This Day in Sports History: March 16
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, Mar. 16 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. 16 included:
- 1872: In the first English FA Cup Final, the Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0.
- 1876: Nelly Saunders & Rose Harland fought in the first female boxing match.
- 1935: Scotland beat England, 10-7, and that allowed Ireland to win the Home Nations Rugby Championship.
- 1939: An NHL record of 10 goals in one period happened between the New York Rangers and New York Americans.
- 1952: Babe Didrikson Zaharias won her third Titleholders title by seven strokes from Betsy Rawls.
- 1956: Figure skater Tenley Albright won the United States Ladies Figure Skating championship.
- 1957: Golfer Patty Berg won her seventh Titleholders title by three strokes from Anne Quast.
- 1969: The Boston Bruins scored an NHL record of eight goals in one period.
- 1974: Wales and France lost their final round matches, giving Ireland their eighth Five Nations Rugby Championship.
- 1991: England beat France, 21-19, and picked up their 19th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship.
- 1991: New Jersey Nets coach Bill Fitch became the fourth coach to win 800 NBA games.
- 1991: Figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi won the World Ladies' Figure Skating Championship.
- 1996: Mike Tyson got a technical knockout on Frank Bruno in the third round to gain the heavyweight title.
- 1997: The New Jersey Devils' Dave Andreychuk became the 26th NHLer to score 500 goals.
- 2003: In the 44th SEC men's basketball tournament, Kentucky beat Mississippi State, 64-57.
- 2008: In the 55th ACC men's basketball tournament, No. 1 North Carolina beat No. 22 Clemson, 86-81.
- 2008: Auto racer Dale Jarrett retired from points racing after the 2008 Food City 500.
- 2013: In the 34th Big East Men's basketball tournament, Louisville beat Syracuse, 78-61.
- 2013: Kim Yu-Na of South Korea won the women's 2013 World Figure Skating Championships.
- 2013: Wales beat England by a record 30-3 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff and retained their Six Nations Rugby Championship.
- 2014: In the 61st ACC men's basketball tournament, No. 6 Virginia beat No.7 Duke, 72-63.
- 2025: Golfer Rory McIlroy earned his second Players title in a three-hole aggregate playoff against J. J. Spaun after both finished at 12-under-par 276.
Three athletes who stood out on Mar. 16 were Patty Berg, Bill Fitch, and Kristi Yamaguchi.
Berg won 60 LPGA Tour titles, was the first female to have a signature club line, and was a 1951 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee. Fitch was a two-time Coach of the Year, known for transforming and rebuilding teams, coached 25 seasons with five franchises, and recorded 944 wins. Yamaguchi is recognized for her professional skating career, her 2008 victory on Dancing with the Stars, and her charitable work through the Always Dream foundation.
