This Day in Sports History: March 30
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 30 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 30 included:
- 1894: In the 56th Grand National, jockey Arthur Nightingall won the second GN aboard 5/1 joint favourite Why Not.
- 1916: The Montreal Canadiens beat the Portland Rosebuds, 2-1, and got a 3-2 series victory for the Stanley Cup Final.
- 1940: In the second NCAA men's basketball championship, Indiana beat Kansas, 60-42, and the Hoosiers' forward Marvin Huffman was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
- 1947: Babe Didrikson Zaharias won the first of three LPGA Titleholders titles.
- 1975: Hockey player Ron Lalonde scored the first hat-trick by a Washington Capital.
- 1981: In the 43rd NCAA men's basketball championship, Indiana beat North Carolina, 63-50. Hoosiers' future Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
- 1985: Ireland beat England, 13-10, and clinched their 10th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship. It was also their sixth triple crown.
- 1986: In the fifth NCAA women's basketball championship, Texas beat USC, 97-81, and the Longhorns' Clarissa Davis got the MOP award. Texas also finished the season with an undefeated 34-0 record.
- 1986: John Mahaffey won the PGA Tournament Players Championship by one stroke.
- 1990: Jack Nicklaus debuted on the Senior PGA Tour with a 71 in the first round of The Tradition at Desert Mountain and won the event by four strokes.
- 1991: Northern Michigan won its first NCAA hockey title.
- 1996: The New York Mets beat the New York Yankees, 5-3, in an exhibition game.
- 1997: In the 16th NCAA women's basketball championship, Tennessee beat Old Dominion, 68-59, and it was the Volunteers' fifth national title.
- 1997: Golfer Betsy King won her third title at the Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament. It was also the last of her six major titles.
- 1997: Golfer Steve Elkington won his second PC title.
- 2001: Swimmer Michael Phelps broke the 200-meter butterfly world record at the United States World Championship trials at Austin. At 15 years and nine months old, he became the youngest male to set a world mark.
- 2003: England beat Ireland 42-6. It completed a Grand Slam and a Six Nations Rugby Championship victory.
- 2003: Patricia Meunier-Lebouc of France won her only major golf title.
Three athletes who stood out on March 30 were Isiah Thomas, Betsy King, and Michael Phelps.
Thomas is famous for being one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and the leader of the "Bad Boys" era of the Detroit Pistons. Over King's career, she recorded 34 LPGA Tour victories, and that ranked her among the most accomplished golfers of her era. Phelps is famous for being the most decorated Olympian in history. He dominated competitive swimming for over a decade and set records that may stand for generations.
