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This list shows notable sports-related deaths, events, and notable outcomes that occurred in December of 2008. Deaths
1: Tom Kirby 4: Steve Bradley 5: Martyn Crook 8: Xavier Perrot 8: Kerryn McCann 8: John Cumming 8: Manzoor Hussain Atif 9: Dražan Jerković 9: Ibrahim Dossey 10: Sal Yvars 12: Maksym Pashayev 13: John Drake 13: Vince Karalius 14: Hank Goldup 14: Nick Willhite 15: Mike Blum 16: Joe Krol 17: Sammy Baugh 17: Dave Smith 17: Justin Levens 18: Robert Jonquet 18: Pete Case 19: Dock Ellis 19: Matt Kofler 19: Sam Tingle 21: Ron Hornaday Sr. 21: Carlos Manuel Santiago 21: Maurice Zilber 22: Coy Bacon 22: Norm Cook 22: Ossie Dawson 22: Hugh Myers 23: Narciso Bernardo 24: Ian Ballinger 24: Ray Deakin 27: Arild Andresen 27: Sailor Brown 27: Sahu Mewalal 27: George Miller 27: Alfred Pfaff 31: Premjit Lall
Current sporting seasons
American football 2008 NFL Playoffs NCAA Division I FBS Bowl games
Auto racing 2008 A1 Grand Prix GP2 Asia Series Speedcar Series
Basketball 2008–09 NBA Euroleague NCAA men NCAA women Philippines Philippine Cup
Cricket 2008–09
Football (soccer) 2008–09 England Germany Italy Spain France Argentina UEFA (Europe) Champions League UEFA Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying
Golf 2009 European Tour
Ice hockey 2008–09 National Hockey League Champions Hockey League Kontinental Hockey League
Rugby union 2008–09 Heineken Cup English Premiership Celtic League Top 14
Winter sports Alpine Skiing World Cup Biathlon World Cup Bobsleigh World Cup Cross-Country Skiing World Cup Freestyle Skiing World Cup Luge World Cup Nordic Combined World Cup Short Track Speed Skating World Cup Skeleton World Cup Ski Jumping World Cup Snowboard World Cup Speed Skating World Cup
December 31, 2008 (Wednesday)
American football NCAA Bowl Games: Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 34, Air Force 28 Sun Bowl: Oregon State 3, (20) Pittsburgh 0 Music City Bowl: Vanderbilt 16, (24) Boston College 14 Vandy wins in front of their hometown fans 53 years to the day after the Commodores' last bowl win. Insight Bowl: Kansas 42, Minnesota 21 Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU 38, (14) Georgia Tech 3 NFL News: New England Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo is named 2008 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Cricket Sri Lanka in Bangladesh: 1st Test in Dhaka, day 5: 293 and 405/6d; 178 and 413 (Mohammad Ashraful 101, Shakib Al Hasan 96). Sri Lanka win by 107 runs and lead 2-match series 1–0. West Indies in New Zealand: 1st ODI in Queenstown: 129/5 (Ramnaresh Sarwan 38, Tim Southee 2/33). No result as rain stopped play. Five-match series tied at 0–0.
Ice hockey World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada(teams in bold advance to the semifinals, teams in italics advance to the quarterfinals) Group A (at Scotiabank Place): 10–2 7–4 Idle: Group B (at the Ottawa Civic Centre): 5–0 3–2 (SO) Idle:
Winter sports
Cross-country skiing Tour de Ski, stage 4 in Nové Město, Czech Republic: 15 km classic men: (1) Axel Teichmann 39 min 03.7 sec (2) Martin Johnsrud Sundby 39:08.7 (3) Nikolay Chebotko 39:14.2 Overall standings (after four of seven stages): (1) Dario Cologna 1 hr 24:36.9 (2) Vasily Rochev 1 hr 24:53.2 (3) Teichmann 1 hr 24:53.4 10 km classic women: (1) Virpi Kuitunen 24 min 45.4 sec (2) Aino-Kaisa Saarinen at 37.6 sec (3) Marit Bjørgen 49.9 Overall standings (after four of seven stages): (1) Kuitunen 57:49.3 (2) Saarinen at 5.6 sec (3) Bjørgen 23.0
December 30, 2008 (Tuesday)
American football NCAA Bowl Games: Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland 42, Nevada 35 Texas Bowl: Rice 38, Western Michigan 14 The Owls pick up their first bowl win since 1954, and complete their first 10-win season since 1949. Holiday Bowl: (17) Oregon 42, (12) Oklahoma State 31 NFL News: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is named 2008 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Denver Broncos fire head coach Mike Shanahan.
