2004 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The championship game was played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland in front of 43,898 fans, Syracuse University won the championship title with a 14–13 win over United States Naval Academy. The Orange, led by senior Michael Powell who scored the game winner with one minute left in the fourth quarter, won their eighth NCAA championship game. Powell finished the game with one goal and five assists. Syracuse outscored Navy 3-1 in the final five minutes to overcome a 12-11 fourth-quarter deficit. Navy got the ball back with 15 seconds left, but could not get a shot off.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament was a tournament of 48 teams from NCAA Division I. This year's College Cup Final Four was held at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. All the other games were played at the home field of the higher seeded team. The final was held on December 12, 2004. Duke, Maryland, UC Santa Barbara, and Indiana qualified for the Final Four. UC Santa Barbara beat Duke and Indiana beat Maryland. In the final Indiana beat UC Santa Barbara in a penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 regulation tie and two scoreless overtimes.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament
The tournament began on November 18, 2004. The first round was played on November 18, 19 and 20. The second round followed on November 23, and the third round on November 27 and 28. The Regional Finals were played on November 3–5.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, Summary
A crowd of over 10,000 (led by a large number of UCSB alumni in the Los Angeles area and many others who made the 100 mile drive from Santa Barbara) filed into the Home Depot Center for the semi-finals. In the opener between Maryland and Indiana, the game was tied at 2 and appeared like it would be decided on penalties,  but Indiana scored in the final minute of the second overtime. In the 2nd game, UCSB scored in the first minute against a Duke team that had yet to allow a goal in the tournament. The Gauchos scored again to take a 2–0 into halftime. Early in the 2nd half, Tony Lochhead scored on a free kick from 35 yards out and UCSB add a couple of late goals for a 5–0 victory.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, Summary
A crowd of nearly 13,000 attended the final between Indiana and UCSB. Early in the year, UCSB defeated Indiana and the Hoosiers had some harsh words about the Gauchos' aggressive and physical style of play. In the final, Indiana scored first and it looked like it might hold up but UCSB equalized late in the game. In the first overtime, Lochead took a corner kick for UCSB and Andy Iro got a head on the ball, sending it skimming over the cross bar. That was as close as either team came to scoring, so the matter was decided on penalties.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, Summary
UCSB controversially replaced All American goalie Dan Kennedy with Kyle Reynish because of Reynish's 6'4" frame, and the move appeared to pay off as he stopped 2 Indiana penalties. But UCSB penalty takers were having problems of their own, as Indiana keeper Jay Nolly made one save, and another shot missed the net. On the 5th round, Indiana scored to take a 3–2 lead, then UCSB had the final shot saved by Nolly again to secure the Championship for a second straight year.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
The 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships took place March 25–27, 2004 in the Nassau County Aquatic Center, East Meadow, New York. Twenty-one champions were declared.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Swimming and Diving Championships
Along with 2000, this year's meet was held short course meters (25 meters), rather than the NCAA's traditional short-course yards format (25 yards). This allowed for World Records to be set at the meet.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships
The 2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships were the 58th annual tournaments to determine the national champions of NCAA Division I men's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships
Baylor defeated UCLA in the team championship final, 4–0, to claim their first national title.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships, Host sites
This year's tournaments were played at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma.


2004 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships, Host sites
The men's and women's tournaments would not be held at the same site until 2006.


2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships were contested at the 83rd annual NCAA-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team champions of men's and women's Division I collegiate outdoor track and field in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
This year's meet, the 23rd with both men's and women's championships, was held June 9–12, 2004 at Mike A. Myers Stadium at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.


2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Defending champions Arkansas won the men's title, although the win was later vacated by the NCAA. No other team has since been awarded the title.


2004 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
UCLA won the women's title, the Bruins' third and first since 1983.


2004 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament was the twenty-third annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA women's collegiate softball. Held during May 2004, sixty-four Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of eight teams, each in a double elimination format. The 2004 Women's College World Series was held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from May 27 through May 31 and marked the conclusion of the 2004 NCAA Division I softball season. UCLA won their eleventh NCAA championship and twelfth overall by defeating California 3–1 in the final game. LSU pitcher Kristin Schmidt was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player.


2004 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament, Women's College World Series, Participants
†: Excludes results of the pre-NCAA Women's College World Series of 1969 through 1981.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament began on March 20, 2004 and concluded on April 6, 2004 when Connecticut won a third consecutive national championship, becoming only the second school in history to accomplish such a feat. The Final Four was held at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 4–6, 2004, and was hosted by Tulane University. UConn, coached by Geno Auriemma, defeated archrivals Tennessee, coached by Pat Summitt, 81-67 in the championship game. UConn's Diana Taurasi was named Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year. The tournament was also notable as UC Santa Barbara became the first double digit seed not to lose by a double-digit margin in the Sweet 16 as they lost to UConn 63-57.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Qualifying teams – automatic
Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA tournament.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Qualifying teams – at-large
Thirty-three additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Bids by conference
Thirty-one conferences earned an automatic bid. In twenty-three cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-three additional at-large teams were selected from eight of the conferences.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, First and second rounds
In 2004, the field remained at 64 teams. The teams were seeded, and assigned to four geographic regions, with seeds 1-16 in each region. In Round 1, seeds 1 and 16 faced each other, as well as seeds 2 and 15, seeds 3 and 14, seeds 4 and 13, seeds 5 and 12, seeds 6 and 11, seeds 7 and 10, and seeds 8 and 9. Sixteen sites for the first two rounds were determined approximately a year before the team selections and seedings were completed, following a practice established in 2003.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, First and second rounds
The following table lists the region, host school, venue and the sixteen first and second round locations:


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Regionals and Final Four
The Regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 27 to March 30 at these sites:


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Regionals and Final Four
Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held April 4 and April 6 in New Orleans at the New Orleans Arena (Host: Tulane University)


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Bids by state
The sixty-four teams came from thirty-two states, plus Washington, D.C. Tennessee had the most teams with six bids. Eighteen states did not have any teams receiving bids.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, Record by conference
Nineteen conferences went 0-1: America East, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South ConferenceColonial, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAAC, MAC, Summit League, MEAC, Missouri Valley Conference, Mountain West, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southland, SWAC, and West Coast Conference


