Aug. 29
Today in sports history
Today is Aug. 29. On this date in:
1885: John L. Sullivan defeated Dominick McCaffrey in Cincinnati in what is widely regarded as the first world heavyweight championship contested under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules, helping define modern boxing.
1920: Duke Kahanamoku won the Olympic men’s 100-meter freestyle in Antwerp, successfully defending his title as the United States swept the event’s medals.
1920: Ethelda Bleibtrey anchored the United States to gold in the Olympic women’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay at Antwerp, completing a sweep of all three women’s swimming events contested at the games.
1922: The United States defeated Great Britain 8-4 in the inaugural Walker Cup, launching one of amateur golf’s premier international team competitions.
1948: Jackie Robinson hit for a reverse natural cycle — home run, triple, double and single — as the Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 12-7 in the first game of a doubleheader.
1952: Dr. Reginald Weir and George Stewart became the first Black men to compete in the U.S. National Championships at Forest Hills, breaking a significant racial barrier in American tennis.
1963: Sandy Koufax earned his first 20-win season by pitching a three-hitter as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants.
1965: Willie Mays hit his 17th home run of August, establishing a National League record for home runs in a month, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the New York Mets.
1966: Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts recorded his 286th and final major league victory as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-2.
1968: The U.S. Open entered the Open Era as professionals and amateurs competed together for the first time, and Billie Jean King won the first Open Era match played at Forest Hills.
1972: American swimmer Sandy Neilson won Olympic gold in the women’s 100-meter freestyle at Munich in 58.59 seconds, one of three gold medals she earned at the games.
1977: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock stole two bases against the San Diego Padres, tying and then surpassing Ty Cobb’s career record as it was recognized at the time with his 893rd steal.
1990: The Seattle Mariners signed Ken Griffey Sr. as a free agent, paving the way for him and Ken Griffey Jr. to become the first father-son teammates in Major League Baseball history.
1994: Mario Lemieux announced he would sit out the 1994-95 NHL season because of back problems and fatigue following cancer treatment; he returned the next season to win both the Hart and Art Ross trophies.
1998: Louisiana Tech receiver Troy Edwards set an NCAA record with 405 receiving yards on 21 catches against Nebraska in the Eddie Robinson Classic.
2003: AC Milan defeated Porto 1-0 in Monaco to win the UEFA Super Cup, with Andriy Shevchenko scoring the match’s lone goal.
2004: Italy’s Stefano Baldini won the Olympic men’s marathon in 2 hours, 10 minutes, 55 seconds in Athens after race leader Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil was attacked by a spectator. American Meb Keflezighi earned the silver medal.
2004: Michael Schumacher finished second in the Belgian Grand Prix to clinch his record seventh Formula One world drivers’ championship; Kimi Räikkönen won the race.
2008: The Tampa Bay Rays secured the first winning season in franchise history – in the franchise’s 10th season, having just changed their name from the Devil Rays – with their 82nd victory, a 14-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.
2010: Kenya’s David Rudisha lowered his week-old 800-meter world record to 1 minute, 41.01 seconds at a meet in Rieti, Italy.
2015: Ashton Eaton won the decathlon at the World Championships in Beijing, breaking his own world record and securing a second consecutive world title.
2015: Usain Bolt anchored Jamaica to the men’s 4x100-meter relay gold medal at the World Championships in Beijing, earning the 11th world championship gold of his career.
2018: Aaron Rodgers agreed to a four-year, $134 million extension with the Green Bay Packers, a record-setting NFL contract.
2018: Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich went 6-for-6 and hit for the cycle in a 13-12 victory over Cincinnati, the first of his two cycles against the Reds that season.
2021: Max Verstappen won the rain-shortened Belgian Grand Prix after only a handful of laps behind the safety car, producing the shortest race in Formula One history.
— USA TODAY Network
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Today in sports, August 29