Year in Review
Expected, unexpected events captivate sports world

by Jim Higgins
Scroll Staff

The year 2001 was another history-making year in the world of sports. No one could have seen it coming. Here’s a quick stroll down sports memory lane.

January

January was filled with tragic events. An airplane carrying two Oklahoma State players and six men that worked for the team crashed on its way home from Colorado.

Carolina Panther receiver Rae Carruth was found guilty of charges relating to the shooting and death of his pregnant girlfriend. Carruth was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years, 11 months in prison.

The Baltimore Ravens won their first Super Bowl by beating the New York Giants 34-7.

February

Tragedy continued in February as NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. died after his car hit the wall on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt, or “The Intimidator,” was one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history with 76 wins and seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships. He was 49 years old.

March

March saw the homecoming of two of college basketball’s most successful coaches: Rick Pitino and Bob Knight. Pitino took over in Louisville, and Knight was hired to coach the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Pitino returned after an unsuccessful stint coaching the NBA’s Boston Celtics, and Knight returned to coaching after being let go by the Indiana Hoosiers after the 1999 season.

April

In April, Duke continued its domination of college basketball by beating the Arizona Wildcats 82-72. The victory gave Duke its third national championship.

The NBA eliminated the illegal zone defense rules and changed other rules to enhance player and ball movement. Zone defense was allowed in the league for the first time since 1946. The illegal defense rule was instituted in 1947.

May

Fans saw the end of the XFL. Co-founder Vince McMahon decided to officially pull the plug on the league after NBC threatened to pull its resources. While the XFL started off with a bang (it doubled the amount of expected ratings the first week), it quickly fizzled. Its ratings at the end of the season were some of the worst in Saturday night television’s history.

June

The Los Angeles Lakers became the NBA champions for the second year in a row in June.

Ray Borque ended his 22-year quest for the Stanley Cup when the Colorado Avalanches won the title. Seventeen days after winning his first Cup, Borque retired.

Jerry Rice ended his 16-year San Francisco 49ers career. The day after the 49ers released him, Rice found employment across the bay. He decided that he would catch balls for the Oakland Raiders.

Two baseball legends also called it quits. Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn announced that they would retire at the end of the season.

July

Lance Armstrong continued his dominance of cycling in July when he won his third straight Tour de France. Armstrong became the first American to win the tour three consecutive times.

Also in July, it was announced that Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

August

Events in August started to look positive when Danny Almonte pitched the first perfect game in 44 years in the Little League World Series. Nine days later Little League officials investigated claims that Almonte was actually 14 years old.

When it was found that the claims were true, Jesus Almonte, Danny’s father, and others were banned from Little League baseball for life.

September

Not enough can be said for what happened in September. Following the events of Sept. 11, tragedy would continue to strike as eight University of Wyoming cross-country runners died in an auto accident five days after the terrorist strikes.

The sports world received some good news, however. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player ever in the NBA, decided to return to the league. He also announced that his full salary for the 2001-02 season will be donated to the victims of Sept. 11.

October

Good things kept coming in October. The nation was captivated as Barry Bonds achieved and broke Mark McGwire’s single season home run record. Bonds hit 73 total home-runs to break McGwire’s record by three.

Michael Jordan made his official return to the NBA at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Jordan scored 19 points in his team’s 93-91 loss to the Knicks.

The Arizona Diamondbacks dethroned the New York Yankees with a thrilling seven game World Series. Many writers view this World Series as one of the most exciting ever.

Baseball also saw the retirement of slugger Mark McGwire. McGwire, who held the single season home run record until this season, decided to retire after spending most of the last two seasons on the disabled list.

November

In November the men’s and women’s Ricks College cross country teams placed first at nationals in Lansing, Mich., finishing the last season of cross country at Ricks College. Angie Benson, a sophomore from Orem, Utah, took first place overall and earned First Team All-American status leading Ricks women to their seventh consecutive national title.

December

December closed out the year with Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch winning the Heisman trophy. Crouch won the trophy despite his throwing more interceptions than touchdowns.

Also in college football, Notre Dame tried to restore their program to prominence by firing Coach Bob Davie and hiring Georgia Tech Head Coach George O’Leary. Five days after he was hired, O’Leary resigned after officials uncovered the fact that O’Leary had lied on his resume.

The Ricks College football team completed its final game ever at Ricks’ 16th annual Real Dairy Bowl Dec. 4, beating Lackawanna College 49-21. Ricks finished with an all-time record of 391-248-20.

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