It Happened in Vegas: Sports and Sin City Through the Years

A timeline of Las Vegas’s evolution as a sports town.

1953

The PGA Tour comes to Vegas when the Tournament of Champions debuts at the Desert Inn Country Club.

1955

Archie Moore beats Nino Valdés to take a heavyweight title—the first marquee fight in what became boxing’s unofficial home city.

The Super Bowl and Las Vegas Are the Perfect Couple

1964

In Vegas’s first pro football game, the Oakland Raiders beat the Houston Oilers in an AFL preseason matchup at Cashman Field.

1973

The Shark arrives: UNLV hires Jerry Tarkanian.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Tarkanian became head coach at UNLV in 1973 :: Ken Levine/Getty Images

1976

Lefty Rosenthal opens the first Vegas sportsbook, at the Stardust casino.

1977

The NASL’s Las Vegas Quicksilvers debut; the franchise moves to San Diego after one season.

1981

Formula One arrives on the Strip: The Caesars Palace Grand Prix runs in ’81 and ’82, but F1 doesn’t return to Sin City until 2023.

Watch the NFL with Fubo. Start your free trial today.

Counting Down the NFL’s 50 Most Influential Teams

1983

The Las Vegas Stars are born, bringing Triple A baseball to town.

1984

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks the NBA’s all-time scoring record at the Thomas & Mack Center, then the temporary home of the Utah Jazz because of poor attendance in Salt Lake City.

On April 5, 1984, the Lakers' Abdul-Jabbar scored the 31,420th point of his career to break the NBA's all-time scoring record held by Wilt Chamberlain :: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty Images

1990

In his third trip to the Final Four, Tarkanian finally gets his ring when UNLV destroys Duke in the NCAA final.

1992

The Las Vegas Bowl is created; Bowling Green beats Nevada 35—34.

1994

The Las Vegas Posse debut in the CFL; they fold after one season.

MMQB Championship Sunday: Chiefs-49ers Super Bowl LVIII Is Set

1996

The A’s start the MLB season with six games at Cashman Field while Oakland Coliseum is being renovated; they go 2–4 there.

1996

Las Vegas Motor Speedway opens, soon making the city an annual stop on the NASCAR Cup series.

In 1996, a new $72 million superspeedway opened in Las Vegas :: ISC Images & Archives/Getty Images

1996

Tiger Woods, 20, gets his first pro victory at the Las Vegas Invitational.

2001

The Las Vegas Outlaws defeat the New York/New Jersey Hitmen—and Rod “He Hate Me” Smart becomes a star—in the first XFL game, at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Sportsbooks List 49ers as Slight Favorites Over Chiefs for Super Bowl LVIII

2004

The NBA Summer League launches, with six teams playing at the Thomas & Mack Center.

2017–18

The NHL’s Vegas era dawns: The Golden Knights make a run to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season.

2018

The WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces play their first game, at Mandalay Bay.

The Aces won back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and ’23, giving Las Vegas its first pro championship :: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

2020

Allegiant Stadium opens, and the Raiders begin their Vegas residency with a win on Monday Night Football.

2022

At the first Vegas NFL draft, the red carpet floats outside the Bellagio.

2022

The top-seeded Aces win the WNBA title, giving the city its first major pro championship.

2023

The Golden Knights make it two titles for Vegas with a Stanley Cup win; the Aces repeat to make it three.

2023

The Nevada legislature approves public funding for a $1.5 billion stadium on the Strip, paving the way for the A’s to relocate from Oakland.