This Day in Sports History: November 2
Sports in November are all about the NBA and NHL seasons, the end-of-season college football games, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP World Tour Finals, UFC Fight Nights, and…
Sports in November are all about the NBA and NHL seasons, the end-of-season college football games, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP World Tour Finals, UFC Fight Nights, and the start of college basketball. Over the years, Nov. 2 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 Nov. 2 included:
- 1895: Fred Taral rode Preakness to win the Belmont Stakes in a time of 2:11.
- 1938: Red Sox first baseman Jimmie Foxx won his third award as the American League's most valuable player.
- 1947: The U.S. golf team won the Ryder Cup.
- 1958: The Rams beat the Bears 41-35 in front of a record attendance of 90,833.
- 1960: Roger Maris won the American League MVP.
- 1969: 41-year-old Gordie Howe picked up the 19th and final hat trick of his career. He was also the oldest player to score an NHL hat trick.
- 1969: Quarterbacks Billy Kilmer and Charlie Johnson combined to set a record of 12 passing touchdowns in an NFL game.
- 1971: The Orioles' Pat Dobson pitched a no-hitter against the Yomiuri Giants, the first no-hitter in the history of exhibition play between American and Japanese teams.
- 1972: Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton won the National League Cy Young Award.
- 1977: Steve Carlton won his second Cy Young Award.
- 1985: The Los Angeles Kings scored five goals in 5:37, the fastest in NHL team history.
- 1986: Grete Waitz won her eighth New York City Marathon in a time of 2:28:06.
- 1990: The Warriors and Nuggets combined for 320 total points, the most combined points in a non-overtime game.
- 1997: Eric Metcalf returned two punts for touchdowns and became the second player in NFL history to achieve this feat.
- 2002: Boston College beat Notre Dame 14-7 in the 14th annual college football "Holy War."
- 2002: Mark Messier played in his 1,616th career NHL game.
- 2008: Lewis Hamilton clinched his first F1 World Drivers' Championship title.
- 2011: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid.
- 2016: The Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians four games to three to win their first title in 108 years. Ben Zobrist was the World Series MVP.
- 2019: The Springboks defeated England 32-12 to win their third Rugby World Cup.
Three athletes who stood out on Nov. 2 were Gordie Howe, Steve Carlton, and Grete Waitz.
Howe earned the nickname "Mr. Hockey" due to his exceptional scoring, physical toughness, and remarkable career longevity, spanning five decades. Carlton was part of the 1980 World Series title and had a career total of 329 wins and 4,136 strikeouts. Waitz won eight New York City Marathons and a silver medal in the first women's Olympic marathon.
