2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification
Europe's 48 national under-21 teams entering were divided into eight groups (six groups of 6 + one group of 5 + one group of 7). The eight group winners played off against the eight group runners-up on a two-legged home-and-away basis to decide the eight qualifying teams.


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification, Qualifying Groups, Draw
The allocation of teams into qualifying groups was based on that of 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification with several changes, reflecting the absence of some nations:


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification, Qualifying Groups, Draw
This was the last time when this grouping schema was applied for U21 qualifying groups.


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 1
The teams competing in Group 1 of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition were Czech Republic, Netherlands, Romania, Finland, Macedonia and Armenia.


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 5
The teams competing in Group 5 of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition were Italy, Scotland, Slovenia, Norway, Belarus and Moldova.


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification Group 8
The teams competing in Group 8 of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying competition were Sweden, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Iceland and Malta.


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs
The play-off round of 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification was held on 11–13 and 15–16 November 2005. Winners of play-off round qualified to the championship played following year in May and June, where Portugal was chosen to host the fixtures.


2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squads
National squads of the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Players in bold have now been capped at full International level.


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup
The 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup was the first edition after a major change of the competition format. There were only three rounds instead of five, and eleven tournament co-winners qualified for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup (instead of three teams qualifying for the first round proper). Also, for the first time in the modern history of the competition, an outright winner was highlighted from the 11 co-winners of the Cup, with that honour going to the final-round Intertoto winner that advanced farthest in the UEFA Cup. This honour went to Newcastle United.


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Second round
* FK Zeta qualified for this season's UEFA competitions as member of the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro during the 2005/06 season but was at the time of that match already a member of the Football Association of Montenegro.


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Second round, First leg
1The match was played at FK Partizan's ground in Belgrade, Serbia, because FK Zeta's ground in Golubovci doesn't meet UEFA standards2The match was played in Herzliya because Maccabi Petah Tikva's ground in Petah Tikva is undergoing renovations


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Second round, Second leg
2–2 on aggregate, Ethnikos Achna won on away goals rule.


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Third round
The eleven winning teams qualified for the second qualifying round of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup.


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Third round
*After consultations with UEFA, Italian qualifier Palermo was withdrawn by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) on 6 June 2006. Due to the ongoing match-fixing scandal in Italy, the FIGC could not officially confirm the 2005–06 Serie A standings in time for Palermo to compete in the Intertoto Cup and therefore French club Auxerre replaced Palermo, according to UEFA regulations governing the Intertoto Cup.


2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup, Overall winners
Eight of the eleven co-winners which entered the UEFA Cup via the Intertoto Cup won their qualifying ties and progressed to the first round proper. Half of these eight survived the first round and entered the group stages, only Newcastle United secured a place in the UEFA Cup Round of 32 and were the last remaining team from the Intertoto Cup – making them the outright winner. They then went on to qualify for the last 16. Captain Scott Parker was presented with a certificate commemorating the triumph at St James Park before their tie with AZ.


2006 UEFA Super Cup
The 2006 UEFA Super Cup was the 31st edition of the annual UEFA Super Cup, a UEFA-sponsored football club match that pitted the winners of the UEFA Champions League against the winners of the UEFA Cup. It took place at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, on 25 August 2006, and featured two Spanish clubs: Barcelona, who won the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, against Sevilla, who took the 2005–06 UEFA Cup title. Sevilla beat Barcelona by 3–0 and added its first UEFA Super Cup trophy to its maiden UEFA Cup.


2006 UEFA Super Cup, Match, Background
For the third time, two clubs from the same country played each other in the UEFA Super Cup, after the all-Italian 1990 and 1993 editions. Barcelona guaranteed a sixth presence in the UEFA Super Cup match, following their victorious campaign in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, where they defeated first-time finalists Arsenal by 2–1, at the Stade de France in Paris. Their first three presences—as 1979, 1982 and 1989 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners—resulted in an equal number of defeats.


