This Day in Sports History: March 13
Historically, March 13 has seen memorable sporting moments and inspirational achievements. Continue reading to find out more.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Remarkable sporting moments from March 13 include:
- 1878: The University of Oxford defeated the University of Cambridge University in the first varsity golf match.
- 1911: In the Stanley Cup, the Ottawa Senators beat the Galt Professionals of the Ontario Professional Hockey League 7-4 at Dey’s Arena in Ottawa, Ontario.
- 1912: The Quebec Bulldogs defeated the Moncton Victorias 8-0 for a 2-0 sweep of the Stanley Cup Challenge.
- 1918: In the final of the newly created NHL championship, the Toronto Arenas beat the Montreal Canadiens, outscoring them 10-7 in a two-game set.
- 1948: Ireland won their first Grand Slam with a 6-3 victory over Wales in the Five Nations Rugby Championship at Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast.
- 1955: Patty Berg won her sixth Titleholders golf crown by two strokes over Mary Lena Faulk.
- 1961: At the Miami Beach Convention Hall, Floyd Patterson overcame two first-round knockdowns to KO Ingemar Johansson in six and retain the world heavyweight boxing crown.
- 1971: Margaret Court won her 10th Australian singles title, beating fellow Australian Evonne Goolagong 2-6, 7-6, 7-5.
- 1999: Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis fought to a 12-round split draw in one of the most controversial decisions in boxing history.
College Basketball Tournaments
March 13 has seen thrilling conference games:
- 2005: In the 52nd ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, No. 3 Duke University beat Georgia Institute of Technology 69-64.
- 2009: No. 5 Louisville defeated No. 10 Villanova 69-55 in the 30th Big East Basketball Tournament.
- 2010: In the 31st Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament, No. 7 West Virginia beat No. 22 Georgetown 60-58.
- 2011: No. 5 Duke beats No. 6 North Carolina 75-58 in the 58th ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Sports History
On March 13, certain sports legends set records, started their careers, and came out of retirement:
- 1954: Braves’ Bobby Thomson broke his ankle and was replaced by Hank Aaron.
- 1979: The New York Islanders Mike Bossy got his fifth career hat trick.
- 1980: American speed skater Eric Heiden set a world record in the 1000 meter with a time of 1:13.60.
- 1982: Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean of Great Britain won the World Figure Skating Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- 2022: After a 40-day retirement, record-breaking quarterback Tom Brady announced that he would play at least one more season in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Reviewing these March 13 statistics, the theme revolves around two GOATs in the MLB and NFL: Hank Aaron and Tom Brady. The 1954 season was the first of Aaron’s 23-season career. Nicknamed “Hammerin’ Hank,” he was a legendary baseball player with 25 All-Star appearances. He’s known for his power-hitting and breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record.
Brady is known for his record-breaking NFL quarterback career. He grabbed seven Super Bowl titles and five Super Bowl MVP awards. Brady also competed for 23 seasons and continued playing into his 40s.
