This Day in Sports History: March 24
March 24 has seen notable sports moments and the unforgettable achievements of legends. These are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great sporting events that occurred on March 24th include:
- 1877: In the English FA Cup Final at Kennington Oval in London, the Wanderers beat Oxford University 2-1 to win the title for the fourth time.
- 1911: Legendary jockey Jack Anthony won the 73rd Grand National riding 20/1 shot Glenside in torrential rain.
- 1936: The Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 at 16:30 of the sixth overtime period, setting a record for the longest Stanley Cup playoff game at nine periods.
- 1956: Wales beats France 5-3 in the Six Nations rugby match at the National Stadium, Cardiff.
- 1962: Emile Griffith defeated Benny “Kid” Paret by knockout in the 12th round of the welterweight boxing title fight at Madison Square Garden, New York.
- 1975: Muhammad Ali knocked out Chuck Wepner in the 15th round to become the World Boxing Council Heavyweight Champion.
College Basketball Championships
March 24 has several NCAA/NIT championship upsets:
- 1941: Long Island University beat Ohio University 56-42 for the NIT basketball championship.
- 1956: In the 18th NCAA tournament, San Francisco beat Iowa 83-71, claiming back-to-back titles.
- 1962: Cincinnati became NCAA champions, defeating Ohio State 71-59. It was back-to-back titles for the Bearcats.
- 1974: North Carolina State beat Marquette 76-74 for the 36th NCAA men’s basketball championship title. It was the Wolfpack’s first title and the first tournament that was officially designated as a Division 1 Championship.
- 1979: Michigan State’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson registered a triple-double with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists as the Spartans cruised to a 101-67 victory over Penn State.
- 1980: Louisville won the title in the 42nd NCAA basketball tournament with a 59-54 win over UCLA. It was the Cardinals’ first title and first title game appearance.
Sports History
Some big names in sport have momentous events that happened on March 24, including:
- 1985: Martina Navratilova won her third straight Women’s Tennis Association Tour Championship.
- 2019: New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement. He was a three-time Super Bowl winner and, at the time, held postseason records for tight ends in most receptions (81), receiving yards (1,163), and receiving touchdowns (12).
- 2020: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Paralympic Games until the summer of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Reviewing these March 24 statistics, March Madness facts stand out. Only eight college basketball programs have won back-to-back national titles, with the Dons and Bearcats among them. The other six are Oklahoma State, Kentucky, UCLA, Duke, Florida, and UConn.
North Carolina State went on to win another title in 1983. The program has made the tournament 29 times and reached the Final Four on four occasions. Magic Johnson brought some magic to the 1979 Michigan State team, helping the Spartans win their first National title against Larry Bird’s Indiana State team.