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships were contested at the 23rd annual NCAA-sanctioned golf tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of women's Division I collegiate golf in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship
The tournament was held at the Auburn Golf Course in Auburn, Alabama.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship
UCLA won the team championship, the Bruins' second and first since 1991.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship was the 23rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of Division I NCAA women's college lacrosse. The championship game was played at Princeton Stadium in Princeton, New Jersey during May 2004. All NCAA Division I women's lacrosse programs were eligible for this championship. A total of 16 teams were invited to participate. This was also the first tournament to have a total game attendance exceed 10,000 people.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
In a rematch of the previous year's final, Virginia defeated Princeton, 10–4, to win their third national championship.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship
The leading scorer for the tournament was Amy Appelt from Virginia (15 goals). Andrea Pfeiffer, also from Virginia, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament (also known as the 2004 Women's College Cup) was the 23rd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's collegiate soccer. The semifinals and championship game were played at SAS Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina from December 3–5, 2004.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
Notre Dame defeated UCLA in the final, 4–3 (in a penalty kick shootout), to win their second national title. The game previously ended 1–1 after regulation and two overtime periods.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
This tournament was notable for being the first in which North Carolina failed to qualify for the College Cup semifinals. The top-seeded Tar Heels lost in the Third Round to semifinalist Santa Clara.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
The Most Outstanding Offensive Player was Katie Thorlakson from Notre Dame, and the Most Outstanding Defensive Player was Erika Bohn, also from Notre Dame. Thorlakson and Bohn, alongside nine other players, were named to the All-Tournament Team. This was also the first All-Tournament Team without a single player from North Carolina.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament
Thorlakson was also the tournament's leading scorer, with 4 goals and 6 assists.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, Qualification
All Division I women's soccer programs were eligible to qualify for the tournament. The tournament field remained fixed at 64 teams.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament, Format
Just as before, the final two rounds, deemed the Women's College Cup, were played at a pre-determined neutral site. All other rounds were played on campus sites at the home field of the higher-seeded team. The only exceptions were the first two rounds, which were played at regional campus sites. The top sixteen teams, all of which were seeded for the first time ever, hosted four team-regionals on their home fields during the tournament's first weekend.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
The 2004 NCAA Women's Division I Swimming and Diving Championships were contested at the 23rd annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of Division I women's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
This year's events were hosted by Texas A&M University at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
Two-time defending champions Auburn again topped the team standings, finishing 138 points ahead of Georgia. This was the Tigers' third women's team title.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships were the 23rd annual tournaments to determine the national champions of NCAA Division I women's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
Stanford defeated UCLA in the team final, 4–1, to claim their thirteenth national title, the Cardinal's fifth title in eight years.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
Additionally, Stanford's Amber Liu became the fourth player to repeat as the singles national champion.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, Host
This year's tournaments were hosted by the University of Georgia at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships, Host
The men's and women's NCAA tennis championships would not be held jointly until 2006.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament began on December 2, 2004 with 64 teams and ended December 18 when Stanford defeated Minnesota 3 games to 0 in Long Beach, California for the program's sixth NCAA title.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
Stanford, who was the tournament's 11th overall seed, became the lowest seed to win the national title. Minnesota was making the school's first national championship match appearance. Stanford's sixth NCAA national championship was the most of any other program in Division I, although UCLA and Southern California had each won six overall national collegiate titles up to that point.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament
Ogonna Nnamani, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, set an NCAA tournament record for kills in a tournament, as she had 165 in six matches, including 29 against Minnesota in the final. Nnamani also set the NCAA tournament record for kill attempts at 356. Stanford setter Bryn Kehoe became the first freshman setter to lead a team to an NCAA national championship.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Semifinals, Southern California vs. Minnesota
Behind 18 kills from Minnesota's Erin Martin, the Golden Gophers knocked out two-time defending NCAA Champion USC with a 3-1 decision to advance to their first NCAA Championship match in school history.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Semifinals, Stanford vs. Washington
Stanford, the surprise of the tournament, came through with a 3-1 win over Pac-10 champion Washington. Ogonna Nnamani had 33 kills to lead Stanford to the championship match. During the regular season, Stanford and Washington split the match ups, with Washington sweeping the Cardinal in Seattle and Stanford returning the favor in Palo Alto by defeating the Huskies in five.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship: Stanford vs. Minnesota
Behind 29 kills from Nnamani, Stanford completed their NCAA run by sweeping the Golden Gophers. Stanford easily won the first set, 30-23. The second was much closer, with Stanford going on a late run to win the second set, 30-27.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship: Stanford vs. Minnesota
The third set was not competitive, which may have been due to an injury. Early in the third set, Minnesota's All-American libero, Paula Gentil, collided with a teammate while trying to dig a ball which left her unable to move on the court for over five minutes. Gentil was able to get up, but could not return to the match with a neck injury. Stanford won easily, 30-21.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, National Championship: Stanford vs. Minnesota
Stanford's surprising run was due to the fact that they started out the season 15-6 and were ranked outside of the top ten in the beginning of the season. However, the Cardinal found momentum in the middle of the season, winning their last 15 matches including an upset of then-#1 and undefeated Washington in five sets.


2004 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Tournament, NCAA Tournament records
There are four NCAA tournament records that were set in the 2004 tournament.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball rankings
The following polls make up the 2004 NCAA Division I baseball rankings. USA Today and ESPN began publishing the Coaches' Poll of 31 active coaches ranking the top 25 teams in the nation in 1992. Each coach is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. Baseball America began publishing its poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1981. Beginning with the 1985 season, it expanded to the top 25. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper published its first human poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1957, and expanded to rank the top 30 teams in 1961.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball rankings, Baseball America
Currently, only the final poll from the 2004 season is available.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball rankings, Collegiate Baseball
The preseason poll ranked the top 40. Teams not listed above were: 31. Ohio State 32. Texas A&M 33. Oklahoma State 34. UC Riverside 35. Alabama 36. VCU 37. Southern Miss 38. Tennessee 39. San Diego 40. Stetson


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season
The 2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began on January 16, 2004. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2004 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament and 2004 College World Series. The College World Series, which consisted of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament, was held in its annual location of Omaha, Nebraska at Rosenblatt Stadium. It concluded on June 27, 2004, with the final game of the best of three championship series. Cal State Fullerton defeated Texas two games to none to claim its fourth championship.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, New programs
Three programs joined Division I for the 2004 season. Dallas Baptist and Northern Colorado joined from Division II, while Utah Valley joined from the NJCAA.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Dropped programs
Two programs left Division I prior to the start of the season– Drexel, which dropped its varsity baseball program, and Morris Brown, which discontinued its varsity athletics program.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Conference changes
Both the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and the Big South Conference (Big South) added two teams entering the season. The OVC added Jacksonville State and Samford, both from the Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun). The Big South added Birmingham–Southern, an independent, and VMI, a former Southern Conference (SoCon) member. To compensate for these moves, the A-Sun added Lipscomb, an independent, and the SoCon added Elon from the Big South.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Conference changes
Two other schools realigned prior to the start of the season. UMBC moved from the Northeast Conference to the America East Conference, and Centenary moved from being an independent to the Mid-Continent Conference.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, Realignment, Conference formats
Both the Colonial Athletic Association, which had competed in American and Colonial divisions, and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which had competed in North and South divisions, eliminated their divisional formats.


2004 NCAA Division I baseball season, College World Series
The 2004 season marked the fifty eighth NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Cal State Fullerton claiming their fourth championship with a two games to none series win over Texas in the final.


2004 NCAA Division I softball season
The 2004 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in January 2004. The season progressed through the regular season, many conference tournaments and championship series, and concluded with the 2004 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament and 2004 Women's College World Series. The Women's College World Series, consisting of the eight remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament and held in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium, ended on May 31, 2004.


2004 NCAA Division I softball season, Women's College World Series
The 2004 NCAA Women's College World Series took place from May 27 to May 31, 2004 in Oklahoma City.


2004 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
NCAA Division I season triples:17 – Dianna Korcak, Jacksonville Dolphins


2004 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
NCAA Division I single game strikeouts:28 – Cristin Vitek, Baylor Bears; May 20, 2004 (16 innings)


2004 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
Freshman class 7 inning single game strikeouts:20 – Monica Abbott, Tennessee Volunteers; March 26, 2004


2004 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
Sophomore class consecutive wins streak:32 – Alicia Hollowell, Arizona Wildcats; February 6-April 24, 2004


2004 NCAA Division I softball season, Records
Team single game doubles:13 – Charleston Cougars, February 11, 2004


2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Two human polls and one formulaic ranking make up the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), does not bestow a National Championship title for Division I-A football. That title is primarily bestowed by different polling agencies. There are several polls that currently exist. The main weekly polls are the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. About halfway through the season the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings are released. These are the first set of rankings since 1958 that never featured Alabama.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, AP Poll
This season would be the last season that the AP Poll would be included in the BCS formula. The heavy end of the season politicking for ballot position lead the AP to believe that the BCS undermined the independence and integrity of the poll and could hurt the AP's reputation.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football rankings, BCS Standings
The Bowl Championship Series determined the two teams that competed in the BCS National Championship Game, the 2005 Orange Bowl.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 28, 2004 and ended on December 4, 2004. The postseason concluded on January 4, 2005 with the Orange Bowl, which served as the season's BCS National Championship Game.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season
USC defeated Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl by a score of 55–19, which earned the Trojans their second consecutive AP title and first-ever BCS title. The Orange Bowl win and accompanying BCS title were later vacated as part of the sanctions levied against USC following an NCAA investigation. USC appealed the decision but was denied by the NCAA, and the 2004 BCS title was officially vacated on June 6, 2011.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, Rule changes
The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the following rule changes for the 2004 season:


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, Conference changes
Prior to the 2004 season, Miami (FL) and Virginia Tech left the Big East Conference to join the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), giving the ACC 11 members. Connecticut joined the Big East after having been an Independent since ascending to Division I-A in 2000. Troy State also left their Independent status and joined the Sun Belt Conference. Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University moved up from Division I-AA and became I-A Independents.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, Regular season top 10 matchups
Rankings reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 8 and beyond will list BCS Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Undefeated teams
The 2004 season ended with five undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss. In 2004, the situation became even more complicated, as five teams went without losing, a record in the BCS era (later tied in 2009). USC of the Pac-10, Oklahoma of the Big 12, Auburn of the SEC, Utah of the MWC, and Boise State of the WAC all finished the regular season undefeated.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Undefeated teams
USC and Oklahoma were ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the preseason by both the AP and Coaches Polls, but the other three undefeated teams were handicapped by starting the season out of the top 15. Thus USC and OU played for the BCS National Championship in the Orange Bowl, while Auburn, Utah, and Boise State had to settle for other bowl games.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Undefeated teams
Auburn played in the Sugar Bowl and beat Virginia Tech, the ACC champion and ranked No. 8 by the BCS. Utah became the first BCS Buster and beat Pittsburgh, the champion of the Big East and ranked No. 21, in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State lost a close, high scoring game in the Liberty Bowl to Louisville, the No. 10 ranked Conference USA champion.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Undefeated teams
As with previous seasons, fans of successful teams left out of BCS bowls were disappointed. Auburn, Utah, and Boise State all went unbeaten but were not offered a chance to compete for the BCS championship. Auburn was especially the focus of national media attention on this topic, since Auburn managed to go undefeated in the traditionally tough SEC. Adding to the frustration with the BCS system was the fact that Auburn and Utah, though both picked to play in BCS bowl games, would not be able to play each other as a match-up of highly ranked unbeatens. This confluence of events made 2004 a seminal year for serious momentum building behind a multi-team playoff system in college football, which would later be realized with the advent of the College Football Playoff.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Undefeated teams
USC was forced to vacate their BCS title win, along with their regular-season victory over rival UCLA, due to NCAA sanctions that stemmed from the USC athletics scandal. The AP title was not vacated, as the AP does not punish teams for violations. The severity of these sanctions has since been criticized by some pundits across college football.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Rose Bowl
Controversy also arose in selecting the second at-large team of the BCS after Utah. California expected to get the invitation, having been ranked fourth by the BCS entering the last week of the regular season. Texas, which had been left out of the BCS the previous season, was ranked fifth. Both teams finished with 10–1 records, but the Longhorns received a boost of support from poll voters in the final regular season rankings to overtake Cal and move into the fourth position, which ensured they would also receive the final at-large bid.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, Rose Bowl
Texas coach Mack Brown was criticized for publicly politicking voters to put Texas ahead of California, and Cal coach Jeff Tedford called for coaches' votes to be made public. Texas went on to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, while California lost to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl. Much of the pre-bowl criticisms of Texas being given the spot vs. Michigan evaporated when the Longhorns and Wolverines produced an instant classic game that was marked by a breakthrough performance by Vince Young and a Texas FG as time expired to give them a 38–37 victory.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, AP Poll
The Associated Press, as a result of two consecutive seasons of BCS controversy, prohibited the BCS from using their poll as part of its ranking formula following the 2004 season. The AP poll was replaced by the Harris Interactive poll starting in 2005, and the AP continues to award its own national championship trophy.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, BCS Controversy, AP Poll
In another first, the LSU Tigers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes on a last second Hail Mary pass in the Capital One Bowl, becoming the first school to lose a non-BCS bowl a year after winning the BCS National Championship Game.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, Final AP Poll
* USC finished the season with a 13–0 record but was forced to vacate two wins in 2010 as a result of NCAA sanctions.


2004 NCAA Division I-A football season, Heisman Trophy voting
The Heisman Trophy is given annually to college football's most outstanding player


2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game
The 2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game was a postseason college football game between the James Madison Dukes and the Montana Grizzlies. The game was played on December 17, 2004, at Finley Stadium, home field of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The culminating game of the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season, it was won by James Madison, 31–21.


2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Teams
The participants of the Championship Game were the finalists of the 2004 I-AA Playoffs, which began with a 16-team bracket.


2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Teams, James Madison Dukes
James Madison finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (7–1 in conference). One of their losses was to West Virginia of Division I-A. The Dukes, unseeded in the tournament, defeated Lehigh, second-seed Furman, and third-seed William & Mary to reach the final. This was the first appearance for James Madison in a Division I-AA championship game.


2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game, Teams, Montana Grizzlies
Montana finished their regular season with a 9–2 record (6–1 in conference). The Grizzlies, also unseeded in the tournament, defeated Northwestern State, New Hampshire, and Sam Houston State to reach the final. This was the fifth appearance for Montana in a Division I-AA championship game; they had won in 1995 and 2001, and lost in 1996 and 2000.


2004 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings
The 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football rankings are from the Sports Network poll of Division I-AA head coaches, athletic directors, sports information directors and media members. This is for the 2004 season.


2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season
The 2004 NCAA Division I-AA football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I-AA level, began on August 28, 2004, and concluded with the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game on December 17, 2004, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. James Madison won their first I-AA championship, defeating Montana by a final score of 31−21.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament was the 48th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college basketball in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
Officially culminating the 2003–04 NCAA Division II men's basketball season, the tournament featured sixty-four teams from around the country.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
The Elite Eight, national semifinals, and championship were played at the Centennial Garden in Bakersfield, California, previously the venue of the 2001 finals.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
Kennesaw State (35–4) defeated Southern Indiana in the final, 84–59, to win their first Division II national championship.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament
The Owls were coached by Tony Ingle. Kennesaw State's Terrence Hill was the Most Outstanding Player.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
The 2004 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship was the 33rd annual tournament held by the NCAA to determine the top men's Division II college soccer program in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
Bobby McAlister's 70th minute goal broke a one-one tie and Seattle (22-0-1) defeated SIU Edwardsville in the tournament final, 2–1. It marked the ninth time a team finished a Div. II season without a loss. McAlister was named the offensive MVP of the Final Four. The final and semi-finals were played at the Midwestern State University Soccer Field in Wichita Falls, Texas.


2004 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship
This was the first national title for the Redhawks, who were coached by Pete Fewing.


2004 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament was the 23rd annual tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of Division II women's  collegiate basketball in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
California (PA) defeated Drury in the championship game, 75–72, to claim the Vulcans' first NCAA Division II national title.


2004 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament
As in 2003, the championship rounds were contested at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri.


2004 NCAA Division II football rankings
The 2004 NCAA Division II football rankings are from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). This is for the 2004 season.


2004 NCAA Division II football season
The 2004 NCAA Division II football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division II level, began on August 26, 2004, and concluded with the NCAA Division II Football Championship on December 11, 2004 at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, hosted by the University of North Alabama. The Valdosta State Blazers defeated the Pittsburg State Gorillas, 36–31, to win their first Division II national title.


2004 NCAA Division II football season
The Harlon Hill Trophy was awarded to Chad Friehauf, quarterback from Colorado Mines.


2004 NCAA Division II football season, Conference changes and new programs, Regional realignment
The South Region was renamed the Southeast Region but stayed the same, while the Northeast Region lost the GLIAC. The West Region lost the GNAC, gained the MIAA, and became the Southwest Region. The new Northwest Region contained the GLIAC and GNAC, plus the NCC and NSIC from the former Midwest Region.


2004 NCAA Division II football season, Conference summaries
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association – ShawGreat Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Michigan Tech and NorthwoodGreat Northwest Athletic Conference – Central WashingtonGulf South Conference – Valdosta StateLone Star Conference – Texas A&M–KingsvilleMid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association – Pittsburg StateNorth Central Conference – Nebraska–OmahaNortheast-10 Conference – Bentley and C.W. PostNorthern Sun Intercollegiate Conference – Winona StatePennsylvania State Athletic Conference – West Chester (East),  Edinboro, Indiana (PA), and Shippensburg (West)Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference – Colorado MinesSouth Atlantic Conference – Carson-NewmanSouthern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Albany StateWest Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – Shepherd


2004 NCAA Division II football season, Postseason
The 2004 NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs were the 31st single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division II college football. The championship game was held at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama for the 17th time. This was the first year of a 24-team playoff bracket.


2004 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 2004 NCAA Division III baseball season to determine the 29th national champion of college baseball at the NCAA Division III level. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin for the championship. Eight regional tournaments were held to determine the participants in the World Series. Regional tournaments were contested in double-elimination format, five four regions consisting of six teams and three regions consisting of four teams, for a total of 42 teams participating in the tournament. The tournament champion was George Fox, who defeated Eastern Connecticut State for the championship.


2004 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament, World Series
Fox Cities Stadium-Grand Chute, WI (Host: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh/Lawrence University)


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament was the 30th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champions of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division III collegiate basketball in the United States.


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
The field contained sixty-four teams, and each program was allocated to one of four sectionals. All sectional games were played on campus sites, while the national semifinals, third-place final, and championship finals were contested at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
Wisconsin–Stevens Point defeated defending champions Williams, 84–82, in the championship, clinching their first national title.


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament
Nick Bennett, also from Stevens Point, was named Most Outstanding Player.