2006 UEFA Super Cup, Match, Background
Having won their first European Cup title in 1992, Barcelona finally claimed the Super Cup trophy in their fourth attempt by beating Werder Bremen 3–2 on aggregate. Five years later, as 1997 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup holders they defeated another German club (Borussia Dortmund) to add a second Super Cup to their cabinet.


2006 UEFA Super Cup, Match, Background
Spanish side Sevilla made their debut in the UEFA Super Cup by taking the 2005–06 UEFA Cup title with a 4–0 win over Middlesbrough in the final, held at the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven. This triumph was achieved in Sevilla's sixth participation in the UEFA Cup tournament, following participations in the 1982–83, 1983–84, 1990–91, 1995–96 and 2004–05 editions.


2006 UEFA Super Cup, Match, Background
Before the 2006 UEFA Super Cup, the two clubs had previously met in European competition only once. It was in the third round of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup edition, and it resulted in a 4–2 aggregate win for Barcelona.


2006 UEFA Women's Cup Final
The 2006 UEFA Women's Cup Final was a two-legged final match played on 20 and 27 May 2006 between Turbine Potsdam and Frankfurt, both of Germany. This was the first final to be contested by teams of the same country. It was also the first ever final not to feature a Swedish team. Frankhurt won the final 7–2 on aggregate.


2006 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
The UEFA Women's U-19 Championship 2006 Final Tournament was held in Switzerland between 11–22 July 2006. Germany won the cup after defeating France 3–0 in the final match. Players born after 1 January 1987 were eligible to participate in this competition.


2006 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, Qualifications
There were two separate rounds of qualifications held before the Final Tournament, beginning with the First Qualifying Round. The first 40 teams were drawn into 10 groups. See UEFA Women's U-19 Championship 2006 (First Qualifying Round).


2006 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, Qualifications
Top two teams from each group and the five best third-placed team entered in a Second Qualifying Round along with Germany, France and Spain who automatically qualified. The 28 teams were drawn into 7 groups. See UEFA Women's U-19 Championship 2006 (Second Qualifying Round).


2006 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship, Qualifications
Then, the winners of each group joint hosts Switzerland at the Final Tournament.


2006 UEFS Futsal Men's Championship
The 2006 UEFS Futsal Men's Championship was the 7th UEFS futsal championship held in Catalonia, with 10 teams in competition. The matches were played from 28 November to 3 December in Santa Coloma de Farners, Arbúcies and Sant Hilari Sacalm.


2006 UEFS Futsal Men's Championship
European Union of Futsal (UEFS) organizes the European Championship biennially.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year
The 2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year was the 81st year of greyhound racing in the United Kingdom and Ireland.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
The 2005 English Greyhound Derby champion Westmead Hawk became only the fourth greyhound in history to win the Derby for a second time emulating the achievement of Mick the Miller (1929 & 1930), Patricias Hope (1972 & 1973) and Rapid Ranger (2000 & 2001). Returning from winter rest the Nick Savva trained greyhound lost to Fear Me, in the final of the BGRB Scottish Derby before creating his own piece of history.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary
Westmead Hawk suffered a serious injury later in the year which resulted in him missing the 2006 Irish Greyhound Derby, an event that was won by Razldazl Billy trained by Dolores Ruth. Westmead Hawk was duly voted the Greyhound of the Year. Charlie Lister was Greyhound Trainer of the Year.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary, Tracks
Rye House Stadium, built in 1935, closed for good on the 15 November, just two years after re-opening.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary, Competitions
The battle between the countries two top staying (longer distance) greyhounds continued; Greenacre Lin defeated Roxholme Girl in the Golden Jacket final and then Roxholme Girl gained revenge by winning the William Hill TV Trophy. Greenacre Lin won the Cesarewitch and then Roxholme Girl headed for Manchester and claimed victory in the Gold Collar. They both bypassed the Grand Prix which was won by January Tiger trained by Mark Wallis, who had five of the finalists. Greenacre Lin was retired form racing in September and was voted stayer of the year.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary, News
GRA track Wimbledon lost four trainers during the course of the year. Seamus Cahill and Paul Garland both moved to Walthamstow Stadium followed by Ray Peacock and John Walsh leaving for Romford and Harlow respectively. Two replacements were Jason Foster from Oxford and Paul Donovan from Reading Stadium.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary, News
Walthamstow also appointed new trainers in Peter Rich and Kelly Mullins (son of Linda Mullins). Coincidentally earlier in the year Kelly's brother John Mullins had left Walthamstow to concentrate solely on operating an open-race kennel at Capel St. Mary. Oxford's leading trainer Nick Colton joined sister track Hall Green.


