St. Louis Sports History

St. Louis has a storied sports history and a veritable “who’s who” list of current and former athletes who call the city home.

Some of the most successful athletes in the world were raised and trained in the St. Louis area, including: Ryan Howard, Major League Baseball’s 2006 MVP; Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic track and field star; baseball’s Yogi Berra, three-time American League Most Valuable Player; Jimmy Connors, former Wimbledon and U.S. Open tennis champion; Michael and Leon Spinks, World Heavyweight boxing champions; Devon Alexander, WBC and IBF junior welterweight champion; Hale Irwin, former U.S. Open golf champion; Lori Chalupny, midfielder/defender for the U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team; Craig Virgin, Olympic medalist in distance running; Marty Hogan, world racquetball champion; and Ivory Crockett, former world sprinting champion.

The St. Louis Cardinals have won more World Series championships (10) than any other National League team. St. Louis is known as such a savvy baseball town that The Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, and Baseball America have named it “America’s Best Baseball City.”

One of baseball’s all-time greats, Hall of Famer Stan “The Man” Musial, played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals. Musial, who still lives in St. Louis, has a career batting average of .331, a career total of 3,630 hits, was named National League Most Valuable Player three times and played in the All-Star Game 19 times. Musial was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. Forty-nine St. Louis players have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York.

The St. Louis Cardinals football team was the region’s gridiron team of choice from 1960 – 1987. Football’s greatest tight end, Hall of Famer Jackie Smith, who spent much of his illustrious career with the Cardinals, still makes his home in St. Louis. Another resident “Big Red” Cardinal, Dan Dierdorf, is member of the Football Hall of Fame, as well as a restaurateur in St. Louis. Dierdorf was a key player for the “Football Cardinals” and currently works as a sportscaster for CBS-TV.

Among some of St. Louis’ more notable sports history highlights:

In March 2010, the Edward Jones Dome hosted the NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals.

Busch Stadium hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 2009, and the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis served as the site of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

In 2006, the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series over the Detroit Tigers in five games. The region also hosted the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup, the State Farm U.S. Figure Skating Championships, and the 2006 National Sportsmanship Awards.

In 2005, St. Louis was the hot spot for college sports, as the NCAA Men’s Final Four was held at the Edward Jones Dome. The University of North Carolina defeated the University of Illinois on April 4, 2005. In addition, the Scottrade Center welcomed the NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships in March. The St. Louis Sports Commission was chosen “Sports Commission of the Year” by the National Association of Sports Commissions (NASC).

In 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals became the National League champions and posted 105 regular season wins – the most in the major leagues. Unfortunately, the team was swept by the Boston Red Sox in four games. To celebrate the centennial of the 1904 Olympic Games held in St. Louis, a series of qualifying events were held here, including the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Diving and the Women’s Marathon. Winners from these events competed for the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The United States Men’s Senior Open Championship celebrated its 25th anniversary by bringing the event to St. Louis in 2004. More than 170,000 fans attended the tournament.

The NFC Champion St. Louis Rams made it to Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, but were denied a championship by the New England Patriots on February 3, 2002.

St. Louis hosted its first NCAA Women’s Final Four at the Scottrade Center in 2001. The event, which was a sell-out, featured a classic championship game with Notre Dame beating Purdue 68-66.

The St. Louis Rams won their first Super Bowl on January 30, 2000, with a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Football fans voted the game as the “best Super Bowl ever” according to a CNNSI.com poll. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held at St. Louis’ Scottrade Center, March 15-18, 2000, sold the most all-session tickets in the 69-year history of the event. The record-breaking attendance of 96,994 surpassed the previous record set in 1997 when 90,064 people watched the championship matches.

On November 15, 1999, the St. Louis Sports Commission named Stan Musial and Jackie Joyner-Kersee “St. Louis Athletes of the Century.” Held at the Edward Jones Dome, the NCAA Men’s Regionals Basketball Tournament set an attendance record for an NCAA event. More than 42,400 fans jammed the Dome for each of the tournament’s three games that took place March 19 and 20, 1999.

The 1998 NCAA Men’s Basketball Regionals were held at the Scottrade Center in March, and baseball history was made in Busch Stadium when St. Louis Cardinals’ slugger Mark McGwire was the first player to hit 70 home runs during a single season.

In January 1995, the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams announced that they were relocating to St. Louis. The St. Louis Rams played their first four home games at the old Busch Stadium, and played their first game in the Edward Jones Dome on November 18, 1995.

In 1994, St. Louis hosted the United States Olympic Festival (USOF), which was called “outstanding” and the “best ever” by U.S. Olympic Committee officials. The St. Louis festival broke 20 USOF records including total attendance (more than 515,000) and total event ticket sales (more than $2.84 million).

After the 1987 season, Owner Bill Bidwell moved the NFL’s St. Louis Cardinals football team to Phoenix, Arizona after failing to convince city leaders to build a new stadium for the team.

During the 1980s, the St. Louis Cardinals were the only team in baseball to win three pennants. They won the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982, and returned to the championship series in 1985 and 1987.

The old St. Louis Arena, also known as the Checkerdome, hosted the NCAA Men’s Final Four. Bill Walton and the UCLA Bruins defeated the Memphis State Tigers 87-66 to win the national title. The Arena also hosted the Final Four again in 1978.

On April 12, 1958, Bob Pettit scored 50 points for the St. Louis Hawks against the Celtics as the city captured its first and only NBA Championship.

Five “local boys” – Charlie Colombo, Frank Borghi, Gino Pariani, Harry Keough and “Pee Wee” Wallace – were part of the U.S. soccer team that upset England in the 1950 World Cup.

The Saint Louis University Billikens won the NIT men’s basketball championship in 1948.

St. Louis’ “Streetcar Series” pitted the hometown Cardinals and Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles) in the 1944 World Series.

Updated: August 9, 2010

###

Follow St. Louis on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest information on what’s happening in the Gateway City. 

Your readers should call 1-800-916-0037 (USA and Canada) or 1-314-421-1023 for a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitors Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis online.

MEDIA NOTE: For more information or photography of St. Louis, send an e-mail. For up-to-date information about St. Louis, your readers should call the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission at 1-800-916-0037 or check out our website.