Cricket South Africa in Australia: 2nd Test in Melbourne, day 5: 394 and 247; 459 and 183/1 (Graeme Smith 75, Nathan Hauritz 1/41). South Africa win by 9 wickets and lead three-match series 2–0 and becomes the first South African team to win a Test series in Australia. Sri Lanka in Bangladesh: 1st Test in Dhaka, day 4: 293 and 405/6d (Mahela Jayawardene 166); 178 and 254/5 (Mohammad Ashraful 70*). Bangladesh require another 267 runs with 5 wickets remaining.
Ice hockey World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Group A (at Scotiabank Place): 6–0 12–0 Group B (at the Ottawa Civic Centre): 8–1 5–1
December 29, 2008 (Monday)
American football NCAA Bowl Games: PapaJohns.com Bowl: Rutgers 29, North Carolina State 23 Alamo Bowl: (20) Missouri 30, (23) Northwestern 23 (OT) NFL News: Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli is fired following the team's 0–16 season. Eric Mangini is fired as New York Jets' head coach after his team missed the playoffs. Romeo Crennel is fired as Cleveland Browns head coach.
Cricket South Africa in Australia: 2nd Test in Melbourne, day 4: 394 and 247 (Ricky Ponting 99, Dale Steyn 5/67); 459 and 30/0. South Africa require another 153 runs with 10 wickets remaining.
Ice hockey World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Group A (at Scotiabank Place): 1–5 Group B (at the Ottawa Civic Centre): 1–10
Football (soccer) News: Liverpool midfielder and team captain Steven Gerrard is arrested on charges of assault after being involved in a fight at a pub following a match against Newcastle United.
Winter sports
Alpine skiing Women's World Cup in Semmering, Austria: Slalom: (1) Maria Riesch 1 minute 55.97 seconds (2) Tanja Poutiainen 1:56.18 (3) Lindsey Vonn 1:56.69 Overall World Cup standings (after 12 races): (1) Vonn 530 pts (2) Riesch 507 (3) Poutiainen 498
Cross-country skiing Tour de Ski, stage 3 in Prague, Czech Republic: 1 km sprint freestyle men: (1) Tor Arne Hetland (2) Vasily Rochev (3) Jean-Marc Gaillard Overall standings: (1) Dario Cologna 45:01.4 (2) Rochev +15.4 (3) Gaillard +18.1 1 km sprint freestyle women: (1) Arianna Follis (2) Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (3) Petra Majdič Overall standings: (1) Follis 32:23.9 (2) Saarinen +8.0 (3) Marit Bjørgen +13.1
Ski jumping Four Hills Tournament: World Cup in Oberstdorf, Germany: Individual 137 m hill: (1) Simon Ammann 286.4 pts (136.5/134.0 metres) (2) Wolfgang Loitzl 285.2 (135.0/134.0) (3) Dimitry Vassiliev 284.4 (134.5/136.0) Overall World Cup standings (after 8 of 28 events): (1) Ammann 685 points (2) Gregor Schlierenzauer 560 (3) Loitzl 439
December 28, 2008 (Sunday)
American football National Football League Week 17:(Teams that have made playoffs are in boldface) Carolina Panthers 33, New Orleans Saints 31 The Panthers win the NFC South title and earn a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. Houston Texans 31, Chicago Bears 24 The Bears loss knocks them out of the playoffs. Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Cleveland Browns 0 A pyrrhic victory for the Steelers as Ben Roethlisberger is knocked out of the game with a concussion. Green Bay Packers 31, Detroit Lions 21 The Lions earn the first 0–16 season in NFL history. Cincinnati Bengals 16, Kansas City Chiefs 6 New England Patriots 13, Buffalo Bills 0 The Pats win, but are eliminated from the playoffs when the Dolphins and Ravens both win. Minnesota Vikings 20, New York Giants 19 The Vikings win the NFC North on a Ryan Longwell walk-off 50-yard field goal, and will host Philadelphia next Sunday. Oakland Raiders 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 The Bucs are eliminated. Atlanta Falcons 31, St. Louis Rams 27 The Falcons will play in Glendale next Saturday against the Cardinals. Indianapolis Colts 23, Tennessee Titans 0 Philadelphia Eagles 44, Dallas Cowboys 6 The Eagles earn the last NFC wild card berth thanks to sloppy play by Dallas, with five turnovers leading to 24 Eagles points. Baltimore Ravens 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 7 The Ravens clinch the last AFC wild card spot. Miami Dolphins 24, New York Jets 17 The Dolphins win the AFC East, and will host Baltimore next Sunday. Arizona Cardinals 34, Seattle Seahawks 21 San Francisco 49ers 27, Washington Redskins 24 San Diego Chargers 52, Denver Broncos 21 The Chargers win the AFC West title and will host the Colts next Saturday in a wild card game. NCAA Bowl Games: Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech 17, Northern Illinois 10
Cricket South Africa in Australia: 2nd Test in Melbourne, day 3: 394 and 4/0; 459 (Jean-Paul Duminy 166, Dale Steyn 76, Peter Siddle 4/81). Australia trail by 61 runs with 10 second innings wickets remaining. Sri Lanka in Bangladesh: 1st Test in Dhaka, day 3: 293 (Thilan Samaraweera 90) and 291/4 (Mahela Jayawardene 129*); 178. Sri Lanka lead by 406 runs with 6 wickets remaining. West Indies in New Zealand: 2nd T20I in Hamilton: 191/9 (Jesse Ryder 62, Brendon McCullum 59, Chris Gayle 2/27); 155/7 (Ramnaresh Sarwan 53, Jeetan Patel 2/12). New Zealand win by 36 runs; two-match series tied 1–1.
