Great Sports Moments Events

1932 Oct 1 Babe Ruth's Called Shot
It was October 1, 1932, when the Yankees met the Cubs at Wrigley Field for Game 3 of the World Series. The Yankees had won the first two games and had withstood having lemons and curse wo...
1936 Aug 3
to 1936 Aug 9
 Jesse Owens wins 4 gold medals at 1936 Summer Olympics
In 1936, Owens arrived in Berlin to compete for the United States in the Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler was using the games to show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany. He and other governm...
1939 Jul 4 Lou Gehrig Delivers His "Luckiest Man" Farewell Speech
"Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen..." —Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939
1947 Apr 15 Jackie Robinson plays in first game as a major leaguer with Brooklyn Dodgers
In his first season, with Eddie Stanky entrenched at second base for the Dodgers, Robinson was forced to play first base. On April 15, 1947 Robinson made his debut before a crowd of 26,62...
1951 Oct 3 New York Giants win NL Pennant on Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
"There's a long drive... it's gonna be, I believe...THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! Bobby Thomson hits into..." —Russ Hodges, WMCA-AM announcer
1954 Sep 29 Willie Mays Makes "The Catch" In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series
The Catch refers to a memorable defensive baseball play by Willie Mays on September 29, 1954, during Game 1 of the 1954 World Series between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Indians...
1962 Mar 2 Wilt Chamberlain Scores 100 Points Against the New York Knicks
Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, named by the National Basketball Association as one of its greatest games, took place between the Philadelphia Warriors and the New York Knicks on March...
1964 Feb 25 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) defeats Sonny Liston for Heavyweight Title
From 1960 to 1963, the young fighter amassed a record of 19–0, with 15 knockouts. He defeated boxers such as Tony Esperti, Jim Robinson, Donnie Fleeman, Alonzo Johnson, George Logan, Will...
1968 Oct 18 Bob Beamon Long Jumps 29 ft. 2 1/2 in. to Shatter the World Record
Bob Beamon long jumped 29′ 2 1/2 inches to shatter the world record by more than two feet. On October 18, 1968 at Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Beamon set a World record for the Long...
1971 Mar 8 "The Fight of the Century" Joe Frazier vs Muhammad Ali
Fight of the Century was the promotional nickname given to the first boxing match between champion Joe Frazier (26-0, 23 KOs) and challenger Muhammad Ali (31-0, 25 KOs), held on March 8, ...
1972 Dec 23 Franco Harris Makes The "Immaculate Reception"
The Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous plays in the history of American football. It occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh S...
1974 Apr 8 Hank Aaron Hits Home Run No. 715, Breaks Babe Ruth's Record
As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three-game series against the Cincinnati...
1974 Oct 30 Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman Battle in the "Rumble in the Jungle"
The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on 30 October 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). It pitted then wo...
1975 Oct 1 "Thrilla in Manila" third match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier
The Thrilla in Manila was the third and final famous boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World, fought at the Araneta Coliseum...
1975 Oct 21 1975 World Series Game 6 Red Sox 7 - Reds 6
I was 10 years old when this game happened. I remember staying up very late to watch this game and was so excited when Fisk hit his game ending home run. But the thing that I remember mo...
1980 Feb 22 USA defeats USSR in Olympics' "Miracle on Ice" Game
"Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" —Al Michaels, ABC Commentator
1982 Jan 10 Dwight Clark Makes "The Catch" of a Joe Montana Pass to Win the NFC Championship Game
The Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark off a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco ...
1982 Nov 20 Cal vs. Stanford: "The Play"
The Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the University of California Golden Bears and the Stanford University Cardinal on November 20, 1982....
1986 Jun 22 The "Hand of God" and "Goal of the Century": Diego Maradona's Goals Beat England 2-1
AKA The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century. The Hand of God, one of the most controversial goals, was scored as the result of an illegal (but unpenalised) handball by Diego Maradona ...
1989 May 7 Michael Jordan's Shot Beats Cleveland to Win the Best-of-Five Series 3-2
The Shot is the name given to a game-winning basket made by Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls in the fifth and final game of the first round of the 1989 NBA Playoffs against the Clevela...
1996 Jul 19 Muhammad Ali lights the flame at the 1996 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, were an international multi-sport event which wa...
1996 Jul 23 Kerri Strug's One-footed Vault Propels the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team to Gold
Kerri Strug was an gymnast for the 1996 U.S. Women's Olympic team. Upon her first attempt Strug under-rotated the landing of her first attempt, causing her to fall and damage her ankle. S...
1998 Jun 14 Michael Jordan Beats the Buzzer to Defeat Utah in Game 6 of the NBA Finals
The Bulls returned to Utah for Game 6 on June 14, 1998 leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals hi...
1998 Sep 8 Mark McGwire Breaks Roger Maris' Single-Season Home Run Record
There was much media speculation as to where Maris’ HR record would be broken in 1998, and a debate as to who would break it, Ken Griffey, Jr. or McGwire. As the 1998 season progressed, i...
2000 Jan 30 Final Play of Super Bowl XXXIV: Mike Jones Makes "The Tackle"
"People ask me all the time what was gonna happen in overtime. Even to this day, I never [thought] past the last play [in my mind]. We knew we had to stop the last play and didn’t really t..." —Mike Jones, Rams Linebacker
2001 Oct 5 Barry Bonds Surpasses Mark McGwire's Single-Season Home Run Record
Babe Ruth's single-season home-run record of 60 lasted 34 years. Roger Maris' mark of 61 stood for 37 seasons. When Mark McGwire set his record with 70 in 1998, it was expected the record...
2008 Aug 17 Michael Phelps Surpasses Mark Spitz in Gold Medals Won at a Single Olympics
In the 2008 Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals, the record for the most medals won at a single olympics. With this record, he surpassed Mark Spitz, who had held the previou...