2005 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2005 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament involved eight schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of women's NCAA Division I college ice hockey. The tournament began on March 18, 2005, and ended with the championship game on March 27.


2005 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2005 tournament was the first to feature eight teams. The highest four seeds were invited to host first round competition for the right to advance to the Frozen Four. The expanded field also allowed for the creation of auto-bids for each of the four conferences in Division I women's hockey at the time.


2005 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2005 tournament was also the last to feature a consolation game. From 2006 forward, both teams losing semi-final games were awarded third place.


2005 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
The at-large bids, along with the seeding for each team in the tournament, were announced on Sunday, March 13.


2005 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Ice Hockey Tournament, Brackets
Note: * denotes overtime period(s)Note: The team in italics is the home team in the first round.


2005 NCAA Rifle Championships
The 2005 NCAA Rifle Championships were contested at the 26th annual NCAA-sanctioned competition to determine the team and individual national champions of co-ed collegiate rifle shooting in the United States.


2005 NCAA Rifle Championships
The championships were held at the Nevada Wolf Pack Rifle Range at the University of Nevada in Reno, Nevada.


2005 NCAA Rifle Championships
Army won the team championship, the Black Knights' first NCAA national title in rifle.


2005 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.


2005 NCAA Skiing Championships
The 2005 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, Vermont as part of the 52nd 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.


2005 NCAA Skiing Championships
Denver, coached by Kurt Smitz, won the team championship, the Pioneers' fourth co-ed title and seventeenth overall.


2005 NCAA Skiing Championships, Venue
This year's championships were contested at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Hancock, Vermont. Middlebury College served as hosts.


2005 NCAA Skiing Championships, Venue
These were the tenth championships held in the state of Vermont.


2005 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship
The 2005 NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship involved 12 schools competing for the national championship of women's NCAA Division I gymnastics. It was the twenty fourth NCAA gymnastics national championship and the defending NCAA Team Champion for 2004 was UCLA Bruins. The Competition took place in Auburn, Alabama hosted by the Auburn University in Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum. The 2005 Championship was won by Georgia Gym Dogs, their first since 1999 and sixth all-time.


2005 NCAA conference realignment
The 2005 NCAA conference realignment was initiated by the movement of three Big East Conference teams (Boston College, University of Miami, and Virginia Tech) to the Atlantic Coast Conference set into motion events that created a realignment in college football, as 23 teams changed conferences and Army became an independent.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
In 2003 the Big East was put on watch as the ACC announced plans to expand from nine teams to twelve, which under NCAA rules would have enabled them to hold a special conference championship football game. Miami, Syracuse, and BC were rumored to be the three schools under consideration, and all three met with officials from the ACC regarding membership. At the same time, the Big East itself was contemplating its future.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
Led by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the football schools that would be left behind under this initial plan — UConn, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia — filed two lawsuits, one against the ACC, and the other against Miami and BC, accusing them of improper disclosure of confidential information and of conspiring to weaken the Big East. Syracuse was not named as a defendant in part because they made no public comments about the ongoing situation.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
Leaked minutes of Big East meetings have shed light on the confusing process surrounding the defection of three of its members. At a summer meeting of the "football schools", following the announced departures of Miami and Virginia Tech, discussion among the Presidents and Athletic Directors of the remaining schools focused on a potential split into two conferences; an all-sports conference including football, and a second conference focused primarily on basketball. The idea of a 16-team superconference of both basketball and football schools was discussed, as was merging with Conference USA.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
Minutes of a July 9, 2003 meeting of presidents and athletic directors held before any detailed review of the conference's options show that Syracuse Athletic Director Jake Crouthamel and BC Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo went on record indicating they would resign their positions if the Big East expanded to 16 teams.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
In response to a proposal for the establishment of a binding agreement, the six schools agreed to a $5 million exit fee and 27-month notice requirement. Meanwhile, the Big East presidents agreed to meet with and possibly extend invitations to Penn State and Notre Dame. However, neither school showed interest in joining the conference. The minutes show the presidents unanimously voted to support an eventual conference invitation for the University of Louisville, and to begin due diligence on Louisville and other proposed new members. Several models for a new conference were discussed; and it was decided that the football schools would explore separating from the basketball-only schools to establish an eight-team all-sports conference. The presidents and athletic directors described the breakup of the football and basketball schools as "inevitable".


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
Additional meetings of the football conference members occurred between July and October 2003. In the course of those meetings, it was realized that the break-up scenario would not be feasible because the new football conference would lose its automatic NCAA basketball tournament berth and possibly its BCS bid, as well as the Big East name. Further, the football schools had not been together long enough to satisfy certain NCAA rules.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
At a Big East meeting in Newark, New Jersey on October 1, 2003 after a discussion of Notre Dame's concerns for stability, BC president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., addressed rumors surrounding BC's intentions toward the Big East. Fr. Leahy conceded that BC might indeed be leaving the conference, and he would determine how genuine the ACC's reported interest in having any school as a 12th member.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
He stated he could not agree to an exit penalty larger than the already agreed to $5,000,000, and expressed concerns about academic issues at Louisville and Cincinnati that emerged prior to doing due diligence. It was decided that the conference would add the additional football and basketball schools and continue in its existing structure until such time as the football schools could establish their own conference. Unhappy with the vote on the future structure of the conference, the administration of BC continued discussions with the ACC.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
In response to losing three football programs, the Big East Conference extended invitations to five schools from Conference USA in order to replenish their football ranks and to create a 16-team basketball superconference. The schools that left Conference USA on July 1, 2005 for the Big East are:


