2003 Death Willie Shoemaker, jockey, dies at 72 2003 Death Bill Mauldin, cartoonist, Willie and Joe, dies at 81 2001 Death "Willie ""Pops"" Stargell", baseball great/humanitarian, dies at 61 1999 Death Willie Morris, writer, The Ghosts of Medgar Evers, dies at 63 1999 Death Boxcar Willie, born Lecil Travis Martin, guitarist, American hobo music singer, sang country, gospel music, dies from leukemia, in Branson, Missouri, at age 67 1997 Death Willie Forkner, biker (Wild One), dies of heart attack at 77 1997 Event Tommy Lasorda, Nellie Fox and Willie Wells for Hall of Fame 1995 Death Willie George "Bill" Woodruff Sr, vocalist, dies at 66 1994 Death Willie Humphrey, jazz clarinetist, dies at 93 1994 Death Willie Mae Ford Smith, gospel Singer/Songwriter, dies at 89 1993 Death Willie Mosconi, world billiards champ, dies of heart attack at 80 1992 Event 23rd New York City Marathon won by Willie Mtolo in 2:09:29 1992 Event Barry Bonds joins Willie Mays, Howard Johnson and Ron Gant as having (2) 30-home run/30-steal seasons 1992 Event IRS and Willie Nelson settle on $9M tax bill (of $16.7M) 1992 Death Willie Dixon, blues composer (I'm a Man, Backdoor Man), dies at 76 1990 Event NL batting champ Willie McGee signs as a free agent with San Francisco Giants 1990 Event Andre Dawson steals his 300th base and is only player other than Willie Mays to have 300 home runs, 300 steals and 2,000 hits 1990 Event Nolan Ryan pitches his 6th no-hitter beating Oakland, in 9th he retires Ken Phelps, Rickey Henderson and Willie Randolph (all ex Yankees) 1988 Event Willie Stargell became 200th man inducted in Baseball's Hall of Fame 1988 Event Willie Stargell (Pittsburgh Pirate), elected to Baseball Hall of Fame 1987 Event Mike Schmidt passes Ted Williams and Willie McCovey with 522 home runs 1986 Event Willie McCovey, Bobby Doerr, and Ernie Lombardi inducted in Hall of Fame 1986 Event Willie McCovey is 16th elected to Hall of Fame in his 1st year 1985 Event Willie Nelson's Farm Aid concert 1985 Event Willie Banks of USA sets triple jump record (58'11 ") in Indianapolis quadruple bogies 5th hole and never recovers 1985 Event Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstates Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle 1985 Event Bill (Willie) Shoemaker is 1st jockey to surpass $100 million 1984 Event Willie Hernandez wins AL MVP Award 1984 Event Tigers reliever Willie Hernandez wins AL Cy Young Award 1983 Death Willie Bobo, jazz drummer (Cos), dies at 49 1983 Event 18th Academy of Country Music Awards: Alabama and Willie Nelson 1982 Event 16th Country Music Association Award: Willie Nelson and Ricky Skagg 1982 Event Pittsburgh Pirates retire Willie Stargell's number 1980 Death Willie Sutton, U.S. bank robber, dies at 79 1980 Event Royals Willie Wilson steals AL-record 28 consecutive base 1980 Event Willie Jones hospitalized for heat stroke with record 46.5 degrees C temp 1980 Event Giants 1st baseman Willie McCovey hits his 521st and final home run 1979 Event Willie Stargell and Keith Hernandez share NL MVP Award NL 1979 Event KC's Willie Wilson hits 5th inside-the-park home run (most since 1925) 1979 Event Willie Mays, Warren Giles, and Hack Wilson inducted in Hall of Fame 1979 Event New York Giants Willie McCovey 513th home run is an NL lefty record 1979 Event Willie Horton is honored at Seattle's Kingdome 1979 Event Willie Horton becomes 43rd player to hit 300 home runs in the majors 1979 Event Willie Mays elected to Baseball Hall of Fame 1978 Event Giants' Willie McCovey becomes 12th to hit 500 home runs 1977 Event San Francisco Giant Willie McCovey hits NL record 18th grand slammer 1977 Event Willie Stargell hits his 400th career home run 1977 Event Willie McCovey smashes 2 home runs in inning for 2nd time (Apr 12, 1973) 1975 Event Great Yankee trade getting Willie Randolph, Dock Ellis and Ken Brett from Pirates for George "Doc" Medich 1973 Event Dodgers trade Willie Davis to Expos for relief pitcher Mike Marshall 1973 Event San Francisco Giants trade Willie McCovey to San Diego Padres for pitcher Mike