This Day in Sports History: March 21
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, March 21 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 March 21 included:
- 1909:Â Moran and MacFarland from the U.S. won Europe's first six-day bicycle race in Berlin.
- 1931:Â Maribel Vinson won the United States Ladies' Figure Skating championship.
- 1934: Babe Ruth signed his final Yankees contract.
- 1941:Â In his 15th title defense, Joe Louis knocked out Abe Simon in the 13th round at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, keeping his New York State Athletic Commission heavyweight boxing crown.
- 1948:Â Patty Berg won her fourth Titleholders title by one stroke, just ahead of Babe Zaharias and Peggy Kirk.
- 1952: Gordie Howe won the NHL scoring title.
- 1953:Â In the Boston versus Syracuse game, there was an NBA record of 106 fouls and 12 players fouled out.
- 1959:Â During the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, California beat West Virginia, 71-70. Future Hall of Famer and NBA legend Jerry West was named Most Outstanding Player.
- 1961:Â Art Modell bought the Cleveland Browns for a then-record sum of $3,925,000.
- 1964:Â In the 26th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, UCLA defeated Duke, 98-83. It was the Bruins' first title game.
- 1965: Driver Jim Clark won the South African Grand Prix.
- 1970:Â UCLA beat Jacksonville 80-69 during the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. It was the Bruins' fourth straight title under coach John Wooden.
- 1973:Â The Montreal Canadiens' left wing Frank Mahovlich became the fifth NHL player to score 500 goals.
- 1981:Â France beat England 16-12 at Twickenham, London, for their seventh outright Five Nations Rugby Championship and third Grand Slam title.
- 1982: The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team beat the Georgetown Hoyas 63-62 and won the NCAA men's basketball championship.
- 1985: Canadian Rick Hansen began his Man in Motion world tour, in his wheelchair, raising money for spinal research. He started in Oakridge Mall, Vancouver.
- 1994:Â Wayne Gretzky tied Gordie Howe's NHL record of 801 goals.
- 2004: Roger Federer won the Indian Wells Masters title and continued his rise to dominance during the early 2000s.
- 2014:Â Canadian freestyle skier and two-time Olympic gold medalist Alexandre Bilodeau retired at age 26.
- 2019:Â Japanese baseball right fielder Ichiro Suzuki finished his career with a record 4,367 base hits (NPB and MLB) as the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 in Tokyo, Japan.
Three athletes who stood out on March 21 were Gordie Howe, Roger Federer, and Ichiro Suzuki.
Howe was known as "Mr. Hockey" because of his longevity and excellence. He played professional hockey for five decades and 26 seasons in the NHL. Federer is known for his elegant playing style and record-setting achievements in Grand Slam tournaments. He won 20 Grand Slam singles titles and spent 310 weeks ranked No. 1 in the world. Suzuki is one of the best contact hitters in baseball history and he helped popularize Japanese players in the MLB. He had 10 straight 200-hit seasons.