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big East Conference
The fallout from the Conference USA realignment instigated a chain reaction of conference realignments that affected the WAC, MAC, Sun Belt, Mountain West, and Atlantic 10 conferences. At the same time, the UConn Huskies completed their leap to Division I-A football and became a full member of the conference in 2004, resulting in their first-ever bowl bid.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Atlantic Coast Conference
Miami had been dissatisfied with the Big East and its leadership since a formal letter of complaint was issued by Miami to Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese in 1999. Their issues went unresolved, leading to Miami's interest in the ACC — a league that had been pursuing the college football superpower since the mid-1990s, at the request of football-oriented Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. Those schools were concerned with the balance of power in the ACC, which they viewed as tilted towards "Tobacco Road", the nickname given to the four North Carolina ACC schools and their nationally prominent basketball programs.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Atlantic Coast Conference
Talks with Syracuse indicated that it would likely leave the Big East, but doubts arose when Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim publicly expressed his disapproval of a conference change, even as Syracuse and ACC officials proceeded with the formalities of official campus visits. Miami and Boston College were unwavering in their interest in the ACC, and Virginia Tech made it clear that they had long wanted to join the ACC.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Atlantic Coast Conference
Finally, in a last-minute about-face, due in large measure to political pressure applied by Governor Mark Warner of Virginia on the conference and member institution University of Virginia, the ACC replaced Syracuse with Virginia Tech in its expansion vote. Things became even more surprising when, reached by phone at a conference in Switzerland, then-N.C. State Chancellor Marye Anne Fox cast a last-minute "no" vote against BC. As a result, the ACC extended invitations only to Miami and Virginia Tech.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Atlantic Coast Conference
Virginia Tech immediately accepted the invitation and filed court papers to get themselves out of the awkward position of suing their new conference. Miami, stunned by the outcome of the vote, delayed their acceptance until the last possible day. Miami President Donna Shalala explained the delay stating "We had numbers on BC-Virginia Tech. We had done numbers on Miami alone. But we had not anticipated that Virginia Tech and Miami would be the only two invitees." The remaining four plaintiffs removed BC from the list of defendants and asked both BC and Syracuse to join their suit. Both declined.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Atlantic Coast Conference
Speculation that Chancellor Fox, a Notre Dame trustee, cast her initial vote against BC so that the ACC might consider extending membership to Notre Dame was fueled by press accounts reporting that a bid to the Fighting Irish was imminent. But in mid-October 2003, the ACC voted unanimously to invite BC to be its twelfth member, although because of timing issues BC was not able to compete in the ACC until the 2005-2006 season. When BC accepted they were returned to the lawsuit still pending against Miami by several Big East schools. After expansion, Jake Crouthamel retired as athletic director at Syracuse.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Conference USA
Conference USA saw radical changes for the 2005–06 academic year. The stage for these changes was set in 2003, when the Atlantic Coast Conference successfully lured Miami and Virginia Tech to make a move from the Big East Conference in 2004. Boston College would later make the same move, joining the ACC in 2005. In response to that series of moves, which depleted the Big East football conference, the Big East looked to Conference USA to attract replacements.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Conference USA
Five C-USA members departed for the Big East, including three football-playing schools (Cincinnati, Louisville, and USF) and two non-football schools (DePaul and Marquette). Another two schools (Charlotte and Saint Louis) left for the Atlantic 10; TCU joined the Mountain West; and a ninth member, Army, which was C-USA football-only, opted to become an independent in that sport again.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Conference USA
With the loss of these teams, C-USA lured six teams from other conferences: UCF and Marshall from the MAC, as well as Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and later UTEP from the WAC. Note that UCF played in the MAC for football only; for all other sports, it was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Conference USA
With C-USA's membership now consisting of 12 schools, all of which sponsored football, the conference adopted a two-division alignment, which it maintains to this day.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Conference USA
C-USA's men's soccer program also was affected. South Carolina (which had been part of the Metro prior to 1995 reunification for men's soccer only but not invited to the reunified C-USA, but had been part of that conference from 1983-91 for most sports, and had played as an independent in men's soccer since 1995) rejoined the reunified conference, bringing along fellow Southeastern Conference member Kentucky (Mid-American Conference) to the men's soccer program. Florida International also joined for men's soccer, but by 2013 became an all-sports C-USA member.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference welcomed two teams from Conference USA: Charlotte and Saint Louis.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference lost Central Florida (football only), Kentucky (men's soccer only), and Marshall to Conference USA. Central Florida had been a member of the MAC because their primary conference, the Atlantic Sun, did not sponsor football while Kentucky, which had been a Mid-American Conference member for men's soccer because the Southeastern Conference does not sponsor the sport, chose to join Conference USA to create a natural rivalry with the other Southeastern Conference school, South Carolina, which also joined at the same time.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference welcomed TCU, who had left the WAC in 2001 for Conference USA. TCU rejoined eight former Western Athletic Conference opponents as the ninth member of the Mountain West in 2005 following the fallout in Conference USA.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Western Athletic Conference
As Conference USA sought new members to replenish its ranks, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and UTEP joined Conference USA. In response, the Western Athletic Conference added three more universities (all land-grant schools), with two from the Big West (playing football in the Sun Belt — Idaho and Utah State). New Mexico State was also added from the Sun Belt.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Sun Belt Conference
From the Sun Belt Conference, New Mexico State and football-only members Idaho and Utah State departed for the WAC. Troy was added soon after, and a year later FAU and FIU joined from the I-AA ranks.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Affected conferences, Big West Conference
The Big West Conference lost two members, the University of Idaho and Utah State University, to the Western Athletic Conference.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Athletic consequences
For the ACC, the expansion has been a mixed bag. The financial revenue from television has increased, and are slated to increase even more when a new contract with ESPN takes effect. For the three schools that came from the Big East, financial distributions from the ACC are much greater than they were in the Big East. A benefit for the original members is that the ACC is now able to host a football conference championship game and has a guaranteed College Football Playoff bowl tie in with the Orange Bowl.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Athletic consequences
However, since the inaugural game in 2005 box office receipts and TV ratings for the football championship have declined. This was generally attributed to the fact that the conference's two Florida based teams were not playing in games in Jacksonville and Tampa. Beginning in 2010, the game was moved to Charlotte, NC, a location more central to the ACC membership, but arguably less of a destination city.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Athletic consequences
Although the move was due to football, the Big East and its football-sponsoring successor, the American Athletic Conference, have not won a national championship in football after the 2005 realignments, and the ACC has only won three times, partly due to the concurrent rise of the Southeastern Conference as the NCAA's pre-eminent football power conference (an SEC member school was the consensus FBS national champion in each season from 2006 to 2012). The ACC's three football national championships since 2005 have been Florida State's 2013 championship over Auburn and Clemson's 2016 championship and 2018 championship over Alabama.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Athletic consequences
The ACC's last national championship prior to the realignment was in 1999, when Florida State beat future ACC member (and then Big East member) Virginia Tech in the 2000 Sugar Bowl. The Big East's last national championship came in 2001, when future ACC member Miami beat Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Athletic consequences
Ironically, since 2005, the ACC and the Big East/American have combined to win eight D-I men's basketball championships: Virginia in 2019, North Carolina in 2009 and 2017, Duke in 2010 and 2015, UConn in 2011 and 2014, and Louisville in 2013 (although Louisville's title has since been vacated due to massive violations of NCAA rules).


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Further Big East/American-ACC conference shifts
Despite not being initially invited to the ACC in 2003, Syracuse would eventually apply for and be accepted for membership into the ACC on September 18, 2011. Joining Syracuse in the ACC would be Pittsburgh, which was considered somewhat ironic due to the aforementioned lawsuit in which Pittsburgh was a plaintiff against the ACC in 2003. Both Syracuse and Pittsburgh joined the ACC in 2013.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Further Big East/American-ACC conference shifts
With West Virginia leaving the Big East for the Big 12 Conference in 2012 and Rutgers joining the Big Ten Conference alongside ACC charter member Maryland in 2014, UConn was the only Big East school that participated in the lawsuit scheduled to remain with the original Big East beyond 2013, with two of those schools—Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh—now part of the ACC.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Further Big East/American-ACC conference shifts
In another Big East-to-ACC defection, Notre Dame announced a major shift away from the Big East on September 12, 2012, formally joining the ACC as a conference member in all sports but football starting as early as 2014. While Notre Dame's football program retained nominal independence, the agreement included a commitment by the Fighting Irish to field five games per year against ACC opponents in future schedules.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Further Big East/American-ACC conference shifts
Pittsburgh, Miami, Boston College, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech all have traditional rivalries with Notre Dame (especially Pittsburgh and like-minded Boston College), although Notre Dame was forced to put its rivalry with Big Ten powerhouse Michigan on hold after 2014 due to the move. On March 12, 2013, Notre Dame and the Big East reached agreement on the Irish departure date of July 1, 2013.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Further Big East/American-ACC conference shifts
Due to the various shifts in conference affiliation, on December 15, 2012, the seven remaining non-FBS Big East schools, all Catholic institutions—DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova—announced that they had voted unanimously to leave the Big East Conference, effective June 30, 2015. Further negotiations between the so-called "Catholic 7" and the remaining Big East members ended in an agreement that these schools would depart at the end of the 2012–13 school year. The split left what remained of the Big East primarily focused on football. The "Catholic 7" retained the Big East name, and the FBS schools adopted the American Athletic Conference moniker.


2005 NCAA conference realignment, Aftermath, Further Big East/American-ACC conference shifts
Following Maryland's departure to the Big Ten in 2014 with American member Rutgers, Louisville, another American member, defected to the ACC.


2005 NCBA World Series
The 2005 National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) World Series was played at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL from May 25 to May 30. The fifth tournament's champion was Colorado State University. This was Colorado State's second consecutive title as they became the first team in NCBA history to repeat as national champions. The Most Valuable Player was Brooks Purdy of Colorado State University.


2005 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. This was the final season in which only 7 innings were played in NCBA World Series play. Starting in 2006, NCBA World Series games became 9 inning contests.


2005 NECBL All-Star Game
The 2005 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 7-2. Chris Cates of the North Adams SteepleCats was named the game's MVP.


2005 NECBL All-Star Game
The contest was the first league all-star game hosted by the Newport Gulls at Cardines Field (Newport later hosted the 2010 NECBL All-Star Game), the franchise having existed since 1999. It was broadcast on local television.


2005 NECBL season
The 2005 NECBL season was the 12th season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league reduced its membership from thirteen teams to twelve teams with the league's West Warwick, Rhode Island franchise, the Riverpoint Royals, dropping out of the league. Also, the league's Hinsdale, Massachusetts franchise, the Berkshire Dukes, moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts and became the Pittsfield Dukes.


2005 NECBL season
In the quarterfinal playoff rounds, Newport defeated Danbury 2-0 (3-2,8-0), North Adams defeated Manchester 2-1 (5-3,4-5,2-1), Keene defeated Sanford 2-0 (2-1,6-3), and Vermont defeated Holyoke 2-0 (9-0,8-2). In the semifinal rounds, Newport defeated North Adams 2-0 (7-1,3-2) and Vermont defeated Keene 2-1 (7-5,0-7,5-1). In the championship round, Newport defeated Vermont 11-2 in game 1 and 6-2 in game 2 to capture the NECBL championship.


2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also held a supplemental draft that year, which was held after the regular draft but before the regular season. The draft took place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, and was televised for the 26th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. It was the first to be held at the Javits Center after Madison Square Garden was utilized for previous drafts since 1995.


2005 NFL Draft
The draft is best known for quarterback Aaron Rodgers falling to the 24th selection after being projected as one of the top picks. Although Rodgers believed he would be taken first overall by the San Francisco 49ers, the 49ers instead selected quarterback Alex Smith and Rodgers was passed on by teams with other positional needs until he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers' fall drew retrospective scrutiny due to his success in the league.


