97 Fun Facts About 90s Sports

Which team did the Bulls beat in the 1998 NBA Finals, ended by Michael Jordan's last shot as a Bull?

The Bulls beat the Utah Jazz in six games; Jordan's jumper over Bryon Russell with 5.2 seconds left gave Chicago an 87-86 lead in Game 6 and a sixth title.

During his 1994 baseball detour, Michael Jordan played for which minor-league team?

Birmingham Barons were the White Sox's Double-A club; Jordan, chasing the baseball dream his late father had held for him, hit .202 there with three home runs and 30 stolen bases.

What regular-season record did the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls post, an NBA best that stood for twenty years?

Chicago's 72-10 stood as the NBA record until the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors went 73-9, though Golden State lost in the Finals and the Bulls did not.

Into whose arms did Michael Jordan collapse late in the 1997 'Flu Game'?

Scottie Pippen held Jordan up in the final seconds of Game 5; Jordan had scored 38 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer with 25 seconds left, and his trainer later blamed a bad pizza, not flu.

Which acting commissioner called off the 1994 World Series during the players' strike?

Bud Selig, the Brewers owner serving as acting commissioner, called it off that September; the Series had been played every year since 1905, through two world wars.

Which team had the best record in baseball, 74-40, when the 1994 players' strike halted play for the year?

The Montreal Expos, 74-40, never got their shot at a title; the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. Tony Gwynn was hitting .394 when play stopped.

Which future Supreme Court justice's March 1995 injunction effectively ended the baseball strike?

Sonia Sotomayor, then a federal district judge in Manhattan, issued the injunction against the owners days before a season of replacement players was due to open; the regulars returned for a 144-game schedule.

On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking whose record?

Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 straight games had stood since 1939; Ripken kept going until 1998, voluntarily ending his streak at 2,632 games, 502 beyond the old mark.

Whose single-season record of 61 home runs, set in 1961, did Mark McGwire break in September 1998?

Roger Maris's mark fell with members of his family watching in St. Louis; McGwire finished with 70 and Sammy Sosa with 66, yet it was Sosa who was voted the National League's MVP.

Whose walk-off three-run home run off Mitch Williams won the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays?

Joe Carter's three-run shot turned a 6-5 ninth-inning deficit into an 8-6 win in Game 6; Mitch Williams, who threw the pitch, was traded to Houston six weeks later.

Who hit the 11th-inning walk-off single in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series for the Marlins?

Édgar Rentería's single off Charles Nagy scored Craig Counsell; the Marlins were the first wild-card champion, and owner Wayne Huizenga then sold off the roster, leading to a 54-108 1998.

Scott Norwood's 'wide right' miss handed which team Super Bowl XXV?

New York Giants won 20-19 when the kick drifted wide in the final seconds; it was Bill Parcells's last game as their coach, as he stepped down afterwards citing his health.

Who was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXII after scoring three touchdowns despite a migraine?

Terrell Davis missed most of the second quarter with the migraine and yet ran for a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns; Denver's win snapped the AFC's 13-game losing streak.

With which quarterback did Barry Sanders share the 1997 NFL MVP after rushing for 2,053 yards?

Brett Favre was collecting his third MVP award in a row; for Sanders, who had topped 100 yards in a record 14 straight games, it was the only one, and he walked away healthy after one more season.

Barry Sanders retired in 1999 just 1,457 yards short of whose NFL career rushing record?

Walter Payton's 16,726 yards were in reach, but Sanders, 31 and healthy, quit the day before training camp and later said he never valued the record enough to chase it amid the attention.

Which team did the Dallas Cowboys beat 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII in January 1994?

The Buffalo Bills lost their fourth consecutive Super Bowl, the second straight to Dallas, after leading 13-6 at halftime.

Who guaranteed a 1994 playoff win for the Rangers, then scored a hat trick?

Mark Messier made the promise with his team down 3-2 to New Jersey, then scored three times in the third period of a 4-2 comeback win; the Rangers went on to end a 54-year Stanley Cup drought.

Goalie Dominik Hašek led which country to men's ice hockey gold at Nagano 1998, when the NHL first paused for the Olympics?

Czechia beat Canada in a semi-final shootout, with Hašek stopping all five shooters while Wayne Gretzky was left on the bench, then shut out Russia 1-0 in the final.

At 15, who became figure skating's youngest Olympic women's singles champion at Nagano in 1998?

Tara Lipinski stood second to Michelle Kwan after the short programme, then landed seven triple jumps in the free skate to overtake her; she turned professional that April.

