This Day in Sports History: September 1
Sports in September are all about baseball, the start of the NFL and College Football seasons, UFC, the Ryder Cup, and F1. Over the years, Sept. 1 has witnessed notable…
Sports in September are all about baseball, the start of the NFL and College Football seasons, UFC, the Ryder Cup, and F1. Over the years, Sept. 1 has witnessed notable moments and stories from sporting legends. Here's a closer look at some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history that occurred on Sept. 1 included:
- 1890: The Brooklyn Bridegrooms won three MLB games in one day.
- 1893: William Auchterlonie won the British Open for Men's Golf by two strokes.
- 1906: The New York Highlanders won their sixth consecutive MLB game.
- 1914: R. Norris Williams won the U.S. National Men's Championship for tennis, making it his first major title.
- 1931: Lou Gehrig hit his third grand slam in four days.
- 1936: Gustave Roth beat Heinz Lazek in a 15-round points decision to take the IBU World Light Heavyweight title.
- 1945: Phillies outfielder Vince DiMaggio smashed his fourth grand slam of the season, tying an NL record.
- 1946: Patty Berg won the first U.S. Women's Golf Open.
- 1949: Viljo Heino set a world record time of 29:27.2 in the 10,000 meters.
- 1958: Cardinals pitcher Vinegar Bend Mizell walked an NL record nine batters in a 1-0 shutout of the Cincinnati Reds.
- 1960: The U.S. 4 x 100-meter relay team swam a world record time of 4:05.4.
- 1964: Giants reliever Masanori Murakami was the first Japanese-born player to appear in MLB.
- 1971: John Newcombe became the first top-seeded player to lose in the first round of the U.S. Open.
- 1971: The Pittsburgh Pirates made history by fielding an entirely Black and Latino starting lineup against the Phillies.
- 1972: Shane Gould swam a 200-meter freestyle world record time of 2:03.56.
- 1972: American Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky to win the World Chess Championship.
- 1973: George Foreman knocked out Jose Roman in the first round to defend his WBC and WBA heavyweight titles.
- 1975: Tom Seaver was the first pitcher in MLB history to get 200 strikeouts in eight straight seasons.
- 1977: Tracy Austin, at age 14 years, 8 months, 20 days, became the youngest female to play in the US Open.
- 1984: Jerry Rice caught 17 passes for a total of 294 yards and five touchdowns, breaking his own Division I-AA record for total yardage in pass receptions.
- 1987: Michael Chang became the youngest male competitor to win a tennis match at the U.S. Open.
- 1989: Chris Evert became the first player to win 100 matches at the U.S. Open.
- 1996: The Baltimore Ravens won their first game.
- 1997: Pete Sampras' 17-match winning streak in tennis came to an end.
- 1999: Mario Lemieux became the first modern athlete to own his former NHL team.
- 2001: Jockey Tim Moccasin scored his 14th win in a row.
- 2007: In a massive upset, FCS Appalachian State defeated No. 5 Michigan 34-32.
- 2013: Anna Stohr won the gold medal in bouldering at the European Championships.
- 2016: Colin Kaepernick knelt in protest during the U.S. National Anthem.
- 2019: Justin Verlander threw his third career no-hitter.
- 2021: Cristiano Ronaldo broke the world record for goals scored in men's international soccer.
- 2024: Scottie Scheffler scored a four-stroke win ahead of fellow American Collin Morikawa to earn a record US $25 million first prize.
Looking back on the events of Sept. 1, the athletes who stood out were George Foreman, Tom Seaver, and Jerry Rice.
Foreman was famous as a two-time heavyweight boxing champion, an Olympic gold medalist, a successful entrepreneur best known for the George Foreman Grill, and a Christian minister. Seaver was a Hall of Fame pitcher, winning three Cy Young Awards, leading the Mets to their 1969 World Series title, and amassing 311 career wins. Rice, one of the greatest receivers of all time, was a three-time Super Bowl champion.
