This Day in Sports History: June 26
Sports in June are all about Major League Baseball, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open Golf, the Canadian Grand Prix, and track and field events….
LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 24: Yao Ming #11 of the Houston Rockets is defended by Zhizhi Wang #16 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the game at Staples Center on November 24, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. The Clippers won 90-89. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)
Sports in June are all about Major League Baseball, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Final, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open Golf, the Canadian Grand Prix, and track and field events. There were also other notable sports moments and stories from legends of the game. Let's take a closer look at these and more.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sport that occurred on June 26 included:
- 1899: R.F. Doherty won his third straight Wimbledon singles championship.
- 1906: Ferenc Szisz won a Grand Prix racing event.
- 1910: Hazel Hotchkiss defended her U.S. National Championship for Women's Tennis.
- 1911: John McDermott won the U.S. Open for Men's Golf and became the first American-born champion.
- 1925: Jim Barnes won the British Open for Men's Golf, his only Open title victory.
- 1954: Jim Peters achieved a marathon time of 2:17:39.4.
- 1955: Patty Berg won her fifth LPGA Western Open title.
- 1959: Ingemar Johansson beat Floyd Patterson in three rounds to win the world heavyweight boxing title.
- 1962: Earl Wilson pitched a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels.
- 1970: Frank Robinson hit two grand slams in a game.
- 1976: Wrestler Antonio Inoki fought boxer Muhammad Ali in Tokyo, Japan.
- 1992: Denmark upset the odds with a 2-0 victory over Germany to win the UEFA European Championship Final.
- 1993: Eddie Murray was the 20th player in MLB history to get 1,600 RBIs.
- 1994: Dave Stockton won golf's Senior Players Championship.
- 2002: With the first pick in the NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming, a center from the Shanghai Sharks.
- 2003: With the first pick in the NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Lebron James, a small forward from St. Vincent-St. Mary's High School.
- 2005: Birdie Kim won the US Open for Women's Golf, her only LPGA title.
- 2011: Yani Tseng won the LPGA Championship, her fourth major title.
- 2015: With the first pick in the NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers selected Connor McDavid, a center from the Erie Otters of the OHL.
- 2016: Chile defended its Copa America Final title to beat Argentina 4-2 on penalties.
- 2017: New Zealand beat the USA 7-1 to win the America's Cup.
- 2022: The Colorado Avalanche beat the Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two and won the Stanley Cup Final. It was the Avs' third title in franchise history, stopping the Lightning from doing a three-peat.
Looking back on these June 26 statistics, the athletes that stood out were Frank Robinson, Yao Ming, and Connor McDavid.
Robinson had a remarkable baseball career. He was the first African American to manage in the major leagues, and one of the most feared hitters of his era. Ming was a highly successful Chinese basketball player, renowned for his impact in the NBA and his role in popularizing basketball in China. McDavid was widely regarded as one of the best players in the world, due to his exceptional speed, vision, and playmaking abilities.
