This Day in Sports History: August 29
Big sports events in August include Major League Baseball games, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, World Wrestling Entertainment events, NASCAR races, track and field competitions, and the first week of…
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Big sports events in August include Major League Baseball games, the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, World Wrestling Entertainment events, NASCAR races, track and field competitions, and the first week of college football. Over the years, Aug. 29 has seen a variety of notable sports moments and stories from legends of the game. Here you'll find a few outstanding examples of these feats.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Aug. 29 include:
- 1885: The first world heavyweight title championship took place. The fight was between John L. Sullivan and Dominick McCaffrey, who wore 3-oz. gloves, as opposed to the 8- to 16-oz. gloves used today.
- 1885: Charlie Ferguson pitches a no-hitter against Providence.
- 1906: William Clothier won the U.S. National Tennis Championship for men.
- 1908: William Larned won his fourth of seven U.S. National Tennis Championship titles.
- 1908: Fred McLeod won the U.S. Open for golf by six strokes. It was his only major title.
- 1920: Ethelda Bleibtrey won her third gold medal of the Antwerp Olympics in the 4 x 100-meter relay. She also won in the 100-meter and the 300-meter races, setting a new world record in the latter.
- 1935: At the second NFL College All-Star Game, the Chicago Bears beat the All-Stars 5-0.
- 1960: Gert Fredriksson gets his sixth gold medal in four Olympic Games in a canoe sprint. He remains the most successful male kayaker in Olympic history.
- 1965: Willie Mays set a National League record with 17 home runs in a month.
- 1968: In the first match of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, Billie Jean King beat Dr Vija Vuskalns.
- 1972: Sandy Neilson wins the women's 100-meter freestyle gold medal, with a time of 58.59 seconds.
- 1977: Lou Brock reached 893 stolen bases, passing Ty Cobb's 49-year record of 892.
- 1982: George Brett collected his 1,500th career hit.
- 1987: Nolan Ryan passed the 200-strikeout mark for the 11th time in his career.
- 1993: Brandie Burton won the Canadian Women's Open for golf.
- 2004: Michael Schumacher got his fifth straight F1 World Drivers Championship title.
- 2009: Cristiano Ronaldo debuted with Real Madrid and scored a penalty shot for them.
- 2010: Golfer Michelle Wie won the Canadian Women's Open by three strokes.
- 2018: Aaron Rodgers' record-breaking $134 million four-year contract with the Green Bay Packers was announced.
- 2022: Albert Pujols hit his 694th career home run.
Two athletes stand out on this date. They are Lou Brock and Aaron Rodgers.
Brock was known for his exceptional speed and base-stealing ability. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985. Rodgers is a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, a Super Bowl champion and MVP.
