3 April 1905 - Living La Vida Boca

On 3 April 1905, Club Atletico Boca Juniors was founded in the La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires by five Italian immigrants - Esteban Baglietto, Juan Farenga, Teodoro Farenga, Santiago Sana, and Alfredo Scarpati. The first match was played on 21 April 1905. The photo above is the first-known photograph of Boca Juniors, taken in 1906.

Boca Juniors play in blue and yellow, which the club reportedly patterned after the colors of the Swedish flag. Prior to that, Boca played in shirts with black and white vertical stripes, which were also used by another local club. In 1906, the two clubs played a match, with the winner keeping the stripes. Boca lost, and decided to use the colors of the first ship to sail into port at Buenos Aires, which was a Swedish freighter. Thus Boca adopted their now-famous blue and yellow kits.

Boca won their first title - the Argentinian amateur championship - in 1919, starting a series of successes that now includes 32 domestic and 18 international trophies, making them one of the most decorated clubs in history. Their achievements include four Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club World Cup titles (in 1977, 2000, 2003, and 2007).

A number of international stars have played for Boca, including Juan Roman Riquelme (1995-2002 and again from 2007-present), Carlos Tevez (2001-04) and Argentine football legend Diego Maradona (1981-82, 1995-97).

2 April 1989 - He Wasn't Usually That Prolific

On 2 April 1989, Arsenal defender and captain Tony Adams had the misfortune of being the only goalscorer in the Gunners' 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Adams scored his first goal of the day to give Arsenal a 0-1 lead, only to bring Man United level when he inadvertently put the ball into his own net.

Adams had skippered the Arsenal side for just over a year, having been appointed in January 1988 at the age of 21, making him the youngest Arsenal captain to that point. His tenure as captain improved, however, as Arsenal went on to claim the league title in 1989 with their famous 0-2 win at Anfield in their last match of the season. He also led Arsenal through their record-breaking unbeaten league season in 2003-04.

Adams held onto the captain's armband for fourteen years before retiring in 2002 as one of Arsenal's most decorated players. During his career, in addition to the 1989 title, he helped Arsenal to three more league titles (in 1991, 1998, and 2002), three FA Cup trophies (1993, 1998, 2002), two League Cup trophies (1987, 1993), a European Cup Winners' Cup (1994), and three Community Shields (1991 (shared), 1998, 1999 ). He made 504 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals.

1 April 1984 - Irish Luck Returns To Rovers

On 1 April 1984, Shamrock Rovers beat Shelbourne 3-1, securing their first league title in 20 years. It was a major stepping stone in Rovers' establishment as the most successful club in Ireland.

Rovers were founded in Dublin in 1901, but struggled during their early years and twice went through a cycle of disbanding and resurrection between 1906 and 1921. In 1922, one year after their second resurrection, the League of Ireland elected Rovers as a member. It was a turning point for the club, who won the league title that season. By 1949, Rovers were the dominant team in Ireland, having won 44 major trophies, including six league titles and 11 FAI Cups.

The club struggled through the 1970s, coinciding with a general decline in fortunes for Irish football, as match attendances diminished and two clubs - Drumcondra and Cork Hibs - disbanded. Rovers finished at the bottom of the table in 1975 and had to re-apply for admission to the league.

In 1983, Rovers signed new manager Jim McLaughlin, who set about rebuilding the squad from the ground up. He released the majority of the players he inherited from the previous manager and spent freely to replace them with stars from around the league. That approach proved successful, as Rovers' win over Shelbourne on 1 April 1984 clinched their first league title since 1964. They went on to win three more consecutive titles, though only two were under McLaughlin, who left in 1986 to manage his hometown club Derry City (leading them to a domestic treble in 1989, when they won the the league, the FAI Cup and the League Cup).

Rovers currently hold records for most League of Ireland titles (15), FAI Cups (24), and League of Ireland Shields (18). They narrowly missed adding to their tally last season, finishing in second place, four points behind league winners Bohemians.

