Today in Sports: Muhammad Ali wins legal battle to overturn draft evasion conviction
Today’s Sports Highlight in History:
In 1971, Muhammad Ali wins a four-year legal battle to overturn his 1967 conviction for draft evasion in an 8-0 vote by the U.S. Supreme Court.
On this date:
1935 — Alf Perry ties a British Open scoring record with a 283 total at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Perry’s finishes five-under for four-stroke win over Alf Padgham.
1939 — Joe Louis stops Tony Galento in the fourth round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.
1953 — Betsy Rawls wins the U.S. Women’s Open with a six-stroke playoff victory over Jacqueline Pung.
1966 — Ernie Terrell scores a unanimous 15-round decision over Doug Jones in Houston to win the WBA title, which had been stripped from Muhammad Ali.
1992 — Connie Price-Smith, who earlier won the discus, wins the shot put at 62 feet, 6 inches, to become the first woman to win both events at the U.S. Olympic trials since Earlene Brown in 1960.
1992 — U.S. Dream Team beats Cuba in 1st exhibition basketball game, 133-57.
1994 — Oleg Salenko scores a World Cup record five goals as Russia beats Cameroon 6-1.
1994 — NHL Draft: Windsor Spitfires (OHL) defenceman Ed Jovanovski first pick by Florida Panthers.
1995 — NBA draft: Maryland power forward Joe Smith first pick by Golden State Warriors.
1997 — Evander Holyfield, bleeding badly from his right ear after being bitten by Mike Tyson, retains the WBA heavyweight championship in Las Vegas when Tyson is disqualified after the third round.
2000 — NBA Draft: Cincinnati power forward Kenyon Martin first pick by New Jersey Nets.
2005 — NBA Draft: Utah center Andrew Bogut first pick by Milwaukee Bucks.
2006 — NBA Draft: Benetton Treviso (Italy) power forward Andrea Bargnani first pick by Toronto Raptors.
2007 — Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run to become the 21st major leaguer to reach the career mark.
2007 — Craig Biggio becomes the 27th player in major league history to get 3,000 hits in Houston’s 8-5 11-inning victory over Colorado.
2007 — NBA Draft: Ohio State center Greg Oden first pick by Portland Trail Blazers.
2009 — Mariano Rivera earns his 500th save, becoming the second reliever to reach the milestone, and the New York Yankees beat the Mets 4-2 for a Subway Series sweep.
2009 — Nineteen-year-old Joey Logano becomes the youngest winner in the history of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, winning the rain-shortened race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
2012 — Kentucky becomes the first school to go 1-2 in the NBA Draft. New Orleans Hornets select Kentucky forward Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick. Then Charlotte follows by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The Wildcats join UNLV with six players drafted in the entire draft. UNLV had six players drafted in 1977 — but none in the first round.
2014 — Sebastian K, driven by trainer Ake Svanstedt, trots the fastest mile in harness racing history, finishing in 1:49 in the $100,000 Sun Invitational for older trotters at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Sebastian K, an 8-year-old stallion who raced four times in the U.S. since arriving from Sweden during the winter, breaks the record of 1:49.3 set by Enough Talk in 2008.
2023 — New York Yankees’ pitcher Domingo Germán (30) throws a perfect game in 11-0 win over Oakland A’s at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum; it is his first complete game in 7-year MLB career.