Today in sports history

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

April 6

1896 — The first modern Olympic Games begin in Athens, Greece. James B. Connelly wins the first event — the hop, step and jump.

1936 — Horton Smith edges Harry Cooper by one stroke to win the Masters. 1941 — Craig Wood beats Byron Nelson by three strokes to win the Masters. 1947 — Jimmy Demaret wins the Masters for the second time with two-stroke victory over Byron Nelson and Frank Stranahan. 1952 — Sam Snead wins his second Masters, beating Jack Burke Jr. by four shots.

1973 — Ron Blomberg of the New York Yankees becomes the first major league designated hitter, in an opening-day game against Boston. 1987 — Sugar Ray Leonard returns to the ring after a three-year layoff to upset Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a 12-round split decision for the middleweight title, becoming boxing’s 10th triple champion. 1992 — Duke becomes the first team in 19 years to repeat as NCAA champion with a 71-51 victory over Michigan’s Fab Five freshmen, the youngest team to vie for the title. 2004 — Connecticut’s championship sweep is complete. Led by Diana Taurasi, UConn beats Tennessee 70-61. The victory by the women — their third straight and fourth in five years, makes Connecticut the first Division I basketball school to sweep both men’s and women’s titles. 2008 — Lorena Ochoa continues her dominance of women’s golf with a fiveshot victory in the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

2008 — Teenager Graham Rahal, making first IRL IndyCar Series start in the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, holds off veteran Helio Castroneves to become the youngest winner in major open-wheel history. At 19 years, 93 days, Rahal breaks the age record set two years ago in Sonoma, Calif., by Marco Andretti, who was 19 years, 167 days old.