Who beat Nancy Kerrigan to the 1994 Olympic figure skating gold, seven weeks after Kerrigan was clubbed in Detroit?

Oksana Baiul, 16, edged Kerrigan on a 5-4 split of the judges; a practice collision before the free skate had left her needing three stitches in her shin and painkilling injections.

Who lit the Olympic cauldron at the 1996 Atlanta opening ceremony?

Muhammad Ali, visibly shaking from Parkinson's, took the torch from swimmer Janet Evans and lit the cauldron; a record 197 nations took part in Atlanta.

Which American in golden spikes won the 200 and 400 metres at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics?

Michael Johnson ran the 200 in a world-record 19.32 seconds; talk that this made him the world's fastest man led to a 150-metre match race against the 100m champion in 1997, in which he pulled up mid-race.

Which Canadian sprinter won the 100 metres in Atlanta in a then world record 9.84 seconds?

Donovan Bailey ran 9.84 to take the 100 metres, then won a second gold with Canada's 4x100 relay team, which beat the host United States into silver.

Who was wrongly suspected of the 1996 Olympic Park bombing after finding the bomb?

Richard Jewell, a security guard, spotted the backpack and helped clear the area before it exploded; he was cleared after 88 days as a suspect, and Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty in 2005.

Who was the only college player on the 1992 US Olympic 'Dream Team'?

Christian Laettner, the Duke forward, was picked over LSU's Shaquille O'Neal; the team won by an average of 43.8 points and beat Croatia 117-85 for gold.

Which Detroit Pistons star was controversially left off the 1992 Dream Team roster?

Isiah Thomas was passed over despite back-to-back Pistons titles, even though Dream Team coach Chuck Daly was his own coach in Detroit; Charles Barkley led the team at 18 points a game.

On November 7, 1991, which NBA superstar announced he had HIV and was retiring immediately?

Magic Johnson announced his HIV diagnosis at a Forum press conference; he nonetheless played in the 1992 All-Star Game, scoring 25 points for MVP, then joined the Dream Team in Barcelona.

Who won the NBA title in the 50-game 1999 lockout season?

San Antonio Spurs won their first championship, with Tim Duncan the Finals MVP in his second season; the 204-day lockout had also wiped out the All-Star Game and pushed opening night to February.

Which team did Houston beat in the 1994 NBA Finals for the first of its back-to-back titles?

Houston beat the New York Knicks in seven games; Game 5 was famously interrupted on TV by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco chase, and Houston swept Orlando the following year.

Which major did Tiger Woods win by twelve strokes in 1997?

The Masters began badly for Woods, who shot 40 on his first nine holes; he played the remaining 63 holes in 22 under par to finish at 18-under 270, twelve clear of Tom Kite.

Which referee, later a TV judge, disqualified Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield's ears in 1997?

Mills Lane first docked Tyson two points and let the fight go on, then stopped it after a second bite; Nevada fined Tyson $3 million and revoked his licence.

In which city did 42-1 underdog Buster Douglas knock out Mike Tyson in February 1990?

Tokyo Dome hosted the upset: Douglas, whose mother had died 23 days earlier, got up from an eighth-round knockdown and stopped Tyson in the tenth, the champion's first professional defeat.

Who became boxing's oldest heavyweight champion at 45 by knocking out Michael Moorer in November 1994?

George Foreman was behind on all three scorecards when a tenth-round right hand ended it; he wore the same red trunks he had worn when losing the title in Zaire twenty years earlier.

Which Italian star skied the final penalty of the shootout to hand Brazil the 1994 World Cup?

Roberto Baggio had carried Italy to the final with five goals in the knockout rounds and played it on a strained hamstring, before sending the last kick of the shootout over the bar.

Which Colombian defender was shot dead in July 1994, days after scoring an own goal at the World Cup?

Andrés Escobar's own goal against the United States helped eliminate Colombia in the group stage; he was shot dead outside a Medellín nightclub on July 2, 1994.

Who scored two headed goals from corners for France in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil?

Zinedine Zidane headed in corners from Emmanuel Petit and Youri Djorkaeff before half-time; France won 3-0 despite Marcel Desailly's red card, with Petit adding the third.

Whose winning penalty and shirt-off celebration sealed the 1999 Women's World Cup?

Brandi Chastain's kick won the shootout 5-4 before 90,185 at the Rose Bowl; the photo of her celebration made the covers of Sports Illustrated, Time and Newsweek.

Which US goalkeeper's save on Liu Ying's penalty set up the 1999 Women's World Cup win over China?

