__NOTOC__
This list shows notable sports-related deaths, events, and notable outcomes that occurred in December of 2006. Deaths
31 – Yaacov Hodorov 21 – Scobie Breasley 16 – Cecil Travis 15 – Clay Regazzoni 13 – Lamar Hunt 12 – Paul Arizin 8 – José Uribe 7 – Kim Hyung-chil
Sporting seasons
Auto racing 2006:
A1 Grand Prix
Basketball 2006–07:
Euroleague Philippine Basketball Association Australian National Basketball League
Cricket 2006–07:
Australia South Africa
Cyclo-cross: 2006/07 Cyclo-cross World Cup
Football (soccer) 2006–07:
2006–07 UEFA Champions League 2006–07 UEFA Cup England (general) FA Premier League 2006–07 Scotland (general) Scottish Premier League 2006–07
Golf: 2007 European Tour
Rugby union 2006:
2006–07 Heineken Cup 2006–07 English Premiership 2006–07 Top 14 2006–07 Celtic League 2007 Rugby World Cup qualifying 2006–07 IRB Sevens
Speed skating 2006–07:
Essent Cup 2006–07 World Cup
Volleyball 2006:
Men's CEV Champions League 2006–07
U.S. and Canadian sports 2006–07:
NCAA Division I football bowl games 2006 NFL season 2006–07 NHL season 2006–07 NBA season
31 December 2006 (Sunday) American football: NFL Week 17: New York Jets 23, Oakland Raiders 20 – The Jets clinch a wild-card spot, while Oakland gets next year's first draft pick by virtue of having this season's worst record in the NFL (2–14). Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Cincinnati Bengals 17, OT – After Cincinnati's Shayne Graham misses a 39-yard field-goal attempt at the close of regulation, Santonio Holmes takes a Ben Roethlisberger pass 67 yards to knock the Bengals out of playoff contention. Kansas City Chiefs 35, Jacksonville Jaguars 30 – Larry Johnson rushes for 138 yards and three touchdowns. The win, combined with the Broncos' loss to the 49ers later that day, gives the Chiefs a playoff spot. New England Patriots 40, Tennessee Titans 23 – After a Titans comeback attempt sputters, Bill Belichick allows Vinny Testaverde to throw a touchdown pass, making him the first to throw at least one in 20 straight seasons. Detroit Lions 39, Dallas Cowboys 31 – The Lions' shocking victory gives the Eagles the NFC East title. Jon Kitna throws for four touchdowns, and Paris Lenon tackles Tony Romo on fourth-and-goal to preserve the win. Carolina Panthers 31, New Orleans Saints 21 Seattle Seahawks 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 St. Louis Rams 41, Minnesota Vikings 21 Houston Texans 14, Cleveland Browns 6 Indianapolis Colts 27, Miami Dolphins 22 – The Colts do their part in their bid for a first-round bye, but fail when the Ravens win. San Diego Chargers 27, Arizona Cardinals 20 – The Chargers secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. Baltimore Ravens 19, Buffalo Bills 7 – The Ravens' win gives them second seed in the AFC playoffs and a first-round bye. San Francisco 49ers 26, Denver Broncos 23 (OT) – The Broncos, needing only a tie to secure a wild-card berth, blow an early 13–0 lead, fail to score on three trips inside the Niners 5 in regulation, and eventually lose the game and a playoff berth on a Joe Nedney field goal. Philadelphia Eagles 24, Atlanta Falcons 17 Green Bay Packers 26, Chicago Bears 7 – In what many analysts speculate will be Brett Favre's last game, he throws for 285 yards and a TD to help lead the Pack to a rout of the Bears, who had little to play for as they had already clinched home field throughout the NFC playoffs. Bears QB Rex Grossman goes 2-for-12 with three interceptions, two returned for TDs, in the first half, and is pulled in favor of Brian Griese. College football: MPC Computers Bowl – Miami (Florida) 21, Nevada 20
30 December 2006 (Saturday) American football: NFL Week 17: New York Giants 34, Washington Redskins 28: In what he says will be his last regular-season game, Tiki Barber rushes for a team-record 234 yards and scores three touchdowns. The Giants clinch the last playoff spot in the NFC. College football: Meineke Car Care Bowl: (23) Boston College 25, Navy 24 – After a Navy fumble, BC's Steve Aponavicius kicks a 37-yard field goal as time expires. Alamo Bowl: (18) Texas 26, Iowa 24 – Colt McCoy throws for 308 yards and leads the Longhorns back from a 14–0 deficit. Chick-fil-A Bowl: Georgia 31, (14) Virginia Tech 24 – The Bulldogs score 28 unanswered second-half points. Golf: Tiger Woods and his wife Elin announce that they are expecting their first child in the summer of 2007. He will skip the first three official events of the 2007 PGA Tour season to spend time with her. (ESPN) Ski jumping: 16-year-old Gregor Schlierenzauer wins the first of four competitions in the 2006–07 Four Hills Tournament. The Austrian came 1.5 metres short to break the hill record in his third World Cup win in only five career appearances.
