2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
Two weeks after their five overtime loss against Tennessee, the Crimson Tide rebounded with this 38–0 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their annual rivalry game at Starkville. Alabama opened the game with an 86-yard Brodie Croyle touchdown pass to Zach Fletcher for an early 7–0 Crimson Tide lead. On the Bulldogs' possession that ensued, Charlie Peprah intercepted a Kevin Fant pass at the State 33-yard line. Three plays later, the Crimson Tide led 14–0 after Croyle threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Prothro. In the second quarter, Alabama scored on a 38-yard Brian Bostick field goal and a 32-yard Croyle pass to Fletcher for a 24–0 halftime lead.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Mississippi State
After a scoreless third quarter, a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns made the final score 38–0. The first came on a three-yard Shaud Williams touchdown run and the second on a six-yard Tim Castille touchdown run. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Bulldogs to 69–16–3 (70–15–3 without NCAA forfeit).


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, LSU
In what was the final home game of the season, against the eventual national champion LSU Tigers, Alabama lost 27–3. LSU took an early 3–0 lead when Chris Jackson connected on a 20-yard field goal on their first possession. After a defensive three-and-out, the Tigers extended their lead to 10–0 when Matt Mauck threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Michael Clayton. The second quarter saw each quarterback throw an interception and LSU score on a three-yard Mauck touchdown pass to Eric Edwards for a 17–0 halftime lead.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, LSU
After Brian Bostick missed a 45-yard field goal early in the third, the Tigers extended their lead to 24–0 on a four-yard Alley Broussard touchdown run. After a 33-yard Jackson field goal made the score 27–0, Alabama prevented the shutout with a 27-yard Brian Bostick field goal late in the fourth quarter that made the final score 27–3. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against the Tigers to 44–19–5.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Auburn
In the 2003 edition of the Iron Bowl against the Auburn, the Tigers won for the second consecutive year with this 28–23 victory. Auburn took a 7–0 lead on the first offensive play of the game on an 80-yard Cadillac Williams touchdown run. After an Alabama punt was downed at the Auburn one-yard line, Williams was tackled in the end zone on the next play for a safety that made the score 7–2.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Auburn
The Tigers' defense then forced a three-and-out, and three plays later Jason Campbell threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Ben Obomanu and after the two-point conversion led 15–2. A 22-yard John Vaughn field goal then made the score 18–2 at the end of the first quarter, and remained the same at halftime after a scoreless second quarter.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Auburn
The Crimson Tide opened the second half with a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter on a 96-yard Brandon Brooks kickoff return that made the score 18–9. After the Alabama defense forced an Auburn punt, the Crimson Tide cut the Tigers' lead to 18–16 after Shaud Williams scored on a six-yard touchdown run. A 32-yard Vaughn field goal made the score 21–16 in favor of the Tigers as they entered the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, Auburn scored on a one-yard Williams run and Alabama on a 14-yard Brodie Croyle pass to Lance Taylor that made the final score 28–23. The Loss brought Alabama's all-time record against the Tigers to 39–29–1.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Hawaii
As a result of the two-year bowl ban imposed by the NCAA in 2002 and NCAA rules that allow schools to add a 13th game if it is played at Hawaii, the Crimson Tide closed the season at Aloha Stadium, and in the game, the Warriors defeated the Crimson Tide 37–29. The Crimson Tide took a 7–0 first quarter lead after Shaud Williams scored on a one-yard touchdown run.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Hawaii
Early in the second quarter, Alabama extended their lead to 14–0 on a two-yard Brodie Croyle touchdown pass to Clint Johnston before the Warriors rallied and scored a pair of touchdowns to tie the game 14–14 at halftime. Hawaii touchdowns were scored on Jason Whieldon passes of 48-yards to Jeremiah Cockheran and four-yards to Se'e Poumele.


2003 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Game summaries, Hawaii
The Warriors then took their first lead in the third after Lance Samuseva sacked Brodie Croyle for a safety. On the Hawaii drive that ensued, Anthony Madison blocked a Nolan Miranda field goal attempt that was returned by Roman Harper for a touchdown to give Alabama a 21–16 lead. The Warriors then scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns and won the game 37–29. The first to be scored were on Whieldon touchdown passes of 47-yards to Cockheran and 20-yards to Clifton Herbert before he scored their final points on an 18-yard run. Alabama then made the final score 37–29 after Croyle threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Lance Taylor late in the game. The loss brought Alabama's all-time record against Hawaii to 1-1.


2003 Alabama earthquake
The 2003 Alabama earthquake took place on April 29 at 3:59 A.M. Central Daylight Time (local time when the event occurred) eight miles (13 km) east-northeast of Fort Payne, Alabama. The number of people who felt this quake was exceptionally high as the earthquake could be felt in 11 states across the East Coast and as far north as southern Indiana. The earthquake was strongly felt throughout metropolitan Atlanta. The Georgia Building Authority was called out to inspect the historic Georgia State Capitol in downtown Atlanta and other state-owned buildings, but found no problems.


2003 Alabama earthquake
However, this is not out of the ordinary as earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains can be felt several times the area felt on West Coast earthquakes. The earthquake was given a magnitude 4.6 on the moment magnitude scale by the USGS (other sources reported as high a magnitude as 4.9) and reports of the duration of the shaking range from 10 seconds to as long as 45 seconds. It is tied with a 1973 earthquake near Knoxville, Tennessee as the strongest earthquake ever to occur in the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone, which is the second most active seismic zone east of the Rocky Mountains, with the New Madrid Seismic Zone the most active.


2003 Alabama earthquake
The April 29 earthquake caused moderate damage in northern Alabama including a 29-foot (8.8 m) wide sinkhole northwest of Fort Payne. The quake disrupted the local water supply. There were numerous reports of chimney damage, broken windows and cracked walls, particularly around the area near Hammondville, Mentone and Valley Head, Alabama. Many 9-1-1 call centers were overloaded with worrisome and panicked residents, who thought it was a train derailment, a bomb or some other type of explosion that had awakened them. There were several aftershocks, all of magnitude 2.0 or lower and were not widely felt.


2003 Alamo Bowl
The 2003 Alamo Bowl was an American football bowl game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Nebraska Cornhuskers played December 29, 2003 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.


2003 Alamo Bowl
In a defensive game, Nebraska scored first, leading 3–0 on a 29-yard field goal kicked by David Dyches. Michigan State's Dave Rayner tied the score at 3 at the end of the 1st quarter, kicking a 46-yard field goal. In the second quarter, running back Cory Ross scored on touchdown runs of 2 and 6 yards, to give Nebraska a 17–3 lead.


2003 Alamo Bowl
There was no further scoring, and the game ended with Nebraska defeating Michigan State, 17–3.


2003 Alaska Aces season
The 2003 Alaska Aces season was the 18th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2003 Alaska Aces season, Occurrences
During the Invitational Cup, shooting guard Jon Ordonio was placed on the reserve list upon orders by the management. Ordonio was one of the five foreign-breed players whom the senate recommended for deportation upon investigation on the so-called Fil-Shams.


2003 Alaska Aces season, Championship
The Alaska Aces won the Invitational Championship for their 11th PBA title as they exact revenge over the Coca-Cola Tigers, the team that beat them for the All-Filipino crown last year. The Aces won the best-of-three title series, two games to one. Alaska was the sixth entry among PBA teams qualified to play in the second conference Invitationals that featured guest foreign teams. They were on a nine-game winning streak going into Game One of the final playoffs.


2003 Albanian Supercup
Albanian Supercup 2003 is the tenth edition of the Albanian Supercup since its establishment in 1989. The match was contested between the Albanian Cup 2003 winners Dinamo Tirana and the 2002–03 Albanian Superliga champions KF Tirana.


2003 Albanian local elections
The Albanian local elections in 2003 was the fourth local election held in Albania.


2003 Albirex Niigata season
This page lists statistics from the 2003 season of the Albirex Niigata football team.


2003 Alderney referendum
A non-binding referendum on allowing the direct election of the Alderney representatives of the States of Guernsey was held in Alderney in September and October 2003. However, the validity of the procedure was disputed. The proposal was approved by 70% of those who answered the questionnaire.


2003 Alderney referendum, Background
The two Alderney representatives in the States of Guernsey are chosen by the States of Alderney. The Procedures and Constitution Committee of the States of Guernsey sought to consult Alderney residents on whether this should be changed to allow for their direct election by voters. The referendum was opposed by the President of the Alderney States, Norman Browse, who claimed the Committee had "exceeded its mandate".


2003 Algarve Cup
The 2003 Algarve Cup is the tenth edition of the Algarve Cup, an invitational women's football tournament hosted annually by Portugal. It was held from fourteenth to twentieth day of March 2003.


2003 Algarve Cup
The USA won the tournament defeating China, 2-0, in the final game.


2003 Algarve Cup, Format
The twelve teams are divided into three groups that played a round-robin group stage, followed by one position play-off match for every team.


2003 Algarve Cup, Format
With 12 teams participating, the Algarve Cup format has been as follows: Groups A and B, containing the strongest ranked teams, are the only ones in contention to win the title. The group A and B winners contest the final - to win the Algarve Cup. The runners-up play for third place, and those that finish third in the groups play for fifth place. The teams in Group C played for places 7–12. The winner of Group C played the team that finished fourth in Group A or B (whichever has the better record) for seventh place. The Group C runner-up played the team who finishes last in Group A or B (with the worse record) for ninth place. The third and fourth placed teams in Group C played for the eleventh place.


