Notable Sports Achievements on June 28
On June 28, 1935, Alf Perry set a new scoring benchmark at the British Open with a 283 total at Muirfield, located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. Perry’s performance concluded with a five-under score, securing a four-stroke victory over Alf Padgham.
In 1939, Joe Louis successfully defended his world heavyweight title by stopping Tony Galento in the fourth round at Yankee Stadium.
Betsy Rawls claimed victory in the 1953 U.S. Women’s Open with a six-stroke playoff win over Jacqueline Pung.
Ernie Terrell won the WBA title in 1966 after a unanimous 15-round decision against Doug Jones in Houston, a title previously stripped from Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali’s conviction for draft evasion was overturned in 1971 by an 8-0 vote from the U.S. Supreme Court, marking the end of a four-year legal struggle.
Connie Price-Smith made history in 1992 by becoming the first woman since Earlene Brown in 1960 to win both the discus and shot put at the U.S. Olympic trials, with a shot put throw measuring 62 feet, 6 inches.
The U.S. Dream Team made a powerful debut in basketball by defeating Cuba 133-57 in their first exhibition game in 1992.
In the 1994 World Cup, Oleg Salenko set a record by scoring five goals in a single match, leading Russia to a 6-1 victory over Cameroon.
The NHL Draft of 1994 saw Windsor Spitfires (OHL) defenseman Ed Jovanovski being the first pick by the Florida Panthers.
In the 1995 NBA draft, Maryland’s power forward Joe Smith was selected first by the Golden State Warriors.
Evander Holyfield retained the WBA heavyweight championship in 1997, despite being bitten by Mike Tyson, who was disqualified after the third round.
Kenyon Martin, a power forward from Cincinnati, was the first pick by the New Jersey Nets in the 2000 NBA Draft.
Andrew Bogut, a center from Utah, was chosen first by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2005 NBA Draft.
In 2006, the Toronto Raptors selected Andrea Bargnani, a power forward from Benetton Treviso (Italy), as their first pick in the NBA Draft.
Frank Thomas achieved his 500th home run in 2007, becoming the 21st major leaguer to reach this milestone.
Craig Biggio joined the ranks of major league history by accumulating 3,000 hits during Houston’s 8-5 victory over Colorado in 2007.
Ohio State center Greg Oden was the first pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Mariano Rivera earned his 500th save in 2009, becoming only the second reliever to achieve this, as the New York Yankees swept the Mets with a 4-2 victory.
Nineteen-year-old Joey Logano became the youngest winner in NASCAR Sprint Cup history after a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2009.
In 2012, Kentucky was the first school to have players selected as the top two picks in the NBA Draft. The New Orleans Hornets selected forward Anthony Davis first, followed by the Charlotte Bobcats picking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kentucky equaled UNLV’s record from 1977, with six players drafted, although none from UNLV were first-round picks.
In 2014, Sebastian K, driven by Ake Svanstedt, completed the fastest mile in harness racing history at 1:49 during the $100,000 Sun Invitational at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, breaking the previous record set in 2008.
On June 28, 2023, New York Yankees’ pitcher Domingo Germán pitched a perfect game in an 11-0 victory over the Oakland A’s at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, marking his first complete game in a seven-year MLB career.