2005 NFL Draft
Compensatory selections were distributed amongst fourteen teams, with the Philadelphia Eagles and the St. Louis Rams garnering the most with four picks each. Three of the first five picks were running backs, an NFL draft first.


2005 NFL Draft
As of 2021,  Aaron Rodgers, Dustin Colquitt, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richie Incognito, and Robbie Gould are the only remaining active players from the draft.


2005 NFL Draft
The 255 players chosen in the draft were composed of:


2005 NFL Draft, Supplemental draft selections
For each player selected in the supplemental draft, the team forfeited its pick in that round in the draft of the following season.


2005 NFL Draft, Trades
In the explanations below, (PD) indicates trades completed prior to the start of the draft (i.e. Pre-Draft), while (D) denotes trades that took place during the 2005 draft.


2005 NFL Europe season
The 2005 NFL Europe season was the 13th season in 15 years of the American Football league that started out as the World League of American Football. The Hamburg Sea Devils replaced the Scottish Claymores for the 2005 season.


2005 NFL Europe season, World Bowl XIII
World Bowl XIII was held on Saturday, June 11, 2005 at LTU Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Amsterdam Admirals defeated the Berlin Thunder, 27–21.


2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.


2005 NFL season
Regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006. The regular season also saw the first ever regular season game played outside the United States, as well as the New Orleans Saints being forced to play elsewhere due to damage to the Superdome and the entire New Orleans area by Hurricane Katrina.


2005 NFL season
The playoffs began on January 7. The New England Patriots' streak of 10 consecutive playoff wins and chance at a third straight Super Bowl title was ended in the Divisional Playoff Round by the Denver Broncos, and eventually the NFL title was won by the Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21–10 in Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on February 5 for their fifth Super Bowl win. This also marked the first time that a sixth-seeded team, who by the nature of their seeding would play every game on the road, would advance to and win the Super Bowl.


2005 NFL season
The season formally concluded with the Pro Bowl, the league's all-star game, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 12.


2005 NFL season, Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was held from April 23 to 24, 2005 at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. With the first pick, the San Francisco 49ers selected quarterback Alex Smith from the University of Utah.


2005 NFL season, Regular season, First regular season game played outside the United States
The 2005 season also featured the first ever regular season game played outside the United States when a San Francisco 49ers – Arizona Cardinals game was played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on October 2 (the Cardinals won 31–14). The game drew an NFL regular season record of 103,467 paid fans. It was a home game for the Cardinals, mostly because the team rarely sold out at their then-home field, Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. This season was the last year that the Cardinals played at Sun Devil Stadium; the team then moved to their new Cardinals Stadium in nearby Glendale.


2005 NFL season, Regular season, Effect of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Effect of Hurricane Katrina
Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the Louisiana Superdome and the greater New Orleans area, the New Orleans Saints’ entire 2005 home schedule was played at different venues while the Saints set up temporary operations in San Antonio, Texas. The Saints’ first home game scheduled for September 18 against the New York Giants was moved to September 19 at Giants Stadium, where the Giants won 27–10. The impromptu “Monday Night doubleheader” with the game already scheduled (Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys) was a success, and was made a permanent part of the schedule the next year when Monday Night Football made the move to ESPN.


2005 NFL season, Regular season, Effect of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Effect of Hurricane Katrina
As a result of the unscheduled doubleheader, the NFL designated its second weekend, September 18 and 19, as “Hurricane Relief Weekend’, with fund raising collections at all of the league's games. The Saints’ remaining home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio and Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Being forced to travel to 13 of their 16 games (only 3 of their games were actually played in the same city where they practiced) and practice in substandard facilities and conditions in San Antonio, the Saints finished 3–13, their worst season since 1999.


2005 NFL season, Regular season, Effect of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Effect of Hurricane Katrina
The last time an NFL franchise had to play at an alternate site was in 2002, when the Chicago Bears played home games in Champaign, Illinois, 120 miles (200 km) away, due to the reconstruction of Soldier Field. The last NFL team to abandon their home city during a season was the hapless 1952 Dallas Texans, whose franchise was returned to the league after drawing several poor crowds at the Cotton Bowl. They played their final “home” game at the Rubber Bowl in Akron, Ohio, against the Bears on Thanksgiving; the Texans stunned the Bears, 27–23, in front of a crowd estimated at 3,000, for their only win of the season.


2005 NFL season, Regular season, Effect of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, Effect of Hurricane Wilma
The Sunday, October 23 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins at Dolphins Stadium was rescheduled to Friday, October 21 at 7:00 pm EDT to beat Hurricane Wilma's arrival to the Miami, Florida area. The Chiefs won the game, 30–20, and became the first visiting team to travel and play on the same day. Since the game was planned for Sunday afternoon, it is one of the few times in history that the Dolphins wore their road jerseys in a home game played at night.


2005 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.


2005 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).


2005 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.


2005 NFL season, Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:


2005 NFL season, Stadiums
The New Orleans Saints played in Baton Rouge’s Tiger Stadium for four games and in San Antonio's Alamodome for three games due to Louisiana Superdome damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Tiger Stadium's goalposts did not conform to NFL standards due to (a) two supports instead of one and (b) white paint instead of gold. The NFL granted the Saints dispensation to keep LSU's goalposts in place for their games.


2005 NFL season, Stadiums
In addition, with the RCA and Edward Jones domes both removing their AstroTurf surfaces in favor of the newer next-generation FieldTurf surface, the old first-generation AstroTurf surface ceased to be used in the NFL.


2005 NFL season, Stadiums
Pro Player Stadium was renamed Dolphins Stadium. Pro Player's parent Fruit of the Loom had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in 1999, and the Pro Player label was discontinued, but that stadium name was kept for several more years.


2005 NFL season, Television
This marked the final season that ABC held the rights to televise Monday Night Football after thirty-six years of airing the series. When the TV contracts were renewed near the end of the season, the rights to broadcast Monday Night Football were awarded to Disney-owned corporate sibling ESPN. NBC bought the right to televise Sunday Night Football, marking the first time that the network broadcast NFL games since Super Bowl XXXII in 1998. Meanwhile, CBS and Fox renewed their television contracts to the American Football Conference and the National Football Conference packages, respectively.


2005 NHK Trophy
The 2005 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2005–06 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Kadoma Sports Center in Osaka on December 1–4. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2005–06 Grand Prix Final. The compulsory dance was the Tango Romantica.


2005 NHL Entry Draft
The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft. Originally scheduled to be held on June 25, the 2004–05 NHL lockout led to the draft being postponed to July 30.


2005 NHL Entry Draft
Special procedures were required to determine the order of picks, because the previous season had been cancelled due to the lockout. The first overall pick was won in a lottery by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who selected Sidney Crosby.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Venue
The draft was originally scheduled to be held on 25 June, hosted by the Ottawa Senators at the Corel Centre (their home rink). However, the 2004–05 NHL lockout was still ongoing, causing the draft to be postponed. The lockout ended on 22 July with the approval of a new NHL collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA set the new date of the draft as 30 July. The Corel Centre was still available but cannot be used on such short notice. The draft was instead held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario. The Senators were compensated by hosting the 2008 draft instead.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Venue
As a result of the rearrangement, the draft was not open to the public, for the first time since 1980. Nor was it possible for large numbers of drafted players to attend: only the twenty highest prospects on the NHL Central Scouting rankings were present.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Procedures
The order of draft picks was usually determined by team performance in the previous season, with teams picking in the same order in each round (modified by any trading of draft picks). However, the lockout had led to the complete cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season, so there were no final positions to base the draft order on. The new CBA modified the draft procedures accordingly.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Procedures
The order of picks in the first round was determined by a weighted lottery. In the second round this order was reversed, so the team with the 30th pick would also receive the 31st pick, whilst the team with first overall pick would not pick again until the 60th pick (last pick in the second round). The order would continue alternating in each subsequent round, producing a 'snaking' order. Teams were permitted to trade their draft picks as usual, which led to some modifications to the order.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Procedures
The new CBA reduced the draft length to seven rounds, compared to the nine rounds used previously. As a result, 230 players were selected.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Procedures, Lottery
The lottery was held on 22 July, the same day that the new CBA was approved. The top-rated prospect in this draft was Sidney Crosby, and it was widely assumed that he would be the first overall pick by whichever team won the lottery, so it became known colloquially as the 'Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes'.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Procedures, Lottery
Teams were weighted based on playoff appearances in the last three completed seasons (2001-02, 02-03 and 03-04), and first overall picks in the last four drafts (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004). Three lottery balls each were assigned to teams which had not qualified for any of those playoffs and received no first overall picks in that period. Teams which had one playoff appearance or first overall pick in those years were given two lottery balls. All other teams received one lottery ball.


