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This list shows notable sports-related deaths, events, and notable outcomes that occurred in March of 2005. Deaths
27 – Bob Casey 26 – Marius Russo 16 – Dick Radatz 13 – Frank House 13 – Danny Gardella 9 – Glenn Davis 6 – Chuck Thompson 5 – Rt Rev David Sheppard 3 – Rinus Michels 2 – Rick Mahler 1 – Brian Luckhurst
Ongoing events 12 February–20 November: NASCAR: Nextel Cup season 28 February–18 April: Cricket: Pakistan tour India 17 Mar-4 April: Basketball: NCAA Tournament 31 Mar-15 May: Cricket: S. Africa tour W. Indies
31 March 2005 (Thursday) Football (soccer): A UEFA disciplinary panel fines Chelsea manager José Mourinho CHF 20,000 (€13,000, £8,900) for his actions during a recent Champions League tie with Barcelona, and bans him from the touchline for both legs of Chelsea's Champions League quarterfinal tie with Bayern Munich. (UEFA.com)
30 March 2005 (Wednesday) Football (soccer): Israel comes from behind to draw 1–1 with France in a bad-tempered match in Tel Aviv. The Israeli crowd boos the French national anthem, and Fabien Barthez in particular is subject to intimidation, booing and heckling. French goal-scorer David Trezeguet is sent off after head-butting Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim. Walid Badir scores Israel's equalizer in the 83rd minute. (Sporting Life) Switzerland scores a late goal to win 1–0 over Cyprus. (Haaretz) The USA defeats Guatemala 2–0 in Birmingham, Alabama. Eddie Johnson leads the way for the Americans by scoring a goal in the 11th minute and assisting Steve Ralston's goal in the 68th minute. (AP/ESPN)
29 March 2005 (Tuesday) Cricket Australia (383 and 166/1) beat New Zealand (292 and 254) by 9 wickets in the third Test at Auckland. They win the three-Test series 2–0. (Wisden Cricinfo) CIS men's ice hockey The Alberta Golden Bears defeat the Saskatchewan Huskies 4–3 in overtime to win the University Cup.
28 March 2005 (Monday) Cricket Pakistan (570 and 261/2 declared) beat India (449 and 214) by 168 runs in the third Test at Bangalore, drawing the series 1–1. (Wisden Cricinfo) Golf Fred Funk wins the repeatedly weather-delayed Players Championship by one stroke over Luke Donald, Tom Lehman, and Scott Verplank. At 48, Funk is the event's oldest winner in its 32-year history, one year after Adam Scott became its youngest champion ever. (AP/ESPN)
27 March 2005 (Sunday) Rowing – The University of Oxford beat the University of Cambridge by two lengths in a time of 16:42 in the 151st Boat Race (BoatRace.org) (BBC) Basketball – NCAA Tournament, regional finals (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Syracuse Regional: North Carolina (1) 88, Wisconsin (6) 82 (AP/ESPN) Austin Regional: Michigan State (5) 94, Kentucky (2) 88 (2 OT) (AP/ESPN) Three of the four weekend's regional finals were decided in overtime, a first for that playoff series, and further evidence of March Madness. Ice hockey – By defeating Harvard in the title game of the NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship, Minnesota repeated as NCAA Division I national champions. Harvard's loss was its third consecutive championship game disappointment, each time at the hands of a school in the University of Minnesota system. Curling – Anette Norberg and her Swedish rink defeat Cassandra Johnson and team United States 10–4 in the 2005 World Women's Curling Championship. Norway, skipped by Dordi Nordby wins bronze. (CBC)
26 March 2005 (Saturday) Basketball – NCAA Tournament, regional finals (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Albuquerque Regional: Louisville (4) 93, West Virginia (7) 85 (OT) (AP/ESPN) Chicago Regional: Illinois (1) 90, Arizona (3) 89 (OT) (AP/ESPN)
25 March 2005 (Friday) NBA: A bomb threat delays the start of the Indiana Pacers–Detroit Pistons game in Auburn Hills, Michigan by 90 minutes. In the game, the Pacers defeat the Pistons, 94–81. (AP/ESPN) Basketball – NCAA Tournament, regional semifinals (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Austin Regional: Michigan State (5) 78, Duke (1) 68 (AP/ESPN) Kentucky (2) 62, Utah (6) 52 (AP/ESPN) Syracuse Regional: Wisconsin (6) 65, NC State (10) 56 (AP/ESPN) North Carolina (1) 67, Villanova (5) 66 (AP/ESPN)
24 March 2005 (Thursday) Football (soccer): Robert Hoyzer, the German referee at the center of a major match fixing scandal, has told investigators that the gambling ring that paid him to fix matches knew the names of referees who would work UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and international matches several days before UEFA announced them publicly. (AP/Yahoo!) Basketball – NCAA Tournament, regional semifinals (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Albuquerque Regional: Louisville (4) 93, Washington (1) 79 (AP/ESPN) West Virginia (7) 65, Texas Tech (6) 60 (AP/ESPN) Chicago Regional: Illinois (1) 77, Milwaukee (12) 63 (AP/ESPN) Arizona (3) 79, Oklahoma State (2) 78 (AP/ESPN)
23 March 2005 (Wednesday) Football (soccer): The executive committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body for football in Asia, has unanimously endorsed a proposal by Australia to leave its current federation, the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and join the AFC. The proposed move would still require Australia to resign from the OFC, formally apply to the AFC, and gain FIFA approval. (Asian Football Confederation) (Reuters/Yahoo!)
