2005

Notable sporting events in 2005:

Football

National Football League:

• The New England Patriots defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, 24-21, at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the Pats' third Super Bowl win, after defeating the St. Louis Rams and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII, respectively. It was the Eagles' second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history; both were losses (the first was to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV). Deion Branch was named game MVP.

• The AFC All-Stars defeat the NFC All-Stars in the 2005 Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, 38-27. Baltimore Ravens tackle Johnathan Ogden played in his eighth Pro Bowl game, the most of anyone in the game. Peyton Manning won the MVP award.

• Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks is named league MVP. Alexander set the NFL record with 28 touchdowns scored.

• The Indianapolis Colts start out the season 13-0, leading many to predict that they will become the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to have a perfect season. However, they lost to the San Diego Chargers at home in Week 15. The Colts finished the season 14-2.

• Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers leads the NFL in receiving yards, touchdowns, and receptions to tie for Comeback Player of the Year honors. Smith, who was injured all of 2004, shared the award with Tedy Bruschi, who came off a stroke to start for the Patriots.

College Football

• The USC Trojans and Texas Longhorns each complete an undefeated season and win their respective conferences. They meet in the BCS National Championship game, the Rose Bowl. Texas surprising prevails, 41-38. Many called it the greatest game ever played.

• Vince Young of Texas is named Rose Bowl MVP after rushing for four touchdowns.

• Reggie Bush of USC wins the Heisman Trophy after rushing for over 1,700 yards. He averaged 8.7 yards a carry.

• Penn State returns to power under coach Joe Paterno. They win the Big 10 and advance to the Orange Bowl, where they defeat the Florida State Seminoles.

• The Georgia Bulldogs and West Virginia Mountaineers win their respective conferences and advance to the Sugar Bowl, where West Virginina wins 38-35.

• Florida State shocks Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game.

Basketball

• The NBA Western Conference all-stars defeat the NBA Eastern Conference all-stars in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Allen Iverson was named MVP.

• The San Antonio Spurs defeat the Detroit Pistons in seven games to win the 2005 NBA Finals. It was the first Finals series to feature the previous two champions since the 1987 series between the heated rivals the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Though the series went to seven games, the Pistons never held the series lead. It was the first seven-game Finals series in eleven years. Tim Duncan won the MVP award.

• Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is named league MVP.

Baseball

• The American League all-stars defeat the National League all-stars in the 2005 MLB All-Star Game, 7-5, at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Miguel Tejada was named MVP. The win gave the White Sox home field advantage in the World Series.

• The Chicago White Sox defeat the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series in a four-game sweep. The Sox' entry into the Series was controversial to some because of the steal win against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game 2 of the 2005 ALCS, which involved a debated home plate call involving Benjie Molina and Scott Podsednik. Jermaine Dye won the MVP award. Ozzie Guillen became the first manager born outside of the U.S. to win a World Series. The Sox were the sixth team in six years to win the Series. Game 3 marked the first time a WS game was ever played in Texas.

• Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals wins the National League MVP award, edging Andruw Jones and Derrek Lee. It was Pujols' first MVP despite finishing in the top 5 of the voting in each season he had played.

• Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees wins the American League MVP, in a controversial decision over David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox.

• Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals and Bartolo Colon of the Los Angeles Angels win the National League and American League Cy Young Awards, respectively.

• Roger Clemens, at age 43, wins the NL ERA title. He posted a 1.87 ERA, becoming the first pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 2000 to post a sub-2 ERA.