2008: A Year In Review

DEC. 31--JANUARY

Cowboys' vacation starts early
After going 13-3 during the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys became the first No. 1 seed in the NFC to lose in the divisional round since the current 12-team format was adopted in 1990. The New York Giants defeated the Cowboys 21-17, adding another year to the Cowboys' drought since their last postseason win in 1996. Afterward, a tearful Terrell Owens advised reporters not to blame Tony Romo, who had been criticized for vacationing in Mexico with Jessica Simpson the previous weekend.

Garrett stays Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett opted to remain with the Cowboys after receiving an offer to become head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and interviewing twice for the same job with the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys promoted Garrett to assistant head coach and gave him a raise to $3 million per year, making him the league's highest-paid assistant. Garrett said he had not been promised he would become the Cowboys' next head coach.

LSU, again
The second-ranked LSU Tigers became the first team to win two BCS national championships with a 38-24 victory over No. 1 Ohio State in New Orleans. LSU fell behind 10-0 early and scored 21 second-quarter points to lead 24-10 at halftime. The Tigers, who also won the BCS title game in the 2003 season, were the first two-loss team to play for the championship.

Other notable events
Former Olympic track gold medalist Marion Jones was sentenced to six months in prison for lying to investigators during a performance-enhancing drug investigation and for taking part in a check-fraud scam.

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight became the first Division I men's basketball coach to win 900 games with a 68-53 defeat of Texas A&M.

Fort Worth Dunbar received its third boys basketball state championship when Dallas South Oak Cliff forfeited its 2006 UIL Class 4A title for using an ineligible player.

Notable deaths
Johnny Podres (75), major league pitcher; Bobby Fischer (64), chess master; Georgia Frontiere (80), Rams owner; Sir Edmund Hillary (88), adventurist, mountaineer.

FEBRUARY
Clemens: Pettitte "mis-remembered"
Roger Clemens testified under oath on Capitol Hill that he had never used performance-enhancing drugs. A few feet away, former trainer Brian McNamee told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he had injected Clemens with drugs several times. Through a deposition, Andy Pettitte, Clemens' former teammate, said Clemens told him he had taken human growth hormone. Said Clemens: "Andy has mis-remembered our conversation."

The perfect upset
The New York Giants defeated New England 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII, upsetting the Patriots' bid to become the NFL's second unbeaten champion. The Giants, the NFC's fifth seed, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Eli Manning was selected the game's Most Valuable Player, a year after brother Peyton won the award with the Indianapolis Colts.

Kidd returns to Dallas
The Dallas Mavericks brought Jason Kidd back to town in a trade designed to give them a shot at the NBA title. Kidd, the Mavs' No. 2 overall pick in 1994, came from the New Jersey Nets with Malik Allen and Antoine Wright. The Nets received young point guard Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, semi-retired Keith Van Horn, $3 million and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.

Other notable events
The Texas Rangers hired Nolan Ryan as team president.

Bob Knight resigned in midseason as Texas Tech men's basketball coach and was replaced by son Pat.

The Dallas Stars prepared for their postseason run by trading for Brad Richards, who had five assists in his Stars debut.

The Dallas Cowboys locked up offensive lineman Flozell Adams for six years and signed free-agent linebacker Zach Thomas to a one-year deal.

Second baseman Ian Kinsler signed a five-year, $22 million contract with the Rangers.

Notable deaths

Winning Colors (23), 1988 Kentucky Derby champion; Gilbert "Buddy" Dial (71), Rice, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver

MARCH
Favre retires (temporarily)
Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre retired, saying he still had the ability to play but that he was mentally tired after 17 seasons. Favre walked away leading the NFL in every major career passing category, including touchdown passes (442), passing yards (61,655), completions (5,377), interceptions (288), wins (160) and consecutive starts (253). But Favre's end turned out to be only the beginning of the story.

Christian to TCU
Kent State's Jim Christian was hired as TCU's men's basketball coach. Christian, 43, and 138-58 in six seasons with Kent State, replaced Neil Dougherty, who was fired two weeks earlier. Christian took over a program with three consecutive losing seasons and a 12-34 conference record in that span. "There's no question this place is poised for success," Christian said.