2005 NHL Entry Draft, Procedures, Lottery
This produced a total of 48 lottery balls. As a result, teams with three balls had a 6.3% chance of winning the lottery, two balls 4.2%, and one ball 2.1%. The Pittsburgh Penguins won the lottery and therefore the first overall pick. Further drawing of team names was used to determine the order of the remaining picks.


2005 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season
The NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series was a series of drag racing events that took place in the USA between 2002 and 2008. The series, taking place each year, is now known as the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. It is the top competition division of the NHRA.


2005 NLL season
The 2005 National Lacrosse League season is the 19th season of the NLL that began on January 1, 2005 and concluded with the championship game on May 14. The Toronto Rock won their fifth NLL championship, defeating the Arizona Sting 19–13 in Toronto.


2005 NLL season
Colin Doyle of the Toronto Rock won the scoring title, marking the first time since 1990 that someone other than Gary Gait, Paul Gait, or John Tavares has led the league in scoring. For his efforts in leading the Rock to the championship, Doyle was named both league MVP and Championship Game MVP.


2005 NLL season
Just hours after the Rock's championship victory, another lacrosse legend, former Toronto head coach and general manager Les Bartley died from colon cancer at age 51. Bartley had coached the Buffalo Bandits to three MILL/ NLL championships before moving to the expansion Ontario Raiders in 1998. Bartley moved with the Raiders to Toronto the next year, and went on to win titles in four of the next five seasons. Bartley also won the NLL Executive of the Year award in 2005, in part due to his involvement in the negotiation of the new CBA.


2005 NLL season
The 2005 season featured the NLL retirement of two lacrosse legends: Gary Gait and Tom Marechek. Marechek played his entire 12-year career with the Philadelphia Wings, winning Rookie of the Year in 1994, as well as four championships with the Wings. He was named to the All-Pro team eight times, and is third all-time in the NLL in points, after only Gary Gait and John Tavares . Marechek announced his retirement shortly before the end of the season.


2005 NLL season
Gait, at the time the league's all-time leading scorer, announced his retirement shortly before the season began. He was named League MVP six times, won seven scoring titles, and was named an All-Pro an astonishing 14 times in 14 seasons. With four games left in the regular season, Gait managed to coax his twin brother Paul out of retirement to play with him. However, Colorado was eliminated in the division semi-finals by Arizona, so Gait's dream of winning the championship in his final season did not come to fruition. He did win the championship in his first year as head coach of the Mammoth the next year.


2005 NLL season, Labour dispute
The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the league and the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association (PLPA) expired at the end of the 2004 season, and negotiations for a new CBA took place over the summer. However, these negotiations did not result in a new agreement, and the NLL even accused the PLPA of negotiating in bad faith. The league made its "last, best, and final offer" to the PLPA on September 29, 2004, and announced that if this offer was not accepted by the players, the season would be officially cancelled on October 2.


2005 NLL season, Labour dispute
Marathon negotiations continued until early morning on October 1, and resulted in two different proposals. Both were presented to the players that day with the stipulation that if neither of them was acceptable, the season would be cancelled. One of the two proposals (a three-year deal) was accepted, and the season went on as scheduled.


2005 NLL season, Team movement
The season featured a new team added to the East division, and one removed from the West. The ownership of the Minnesota Wild NHL team purchased the rights to the old Montreal Express franchise, moving it to Minnesota and renaming it the Minnesota Swarm, while the Vancouver Ravens franchise was removed from the schedule less than three weeks before the start of the season.


2005 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


2005 NLL season, All Star Game
The 2005 All-Star Game was held at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta on February 26, 2005. The East division defeated the West 11–10 in a thrilling overtime game. John Tavares scored the winner, and hometown captain Tracy Kelusky was named game MVP.


2005 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.


2005 NLL season, Awards, Monthly awards
Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.


2005 NLL season, Statistics leaders
Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.


2005 NPF Draft
The 2005 Senior College Player Selections was the second annual NPF player draft. It was held February 7, 2005 to assign elite college players to pro teams for 2005 season. The first selection was Southern Illinois' Amy Harre, picked by the expansion Chicago Bandits. Athletes are not allowed by the NCAA to sign professional contracts until their collegiate seasons have ended. The Arizona Heat made their selection in round 1, but passed on all their subsequent selections. NPF teams' exclusive rights to players selected in the 2005 draft expired July 15, 2005.


2005 NPF Draft, 2005 Senior College Player Selections
Following are the 24 selections from the 2005 NPF Senior Draft:


2005 NPF Draft, 2005 Senior College Player Selections
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.


2005 NPSL Season
The 2005 National Premier Soccer League season was the 3rd season of the NPSL. Prior to the beginning of the year the league changed its name from the Mens Premier Soccer League to the National Premier Soccer League, to recognize the league's eastward expansion and the creation of the new Midwest Division.


2005 NPSL Season
Expansion franchise Detroit Arsenal finished the season as national champions, beating Sonoma County Sol in the NPSL Championship game


2005 NPSL Season, Playoffs, Semi finals
Sonoma County Sol beat Sacramento KnightsDetroit Arsenal beat Milwaukee Bavarians


2005 NRL Grand Final
The 2005 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding game of the National Rugby League's 2005 Telstra Premiership season. It was played on the night of Sunday, 2 October at Sydney's Telstra Stadium between the Wests Tigers and North Queensland Cowboys, with both clubs making their grand final debuts. The Wests Tigers won the match 30–16 to claim their first premiership title, becoming the first joint-venture club to win a premiership. Scott Prince of the Wests Tigers received the Clive Churchill Medal as the official man of the match. The game set a new record for the highest television audience in Australia for a rugby league match since the introduction of the OzTam ratings system in 2001.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Background
The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen teams contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership. The fourth-placed Wests Tigers and fifth-placed North Queensland Cowboys had both reached their first premiership decider. The two teams had met three times during the season, with the Cowboys winning by 44–20 in round six, though the Tigers went in having won the previous two, including a 50–6 victory in the first week of the finals series.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Background, Wests Tigers
For the Wests Tigers, their first grand final appearance had come at the end of their sixth season (since the merger of the Balmain Tigers and the Western Suburbs Magpies). Only centre Paul Whatuira and full-back Brett Hodgson had previously played in a grand final. Whatuira won with Penrith in 2003 and Hodgson lost with Parramatta in 2001. Their fullback, Brett Hodgson was the 2005 regular season's top point-scorer.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Background, North Queensland Cowboys
For the North Queensland Cowboys, their grand final debut had come at the end of their eleventh season. Cowboys' five-eighth Johnathan Thurston, the 2005 season's Dally M Medallist, had won the previous year's grand final with the Bulldogs as a utility player and replacement player for their injured captain Steve Price. Also, winger Matt Sing lost in 2000 with the Sydney Roosters. Their fullback Matt Bowen was the 2005 regular season's top try scorer.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Background, North Queensland Cowboys
However their Queensland State of Origin forward Carl Webb was suspended for punching Melbourne's Ryan Hoffman in the final round of the regular season so he was forced to watch the entire Cowboys' finals run from the sidelines. Airline Qantas added an extra two flights and the Townsville Bulletin newspaper chartered a Boeing 747 to take North Queensland fans to their team's first grand final.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day
The grand final was played at Sydney's Telstra Stadium before a crowd of 82,453. Television coverage of the match was provided by Nine's Wide World of Sports with commentary from Ray Warren, Peter Sterling, Paul Vautin, Phil Gould, Matthew Johns, Andrew Voss and Ben Ikin. The Veronicas and Pete Murray provided pre-match performances. A minute's silence was then held for the previous day's 2005 Bali bombings before Natalie Bassingthwaighte sung the Australian national anthem.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 1st half
At 19:00 AEST, Tim Mander, officiating his 2nd grand final, blew time on and the Tigers kicked off. In the eighth minute the Cowboys had almost reached the Tigers' twenty-metre line on the third tackle of the set when Payne ran from dummy half and passed inside for Rauhihi to hit the ball up and stand in the tackle, offloading to Thurston who passed to Matt Bowen. Bowen then threw a deft pass back on the inside to Justin Smith who charged toward the line and threw the ball blindly back over his head before being tackled.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 1st half
The loose ball was picked up by Thurtson and handed to Bowen to dash the remaining few metres to the line and touch down behind the uprights. For the third week in a row, Bowen was the first try scorer of the game. Josh Hannay converted the try so the Cowboys were leading 0-6.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 1st half
Ten minutes later the Tigers were down at the opposition's end of the field where halfback Scott Prince on the last tackle put up a kick that came down over the try line and was taken by Paul Bowman who was about to be tackled in goal and threw a speculative pass which was not caught by his teammate and Tigers forward Bryce Gibbs was there to fall onto the loose ball near the goal posts. Brett Hodgson kicked the extra two points so the scores were even at 6-6.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 1st half
Cowboys winger Ty Williams crossed the Tigers' try-line in the twenty-third minute but the video referee ruled no try due to an obstruction in back play. A few minutes later, Tigers' left winger Pat Richards (whose fractured ankle required six pain-killing injections for him to defy medical opinion and play in the match) crossed in the corner but the video referee disallowed the try as the ball was not properly grounded.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 1st half
In the thirty-fifth minute the Tigers received a Johnathan Thurston kick on their own try line, the ball going to Benji Marshall who ran with it, splitting the defence and charging down the left side and over the half-way line. Drawing a defender, Marshall then threw a flick pass behind his back to his winger Pat Richards coming through in support. Richards palmed off a Cowboys defender as he ran the remaining twenty metres to dive over and score, finishing one of the most famous grand final plays in history. Hodgson kicked the extra two points so now the Tigers were leading 12-6. Shortly before half time the Cowboys were penalised on their twenty-metre line and Hodgson took the kick at goal but missed.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
In the fifth minute the Tigers were mounting an attack ten metres from the Cowboys line when on the third tackle, hooker Robbie Farah put his prop forward Anthony Laffranchi through a gap to crash over the line and score near the uprights.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
Brett Hodgson kicked the extra two points so the Tigers were leading 18-6  . Ten minutes later the Cowboys were attacking the Tigers' try line when Thurston, ten metres out flicked the ball back to Travis Norton who charged over to score.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
Josh Hannay converted the try so the Cowboys were behind 18-12. In the sixty-third minute the Tigers had the ball down near the Cowboys' try-line and moved it out to Daniel Fitzhenry on the right wing to dive over in the corner. Hodgson kicked the goal from near the sideline to convert the try, taking the Tigers' lead out to 24-12.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
With six and a half minutes remaining, Tigers half-back Scott Prince attempted a field goal but missed. Shortly after that Cowboys winger Matt Sing almost scored a try but the video referee found that he'd knocked on. A few minutes later though, the Cowboys were down close to the Tigers' try line where their half-back Johnathan Thurston threw a cut out pass to Matt Sing to score on the right wing.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
Josh Hannay missed the conversion so the score was 24-16 in favour of the Tigers with under two minutes left to play. Seconds before the final siren the Tigers got one more try when Hodgson, from ten metres out, put a grubber kick into the Cowboys' in-goal area for Todd Payten to dive onto. Hodgson then converted the try so the final score was 30-16, and the Wests Tigers had their first premiership as a merged team.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
For fans of Balmain and Western Suburbs, the premiership victory also ended long droughts for both sets of fans who came together to support the merged club. Balmain had not won the premiership since 1969 and Western Suburbs had not won since 1952.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
Tigers captain Scott Prince, himself from North Queensland, was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as man-of-the-match before being presented with the premiership trophy by Australian Prime Minister John Howard. It was the final match with the Tigers for their winger Pat Richards who joined English Super League club Wigan Warriors for the 2006 season.


