This Day in Sports History: March 9
Sports in March include crucial stretches of the NBA and NHL seasons, MLB Spring Training/Opening Day, March Madness, NASCAR, Formula 1, UFC Fight Nights, and some PGA Tour Events. Over…
Sports in March include crucial stretches of the NBA and NHL seasons, MLB Spring Training/Opening Day, March Madness, NASCAR, Formula 1, UFC Fight Nights, and some PGA Tour Events. Over the years, Mar. 9 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Mar. 9 included:
- 1864: In the 26th Grand National, George Stevens won his third GN aboard 10/1 Emblematic.
- 1895: The Montreal Victorias clinched the trophy as Montreal HC beat Queens University, 5-1.
- 1904: Lester Patrick became the first defenseman in ice hockey history to score a goal during a Stanley Cup Finals game.
- 1908: The iconic Italian football club FC Internazionale (Inter Milan) was officially founded.
- 1936: Babe Ruth turned down the Reds' offer to make a comeback as a player, and instead, he stayed retired.
- 1952: Heinz Neuhaus won the European Heavyweight Boxing title.
- 1957: In the fourth Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, North Carolina beat South Carolina 95-75.
- 1958: George Yardley III became the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season.
- 1961: Wilt Chamberlain scored 67 points in a game.
- 1977: College basketball player Anthony Roberts of Oral Roberts set an NIT record by scoring 65 points in a single game.
- 1984: The Philadelphia 76ers blocked 20 Seattle shots and tied an NBA regulation game record.
- 1984: Boxer Tim Witherspoon beat Greg Page in 12 rounds and won the heavyweight boxing title.
- 1985: In the 26th Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Auburn beat Alabama 53-49.
- 1985: Figure skater Katarina Witt won the Ladies' Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo.
- 1986: Hockey player Gilbert Perreault became the 12th NHLer to score 500 career goals.
- 1989: Roger Kingdom ran a world record 60-meter hurdles indoor time of 7.36 seconds.
- 1991: Basketball player Joe Dumaars began an NBA free-throw streak of 62 games.
- 1993: The Pittsburgh Penguins began an NHL record 17-game winning streak.
- 1995: Major League Baseball officially gave a new franchise to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
- 2002: Hockey player Joe Sakic played in his 1,000th career NHL game.
- 2013: Bernard Hopkins beat Tavoris Cloud and won the IBF light heavyweight title.
- 2015: UMass defeated Notre Dame 4-3. It was the longest game in NCAA Division I hockey history and lasted five overtimes.
- 2016: Basketball player Russell Westbrook recorded a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high 20 assists. It was also the first triple-double that had 20-plus points and 20 plus assists since 1998.
Three athletes who stood out on March 9 were George Yardley III, Gilbert Perreault, and Bernard Hopkins.
Yardley III was a 6-time All-Star, the 1958 scoring champion, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996. Perreault played his entire 17-season career (1970–1987) in Buffalo, captaining the team and centering the famous "French Connection" line, finishing with 1,326 points. Hopkins dominated the middleweight division and holds the record for 20 consecutive title defenses.