22 March 2005 (Tuesday) NCAA basketball: Tennessee women's basketball head coach Pat Summitt wins her 880th game as the Lady Vols defeat Purdue 75–54 in the second round of the 2005 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. Her win surpasses legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith for first all-time in wins amongst men's and women's head coaches. (AP/Yahoo!) Cricket: New Zealand (244 and 48/3) draw with Australia (570 for 8 dec) in the 2nd Test at Wellington after the match is abandoned due to rain. (Wisden Cricinfo)
20 March 2005 (Sunday) Ski flying: During the ski flying weekend in Planica, Slovenia, the world record was improved several times. The new best result is 239 metres by Bjørn Einar Romøren of Norway. Janne Ahonen of Finland flew 240 metres, but fell. Cricket: India (407 and 407/9 dec) beat Pakistan (393 and 226) by 195 runs in the 2nd Test at Kolkata, taking a 1–0 lead in the series. (Wisden Cricinfo) Basketball – In the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's basketball championship, the Carleton Ravens defeat the Concordia Stingers 68–48. NCAA Tournament, second round (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Albuquerque Regional: Louisville (4) 76, Georgia Tech (5) 54 (AP/ESPN) Austin Regional: Michigan State (5) 72, Vermont (13) 61 (AP/ESPN) Duke (1) 63, Mississippi State (9) 55 (AP/ESPN) Chicago Regional: Oklahoma State (2) 85, SIU (7) 77 (AP/ESPN) Syracuse Regional: UConn (2) 62, NC State (10) 65 (AP/ESPN) Florida (4) 65, Villanova (5) 76 (AP/ESPN) North Carolina (1) 92, Iowa State (9) 65 (AP/ESPN) Wisconsin (6) 71, Bucknell (14) 62 (AP/ESPN) Formula One: Fernando Alonso wins the Malaysian Grand Prix for his second career victory in F1. Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld join him on the podium. (Formula1.com) NASCAR: Carl Edwards wins the Golden Corral 500 on a last-lap pass of Jimmie Johnson. It is Edwards' first career Nextel Cup victory and comes a day after he won his first career Busch Series race. (NASCAR.com)
19 March 2005 (Saturday) Rugby union: Six Nations Wales complete a Grand Slam by defeating Ireland 32–20 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It's the first Grand Slam by Wales since 1978, and is also Wales' first overall win in the competition since 1994 (when it was still the Five Nations). (BBC) Italy 13–56 France (Stadio Flaminio, Rome) (BBC) England 43–22 Scotland (Twickenham, London) (BBC). Basketball – NCAA Tournament, second round (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Albuquerque Regional: Gonzaga (3) 67, Texas Tech (6) 71 (AP/ESPN) Washington (1) 97, Pacific (8) 79 (AP/ESPN) Wake Forest (2) 105, West Virginia (7) 111 (2 OT) (AP/ESPN) Austin Regional: Oklahoma (3) 58, Utah (6) 67 (AP/ESPN) Illinois (1) 71, Nevada (9) 59 (AP/ESPN) Kentucky (2) 69, Cincinnati (7) 60 (AP/ESPN) Chicago Regional: Arizona (3) 85, UAB (11) 63 (AP/ESPN) Boston College (4) 75, Milwaukee (12) 83 (AP/ESPN)
