This Day in Sports History: December 31
There are tons of sports this time of year, including the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL teams fighting for playoff spots, the end of the college football season, Grand Prix…
There are tons of sports this time of year, including the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL teams fighting for playoff spots, the end of the college football season, Grand Prix races, UFC Fight Nights, and some college basketball tournaments. Over the years, Dec. 31 has witnessed many notable moments and stories that shaped the future of sports. Continue reading to learn more about events from this day in sports history.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
These noteworthy sports-related events occurred on Dec. 31:
- 1906: Anthony Wilding beat Francis Fisher, winning the Australasian Championships for men's tennis.
- 1920: The United States went up to 3-0 in the International Lawn Tennis Challenge and eventually won, 5-0.
- 1950: Jockeys Bill Shoemaker and Joe Culmone ended the year tied and led the nation with a record of 388 wins.
- 1952: Danny Nardico defeated the former world middleweight champion, Jake LaMotta, in seven rounds during a light heavyweight non-title fight.
- 1952: Australia retained the Davis Cup men's tennis title for the third straight year, beating the United States 4-1.
- 1953: Jockey Bill Shoemaker set a new record for most wins in a year with 485.
- 1961: The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants, 37-0. It was the first of five NFL titles that were won in a seven-season stretch by the Packers and their head coach, Vince Lombardi.
- 1967: The Ice Bowl happened as the Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17, with the temperature reaching -13 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 1972: In the 39th Sugar Bowl, No. 2 Oklahoma beat No. 5 Penn State 14-0.
- 1972: Margaret Court defeated Evonne Goolagong Cawley and received her 11th and final Australian singles crown.
- 1973: Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Chris Evert, achieving the first of four home singles titles.
- 1974: Soccer player Johan Cruyff won his third Ballon d'Or award.
- 1988: The Fog Bowl happened at a divisional playoff game where the Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-12. The heavy fog came in during the second quarter.
- 1988: Hockey player Mario Lemieux scored five goals in five different ways during a single game.
- 1995: In the 62nd Sugar Bowl, No. 13 Virginia Tech beat No. 9 Texas 28-10.
- 2014: In the 44th Fiesta Bowl, No. 20 Boise State defeated No. 10 Arizona 38-30.
- 2017: The Cleveland Browns became the second team in NFL history to have an 0-16 record.
- 2018: Basketball player James Harden got 40-plus points in his fourth straight NBA game.
There have been many significant moments on Dec. 31. However, there were three athletes who stood out. Shoemaker was famous for his exceptional skills, record-breaking career longevity, and numerous major victories spanning four decades. Lemieux is known for his immense talent, graceful playmaking, and ability to overcome life-threatening Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic back injuries, and he still led the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cups. Harden is a revolutionary NBA superstar, recognized for prolific scoring, incredible court vision, his iconic beard, and popularizing the three-point shot.