They're all No. 1
For the first time since the NCAA Tournament began seeding teams in 1979, all four No. 1 seeds qualified for the Final Four. Kansas of the Big 12 Conference was the last one in, defeating 10th-seeded Davidson. Texas, seeded second in the Midwest Regional, fell one game short with a loss to Memphis. North Carolina and UCLA also advanced to San Antonio.

Other notable events
Dirk Nowitzki became the Mavs' all-time leading scorer, replacing Rolando Blackman (16,643 points).

The UT-Arlington men's basketball team earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance by pulling off three upsets in the Southland Conference tournament.

Geoff Ogilvy's win at the CA Championship gave Tiger Woods his first loss in six months. Woods finished fifth, two shots back.

The TCU women's basketball team's streak of consecutive NCAA Tournaments ended at seven seasons.

The Texas Brahmas clinched their first Central Hockey League playoff berth since 2002.

For the first time, UIL athletes took part in steroid testing.

Notable deaths
Fred Jacoby (80), Southwest Conference commissioner; Ken Reardon (86), NHL All-Star; Art Aragon (80), boxer

APRIL
Over and out
The Dallas Mavericks' season ended in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season -- losing to the New Orleans Hornets in five games -- and it cost coach Avery Johnson his job. Johnson was 194-70 in three-plus seasons, but 23-24 in the playoffs. After taking a 2-0 lead over the Miami Heat in the 2006 NBA Finals, the Mavs were 3-12 in the postseason.

Stars win! Stars win!
The Dallas Stars won their first playoff series since 2003, defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks in six games. The fifth-seeded Stars clinched with a 4-1 win at American Airlines Center, making the Ducks the fifth consecutive defending champion to fail to reach the second round. All four Stars goals came in the third period. The team to score first had won the previous five games.

Danica's first victory
Danica Patrick became the first female to win an IndyCar event in the Japan 300. Patrick's victory came in her fourth season on the circuit and in her 50th career race. She took the lead from pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on Lap 198 of 200. "It was a long time coming," Patrick said. "Finally."

Other notable events
Kansas tied the game with a 3-pointer at the end of regulation, then won its first NCAA men's basketball championship since 1988 with a 75-68 overtime win over Memphis, which led by nine points with 2:12 remaining in regulation.

The Dallas Cowboys traded for suspended Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Carl Edwards won the Samsung 500 in the first Texas Motor Speedway race featuring NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow.

South African Trevor Immelman shot 75 on Sunday, but won the Masters by three shots over Tiger Woods.

Ashley Force became the first female to lead the NHRA Funny Car points standings and to win a national Funny Car event.

Notable deaths

Tommy Holmes (91), major-league outfielder; Darrell Garretson (76), NBA referee; Gordon Bradley (74), North American Soccer League coach

MAY
Mickelson's miracle
Phil Mickelson birdied the final hole after driving into deep rough among the trees left of the fairway to win his second Colonial jacket. Mickelson, the 2000 champion, ranked the shot among the top five of his career. His score of 14-under-par 266 was one stroke better than Tim Clark and Rod Pampling. Mickelson, at No. 2, was the highest ranked of a field that included five of the world's top-10 golfers.

Stars reach conference finals
The Dallas Stars reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 with a 2-1, four-overtime win over the San Jose Sharks at American Airlines Center. Goalie Marty Turco made a franchise-record 61 saves and Brenden Morrow scored the game-winner midway through the fourth overtime of Game 6.

Carlisle is Mavs' man
The Mavericks tapped Rick Carlisle to replace Avery Johnson as coach. Carlisle signed a four-year, $17.5 million contract. He had coached two seasons in Detroit and four in Indiana, taking both teams to the Eastern Conference finals. Carlisle said he planned to make the Mavs' offense more up-tempo.

Other notable events
Roger Clemens apologized for making unspecified mistakes, but denied reports of a decade-long affair with country music star Mindy McCready.

Big Brown won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, including a dominating win at the Kentucky Derby marred by the death of runner-up Eight Belles, who collapsed and was euthanized on the track.

Annika Sorenstam, winner of 72 LPGA Tour events and 10 majors, announced this would be her last year of competitive golf.