2006 UK & Ireland Greyhound Racing Year, Summary, News
An article by the News of the World on the use of cocaine in society also suggests its use is rife in greyhound racing. The National Greyhound Racing Club responds with evidence that in over 70,000 samples taken during the year only four returned positive for cocaine (three of which were from human contamination) leaving just one case. The newspaper failed to print a retraction or apology.


2006 UK Championship
The 2006 UK Championship (known as the 2006 Maplin UK Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 2006 edition of the UK Championship, a professional snooker tournament that is one of the sport's three Triple Crown events. It was held from 4 to 17 December 2006 at the Barbican Centre in York, North Yorkshire. The competition was the third of seven World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) ranking events in the 2006/2007 season and the 30th edition of the tournament. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom and Europe on the BBC and Eurosport.


2006 UK Championship
Peter Ebdon won the tournament, defeating the five-time UK champion Stephen Hendry 10 frames to 6 in the final. It was Ebdon's first UK Championship win and his seventh career ranking title. He was the ninth player in history to win both the UK Championship and the World Snooker Championship. In the semi-finals Ebdon beat John Higgins 9–7 and Hendry defeated fellow Scot Graeme Dott by the same scoreline. David Gray and Mark King both achieved the tournament's highest breaks with individual breaks of 146. The tournament followed the Grand Prix and preceded the Malta Cup.


2006 UK Championship, Background
The tournament was created as the United Kingdom Professional Snooker Championship in 1977 and was open to residents in the United Kingdom and holders of British passports. Seven years later all professional players were allowed to enter and snooker's governing body, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), granted the tournament ranking status. It is considered to be snooker's second most important ranking tournament behind the World Snooker Championship and is one of three of the sport's Triple Crown events.


2006 UK Championship, Background
The 2006 tournament was held from 4 to 17 December 2006 at the Barbican Centre in York, North Yorkshire. It was the third of seven WPBSA ranking events in the 2006/2007 season, following the Grand Prix and preceding the Malta Cup. The defending UK champion was Ding Junhui, who beat Steve Davis 10–6 in the previous year's final. Sponsored by the electronics retailer Maplin for the first time, the 2006 tournament was the 30th time it had been held. The competition had a total prize fund of £552,500, and was broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom and Eurosport in Europe. All matches held between 4 and 16 December were the best-of-17-frames until the final on 17 December.


