This Day in Sports History: April 1
April is a significant month in sports, marked by the return of the MLB, NBA and NHL playoffs, NCAA basketball title games, the NFL draft, and the Masters Tournament. Historically, April 1 has seen notable sports moments and stories from legends of the game. These are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports that occurred on April 1 include:
- 1930: American golfer Bobby Jones started his Grand Slam season by winning the Southeastern Open by 13 strokes over Horton Smith.
- 1930: Chicago Cubs catcher Leo Hartnett broke the altitude record for a catch by gloving a baseball dropped from the Goodyear blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, California.
- 1938: World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis knocked out Harry Thomas in the fifth round of their title bout in Chicago.
- 1973: Boston Celtics captain John Havlicek scored a career-high 54 points in a 134-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the first game of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
- 2007: American super swimmer Michael Phelps smashed his world record in the 400-meter individual medley (4:06:22). It was his record seventh gold medal.
College Basketball Championships
April 1 has featured several upsets:
- 1985: In the 47th NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Villanova won the championship title by defeating Georgetown, 66-64. The Wildcats were the lowest-seeded team (eighth) to win the tournament.
- 1991: Duke beat Kansas 72-65 to take out the 53rd NCAA men’s basketball championship. It was the Blue Devils’ first title.
- 1996: Kentucky defeated Syracuse 76-67 in the title match of the 58th NCAA men’s basketball tournament. It was the Wildcats’ sixth national championship.
- 2002: In the 64th NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Maryland beat Indiana, 64-52. It was the Terrapins’ first title in their first title game appearance.
Hockey History
These big names were featured on April 1:
- 1920: Jack Darragh scored a hat trick in the Ottawa Senators’ (NHL) 6-1 victory over the Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA), securing a 3-2 series win and a Stanley Cup trophy.
- 1954: Detroit Red Wings right winger Gordie Howe scored two goals and an assist, setting a Stanley Cup playoff record for the fastest goal from the start of a game, which was nine seconds.
- 1973: Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito won his third consecutive NHL scoring title with 130 points, comprising 55 goals and 75 assists, in the 78-game season.
- 1978: The New York Islanders’ right winger Mike Bossy became the first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a single season.
- 1981: Edmonton Oilers center Wayne Gretzky has an assist (his 103rd) in the Oilers’ 4-4 tie with the Colorado Rockies to break Bobby Orr’s 10-year mark for most assists in a single NHL season.
April 1 saw some major schools win national titles, including Duke and Kentucky. However, Villanova stands out because it remains the lowest-seeded team to win a national title in men’s college basketball. The championship game that year is often referred to as “The Perfect Game” because Villanova set a championship game record by shooting 78.6% as a team (22 for 28, including 9 for 10 in the second half).
