This Day in Sports History: March 7
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 7 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 7 included:
- 1857: Baseball adopted the nine-inning format.
- 1921: Cy Denneny of the Ottawa Senators scored six goals in a 12-5 win over the Hamilton Tigers.
- 1930: Georgetown High of Chicago defeated Homer 1-0 in basketball.
- 1951: Ezzard Charles beat Jersey Joe Walcott in 15 rounds for the second time to win the National Boxing Association world heavyweight title at the Olympia in Detroit, Michigan.
- 1955: Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick announced he favored the legalization of the spitter.
- 1959: In the sixth Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Tournament, North Carolina State University defeated the University of North Carolina 80-56.
- 1970: Austin Carr scored an NCAA Tournament record 61 points for Notre Dame in a 112-82 win over Ohio.
- 1971: Boxer Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali by a 15-round decision at Madison Square Garden.
- 1979: The baseball exhibition season opened with semipro and amateur umpires.
- 1979: Warren Giles and Hack Wilson were elected to the Hall of Fame.
- 1981: Ole Miss won the 22nd Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament, beating Georgia 66-62.
- 1982: In the 29th ACC Tournament, North Carolina defeated Virginia 47-45.
- 1987: Mike Tyson defeated James "Bonecrusher" Smith by unanimous decision in 12 rounds in Las Vegas, unifying the WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing titles.
- 1988: One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott won the 58th James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States, becoming the first baseball player to win the award.
- 1989: The Minnesota North Stars traded Dino Ciccarelli to the Washington Capitals.
- 1996: Magic Johnson was the second NBA player to reach 10,000 career assists.
- 1998: Connecticut beat Syracuse 69-64 in the final of the 19th Big East Basketball Tournament.
- 1999: The 46th ACC Tournament saw the undefeated Duke University team beat No. 15-ranked North Carolina, 96-73.
- 2015: Kentucky (31-0) became the first men's major conference team to go undefeated in the regular season since 1976.
- 2016: Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 300 3-pointers in a single season.
- 2016: Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the Denver Broncos and the NFL.
- 2016: Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova revealed she failed a drug test for meldonium at the Australian Open in January and got suspended for 15 months.
- 2021: In the annual NBA All-Star Game, Team LeBron beats Team Durant 170-150. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks won the MVP award.
Three athletes who stood out on March 7 were Ezzard Charles, Austin Carr, and Jim Abbott.
Charles is famous for his precise boxing style, elite defense, and defeating some Hall of Famers. Carr is one of the greatest scorers in NCAA history and the first-ever #1 overall draft pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1971. Abbott is famous for a stellar 10-season career (1989–1999) achieved despite being born without a right hand.