2006 UK Championship, Background, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Qualifying
The qualifying rounds were played between players on the main tour ranked 33 and lower for one of 32 places in the final stage at Pontin's in Prestatyn, from 14 to 19 November. John Parrott, the 1991 world champion, beat David Gilbert 9–8 after coming from 8–5 behind to earn a spot in the first round. The other successful qualifiers included Barry Pinches, Michael Judge, Jamie Burnett and Robin Hull.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round one
The 16 first-round matches were between players ranked 17–32 and those who had made it through the qualifying stage from 4 to 5 December. Ryan Day came from 3–0 down to beat Liu Song 9–5 with a match-winning break of 130. 2004 runner up David Gray was helped by breaks of 131, 81 and 68 to defeat Pinches 9–2, while Stuart Bingham emerged a 9–8 winner over Rory McLeod from 7–5 and 8–7 down.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round one
Mark Selby defeated Parrott 9–1 with breaks of 110, 104, 59 and 57 to lead 7–1 entering the evening session and Selby took less than half an hour in the second to give Parrott his biggest career defeat since his 18–3 loss to Davis in the final of the 1989 World Snooker Championship. Of the other first day matches Mark King beat Adrian Gunnell 9–4, and Joe Perry led Judge 7–1 overnight with breaks of 125, 93, 75, 66 and 60. Perry took 26 minutes the next day to claim two straight frames and win 9–1. Rod Lawler prevailed 9–7 over Anthony Hamilton in a match lasting more than 81⁄2 hours, and world number 35 Dave Harold defeated Robert Milkins 9–7 with a match-winning break of 102.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round one
Mike Dunn took five out of six final frames to defeat James Wattana 9–5 and claim a place in the second round. Gerard Greene received a walkover to the next round after his opponent, world number 27 Marco Fu, withdrew from the tournament to represent Hong Kong at the 2006 Asia Games in Qatar at his country's behest. Joe Swail tied 4–4 with Joe Delaney overnight and both players shared six frames before Swail won the last two for a 9–7 win. Ricky Walden led Ian McCulloch 5–4 before McCulloch took two consecutive frames.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round one
Walden then achieved breaks of 68, 112, 45 and 70 to secure a 9–6 win and his second over McCulloch. In the game between Alan McManus and Marcus Campbell, McManus led 4–0 before coming back from Campbell's challenge to win 9–5. Of the other first round matches, Burnett compiled breaks of 110 and 104 in his 9–3 victory over Andy Hicks, while Hull produced breaks of 104 and 120 in a 9–5 win against Nigel Bond, and Scott MacKenzie whitewashed Michael Holt 9–0 after breaks of 65 and 109.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round two
The winners of round one went through to face members of the top 16 in the second round staged from 6 to 10 December. Peter Ebdon compiled four century breaks and three half centuries that included a match-winning 124 to beat Selby 9–6. Although he achieved a 146 clearance in the ninth frame of his match, Gray lost 5–9 to the 2003 champion Matthew Stevens, while Perry defeated Barry Hawkins 9–4. Bingham defeated Ali Carter 9–8, a match in which Carter had a frame docked.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round two
Carter was tied at 6–6 when he spent the mid-session interval in his dressing room discussing tactics with his coach Terry Griffiths. Carter was deemed to have returned to the table late by the referee Olivier Marteel and Bingham was awarded frame 13. Walden began his match against the 2001 tournament winner Ronnie O'Sullivan with breaks of 80 and 67 before O'Sullivan tied at 2–2 and both players concluded the first session 4–4. O'Sullivan led 7–4 but breaks of 102, 93, 85 and 79 put Walden into the lead before O'Sullivan forced a final frame decider, which he took with a 23rd season century break of 108 to win 9–8.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round two
Tied at 4–4 after his opening session Davis beat Burnett 9–5, while Hull was a surprise winner over Robertson winning five consecutive frames to claim a 9–4 victory. Shaun Murphy, the 2005 world champion, fell 6–2 behind McManus at the interval and could not recover as McManus won 9–3. Mark Williams, a two-time world champion, progressed to round three by beating Greene 9–7. Another world champion, John Higgins, emulated Gray's 146 clearance in a 9–4 victory over King, and Stephen Lee defeated Lawler 9–6.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round two
Breaks of 107, 86, 82 and 66 enabled Stephen Maguire to overcome Swail 9–8 in the second session. Five-time UK champion Stephen Hendry led Harold 7–3 before the latter won four successive frames with two century breaks of 115 and 111 to equal the score at 7–7. Hendry's match-high breaks of 88 and 82 in the 14th and 15th frames earned him a 9–7 victory.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round two
Graeme Dott, the world champion, won the first six frames of his match against fellow Scot MacKenzie within one hour, compiling century breaks of 100, 107 and 112 to win 9–2. Ding, fatigued from having arrived in the United Kingdom on 8 December after winning three gold medals at the 2006 Qatar Asian Games, beat Day 9–7 in a tightly contested match. Tied at 4–4, both players exchanged frames with four in a row decided on the black ball.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round two
