This Day in Sports History: March 2
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 2 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. 2 included:
- 1842: In the fourth Grand National, Tom Olliver, aboard 7/1 Gaylad, won the race by four lengths.
- 1890: Speed skater Oskar Fredriksen set the inaugural 5,000-meter world record of 9:19.8 in Stockholm, Sweden.
- 1918: Joe Malone finished the year with the first NHL season of 44 goals.
- 1929: George Hainsworth became the first NHL goaltender to get 20 shutouts in one season, as the Montreal Canadiens beat the visiting Boston Bruins 3-0.
- 1951: In the first NBA All-Star game, the East beat the West 111-94.
- 1962: Center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a game, and it was the most ever by an NBA player in a single game.
- 1966: The Chicago Blackhawks right winger Bobby Hull became the NHL's first 2-time 50-goal scorer.
- 1968: Figure skater Peggy Fleming won her third consecutive World Ladies Figure Skating Championship.
- 1972: Jockey Bill Shoemaker won his record 555th stakes race on the Royal Owl in the San Jacinto.
- 1980: Point guard Mike Bratz ended his NBA free-throw streak of 57 games.
- 1986: Right winger Jari Kurri scored 100 points for the fourth straight NHL season.
- 1991: NC State point guard Chris Corchiani became the first NCAA Division I player to record 1,000 career assists.
- 1991: NHL legend Brett Hull became a 70-goal scorer for the second straight season.
- 1993: Winnipeg Jets winger Teemu Selanne broke the NHL record for goals by a rookie. He passed Mike Bossy's mark of 52.
- 2002: South African boxer ‘Baby Jake' Matlala ended his 22-year career with a 7th-round technical knockout over Juan Herrera to retain his WBU junior flyweight title.
- 2004: The Indianapolis Colts signed quarterback Peyton Manning to a 7-year, $98 million deal.
- 2004: The Saint Joseph's Hawks finished their college basketball season with a perfect 27-0 record in the A-10 East Conference.
- 2019: Swiss 20-time Grand Slam tennis champion Roger Federer beat Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 and won his 100th ATP Tour title at the Dubai Championships.
- 2024: LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 40,000 regular-season points, as the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets 124-114.
Three athletes who stood out on Mar. 2 were Peggy Fleming, Teemu Selanne, and Roger Federer.
Fleming was known for her grace and signature chartreuse dress, and she brought glamour to the sport during the first live, color-televised Olympics. Selanne is a legendary NHL forward (1992–2014) and 2017 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, renowned for his incredible speed and 684 career goals. Federer is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time for his elegant, dominating, and artistic style.