2005 NRL Grand Final, Match day, 2nd half
The match had the highest television ratings for a night time grand final in history. As winners of the grand final the Wests club received $400,000 in prize money.


2005 NRL Grand Final, 2006 World Club Challenge
Having won the NRL grand final, Wests had earned the right to play against 2005's Super League X Champions, the Bradford Bulls in the following February's World Club Challenge.


2005 NRL season
The 2005 NRL season was the 98th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the eighth run by the National Rugby League. The lineup of clubs remained unchanged from the previous year, with fifteen teams contesting the 2005 Telstra Premiership, which culminated in a grand final between the Wests Tigers and the North Queensland Cowboys.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
In 2005 the NRL's salary cap was $3.25 million for the 25 highest-paid players in a club.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
The season was statistically the closest season ever, with just sixteen points separating the Parramatta Eels (1st) and Newcastle Knights (15th). It was also notable in that the previous four premiers failed to qualify for the finals (Bulldogs, Penrith Panthers, Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights).


2005 NRL season, Season summary
In the middle of 2005 the NRL reached a broadcasting rights agreement with Foxsports and Channel 9 worth $500 million over six years, representing a 65% increase in direct television income.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
The Knights recorded their worst ever start to a season (13 straight losses) and were consigned to last place for the entire season. They did however win 8 of their last 11 games thanks to the return of superstar Andrew Johns. The Knights also defeated five of the top eight teams during the season, four of which were at home. They also recorded their then equal worst ever defeat - a 50-0 thrashing by the Parramatta Eels in round 14.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
During this match, an EnergyAustralia Stadium attendant ran onto the field, trying to tackle Parramatta's Daniel Wagon before he scored in the 78th minute. Minor premiers the Parramatta Eels lost to each of the bottom four teams (Bulldogs, Rabbitohs, Raiders and Knights in rounds 8, 2, 19 and 20 respectively) during the course of the season.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
It was announced that the Gold Coast Titans were to be admitted into the NRL as the sixteenth team, scheduled to begin playing in the 2007 season. The Titans would recruit John Cartwright as their inaugural coach and Preston Campbell was their first signing.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
Johnathan Thurston won the 2005 Dally M Medal by a single point from Newcastle's Andrew Johns, despite Johns missing over a third of the season with a broken jaw.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
The two clubs that had players sent off won their matches (unlike in 2004) but the dismissal of John Hopoate made rugby league headlines. Hopoate was sent off in his team's win over the Cronulla Sharks and consequently received a 17-match ban. The Sea Eagles then terminated his contract.


2005 NRL season, Season summary
The Wests Tigers became the first ever joint venture club to win the premiership, having formed in 2000 as a union between the Balmain Tigers and Western Suburbs Magpies, both foundation members of the original New South Wales Rugby Football League.


2005 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
In 2005 the NRL and their advertising agency MJW Hakuhodo for the third year running stayed with the Hoodoo Gurus' "That's My Team" soundtrack and developed three different musical executions.


2005 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
The campaign focussed on the association of "strength" with the game and the ads featured three different musical interpretations of the song all without vocals. Each was created intending to bring out the positionings of rugby league characteristice of ‘strength of body’, ‘strength of mind’ and ‘strength of character’


2005 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
Outdoor supersites also featured in suburban locations in NSW and local cinema versions of the TVC ran with a call to action inviting fans to attend a game of the team local to the cinema location.


2005 NRL season, Finals series
To decide the grand finalists from the top eight finishing teams, the NRL adopts the McIntyre Final Eight System.


2005 NRL season results
The 2005 National Rugby League season consisted of 25 weekly regular season rounds starting in March, followed by four weeks of play-offs that culminated in a grand final on 2 October.


2005 NRL season results, Finals series
The National Rugby League's 2005 finals series ran from 9 September to 2 October 2005, as eight teams vied to win the NRL Premiership in the Grand Final after the 2005 season. The final placings and first-week match-ups were decided only after all the matches in the final week were completed. The Grand Final, played on 2 October, was won by the Wests Tigers who claimed their first-ever NRL premiership. The runners up were the North Queensland Cowboys.


2005 NRL season results, Finals series, The Finals System
The system used for the NRL is the McIntyre Final Eight System, which is designed by Ken McIntyre in addition to the McIntyre Four, Five and Six systems to determine which two teams will play for the Premiership. In each of the three weeks of the competition, two teams are eliminated until only two teams are left. The better a team finishes in the home-and-away season ladder, the easier their route through to the Grand Final.


2005 NRL season results, Finals series, The Finals System
In the first week, twos are paired off as such by rank (games are played at the home ground of the higher seed):


2005 NRL season results, Finals series, The Finals System
Once all four games ave been played, teams are grouped into winners and losers, and then ranked based on their home-and-away season standings, for example:


2005 NRL season results, Finals series, The Finals System
... Losers #3 and #4 are immediately eliminated, while Winners #3 and #4 will face Losers #1 and #2 (in other words, a "double chance" for the two highest-ranked losers). Winners #1 and #2 receive a bye to week three, to await the winners of the two semi-finals.


2005 NRL season results, Finals series, The Finals System
The winners of the two preliminary finals will then face off for the premiership in the Grand Final.


2005 NZIHL season
The following is the 2005 New Zealand Ice Hockey League season standings, results, leading scorers and awards.


