Fourth of July Sports Moments

Independence Day is a time to celebrate our freedom. It is a time where we see loved ones as we enjoy the holiday off. Sports have also been a big part of the Fourth of July as well.

In my mind, the greatest sports moment on the Fourth of July happened in 1939. After being officially diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(ALS), New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig announced his retirement from the game of baseball at Yankee Stadium. His famous line, "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" is still very much remembered today even from those who were not around to see him play. He died two years later of the disease and is still considered by many to be the greatest first baseman to ever play the game. The disease that he died from was named after him and he is easily remembered by that just as much as his Hall of Fame career.

Four years earlier, a legendary boxing career began as Joe Louis knocked out Jack Kracken in the first round of their fight in Chicago. He had just turned professional that year after winning the Michigan's Golden Gloves title. Louis went on to become arguably the best heavyweight boxer ever as he finished with a career record of 66-3.

Speaking of boxing, one of the darkest days in that sport's history occurred on the Fourth of July in 1910. World Heavyweight Champion and the first African-American champion, Jack Johnson, defended his title against James Jeffries, who was coming out of a six-year retirement from the sport. The bout called "The Fight of the Century" took place in Reno, Nevada and had instantly become a prime target for racial tension and fighting. After 15 rounds, Jeffries quit the fight after he had been knocked down twice in a single bout for the first time in his career. After Johnson retained his title, racial riots took place in many cities across the United States. Innocent African-Americans were attacked on city streets, and 23 of them had died as a result. A dark Independence Day that fueled racial riots instead of celebrating the freedom and right to a enjoy moments of a great feat were overshadowed in a big way on that day.

Boxing did witness a legendary fighter win the World Heavyweight Title for the first time in his career on the Fourth of July in 1919. Champion Jess Williard defended the title against a smaller opponent by the name of Jack Dempsey. Dempsey was given little chance of dethroning Williard because of the size difference between the two. Just before the fight, Dempsey was informed by his manager Jack Kearns that he bet on him to win with a first round knockout. So the first round of the fight went down as one of the most brutal in boxing history. Williard suffered a broken cheekbone, jaw, ribs, lost several teeth, and even lost partial hearing in that round at the hands of Dempsey. After the beatings continued, Williard was forced to give up in the third round as Dempsey became the new champion. Dempsey would hold the title for the next seven years before losing it to Gene Tunney.

Four years later, Dempsey defended his title against a virtual unknown by the name of Tommy Gibbons. The fight took place in Shelby, Montana and because of the city borrowing money heavily for the fight, it nearly bankrupted the town. To make matters worse, no one was knocked down in the entire fight, and it was won by Dempsey on points after a less than stellar performance on his part. Gibbons had some quickness which caused Dempsey to miss several punches, but he lacked the firepower to overcome the champion in their 15 round fight.

It was twenty years ago on the Fourth of July that women's tennis legend Martina Navratilova won her sixth straight Wimbledon Championship when she defeated upcoming German star Steffi Graf in the finals in two sets, 7-5 and 6-3. This was Navratilova's eighth Wimbledon title and she would go on to win one more in 1990. She finished her career with an impressive 18 Grand Slam tournament singles titles, and is considered by many to be the greatest woman's tennis player ever.

As far as baseball games are concerned, one such classic stood out on July 4, 1985. The New York Mets came to Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium to take on the Braves in one of the most thrilling games ever witnessed. The slugfest went into extra innings and provided some fireworks within the game from an unlikely player. With the Braves trailing 11-10 in the 18th inning, the team was down to their last out. Because of not having any other players to pinch-hit, the Braves were forced to use relief pitcher Rick Camp as their last hope to tie the game. In a very heroic moment, Camp did the impossible as he hit a game-tying home run off Mets reliever Tom Gorman to force an extra inning of play in front of the remaining 10,000 fans on hand. Unfortunately for the Braves, Camp was still the last pitcher the team could use and the Mets took advantage by scoring five runs in the top of the 19th inning. The Braves did manage to get two runs in their half of the inning, but the game ended when Camp struck out with the Mets winning 16-13. Camp took the loss, but the sight of him hitting an improbable home run is what many remember on that Fourth of July day in 1985. The game ended just before 4 a.m. on July 5.

Baseball also witnessed a first in 2004 when the All-Star teams were announced on the Fourth of July. National League outfielders Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey, and Sammy Sosa were named starters for their squad. This marked the first time in baseball history that three players with 500 career home runs or more started in the same All-Star game which was played in Houston, Texas.

While we celebrate our freedom on the Fourth of July, sports have provided us with great moments and fireworks of their own on Independence Day. Legends such as Joe Louis and Rick Dempsey made their marks on boxing while Martina Navratilova added to her own legacy by winning her sixth straight Wimbledon. Jack Johnson's victory over Jeffries in 1910 ended with fireworks in a very negative tone. Camp became a temporary hero for the Braves while legendary player Lou Gehrig ended his career with a courageous speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939. We as Americans do celebrate the holiday as most of us enjoy the day off. However, athletes play on this gracious holiday and have given us some of the greatest memories in the history of all sports.

Sources: baseball-almanac.com for Braves vs Mets, sptimes.com for Navaratilova, boxrec.com for Johnson, Dempsey and Louis, lougehrig.com for Gehrig