29 December 2006 (Friday) American college football: Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl presented by Bridgestone – Kentucky 28, Clemson 20. The Wildcats win a bowl for the first time since 1984. Brut Sun Bowl – Oregon State 39, Missouri 38. The Beavers win on a gamble, cashing in on a two-point conversion attempt with 22 seconds left. AutoZone Liberty Bowl – South Carolina 44, Houston 36 Insight Bowl – Texas Tech 44, Minnesota 41 (OT). The Red Raiders spot the Golden Gophers a 38–7 lead midway through the third quarter, and then go on the biggest comeback in Division I-A postseason history to win in overtime. Champs Sports Bowl – Maryland 24, Purdue 7
28 December 2006 (Thursday) 2006–07 Ashes series, Fourth Test, day 3: vs. , in Melbourne. England second innings: 161 all out (65.5 overs). Australia win the match by an innings and 99 runs, stretching their lead in the five-match series to 4–0. Shane Warne, in his final Test at the MCG, is named Man of the Match for his bowling figures of 5–39 and 2–46, and his 40 not out with the bat in the first innings. His final dismissal, of Steve Harmison, puts him on 999 total Test and ODI wickets, trailing only Muttiah Muralitharan. (BBC) American college football: Independence Bowl – Oklahoma State 34, Alabama 31 Texas Bowl – Rutgers 37, Kansas State 10. The Scarlet Knights win a bowl game for the first time in their history. Holiday Bowl – California 45, Texas A&M 10
27 December 2006 (Wednesday) American college football: Emerald Bowl – Florida State 44, UCLA 27
26 December 2006 (Tuesday) 2006–07 Ashes series: Shane Warne becomes the first cricketer to take 700 test wickets. American college football: Motor City Bowl – Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee 14
25 December 2006 (Monday) Basketball: NBA Christmas Game: Miami Heat 101, Los Angeles Lakers 85. Dwyane Wade scores 40 as the defending NBA Champions breeze to victory. NFL Christmas Day Games: Philadelphia Eagles 23, Dallas Cowboys 7. The Eagles victory clinches a playoff spot, and puts them atop the NFC East. Monday Night Football: New York Jets 13, Miami Dolphins 10. Mike Nugent's 30-yard field goal with ten seconds left in regulation allows the Jets to control their destiny in the AFC.