The Rangers went 19-10 in May for their most wins in a month since June 1983 and finished the month one game over .500, at 29-28.

The TCU baseball team hosted and won the Mountain West Conference tournament for its fifth straight NCAA regionals bid.

Notable deaths

Buzzie Bavasi (93), Dodgers general manager; Jack Mildren (58), Oklahoma quarterback, lieutenant governor; Eight Belles (3), filly, Kentucky Derby runner-up

JUNE
Battle on Wounded Knee
In a U.S. Open that will be remembered for ages, Tiger Woods outdueled 45-year-old Rocco Mediate in a playoff to win his 14th major. Woods, limping around the course with an injured knee and a double stress fracture in his leg, birdied the final hole of regulation to force the playoff. Woods again birdied the 18th hole to tie the popular Mediate in the 18-hole playoff, then won with a par on the tournament's 91st hole. Woods called the win probably his best ever. It also was his last tournament of the year.

Big Brown: Big disappointment Big Brown, considered a lock for the Triple Crown, was never a serious threat in the Belmont Stakes and was eased up by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the final stretch. Neither the jockey, his trainer nor the on-call veterinarian could offer an explanation for why Big Brown did not run well. He became the 11th horse in the past 30 years to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but not the Belmont. Da' Tara, a 38-1 long shot, led from the start and won.

Just like old times
The Boston Celtics won the franchise's 17th NBA championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. This was the 11th time, and first since 1987, that the two franchises with the most NBA titles had met in the Finals.

Other notable events
The Detroit Red Wings claimed their fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.

Jerry Jones and the Cowboys brought in a huge tub of popcorn to announce a contract extension for Terrell Owens.

The Rangers cut pitcher Sidney Ponson (4-1, 3.88 ERA at the time) for disruptive behavior.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended his 76-race winless streak at Michigan.

Scott Dixon's late pass of Marco Andretti allowed Dixon to win the Bombardier Learjet 550K at Texas Motor Speedway for

Dixon's third victory of the year.

Notable deaths
Scott Kalitta, (46), Funny Car driver; Dwight White (58), Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end; Charlie Jones (77), football sportscaster; Jim McKay (86), legendary journalist/sportscaster

JULY
An All-Star show
Rangers All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton might have been the best-known runner-up of 2008. Hamilton finished second in MLB's Home Run Derby, but his 28 homers in the first round, including one that almost exited Yankee Stadium, upstaged Justin Morneau's victory.

Cowboys open camp
The Cowboys opened training camp in Oxnard, Calif., with Adam "Pacman" Jones in uniform and receiver Terry Glenn not. Glenn was released over concerns about his injured right knee.

Stewart becomes a NASCAR owner/driver
Tony Stewart gained release from Joe Gibbs Racing so he could buy into his own NASCAR Sprint Cup team -- Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart's departure ended an 11-year relationship in which he won two Cup titles, 33 races and earned more than $70 million.

Other notable events
Brett Favre filed paperwork to un-retire.

Padraig Harrington won a British Open in which Greg Norman, 53, led entering the final round and finished tied for third.

Rangers shortstop Michael Young's sacrifice fly scored the winning run in the American League's 4-3, 15-inning win in the All-Star Game.

At Wimbledon, Venus Williams defeated sister Serena in the women's final, and Rafael Nadal outlasted Roger Federer for the men's title in an epic five-set match that lasted almost five hours.

The biggest trades approaching MLB's trade deadline involved first baseman Mark Teixeira going to the Los Angeles Angels, outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees.

Former Mavs coach Don Nelson won a $6.3 million arbitration case against Mavs owner Mark Cuban for deferred payments.

Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for receiving money for providing inside information to gamblers.

Notable deaths
Bobby Murcer (62), New York Yankees outfielder; Dan Cook (81), San Antonio sportswriter; Bob Ackles (69), ex-Dallas Cowboys' player personnel director

AUGUST
A golden Olympics
The United States earned the most medals (110) at the Olympic Games, with host China winning the most gold medals (51). Among the Games' top stories: Michael Phelps' record eight gold medals in swimming, the gymnastics success of Parker's Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt's gold medals and world records in the 100, 200 and 4x100.