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 2003–04 season, the 21st such tournament in NCAA history. It concluded with Middlebury defeating St. Norbert in the championship game 1-0 in overtime. All First Round and Quarterfinal matchups were held at home team venues, while all succeeding games were played in Norwich, Vermont.


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
The following teams qualified for the tournament. Automatic bids were offered to the conference tournament champion of seven different conferences with one at-large bid for the best remaining team from each region.


2004 NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The tournament featured four rounds of play. All rounds were Single-game elimination. For the three eastern Quarterfinals the teams were seeded according to their rankings with the top three teams serving as hosts. For the western quarterfinal, the top-ranked team awaited the winner of a play-in game between the lower-ranked teams.


2004 NCAA Division III football season
The 2004 NCAA Division III football season, part of the college football season organized by the NCAA at the Division III level in the United States, began in August 2004, and concluded with the NCAA Division III Football Championship, also known as the Stagg Bowl, in December 2004 at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Linfield Wildcats won their first Division III championship by defeating the Mary Hardin–Baylor Crusaders, 28−21.


2004 NCAA Division III football season
The Gagliardi Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in Division III football, was awarded to Rocky Myers, safety from Wesley (DE).


2004 NCAA Division III football season, Postseason
The 2004 NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs were the 32nd annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division III college football. The championship Stagg Bowl game was held at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia for the 12th time. This was the last bracket to feature 28 teams before expanding to 32 teams in 2005.


2004 NCAA Division III football season, Final D3football.com Poll
Others receiving votes: Mount St. Joseph 39, Trinity (Conn.) 33, Alma 31, UW-Eau Claire 30, Whitworth 17, Texas Lutheran 17, Aurora 16, Augustana 16, Muhlenberg 14, Johns Hopkins 12, Springfield 9, Shenandoah 9, Hampden-Sydney 9, Moravian 8, Albright 3, Capital 2, Waynesburg 1, New Jersey 1, Curry 1, McDaniel 1.


2004 NCAA Division III football season, Awards
AFCA Regional Coach of the Year: Region 1: Chuck Priore, Trinity College (Conn.)  Region 2: G.A. Mangus, Delaware Valley College Region 3: Jimmie Keeling, Hardin-Simmons University Region 4: Tim Rucks, Carthage College Region 5: Terry Horan, Concordia-Moorhead College (Minn.)


2004 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The Consensus 2004 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The Sporting News and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.


2004 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament was the 35th annual tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate indoor volleyball. The single elimination tournament was played at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi during May 2004.


2004 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament
BYU defeated Long Beach State in the final match, 3–2 (15–30, 30–18, 20–30, 32–30, 19–17), to win their third national title. The Cougars (29–4) were coached by Tom Peterson.


2004 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament
BYU's Carlos Moreno was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Moreno, along with six other players, also comprised the All Tournament Team.


2004 NCAA Men's Volleyball Tournament, Qualification
Until the creation of the NCAA Men's Division III Volleyball Championship in 2012, there was only a single national championship for men's volleyball. As such, all NCAA men's volleyball programs, whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III, were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.


2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The 2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship was the 36th annual NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship to determine the national champion of NCAA men's collegiate water polo. Tournament matches were played at the Avery Aquatic Center in Stanford, California during December 2004.


2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
UCLA defeated Stanford in the final, 10–9 (in overtime), to win their eighth national title. The Bruins (25–3) were coached by Adam Krikorian.


2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The Most Outstanding Player of the tournament was Brett Ormsby from UCLA. For the first time, two All-Tournament Teams were named: a First Team (with eight players) and a Second Team (with seven players).


2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship
The tournament's leading scorer, with 7 goals, was Endre Rex-Kiss from Loyola Marymount.


2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship, Qualification
Since there has only ever been one single national championship for water polo, all NCAA men's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.


2004 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2004 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament involved four schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of women's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. It began on March 26, 2004, and ended with the championship game on March 28. A total of four games were played.


2004 NCAA Rifle Championships
The 2004 NCAA Rifle Championships were contested at the 25th annual NCAA-sanctioned competition to determine the team and individual national champions of co-ed collegiate rifle shooting in the United States.


2004 NCAA Rifle Championships
The championships were held at the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range at Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.


2004 NCAA Rifle Championships
Five-time defending champions Alaska won the team championship, the Nanooks' sixth consecutive and seventh overall NCAA national title.


2004 NCAA Rifle Championships, Qualification
With only one national collegiate championship for rifle shooting, all NCAA rifle programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of nine teams contested this championship.


2004 NCAA Skiing Championships
The 2004 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Truckee, California from March 10–13, 2004 as part of the 51st annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's and women's collegiate slalom and cross country skiing in the United States.


2004 NCAA Skiing Championships
New Mexico, coached by George Brooks, won the team championship, the Lobos' first co-ed title and first overall. It was New Mexico's first team NCAA championship in any sport.


2004 NCAA Skiing Championships, Venue
This year's championships were contested at the Sugar Bowl Ski Resort in Truckee, California. The event was hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno.


2004 NCAA Skiing Championships, Venue
These were the first NCAA championships hosted at Sugar Bowl and the second in the state of California (1962 and 2004).


2004 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship
The 2004 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship was held in April 2004 and involved 12 schools competing for the national championship of women's NCAA Division I gymnastics. It was the twenty third NCAA gymnastics national championship. The defending NCAA Team Champion for 2003 was UCLA. The competition took place in Los Angeles, California hosted by the UCLA in Pauley Pavilion. The 2004 team championship was won by defending champion UCLA and the individual champion was Jeana Rice of Alabama, 39.650.


2004 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship, 2004 UCLA Championship Roster
The 2004 UCLA women's gymnastics team is considered one of the best teams in NCAA gymnastics history, which was led by 7-time National Champion head coach Valorie Kondos Field.


2004 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship, 2004 UCLA Championship Roster
UCLA was ranked preseason #1 for the fourth consecutive year and team members had collectively won seven NCAA individual championships, earned 27 All-America honors and made 13 World Championships and five Olympic appearances. The team returned five All-Americans and had talent throughout the depth of their lineup down to the "dynamic freshmen talent."


2004 NCBA World Series
The 2004 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) World Series was played at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL from May 26 to May 31. The fourth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. The co-MVP's were Andrew Abell and Thomas Ahrens, both of Colorado State University.


2004 NCBA World Series, Format
The format is similar to the NCAA College World Series in that eight teams participate in two four-team double elimination brackets with the only difference being that in the NCBA, there is only one game that decides the national championship rather than a best-of-3 like the NCAA. A major difference between the NCAA and NCBA World Series is that NCBA World Series games were only 7 innings (until 2006) while NCAA games are 9 innings.


2004 NECBL All-Star Game
The 2004 NECBL All-Star Game was the 12th exhibition game between all-stars from the NECBL's Northern and the Southern Divisions. The Southern All-Stars held off the Northern All-Stars 7-4. P.J. Antoniato of the Manchester Silkworms was named the game's MVP.


2004 NECBL season
The 2004 NECBL season was the 11th season in the history of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league's Middletown, Connecticut franchise, the Middletown Giants, moved to Holyoke, Massachusetts and became the Holyoke Giants. Also, the league's Willimantic, Connecticut franchise, the Thread City Tides, moved to Hinsdale, Massachusetts and became the Berkshire Dukes.


2004 NECBL season
In the quarterfinal playoff rounds, Riverpoint defeated Manchester 2-1, Sanford defeated North Adams 2-1, Keene defeated Vermont 2-0, and Newport defeated Torrington 2-1. In the semifinal rounds, Sanford defeated Keene 2-1 and Newport defeated Riverpoint 2-1. In the championship round, Sanford defeated Newport 2-1 to win the franchise's first NECBL title.


2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.


2004 NFL Draft
The draft was shown on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2 both days. The draft began with the San Diego Chargers selecting Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall selection. Due to his refusal to play for the Chargers, Manning was later traded to the New York Giants for their first selection, fourth overall pick Philip Rivers of NC State. There were 32 compensatory selections distributed among 16 teams, with the Eagles, Rams, and Jets each receiving 4 compensatory picks. The draft set several records, including the most wide receivers selected in the first round, with seven.


2004 NFL Draft
Another record set by the draft was the most trades in the first round, with twenty-eight trades. The University of Miami set an NFL record for the most first rounders drafted with six, which would be tied by Alabama in 2021. Ohio State set an NFL draft record having 14 total players selected through all rounds.