2003 Algarve Cup, Format
Points awarded in the group stage followed the standard formula of three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero point for a loss. In the case of two teams being tied in a group, their head-to-head result determined their place in the group.


2003 Algerian Cup Final
The 2003 Algerian Cup Final was the 39th final of the Algerian Cup. The final took place on June 12, 2003, at Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida with kick-off at 15:00. USM Alger beat CR Belouizdad in extra time with a golden goal in the 117th minute in the final after the game ended 1–1. It was USM Alger's sixth Algerian Cup in its history.


2003 Algerian Cup Final
Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 clubs USM Alger and CR Belouizdad were the contestants in the final, in the 41st edition of the Algiers Derby. The competition winners were awarded a berth in the 2004 CAF Confederation Cup.


2003 All England Open Badminton Championships
The 2003 Yonex All England Open was the 93rd edition of the All England Open Badminton Championships. It was held from 11 to 16 February 2003, in Birmingham, England.


2003 All England Open Badminton Championships
It was a four star tournament and the prize money was US$125,000.


2003 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship
The 2003 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship was the eleventh season of Japan Automobile Federation GT premiere racing. It was marked as well as the twenty-first season of a JAF-sanctioned sports car racing championship dating back to the All Japan Sports Prototype Championship. The GT500 class champions of 2003 were the #23 Xanavi NISMO Nissan Skyline GT-R team driven by Satoshi Motoyama and Michael Krumm and the GT300 class champions were the #3 Hasemi Motorsports Nissan Fairlady Z driven by Masataka Yanagida and Mitsuhiro Kinoshita, neither of which had won a single race during the course of the season.


2003 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship
The 2003 season saw the introduction of the most comprehensive overhaul of the series' vehicle regulations in the series' history to date. Manufacturers could now cut away the production vehicle's mainframe and replace the front and rear structures with pipe frame structures, which had also allowed for further suspension development. The engine could now be mounted freely in any position or any orientation, and the transmission could now be mounted freely in any position, allowing for the introduction of transaxle units. The size of the rear diffuser was reduced, and the underbody of the car had to be fitted with a flat bottom floor.


2003 All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship
Toyota had fitted their GT500 Supra with a 5.2 litre version of the naturally-aspirated 3UZ-FE V8 engine to replace the four-cylinder 3S-GTE. Honda retained the 3.5 litre C32B V6 engine, which was now mounted longitudinally behind the cockpit. Nissan changed from the RB26DETT inline-six cylinder engine to the VQ30DETT V6 engine in the middle of 2002, and retained the lighter aluminium-block engine into 2003.


2003 All Thailand Golf Tour
The 2003 All Thailand Golf Tour is the fifth season of the All Thailand Golf Tour, the main professional golf tour in Thailand since it was established in 1999.


2003 All-Africa Games
The 8th All Africa Games were 5–17 October 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria. 53 countries participated in 23 sports. The main venue was the newly constructed Abuja Stadium. The organizing committee was headed by Nigerian Amos Adamu.


2003 All-Africa Games, Participating nations
Among the countries that participated at the 2003 All Africa Games were:


2003 All-Africa Games, Sports
22 disciplines were contested at the 2003 All Africa Games, among them:


2003 All-Big 12 Conference football team
The 2003 All-Big 12 Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big 12 Conference players for the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big 12 selectors: (1) the Big 12 conference coaches selected separate offensive and defensive units and named first- and second-team players (the "Coaches" team); and (2) a panel of sports writers and broadcasters covering the Big 12 also selected offensive and defensive units and named first- and second-team players (the "Media" team).


2003 All-Big 12 Conference football team, Key
Bold = selected as a first-team player by both the coaches and media panel


2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team
The 2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team consists of American football players chosen as All-Big Ten Conference players for the 2003 Big Ten Conference football season. The conference recognizes two official All-Big Ten selectors: (1) the Big Ten conference coaches selected separate offensive and defensive units and named first- and second-team players (the "Coaches" team); and (2) a panel of sports writers and broadcasters covering the Big Ten also selected offensive and defensive units and named first- and second-team players (the "Media" team).


2003 All-Big Ten Conference football team, Key
Bold = selected as a first-team player by both the coaches and media panel


2003 All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship was the 20th staging of the All-Ireland hurling championship. The championship ended on 30 August 2003.


2003 All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship
Galway were the defending champions, however, they were defeated in the All-Ireland semi-final. Cork won the title after defeating Kilkenny by 1–21 to 0–23 in the final.


2003 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship was the 72nd staging of the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament for boys under the age of 18.


2003 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
Derry entered the championship as defending champions, however, they were defeated in the Ulster Championship.


2003 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
On 12 October 2003, Laois won the championship following a 2-10 to 1-9 defeat of Dublin in the All-Ireland final. This was their third All-Ireland title overall and their first title in six championship seasons.


2003 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship was the 73rd staging of the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1928. The championship began on 5 April 2003 and ended on 14 September 2003.


2003 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
On 14 September 2003, Kilkenny won the championship following a 2–16 to 2–15 defeat of Galway in the All-Ireland final. This was their 18th championship title overall and their second title in succession.


2003 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
Kilkenny's Richie Power was the championship's top scorer with 1-29.


2003 All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship 2003 was the 25th staging of Ireland's secondary hurling knock-out competition. Wicklow won the championship, beating Roscommon 4-16 to 2-13 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.


2003 All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship, Sources
This Hurling competition-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship—known as the Foras na Gaeilge All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for sponsorship reasons—was the high point of the 2003 season. The championship was won by Tipperary who defeated Cork by a three-point margin in the final. The attendance was a then record of 16,183. Player of the Match was Eimear McDonnell, a niece of Cork football legend Billy Morgan. The championship and the final was a high point in a period of rapid growth in the popularity of the sport of camogie which quadrupled the average attendance at its finals in a ten-year period.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Semi-finals
In the semi-final Cork were 2-2 up after only seven minutes, thanks to fine goals from Fiona O'Driscoll and Orla O'Sullivan. “All Galway could do was look on” one reporter wrote as they trailed 0-0 to Cork's 3-6 at the break and lost by 25 points. Tipperary beat Limerick 18 points in the other semi-final. With six minutes of the half remaining, Tipperary were awarded a penalty which centre back Ciara Gaynor struck to the back of the net and it gave them a 2-8 to 0-7 half-time lead.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, Final
Cork led 0-3 to 1-3 at half-time. Deirdre Hughes got an early second-half goal and Eimear McDonnell scored four points to put them into a six-point lead with 10 minutes remaining before a late Gemma O'Connor goal put a better appearance on the scoreboard. Goalkeeper Jovita Delaney made a vital block and clearance on a late free.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final was the 72nd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, an inter-county camogie tournament for the top teams in Ireland.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship Final
Cork led 0-7 to 1-3 at half-time but Tipp rallied to win by a goal to regain the O'Duffy Cup and avenge the previous year's defeat.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship final was a hurling match played at Croke Park on 17 March 2003 to determine the winners of the 2002–03 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, the 33rd season of the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champion clubs of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Dunloy of Antrim and Birr of Offaly, with Birr winning by 1-19 to 0-11.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
The All-Ireland final was the fourth championship meeting between Birr and Dunloy. The Offalymen were hoping to make history by winning a record-breaking fourth All-Ireland title, while Dunloy were hoping to claim their first All-Ireland title in their third appearance in a final.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
In a game that never ignited, Declan Pilkington gave Birr a lead after two minutes just by latching onto a long Brian Whelahan free and turning it over the bar. The Dunloy defence was working hard, however, Pilkington, Simon Whelahan, Paul Molloy and the Hanniffy brothers Rory and Gary all struck for points.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
In the 24th minute Dunloy's Nigel Elliott made a great catch before offloading to his brother Ally who found himself in open space less than 20 metres out. The referee Sean McMahon blew for a free and play was called back for a foul on Nigel Elliott. A pointed free resulted as Dunloy were denied an almost certain goal. Before the break, Birr tacked on three more points, all from the hurley of Simon Whelehan, to take a reasonable five-point lead at the interval.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
Dunloy set about reducing the deficit after the restart with two drilled frees from Gregory O'Kane bringing them within three, however, that was as close as Dunloy got. Birr gradually imposed their will on the game and the points came more readily. Simon Whelehan had four from frees, Declan Pilkington, Molloy, the two Hanniffys again and impressive sub Stephen Browne with a brace crushed the effort of Dunloy. In the 56th minute Birr were leading by 0-17 to 0-10 when they pounced for a goal. A long Brian Whelahan free hopped off Dunloy 'keeper Gareth McGhee's hand onto the crossbar and rebounded before an alert Declan Pilkington sent it to the net to kill the game.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final
Birr's All-Ireland victory was their second in succession, thus becoming the third team ever to retain the title. The win gave them their fourth All-Ireland title over all and put them as outright leaders on the all-time roll of honour.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 117th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 4 May 2003 and ended on 28 September 2003.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
On 28 September 2003, Tyrone won the championship following a 0-12 to 0-9 defeat of Armagh in the All-Ireland final. This was their first All-Ireland title.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
Tyrone's Peter Canavan was the championship's top scorer with 1-48. Armagh forward Steven McDonnell was the choice for the Vodafone Footballer of the Year award.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Format
The provincial championships in Munster, Leinster, Ulster and Connacht were run as usual on a "knock-out" basis. These provincial games were then followed by the "Qualifier" system:


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Format
The All-Ireland Quarter-Finals: Each of the four Provincial Champions played one of the four winners from Round 4. The All-Ireland Semi-Finals were played on a Provincial rota basis, initially determined by the Central Council. If a Provincial Championship winning team was defeated in its Quarter-Final, the team that defeated it took its place in the Semi-Final.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, Results, All Ireland series
The provincial champions and the winners of round 4 contested the quarter finals. The quarter final matches would be between a provincial champion and a round 4 winner.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 116th final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, a Gaelic football tournament. It was held on 28 September 2003 at Croke Park, Dublin and featured defending champions Armagh against Tyrone. The counties are both in the province of Ulster and share a boundary in Northern Ireland – this was the first All-Ireland Football Final between sides from the same province. Tyrone won their first title after the match finished 0–12 – 0–09 in their favour.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Competition structure
Each of the 32 traditional counties of Ireland is represented by a county side. Apart from Kilkenny, they all participated in the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The "overseas counties" of London and New York also participated. Every county in Ireland is located in a province; London and New York were in Connacht for the purpose of the championship. It began with four provincial championships – knock-out competitions between sides in the same province. The four winners progressed to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The remaining sides, apart from New York, entered the All-Ireland qualifiers to determine the other four teams to contest the quarter-finals. These were followed by the semi-finals and the All-Ireland final.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Background
This was the first final between two counties from the same province; in this case, Ulster. This was only possible because of the qualifying system introduced in the 2001 championship. Previously, the All-Ireland Championship was only contested by the four winners of the provincial championships, so a final between two counties from the same province was impossible.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Background
Tyrone had contested the final in 1986 and 1995 but lost on both occasions, against Kerry and Dublin respectively. Armagh were the defending champions, having won their first title the year previously. They had lost the final in 1953 and 1977. No side had won consecutive titles since Cork in 1989 and 1990, while no side from Ulster had done so since Down, who won in 1960 and 1961.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Background
Tyrone had already won the 2003 National Football League and the year's Ulster Championship, in what was manager Mickey Harte's first year in charge.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Routes to the final
Tyrone progressed directly to the All-Ireland quarter finals as they won the 2003 Ulster Senior Football Championship, through victories against Derry, Antrim and Down. Armagh lost to Monaghan in the preliminary round of the Ulster Championship and therefore entered the All-Ireland qualifiers at the first round. They defeated Waterford, Antrim, Dublin and Limerick to join Tyrone at the quarter-final stage; the ties were played whilst Tyrone were competing in the latter stages of the Ulster Championship.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Routes to the final
Sides that had played each other in the provincial championships could not be drawn together in the quarter-finals but none of these restrictions affected Armagh or Tyrone. Tyrone were drawn against Fermanagh, who had unexpectedly defeated Meath and Mayo in the qualifiers, while Armagh were drawn against Leinster championship winners Laois. Tyrone won their game by 1–21 (24 points) to 0–05. Armagh defeated Laois by 0–15 to 0–13, although the sides were level on points on nine occasions. Even before Donegal's win over Galway, which meant three of the four semi-finalists were from Ulster, there was intense media speculation about the possibility of an all-Ulster final.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Routes to the final
Tyrone's semi-final was against Kerry. Despite their captain Peter Canavan suffering an injury early on, Tyrone won by 0–13 to 0–06. Much of the match analysis focused on the manner in which it was played. It was characterised by persistent fouling (73 frees were awarded in total) and Tyrone's defensive tactics. While many commentators expressed frustration about the quality of the game, some appreciated the skill with which Tyrone employed their tactics. Mickey Harte countered the criticism by saying: "There's no use in us playing flamboyantly and losing."


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Routes to the final
Donegal were Armagh's opposition in an all-Ulster semi-final. Armagh were behind at half time but took advantage of Raymond Sweeney's dismissal just after the interval to finish with a 2–10 (16 points) – 1–09 (12 points) victory. Armagh may have had a larger winning margin had they not amassed 21 wides. A death threat was allegedly made against referee Michael Monahan in the closing minutes.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Pre-match
Brian White, who had previously refereed two All-Ireland finals, was announced as the match referee in early September. He had once previously refereed a game between Armagh and Tyrone – an Ulster Championship quarter-final replay in 2002.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Pre-match
The final was highly anticipated, particularly as Armagh and Tyrone are neighbouring counties. Police Service of Northern Ireland Deputy Chief Constable Paul Leighton estimated that 40,000 fans would travel from Northern Ireland to Dublin, despite each competing county only being allocated approximately 10,000 match tickets. Declan Martin, policy director for Dublin Chamber of Commerce, expected the revenue generated in the city as a result of the final to double because two sides from Ulster were involved.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Pre-match
Road signs in the Pomeroy area were painted in Tyrone colours leading up to the match. This was condemned by the Roads Service, who said the signs would cost thousands of pounds to replace. In Strabane, a sculpture was covered in Tyrone kit. Ulster Unionist Party councillor for the town, Derek Hussey, responded by saying: "I know it is a unique sporting occasion, an all-British All-Ireland final, but the hysteria that has developed around the whole event is intimidatory to some people."


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Pre-match
John Boyle, a native of Armagh and owner of Boylesports, expressed an interest in placing a £250,000 bet with nine other businessmen, each of whom would contribute £25,000, on Armagh winning the championship. The winnings and the stake would have been given to the Armagh squad. GAA president Seán Kelly denounced the idea: "Playing is a voluntary activity and should have nothing to do with gambling. Such bets put too much pressure on the players and are somewhat obscene." The GAA was also critical of tickets for the final being sold in newspaper columns and on online auction sites.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Match
Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin and Ian Pearson of the Northern Ireland Office were at the match, as were eight family members of victims of the Omagh bombing, who sat in the Hogan Stand as guests of the GAA. Donegal singer Mickey Joe Harte sang Ireland's national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann, before the match. In the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship Final, held just before the senior game, Laois and Dublin drew, each side scoring 1–11 (14 points).


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Match
The starting line-ups for the senior game were released several days before the match; both sides chose to start with the same fifteen players that had started their respective semi-final wins. Peter Canavan had recovered sufficiently from the ankle injury he sustained during Tyrone's semi-final to captain them. He was the only player in their starting line-up who had played in the county's last All-Ireland final. Ciaran Gourley, who was also an injury concern for Tyrone, was deemed fit enough to play. Brian McGuigan was suffering from the flu but started. Armagh had no injury concerns and twelve of their starting fifteen had played in the final the previous year – only Paul Hearty, Andy Mallon and Phillip Loughran were debutants,


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Match, Match report
Both sides played defensively which led many commentators to bemoan the poor quality of the match. There were frequent pauses for injuries and accusations of diving. However, some analysts commented on the genuine desire to win both teams displayed. Numerous goal opportunities were missed, most notably by Tyrone, although only a block from Conor Gormley prevented Steven McDonnell from equalising for Armagh in the 68th minute. Tyrone led 0–08 – 0–04 at half-time; five of their points were scored by Peter Canavan from frees.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Match, Match report
He was replaced during the interval due to a relapse of his ankle injury during training, although he did return to the pitch for the final few minutes. Diarmuid Marsden was controversially sent off in the second half following an off-the-ball incident, leaving Armagh with only fourteen players. Marsden had been arguing with Conor Gormley when he was approached by Philip Jordan. Marsden raised his arm and made contact with Jordan, who fell to the ground. Some commentators claimed Jordan was feigning injury to get his opponent sent off.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Match, Match report
Armagh managed to stay within two points of Tyrone at times but were ultimately unable to catch Tyrone. At the final whistle, Tyrone fans invaded the pitch and remained there for an hour. In his speech after lifting the trophy, Peter Canavan dedicated the victory to every Tyrone team he had played on, the 1986 team (beaten in the final by Kerry) and every player who had played on teams without success. He also spoke of his father, who had died over the summer, and of Paul McGirr, who had played alongside many of the Tyrone team before he died in a freak accident aged 18.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Murphy congratulated Tyrone on their victory. The Ulster Council of the GAA congratulated both sets of fans, in particular the Tyrone fans who formed a guard of honour for the Armagh players as they returned to their team bus. Joe Kernan, manager of Armagh, also praised the opposition fans: "...when the final whistle went and all the Tyrone supporters came running past me there wasn't one bad word said. To me that was great."


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
Crowds gathered across Tyrone the following day to celebrate the arrival of the Sam Maguire Cup. The players' homecoming began at Aughnacloy before moving on to Ballygawley and Omagh, where upwards of 40,000 fans gathered. Despite their defeat, Armagh were greeted by hundreds of fans on the Louth–Armagh border on their return.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
In the early hours of the Tuesday after the final, Tyrone footballers sought refuge in Donegal, a town in a neighbouring county across the border. Tyrone manager Mickey Harte had planned this in advance of the final to give his players a reprieve from the fuss that would occur in the event of a victory. They left the Sam Maguire Cup in Aghyaran, home to team sponsor Willie John Dolan; Dolan was left in charge of the trophy.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
Armagh manager Joe Kernan claimed he would have resigned had his side won but defeat encouraged him to continue. He lauded his players for their effort nonetheless, saying: "..we've won an All-Ireland, and got back to the final. I think that's a phenomenal achievement." He added that he was confident Armagh would win another title in the future. Of the match itself, Kernan said: "I think if Steven McDonnell had got that goal towards the end, even with the man down I think we would have won the game. Big matches hinge on certain things and that was one of them." McDonnell applauded Conor Gormley's tackle which prevented him from scoring: "...I'd say it was one of the best tackles ever."