Football (soccer) ASEAN Championship: Finals, second leg: 1–1 , Vietnam win the championship 3–2 on aggregate
Ice hockey World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Group A (at Scotiabank Place): 0–15 4–3 Group B (at the Ottawa Civic Centre): 5–2 3–1
Winter sports
Alpine skiing Men's World Cup in Bormio, Italy: Downhill: (1) Christof Innerhofer 2:03.55 (2) Klaus Kroll 2:03.87 (3) Michael Walchhofer 2:04.50 Overall World Cup standings (after 14 races): (1) Aksel Lund Svindal 444 pts (2) Benjamin Raich 393 (3) Didier Cuche 379 Women's World Cup in Semmering, Austria: Giant slalom: (1) Kathrin Zettel 2:10.90 (1:06.30+1:04.60) (2) Manuela Mölgg 2:11.27 (1:06.09+1:05.18) (3) Lara Gut 2:11.45 (1:07.36+1:04.09) Overall World Cup standings (after 11 races): (1) Lindsey Vonn 470 pts (2) Tanja Poutiainen 418 (3) Maria Riesch 407
Cross-country skiing Tour de Ski, stage 2 in Oberhof, Germany: 10 km pursuit classic women: (1) Virpi Kuitunen 23 min 56.7 sec, (2) Marit Bjørgen at 3.9 sec, (3) Aino-Kaisa Saarinen 6.2 Overall standings: (1) Kuitunen 30:23.2, (2) Bjørgen at 2.2 sec, (3) Justyna Kowalczyk 6.2 15 km pursuit classic men: (1) Dario Cologna 43:05.1 (2) Axel Teichmann at 5.6 (3) Sami Jauhojärvi 26.6 Overall standings: (1) Cologna 43:05.1, (2) Teichmann +4.8 (3) Devon Kershaw +26.4
Nordic combined World Cup in Oberhof, Germany: 10 km Gundersen: (1) Anssi Koivuranta 27:22.2 (2nd in ski jump) (2) Todd Lodwick at 6.9 (3rd) (3) Jason Lamy-Chappuis 14.8 (7th) Overall standings (after eight of 24 rounds): (1) Koivuranta 543 points (2) Magnus Moan 396 (3) Bill Demong 367
December 27, 2008 (Saturday)
American football NCAA Bowl Games Meineke Car Care Bowl: West Virginia 31, North Carolina 30 Mountaineers quarterback Pat White wins his fourth straight bowl game for WVU. Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State 42, Wisconsin 14 Emerald Bowl: California 24, Miami (FL) 17
Cricket South Africa in Australia: 2nd Test in Melbourne, day 2: 394 (Ricky Ponting 101, Michael Clarke 88*, Dale Steyn 5/87); 198/7 (Graeme Smith 62, Peter Siddle 3/24). South Africa trail by 196 runs with three first innings wickets remaining. Sri Lanka in Bangladesh: 1st Test in Dhaka, day 2: 293 (Thilan Samaraweera 90, Shakib Al Hasan 5/70); 177/9 (Imrul Kayes 33, Muttiah Muralitharan 5/48). Bangladesh trail by 116 runs with one first innings wicket remaining.
Ice hockey World Junior Championships in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Group A (at Scotiabank Place): 0–9 Group B (at the Ottawa Civic Centre): 7–2
Winter sports
Cross-country skiing Tour de Ski, stage 1 in Oberhof, Germany: 2.8 km freestyle women: (1) Claudia Nystad 6 minutes 17.2 seconds, (2) Arianna Follis at 1.1 seconds, (3) Justyna Kowalczyk 2.3, Petra Majdič same time 3.7 km freestyle men: (1) Axel Teichmann 7:11.8, (2) Dario Cologna at 8.2 sec, (3) Petter Northug 13.0
Nordic combined World Cup in Oberhof, Germany: 10 km Gundersen: (1) Magnus Moan 25:22.8 (7th in ski jump) (2) Todd Lowick at 0.3 (4) (3) Anssi Koivuranta 0.4 (1) Overall World Cup standings (after 7 out of 24 races): (1) Koivuranta 443 points (2) Moan 351 (3) Björn Kircheisen 339