Sports
June 17, 1892
“Gentleman Jim” Corbett’s Asbury Park Training Leads to Championship Win in The Fight of the Century
On June 17, 1892, James J. “Gentleman Jim” Corbett arrived in Asbury Park to begin training for “The Fight of the Century” against world heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan. William Brady, Corbett's manager, chose a cottage in Loch Arbour...
July 27, 1918
Jack Dempsey Trains with Shore Boxing Legend Jimmy DeForest for First Big Match
On July 27, 1918, boxer Jack Dempsey knocked out Fred Fulton in just under 19 seconds of the first round. It was Dempsey's first major fight, and within a year, Dempsey would defeat Jess Willard to become world heavyweight champion,...
October 13, 1927
Babe Ruth Versus Lou Gehrig: The Bronx Bombers Come to Asbury Park
Editor’s note: In 1926, legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth brought a barnstorming team to Monmouth County for a pair of exhibition games, one on October 11 in Bradley Beach, and the second on October 23 in Highlands. Both...
November 29, 1950
Hall of Fame Pitcher Whitey Ford of the U.S. Signal Corps (and others…)
By Mark A. Wallinger Hall of Fame pitcher Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford has ties to Monmouth County in ways that most people won’t realize as they hear tributes after his passing at the age of 91 on October 9, 2020....
June 3, 1959
Sam Mills, the Greatest Football Player in Monmouth County History
By John R. Barrows They all said Sam Mills was too small. His entire life, at every step, too small. Too small even for small college football. MUCH too small to be a pro football player, especially a linebacker. At...
June 24, 1961
Frank Budd, World’s Fastest Human
On June 24, 1961, at the AAU Championships at Downing Stadium in New York City, Frank Budd became the first man to run the 100-yard dash in 9.2 seconds, setting a new world record (he is pictured above setting the...
August 3, 1968
The First Running of the Haskell Invitational Stakes
On August 3, 1968, in front of 39,042 fans, a thoroughbred horse named Balustrade, ridden by jockey Eric Walsh, was the winner of the Monmouth Invitational Handicap race at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Eatontown. That race, known today as the...
August 3, 1968
The Haskell Stakes
On August 3, 1968, closing day of the Monmouth Park summer racing season, the Monmouth Invitational Handicap race was run for the first time, with a field of eleven horses. The race was won by Balustrade, a 33-1 longshot ridden by Canadian jockey...
January 24, 1970
Bob Verga, Professional Basketball All-Star
On January 24, 1970, the fledgling American Basketball Association (ABA) held its third All-Star Game, at Indiana State Fair Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind., before an audience of 11,932. Bob Verga, possibly the greatest basketball player to ever come out of...
July 25, 1976
Wendy Boglioli, Olympic Gold Medalist and World Record Holder
On July 22, 1976, former Monmouth University star Wendy Boglioli had what she considers to be her greatest day ever as a competitor. But it wasn't the day she won her gold medal. Wendy Boglioli (neé Lansbach), born March 6, 1955,...
June 4, 1987
The Acerra Brothers of Long Branch are Honored by the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown
On June 4, 1987, in honor of Fathers Day, the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., honored the Acerra family of Long Branch. The Acerras fielded a semi-pro baseball team consisting of 12 brothers, coached by their father,...
August 21, 2004
Freehold Kids Win National Championship in Little League World Series Senior Division
On August 21, 2004, the Freehold Township Senior League baseball team won the Senior League World Series with a 10-1 victory over El Rio, of Southern California. Senior League players are age 13-16. The Senior League World Series is one of nine...
July 10, 2010
Christie Pearce, The Greatest Athlete Ever From Monmouth County (by way of Ocean County)
Christie Pearce (formerly Rampone) is a retired American professional soccer player. A former captain of the United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT), Pearce is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, an Olympic silver medalist, and a two-time FIFA Women’s World...
December 19, 2017
Middletown’s James van Riemsdyk Scores Milestone Goal in the National Hockey League
On May 4, 1989, James van Riemsdyk was born in Middletown. A 6-3 left wing, Van Riemsdyk attended Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft before moving to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his junior year to play for the USA Hockey's National...
April 23, 2019
Holmdel High Frosh Megha Ganne Qualifies for U.S. Women’s Open
On April 23, 2019, 15-year-old Holmdel High School freshman Megha Ganne qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open after winning the 36-hole sectional qualifying round at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township. She finished at +11 at the LPGA major after...
April 28, 2022
Will Ocean Township’s Kenny Pickett Make History as the NFL’s Next Star Quarterback?
On April 28, 2022, Kenny Pickett of Ocean Township made history when he became the highest-drafted quarterback in the National Football League Draft ever to come out of Monmouth County. Taken with the 20th pick in the first round by...