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
The match received extensive media coverage in Northern Ireland, especially from the predominantly nationalist Irish News. The Belfast Telegraph dedicated several pages to the match the following day, including the front and back covers, whereas The News Letter, a largely unionist publication, had sparse coverage, highlighting traditional attitudes to Gaelic games in Northern Ireland.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
About a week after the final, a family in Coleraine were targeted in an allegedly sectarian attack, thought to be because they were flying a Tyrone GAA flag from their home.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match
Two years later, Peter Canavan's return from injury as a substitute in the final ten minutes finished 14th in RTÉ's 2005 series Top 20 GAA Moments.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Post-match, Match controversies
Joe Kernan was adamant that Diarmuid Marsden did not deserve to be sent off and criticised players for pretending to be injured during the game. The player himself also disagreed with the decision: "The umpire said I struck him but I just saw the man coming towards me and it was more a case of getting myself out of the way or protecting myself." He added: "I'd never been sent off for Armagh before and to be sent off in an All-Ireland final is hard to take. Hopefully I won't be remembered for that. And I wouldn't like to end the career on that note." Kernan and Marsden contested the decision and subsequent ban, but the GAA's Games Administration Committee upheld the penalty. However, after taking their case to the Central Council, the ban was overturned.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Guinness Hurling Championship) was the 117th since its establishment in 1887. The first matches of the season were played in May 2003, and the championship ended on 14 September 2003. Kilkenny went into the 2003 championship as defending champions, having won their twenty-seventh All-Ireland title the previous year.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The championship culminated with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin. The match was contested by Kilkenny and Cork. It was their first meeting in the final since 1999. Kilkenny won the game by 1-14 to 1-11. It was their second All-Ireland title in succession.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Format
22 counties participated in the 2003 Championship. These teams were as follows:


2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, Format
The Leinster, Munster and Ulster championships were played as usual. The Leinster and Munster champions advanced directly to the All-Ireland semi-finals. The Ulster winners advanced directly to the All-Ireland quarter-final.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final
The 2003 All-Ireland Hurling Final was the 116th All-Ireland Hurling Final and the culmination of the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, a tournament for the top hurling counties. The match was held at Croke Park, Dublin, on 14 September 2003, between Kilkenny and Cork. Kilkenny won on a score line of 1–14 to 1–11.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final
The 2003 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final featured Mayo and Dublin. Mayo defeated Dublin in a low scoring game. Mayo retained the title, winning their fourth final in five years, while Dublin were making  their debut appearance. Dublin led 0–4 to 0–2 at half-time. Two minutes from full-time Mayo trailed Dublin by a point. However the match was decided thanks to a late goal from Player of the Match, Diane O'Hora. Cora Staunton dropped a last-minute long range free-kick into the square. The Dublin goalkeeper, Clíodhna O'Connor, failed to gain control of the ball, allowing O'Hora to score.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final
In July 2003, Aisling McGing, a member of Mayo's 2002 winning team, was killed in a car crash. She was travelling to watch her two sisters, Michelle and Sharon McGing, play for Mayo against Galway in a Connacht Championship game. Just three months later, Michelle and Sharon McGing played for Mayo in the All-Ireland final.


2003 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Team: 1 Denise Horan2 Nuala O'Shea3 Helena Lohan (c)4 Sharon McGing5 Mary T. Garvey6 Yvonne Byrne7 Claire O'Hara8 Clare Egan9 Jackie Moran10 E. Mullins 11Cora Staunton12 Michelle McGing13 Diane O'Hora14 Marcella Heffernan15 Christina Heffernan


2003 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Team: 1 Clíodhna O'Connor2 Sorcha Farrelly3 Louise Keegan4 Maria Kavanagh5 Niamh Hurley6 Martina Farrell (c)7 Orla Colreavy8 Angie McNally9 Niamh McEvoy10 E. Murphy11 Gemma Fay 12 Bernie Finlay13  Mary Nevin14 Louise Kelly15 K. Hopkins


2003 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final, Teams
Substitutes: Elaine Kelly for Murphy (28) Aisling McCormackfor Hopkins (43)Sinéad Aherne for Finlay (45)


2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The 2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship was the 40th staging of the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1964.


2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
Limerick were the defending champions, however, they were defeated in their quest for a record-equalling fourth successive All-Ireland title by Cork in the Munster semi-final.


2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
On 21 September 2003, Kilkenny won the championship following a 2-13 to 0-12 defeat of Galway in the All-Ireland final. This was their 8th All-Ireland title in the under-21 grade and their first in four championship seasons.


2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship Final
The 2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship final was a hurling match that was played at Semple Stadium, Thurles on 21 September 2003 to determine the winners of the 2003 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship, the 40th season of the All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the champion teams of the four provinces of Ireland. The final was contested by Kilkenny of Leinster and Galway of Connacht, with Kilkenny winning by 2-13 to 0-12.


2003 All-Pro Team
The 2003 All-Pro Team is composed of the National Football League players that were named to the Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, and The Sporting News All-Pro Teams in 2003. Both first and second teams are listed for the AP team. These are the three teams that are included in Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. In 2003 the Pro Football Writers Association and Pro Football Weekly combined their All-pro teams, a practice with continues through 2008.


2003 All-SEC football team
The 2003 All-SEC football team consists of American football players selected to the All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) chosen by the Associated Press (AP) and the conference coaches for the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season.


2003 All-SEC football team
The LSU Tigers won the conference, beating the Georgia Bulldogs 34 to 13 in the SEC Championship game. The Tigers then won a national championship, defeating the Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners 21 to 14 in the BCS National Championship Game.


2003 All-SEC football team
Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning was voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year by both AP and Coaches. LSU defensive tackle Chad Lavalais was voted the coaches SEC Defensive Player of the Year; Florida cornerback Keiwan Ratliff was the AP's choice.


2003 All-SEC football team, Key
Bold = Consensus first-team selection by both the coaches and AP


2003 Allan Cup
The 2003 Allan Cup was the Canadian national senior ice hockey championship for the 2002-03 Senior "AAA" season. The event was hosted by the Dundas Real McCoys in Dundas, Ontario. The 2003 tournament marked the 95th year that the Allan Cup has been awarded.


2003 Allerdale Borough Council election
Elections to Allerdale Borough Council were held on 1 May 2003. The whole council was up for election and the Labour party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.


2003 Allerdale Borough Council election, Results
12 Labour, 4 Conservative, 2 Independent and 2 Liberal Democrat candidates were unopposed.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad
The 2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad was a tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Roy Emerson Arena in Gstaad in Switzerland and was part of the International Series of the 2003 ATP Tour. The tournament ran from July 7 through July 13, 2003.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad, Finals, Singles
Jiří Novák defeated  Roger Federer 5–7, 6–3, 6–3, 1–6,  6–3


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad, Finals, Doubles
Leander Paes /  David Rikl defeated  František Čermák /  Leoš Friedl 6–3, 6–3


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Doubles
Joshua Eagle and David Rikl were the defending champions but Eagle chose not to compete this year. Rikl instead competed with Leander Paes.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Doubles
Rikl defended his title with Paes, defeating František Čermák and Leoš Friedl in the final, 6–3, 6–3.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Doubles, Seeds
Champion seeds are indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which those seeds were eliminated.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Singles
Àlex Corretja was the defending champion but lost in the second round to David Sánchez.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Singles
Jiří Novák won in the final 5–7, 6–3, 6–3, 1–6, 6–3 against Roger Federer.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Singles
This tournament was also notable for being the first ATP tournament in which future Grand Slam Champion Stanislas Wawrinka competed in the main draw. He drew Jean-René Lisnard in the first round and was defeated.


2003 Allianz Suisse Open Gstaad – Singles, Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.


2003 Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan 2003, part of the 2003 Swedish football season, was the 79th Allsvenskan season played. The first match was played 5 April 2003 and the last match was played 26 October 2003. Djurgårdens IF won the league ahead of runners-up Hammarby IF, while Östers IF and Enköpings SK were relegated.


2003 Alnwick District Council election
The 2003 Alnwick District Council election for the Alnwick District Council were held on 1 May 2003. The whole council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control. One of the three seats in the Rothbury and South Rural ward had no candidate for the seat.


2003 Alnwick District Council election, Election result
5 Liberal Democrat, 2 Conservative and 1 Independent candidates were unopposed.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Combined, Final point standings
In both events not all points were awarded (not enough starters/finishers).


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Combined, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Downhill, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Downhill, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
In Men's Giant Slalom World Cup 2002/03 all results count. Michael von Grünigen won his fourth Giant Slalom World Cup.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Slalom, Final point standings
In Men's Slalom World Cup 2002/03 the all results count. Race No. 10 at Sestriere was a K.O.-Slalom.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Slalom, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Slalom, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Super G, Final point standings
In Men's Super G World Cup 2002/03 all results count.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Super G, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's Super G, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Downhill, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Downhill, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
In Women's Giant Slalom World Cup 2002/03 all results count.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Giant Slalom, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Slalom, Final point standings
In Women's Slalom World Cup 2002/03 all results count. Race No. 11 at Sestriere was a K.O.-Slalom.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Slalom, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Slalom, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Super G, Final point standings
In Women's Super G World Cup 2002/03 all results count.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Super G, Final point standings
In the last race only the best racers were allowed to compete and only the best 15 finishers were awarded with points.


