This Day in Sports History: April 1
Sports in April include playoffs for the NBA and NHL seasons, the first month of the MLB, The Masters, NCAA Basketball title game, NFL Draft, and some Grand Prix events….
Sports in April include playoffs for the NBA and NHL seasons, the first month of the MLB, The Masters, NCAA Basketball title game, NFL Draft, and some Grand Prix events. Over the years, April 1 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 April 1 included:
- 1920: Jack Darragh scored a hat trick in the Ottawa Senators' (NHL) 6-1 victory over the Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA), securing a 3-2 series win and a Stanley Cup trophy.
- 1930: American golfer Bobby Jones started his Grand Slam season by winning the Southeastern Open by 13 strokes over Horton Smith.
- 1930: Chicago Cubs catcher Leo Hartnett broke the altitude record for a catch by gloving a baseball dropped from the Goodyear blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, California.
- 1938: World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocked out Harry Thomas in the fifth round of their title bout in Chicago.
- 1954: Detroit Red Wings right winger Gordie Howe scored two goals and an assist, setting a Stanley Cup playoff record for the fastest goal from the start of a game, which was nine seconds.
- 1973: Boston Celtics captain John Havlicek scored a career-high 54 points in a 134-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the first game of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
- 1973: Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito won his third consecutive NHL scoring title with 130 points, comprising 55 goals and 75 assists, in the 78-game season.
- 1978: The New York Islanders' right winger Mike Bossy became the first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a single season.
- 1981: Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky has an assist (his 103rd) in the Oilers' 4-4 tie with the Colorado Rockies to break Bobby Orr's 10-year mark for most assists in a single NHL season.
- 1982: Hockey player Peter Stastny got his fourth career hat-trick and four assists.
- 1984: Fred Couples won the PGA Tournament Players Championship.
- 1985: In the 47th NCAA men's basketball tournament, Villanova won the championship title by defeating Georgetown, 66-64. The Wildcats were the lowest-seeded team (eighth) to win the tournament.
- 1990: Besty King won the second of her three Dinah Shore events.
- 1991: Duke beat Kansas 72-65 to take out the 53rd NCAA men's basketball championship. It was the Blue Devils' first title.
- 1996: Kentucky defeated Syracuse 76-67 in the title match of the 58th NCAA men's basketball tournament. It was the Wildcats' sixth national championship.
- 1999: Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game on Canadian ice and it was an emotional moment for the fans of the player who was widely considered the greatest hockey player ever.
- 2002: In the 64th NCAA men's basketball tournament, Maryland beat Indiana, 64-52. It was the Terrapins' first title in their first title game appearance.
- 2007: American super swimmer Michael Phelps smashed his world record in the 400-meter individual medley (4:06:22). It was his record seventh gold medal.
Three athletes who stood out on April 1 was Betsy King, Wayne Gretzky, and Michael Phelps.
King was consistently ranked among the best players in the world during her peak years and her ability to perform under pressure made her one of the top players of her era. Gretzky was dominant in scoring, playmaking, and his overall impact on the game set records that still stand decades later. Phelps excelled in a wide range of races and over his career, he set 39 world records.