18 March 2005 (Friday) Basketball – NCAA Tournament, first round (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Albuquerque Regional: Louisville (4) 68, Louisiana-Lafayette (13) 62 (AP/ESPN) Georgia Tech (5) 80, George Washington (12) 68 (AP/ESPN) Austin Regional: Syracuse (4) 57, Vermont (13) 60 (OT) (AP/ESPN) Duke (1) 57, Delaware State (16) 46 (AP/ESPN) Michigan State (5) 89, Old Dominion (12) 81 (AP/ESPN) Stanford (8) 70, Mississippi State (9) 93 (AP/ESPN) Chicago Regional: Oklahoma State (2) 63, SE Louisiana (15) 50 (AP/ESPN) SIU (7) 65, St. Mary's (10) 56 (AP/ESPN) Syracuse Regional: Charlotte (7) 63, NC State (10) 75 (AP/ESPN) Florida (4) 67, Ohio (13) 62 (AP/ESPN) Minnesota (8) 53, Iowa State (9) 64 (AP/ESPN) UConn (2) 77, UCF (15) 71 (AP/ESPN) Villanova (5) 55, New Mexico (12) 47 (AP/ESPN) North Carolina (1) 96, Oakland (16) 68 (AP/ESPN) Wisconsin (6) 57, Northern Iowa (11) 52 (AP/ESPN) Kansas (3) 63, Bucknell (14) 64 (AP/ESPN)
17 March 2005 (Thursday) Football (soccer): UEFA Cup Round of 16, second leg (advancing teams in bold): CSKA Moscow 2 – 0 Partizan Belgrade (UEFA.com) Sporting Lisbon 1 – 0 Middlesbrough Parma 1 – 0 Sevilla Auxerre 0 – 0 Lille Real Zaragoza 2 – 2 Austria Vienna (decided on away goals) (UEFA.com) Basketball – NCAA Tournament, first round (regional seeds included; advancing teams in bold): Albuquerque Regional: Pacific (8) 79, Pittsburgh (9) 71 (AP/ESPN) Washington (1) 88, Montana (16) 77 (AP/ESPN) Wake Forest (2) 70, Chattanooga (15) 54 (AP/ESPN) Gonzaga (3) 74, Winthrop (14) 64 (AP/ESPN) West Virginia (7) 63, Creighton (10) 61 (AP/ESPN) Texas Tech (6) 78, UCLA (11) 66 (AP/ESPN) Austin Regional: Kentucky (2) 72, Eastern Kentucky (15) 64 (AP/ESPN) Oklahoma (3) 84, Niagara (14) 67 (AP/ESPN) Cincinnati (7) 76, Iowa (10) 64 (AP/ESPN) Utah (6) 60, UTEP (11) 54 (AP/ESPN) Chicago Regional: Alabama (5) 73, Milwaukee (12) 83 (AP/ESPN) Boston College (4) 85, Penn (13) 65 (AP/ESPN) Texas (8) 57, Nevada (9) 61 (AP/ESPN) Arizona (3) 66, Utah State (14) 53 (AP/ESPN) Illinois (1) 67, Fairleigh Dickinson (16) 55 (AP/ESPN) LSU (6) 68, UAB (11) 82 (AP/ESPN)
16 March 2005 (Wednesday) Dogsled racing 2005 Iditarod: Robert Sørlie from Norway wins the 1,161-mile (1,868 km) race across the U.S. state of Alaska for the second time. Bjørnar Andersen of Norway in 4th place is the Rookie of the Year, which is the best showing by a rookie in decades. Football (soccer) – UEFA Cup, round of 16: Second leg (advancing teams in bold): Newcastle United 4 – 0 Olympiacos (UEFA.com) AZ Alkmaar 2 – 1 Shakhtar Donetsk (UEFA.com) First leg (rescheduled from 10 March): Steaua Bucharest 0 – 0 Villarreal (UEFA.com)
15 March 2005 (Tuesday) Football (soccer): UEFA Champions League, knock-out round of 16, second leg (advancing team in bold): Inter Milan 3 – 1 Porto (UEFA.com) Gabriel Batistuta, the all-time goals leader for the Argentina national team, announces his retirement. He was last seen playing with a Qatari league team. (Clarin, in Spanish) Basketball – NCAA Tournament: Opening round from Dayton, Ohio: Oakland 79, Alabama A&M 69 (AP/ESPN)
14 March 2005 (Monday) Dogsled racing 2005 Iditarod: Robert Sørlie from Norway is the first to reach Unalakleet on March 13 at 8:45 PM AKST (March 14 5:45 UTC), and start the final stretch down the shore of the Bering Sea to Nome. Bjørnar Andersen, Sørlie's teammate, is the only rookie in the top 10. NCAA college basketball: Temple University announces that men's head basketball coach John Chaney will coach in the National Invitation Tournament. He had previously been suspended for actions committed on February 28 during a game against Saint Joseph's University.
13 March 2005 (Sunday)