Briana Scurry's stop on Liu Ying was the only miss of the shootout; she had come well off her line before the kick, which could have meant a retake, and later said she stepped forward on purpose.

Which substitute scored the stoppage-time winner against Bayern Munich to complete Manchester United's 1999 treble?

Ole Gunnar Solskjær scored in injury time, moments after fellow substitute Teddy Sheringham had equalised; United had trailed to Mario Basler's free kick since the sixth minute.

Nelson Mandela presented the 1995 Rugby World Cup to which Springbok captain while wearing his jersey?

Mandela wore Francois Pienaar's number 6 jersey as he handed over the trophy; South Africa beat New Zealand 15-12 at Ellis Park on Joel Stransky's extra-time drop goal, the moment behind the film Invictus.

Which Spanish cyclist won five consecutive Tours de France from 1991 to 1995?

Miguel Induráin rode the 1988 Tour as a helper for winner Pedro Delgado before taking five in a row himself; in 1994 he also set the hour record at 53.040 km.

At which Italian circuit did Ayrton Senna crash fatally during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix?

Imola's flat-out Tamburello corner was where Senna's Williams left the track, a day after Roland Ratzenberger died in qualifying; the circuit was rebuilt that winter and Tamburello became a chicane.

Who won the 1992 Indianapolis 500 by 0.043 seconds, then the closest finish in the race's history?

Al Unser Jr. held off Scott Goodyear, who had started last of the 33 cars, by 0.043 seconds; it stayed the closest Indy 500 finish until 2026, and his father and uncle had both won the race too.

Which team won the first MLS Cup, in October 1996?

D.C. United trailed the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 past the hour in a rainstorm at Foxboro, then levelled through substitutes Tony Sanneh and Shawn Medved and won 3-2 on Eddie Pope's golden goal.

Which former Texas Tech star became the first player signed by the WNBA, ahead of its 1997 debut season?

Sheryl Swoopes missed the start of that first season: she gave birth in June 1997, made her Houston Comets debut in August and went on to win the league's first four titles.

Whom did 17-year-old Serena Williams beat in the 1999 US Open final for her first Grand Slam singles title?

Martina Hingis had knocked out Venus Williams in the semi-finals, so it was the younger sister who won the family's first major singles title, 6-3, 7-6, the first for an African-American woman since Althea Gibson.

Which player won her record ninth Wimbledon singles title in 1990, at the age of 33?

Martina Navratilova beat Zina Garrison 6-4, 6-1; Garrison had knocked out defending champion Steffi Graf in the semi-finals, ending Graf's run of 13 straight major finals.

Which club won the 1994-95 Premier League, denying Alex Ferguson's side a third straight title?

Blackburn Rovers, bankrolled by Jack Walker and led by Alan Shearer's 34 league goals, finished one point ahead of Manchester United despite losing at Liverpool on the final day.

The Baltimore Stallions became the first US-based team to win which trophy in 1995?

The Grey Cup left Canada when the Stallions beat Calgary 37-20 in Regina; within months the CFL's American experiment was over and the club had moved north to be reborn as the Alouettes.

Which cyclist won the 1999 Tour de France for US Postal Service, a result later erased by USADA in 2012?

Lance Armstrong won the race organisers billed the 'Tour of Renewal' after the 1998 Festina doping scandal; USADA's 2012 ruling stripped this and his six later Tour wins, leaving 1999 without an official winner.

Which NASCAR driver won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994 and racked up 13 wins in 1998?

Jeff Gordon, 23, had lived in nearby Pittsboro, so the first Brickyard 400 was a hometown win; he took the lead for good in the last five laps when Ernie Irvan blew a tyre.

Which world number one was stabbed on court by a Steffi Graf fan in 1993?

Monica Seles had won seven of the eight major finals she played from 1991 to 1993, all before turning 20; the attack kept her out of tennis for more than two years.

Who won the 1991 PGA Championship at Crooked Stick after getting into the field as the ninth alternate?

John Daly got in when Nick Price withdrew for the birth of his child, then hired Price's caddie and won his first major by three strokes over Bruce Lietzke.

Which Norwegian speed skater won three golds at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics?

Johann Olav Koss set world records in all three races, then raised funds for the charity Olympic Aid, which he rebuilt in 2000 as Right To Play.

Which pitcher threw a record seventh no-hitter in May 1991, at the age of 44?

Nolan Ryan struck out 16 Blue Jays that evening, hours after Rickey Henderson had broken the career stolen-base record; no other pitcher has thrown more than four.