Caldwell 1973 Event Willie Mays last hit, as Mets beat A's in World Series game 2 A's Mike Andrews makes 2 errors, prompting owner Finley to remove him 1973 Event Mets beat Expos 2-1 on Willie Mays Night at Shea Stadium 1973 Event Willie Mays night at Shea Stadium 1973 Event Willie Mays announces retirement at end of 1973 season 1973 Event Willie Mays hits 660th and last home run (off Don Gullett of Cincinnati) 1973 Event Willie Mays named to NL all star team for 24th time (ties Musial) 1973 Event Willie McCovey becomes 15th to hit 400 home runs 1973 Event Pete Rose and Willie Davis both get career hit # 2,000 1973 Birthday Willie Smith, NFL linebacker, Detroit Lions 1973 Birthday Willie Whitehead, CFL defensive end for the Hamilton Tiger Cats 1972 Event Hank Aaron's grandslammer (14) ties him for NL lead with Gil Hodges and moves him ahead of Willie Mays as #2 home run hitter (649) 1972 Birthday Willie Brown, NFL/WLAF linebacker, Seattle Seahawks. Rhein Fire 1972 Event In Willie Mays 1st game as a New York Met his homer beats San Francisco Giants, 5-4 1972 Event Giants trade Willie Mays to Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and cash 1972 Birthday Willie Clark, NFL cornerback, San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles 1971 Birthday Willie McGinest, NFL outside linebacker for the New England Patriots 1971 Birthday Willie Greene, Milledgville Georgia, infielder for the Cincinnati Reds 1971 Birthday Willie Jackson, NFL wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars 1971 Event Willie Mays hits record 22nd and last extra inning home run 1971 Event Willie Mays hits his 638th home run, sets NL record of 1,950 runs scored 1970 Birthday Willie Williams, NFL cornerback, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seahawks 1970 Birthday Willie Clay, NFL safety, Detroit Lions 1970 Event Willie Stargell (Pirates) ties record of 5 extra base hits in a game 1970 Birthday Willie Beamon, NFL cornerback for the New York Giants 1970 Event Jockey Willie Shoemaker passes Johnny Longden with his 6,033 win 1970 Event Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s 1969 Event San Francisco Giant Willie McCovey edges Tom Seaver as NL MVP 1969 Event San Francisco Giant Willie Mays, becomes 2nd player to hit home run number 600 off Mike Corkins 1969 Event Pirate Willie Stargell is 1st to hit a ball out of Dodger Stadium 1969 Event Willie Stargell is 1st to hit a home run outside of Dodger Stadium 1969 Event All star MVP: Willie McCovey for the San Francisco Giants 1969 Birthday Willie Banks, U.S. baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs 1968 Event All star MVP: Willie Mays for the San Francisco Giants 1968 Death Little Willie John, rocker, dies at 30 1968 Death William E "Little Willie" John, U.S. R&B-singer (Fever), dies at 30) 1968 Event Pittsburgh Pirate Willie Stargell hits 3 home runs, a double and a single 1967 Birthday Willie Davis, NFL wide receiver, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Oilers 1967 Birthday Willie Williams, NFL/CFL tackle, Toronto Argonauts, NO Saints 1967 Birthday Willie Williams, WLAF tight end for the Amsterdam Admirals 1967 Birthday Willie Anderson, U.S., NBA guard, New York Knicks, Olympic-bronze-1988 1966 Event Willie Mays takes 2nd place on all-time home run list 1966 Birthday Willie Green, NFL wide reciever, Denver Broncos Superbowl 32 1966 Event San Francisco Giant Willie Mays signs highest contract, $130,000 per year 1965 Birthday Willie Blair, Paintsville, Kentucky, pitcher for the San Diego Padres 1965 Event Willie Mays named NL MVP 1965 Event Willie Mays's 500th home run (off Don Nottebart), Giants 11th straight win 1965 Birthday Willie Watson, cricket pace bowler, New Zealand 1965 Event Willie Mays sets NL record for home runs in a month with his 17th of August 1965 Event Willie Mays 512th home run breaks Mel Ott's 511th NL record 1965 Birthday [Willie] Flipper Anderson, NFL wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts 1964 Birthday Willie Broughton, NFL defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints 1964 Birthday Willie Pless, CFL linebacker for the Edmonton Eskimos 1964 Death Willie Bryant, singer (Sugar Hill Times), dies at 55 1963 Event All star MVP: Willie Mays for the San Francisco Giants 1963 Event Giant Willie Mays' home run in 16th inning gives them a 1-0 win over Braves 1963 Event Willie Mays for the San Francisco Giants signs a record $100,000 per year contract 1962 Event Willie Mays hits 4 home runs 1962 Death Willie Best, actor (Charlie-My Little Margie), dies at 45 1961 Event Willie Mays is 4th major leaguer with 3 or more home runs twice in a season 1961 Event San Francisco Giant Willie Mays hits 4 home runs in a game 1960 Birthday Willie Gault, bob sledder/NFL receiver, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Raiders 1960 Birthday Willie Aames, born in Newport Beach, California, actor, 8 is Enough, Paradise, Zapped 1959 Event Giants slugger Willie McCovey wins NL Rookie of Year 1959 Event San Francisco Giants 1st baseman Willie McCovey hits 1st of his 521 home runs 1959 Event In his major league debut, San Francisco Giant Willie McCovey goes 4-for-4 1958 Event Willie Shoemaker 1st jockey to win national riding championship 4X 1958 Birthday Willie McGee, born in San Francisco, California, outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals, NL MVP-1985 1958 Event New York Giants Willie Mays and Darryl Spencer each hit 2 home runs and a triple 1957 Event Frick overrules and names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron to team 1956 Event Willie Williams of U.S. sets 100 meter record at 10.1 1956 Event Willie Mosconi sinks 150 consecutive balls in a billiard tournament 1955 Birthday Willie Hernandez, pitcher, Cy Young Award 1955 Event Willie Mays (Giants) homers off Vern Law (Pirates) in both ends of DH 1955 Event Willie Mays is 7th player to reach 50 home runs in a season 1955 Event Willie Mays hits record tying 9th home run at Ebbets Field (ties Joe Adcock) 1954 Death Willie Shaw, race car driver (Indy 500-1937, 39, 40), dies at 51 1954 Event Willie Mays famous over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz' 460' drive 1954 Event Giants' Willie Mays gets 82nd extra-base hit, breaks Mel Ott's record 1953 Event Willie Shoemaker shatters record, riding 485 winners in a year 1953 Event Willie Thrower becomes 1st black NFL quarterback in modern times 1951 Event After going 0-for-12, Willie Mays connects for his 1st home run 1951 Event Willie Mays gets his 1st major league hit, a home run 1951 Event New York Giant Willie Mays 1st major league game (goes 0 for 5) 1951 Event Willie Mays begins playing for New York Giants 1950 Birthday Willie Hall, born in Memphis, Tennessee, rocker, drummer, played with Isaac Hayes' The Movement, member of The Bo-Keys 1950 Birthday Willie Ford, U.S. R&B-singer, Dramatics-Me and Mrs. Jones 1950 Birthday Willie Colon, born in born in Bronx, New York, actor, Last Flight 1950 Birthday Willie Duggan, rugby football player 1950 Event Willie Sutton robs Manufacturers Bank of $64,000 in New York City 1949 Birthday Albert West, Dutch singer, Dumb Willie 1949 Birthday Jimmy Hall, rocker, Wet Willie 1949 Event Willie Pep recaptures world featherweight boxing title 1947 Event Bank robber Willie Sutton escapes jail in Philadelphia 1945 Event U.S. destroyer William D. Porter ("Willie Dee") sunk by kamikaze 1945 Birthday Willie Parnell, U.S. singer, Archie Bell and the Drells 1945 Birthday Willie J L Swildens-Rozendal, Dutch MP, PvdA 1943 Event U.S. destroyer William D. Porter [Willie Dee] launched 1942 Birthday Willie Horton, baseball slugger for the Detroit Tigers 1942 Birthday Willie D. Davenport, born in Troy, Alabama, 110m hurdler, Gold Medal 1968 Olympics 1941 Event DiMaggio breaks Willie Keeler's 44 game hitting streak (45th of 56) 1941 Event Joe Dimaggio on way to 56, ties Willie Keeler's 44 game hit streak 1940 Birthday Willie Brown, NFL defensive back, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders 1940 Birthday Willie Tyler, Red Level Ala, ventriloquist, Lester 1940 