2004 NFL Draft
As of 2012, this draft also has two other records attached to it: it became the draft with the shortest time between having multiple quarterbacks being drafted and starting for Super Bowl winners (Ben Roethlisberger for the 2005 Steelers, and Manning for the 2007 Giants) and it has become the first draft ever to have produced two QBs who each won multiple Super Bowls (with Roethlisberger winning his second in 2008 and Manning his second in 2011).


2004 NFL Draft
As of 2021, Ben Roethlisberger, Andy Lee, and Jason Peters are the only remaining active players from the draft.


2004 NFL Draft
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of:


2004 NFL Draft, Trades
In the explanations below,  (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2004 Draft, while  (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.


2004 NFL Europe season
The 2004 NFL Europe season was the 12th season in 14 years of the American Football league that started out as the World League of American Football. The Cologne Centurions replaced the FC Barcelona Dragons for the 2004 season.


2004 NFL Europe season, World Bowl XII
Berlin 30–24 FrankfurtSaturday, June 12, 2004 Arena AufSchalke Gelsenkirchen, Germany


2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.


2004 NFL season
With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced the rescheduling of two Miami Dolphins home games: the game against the Tennessee Titans was moved up one day to Saturday, September 11 to avoid oncoming Hurricane Ivan, while the game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, September 26 was moved back 7½ hours to miss the eye of Hurricane Jeanne.


2004 NFL season
The playoffs began on January 8, and eventually New England repeated as NFL champions when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24–21 in Super Bowl XXXIX, the Super Bowl championship game, at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida on February 6.


2004 NFL season, Transactions, Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was held from April 24 to 25, 2004 at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the San Diego Chargers selected quarterback Eli Manning from the University of Mississippi.


2004 NFL season, Referee changes
Ron Blum returned to line judge, and Bill Vinovich was promoted to take his place as referee.


2004 NFL season, Referee changes
Midway through the season, Johnny Grier, the NFL's first African-American referee, suffered a leg injury that forced him to retire. He was permanently replaced by the back judge on his crew, Scott Green, who had previous experience as a referee in NFL Europe.


2004 NFL season, Playoffs
Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.


2004 NFL season, Playoffs
In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5).


2004 NFL season, Playoffs
The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.


2004 NFL season, Playoffs
The Miami Dolphins were the first team to be eliminated from the playoff race, having reached a 1–9 record by week 11.


2004 NFL season, Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:


2004 NFL season, Milestones
The Colts led the NFL with 522 points scored. The Colts tallied more points in the first half of each of their games of the 2004 NFL season (277 points) than seven other NFL teams managed in the entire season. Despite throwing for 49 touchdown passes, Peyton Manning attempted fewer than 500 passes for the first time in his NFL career. The San Francisco 49ers record 420 consecutive scoring games that had started in Week 5 of the 1977 season ended in Week 2 of the season.


2004 NHK Trophy
The 2004 NHK Trophy was the third event of six in the 2004–05 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Rainbow Ice Arena in Nagoya on November 4–7. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2004–05 Grand Prix Final. The compulsory dance was the Midnight Blues.


2004 NHL Entry Draft
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was the 42nd NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 26 and 27, 2004 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout, which canceled all the games scheduled for the 2004–05 NHL season.


2004 NLL season
The 2004 National Lacrosse League season is the 18th season in the NLL that began on December 26, 2003, with the Arizona Sting hosting the Vancouver Ravens. That game was the Sting's first-ever game and the first event held in the new Glendale Arena (now Gila River Arena) in Glendale, Arizona. The season concluded with the championship game on May 7, 2004. Over 19,000 fans, the second largest crowd ever at an NLL game, packed the Pengrowth Saddledome (now Scotiabank Saddledome) to watch the Calgary Roughnecks defeat the Buffalo Bandits 14–11. This game was the first NLL championship game since 1998 that did not feature the Toronto Rock.


2004 NLL season
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association expired before the 2004 season, and the lack of a new agreement caused a 12-day players strike in December 2003. On December 17, the NLL and PLPA announced that the previous CBA had been extended by one year, guaranteeing that the 2004 season would be played without strikes or lockouts.


2004 NLL season, Team movement
2004 was a season of turmoil for the NLL – two franchises disappeared while three others moved cross-country, causing a division realignment. Gone was the three-division format that had been used in the preceding two seasons; the league was now split into East and West divisions. The Ottawa Rebel and New York Saints franchises both folded, and the following teams moved:


2004 NLL season, Team movement
These three joined Colorado, Calgary, and Vancouver in the West division, while perennial rivals Toronto, Buffalo, Rochester, and Philadelphia were left to fight over three playoff spots in the East.


2004 NLL season, Final standings, Regular season
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2004 NLL season, All Star Game
The 2004 All-Star Game was held at Pepsi Center in Denver on February 22, 2004. The East division defeated the West 19–15, and Buffalo's Mark Steenhuis was named game MVP.


2004 NLL season, Awards, Weekly awards
The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best defensive player, and best rookie.


2004 NLL season, Awards, Monthly awards
Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.


2004 NLL season, Statistics leaders
Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.


2004 NPF Draft
The 2004 NPF Draft denotes a series of player drafts as a part of the launch of the NPF inaugural season. On December 6, 2003 in conjunction with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Convention at the Del Lago Resort in Montgomery, Texas the eight original NPF teams (Akron, Arizona, Colorado, New England, New York/New Jersey, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Texas ) selected players in two drafts: a four-round Elite Draft that selected players who had completed their college eligibility and a six-round College Senior Draft which selected players in their final year of college. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended.


2004 NPF Draft
After the decision was made to launch the 2004 season without the Colorado Altitude and San Antonio Armadillos, a Supplemental Draft  was held to allocate players whose rights were held by Colorado and San Antonio.


2004 NPF Draft
San Antonio selected Michigan State 1B, and Indiana assistant coach Stacey Phillips with the first overall selection in the Elite Draft. In the College Senior Draft Iyhia McMichael of Mississippi State was selected first by the Akron Racers. For the first pick of the Supplemental Draft, New England chose Georgia Tech's Tara Knudsen whose rights were previously held by San Antonio.


2004 NPF Draft, 2004 NPF Draft
Position key: C = Catcher; UT = Utility infielder; INF = Infielder; 1B = First base; 2B =Second base SS = Shortstop; 3B = Third base; OF = Outfielder; RF = Right field; CF = Center field; LF = Left field;  P = Pitcher; RHP = right-handed Pitcher; LHP = left-handed Pitcher; DP =Designated playerPositions are listed as combined for those who can play multiple positions.


2004 NPF Draft, 2004 NPF Draft, Elite Draft
Following are the 32 selections from the 2004 NPF Elite Draft:


2004 NPF Draft, 2004 NPF Draft, Senior Draft
Following are the 48 selections from the 2004 NPF Senior Draft:


2004 NPF Draft, 2004 NPF Draft, Supplemental Draft
Following are the 17 selections from the 2004 NPF Supplemental Draft:


2004 NRL Grand Final
The 2004 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the 2004 NRL season. It was contested by the Sydney Roosters, who had finished the regular season in 1st place, and the Bulldogs, who had finished the regular season in 2nd place. After both sides eliminated the rest of 2004's top eight teams over the finals series, they faced each other in a grand final for the first time since the 1980 NSWRFL season's decider.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Background
For the second consecutive year, the NRL grand final featured two Sydney-based teams.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Background, Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters finished the 2004 regular season in 1st place, taking out the minor premiership. They subsequently won their two finals matches against the Canberra Raiders 38–12 and then the North Queensland Cowboys 19–16 to make their third consecutive grand final and their fourth in five seasons.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Background, Bulldogs RLFC
The Bulldogs finished the 2004 regular season 2nd (out of 15). They lost their first match of the finals series against the North Queensland Cowboys 22–30 but won their next two against the Melbourne Storm 43–18 and the Penrith Panthers 30–14 to reach their first grand final since 1998.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Match details
Pre -match entertainment included performances by Chris Isaak and Australian rock band Grinspoon.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Match details, First half
After thirteen minutes, Sydney took the first try of the game with Chris Walker scoring the try and Craig Fitzgibbon converting giving Sydney a 6–0 lead. Ten minutes later Canterbury winger Matt Utai scored the first try with Hazem El Masri failing to convert bringing the score back to 6–4. A few minutes later El Masri levelled the scores at 6–6 with a penalty goal. Just after the 30 minute mark, Brett Finch kicked a field goal to give Sydney a narrow 7–6 lead. Two minutes later Anthony Tupou made a 30-metre break for Sydney before passing to teammate Anthony Minichiello to cross under the posts with Fitzgibbon converting to give Sydney a 13–6 lead. At the 37th minute, Minichiello looked to have his second try, but was penalised for an obstruction.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Two minutes into the second half, Utai got his second try for Canterbury with El Masri converting bringing the score back to 13–12. In the 53rd minute, El Masri crossed over for a controversial four-pointer (opinions were divided on whether the winger had been sufficiently held up or not before eventually grounding the ball), but narrowly missed the conversion giving the Bulldogs the lead 16–13.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
With one minute left and the score at 16–13, Sydney's Michael Crocker made a half break on the Bulldogs 40 meter line but was tackled by stand in Canterbury Captain Andrew Ryan and losing the ball that gave Canterbury their 8th Premiership. It was also former Australian captain Brad Fittler's last game of football.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
This marked the first (and only) time in 2004 that the Roosters lost a match after leading at half-time.