Day missed a difficult shot into the middle pocket from his position and Ding made a game-winning clearance of 57 to win. Fourth seed Ken Doherty held a 7–1 advantage over his opponent Dunn and claimed frames nine and ten with breaks of 87 and 58 in 22 minutes to win 9–1 and progression to the third round.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round three
The third round was held from 11 to 12 December. Breaks of 128, 121 and 105 enabled Higgins to lead Lee 7–1 in a match delayed by 20 minutes to enable players and officials to watch Paul Hunter's widow Lyndsey receive the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award on his behalf. Higgins made another century break in the second session to beat Lee 9–2. Ebdon moved 6–2 ahead of Bingham despite missing the penultimate red ball when it appeared he would achieve a maximum break but he won 9–4.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round three
O'Sullivan constructed a 5–3 lead over Maguire and used several mistakes from his opponent in the second session to win 9–3. Doherty lead Perry 5–1, but the latter responded in the second session to claim six of the next seven frames to win 9–5. Dott ended the first session of his match with Hull 7–1 with breaks of 90, 73 and 66. He won the first two frames of the following session to make the quarter-finals 9–1.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Round three
Ding led the first session of his match against Stevens 5–3 from breaks of 111, 100 and 92 while his opponent compiled breaks of 82, 74 and 66. He won 9–5 and spoke of his relief to have won because his Asian Games schedule affected his stability and confidence. Davis defeated McManus 9–7; the match ended 20 minutes after midnight and the final frame lasted 46 minutes. In the final third round match, breaks of 103, 117 and 73 enabled Hendry to lead Williams 6–2. Williams improved his form to take three of the first four frames of the second session and be 6–5 behind. Hendry claimed three more frames with a match-winning break of 92 to qualify for the quarter-finals 9–6.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals were played on 13 and 14 December. Ebdon won four successive frames to lead Ding 4–0 and was 6–2 ahead after the first session. Ding won the evening session's first two frames with breaks of 110 and 82 and came from 40–0 behind in frame 11 with a 59 clearance. Ebdon won frame 12 after a shot battle with Ding and outscored his opponent 212–4 in the following two frames to win the match 9–5.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
Higgins came from 66–0 behind Perry to claim frame three with a 69 clearance and took the sixth with a 47 clearance after Perry missed a shot on the black ball. Perry accumulated breaks of 100 and 128 in the second session but Higgins won the match 9–3 with a 106 break in the 12th frame.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
Hendry won 9–1 against O'Sullivan, a match which O'Sullivan defaulted. Trailing 4–1 and 24–0 in front during frame six after potting the black ball and after missing a red to a corner pocket, O'Sullivan declared the match over. He shook hands with Hendry and referee Jan Verhaas. O'Sullivan left the Barbican Arena after wishing Hendry well in his dressing room. Tournament director Mike Ganley confirmed O'Sullivan had forfeited the match and O'Sullivan later apologised to Hendry and his fans in a statement. O'Sullivan was fined £20,800 and docked 900 ranking points by the WPBSA's disciplinary committee in May 2007.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
The last quarter-final saw Dott overcome Davis 9–6. He came from 3–2 behind to lead the first session 5–3 after breaks of 78, 83 and 65. Breaks of 52 and 61 enabled Dott to get within a frame of victory before Davis won two successive frames to make it 8–6. Dott's 116 break secured him a semi-final berth.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
Both the semi-finals were held on 15 and 16 December. Both Ebdon and Higgins were level at 4–4 after the first session that had seven breaks over 60, including 97, 76 and 132 from Ebdon. Higgins led 5–4 but he missed a tricky shot on a red ball and Ebdon cleared the table to force a re-spotted black ball to again equal the score before going 6–5 ahead. In frame 14, Higgins missed a straightforward red ball while on a break of 49 and the frame was taken by Ebdon.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
He won a disjointed frame 15 to claim victory at 9–7 and enter his first UK Championship final since the 1995 tournament. Post-match, Ebdon considered the victory the most important of his career and praised the quality of the match, "This win means so much to me because I have got so much respect for John. He's a wonderful ambassador for the game. You have to play top class when you play John." Higgins said that considered the game's decisive point to have been when he was leading 5–4 and attributed his loss to a lack of concentration, "But take nothing away from Peter. He played very well all through the match and thoroughly deserved to win."