24 December 2006 (Sunday) American football (all times US EST/-5 UTC): NFL Week 16 Sunday Games: Baltimore Ravens 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 7. The Ravens take a 1-game lead over the Colts for the number-two spot in the AFC, thus rendering the Steelers unable to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Carolina Panthers 10, Atlanta Falcons 3. The Panthers stay alive in the chase for a wild-card spot. Chicago Bears 26, Detroit Lions 21. In a planned move, Brian Griese replaces Rex Grossman in the fourth quarter, and leads the Bears to two fourth-quarter drives ending with Robbie Gould field goals for the win. Houston Texans 27, Indianapolis Colts 24. Kris Brown's game-winning 48-yard field goal drops the Colts into third place in the AFC. New England Patriots 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24. The Patriots clinch the game, and the AFC East title, when Jarvis Green strips David Garrard of the ball with 1:55 left. New Orleans Saints 31, New York Giants 7. Both Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister rush for more than 100 yards, while the Giants do not run a play in Saints territory all game. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22, Cleveland Browns 7. The Buccaneers win their first road game in over a year as they trounce the equally pathetic Browns. Tennessee Titans 30, Buffalo Bills 29. The Titans win their sixth straight and stay alive in the playoff hunt, while the Bills are eliminated. St. Louis Rams 37, Washington Redskins 31 (OT). The Rams join the logjam at 7–8 in the NFC after Steven Jackson's game-ending 21-yard touchdown. Arizona Cardinals 26, San Francisco 49ers 20. The 49ers' loss eliminates themselves from playoff contention, and clinches the NFC West for Seattle. Denver Broncos 24, Cincinnati Bengals 23. The Broncos move a step close to a wild-card spot when the Bengals botch an extra-point attempt with 37 seconds remaining. San Diego Chargers 20, Seattle Seahawks 17. The Chargers win on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Vincent Jackson with 27 seconds left College football: Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Hawaii 42, Arizona State 24. Warriors QB Colt Brennan sets a new NCAA record for most touchdown passes thrown in a season with 58, including five in this game.
23 December 2006 (Saturday) American football (All times US EST/-5 UTC): College football: Papajohns.com Bowl – South Florida 24, East Carolina 7. New Mexico Bowl – San Jose State 20, New Mexico 12. Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl – Utah 25, Tulsa 13. NFL Week 16 Saturday game: Kansas City Chiefs 20, Oakland Raiders 9. Larry Johnson rushes for 132 yards as the Chiefs kept their faint wild card hopes alive. College basketball: Bob Knight ties Dean Smith's NCAA Division I record for most wins with his 879th win as Texas Tech defeats Bucknell, 72–60. In what many called a prelude to the Final Four in December, Florida defeats Ohio State in Gainesville, 86–60.
22 December 2006 (Friday) NBA: The Washington Wizards, thanks to Gilbert Arenas' 54 points, snapped the Phoenix Suns' 15-game winning streak, defeating the hosts 144–139 in overtime. Allen Iverson made his debut with the Denver Nuggets, not starting the game but entering with less than four minutes in the first quarter, contributing 22 points and 10 assists, but the Sacramento Kings spoiled his party, winning 101–96. American college football: R+L New Orleans Bowl – Troy 41, Rice 17.
21 December 2006 (Thursday) American football (all times EST/-5 UTC): NFL Week 16 Thursday Night Game: Green Bay Packers 9, Minnesota Vikings 7. In a game that saw neither team score an offensive touchdown, Brett Favre, in what could be his last home game, rallies the Packers to a game-winning field goal by Dave Rayner with 1:34 left. College football: Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl, BYU 38, Oregon 8 Cricket: Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne announces his retirement from international and domestic cricket after the end of the current Test series against England. Basketball: Euroleague Panathinaikos of Athens becomes the first club to secure a berth in the Top 16 phase with a 78–75 away win over Cibona of Zagreb. (Euroleague) Later that evening, an 89–67 win by Pau-Orthez (France) over Fenerbahçe Ülker (Turkey) secures a Top 16 berth for defending Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow. (Euroleague)
20 December 2006 (Wednesday) NHL: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board unanimously rejects a bid by Isle of Capri Casinos for a slot machine-casino license in Pittsburgh. Isle of Capri had committed to building the Pittsburgh Penguins a $290 million (US$) arena if they had received the license. The vote leaves the Penguins' future in Pittsburgh in serious doubt. (ESPN)
19 December 2006 (Tuesday) NBA: The Philadelphia 76ers end the Allen Iverson era, trading the All-Star guard to the Denver Nuggets. The Sixers get in return point guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith and the Nuggets' two first round draft choices in the 2007 NBA draft. (NBA.com) American college football: San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – TCU 37, Northern Illinois 7.