Crazy night at Fenway
The Texas Rangers had begun to slip out of playoff contention when they arrived in Boston to start a three-game series. The Red Sox swept that series, beginning with an unbelievable 19-17 win. Boston led 10-0 after the first inning, but the Rangers came back to take a 15-14 lead entering the seventh. The Texas bullpen could not hold the lead, however, and the loss started a stretch during which the Rangers lost 10 of 12 games.

Favre traded to Jets
The Brett Favre saga ended when the Green Bay Packers traded Favre to the New York Jets for a fourth-round pick with the potential to upgrade to a first-rounder.

Other notable events
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones in time for the season opener.

Arlington Lamar football coach Eddy Peach became the sixth Texas high school football coach with 300 career victories.

Padraig Harrington won the PGA Championship for his second major of the year.

Fort Worth native and TCU graduate Jim "Hoss" Brock, the colorful and longtime executive director of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, died at age 74.

The Fort Worth Cats' string of three consecutive league championships ended with a first-round loss to Grand Prairie.

Notable deaths
Kevin Duckworth (44), Portland Trail Blazers center; Frank Cornish (40), Dallas Cowboys guard; Tommy Bolt (92), U.S. Open golf champion; Orville Moody (74), U.S. Open golf champion; Genuine Risk (31), 1980 Kentucky Derby champion; Skip Caray (68), Atlanta Braves announcer; Gene Upshaw (63), Oakland Raiders guard, NFL Players Association executive director

SEPTEMBER
Ryder Cup upset
Even without injured Tiger Woods, captain Paul Azinger's U.S. Ryder Cup team stunned Europe 16 1/2 "11 1/2 for the Americans' first victory since 1999. Hunter Mahan of Plano led the United States with 3 1/2 points. European big guns Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington did not win a match.

Washington skins Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys' 3-0 start hit a snag with a 26-24 loss to the Washington Redskins at Texas Stadium. The Redskins took a 26-17 lead with a 6-minute, 54-second drive in the fourth quarter. Tony Romo hit Miles Austin with a touchdown pass with 1:42 left, but that was the last time the Cowboys had the ball.

Pats lose Brady, lose early
The NFL season got off to a bad start for the New England Patriots when star quarterback Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of the first game. Backup Matt Cassel replaced Brady and led the Patriots to a 17-10 defeat of the Kansas City Chiefs. New England, coming off an 18-1 season, won its next game, but was trounced 38-13 at home by Miami in Week 3 to end the Pats' 21-game regular-season winning streak. It was only the Dolphins' second win in 22 games.

Other notable events
Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard's off-season of bad PR, which included an arrest for speeding and reckless driving, was made worse when he was recorded making disrespectful comments about the national anthem.

The Texas Rangers finished the season 79-83 and in second place in the American League West, their highest finish since 1999.

Don Haskins, former coach at Texas Western (now UT-El Paso), died at 78. He was noted for being the first major college coach to start five African-American players.

Serena Williams defeated Jelena Jankovic in the U.S. Open for her ninth major championship.

Notable deaths
Paul Newman, (83), auto racer/actor; Mickey Vernon (90), major league first baseman; Joey Giardello (78), middleweight boxing champion; Sherrill Headrick (71), North Side/TCU/AFL/NFL linebacker; Mary Garber (92), pioneering sportswriter

OCTOBER
Texas upends No. 1
OU No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Texas squared off at the remodeled Cotton Bowl in the first Red River Rivalry game since 2004 in which both teams were unbeaten and ranked in the top five. The Longhorns emerged with a 45-35 victory and the top spot in college football.

More Cowboys drama
Tony Romo broke the pinkie on his throwing hand. Terence Newman underwent sports hernia surgery. Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended again. The Cowboys traded for Detroit Lions receiver Roy Williams. Safety Roy Williams broke his arm again, this time ending his season. All of that contributed to an odd October for the Cowboys, who beat Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, but lost to the first-place -- first place? -- Arizona Cardinals, and were blown out by the lowly St. Louis Rams.