2004 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
13th – Sydney 6–0 (Walker try, Fitzgibbon goal)23rd – Sydney 6–4 (Utai try)27th – 6–6 (El Masri penalty goal)31st – Sydney 7–6 (Finch field goal)33rd – Sydney 13–6 (Minichiello try, Fitzgibbon goal)42nd – Sydney 13–12 (Utai try; El Masri goal)53rd – Bulldogs 16–13 (El Masri try)


2004 NRL season
The 2004 NRL season (also known as the 2004 Telstra Premiership due to sponsorship from Telstra) was the 97th season of professional rugby league football in Australia, and the seventh run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen clubs competed during the regular season before the top eight finishing teams contested the finals series. The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs defeated the Sydney Roosters in the 2004 NRL grand final and in doing so claimed their eighth premiership.


2004 NRL season, Pre-season
The beginning of the season was largely overshadowed with several Bulldogs players questioned by police in relation to an alleged rape of a 20-year-old Coffs Harbour woman. An independent investigator, former New South Wales chief of detectives, would later fail to find any evidence of misconduct on behalf of the players, and no charges were pressed.


2004 NRL season, Pre-season
The 2004 World Club Challenge was held on Friday, 13 February 2004, at the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield, England. The game was contested by Bradford Bulls and Penrith Panthers and won by the home team.


2004 NRL season, Pre-season
The salary cap for the 2004 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
Due to a perceived emphasis in the game on defence, NRL referees were instructed to call out "surrender tackle" this season when ball carriers submit at the ruck, signalling the defence to slow down the tackle in order for defenders to reset.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
The first round of the season began on Friday, 12 March with 2003 champions, the Penrith Panthers losing 14–20 to the Newcastle Knights before a crowd of 19,936 at Penrith Stadium.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
During a match between the Broncos and the Tigers, the Broncos fielded 14 men at one stage of the Campbelltown Stadium match. In the 60th minute, Brisbane's Shane Webcke knocked out by Tiger Bryce Gibbs. Corey Parker was brought onto the ground while Webcke was still being assisted off. Parker immediately scored off a Darren Lockyer pass and started a Broncos revival (they trailed 24–8 at halftime) which later saw them win 24–32. But, after the fourteenth man was investigated, the Broncos were stripped of the two competition points, which were reinstated weeks later.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
A significant comeback was seen in a round 25 clash between the St George Dragons and Manly. Trailing 34–10 after 53 minutes, St. George Illawarra came back to win the match 36–34. This match stood in second-place in the rankings of the biggest comebacks in Australian premiership history.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
Several players and coaches also made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Jamie Lyon walked out on the Parramatta club after the first round citing burnout and dissatisfaction with living in Sydney, and would later move to the UK for a successful Super League career. Coaches Daniel Anderson and Paul Langmack would have their contracts terminated at the New Zealand Warriors and South Sydney Rabbitohs respectively.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
Andrew Johns was injured in Newcastle's third game of the season against Parramatta, and subsequently missed the remainder of the season. The Knights missed the finals of the NRL for the first time since 1996.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
2004 was also notable for the emergence of teenage players Sonny Bill Williams (Bulldogs) and Karmichael Hunt (Brisbane Broncos), and their performances, mature beyond their years, would be critical to the fortunes of their clubs.


2004 NRL season, Regular season
A quirk of the draw meant that the Sydney Roosters did not play a premiership match in Queensland during the season, while there was only one Queensland derby contested during the regular season, in round six in Townsville.


2004 NRL season, Regular season, Teams
The line-up of fifteen teams for the 2004 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season.


2004 NRL season, Regular season, Advertising
In 2004 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo continued with their use of the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".


2004 NRL season, Regular season, Advertising
In addition to the big 60-second season launch TV commercial, three shorter executions were produced: one targeting young men, another targeting women and one aimed at families. In a year where sexual assault allegations damaged perceptions and the reputation of the code, retaining female fans was seen as a massive challenge.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre Final Eight System.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
The North Queensland Cowboys qualified for the finals for the first time in their ten-year history, and shocked everybody by finishing just one game short of the grand final. During the finals, they won their first ever game against Queensland rivals Brisbane, thus ending the career of Brisbane stalwart Gorden Tallis. Also retiring after the 2004 finals series were Brad Fittler, Ryan Girdler and Kevin Campion.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
St. George Illawarra Dragons almost capped a remarkable comeback when they trailed 24–0 only after half an hour of play to come back to only lose 31–30 against the Penrith Panthers in the first Qualifying Final. In doing so St. George Illawarra became the first team to finish fifth to bow out after the first week of the finals, giving Penrith a home preliminary final; despite leading 8–4 at halftime in their preliminary final against Canterbury, they lost 30–14, thus ending their premiership defence.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
Another notable game was the seventh-placed North Queensland Cowboys reaching the finals for the first time and upsetting the second-placed and competition favourites the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 30–22 in the 3rd Qualifying Final. North Queensland also defeated the Brisbane Broncos for the first time ever during the semi finals but were unable to reach the Grand Final when they lost to the Sydney Roosters in the Preliminary Final.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
The North Queensland vs Brisbane semi-final was originally fixtured to be played at Aussie Stadium, however, at the behest of both clubs, and in accordance with Aussie Stadium management, the NRL agreed to move the game to Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville. North Queensland won the game 10–0, giving them their first ever win over Brisbane and eliminating from the finals in the process. The game was Broncos' captain and club legend Gorden Tallis' last, who coincidentally was born and raised in Townsville.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs claimed their 8th premiership title by beating the Sydney Roosters in the Grand Final.


2004 NRL season, Finals series
¹ Game relocated to Dairy Farmers Stadium, the Cowboys' home ground, from Aussie Stadium. Cowboys designated home team despite the Broncos finishing higher on the table.


2004 NRL season results
This is a list of results for matches of the 2004 National Rugby League season.


2004 Nabire earthquake
The 2004 Nabire earthquake occurred on November 26 in Papua, Indonesia. The strike-slip event had a moment magnitude of 7.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Total deaths for the event amounted to 32, and the total number of injured (as reported by various agencies) was 130–213.


2004 Nabire earthquake, Damage
Dozens of buildings collapsed and nearly two hundred homes, businesses, and a church were lost. Some infrastructure was damaged, including three bridges and a government telecommunications building.


2004 Nadeshiko League
Statistics of L. League in the 2004 season. Saitama Reinas FC won the championship.


2004 Nalchik raid
The 2004 Nalchik raid was an armed attack against headquarters of the regional branch of the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) in Nalchik, capital of the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus, which took place at about 3 to 6 a.m. of December 14, 2004.


2004 Nalchik raid
According to the investigation, six to ten attackers, possibly helped by former or current FSKN staff, entered the building without any resistance, shot dead four officers (two guards, a driver and a member of a special unit, all of them ethnic Kabardins, who were first captured and then executed in the basement), looted armory of rapid-response unit, and then set the office ablaze before driving away in a GAZelle minibus loaded with the captured weapons. According to an initial statements by the authorities, 36 assault rifles and 136 handguns were stolen in the attack. Later, however, figures for the lost weapons were put at 79 automatic and sniper rifles and 182 handguns of all kinds.


2004 Nalchik raid
It was the first-high-profile operation conducted by the local Islamist rebel group Yarmuk Jamaat after it has officially declared the beginning of jihad against Russia in August 2004. The attack however resulted a major crackdown against Yarmuk, resulting in several arrests and deaths of suspected insurgents, among them the group's first leader Muslim Atayev and his wife who were killed in a police raid the following month. The following year, police recovered many of the seized weapons in the wake of the 2005 Nalchik raid, and over half of the group's members were killed, or captured. Fourteen are the subject of a manhunt.