2003 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Women's Super G, Final point standings
Overall | Downhill | Super G | Giant Slalom | Slalom | Combined


2003 Altai earthquake
The 2003 Altai earthquake, or 2003 Chuya earthquake, occurred on September 27 at 18:33:26 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The epicenter of this oblique-slip shock was in Altai Republic, Russia near the borders of Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. Three deaths and five injuries were reported and the total damage was listed as $10.6–33 million.


2003 Altai earthquake, Earthquake
This earthquake had components of right-lateral strike-slip and reverse movement in a segmented fault zone which had not been previously recognized.


2003 Altai earthquake, Damage
Between 99 and 300 houses destroyed, along with 1,942 other buildings affected. It was the strongest earthquake in this region since an estimated magnitude 7.7 earthquake on December 20, 1761.


2003 Altazor Awards
The fourth annual Altazor Awards took place on March 24, 2003, at the Centro Cultural Matucana 100.


2003 Amber Valley Borough Council election
Elections to Amber Valley Borough Council were held on 1 May 2003. One third of the council was up for election and the Conservative Party held overall control of the council.


2003 America East Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2003 America East Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 22-24 at Centennial Field in Burlington, Vermont. The top four regular season finishers of the league's seven teams qualified for the double-elimination tournament. In the championship game, fourth-seeded Northeastern defeated third-seeded Stony Brook, 11-0, to win its third tournament championship. As a result, Northeastern received the America East's automatic bid to the 2003 NCAA Tournament.


2003 America East Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding
The top four finishers from the regular season were seeded one through four based on conference winning percentage only. They then played in a double-elimination format. In the first round, the one and four seeds were matched up in one game, while the two and three seeds were matched up in the other.


2003 America East Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Outstanding Player
Northeastern first baseman Miguel Paquette was named Most Outstanding Player.


2003 America East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2003 America East Men's Basketball Tournament was hosted by the Boston University Terriers at Walter Brown Arena . The final was held at Case Gym on the campus of Boston University. Vermont gained its first ever America East Championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with its win over Boston University. Vermont was given the 16th seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round to Arizona 80–51. Boston University gained a bid to the NIT and lost in the first round to St. John's 73–57.


2003 America's Cup
The 31st America's Cup was contested between the holder, Team New Zealand, and the winner of the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, Alinghi.


2003 America's Cup, Build Up
The 2002–2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, held in the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland, New Zealand saw nine teams from six countries staging 120 races over five months to select a challenger for the America's Cup. Due to sponsorship rules in force at the time, the boats were not allowed to be named after their sponsors which affected only one challenger. The Oracle boat was referenced by its sail number USA-76 because the team did not give the boat a name.


2003 America's Cup, Build Up
On January 19, 2003 the Swiss challenger Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi, skippered by Russell Coutts, won the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals by defeating the American challenger, Larry Ellison's Oracle, 5–1, once again eliminating the United States from the America's Cup competition.


2003 America's Cup, The America's Cup Races
Racing for the America's Cup began On February 15, 2003. In a stiff breeze, Alinghi won the first race easily after New Zealand, skippered throughout the series by Dean Barker, withdrew due to multiple gear failures in the rigging and the low cockpit unexpectedly taking onboard large quantities of water.


2003 America's Cup, The America's Cup Races
Race 2, on February 16, 2003, was won by Alinghi by a margin of only seven seconds. It was one of the closest, most exciting races seen for years, with the lead changing several times and a duel of 33 tacking manoeuvres on the fifth leg.


2003 America's Cup, The America's Cup Races
Then on February 18, in Race 3, Alinghi won the critical start, after receiving last minute advice about a wind shift, and led throughout the race, winning with a 23-second margin.


2003 America's Cup, The America's Cup Races
After nine days without being able to race, first due to a lack of wind, then with high winds and rough seas making it too dangerous to race, February 28, originally a planned lay-day, was chosen as a race day. Race 4 was again sailed in strong winds and rough seas and New Zealand's difficulties continued, when her mast snapped on the third leg.


2003 America's Cup, The America's Cup Races
The next day, March 1, 2003, was again a frustratingly calm day, the race finally being called off after the yachts had again spent over two hours waiting for a start in the light air. Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts was unable to celebrate his 41st birthday with a cup win, but was in a commanding position in the series to do so on March 2. Race 5 started on time in a good breeze. Alinghi again won the start and kept ahead. On the third leg, New Zealand broke a spinnaker pole during a manoeuvre. Although it was put overboard and replaced with a spare pole, New Zealand was unable to recover, conceding Alinghi's sweep to the title.


2003 America's Cup, The America's Cup Races
The win by Alinghi meant Coutts, who had previously sailed for New Zealand, had won every one of the last 14 America's Cup races he had competed in as skipper, the most by any America's Cup skipper. This meant he had won an America's Cup regatta twice as challenger, as well as having been a successful defender.


2003 America's Cup, Crew, Team New Zealand
Cameron Appleton was the backup helmsman with Rod Davis, Dan Slater and Clay Oliver in the reserve afterguard.


2003 American Le Mans Series
The 2003 American Le Mans Series season was the fifth season for the IMSA American Le Mans Series, and the 33rd overall season of the IMSA GT Championship. It was a series for Le Mans Prototypes (LMP) and Grand Touring (GT) race cars divided into 4 classes: LMP900, LMP675, GTS, and GT. It began March 15, 2003 and ended October 18, 2003 after 9 races.


2003 American Le Mans Series
Dyson Racing's overall win at Sonoma Raceway was the first time in ALMS history that the overall win was captured by a vehicle not from the LMP900 class.


2003 American Le Mans Series, Schedule
Little was changed between the 2002 and 2003 schedules; the Grand Prix of Washington, D. C. and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course did not return, but both were instead replaced by the return of the Grand Prix of Atlanta at Road Atlanta. The Grand Prix of Mexico was originally scheduled for April 6 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez but was canceled due to financial issues.


2003 American Le Mans Series, Teams Championship
Points are awarded to the top 10 finishers in the following order:


2003 American Le Mans Series, Teams Championship
Exceptions being for the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans which award the top 10 finishers in the following order:


2003 American Le Mans Series, Teams Championship
Cars failing to complete 70% of the winner's distance are not awarded points. Teams only score the points of their highest finishing entry in each race.


2003 American League Championship Series
The 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was played between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees from October 8 to 16, 2003. The Yankees won the series four games to three to advance to the World Series, where they lost in six games to the National League champion Florida Marlins.


2003 American League Championship Series, Summary
This series delivered yet another blow to Red Sox fans' hopes of winning a World Series for the first time since 1918. The series seemed evenly matched, with the lead being held first by the Red Sox, then by the Yankees. The Sox forced the series to a full seven games, with the seventh game setting another major league record for the rivalry between the two teams: it marked the first time two major league teams played more than 25 games against each other over the course of a single season. The Red Sox also set an ALCS record with 12 home runs in the series.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Wednesday, October 8, 2003 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York 8:07ET MLB on FOX