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
The other semi-final was between Hendry and his fellow Scot Dott. Trailing 5–3 after the first session Dott won four frames in a row with breaks of 96, 92 and 85 to take the lead as he accumulated 203 unanswered points. Hendry compiled a 111 clearance and a break of 50 to go level at 7–7. Hendry claimed frame 16 with a score of 61–25 and a break of 93 in the next earned him a place in the final alongside Ebdon at 9–7.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
It was Hendry's record-breaking 10th appearance in the final of the UK Championship and his first since the 2005 China Open. Hendry said additional practice in the past two to three weeks improved his playing, "I'm so close to playing at my best – it's a pleasure to be competing again. Peter is playing fantastic snooker and is very hard to beat over a long match. But I'm just delighted to be in a final and have a chance of winning a tournament – I can't believe it."


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Final
The best-of-19 frames final happened on 17 December. In the afternoon session Hendry took 1 hour and 31 minutes to lead 3–1 with breaks of 51 and 59, but his lead was narrowed by one frame after Ebdon missed a shot leading 66–0 and Hendry did not win frame five. Ebdon moved 4–3 in front with a break of 83, and a then season-high clearance of 135. Hendry ended the first session at 4–4 after Ebdon made a double shot error.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Final
The evening session's first four frames were won by Ebdon through consistent potting and him playing tight safety shots, as Hendry's long-shot potting accuracy lowered and made errors on simple shots, which appeared to affect his confidence. Nonetheless, Hendry took frame 13 on the pink ball and won the next with his only century break of the match, a 116 clearance, to be two frames behind Ebdon at 8–6. Hendry missed a straightforward red ball in the 15th frame and Ebdon won it with a break of 43 before following it up with a break of 70 in the next frame to win the match 10–6 and his first UK Championship title.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Final
It was his fifth career victory over Hendry in 19 meetings. Aged 36, Ebdon was the oldest UK Championship title winner since Doug Mountjoy in 1988. He also won the seventh ranking title of his career and his first since the 2004 Irish Masters. Ebdon joined Davis, Griffiths, Alex Higgins, Parrott, Hendry, Higgins, Williams and O'Sullivan as the ninth player to win both the UK Championship and the World Snooker Championship. He earned £77,000 prize money, and moved from tenth to fourth in the provisional world rankings.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Final
Post-match, a tearful Ebdon dedicated the win to his Dubai-based family and commented, "This just means so much. It's a tournament I have worked so hard for. I always knew it was going to be tough against Stephen. He played some good safety in the first session, then I found a bit of rhythm and then Stephen inexplicably started to miss balls." Hendry bemoaned his poor performance but praised Ebdon, "I picked the one day of the week when I didn't want to play like that.


2006 UK Championship, Tournament summary, Final
I had a great chance to go 4–1 up but from then on Peter was by far the better player and dominated the match. For some reason I couldn't pot a long ball – sometimes that just happens. Peter didn't play as well as he can either. We've both had better matches."


2006 UK Championship, Main draw
Numbers to the left of the players' names are the tournament seedings. Players in bold indicate match winners.


