December 2007 in sports

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This list shows notable sports-related deaths, events, and notable outcomes that occurred in December of 2007.

Deaths

29: Phil O'Donnell 28: Aidin Nikkhah Bahrami 26: Stu Nahan 17: Don Chevrier 1: Ken McGregor

Sporting seasons

American football NCAA Division I FBS National Football League

Auto racing 2007: A1 Grand Prix

Basketball 2007: Australian National Basketball League British Basketball League EuroCup Euroleague National Basketball Association Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Russian Basketball Super League Turkish Basketball League ULEB Cup

Cricket 2007: England

Football (soccer) 2007–08: UEFA Champions League UEFA Cup England Italy Germany Spain France Argentina Denmark

Golf 2008: PGA Tour European Tour

Ice hockey 2007–08 National Hockey League

Lacrosse 2008 National Lacrosse League

Rugby union 2007–08: IRB Sevens Heineken Cup English Premiership Celtic League Top 14

31 December 2007 (Monday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth: California 42, Air Force 36 The Golden Bears come back from a 21–0 second-quarter deficit. Sun Bowl in El Paso: Oregon 56, South Florida 21 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise: Fresno State 40, Georgia Tech 28 Music City Bowl in Nashville: Kentucky 35, Florida State 28 It's déjà vu all over again for the Wildcats: For the second straight year, they travel to Nashville for this game, defeat an ACC team coached by a Bowden (last year, it was the Clemson team of son Tommy), see their quarterback André Woodson named game MVP, and finish 8–5. This gives the Cats back-to-back bowl wins for the first time in over 50 years. Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona: Oklahoma State 49, Indiana 33 Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta: Auburn 23, Clemson 20 (OT) Auburn win in OT after scoring a touchdown, as opposed to Clemson's field goal.

30 December 2007 (Sunday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana: Alabama 30, Colorado 24 National Football League Week 16: Cleveland Browns 20, San Francisco 49ers 7 Jamal Lewis rushes for 128 yards as the Browns finish the regular season 10–6. Green Bay Packers 34, Detroit Lions 13 The 13–3 Packers overwhelm 7–9 Detroit despite resting several key players for all or part of the game. Chicago Bears 33, New Orleans Saints 25 Devin Hester breaks his own single-season NFL record with his sixth return of a kick for a touchdown and also scores on a 55-yard pass play; the Saints are eliminated from playoff contention. Houston Texans 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 28 Texans kick returner André Davis becomes the seventh player in league history to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game, and Houston finishes with a .500 record for the first time. Carolina Panthers 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23 DeAngelo Williams scores two touchdowns and rushes for 121 yards; Vinny Testaverde, playing in his last game, enters on the final play to take a knee. Philadelphia Eagles 17, Buffalo Bills 9 Donovan McNabb throws for 345 yards as the Eagles end their year with a three-game winning streak. Cincinnati Bengals 38, Miami Dolphins 25 The Dolphins, who allow Carson Palmer 316 passing yards and three touchdowns, tie a league record with their 15th loss of the season. They also became the 8th team to finish a season at 1–15 after the Carolina Panthers in 2001 Atlanta Falcons 44, Seattle Seahawks 41 Chris Redman throws three touchdown passes in less than 2 minutes in the fourth quarter. Denver Broncos 22, Minnesota Vikings 19 (OT) Needing a win and a Redskins loss to make the playoffs, the Vikings get neither. Tarvaris Jackson leads a comeback in regulation, but his fumble leads to Jason Elam's overtime field goal. Baltimore Ravens 27, Pittsburgh Steelers 21 Troy Smith wins his first NFL game against a Steelers team resting several starters. Washington Redskins 27, Dallas Cowboys 6 The Redskins win their fourth-straight game to capture a playoff spot. The Cowboys are held to 1-yard rushing, their lowest total in franchise history. New York Jets 13, Kansas City Chiefs 10 (OT) The Chiefs end the year with nine straight losses. San Diego Chargers 30, Oakland Raiders 17 The Chargers force four turnovers and clinch the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. Arizona Cardinals 48, St. Louis Rams 19 Larry Fitzgerald closes Arizona's best season since 1998 with an 11-reception, 171-yard performance. Tennessee Titans 16, Indianapolis Colts 10 Kerry Collins takes over for an injured Vince Young in the third quarter and leads the Titans on three drives that end in Rob Bironas field goals, giving the Titans the final playoff berth.

29 December 2007 (Saturday)

Cricket Indian cricket team in Australia in 2007–08 1st Test: 343 (92.4 ov.) & 351/7 dec. (88 ov.) beat 196 (71.5 ov.) & 161 (74 ov.) by 337 runs West Indian cricket team in South Africa in 2007–08 1st Test: 408 (133.4 ov.) & 175 (57.4 ov.) beat 195 (62.1 ov.) & 260 (74.5 ov.) by 128 runs The Windies collect their first Test win ever in South Africa. American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte: Wake Forest 24, Connecticut 10 Liberty Bowl in Memphis: Mississippi State 10, UCF 3 Alamo Bowl in San Antonio: Penn State 24, Texas A&M 17 National Football League Week 17: New England Patriots 38, New York Giants 35 The Patriots come back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter, their largest of the year, to become the first team to finish the regular season 16–0. Tom Brady connects with Randy Moss for two touchdown passes, giving Brady the NFL record for most TD passes in a season and Moss the record for most TD receptions in a season. Indoor Lacrosse – National Lacrosse League (Week 1): Colorado Mammoth 10, Calgary Roughnecks 9 Opening Day