Which owner moved the Cleveland Browns out of Ohio for the 1996 NFL season, creating the Ravens?

Art Modell announced the move in November 1995; the NFL brokered a deal in which his team became a new franchise, the Ravens, while the Browns name and history stayed in Cleveland.

Which 19-year-old beat Andre Agassi in the 1990 US Open final to become its youngest men's champion?

Pete Sampras knocked out Ivan Lendl in the quarterfinals, ending Lendl's run of eight straight US Open finals, then won the final in straight sets.

Which high school star did the Charlotte Hornets draft 13th in 1996, only to trade him straight to the Lakers?

Kobe Bryant was a pick the Hornets had already agreed to swap the day before the draft, in exchange for veteran center Vlade Divac.

Which skateboarder made history at the 1999 X Games by landing the first documented 900 on a vert ramp?

Tony Hawk landed the 900-degree aerial spin only after a string of failed tries that day, and he pulled the trick off again in 2016 at age 48.

Which entertainment company founded the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993 and named the team after its own movie?

Disney borrowed the name from its 1992 film The Mighty Ducks, then sold the club in 2005 to owners who shortened it to the Anaheim Ducks.

Which US gymnast landed her final vault on an injured ankle to help clinch team gold at the 1996 Olympics?

Kerri Strug had to be carried onto the medals podium by coach Béla Károlyi, because her teammates refused to walk out for the ceremony without her.

Which city saw both of its NFL teams, the Rams and the Raiders, pack up and leave in 1995?

Los Angeles then went without an NFL team for more than twenty years, until the Rams won approval to move back for the 2016 season.

Which Seattle Mariners star shared an outfield with his own father in 1990, a first for Major League Baseball?

Ken Griffey Jr. and his father even hit back-to-back home runs in one game that September, another father-and-son first in the majors.

Which baseball and football star had his NFL career ended by a hip injury in a January 1991 Raiders playoff game?

Bo Jackson dislocated the hip on a tackle at the end of a long run against Cincinnati, yet he returned to baseball in 1993 with an artificial joint.

Which forward famous for his dyed hair led the NBA in rebounding for a record seven straight seasons?

Dennis Rodman won the last three of those rebounding crowns with the Chicago Bulls, who gave up center Will Perdue to get him in 1995.

Which Argentine soccer legend was thrown out of the 1994 World Cup after testing positive for ephedrine?

Diego Maradona was expelled after Argentina's second game of the tournament, and he blamed a supplement bought by his personal trainer.

Which quarterback did the Indianapolis Colts choose over Ryan Leaf with the first pick of the 1998 NFL draft?

Peyton Manning started for the Colts through 2010, while Leaf, taken second by the Chargers, saw his career cut short by poor play and injuries.

Which hockey legend retired in 1999 and had his jersey number retired by every team in the NHL?

Wayne Gretzky wore 99 only because the number 9 of his hero Gordie Howe was already taken on his junior team, and he later broke Howe's career goals record.

Which LSU center did Orlando take with the first pick of the 1992 NBA draft?

Shaquille O'Neal was named Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie voted an All-Star starter since Michael Jordan in 1985.

Which Yankees shortstop was the unanimous 1996 AL Rookie of the Year and won the World Series that fall?

Derek Jeter took all 28 first-place votes, only the fifth sweep in the AL award's history, and helped beat the Atlanta Braves for the title.

Whose single-season record of 61 home runs did Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both pass in 1998?

Roger Maris had held the mark since 1961, and McGwire finished the chase with 70 home runs to Sosa's 66.

Which American won the Olympic long jump for the fourth straight time at the 1996 Atlanta Games?

Carl Lewis became only the third Olympian to win the same individual event four times, after sailor Paul Elvstrøm and discus thrower Al Oerter.

In which city did the US 'Dream Team' of NBA stars win Olympic basketball gold in the summer of 1992?

Barcelona's Hotel Ambassador housed the squad, with USA Basketball occupying 80 of its 98 rooms while the team won every game by a huge margin.

Which Boston Celtics great retired in August 1992, days after winning Olympic gold with the Dream Team?

Larry Bird had been worn down by a compressed nerve root in his back, and the Celtics retired his number 33 at a sold-out Boston Garden.

Which Dallas Cowboys star was the NFL's rushing champion, league MVP and Super Bowl MVP for the 1993 campaign?

Emmitt Smith became the first running back to pair those three honors with a championship ring in a single season.

Which quarterback was named MVP of Super Bowl XXVII as the Dallas Cowboys began a run of three titles?