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Tim Wakefield shut the Bronx Bombers down for six innings in Game 1, allowing only back-to-back one-out singles to Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui in the second. Mike Mussina pitched three shutout innings before allowing a leadoff single to Manny Ramirez in the fourth, when the Red Sox began to flex their muscles. David Ortiz homered into the third deck in right field to put the Red Sox up 2–0. Next inning, Todd Walker drove Mussina's first pitch down the right-field line; the ball appeared to strike the foul pole, but was called foul by right field umpire Angel Hernandez.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Home plate umpire Tim McClelland immediately overruled him, and awarded Walker home plate. Ramirez followed with a home run later that inning to put the Red Sox ahead 4–0. In the top of the seventh, Jeff Nelson allowed a two-out single to Ramirez and hit Ortiz with a pitch before Kevin Millar's RBI single made it 5-0 Boston. In the bottom of the inning, Wakefield walked Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams before being relieved by Alan Embree, who allowed an RBI double to Posada and sacrifice fly to Matsui to make it 5-2 Boston. But the Yankees did not score again and the Red Sox took a 1-0 series lead, with Scott Williamson earning the save.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Thursday, October 9, 2003 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
After leaving the bases loaded in the first, the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the second off Andy Pettitte when Jason Varitek hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Trot Nixon's single, and scored on Damian Jackson's single. In the bottom of the inning, Derek Lowe issued a leadoff walk to Jorge Posada and one out later, Nick Johnson's home run put the Yankees up 2-1. Next inning, Lowe allowed three consecutive one-out singles, the last of which, by Bernie Williams, scored Derek Jeter to make it 3-1 Yankees.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
In the fifth, Williams doubled with one out and scored on a single by Hideki Matsui, who was tagged out at second to end the inning. Varitek's home run in the sixth off Pettitte made it 4-2 Yankees. In the seventh, Lowe allowed a two-out single to Jason Giambi and walked Williams before being relieved by Scott Sauerbeck, who allowed a two-run double to Posada to make it 6-2 Yankees. Their lead held, tying the series at 1-1 heading to Boston.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Saturday, October 11, 2003 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Game 3 was highly anticipated, a classic matchup between Sox ace Pedro Martínez and former Sox pitcher Roger Clemens, who, on the cusp of retirement, was thought to be pitching his last game at Fenway Park. Early on, Karim Garcia was hit in the back by a Martínez fastball. Words were exchanged and Martínez threateningly gestured towards Yankee catcher Jorge Posada. When Garcia was forced out at second, he slid hard into Todd Walker. The following inning, Manny Ramírez took exception to a high Clemens pitch and charged the mound.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Both benches cleared, and the resulting brawl turned surreal when 72-year-old Yankee bench coach Don Zimmer charged Martínez. Martínez sidestepped Zimmer, placed his hands on Zimmer's head and propelled Zimmer to the ground. The Zimmer/Martinez altercation ended there as Yankee trainer Gene Monahan and various Yankee players attended to him. After a 13-minute delay, during which Fenway Park stopped all beer sales for the remainder of the game, Clemens struck out Ramirez and proceeded to pitch effectively as the Yankees held a lead.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The game did not end quietly: a Fenway groundskeeper got into a scuffle with Yankee reliever Jeff Nelson and Garcia in the middle of the 9th inning in the bullpen area. The employee had cheered a double play the Red Sox turned and Nelson was upset; the employee was taken to the hospital with cleat marks on his back and arm, while Garcia left with a cut hand.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the bottom of the first, Clemens allowed a leadoff single to Johnny Damon and subsequent double to Todd Walker. After Nomar Garciaparra struck out, Ramirez's double put the Red Sox up 2-0. The Yankees cut it to 2-1 in the second off Martinez when Posada hit a leadoff double and scored on Garcia's single two outs later. Jeter's home run next inning tied the game. In the fourth, Posada drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Nick Johnson's single, and scored on Matsui's ground-rule double.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
After Garcia was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Alfonso Soriano hit into a double play that scored Johnson and put the Yankees up 4-2. In the bottom of the seventh, reliever Félix Heredia issued a leadoff walk to Ortiz. Jose Contreras relieved Heredia and allowed a single to Kevin Millar that moved Ortiz to third. Ortiz scored when Trot Nixon hit into a double play to make it 4-3 Yankees. Their lead held, though, putting them up 2-1 in the series.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Monday, October 13, 2003 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Rain postponed Game 4 from Sunday, October 12, to Monday, October 13. The Red Sox went up 1-0 on Todd Walker's second home run of the series in the fourth off Mike Mussina. In the top of the fifth, Tim Wakefield allowed back-to-back one-hit singles before Jeter's double tied the game and put runners on second and third. Bernie Williams walked with two outs to load the bases, but Posada lined out to left to end the inning. In the bottom half, Nixon's home run put the Red Sox up 2-1.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
They loaded the bases in the seventh off Mussina on a double and two walks with one out when Varitek hit into a force out at second, narrowly beating Soriano's throw to first to avoid a double play and allow Millar to score to make it 3-1. Ruben Sierra's one-out home run in the ninth off Scott Williamson made it 3-2, but Williamson struck out David Dellucci and Soriano to end the game, pick up his second save of the series, and tie the series at 2-2.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Tuesday, October 14, 2003 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Yankees loaded the bases in the second off Derek Lowe on two walks and a hit when Garcia's single scored two, then Soriano's single scored another. Ramirez's leadoff home run in the fourth off David Wells made it 3-1. They made it 4-1 in the eighth when Bernie Williams reached on a force out at second, moved to third on Posada's single and scored on Matsui's groundout off Alan Embree. In the bottom of the inning, Todd Walker hit a leadoff triple off Mariano Rivera and scored on Garciaparra's groundout to make it 4-2 Yankees. Rivera, though, shut out the Red Sox for the rest of the game, leaving the Yankees one win away from the World Series.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Wednesday, October 15, 2003 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Jason Giambi's two-out home run in the first off John Burkett put the Yankees up 1-0, but Varitek's leadoff home run in the third off Andy Pettitte tied the score. The Red Sox loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a single before Ortiz's single scored two and Millar's single scored another to put them up 4-1. In the bottom of the fourth, Posada and Matsui hit back-to-back one-out singles before Nick Johnson's double and Aaron Boone's groundout scored a run each.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Garciaparra's error allowed Garcia to reach base before Soriano's two-run double put the Yankees on top, 5-4, and ended Burkett's night. Posada's home run next inning off Bronson Arroyo made it 6-4 Yankees. In the top of the seventh, Garciaparra hit a leadoff triple off Jose Contreras and scored on Matsui's errant throw to third. Ramirez then doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Ortiz's single to tie the game.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
After allowing a one-out single to Bill Mueller, Contreras was relieved by Félix Heredia, who struck out Trot Nixon, but threw a wild pitch that put runners on second and third. After intentionally walking Varitek to load the bases, Heredia walked Damon to force in a run and put the Red Sox up 7-6. They added insurance in the ninth when Mueller doubled with one out off Jeff Nelson. Gabe White relieved Nelson and allowed a home run to Nixon to make it 9-6. Scott Williamson retired the Yankees in order in the bottom half for his third save of the series, forcing a Game 7.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
Thursday, October 16, 2003 at Yankee Stadium (I) in Bronx, New York


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
In the Martinez–Clemens rematch of Game 3, Clemens allowed a one-out single to Millar before Nixon's home run put Boston up 2-0. After Mueller struck out, Varitek doubled and scored on third baseman Enrique Wilson's throwing error to first on Damon's ground ball. Millar's leadoff home run in the fourth made it 4-0 Boston. Nixon then walked and moved to third on Mueller's single to knock Clemens out of the game. In the first relief appearance of his career, Mike Mussina cleaned up Clemens's mess by striking out Varitek and inducing a Johnny Damon double play.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
His three innings of scoreless relief, and home runs in the fifth and seventh innings by Giambi kept the Yankees in the game. But in the eighth inning, with the Red Sox leading 5–2 after Ortiz homered in the top half off David Wells, things unraveled for Boston. Sox manager Grady Little kept a tiring Martínez in for the eighth, a controversial move still discussed years later.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
Little had two relievers who had shown effectiveness in the games leading up to the seventh game—Scott Williamson and Mike Timlin (who had not allowed a single hit in the playoffs), but both had experienced stretches of ineffectiveness during the season, while Martínez had Hall of Fame credentials. Critics of the move note that Martínez had experienced diminished effectiveness in the late innings of games in which he had thrown more than 100 pitches.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
After Martínez assured Little he still had something left, he gave up a double to Jeter and a single to Bernie Williams, prompting Little to go to the mound. To the surprise of many, Little left Martínez in the game, leaving lefty Alan Embree in the bullpen with the left-handed Matsui coming to the plate. Martínez gave up a double to Matsui and a bloop double to Posada to tie the game, sending it to extra innings. Mariano Rivera came in for the ninth and pitched three shutout innings.


2003 American League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
Tim Wakefield pitched a scoreless tenth for Boston and in the bottom of the 11th faced Aaron Boone, who had entered earlier as a pinch-runner. On Wakefield's first pitch of the inning, Boone launched a walk-off home run into the left field seats. Fox Sports displayed a collection of images thereafter: tears welling up in the eyes of Aaron's brother, Seattle Mariners infielder Bret Boone (the guest announcer), ALCS MVP Rivera running to the mound and collapsing on it in joy, Boone jumping on home plate, and Rivera being carried off on his teammates' shoulders.


2003 American League Championship Series, Composite box
2003 ALCS (4–3): New York Yankees over Boston Red Sox


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
The series is widely considered one of the worst defeats in Boston sports history. The loss was crushing for Red Sox fans, many of whom blamed Little for leaving Martínez in the game since Martínez had experienced difficulty beyond 100 pitches. In his book Now I Can Die in Peace, Bill Simmons writes that the Boston owners and Theo Epstein had ordered Little to remove Martínez from the game when he finished the seventh inning and/or topped the three-digit pitch count.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
Martínez was sure he would not be called on for the eighth inning, but agreed to pitch when Little asked. After the game, Little reportedly prophetically told Martínez, "Petey, I might not be here anymore." Little defended his move by saying he felt that even a tired Martínez was the best option. Little's defenders also noted that the Red Sox offense collapsed in the game, as the club scored only two runs in the last nine innings, and also noted Damon's poor defensive play in center field during the crucial inning.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
Others have noted that by staying with a physically fragile pitcher in an ultimate game with two runners on base, a three-run lead, a rested pitcher who had performed well in the postseason ready in the bullpen and the other team's MVP on deck, Little did exactly what Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston did with Sandy Koufax in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series, which Alston's Dodgers won. Little's contract was not renewed after the season and he was replaced by Terry Francona. Little went on to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers before being replaced by Joe Torre after the 2007 season.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
Boone's pennant-clinching home run often draws comparisons to another famous Yankee home run against the Red Sox in the postseason: the one Bucky Dent hit in a one-game playoff between the two teams that decided the American League East division title in 1978. But the Yankees won the World Series that year, against the Dodgers. As with Dent, Boone has had the expletive "Fucking" assigned as a middle name by Red Sox fans in the following years.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
Until the final game of the pennant race, some baseball fans had been hoping for a rematch of the 1918 World Series between the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, one of only two major league teams to have played for a longer period of time since winning the World Series (the other was the Chicago White Sox, who won the Series in 2005). The Cubs reached the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
As with the Red Sox, they had a three-run lead and were only five outs away from reaching the World Series, although this was in Game 6, when the Marlins scored eight runs in that inning and won the game 8–3. The Marlins won Game 7, 9–6, to advance to the World Series, where they defeated the Yankees, four games to two. The Cubs did not reach the World Series until 2016, winning in seven games over the Cleveland Indians.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
The following year, Boston and New York met again in the ALCS, with Boston becoming the first team in major league history—as well as just the third team in American professional sports history—to come back to win a playoff series after being down three games to none; they then swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to win their first championship since 1918 and thus end the Curse of the Bambino.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
In the 2005–06 offseason, the rivalry between Boston and New York revived the Yankees' loss to the Marlins in the 2003 World Series when they traded Josh Beckett, the pitcher who pitched a complete game shutout against the Yankees in the deciding game of the Series, to the Red Sox.