2006 UK Championship, Final
Scores in bold indicate winning frame scores and the winning competitor. Breaks over 50 are shown in brackets.


2006 UK Championship, Qualifying
The qualifying took place between 14 and 19 November at Pontins in Prestatyn. Players in bold denote match winners.


2006 UK Championship, Century breaks, Televised stage centuries
A total of 72 century breaks were achieved by 27 different players during the course of the 2006 UK Championship.


2006 UK Championship, Century breaks, Qualifying stage centuries
A total of 27 different players made a total of 40 century breaks in the course of the qualifying rounds of the event.


2006 UK Independence Party leadership election
The UK Independence Party (UKIP) held a leadership election in September 2006.


2006 UK Independence Party leadership election
The Eurosceptic party had been led since 2002 by Roger Knapman. Although he was entitled to stand for second term of office on the expiry of his four-year term, he decided not to.


2006 UK Open
The 2006 Budweiser UK Open was the fourth year of the UK Open darts tournament organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. It was held at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, between 9–11 June 2006.


2006 UK Open
Phil Taylor was the defending champion but got knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Raymond van Barneveld. Van Barneveld went on to win the title, winning 13–7 against Barrie Bates in the final.


2006 UK Open, Format
Qualifying events were held at Greene King pubs across the UK – winners from each pub event progressed to one of four Regional Finals, to be staged in their relevant area. Players who reach the final eight in the Regional Finals will qualify for the televised stages of the UK Open in Bolton.


2006 UK Open, Format
In addition there were eight UK Open Regional Finals for the "professional" players. All events were open to all darts players on payment of an entry fee – which means that players from both the PDC and BDO were eligible to enter. Players who enter through the Greene King Qualifying Round were not eligible to play in the regional qualifying events and vice versa.


2006 UK Open, Format
The results of the eight qualifiers were then collated into an Order of Merit table (Winner £4000; Runner-up £2000; 3–4 £1000; 5–8 £500; 9–16 £250; 17–32 £100; 33–64 £50). The top 96 players plus ties in this Order of Merit join the 32 Greene King qualifiers at the televised stages in Bolton.


2006 UK Open, Format
1st roundPlayers who were ranked between 65 and 96 in the UK Open Order of Merit join the 32 Greene King qualifiers in the first round of the UK Open.


2006 UK Open, Format
2nd roundPlayers ranked 33 to 64 join the first round winners.


2006 UK Open, Format
3rd roundPlayers ranked in the top 32 join the second round winners.


2006 UK Open, 2005/2006 UK Open Regional Finals
25 September 2005 (Welsh) Mark Walsh 2–1 Phil Taylor  23 October 2005 (Irish) Colin Lloyd 2–1 Andy Smith  6 November 2005 (Scottish) Adrian Lewis 2–0 Colin Lloyd  8 January 2006 (North East) Kevin Painter 2–0 Colin Lloyd  12 February 2006 (South West) Mark Dudbridge 2–0 Dennis Priestly  5 March 2006 (Southern) Chris Mason 2–1 Barrie Bates  19 March 2006 (North West) Alan Tabern 2–1 Steve Maish  9 April 2006 (Midlands) Raymond van Barneveld 2–0 Ronnie Baxter


2006 UK Open, Sunday 11 June, Last 16 to Final
Random draws were made after each round up to the quarter final stage. Draw bracket has been compiled retrospectively.


2006 UMass Minutemen football team
The 2006 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Don Brown and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The Minutemen won their first conference title since 2003, and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division I Championship before falling to Appalachian State. 2006 was the last season of A-10 football, as all member programs would move over to the Colonial Athletic Association in the offseason. UMass finished the season with a record of 13–2 (8–0 A-10).


2006 UNAF U-17 Tournament
The 2006 UNAF U-17 Tournament was the first edition of the UNAF U-17 Tournament. It was held in Algeria, where it began on March 22 and concluded on March 27. Algeria was crowned champions after a drawing of lots.