Phillies' title delayed
The Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series championship since 1980 and second in the franchise's 126-year history by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays -- making their first postseason appearance -- in five games. Game 5 began on a Monday and was suspended because of rain in the sixth inning with the score 2-2. Rain on Tuesday pushed the game to Wednesday, when Philadelphia scored in the sixth and seventh innings to win 4-3.

Other notable events
TCU handed ninth-ranked BYU its first loss of the season with a convincing 32-7 victory. The 7-1 Horned Frogs were No. 14 in the first BCS standings released.

The Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington was chosen as host site of the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

Fifteen University of North Texas football players tested positive for recreational drugs.

Injuries prompted Big Brown's retirement from racing before the Breeders' Cup. Raven's Pass won the Classic, with Curlin finishing fourth.

Notable deaths

Tom Tresh (71), New York Yankees shortstop/outfielder; Gene Hickerson (73), Cleveland Browns Hall of Fame guard; Daniel Aguillon (24), boxer

NOVEMBER
Final Four to Arlington
Arlington added to its busy calendar by landing the 2014 NCAA Final Four for the new Dallas Cowboys stadium. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the court would be placed "right on the star" and that the Final Four would feature "the largest-attended basketball game that has ever been played." The stadium also will host an NCAA regional tournament in 2013.

Sooners impressive late
Oklahoma leapfrogged Texas in the BCS standings by ending Texas Tech's bid for an unbeaten season with a 65-21 win over the Red Raiders, then beat rival Oklahoma State 61-41 to land a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game. The Sooners finished tied with Texas and Texas Tech atop the South Division and qualified for the championship game based on having the highest BCS ranking.

Johnson matches Yarborough
Jimmie Johnson matched the NASCAR mark of boyhood idol Cale Yarborough by winning his third consecutive Sprint Cup title. Runner-up Carl Edwards made a late charge at Johnson, including winning the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and the season-ending Ford 400.

Other notable events
No. 10 Utah ended No. 11 TCU's BCS bowl hopes with a last-minute, 13-10 victory in Salt Lake City.

The Stars lost captain Brenden Morrow for up to six months because of knee surgery.

Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young won his first Gold Glove, and outfielder Josh Hamilton received an American League Silver Slugger award.

The TCU women's basketball team upset No. 3 Maryland 80-68 at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.

Angela Stanford, of Saginaw and TCU, topped the $1 million mark by winning the LPGA Tour's Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

Abilene Christian broke the record for most points in an NCAA football playoff game by defeating West Texas A&M 93-68.

Notable deaths
Preacher Roe (92), major-league pitcher; Herb Score (75), major league pitcher/broadcaster; Pete Newell (93), Hall of Fame basketball, Olympics coach; Pit Martin (64), NHL All-Star

DECEMBER
Farewell to the stadium, Cowboys
A season that began with Super Bowl expectations ended with back-to-back losses for the Dallas Cowboys, against the Baltimore Ravens in the final game at Texas Stadium and at the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys again struggled to close a regular season, going 1-3 in December.

Stars, Avery split
Six months after signing free agent Sean Avery to a four-year, $15.5 million free-agent contract, the Dallas Stars parted ways with the forward after his six-game league suspension for crude remarks he made about other players dating his ex-girlfriends. Avery entered a voluntary treatment program.

Recession. Recession?
Economic troubles continued to impact sports, with the Arena Football League's one-year shutdown joining cost-cutting measures such as lost jobs at major sports' headquarters and NASCAR eliminating testing in 2009. But the New York Yankees' big free-agent spending raised some cries for a baseball salary cap as they signed pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to $243.5 million worth of contracts, then agreed to terms with first baseman Mark Teixeira on an eight-year, $180 million deal.

Other notable events
TCU ended its season with an 11-2 record by defeating unbeaten and ninth-ranked Boise State 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl.

Oklahoma defeated Missouri 62-21 in the Big 12 Championship Game and earned the spot opposite Florida in the BCS National Championship Game.

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award and The Associated Press' Player of the Year award.

TCU legend "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh, the last living member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's inaugural class, died at 94.

The Carthage Bulldogs won the final high school football game at Texas Stadium, defeating the Celina Bobcats 49-37 in the Class 3A Division II state championship game.