2004 Namibian general election
General elections were held in Namibia on 15 and 16 November 2004 to elect the President and National Assembly. The National Assembly election resulted in a landslide win for SWAPO, which won 55 of the 78 seats with over 75% of the vote. SWAPO's candidate for president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, won the presidential election. Following his victory, Pohamba was sworn in as President on 21 March 2005 at Independence Stadium in Windhoek.


2004 Namibian local and regional elections
Namibia held two subnational elections in 2004. Local Authority Council elections were held on 14 May 2004. Regional Council elections were held from 29-30 November 2004.


2004 Namibian local and regional elections, Results, Local Authority Councils
In the regions of Helao Nafidi and Outapi only the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) fielded any candidates, so no elections were held and all SWAPO candidates were declared elected.


2004 NatWest Series
The 2004 NatWest Series was a One Day International cricket tri-series sponsored by the National Westminster Bank that took place in England between 24 June and 10 July 2004. The series involved the national teams of England, New Zealand and the West Indies. Ten matches were played in total, with each team playing one another twice during the group stage. The teams which finished in the top two positions following the group stages qualified for the final, which New Zealand won by defeating the West Indies at Lord's on 10 July by 107 runs.


2004 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
In the final at Lord's, West Indies won the toss and elected to field. On a slow Lord's pitch, New Zealand started their innings with a 120 run opening partnership between captain Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle, before the former was dismissed by Dwayne Bravo for 67. Astle fell for 57 with the score on 143, with Bravo once again taking the dismissal. Scott Styris fell for a single run soon after, before Hamish Marshall and Craig McMillan came together to add 71 for the fourth wicket.


2004 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
Marshall eventually fell with the score on 217, dismissed by Chris Gayle, with McMillan being dismissed soon after by Tino Best, having made 52. A flurry of late wickets by Best and Ramnaresh Sarwan contained New Zealand's progress toward the end of the innings, with New Zealand all out after 49.2 overs for 266. Sarwan finished with the best innings bowling figures of 3/31, while Bravo and Best each chipped in with two wickets and Gayle and Devon Smith with one each.


2004 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
The West Indies response started poorly, with Gayle dismissed for 4 runs with the score on 5 by Jacob Oram. Devon Smith and Sarwan settled the batting with a sedate partnership of 40 for the second wicket, before Sarwan was run out. Brian Lara and Smith then took the score to 98, before the latter was run out by Daniel Vettori. Lara fell to the bowling of Vettori shortly after with the score on 105, with Bravo following one run later. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ricardo Powell took the score to 149, before Powell became the seventh wicket to fall.


2004 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
Devon Smith and Ridley Jacobs both fell with the score on 150, nine runs later Ian Bradshaw fell. Rain arrived and forced a ninety-minute delay, during which half of the Lord's crowd left. With the match seemingly headed for a reserve day, the rain stopped and play resumed with the West Indies on 159/9. No further runs were added as just after 8pm Vettori took the wicket of Chanderpaul, his fifth of the match, to hand New Zealand a 107 run victory. This was New Zealand's largest winning margin over the West Indies in One Day International's. Daniel Vettori was declared Man of the Match, while Stephen Fleming was declared Player of the Series.


2004 National Basketball Development League draft
The 2004 NBDL Draft was the fourth annual draft by the National Basketball Development League. It was held on November 4, 2004.


2004 National Camogie League
The 2004 National Camogie League, the second most important elite level inter-county competition in the women's team field sport of camogie was won by Tipperary, who defeated Wexford in the final, played at Nowlan Park.


2004 National Camogie League, Arrangements
Wexford overcame defending champions Cork in the semi-final at Wexford Park with a brilliant second half display. Cork, who had the wind advantage in the opening half, were 0-11 to 0-3 ahead at half time. The Wexford fight back began with a goal four minutes after the break from full-forward Michelle Hearne, who added another with three minutes of remaining.


2004 National Camogie League, Division 2
The Junior National League, known since 2006 as Division Two, was won by Kildare who defeated Laois in the final. Susie O'Carroll, with two goals in the opening 20 minutes, inspired Kildare to a fourth title as they withstood a determined Laois recovery


2004 National Camogie League, The Final
The two sides shared goals in the opening five minutes, Deirdre Hughes scoring after 90 seconds from close range, and Michelle Hearne quickly replying for Wexford. Eimear McDonnell and Deirdre Hughes again added further goals as Tipperary led 3-2 to 1-4 at half-time. Tipperary's experience was evident through the second half.


2004 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2004 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League, was the 73rd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland. Kerry beat Galway in the final.


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Format, League structure
The top 16 teams were drawn into Divisions 1A and 1B. The other 16 teams were drawn into Divisions 2A and 2B. Each team played all the other teams in its section once: either home or away. Teams earned 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top two teams in Divisions 2A and 2B progressed to the Division 2 semi-finals and were promoted to Division 1. The bottom two teams in Divisions 1A and 1B were relegated. The top two teams in Divisions 1A and 1B progressed to the NFL semi-finals.


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If two or more teams are level on points, points difference was used to rank the teams.


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Division 1A Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2A


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Division 1B Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2B


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Division 2A Table
Compete in Division 2 semi-finals and automatic promotion to Division 1A


2004 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Division 2B Table
Compete in Division 2 semi-finals and automatic promotion to Division 1B


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game was held on February 8, 2004, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, home of the Minnesota Wild. The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference 6–4. This was the final All-Star Game until 2007.


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, Events
The city of Saint Paul in honor of the All Star Game being held built the Ice Castle for the first time in over 20 years at the Saint Paul Winter Carnival right across the street from the Xcel Energy Center.


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, NHL YoungStars Game
The YoungStars game, featuring rosters composed entirely of rookies and some second-year players, saw the Western Conference YoungStars defeat the Eastern Conference 7–3. Anaheim's Joffrey Lupul scored a hat trick, San Jose's Jonathan Cheechoo picked up four assists and Colorado goaltender Philippe Sauve was named the Game MVP, stopping 18 of 21 shots. It is notable that instead of a regular 5-on-5 hockey game, the YoungStars game is played in a four-on-four format with each roster consisting of six forwards, four defencemen, and one goaltender. The game was played in three 10-minute running-clock periods and a four-minute intermission between each period.


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, SuperSkills Competition
The Eastern Conference were the overall victors of the SuperSkills Competition, in which select all-stars compete in various competitions, including a shootout, a relay race and a fastest skater competition. The East defeated the West 13–6. Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo won the Goaltenders Competition, Islanders defenceman Adrian Aucoin won the Hardest Shot competition and Devils defenceman Scott Niedermayer won the Fastest Skater competition.


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
The Eastern Conference were struck with injuries as Scott Stevens and Wade Redden were forced to pull out of the game. Brian Rafalski and Pavel Kubina replaced the defensemen, respectively, putting the starting rosters at Ilya Kovalchuk, Joe Thornton and Martin St. Louis on offense, Scott Niedermayer and Stevens injury replacement Brian Rafalski on defense and Martin Brodeur in goal for the East, and Todd Bertuzzi, Mike Modano and Bill Guerin on offense, Rob Blake and Nicklas Lidstrom on defense and Marty Turco in goal for the West.


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
The Eastern Conference cruised to a 6–4 victory on goals by Adrian Aucoin, Daniel Alfredsson (who scored twice), Mark Messier, Gary Roberts and Ilya Kovalchuk. However, it was Joe Sakic of the Western Conference who walked away with MVP honors as he scored a hat trick. Coyotes forward Shane Doan also scored for the West.


2004 National Hockey League All-Star Game, Uniforms
For the first time, the NHL used All-Star uniforms inspired by the host team, and opted to go with a retro flavor. The uniforms were distinct for the lack of white - the Eastern Conference uniforms were cream-colored (officially the Minnesota Wild's "Minnesota Wheat" color) with red trim, while the Western Conference wore green jerseys with cream trim. In a departure from the overall retro theme of the uniforms, the names on the back of the jersey were in the Kabel typeface used by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the time.


2004 National Hurling League
The 2004 National Hurling League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Hurling League, was the 73rd edition of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams. Galway won the league, beating Waterford in the final.


2004 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 1
There are 12 teams in Division 1, divided into 1A and 1B. Each team plays all the others in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.


2004 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 1
Each team in the Final Group plays the other three teams that it did not play in the first five games. The top two teams go into the NHL final – only points earned in these last three games count. Each team in the Relegation Group plays the other three teams that it did not play in the first five games. The bottom team is relegated – only points earned in these last three games count.