Birthday Willie Stargell, outfielder/1st baseman, Pirates, 1971 NL home run leader 1939 Event Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler and George Sisler elected to Hall of Fame 1938 Birthday Willie Chambers, guitarist and vocalist, Chambers Brothers 1938 Birthday Willie "Stretch" McCovey, 1st baseman, San Francisco Giant #44 1937 Birthday William E "Little Willie" John, Woods, U.S. R&B singer, Fever 1935 Event 67th Belmont: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 2:30.6 1935 Event 61st Preakness: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 1:58.4 1935 Event 61st Kentucky Derby: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 2:05 1934 Birthday Willie Morris, American Writer 1934 Birthday Willie Naulls, NBA star for the New York Knicks 1934 Birthday Willie Davis, NFL defensive end, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay 1934 Birthday Willie Bobo, New York City, jazz drummer, Cos 1933 Birthday Willie Nelson, born in Abbott, Texas, country singer, On the Road Again 1933 Death Willie Walker, U.S. jazz singer/guitarist (Dupree Blues), dies at 36 1931 Birthday Boxcar Willie, born in Red Oak, Texas, born Lecil Travis Martin, guitarist, American hobo music singer, sang country, gospel music 1931 Birthday Willie Shoemaker, jockey, won 8,833 of 40,350 starts 1931 Birthday Willie Mays, baseball centerfielder, "Say Hey Kid", 660 home runs, MVP 1954 1930 Birthday Julie Bovasso, born in Brooklyn, New York, actress, Willie and Phil, Just Me and You 1928 Event Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse debuts in New York in "Steamboat Willie" 1928 Event Mickey Mouse's screen debut (Steamboat Willie at Colony Theater New York City) 1928 Event Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie" is released 1925 Event 29th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Macfarlane shoots a 291 at Worcester CC Mass 1923 Death Willie Keeler, American Athlete 1920 Birthday Willie Watson, cricketer, England batsman and soccer international 1915 Birthday Willie Dixon, born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, bassist, Walkin' the Blues 1913 Birthday Willie Mosconi, world champion pool player, 1941-57 1910 Birthday Abraham L Polonsky, U.S. writer and director, Tell them Willie Boy is Here 1909 Event 34th Preakness: Willie Doyle aboard Effendi wins in 1:39.8 1909 Birthday Willie Herenton, American Politician 1908 Birthday Willie Bryant, born in New Orleans, Louisiana, singer, Sugar Hill Times 1905 Event 11th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Anderson shoots a 314 at Myopia Club Mass 1904 Event 10th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Anderson shoots a 303 at Glen View Club IL 1904 Birthday Willie Mae "Mother" Smith, gospel singer/evangelist folk artist 1903 Event 9th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Anderson shoots a 307 at Baltusrol Golf Club New Jersey 1902 Birthday Willie Shaw, race car driver, Indy 500-1937, 39, 40 1901 Event 7th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Anderson shoots a 331 at Myopia Hunt Club, Massachusetts 1900 Birthday Willie Humphrey, jazz Clarinetist 1899 Event 5th U.S. Golf Open: Willie Smith shoots a 315 at Baltimore CC MD 1898 Birthday Emmett Kelly, Sedan, Kansas, circus clown, Weary Willie 1898 Event 23rd Preakness: Willie Simms aboard Sly Fox wins in 1:49.75 1898 Event 24th Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Plaudit wins in 2:09 1897 Birthday Willie Corsari, Wilhelmina A Schmidt, Dutch writer 1896 Event 22nd Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Ben Brush wins in 2:07.75 1894 Event 28th Belmont: Willie Simms aboard Henry of Navarre wins in 1:56 1893 Event 27th Belmont: Willie Simms aboard Commanche wins in 1:53 1872 Birthday Wee Willie Keeler, outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, hit .432 in 1897 1872 Birthday Willie Keeler, American Athlete 1860 Event 1st British Golf Open: Willie Park shoots a 164 at Prestwick Club 1860 Event 1st pro golf tournament held (Scotland) (Willie Park wins)