28 December 2007 (Friday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando: Boston College 24, Michigan State 21 Texas Bowl in Houston: TCU 20, Houston 13 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco: Oregon State 21, Maryland 14

27 December 2007 (Thursday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: Holiday Bowl in San Diego: Texas 52, Arizona State 34 Tennis: The Women's Tennis Association reveals that Aboriginal Australian tennis player Evonne Goolagong briefly supplanted Chris Evert as Women's World Number 1 tennis player after the 1976 Virginia Slims at Los Angeles tournament, until May 10, when Evert retook the #1 ranking. She had originally been denied the ranking due to a calculation error. The Association of Tennis Professionals (International Men's Pro Tour) reveals the results of an investigation beginning in August 2007 implicating two top Italian men's professional players, Potito Starace and Daniele Bracciali, in a match betting scandal. Starace, ranked 31st worldwide, was suspended from play for six weeks and fined US$30,000. Bracciali, ranked at 258th, was banned for three months and fined $20,000. Each claimed they were unaware of ATP regulations forbidding gambling. <div id="26_December_2007"> </div id>

26 December 2007 (Wednesday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games Motor City Bowl in Detroit: Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48

25 December 2007 (Tuesday)

Basketball – National Basketball Association Christmas Day games: Cleveland Cavaliers 96, Miami Heat 82 Portland Trail Blazers 89, Seattle SuperSonics 79 Los Angeles Lakers 122, Phoenix Suns 115 All home teams win their games.

24 December 2007 (Monday)

American football: National Football League Week 16: San Diego Chargers 23, Denver Broncos 3 Basketball: National Basketball Association Scott Skiles is fired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls after a 9–16 start. Although the Bulls had recovered from worse starts to earn playoff spots in two of the previous three seasons under Skiles, the Bulls management decided it was time for a change.

23 December 2007 (Sunday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu: East Carolina 41, Boise State 38 National Football League Week 16: New York Giants 38, Buffalo Bills 21 The Giants rush for 291 yards and clinch a wild-card berth. Before the game, Bills tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury earlier in the season, visited his teammates' locker room, walking in under his own power. Chicago Bears 35, Green Bay Packers 7 The Packers, who botch four punts on a wintry day, lose any chance of winning the top seed in the NFL playoffs. Cincinnati Bengals 19, Cleveland Browns 14 Derek Anderson throws four interceptions; the Browns' playoff hopes now ride on an Indianapolis win over Tennessee next week. Detroit Lions 25, Kansas City Chiefs 20 The Lions end a six-game losing streak thanks to a 102-yard performance from running back T. J. Duckett. Indianapolis Colts 38, Houston Texans 15 Peyton Manning throws for 311 yards and three touchdowns in a game with no playoff implications. Jacksonville Jaguars 49, Oakland Raiders 11 Fred Taylor runs for a 62-yard touchdown on the Jaguars' first play, and the Raiders never regain momentum. Jacksonville clinches the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Philadelphia Eagles 38, New Orleans Saints 23 Donovan McNabb throws for three touchdowns and helps put a dent in New Orleans' playoff hopes. San Francisco 49ers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19 The 49ers recover from a 13–7 halftime deficit after the playoff-bound Bucs rest some of their starters. Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 27, OT Anquan Boldin catches 13 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns; Neil Rackers wins the game with a 31-yard field goal in overtime. Baltimore Ravens at Seattle Seahawks Troy Smith is unimpressive in his first NFL start; the Seahawks take the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Tennessee Titans 10, New York Jets 6 Kyle Vanden Bosch has three of the Titans' six sacks; Tennessee makes the playoffs with a win at Indianapolis next week. New England Patriots 28, Miami Dolphins 7 Randy Moss catches yet another two Tom Brady touchdown passes; the Patriots become the first 15–0 team in league history. The Dolphins secure the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft. Washington Redskins 32, Minnesota Vikings 21 Todd Collins throws for two TDs, Clinton Portis runs for one touchdown and throws for a second, and the Skins put themselves in control of their playoff fate. A win over the Cowboys next week puts the Skins in. Basketball: In a 95–90 Los Angeles Lakers win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant becomes the 31st player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points, and surpasses Wilt Chamberlain as the youngest to reach that milestone.

22 December 2007 (Saturday)

Cricket English cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2007–08 3rd Test: 499/8 dec. (148.5 ov.) drew with 81 (30.5 ov.) & 215/6 (95 ov.) American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: PapaJohns.com Bowl in Birmingham: Cincinnati 31, Southern Miss 21 The Bearcats complete their first 10-win season since 1951. New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque: New Mexico 23, Nevada 0 The Lobos pick up their first postseason win since 1961, while holding the Wolf Pack scoreless for the first time since 1980. Las Vegas Bowl in Las Vegas: BYU 17, UCLA 16 The Cougars block a field goal on the last play of the game to preserve the win. National Football League Week 16: Dallas Cowboys 20, Carolina Panthers 13 The Cowboys eliminate the Panthers from playoff contention; Terrell Owens leaves the game with an ankle injury.

21 December 2007 (Friday)

American football: NCAA Division I FBS bowl games: New Orleans Bowl: Florida Atlantic 44, Memphis 27

December 2007 in sports

Bron en licentie