This Day in Sports History: June 24
June is a favorite month for sports fans. It’s all about baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis, and golf, to name a few. This day in sports history brings more moments and…
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – JUNE 24: Gold medallist Katie Ledecky of Team United States poses for a photo during the medal ceremony for the Women’s 800m Freestyle Final on day seven of the Budapest 2022 FINA World Championships at Duna Arena on June 24, 2022 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
June is a favorite month for sports fans. It's all about baseball, basketball, hockey, tennis, and golf, to name a few. This day in sports history brings more moments and stories than can be quickly recounted. Here's a sampling of notable events that took place on June 24 throughout the decades.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Over the last century, June 24 saw these outstanding sports moments:
- 1899: Marion Jones won the U.S. Women's National Singles Championship against Maud Banks. Jones would later be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
- 1910: James Braid won the British Open for men's golf for the fifth time.
- 1928: Johnny Farrell won the men's U.S. Open against Bobby Jones. Farrell would later be elected to the PGA Hall of Fame and World Golf Hall of Fame.
- 1936: Joe DiMaggio hit two home runs in the fifth inning, making him one of only three MLB players to achieve this feat.
- 1947: Jackie Robinson stole home base for the very first time in his career.
- 1950: Babe Didrikson Zaharias won her fourth Women's Western Open in golf.
- 1955: Harmon Killebrew hit his first career home run.
- 1968: Jim Northrup hit two grand slams in one game.
- 1968: Joe Frazier defended his heavyweight boxing title after scoring a second-round technical knockout on Manuel Ramos.
- 1970: Bobby Murcer hit four consecutive home runs.
- 1979: Rickey Henderson made his MLB debut and stole his first career base.
- 1983: Don Sutton became the eighth pitcher to get 3,000 career strikeouts.
- 1984: Arnold Palmer won his first Senior Tournament Players Championship in men's golf.
- 1992: Shaquille O'Neal, a center for LSU, was the Orlando Magic's first pick in the year's NBA Draft.
- 1995: South Africa beat New Zealand to win the Men's Rugby World Cup.
- 1995: The New Jersey Devils defeated the Detroit Red Wings, winning their first ever Stanley Cup. It was also the Devils' first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals.
- 1997: Randy Johnson became one of two left-handed American League pitchers to throw 19 strikeouts in a game.
- 2010: John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon. It was the longest match in tennis history at 11 hours and five minutes played over the course of three days.
- 2013: The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins in a 3-2 victory to win their fifth Stanley Cup.
- 2022: Katie Ledecky won the 800-meter gold medal at the FINA World Championships with a time of 8:08.04.
- 2023: The Los Angeles Angels hit three back-to-back home runs.
Of these June 24 moments, the athletes who most stand out are Jim Northrup, Shaquille O'Neal, and Katie Ledecky.
Northrup hit a total of eight grand slams during his baseball career. He also hit three grand slams within a week, which was a major league record at the time. O'Neal is renowned as one of the most dominant and memorable players in NBA history, both for his on-court achievements and his larger-than-life personality. Ledecky is recognized for her Olympic gold medals and world records in freestyle swimming events. She is the most decorated female American Olympian, with 14 total Olympic medals.
