciting month in sport, with college basketball’s March Madness, NBA and NHL battles for playoff spots, and MLB spring training. Historically, March 17 has seen memorable sporting moments, including outstanding individual achievements. Read on to find out more.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports that occurred on March 17 include:
- 1876: British high jump champion Marshall Jones Brooks cleared 1.83 meters at Oxford, England, for the unofficial world record.
- 1893: In the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, now known as the Stanley Cup, the Montreal Hockey Club claimed the inaugural trophy after finishing at the top of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada standings.
- 1897: British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons knocked out American champion ‘Gentleman’ Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the World Heavyweight title in Carson City, Nevada.
- 1908: Canadian champion Tommy Burns KO’d Irish challenger Jem Roche 88 seconds into the first round at the Theatre Royal, Dublin. It was the quickest win in a world heavyweight boxing title fight.
- 1932: Montreal Canadiens center Howie Morenz registered his 334th career point with an assist in a 10-4 win against the New York Americans. He passed Cy Denneny as the NHL’s all-time leading scorer.
- 2019: Rory Mcllroy of Northern Ireland won the Players Championship by one stroke from Jim Furyk and picked up a $2.25 million check, the biggest in golf history.
College Basketball Tournaments
March 17 featured several conference tourney upsets:
- 1988: In the first round of the NCAA tournament, Loyola-Marymount upset Wyoming 119-115.
- 2013: Ole Miss beat Florida 66-63 to win its first SEC men’s basketball title.
- 2013: In the 60th ACC tournament, Miami defeated North Carolina 87-77.
Sports History
Stories of big names in sport from March 17 include:
- 1953: Bill Veeck announced his intention to sell his 80% ownership of the St. Louis Browns for $2.4 million.
- 1983: Mike Bossy scored his 70th hat trick in New York Islanders’ history.
- 2013: Stacy Lewis won the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup and jumped to the top of the women’s world golf rankings.
- 2021: Emirates Team New Zealand beat Italian challenger Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli by 46 seconds in race 10 to win the America’s Cup series 7-3.
Records set on March 17 have been broken. Howie Morenz finished his career with 476 points, and now over 500 players have surpassed him. Golfer Stacy Lewis ranked No. 1 in the world for 25 weeks, holding the top spot for four weeks in 2013 and reclaiming it in June 2014 for an additional 21 weeks.
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