2005 Nadeshiko League
Statistics of L. League in the 2005 season. Nippon TV Beleza won the championship.


2005 Nagaokakyō city assembly election
Nagaokakyō, Kyoto, held an election for the city assembly on October 2, 2005. Independents won the most seats while the Japanese Communist Party gathered most party votes.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on 19 June 2005. The election saw the two pro-government parties, the Democratic Party of Artsakh and Free Motherland, win a large majority of seats. The opposition criticised the conduct of the election but international election monitors generally praised the election.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Background
Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence from Azerbaijan in 1991. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War took place between 1988 and 1994 which resulted in Nagorno-Karabakh, with Armenian support, becoming de facto independent from Azerbaijan. However it has not been internationally recognised and Azerbaijan still claims the area as part of its state. The President of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2005, Arkadi Ghukasyan, was elected in 1997 and re-elected in 2002 and had 2 years remaining on his presidential term.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Background
2005 would be the fourth parliamentary election in Nagorno-Karabakh and was the first under a new electoral law which, among other things, introduced transparent ballot boxes. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation had been in co-operation with the government until the party's only member of the government, Armen Sargsian, was sacked as Education minister in December 2004. The party then went into opposition. The opposition was expected to do well in the upcoming parliamentary elections after the leader of the opposition Movement 88 party, Eduard Aghabekian, was elected mayor of Stepanakert in August 2004 defeating a government backed candidate.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Campaign
185 candidates from 7 parties, together with some independents, stood in the parliamentary elections. They were competing for 33 seats in the National Assembly, with two-thirds of the seats elected directly and a further third elected on a proportional basis. There was a requirement for turnout to exceed 25% in order for the election to be valid and the elected members would serve a five-year term.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Campaign
The election was not recognised internationally and so the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) did not send any election monitors. However about a hundred non-governmental observers did come to monitor the election, along with a group of deputies from the Russian State Duma. The election was regarded as illegitimate by Azerbaijan and their ally Turkey. Azerbaijan said that the election was illegal until Azerbaijanis were allowed to return and that it would undermine their OSCE talks with Armenia over the area. President Ghukasyan, though, said that the election would boost the international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh and promised that the election would be honest and transparent.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Campaign
The opposition competed in the election as a coalition between the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the oldest nationalist party in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the new Movement 88 party. The opposition criticised the democratic record of the government and accused them of using their authority to intimidate and bribe voters, a charge which the government denied. Although the opposition was expected to do well, analysts said that disunity and the voters tiredness of continuous criticism could mean they would not do as well as expected.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Campaign
As well as the existing government party of the president, the Democratic Party of Artsakh, a new pro-government party contested the election, Free Motherland. Free Motherland had a mainly economic focus and said that the opposition just criticised without offering solutions. Free Motherland was expected to mainly side with the government and having a second pro-government party was seen as benefiting the authorities.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Results
The results saw a huge majority for the pro-government parties with the Democratic Party and Free Motherland both winning 10 seats. Most of the 10 independents were expected to back the government, while the opposition only won 3 seats, down from the 9 seats the Armenian Revolutionary Federation had won at the last election.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Results
The opposition accused the government of having a system of buying votes and using threats of dismissal from work unless people voted the right way. One opposition member said with irony that the election had taken place with "fair and transparent irregularities". The opposition threatened to boycott parliament but did not call for any street protests.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Results
Both government and opposition in Armenia praised the election and said it would strengthen the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. The international election monitors praised the election, describing it as generally free and fair and meeting international democratic standards. One western election monitor said that many recognised states could use Nagorno-Karabakh as an example.


2005 Nagorno-Karabakh parliamentary election, Aftermath
The days after the election were overshadowed by the beating of an opposition candidate, Pavel Manukian, by members of the army, although it was denied that this had anything to do with the election. The first session of the new parliament took place on 30 June with the posts of speaker and deputy speaker being shared between the two pro-government parties.


2005 Nagoya Grampus Eight season
The 2005 Nagoya Grampus Eight season was Nagoya Grampus Eight's 13th season in the J. League Division 1 and 24th overall in the Japanese top flight. The club started the season under the management of Nelsinho, but he was sacked and replaced by Hitoshi Nakata. Nagoya finished the season in 14th place in the League, reached the Fifth Round of the Emperor's Cup and finished 3rd in Group D of the J. League Cup.


2005 Nagoya Women's Marathon
The 2005 Nagoya marathon was held on March 13, 2005. It was the 26th edition of the Nagoya Women's Marathon. The Japanese Yumiko Hara finished first with a time of 2:24.19. Only females were allowed to take part in the competition.


2005 National Camogie League
The 2005 National Camogie League, the second most important elite level inter-county competition in the women's team field sport of camogie was won by Galway, who defeated Cork in the final, played at Thurles.


2005 National Camogie League, Background
Galway were without star players Lourda Kavanagh and Áine Hilary due to injury, and their victory was more remarkable for the fact they failed to win a single league match in 2004, but under the new management team of former player Sharon Glynn, former U21 hurler Damian Coleman and former All-Ireland winner PJ Molloy.


2005 National Camogie League, The Final
Galway’s match-turning goal came two minutes into injury-time of the first half when Brenda Kerins found the waiting Veronica Curtin who scored to put Galway 1-4 to 0-3 ahead. Galway started nervously and had to wait 23 minutes before their opening score, a point from full-forward Veronica Curtin who was to marry to selector Damian Coleman. After Emer Dillon and Curtin exchanged points early in the second half, Cork closed the gap with two Jennifer O'Leary frees, the second which came 12 minutes into the half was Cork’s last score of the day. Galway too failed to score again until the 20th minute when Veronica Curtin sent over her fifth point.


2005 National Camogie League, Goalkeeper misses penalty
Galway had a chance to wrap it up with seven minutes to go when they were awarded a penalty. Goalkeeper Stephanie Gannon, the 2004 young player of the year, ran the length of the pitch to take the penalty, but it was saved on the line.


2005 National Camogie League, Aftermath
"We came determined to compete and win. Those girls did everything that was asked of them, I am so proud of them.


2005 National Camogie League, Division 2
The Junior National League, known since 2006 as Division Two, was won by Cork intermediates who defeated Galway intermediates in the final.


2005 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2005 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League, was the 74th staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.


2005 National Football League (Ireland)
Armagh beat Wexford in the final to win their first title after losing three previous finals.


2005 National Football League (Ireland)
Division 2 was won by Monaghan who beat Meath in the final.


2005 National Football League (Ireland), Format
The top 16 teams are drawn into Divisions 1A and 1B. The other 16 teams are drawn into Divisions 2A and 2B. Each team plays all the other teams in its section once: either home or away. Teams earn 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.


2005 National Football League (Ireland), Format
The top two teams in Divisions 2A and 2B progress to the Division 2 semi-finals and are promoted. The bottom two teams in Divisions 1A and 1B are relegated. The top two teams in Divisions 1A and 1B progress to the NFL semi-finals.


2005 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Division 1A Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2A


2005 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Division 1B Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2B


2005 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Division 2A Table
Compete in Division 2 semi-finals and automatic promotion to Division 1A


2005 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Division 2B Table
Compete in Division 2 semi-finals and automatic promotion to Division 1B


2005 National Games of China
The 10th National Games of the People's Republic of China was a multi-sport event that was held in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, from 12–23 October 2005.


2005 National Games of China
As a premier national sporting event, the 10th National Games of the People's Republic of China aimed to identify and nurture athlete talents and build up the national teams for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.


2005 National Games of China, Participation
The Games featured a total of 47 participating teams from: Chinese People's Liberation Army, Beijing Municipality, Tianjin City, Hebei Province, Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Liaoning Province, Jilin Province, Heilongjiang Province, Shanghai City, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, Anhui Province, Fujian Province, Jiangxi Province, Shandong Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Guangdong Province, Zhuang Autonomous Region of Guangxi, Hainan Province, Chongqing City, Sichuan Province, Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province, Tibet Autonomous Region, Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, Qinghai Province, Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia, Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, Taiwan Province, the Macau Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and sports associations across the country.


2005 National Games of China, Sports
There were a total of 32 events at the 10th National Games.


2005 National Hurling League
The 2005 National Hurling League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Hurling League, was the 74th edition of the National Hurling League (NHL), an annual hurling competition for the GAA county teams. Kilkenny won the league, beating Clare in the final.


2005 National Hurling League
An experimental rule was trialled in the 2005 NHL, with two points being awarded for a point scored directly from a sideline cut.


2005 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.


2005 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 1
Each team in Section 1 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 Section 2 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.


2005 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.


2005 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 2
Each team in Section 1 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 Section 2 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.


2005 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.


2005 National Hurling League, Structure, Division 3
Each team in Section 1 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 Section 2 plays the other two teams that it did not play in the first four games. The top two play the Division 3 Shield Final.


2005 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 1
Brian Cody won his third league title in four seasons with Kilkenny, as 'the Cats' recorded just a single defeat in the entire league. Clare, who were league runners-up, also suffered just one defeat in the group stages, however, they fell to Kilkenny in the final.


2005 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 1
Down at the other end of the table, Dublin and Down went through the group stages without a single victory. A relegation group of six teams meant that 'the Dubs' ended up at the bottom and faced relegation for the following season.


2005 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 2
Offaly won the Division 2 title after recording just one defeat throughout the group stages, thus returning to the top flight having been relegated the previous year. Runners-up Carlow also faced only one defeat throughout the group stages until the last day of the league when they were defeated in the final by Offaly. Going down were Sligo who only had a draw with Wicklow to show for their entire campaign.


