This Day in Sports History: November 11

Serena Williams (Left) and Kim Clijsters present their trophies after the WTA singles final during the Home Depot Championship

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Sports in November are all about the NBA and NHL seasons, the end-of-season college football games, the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, the ATP Finals, UFC Fight Nights, and the start of college basketball. Here are some of the many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends that Nov. 11 has witnessed over the years.

Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records

Great moments in sports history from Nov. 11 included:

1868: The first indoor United States track and field meet was held.
1889: Willie Park Jr claimed his second title win at the British Open for Men's Golf.
1943: Yankees pitcher Spud Chandler won the American League MVP and Cardinals outfielder Stan Musial won the National League MVP.
1944: The New York Rangers beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 and ended their NHL record 25-game winless streak.
1972: Great Britain won the Rugby League World Cup trophy on league placing after tying 10-10 with Australia in the final.
1980: The New York Islanders' right winger Mike Bossy scored four goals in a 6-6 tie against the Minnesota North Stars.
1981: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela became the first MLB rookie to win a Cy Young Award.
1987: Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens won back-to-back American League Cy Young Awards.
1990: Derrick Thomas set an NFL record with seven sacks in a game.
1990: Chuck Finley and Randy Johnson combined to pitch a no-hitter in an exhibition game between the United States and Japanese all-star teams.
1996: Atlanta Braves starting pitcher John Smoltz won the National League Cy Young Award.
2000: In the 12th College Football Holy War, Notre Dame beat Boston College 28-16.
2001: Kim Clijsters beat Elena Dementieva to clinch Belgium's first Federation Cup Women's Tennis title.
2002: Kim Clijsters beat Serena Williams 7-5, 6-3 to win the season-ending WTA Tour Championship.
2002: Barry Bonds won a record fifth National League MVP award.
2007: Justine Henin beat Maria Sharapova 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 and won her second straight season-ending WTA Tour Championship.
2013: Novak Djokovic claimed back-to-back ATP World Tour Finals tennis titles with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Rafael Nadal.
2014: The Samsung Lions beat the Nexen Heroes 11-1 and won the Korean Series.
2020: Shane Bieber and Trevor Bauer won the Cy Young Award in the American League and National League, respectively.

Three athletes who stood out on Nov. 11 were Derrick Thomas, Kim Clijsters, and Barry Bonds.

Thomas was a nine-time Pro Bowler and won the 1993 NFL Man of the Year award for his charitable work, which included establishing the Third and Long Foundation. Clijsters is a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles and a four-time Grand Slam singles champion. Bonds won a record seven National League MVP awards, was a 14-time All-Star, and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, despite the controversies surrounding his later career.

Sports History