2003 American League Championship Series, Aftermath
The Yankees eventually hired postseason hero Boone as their manager in 2018.


2003 American League Division Series
The 2003 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 2003 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, September 30, and ended on Monday, October 6, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:


2003 American League Division Series
The Yankees defeated the Red Sox in the AL Championship Series, then lost the 2003 World Series to the National League champion Florida Marlins.


2003 American League Division Series, New York vs. Minnesota, Game 1
The Twins struck first in Game 1 when Cristian Guzman and Shannon Stewart hit back-to-back one-out singles in the third off Mike Mussina, then the former scored on Luis Rivas's sacrifice fly. Matt LeCroy singled to lead off the sixth, then scored on a triple by Torii Hunter, who himself scored on Yankees second baseman Alfonso Soriano's error. The Yankees scored a run in the ninth on Soriano's two-out single with runners on second and third off Eddie Guardado, but Nick Johnson then grounded out to end the game as the Twins, despite using five pitchers, took a 1–0 series lead.


2003 American League Division Series, New York vs. Minnesota, Game 2
The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs on three singles in the first off Brad Radke, but scored just once on Bernie Williams's sacrifice fly. The Twins tied the game in the fifth on Torii Hunter's leadoff home run off Andy Pettitte. Radke hit Nick Johnson to lead off the seventh. After Juan Rivera's sacrifice bunt, LaTroy Hawkins relieved Radke and allowed an RBI single to Alfonso Soriano. Hawkins's error on Derek Jeter's ground ball put him at second and Soriano at third. Both scored on Jason Giambi's single and Mariano Rivera pitched two perfect innings for the save. The Yankees' 4–1 win tied the series heading to Minnesota.


2003 American League Division Series, New York vs. Minnesota, Game 3
The Yankees struck first in Game 3 on Hideki Matsui's two-run home run in the second off Kyle Lohse. They added another run next inning on Bernie Williams's single that scored Juan Rivera from second. A. J. Pierzynski's leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning off Roger Clemens cut the lead to 3–1, but neither team scored after that with Mariano Rivera again pitching two perfect innings for a save as the Yankees took a 2–1 series lead.


2003 American League Division Series, New York vs. Minnesota, Game 4
In the fourth, Jason Giambi doubled with one out, then scored on Bernie Williams's double. After Jorge Posada singled, Hideki Matsui's ground-rule double scored Williams. Aaron Boone popped out before Juan Rivera was intentionally walked to load the bases. Nick Johnson's double scored two more and knocked Johan Santana out of the game. Juan Rincon in relief allowed a two-run single to Alfonso Soriano, then walked Derek Jeter and Giambi to load the bases again. Eric Milton relieved Rincon and got Williams to ground out to end the inning.


2003 American League Division Series, New York vs. Minnesota, Game 4
The Twins got on the board in the bottom of the inning on three consecutive singles off David Wells, the last of which by Michael Cuddyer scored Torii Hunter, but could not score again off Wells or Gabe White. The Yankees added a run in the eighth off LaTroy Hawkins when Boone hit a lead off single, stole second and scored on Juan Rivera's bunt single that was misplayed by Hawkins. Jeter's home run in the ninth off Eddie Guardado put the Yankees up 8–1 as they secured their place in the American League Championship Series with a blowout win.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 1
The Red Sox went up 1–0 in the first on Todd Walker's two-out home run off Tim Hudson, but in the third, Erubiel Durazo drove in two runs with a double off Pedro Martinez before Durazo himself scored on a single from Miguel Tejada, who was tagged out at second to end the inning. The Red Sox cut the Athletics' lead to 3–2 in the fifth on Jason Varitek's home run.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 1
In the seventh, Hudson allowed a two-out single to Nomar Garciaparra and was relieved by Ricardo Rincon, who allowed a home run to Walker to put the Red Sox up 4–3. In the ninth, Byung-hyun Kim walked Billy McMillon, then hit Chris Singleton with a pitch. After Mark Ellis struck out for the second out, Alan Embree relieved Kim and allowed a game-tying RBI single to Durazo, sending the game into extra innings. Oakland won it in the 12th when catcher Ramón Hernández laid down a two-out, bases-loaded bunt single off Derek Lowe, scoring Eric Chavez from third base.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 1
This was Oakland's ninth consecutive playoff win over Boston in the wake of ALCS sweeps in 1988 and 1990, breaking the record for consecutive playoff wins against one team set by the New York Yankees against the Chicago Cubs with World Series sweeps in 1932 and 1938. Incidentally, the Yankees nearly got a chance to extend that streak the same year.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 2
The Athletics won Game 2 with a five-run outburst in the second inning off Tim Wakefield. Jose Guillen walked with one out, moved to second on a passed ball, and scored on Ramón Hernández's single. After Jermaine Dye was hit by a pitch, Eric Byrnes's double scored both runners. After a walk and ground out, Todd Walker's errant throw to first on Eric Chavez's ground ball scored two more runs. The Red Sox scored their only run of the game in the third on back-to-back doubles by Doug Mirabelli and Johnny Damon off Barry Zito. The Athletics were one win away from a trip to the ALCS.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 3
In Game 3, three errors in the second allowed the Red Sox to go up 1–0 on Damian Jackson's fielder's choice. The Athletics had a potential rally stifled by controversial outs. Eric Byrnes was tagged out after failing to touch home plate after a collision with catcher Jason Varitek. Miguel Tejada was similarly retired after being obstructed by Bill Mueller while rounding third base. Obstruction was called by umpire Tim Welke. However time was not called by the umpire and Tejada stopped running thus giving the Red Sox time to tag him.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 3
The one run scored in the inning sent the game into extra innings, where Boston won on a two-run walk-off home run by Trot Nixon off Rich Harden. This loss ended Oakland's playoff-record winning streak against the Red Sox at ten games, a record the Red Sox themselves would break in 2008 when they won their 11th consecutive playoff game against the Angels.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 4
After Oakland starter Tim Hudson left with a strained left oblique after only one inning, the A's bullpen held the Sox to only three runs over the next seven innings. The Athletics went up 1–0 in the second on Jermaine Dye's bases loaded RBI single off John Burkett, but Johnny Damon's two-run home run after a walk in the third off Steve Sparks put the Red Sox up 2–1. In the sixth, Burkett allowed a leadoff single to Scott Hatteberg, who scored on Adam Melhuse's triple one out later, then Dye's home run put the Athletics up 4–2.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 4
Todd Walker's home run in the bottom of the inning off Ricardo Rincon cut the lead to 4–3. In the eighth, closer Keith Foulke allowed a one-out double to Nomar Garciaparra, then a two-out single to Manny Ramirez before both scored on David Ortiz's double. Scott Williamson earned the win with two shutout innings to close as the Red Sox's 5–4 win forced a Game 5 in Oakland.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 5
The Athletics struck first in Game 5 in the fourth off Pedro Martinez when Scott Hatteberg walked with two outs and scored on Jose Guillen's double, but Jason Varitek's lead-off home run in the sixth tied the game off Barry Zito. Following a walk and hit-by-pitch, Manny Ramirez's three-run home run put the Red Sox up 4–1. The Athletics cut it to 4–2 in the bottom of the inning when Erubiel Durazo doubled with one out and scored on Miguel Tejada's double one out later.


2003 American League Division Series, Oakland vs. Boston, Game 5
They cut it to 4–3 when Chris Singleton hit a leadoff double off Martinez and scored on Billy McMillon's single in the eighth. The A's loaded the bases on three walks in the ninth inning, but temporary closer Derek Lowe struck out Terrence Long looking to end the game. The win was marred by a violent collision between outfielder Johnny Damon and second baseman Damian Jackson. Damon was sent to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion. Boston's victory secured their place in the American League Championship Series while Oakland lost the ALDS after being up two games to none for the second time in three years.


2003 American Society of Cinematographers Awards
The 18th American Society of Cinematographers Awards were held on February 8, 2004, honoring the best cinematographers of film and television in 2003.


2003 Amstel Gold Race
The Amstel Gold Race 2003 was the 38th edition of the road bicycle race "Amstel Gold Race", held on Sunday April 20, 2003 in the Limburg province, The Netherlands. The race stretched 250.7 kilometres, with the start in Maastricht and the finish in Valkenburg. There were a total number of 197 competitors, with 122 of them finishing the race.


2003 Amsterdam Admirals season
The 2003 Amsterdam Admirals season was the ninth season for the franchise in the NFL Europe League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Bart Andrus in his third year, and played its home games at Amsterdam ArenA in Amsterdam, Netherlands. They finished the regular season in fifth place with a record of four wins and six losses.