Troy Aikman delivered the franchise's first championship in over a decade, then added Super Bowls XXVIII and XXX within the next three seasons.

Which Denver Broncos quarterback ended his career by being named MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII in January 1999?

John Elway threw for 336 yards in the 34-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons, his second straight title after three earlier Super Bowl defeats.

Which former grocery store shelf-stocker was named NFL MVP in 1999 as quarterback of the St. Louis Rams?

Kurt Warner had earned $5.50 an hour on the night shift at an Iowa Hy-Vee after the Green Bay Packers cut him in 1994.

Which center won the NBA's MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards all in 1994?

Hakeem Olajuwon was the first player to sweep all three in one season, and also the first player born outside the United States to be voted the league's MVP.

Which forward was named the 1993 NBA MVP in his first season with the Phoenix Suns after a trade from Philadelphia?

Charles Barkley carried the Suns all the way to the NBA Finals that year, where they fell to Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

Which Canadian city gained an NBA team alongside Toronto in 1995, only to lose it to Memphis in 2001?

Vancouver welcomed the Grizzlies as part of the NBA's expansion into Canada, but the franchise lasted only six seasons there before heading south.

Which San Antonio Spurs forward was Finals MVP as a second-year player when the team won its first title in 1999?

Tim Duncan closed out the series with 31 points in Game 5, sharing the frontcourt with veteran center David Robinson.

Which pitcher became the first in MLB history to win four straight Cy Young Awards, from 1992 to 1995?

Greg Maddux won the first of the four with the Chicago Cubs, then signed with the Atlanta Braves and took the next three.

Which US player whipped off her jersey after scoring the winning penalty in the 1999 Women's World Cup final?

Brandi Chastain beat the same Chinese team she had missed a penalty against months earlier at the Algarve Cup.

Which Australian golfer lost the 1996 Masters to Nick Faldo after starting the final round six strokes ahead?

Greg Norman shot 78 on Sunday to Faldo's 67 and ended up losing by five, one of the most painful collapses golf has seen.

Which NASCAR great finally won the Daytona 500 in 1998 after failing in his first 19 attempts?

Dale Earnhardt won 76 Winston Cup races in a 26-year career, yet NASCAR's biggest one had always slipped away until that February.

Which Rangers captain guaranteed a Game 6 win over New Jersey in 1994, then scored a third-period hat trick?

Mark Messier's promise came with his team one loss from elimination, and it is often compared to Joe Namath's Super Bowl III guarantee.

Which pitcher born without a right hand threw a no-hitter for the Yankees against Cleveland in September 1993?

Jim Abbott had been a college star as well, winning the 1987 Golden Spikes Award as the country's best amateur baseball player.

Which Indiana Pacers guard scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to stun Madison Square Garden in the 1995 playoffs?

Reggie Miller's burst turned a six-point deficit into a 107-105 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Which Green Bay Packers kick returner became the first special teams player named Super Bowl MVP, in Super Bowl XXXI?

Desmond Howard ran a kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown in that game, at the time the longest return in Super Bowl history.

Which school routed Duke 103-73 in the 1990 NCAA men's basketball final, a record margin for a title game?

UNLV and its Runnin' Rebels shattered a margin record that had stood since 1968, and the blowout brought the school its first national title.

Which Minnesota Twins star hit an 11th-inning home run to force a Game 7 in the 1991 World Series?

Kirby Puckett led off the bottom of the inning by taking Charlie Leibrandt deep, and the Twins went on to win the deciding game as well.

Whose triple-overtime goal, scored with a skate in the crease, won the 1999 Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars?

Brett Hull's goal stood because the league ruled he had possession of the puck before entering the crease, and the rule was scrapped before the next season.

Which Frenchman made a triple bogey on the last hole at Carnoustie to throw away the 1999 Open Championship?

Jean van de Velde reached the 18th tee three shots clear and needing only a double bogey to win, then lost the playoff to Paul Lawrie.

Which NHL team moved to Denver in 1995 and won the Stanley Cup in its very first season there?

Quebec Nordiques players became the Avalanche, who traded for goalie Patrick Roy that December and swept the Florida Panthers in the 1996 final.

Which Dallas Cowboys lineman was stripped of the ball by Don Beebe while celebrating too early in Super Bowl XXVII?

Leon Lett had carried a recovered fumble 64 yards and slowed to showboat just short of the goal line, costing himself a touchdown.

Which defensive end known as the 'Minister of Defense' signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 1993?

Reggie White was the first marquee signing of the NFL's free-agency era, and within six seasons he held the Packers' career sacks record.