Discover the biggest moments from this day in sports history, including championships, records and legendary performances from June 24.
June 24 carries championship-defining moments in hockey and rugby, the longest tennis match ever played, and the birth of the NFL’s name across a century of competition.
South Africa defeated New Zealand 15-12 in extra time at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, with Joel Stransky’s drop goal deciding it. The defining image was President Nelson Mandela presenting the Webb Ellis Cup to captain Francois Pienaar while wearing a Springbok jersey, a symbol that had long represented white minority rule. In one afternoon, sport became a vehicle for national reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa. The moment was later immortalized in the film Invictus.
The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to capture the franchise’s first championship in its 30-year history. Sam Reinhart scored the Cup-winning goal. Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP despite being on the losing side, only the sixth player in NHL history to receive the award in defeat. Edmonton had rallied from a 3-0 series deficit to force Game 7, making it one of the most dramatic finals in modern hockey.
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins 3-2 in Game 6 to capture the Stanley Cup. Trailing 2-1 with under two minutes remaining, Bryan Bickell tied it before Dave Bolland scored the winner just 17 seconds later. The two goals in 17 seconds to close out a championship remain one of the most dramatic finishes in Stanley Cup history. It was Chicago’s second title in four seasons and fifth in franchise history.
John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68 in the first round at Wimbledon. The match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes over three days, shattering every endurance record in professional tennis. The fifth set alone took 8 hours and 11 minutes. The two players combined for 216 aces and 183 games. Isner served 113 aces on his own. The Court 18 scoreboard broke during the match.
At an owners’ meeting in Cleveland, the American Professional Football Association was officially renamed the National Football League. At the same session, the Chicago Staleys became the Chicago Bears. The rebranding gave professional football its permanent identity and signaled the league’s ambition to grow into a national enterprise, a vision that would take decades to fully realize.
1950: Brazil defeated Mexico 4-0 in the opening match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup at the Maracana, the first World Cup held since 1938.
1992: The Orlando Magic selected Shaquille O’Neal first overall in the NBA Draft.
1994: Brazil defeated Cameroon 3-0 at the FIFA World Cup at Stanford Stadium, with Romario scoring twice.
2004: The Orlando Magic selected Dwight Howard first overall in the NBA Draft.
2016: The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Auston Matthews first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.
2018: England defeated Panama 6-1 at the FIFA World Cup in Russia, with a Harry Kane hat trick, as Panama scored their first-ever World Cup goal in the same match.
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