2004 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 2
There are 10 teams in Division 2, divided into 2A and 2B. Each team plays all the others in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.


2004 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 2
Each team in the Promotion Group plays the other three teams that it did not play in the first four games. The top two teams go into the Division 2 final – only points earned in these last three games count. Final winners are promoted. Each team in the Relegation Group plays the other two teams that it did not play in the first four games. The bottom team is relegated – only points earned in these last two games count.


2004 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 3
There are 10 teams in Division 3, divided into 3A and 3B. Each team plays all the others in its group once, earning 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.


2004 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 3
Each team in the Promotion Group plays the other three teams that it did not play in the first four games. The top two teams go into the Division 3 final – only points earned in these last three games count. Final winners are promoted. Each team in the Shield Group plays the other two teams that it did not play in the first four games. The top two play the Division 3 Shield Final.


2004 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 1
Galway won their first league title in four seasons, as 'the Westerners' recorded two defeats throughout the entire league. Waterford, who were league runners-up, suffered three defeats in the group stages before falling to Galway in the final.


2004 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 1
Down at the other end of the table, Dublin and Antrim went through the initial group stages without a single victory. However, a relegation group of six teams resulted in Offaly ending up at the bottom and facing relegation for the following season.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 1
Kilkenny came into the season as defending champions of the 2003 season. Antrim entered Division 1 as the promoted team.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 1
On 9 May 2004, Galway won the title following a 2-15 to 1-13 win over Waterford in the final. It was their first league title since 2000 and their 8th National League title overall.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 1
Offaly, who were unlucky not to make the final group, were relegated from Division 1 after losing all of their group stage matches in the relegation group.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 1
Galway's Eugene Cloonan was the Division 1 top scorer with 10-62.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 2
Derry and Mayo entered Division 2 as the respective relegated and promoted teams from the 2003 season.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 2
On 9 May 2004, Down won the title following a 5-15 to 3-7 win over Westmeath in the final.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 2
Mayo were relegated from Division 2 after losing all of their group stage matches in the relegation group.


2004 National Hurling League, Division 2
Westmeath's Andrew Mitchell was the Division 2 top scorer with 1-56.


2004 National Indoor Football League season
The 2004 National Indoor Football League season was the fourth season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Lexington Horsemen, who defeated the Sioux Falls Storm in Indoor Bowl IV.


2004 National Invitation Tournament
The 2004 National Invitation Tournament was the 2004 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Michigan (initially barred from postseason play that season, but overturned on appeal) defeated Rutgers in the final game to capture their third NIT Championship.


2004 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 40 teams selected for the tournament.


2004 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket
Below are the four first round brackets, along with the four-team championship bracket.


2004 National League Championship Series
The 2004 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 13 to 21 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion St. Louis Cardinals and the wild-card qualifying Houston Astros. This marked the first time in either Major League that two teams from the Central Division met in a Championship Series.


2004 National League Championship Series
In a series in which all seven games were won by the home team, the Cardinals won 4–3 to advance to the World Series against the American League champion Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox reached their first World Series since 1986, with the Cardinals playing in their first since 1987. While the NLCS was an exciting back-and-forth series, it was overshadowed in media attention by Boston's comeback in the ALCS.


2004 National League Championship Series
The Cardinals would go on to lose in a sweep to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series in four games.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Wednesday, October 13, 2004 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The series opener at St. Louis' Busch Stadium was a slugfest involving five home runs, 17 runs, and 22 hits, eventually won by St. Louis, 10–7. Houston struck the first blow of the series when Carlos Beltrán hit a two-run home run in the top of the first inning after a leadoff single off Woody Williams. The Cardinals answered with a home run by Albert Pujols in the bottom half after a one-out triple off Brandon Backe, tying the game at two.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Houston took a 4–2 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Jeff Kent, but the Cards tied it again in the fifth on Larry Walker's RBI double off Backe and Scott Rolen's RBI single off Chad Qualls. In the sixth, Edgar Renteria and Reggie Sanders hit back-to-back leadoff singles before a sacrifice bunt moved them up one base. Pinch hitter Roger Cedeno's groundout scored Renteria to put the Cardinals up 3–2 for the first time in this game.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Tony Womack followed with an RBI single, then stole second before scoring on Walker's single aided by shortstop Jose Vizcaino's error. After Qualls walked Pujols, Chad Harville in relief walked Rolen to load the bases before Jim Edmonds cleared them with a double to put the Cardinals up 10–4. The Astros cut it to 10−6 with a two-run home run from Lance Berkman in the eighth off Ray King. Next inning, a two-out solo home run from Mike Lamb off Julián Tavárez made it 10−7. Craig Biggio then hit a ground-rule double before Jason Isringhausen relieved Julián Tavárez and got Beltran to ground out to first on the first pitch to end the game. All seven of the Astros' runs in Game 1 were scored on home runs.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Thursday, October 14, 2004 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Astros scored three runs off Cardinals' Matt Morris on home runs by Carlos Beltran in the first and Morgan Ensberg in the fourth. Lance Berkman added an RBI single in the fifth with two on, but in the bottom of the inning, two-run home runs from Larry Walker off starter Peter Munro and Scott Rolen off reliever Chad Harville put the Cardinals up 4−3.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Astros tied it in the seventh off Kiko Calero when Berkman hit a leadoff double, stole third and scored on Ensberg's single, but the Cardinals retook the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning with back-to-back home runs from Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen off Dan Miceli. Jason Isringhausen pitched a scoreless ninth despite allowing two walks as the Cardinals' 6−4 win put them up 2−0 in the series heading to Houston.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Saturday, October 16, 2004 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the first game of the series played in Houston's Minute Maid Park, the Cardinals went up 1−0 in the first on Larry Walker's one-out home run, but the Astros tied it in the bottom of the inning off Jeff Suppan on Lance Berkman's RBI single before Jeff Kent's two-run home run put them up 3−1. Jim Edmonds' leadoff home run in the second cut it to 3−2, but the Astros added two insurance runs in the eighth on home runs from Carlos Beltran off Dan Haren and Berkman off Ray King. Roger Clemens pitched seven innings for the 5−2 win, which left the Astros trailing 2–1 in the series.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Sunday, October 17, 2004 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
The Cardinals struck first in Game 3 when Roy Oswalt walked Larry Walker with one out before Albert Pujols hit a two-run home run. Scott Rolen then doubled, moved to third on a groundout, and after a walk, scored on John Mabry's single to put the Cardinals up 3−0. The Astros cut it to 3−1 in the bottom of the inning when Carlos Beltran walked with one out off Jeff Bagwell's double off Jason Marquis.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
In the top of the third, Pujols drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Rolen's single and scored on Jim Edmonds' sacrifice fly, but the Astros cut the lead to 4−3 when Beltran and Bagwell singled with one out and scored on Lance Berkman's double. Pujols's single with two on in the fourth put the Cardinals up 5−3, but the Astros cut the lead back to one on Berkman's leadoff home run in the sixth off Kiko Calero. Jose Vizcaino doubled two outs later and scored on Raul Chavez's single to tie the game.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Next inning, Beltran's home run off Julián Tavárez put the Astros up 6−5. Brad Lidge pitched two shutout innings for the save as the Astros evened the series with the Cardinals at two games apiece. Beltrán tied records for the most home runs in a single postseason (8) and most consecutive postseason games with a home run (5). The latter record would be broken by Daniel Murphy in Game Four of the 2015 NLCS.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Monday, October 18, 2004 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Astros defeated the Cardinals 3–0 in Game 5 with Jeff Kent driving in the winning runs with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth off Jason Isringhausen. Astros starter Brandon Backe took a perfect game into the fifth inning, when he walked Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds, and allowed only one hit (a single to second baseman Tony Womack in the sixth) in eight innings. The Cardinals' Woody Williams was nearly as effective, allowing only one hit (a two-out single to Jeff Bagwell in the first) and two walks over seven innings. Houston led the best-of-seven series 3–2 and was one win away from their first World Series appearance.


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Wednesday, October 20, 2004 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri


2004 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Returning to St. Louis, Matt Morris started Game 6 for the Cardinals, as did Pete Munro for the Astros. The scoring began with Carlos Beltrán walking with one out, stealing second, moving to third on a single, and scoring on Lance Berkman's sacrifice fly in the first. The Cardinals responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run home run by Albert Pujols. In the third, Beltrán singled with two outs and scored on Jeff Bagwell's double to tie the game.