This Day in Sports History: November 17
Sports in November are all about the NBA and NHL seasons, the end of the college football season, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP World Tour Finals, UFC Fight…
Sports in November are all about the NBA and NHL seasons, the end of the college football season, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP World Tour Finals, UFC Fight Nights, and the start of the college basketball season. Over the years, Nov. 17 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 on Nov. 17 included:
- 1883: Willie Fernie defeated defending champion Bob Ferguson to win the British Open for men's golf.
- 1900: Auburn beat Alabama 53-5 in the fifth Iron Bowl.
- 1926: In their first game, the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Toronto St. Patricks 4-1.
- 1956: Fullback Jim Brown scored an NCAA record of 43 points in a game.
- 1959: San Francisco Giants' first baseman Willie McCovey won the National League Rookie of the Year award.
- 1974: Bonnie Bryant became the first left-handed golfer in history to win an LPGA Tour event.
- 1981: The New York Knicks' Bill Cartwright tied the record for most consecutive free throws made in a game with 19.
- 1982: Dale Murphy won the National League Most Valuable Player award.
- 1983: The Philadelphia Flyers won their 13th game in a row.
- 1984: The Islanders got 20 assists against the Rangers.
- 1984: The Golden State Warriors' Purvis Short scored a career-high 59 points, but his team still lost to the New Jersey Nets 124-110.
- 1985: Darrell Waltrip won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 1987: George Bell became the first Toronto Blue Jay to win the American League MVP award.
- 1991: Dale Earnhardt won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 1991: Pete Sampras won the first of five ATP Tour World Championship tennis titles.
- 1997: Mario Lemieux entered the NHL Hall of Fame.
- 2001: Alabama beat Auburn 31-7 in the 66th annual Iron Bowl.
- 2002: Tony Stewart won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 2002: Lleyton Hewitt won back-to-back, season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles.
- 2013: The Czech Republic beat Serbia to win the Davis Cup.
- 2013: Sebastian Vettel won a record eighth straight Formula 1 race.
- 2013: Jimmie Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup for the sixth time.
- 2019: Stefanos Tsitsipas became the youngest winner of the ATP Finals in the last 18 years.
- 2021: Garbiñe Muguruza became the first Spanish player to win the WTA Finals.
- 2024: Jannik Sinner won his first season-ending ATP Finals title.
Three athletes who stood out on Nov. 17 were Bonnie Bryant, George Bell, and Garbiñe Muguruza.
Before she began her golf career at age 20, Bryant was a five-year veteran of AAA fast-pitch softball and played on the LPGA Tour from 1971 to 1983. Bell was a professional baseball player who was the first from the Dominican Republic to win the American League MVP award in 1987. Muguruza was known for her powerful groundstrokes and aggressive playing style.