31 March 2001 - The End Of Rocky's Road

On 31 March 2001, 33-year old midfielder David "Rocky" Rocastle, who had played for Arsenal, Leeds United, Manchester City, and Chelsea, died from complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Born in 1967, Rocastle started his career with Arsenal's youth squad in 1983, then joined the senior side from 1985 to 1992. He was a star for the Gunners, making 218 League appearances and scoring 24 goals. In that time, Arsenal won one League Cup (1987) and two League titles (1989, 1991). But near the end of his time at Highbury, injuries began to impact his game and he transferred to Leeds United in the summer of 1992 for £2 million, a Leeds record at the time.

His playing time at Elland Road was limited by a combination of factors, including injury and competition from other players, including Gordon Strachan, the man he'd been brought in to replace. In December 1993, Rocastle moved again, this time to Manchester City, but once more failed to make an impact. At the end of the 1992-93 season, he returned to London, this time with Chelsea.

He stuck with Chelsea for four seasons, but never recovered the form or fitness he had during his previous spell in London with Arsenal. He spent 1997 out on loan to Norwich City and Hull City, then returned to Chelsea's reserve team. After leaving Chelsea in 1998, he briefly joined Malaysian side Sabah FA, but injuries forced his retirement in December 1999.

In February 2001, Rocastle announced that he had contracted non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer that affects the immune system. Despite aggressive chemotherapy, he died on 31 March.

Arsenal paid tribute to Rocastle by naming their new youth team indoor training facility after him. They also included him as one of 16 former Arsenal players to have their images painted on the sides of the new Emirates Stadium.

30 March 1973 - That's 6'7" For You Non-Metric Types

On 30 March 1973, striker Jan Koller was born in the town of Smetanova Lhota, in what was then Czechoslovakia (and is now the Czech Republic). Koller is the all-time leading goalscorer for the Czech national team with 55 goals in 90 appearances. He retired from international football in 2008.

During his time with the national team, the Czechs made only one World Cup appearance, in 2006. Koller scored the first-ever World Cup goal for the Czech side when he netted in the 5th minute of their opening match against the United States, leading the way to a 3-0 victory. Those were the Czech side's only goals of the tournament, however, and they were eliminated in the group stage after losses to Ghana (0-2) and Italy (0-2).

Koller has a well-traveled career, having played club football in the Czech Republic (with Sparta Prague), Belgium (with Lokeren and Anderlecht), Germany (with Borussia Dortmund and Nuremberg), France (with Monaco), and Russia, where he currently plays for Krylia Sovetov Samara.

His longest club tenure to date was with Borussia Dortmund, where he played from 2001 to 2006, making 137 appearances and scoring 59 goals. He helped them claim the Bundesliga title in the 2001-2002 season.

An imposing physical presence at 2.02 meters, Koller has earned a number of honors throughout his career, including Belgian League top scorer in 1999 and Belgian League Player of the Year in 2000.

29 March 1884 - They Played Like Warrior Poets

On 29 March 1884, the Scottish national team beat Wales at Caithkin Park in Glasgow by the score of 4-1 to claim the inaugural British Home Championship. John Kay scored two goals for the Scottish side, while Joseph Lindsay and Francis Shaw added one more each.

The British Home Championship was contested annually between the four national teams within the United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (Northern Ireland after the Irish partition in 1922). The Championship used a standard table format where each of the four teams played the other three teams once, earning two points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. The title went to the team with the highest number of points at the conclusion.

Scotland finished the 1883-84 Championship at the top of the table with maximum points. They beat Ireland away 5-0 in the first ever BHC match on 26 January 1884, then beat England 1-0 in Glasgow, before completing their title with the victory over Wales.

The British Home Championship was canceled between 1914-19 due to World War I and again during 1939-46 due to World War II. It was also canceled in 1980-81 due to the civil unrest in Northern Ireland that year. It was last played in 1984, when it was won by Northern Ireland.

27 March 2002 - He May Have Won The Match, But He Got Screwed On The Shirt Deal

On 27 March 2002, the shirt worn by Pelé in the 1970 World Cup Final sold at an auction for a record £157,750. The bid, placed by an anonymous telephone bidder, smashed the expected sale price, estimated by Christie's auction house at a mere £50,000.

The shirt still had grass stains from the Final, in which Pelé scored the opening goal in Brazil's 4-1 win over Italy. The shirt was auctioned by Italian defender Roberto Rosato, who acquired it by swapping shirts with Pelé at the end of the match.

The sale beat the previous auction record of £91,750, paid for the shirt worn by England's Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup Final.