2003 Amsterdam Tournament
The Amsterdam Tournament  is a pre-season football tournament held for club teams from around the world, hosted at the Amsterdam ArenA. The 2003 tournament was contested by Ajax, Galatasaray, Internazionale and Liverpool on 1 August and 3 August 2003. Ajax won the tournament for the third year in a row.


2003 Amsterdam Tournament, Table
NB: An extra point is awarded for each goal scored.


2003 Anaheim Angels season
The Anaheim Angels 2003 season involved the Angels finishing 3rd in the American League West Division with a record of 77 wins and 85 losses.


2003 Anaheim Angels season, Player stats, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In


2003 Anambra State gubernatorial election
The 2003 Anambra State gubernatorial election occurred on April 19, 2003. Incumbent Governor, PDP's Chris Ngige won election for a second term, defeating APGA's Peter Obi and other candidates.


2003 Anambra State gubernatorial election
Chinwoke Mbadinuju won at the PDP primary election, but the nomination was given to Chris Ngige, making him to switch to AD. Ngige's running mate was Okey Udeh.


2003 Anambra State gubernatorial election, Electoral system
The Governor of Anambra State is elected using the plurality voting system.


2003 Anambra State gubernatorial election, Results
A total of seven candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest in the election. PDP candidate Chris Ngige won election for a first tenure, defeating APGA's candidate, Peter Obi and other candidates.


2003 Anambra State gubernatorial election, Results
The total number of registered voters in the state was 1,859,795. However, only 47.22% (i.e. 878,212) of registered voters participated in the exercise.


2003 Anchorage mayoral election
The 2003 Anchorage mayoral election was held on April 1, 2003, to elect the mayor of Anchorage, Alaska. It saw election of Mark Begich, who unseated incumbent mayor George Wuerch.


2003 Anchorage mayoral election
An assembly ordinance and ballot proposition passed in Anchorage in 2003 had lowered the threshold required to avoid a mayoral runoff from 50% of the vote to 45%. Since Begich surpassed this margin, no runoff was necessary.


2003 Andorran local elections
The 2003 Andorran local elections were held on 14 December. Voters elected the council members of the seven parishes.


2003 Andorran local elections, Electoral system
Voters elect the members of the municipal councils (consells de comú in Catalan). The electoral law allows the municipal councils to choose their numbers of seats, which must be an even number between 10 and 16.


2003 Andorran local elections, Electoral system
All city council members were elected in single multi-member districts, consisting of the whole parish, using closed lists. Half of the seats were allocated to the party with the most votes. The other half of the seats were allocated using the Hare quota (including the winning party). With this system the winning party obtained an absolute majority.


2003 Andorran local elections, Electoral system
The cònsol major (mayor) and the cònsol menor (deputy mayor) were elected indirectly by the municipal councillors.


2003 Andorran local elections, Results, Overall
The Liberal Party was the most voted party, winning in 5 out of 7 parishes. These results confirmed the establishment of a two-party system.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance
On 25 May 2003, a Boeing 727, registered N844AA, was stolen at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola, prompting a worldwide search by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). No trace of the aircraft has since been found.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Background
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 727-223 manufactured in 1975 and formerly operated by American Airlines for 25 years. Its last owner was reported to be a Miami-based company called Aerospace Sales & Leasing. The aircraft had been grounded at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, and sat idle for 14 months, accruing more than $4 million in unpaid airport fees. It was one of two aircraft at the airport that were in the process of being converted for use by IRS Airlines. The FBI described it as "...unpainted silver in color with a stripe of blue, white, and red. The [aircraft] was formerly in the air fleet of a major airline, but all of the passenger seats have been removed. It is outfitted to carry diesel fuel."


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Incident
It is believed that on May 25, 2003, shortly before sunset (likely to be 17:00 local time), two men boarded the aircraft. One of them was American pilot and flight engineer Ben C. Padilla. The other, John M. Mutantu, was a hired mechanic from the Republic of the Congo. Neither man was certified to fly a Boeing 727, and needed an additional crew member to fly the aircraft. Padilla is believed by U.S. authorities to have been at the controls. An airport employee reported seeing only one person on board the aircraft at the time; other airport officials stated that two men had boarded the aircraft before the incident.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Incident
The aircraft began taxiing without communicating with the control tower. It maneuvered erratically and entered a runway without clearance. The tower officers tried to make contact, but there was no response. With no lights, the aircraft took off, heading southwest over the Atlantic Ocean before disappearing. Before the incident, the aircraft was filled with 53,000 litres (14,000 US gal) of fuel, giving it a range of about 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi; 1,300 nmi). Neither the aircraft nor the two men have been seen since and no debris from the aircraft has been found on land or sea.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Theories
Padilla's sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 2004 that her family suspected that he had been flying the aircraft and feared that he subsequently crashed somewhere in Africa or was being held against his will; a theory with which Aerospace Sales & Leasing president Maury Joseph, who had examined the plane two weeks before its disappearance, agreed. However, U.S. authorities have suspected that Joseph's past history of accounting fraud played a part, believing that the plane's theft was either caused by a business feud or resulted from a scam.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Theories
In July 2003, a possible sighting of the missing aircraft was reported in Conakry, Guinea, but was conclusively dismissed by the U.S. State Department.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Theories
Reports made public as part of the United States diplomatic cables leak indicate that the U.S. searched for the aircraft in multiple countries following the event. A Regional Security Officer searched for the aircraft in Sri Lanka without success. A ground search was also conducted by diplomats stationed in Nigeria at multiple airports without finding it. The telegram from Nigeria also stated that the diplomats did not consider likely a landing of the 727 at a major airport as the aircraft could have been easily identified.


2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance, Theories
An extensive article published in Air & Space Magazine in September 2010 was also unable to draw any conclusions on the whereabouts or fate of the aircraft, despite research and interviews with persons knowledgeable of details surrounding the disappearance.


2003 Angola Cup
The 2003 Taça de Angola was the 22nd edition of the Taça de Angola, the second most important and the top knock-out football club competition following the Girabola. Interclube beat Sagrada Esperança 1-0 in the final to secure its second title.


2003 Angola Cup, Championship bracket
The knockout rounds were played according to the following schedule:


2003 Angola Cup, Final
Squad: André, Bebeto, Benito, Bobó, Carlos, Chaile, Dadão, Dady, Enoque, Gito, Joel, Kikas, Lami, Malamba, Miloy, Minguito, Miro, Ndulo, Nelsinho, Nzinga, Paty, Pedulú, Sassoma, Tsherry, Wetshi, Yano, Yuri, Zequinhas Head Coach: Zoran Pešić


2003 Angus Council election
Elections to Angus Council were held on 1 May 2003, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections.


2003 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
The 2003 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Mountaineers competed in NCAA Division I-AA as a member of the Southern Conference. The team celebrated its 74th season of play and were led by Jerry Moore in his 15th season as head coach. Home games were played at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina. The team finished second in the Southern Conference at a 6–2 record (7–4 overall). The team finished the season with a 26–18 victory over archrival Western Carolina in the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug.


2003 Arab Athletics Championships
The 2003 Arab Athletics Championships was the thirteenth edition of the international athletics competition between Arab countries which took place in Amman, Jordan from 5–9 September.


2003 Arab Unified Club Championship
2003 Arab Unified Club Championship, officially named the 2003 Prince Faisal bin Fahd Tournament for Arab Clubs, was the 19th UAFA Club Cup, and the 2nd since the Arab Club Champions Cup and Arab Cup Winners' Cup were unified. The tournament began on 6 July and concluded on 20 July 2003, the matches took place in Cairo Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, Zamalek won the tournament and earning their first UAFA Club Cup title.


2003 Arab Unified Club Championship, Group stage
The ten teams were drawn into two groups of five. Each group was played on one leg basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.


2003 Arab Unified Club Championship Final
The Arab Unified Club Championship Final, also known as the 2003 Prince Faisal bin Fahd Tournament for Arab Clubs Final, was the 19th final of the UAFA Club Cup, and the second since the Arab Club Champions Cup and the Arab Cup Winners' Cup were unified. The match took place on 20 July 2003, at Cairo Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, between Zamalek from Egypt, and Kuwait SC from Kuwait, Zamalek won the match 2–1 and earning their first (and only) UAFA Club Cup title.


2003 Arab Unified Club Championship preliminary stage
The 2003 Arab Unified Club Championship preliminary stage decided the teams which played into two zones, Africa and Asia.


2003 Aragonese regional election
The 2003 Aragonese regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Cortes of the autonomous community of Aragon. All 67 seats in the Cortes were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in 12 other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Aragonese regional election
The election saw the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which had ruled Aragon since the previous election, becoming the largest party in the Courts for the first time since the 1991 election. The PSOE gains came at the expense of the People's Party (PP), which saw a drop of 7 points on its vote share. The Aragonese Union (CHA) made gains and overtook the Aragonese Party (PAR) as the third largest party in the Courts. For the PAR, this was the fourth consecutive election where it lost ground. United Left (IU) held its single seat, albeit with a slightly reduced vote share.


2003 Aragonese regional election
The PSOE and PAR maintained the coalition administration formed after the previous election. As a result, Marcelino Iglesias was re-elected as President of Aragon.