TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1893 — Andy Bowen and Jack Burke box 7 hours 19 minutes to a no-decision in St. Louis (111 rounds, longest bout in boxing history). 1896 — First modern Olympic Games begin in Athens, Greece, as the Games of the I Olympiad are staged; 60,000 spectators welcome 280 athletes from 13 nations to the international competition of 43 events. James Connolly of the USA wins first Olympic gold medal in modern history.

1926 — NHL Stanley Cup: Montreal Maroons beat Victoria Cougars (WHL), 3 games to 1.

1936 — Third Golf Masters Championship: Horton Smith wins, shooting a 285.

1941 — 8th Golf Masters Championship: Craig Wood wins, shooting a 280.

1947 — 11th Golf Masters Championship: Jimmy Demaret wins his second Masters golf tournament, shooting a 281.

1952 — 16th Golf Masters Championship: Sam Snead wins his second Masters golf tournament, shooting a 286.

1954 — NHL’s Montreal Canadiens score three goals in 56 seconds in playoff game against Detroit Red Wings.

1958 — Arnold Palmer wins first major golf tournament-the Masters.

1973 — Roberto Clemente Day, Pittsburgh Pirates retire his number.

1973 — New York Yankees’ Ron Blomberg becomes first designated hitter, he walks.

1980 — Gordie Howe completes a record 26th hockey season.

1982 — A blizzard unprecedented in size for April dumps snow on the Northeastern U.S., closing schools and businesses, snarling traffic, and cancelling several major league baseball games.

1986 — 15th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Pat Bradley.

1987 — Al Campanis appears on TV show “Nightline” saying blacks may not be equipped to be in baseball management, sparking a racial controversy.

1987 — Sugar Ray Leonard upsets Marvellous Marvin Hagler.

1991 — Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona suspended for 15 months by Italian League for testing positive for cocaine use.

1991 — New York-New Jersey Knights first home game (Giants Stadium) lose to Frankfurt 27-17. 1992 — 54th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Duke beats Michigan 71-51.

1992 — Oriole Park at Camden Yards opens, Baltimore Orioles beat Cleveland Indians 2-0.

1996 — Albert Belle shows off his arm by hitting Sports Illustrated photographer Tony Tomsic in the hand prior to a game.

1996 — Major League Soccer kicks off in the USA in front of an overflow crowd of 31,683 packed in Spartan Stadium to witness the historic first game. San Jose Clash forward Eric Wynalda scores the league’s first goal in a 1-0 victory over D.C. United.

2009 — North Carolina Tar Heels overwhelms Michigan State Spartans 89-72 in the final of the NCAA Tournament.

The King, Arnold Palmer, walks across the Hogan Bridge on the 12th fairway for the final time in Masters competition in 2004, 46 years after he won his first of four Masters titles to go with a U.S. Open, two British Opens and three PGA Championships.