This Day in Sports History: September 16

Sports taking center stage in September include MLB, NFL, college football, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Ryder Cup, and Formula 1. Over the years, Sept. 16 has witnessed many memorable sports moments and legendary performances. Here’s a closer look at some of them.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Noteworthy sports events on Sept. 16 included:

• 1864: Thomas “Old Tom” Morris won the British Open men’s golf tournament, also known as the Open Championship, for the third time.
• 1869: Young Tom Morris scored the first hole-in-one during the Open Championship.
• 1887: Willie Park Jr. won the first of his two British Open titles.
• 1906: Kaarlo Nieminen won the first Finnish marathon.
• 1919: Dutch Ruether beat the Giants 4-3 to clinch Cincinnati’s first NL pennant.
• 1922: Bill Tilden won his third consecutive U.S. National Championships men’s singles title. 
• 1924: Jim Bottomley set an MLB record, driving in 12 runs in a single game.
• 1931: The St. Louis Cardinals won the National League pennant for the second consecutive year.
• 1937: The Washington Redskins won their first game after relocating.
• 1938: Driver Captain George Eyston set a world land speed record of 357.5 mph.
• 1939: The New York Yankees won their 11th American League pennant.
• 1950: The Cleveland Browns played their first NFL game, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 35-10.
• 1951: Betsy Rawls won the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship, claiming the first of her eight major titles.
• 1960: Warren Spahn pitched a no-hitter against the Phillies.
• 1962: Brian Kilby won the marathon in 2:23:18.8 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games.
• 1965: Dave Morehead pitched a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians.
• 1973: O.J. Simpson rushed for 250 yards in an NFL game.
• 1975: Rennie Stennett became the only player since 1900 to go seven-for-seven in a nine-inning game.
• 1981: Sugar Ray Leonard unified the world welterweight title by stopping Thomas Hearns.
• 1983: Professional weightlifter and bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen.
• 1987: California’s Bob Boone caught his record 1,919th MLB game.
• 1988: Tom Browning pitched a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• 1993: Dave Winfield became the 19th player in MLB history to reach 3,000 career hits.
• 1995: Greg Maddux pitched seven shutout innings, setting an MLB record with 17 consecutive road wins.
• 1996: Paul Molitor became the 21st player in MLB history to achieve 3,000 career hits.
• 1997: American Basketball League MVP Nikki McCray signed with the WNBA.
• 2000: Sammy Sosa became the second player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons.
• 2000: Brigitte McMahon claimed the first Olympic gold medal in women’s triathlon.
• 2007: Svetlana Kuznetsova won the first reverse singles match to give Russia their third Fed Cup in four years.
• 2012: Jiyai Shin won the British Women’s Open golf tournament for the second time.
• 2017: New Zealand beat South Africa 57-0 in the Rugby Championship.
• 2018: Cycling land speed record was broken for men and women by Denise Mueller-Korenek, who rode at 183.932 mph.
• 2018: Angela Stanford won The Evian Championship, claiming her first major championship title.
• 2018: Patrick Mahomes became the first player in NFL history to throw 10 touchdown passes in the first two weeks of a regular season.

Three athletes who stood out on Sept. 16 were Betsy Rawls, Tom Browning, and Patrick Mahomes. Rawls won 55 LPGA Tour events and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1987. Browning was a key member of the 1990 World Series championship team and recorded six seasons with 15 or more wins. Mahomes is one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls and has claimed multiple MVP awards.