This Day in Sports History: March 8
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 8 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 8 included:
- 1865:Â In the 27th Grand National, Captain Henry Coventry won aboard French outsider Alcibiade at 100/7.
- 1906: In the Stanley Cup, Ottawa HC beat Smiths Falls (ON), 8-2 for a 2-0 sweep of the challenge series.
- 1930: Babe Ruth signed a 2-year contract for $160,000 with the New York Yankees.
- 1931: Tennis player Jack Crawford won the first of four Australian titles, as he beat fellow Australian Harry Hopman.
- 1936: The first stock car race is held in Daytona Beach, Florida.
- 1954: The Milwaukee Hawks defeated the Baltimore Bullets in both games of a doubleheader (64-54 and 65-54), and it marked the only time in NBA history that the same two teams played a doubleheader on the same day.
- 1958: In the fifth Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Maryland beat North Carolina, 86-74.
- 1968: 6-year-old Tommy Moore scored a hole-in-one in golf (Hagerstown, Maryland)
- 1971: The Milwaukee Bucks won their 20th straight NBA game, and at the time, it was an NBA record.
- 1985: The Ice Dance Championship in Tokyo was won by Bestemianova & Bukin.
- 1985: In the sixth Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, Georgetown beat St. John's, 92-80.
- 1986: In the 27th Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Kentucky beat Alabama, 83-72.
- 1986: Martina Navratilova became the first tennis player to earn $10 million.
- 1989: Roger Kingdom ran an indoor world record time of 7.37 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles race.
- 1992: Ray Floyd, at 49 years old, won the Doral Open and became one of the oldest to win a PGA Tour title.
- 1998: In the 45th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament, No 4. North Carolina beat No. 1 Duke, 83-68.
- 2008: Lindsey Vonn set a record with her 10th career World Cup downhill victory.
- 2010: The UConn Huskies set an NCAA women's record by winning their 71st consecutive game, and surpassed their own previous mark.
- 2020: In the ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Melbourne: Defending champions Australia beat India by 85 runs.
- 2022: Reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers agreed to remain with the Green Bay Packers, and the deal was a 4-year, $200 million contract, and that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
Three athletes who stood out on March 8 were Jack Crawford, Ray Floyd, and Lindsey Vonn.
Crawford was known as "Gentleman Jack," and he won 17 major titles (6 singles, 6 doubles, 5 mixed). Floyd was known for his intense competitiveness, winning 22 PGA Tour events (including 4 majors) and 14 Champions Tour titles. Vonn gained fame for her 82 World Cup wins, four overall World Cup championships, and as the first American woman to win Olympic downhill gold (2010).