2005 National Hurling League, Overview, Division 3
Mayo and Donegal qualified for the league final in this division with Mayo winning promotion. Cavan, having failed to win a single game in the group stage, finished bottom of Division 3B and could thus be regarded as the worst team of all the divisions.


2005 National Hurling League, Division 1
Galway came into the season as defending champions of the 2004 season. Down entered Division 1 as the promoted team.


2005 National Hurling League, Division 1
On 2 May 2005, Kilkenny won the title following a 3-20 to 0-15 win over Clare in the final. It was their first league title since 2003 and their 12th National League title overall.


2005 National Hurling League, Division 1
Dublin, who lost all of their group stage matches, were relegated from Division 1 after losing all of their matches in the relegation group. Offaly won Division 2 and secured promotion to the top tier.


2005 National Hurling League, Division 1
Galway's Ger Farragher was the Division 1 top scorer with 2-54.


2005 National Indoor Football League season
The 2005 National Indoor Football League season was the fifth season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Tri-Cities Fever, who defeated the Rome Renegades in Indoor Bowl V.


2005 National Indoor Football League season, Standings
*= Despite winning the division, the D.B. Hawgs were unable to play in the playoffs for using an illegal player in a game against the Rome Renegades.


2005 National Invitation Tournament
The 2005 National Invitation Tournament was the 2005 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. South Carolina defeated Saint Joseph's, 60-57, to earn the program's first NIT title.


2005 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 40 teams selected for the tournament.


2005 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket
Below are the four first round brackets, along with the four-team championship bracket.


2005 National League Championship Series
The 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS), the second round of the 2005 National League playoffs, matched the Central Division champion and defending league champion St. Louis Cardinals against the wild card qualifier Houston Astros, a rematch of the 2004 NLCS. The Cardinals, by virtue of having the best record in the NL during the 2005 season, had the home-field advantage. The Astros won the series four games to two, and became the National League champions; they faced the American League champion Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series, where the Astros lost to the White Sox in a sweep in four games.


2005 National League Championship Series
The Cardinals and Astros were victorious in the NL Division Series (NLDS), with the Cardinals defeating the West Division champion San Diego Padres three games to none, and the Astros defeating the East Division champion Atlanta Braves three games to one. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa, who won AL pennants with the Oakland Athletics in 1988–89–90 and the NL flag in 2004, fell short in his bid to become the first manager in history to win multiple pennants in both major leagues, although he did so in 2006 and again in 2011. The NLCS also closed with the last game ever played at St. Louis' Busch Stadium (II), which the Cardinals departed after 40 seasons.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Cardinals struck first in Game 1 when David Eckstein hit a leadoff single in the first off of starter Andy Pettitte, who was struck by a batted ball during batting practice but made the start as scheduled, then Reggie Sanders's home run two outs later put them up 2−0. Mark Grudzielanek singled to lead off the second, moved to third on Abraham Nunez's single one out later, and scored on Chris Carpenter's sacrifice bunt.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
In the fifth, Nunez again hit a leadoff single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on Eckstein's single with Eckstein reaching second on right fielder Jason Lane's throw to home. One out later, Albert Pujols's RBI single made it 5−0 Cardinals. Carpenter pitched six shutout innings before pinch hitter Chris Burke's two-run home run put the Astros on the board in the seventh. Brad Ausmus's sacrifice fly in the ninth off of Jason Isringhausen made it 5−3 Cardinals before pinch hitter Jose Vizcaino grounded out to end the game as the Cardinals went up 1−0 in the series.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Thursday, October 13, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
The Astros struck first in Game 2 when Chris Burke tripled with one out in the second and scored on a passed ball by starter Mark Mulder. In the fifth, Brad Ausmus hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Roy Oswalt's sacrifice bunt and scored on Craig Biggio's ground out. Albert Pujols's leadoff home run off of Oswalt in the sixth put the Cardinals on the board, but they would get nothing more. The Astros scored two insurance runs in the eighth off of Julián Tavárez on Chris Burke's RBI single that scored Lance Berkman from third. followed by Adam Everett's RBI triple. Brad Lidge pitched two shutout innings for the save as the Astros' 4−1 win tied the series at 1−1 heading to Houston.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Saturday, October 15, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In Game 3, Cardinals' starter Matt Morris pitched three shutout innings before walking Morgan Ensberg to lead off the fourth, then Mike Lamb's home run put the Astros up 2−0. In the fifth, the Astros' Roger Clemens allowed back-to-back leadoff singles to Yadier Molina and Abraham Nunez. Morris's sacrifice bunt moved them up one base each before David Eckstein's sacrifice fly put the Cardinals on the board. Clemens again allowed back-to-back leadoff singles next inning to Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds before Larry Walker's sacrifice fly tied the game.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the bottom of the inning, Lamb hit a one-out double and scored on Jason Lane's single. After Brad Ausmus singled, Brad Thompson relieved Morris and Adam Everett hit into a fielder's choice that allowed Lane to score to put the Astros up 4−2. Chad Qualls pitched two hitless innings before Brad Lidge retired the first two batters in the ninth and walked John Rodriguez. Rodriguez then moved to second on defensive indifference before scoring on John Mabry's double. This is the first run Lidge allowed against the Cardinals since May 29, 2003, but held on for the save to give the Astros a 2–1 series lead. It was Clemens' 12th career postseason win, fifth in League Championship Series games.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Sunday, October 16, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Brandon Backe provided a strong outing, and the Astro bullpen continued its strong performance. The Cardinals struck first in the fourth when David Eckstein drew a leadoff walk, moved to third on Jim Edmonds's double, and scored on Albert Pujols's sacrifice fly, but the Astros tied in the bottom of the inning on Jason Lane's home run off of Jeff Suppan. The Astros loaded the bases in the seventh off of Jason Marquis on two walks and an error when Morgan Ensberg's sacrifice fly put them up 2−1.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Tony La Russa and Jim Edmonds were both ejected for arguing balls and strikes on separate instances—LaRussa in the bottom of the seventh, Edmonds in the top of the eighth, at a key moment. Edmonds's ejection came with a 3–2 count, two outs, and a runner on base. Edmonds was replaced by pinch hitter John Rodríguez, who flied out to deep center field to end the scoring threat. The Cardinals once again had an opportunity to tie the game or take the lead in the ninth inning against closer Brad Lidge.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Albert Pujols and Larry Walker led off the inning with back-to-back singles, putting runners at first and third base with no outs. Reggie Sanders grounded to third; Pujols went home on contact and was thrown out at the plate. Larry Walker advanced to third when the Astros failed to call timeout after the play at the plate. John Mabry ended the threat by grounding into a double play.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
La Russa's ejection marked the first time a manager was ejected from a postseason game since 1998, when Mike Hargrove was thrown out of a game between his Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees. Houston was one game away from the franchise's first visit to the World Series after a 2–1 Game 4 win.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Monday, October 17, 2005 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Astros struck first in Game 5 on Craig Biggio's RBI single in the second off of starter Chris Carpenter, but the Cardinals loaded the bases on two hits and a walk off of Andy Pettitte when Mark Grudzielanek's two-run single put them up 2–1. Lance Berkman gave excited Astros fans a 4–2 lead with one swing on a pitch from Carpenter in the bottom of the seventh inning.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Astros were one strike away from claiming their first NL Pennant and trip to the Fall Classic before David Eckstein singled with no one on base, Jim Edmonds walked, and Albert Pujols hit a dramatic, towering three-run home run off Astros closer Brad Lidge that bounced off the side of the closed Minute Maid Park roof before landing on the railroad tracks in left field, stunning the crowd into silence. The home run gave the Cardinals a 5–4 lead in the top of the ninth inning. Jason Isringhausen retired the Astros in order in the bottom of the inning. The Cardinals guaranteed that another game would be played at historic Busch Stadium (II). The win also broke the Cardinals' seven-game losing streak in road NLCS games. The Astros' series lead was trimmed to 3-2.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Wednesday, October 19, 2005 at Busch Stadium (II) in St. Louis, Missouri


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The Astros shook off the effects of their Game 5 loss, and rolled to win their first National League pennant in 44 seasons of existence with a decisive 5–1 win over the Cardinals. The Astros scored a run in the third when the Cardinals' Mark Mulder threw a wild pitch to Craig Biggio with runners on second and third, then Biggio's RBI single scored another. Jason Lane's home run in the fourth put them up 3−0. Roy Oswalt pitched seven strong innings, allowing only a sacrifice fly to John Rodriguez in the fifth.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The Astros scored one run in the sixth on Adam Everett's sacrifice bunt off of Jason Marquis and another in the seventh on Morgan Ensberg's RBI single off of Julián Tavárez. This was the final game at Busch Stadium (II). This would also be the Astros' last postseason win as a member of the NL, as they would get swept in the World Series, move to the AL in 2013, and would not win another postseason game until the 2015 American League Wild Card Game.


2005 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Roy Oswalt was named the series MVP. In two starts, he went 2–0 with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
This series was the unofficial end of the Astros and Cardinals rivalry that developed when the Astros moved to the National League Central in 1994. From 1996 to 2006, either the St. Louis Cardinals or the Houston Astros won the National League Central every year, except for 2003. Both teams also played each other in dramatic and compelling National League Championship Series in 2004 and 2005.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
After the 2006 season, both teams had older rosters, but went in opposite directions. The Astros embarked on a long re-build and eventually moved from the National League to the American League after the 2012 season. To get themselves on the winning track again, the Astros hired Cardinals farm director Jeff Luhnow to be the team's general manager during the 2011-2012 off-season. The Astros would make the playoffs again in 2015 and finally win their first World Series in franchise history in 2017. However, Luhnow practices and ethnics were called into question almost immediately after winning the World Series.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
In 2018, Luhnow came under fire when he traded for Roberto Osuna, who was serving a suspension for 75 games for domestic assault. During the 2018 post-season, another controversial incident popped up, as an Astros' intern named Kyle McLaughlin was found taking cell phone video of the Indians' dugout during the Astros' and Indians' ALDS matchup. In regards to Osuna, Luhnow's assistant, Brandon Taubman, made inappropriate and sexist remarks to female reporters after the Astros clinched the 2019 pennant.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
Things came to a head on January 13th 2020, when Luhnow and A. J. Hinch (Houston's on field manager) were suspended for the entire 2020 season by MLB’s commissioner Rob Manfred for failing to prevent the Astros from cheating by electronically stealing signs during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Manfred harshly criticized the culture of the Astros' baseball operations department, saying that its emphasis on "results over other considerations" fostered an environment that made it possible for the sign stealing to continue for as long as it did.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
The Cardinals would win the World Series in 2006, ending a 24 year title drought, and would also continuously be championship contenders in the subsequent years afterwards by drafting and developing well. The Cardinals 2009 draft, which was overseen by future Astros’ GM Jeff Luhnow, saw them take key contributors such as Shelby Miller, Joe Kelly, Matt Carpenter, Trevor Rosenthal, and Matt Adams. Sports Illustrated called their 2009 draft one of the most celebrated drafts in recent memory. They would win another World Series in 2011 and make four straight NLCS appearances from 2011-2014.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
On the 2011 Cardinals championship team was former Astros stalwart Lance Berkman, who had a career rebirth upon signing with the Cardinals in 2010. In 2011, Berkman was an All-Star and the National League Comeback Player of the Year. Berkman played a key part in the Cardinals winning the 2011 World Series, hitting a game-tying single in the bottom of the tenth inning of Game 6, with the Cardinals just one strike away from elimination. After he retired in 2013, Berkman was inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
While the rivalry on the field cooled off after 2005-2006, and died when the Astros moved to the American League, there was still bad blood between the teams' front offices due to the Astros hiring Jeff Luhnow away from the Cardinals in 2011. A former Luthnow assistant named Chris Correa suspected former co-workers of taking intellectual property developed while with St. Louis with them to their new employer in Houston. Using passwords provided when the ex-employees turned in their Cardinals-issued computers, Correa hacked Houston's internal systems and found what he apparently believed was compelling evidence to support his concern.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
Correa later testified under oath that he came forward to Cardinals colleagues with his discovery, but the organization chose not to press the matter, with chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. later confirming the Cardinals' decision. Correa, however, continued to access Houston's database and repeatedly gathered information from Houston about players, including scouting reports, medical records and projected bonuses, which he used directly in the execution of his job with the Cardinals. Eventually Correa was caught in 2014 after he tried to anonymously leak the Astros' trade discussions and other confidential information to Deadspin.com in hopes to embarrass his former co-workers.


2005 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
Instead, in July of 2016, Correa was sentenced to 46 months in prison for hacking Houston’s database. MLB ordered the Cardinals to pay $2 million in damages to the Astros, and surrender to Houston their two top remaining picks in the 2017 amateur draft, #56 and #75 overall. Correa also received a lifetime ban from baseball.


2005 National League Cup
The 2005 National League Cup (known for commercial reasons as the Northern Rail Cup) was a British rugby league competition. The 2005 competition was the first to feature sides from National League Three: previously the competition had only featured sides from National Leagues One and Two.


2005 National League Cup
There were no cross-group games in the 2005 competition, each team therefore playing only six games in the group stages. The top team from each of the first five groups progressed to the quarter-final directly. The second-placed team in each of these groups, plus the top team from group six (the group of teams from National League 3), played an additional round to determine the remaining three spots in the quarter-finals.


2005 National League Cup
The winners of the 2005 Northern Rail Cup were Hull Kingston Rovers.


2005 National League Division Series
The 2005 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2005 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 4, and ended on Sunday, October 9, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were:


2005 National League Division Series
The Cardinals and Astros went on to meet in the NL Championship Series (NLCS). The Astros became the National League champion, and lost to the American League champion Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Game 1
It was a matchup between Jake Peavy and eventual 2005 Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter. In the bottom of the first, Jim Edmonds's one-out solo home run put the Cardinals up 1–0. Then in the bottom of the third, Peavy's control slipped away as a bases-loaded wild pitch and a two-run single by Reggie Sanders gave the Cards a 4–0 lead. However, Sanders would provide more offense with a grand slam in the fifth. That would make the score 8–0 and give Sanders six RBIs in the game. The Padres would not go quietly, though.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Game 1
They would scratch out a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Khalil Greene off Brad Thompson after a leadoff double and single, then one more on a home run by Eric Young in the eighth off Randy Flores. After the Padres put runners on the corners in the ninth off Cal Eldred, Jason Isringhausen came on to close the deal. Yet, after Young's groundout scored a run, four consecutive hits with two outs, two of which by Mark Loretta and Brian Giles, made the score 8–5 and loaded the bases with the go-ahead run at the plate. Ramón Hernández did not deliver as he struck out to end the game.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Game 2
Pedro Astacio faced Mark Mulder in Game 2. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third when a walk to Abraham Nunez and an error by Khalil Greene on Yadier Molina's ground ball put two on with no out. After a sacrifice bunt, David Eckstein's fielder's choice scored a run, then a walk loaded the bases before Albert Pujols walked to score another. After a leadoff single and double, a fielder's choice by Molina and squeeze play by Eckstein made it 4–0 Cardinals in the fourth.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Game 2
In the top of the seventh, after being shutout for six innings, a double and two singles, the second of which by Xavier Nady scoring a run, made it 4–1 and put the tying run at the plate. However, a double play killed the rally and the Padres would only get one. Reggie Sanders got two more RBIs with a two-run double in the bottom half of the inning off Rudy Seanez. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Nady by Julián Tavárez made it 6–2 in the eighth, but Randy Flores struck out Mark Sweeney to end the threat while Jason Isringhausen retired the Padres in order in the ninth to give the Cardinals a 2–0 series lead.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Game 3
This was the first postseason game in PETCO Park history, which had opened the previous year. Matt Morris faced former Cardinals pitcher Woody Williams. Albert Pujols drove in David Eckstein with an RBI double in the top of the first after Eckstein singled to lead off. Then Eckstein hit a two-run home run in the second to make it 3–0. The Cards did stop there, loaded the bases double, walk and hit-by-pitch before Reggie Sanders collected two more RBIs on a two-run double to make it 5–0 later. That would bring Sanders' RBI total to ten for the series.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Game 3
Then Yadier Molina's two-run single off Clay Hensley in the top of the fifth made it 7–0 Cardinals. In the bottom of the inning, Joe Randa doubled before RBI singles by Eric Young and Mark Loretta made it 7–2 Cardinals. Then home runs by Dave Roberts's in the seventh off Brad Thompson and Ramón Hernández in the eighth off Julián Tavárez made it 7–4 Cardinals, but Jason Isringhausen came on to slam the door on the Padres in the ninth despite allowing a single and walk with Ryan Klesko's groundout ending the series.


2005 National League Division Series, St. Louis vs. San Diego, Composite box
2005 NLDS (3–0): St. Louis Cardinals over San Diego Padres


2005 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Houston, Game 1
Andy Pettitte faced Tim Hudson in Game 1. Hudson struggled in his half of the first, giving up one run (on Morgan Ensberg's RBI single) on a walk and two hits, but got out of the inning with a crucial double play. Pettitte allowed a home run to Chipper Jones to tie the game, but otherwise cruised. The game remained 1–1 until the third when a bases-loaded (on a double and two walks) two-run single by Ensberg made it 3–1 Astros. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases again, but Hudson got Adam Everett to ground out to end the inning.