2006 UNAF U-20 Tournament
The 2006 UNAF U-20 Tournament was the 2nd edition of the UNAF U-20 Tournament. The tournament took place in Egypt, from 5 to 14 June 2006. Egypt won the tournament for the first time.


2006 UNC SUV attack
On March 3, 2006, Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar intentionally hit people with a sport utility vehicle on the campus  of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill to "avenge the deaths of Muslims worldwide" and to "punish" the United States government. While no one was killed in the vehicle-ramming attack, nine people were injured (none seriously).


2006 UNC SUV attack
Shortly after the attack, he turned himself in and was arrested. He pleaded guilty to nine counts of attempted first-degree murder, and in 2008 was sentenced to 33 years in prison, on two counts of attempted murder.


2006 UNC SUV attack
In one letter, Taheri-azar wrote, "I was aiming to follow in the footsteps of one of my role models, Mohamed Atta, one of the 9/11 hijackers, who obtained a doctorate degree." He told investigators he wanted to "avenge the deaths or murders of Muslims around the world."


2006 UNC SUV attack, Attack, During the attack
On the afternoon of March 3, 2006, Taheri-azar drove a rented silver 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee through a common courtyard area of campus known as the Pit, a high-traffic area centered between the student bookstore, student center, dining hall, and libraries. It is a popular gathering spot, filled not only with students going to and from class, but also with participants in various student organization-related activities.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Attack, During the attack
While not readily accessible to vehicular traffic beyond a narrow service road, the barricades that normally prevent cars from approaching the Pit were not in place on the day of the attack. His top speed was estimated by witnesses to be from 40 to 45 miles per hour (64 to 72 km/h). He struck nine pedestrians, six of whom were taken to the hospital for treatment and released. The other three declined to be treated.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Attack, After the attack
After the incident, Taheri-azar drove to Plant Road, a nearby city street, and called 911 to turn himself in to authorities. He calmly confessed to perpetrating the attack. He told the dispatcher his location and requested that he be arrested. He told the dispatcher that the reasons for his actions were outlined in a letter which he left on his bed in his Carrboro  apartment. Taheri-azar then gave himself up upon the arrival of police at the scene. Later that afternoon, officials evacuated the apartment complex where Taheri-azar lived, then stormed the unit while media helicopters circled overhead. Along with the letter described in the 911 call, officials found his UNC diploma folded in his closet, and the Carolina blue graduation gown used just three months before.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Attack, After the attack
On March 6, 2006, when he appeared in an Orange County courtroom, he stated that he would defend himself, and that he looked forward to the opportunity of sharing the law of Allah. He was charged with nine counts of attempted first-degree murder and nine counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury before being held in Central Prison in Raleigh on a $5.5 million bond.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Attack, After the attack
On May 3, 2006, a grand jury indicted him on nine counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury. The case will go to superior court next, for either a trial or a plea. Early on, the FBI was involved in the investigation, but the exact involvement was unknown.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Perpetrator
Although Taheri-azar was born in Tehran, the capital of Iran, he is a naturalized U.S. citizen who moved to the United States at the age of two. He grew up in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, where he lived with his mother and younger and older sisters. He attended South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, where he was a socially-awkward honor student who graduated in 2001. He had a proclivity for fast and expensive cars, and the South Mecklenburg High School yearbook dubbed him the "South's Speedster." He received four tickets between 2001 and 2003 for "unnecessary honking, driving down the middle of two lanes of traffic, and failure to obey directions at a police checkpoint," and for "traveling at 74 mph (119 km/h) in a 45 mph (72 km/h) zone."


2006 UNC SUV attack, Perpetrator
He enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001, where he majored in psychology and philosophy. At one point he dropped out, but returned the following semester. In college, he volunteered at local hospitals. He graduated from UNC in December 2005. Some of those who knew him there described him as "a serious student, shy but friendly," and "kind and gentle, rather than aggressive and violent". A student who had been in the same history of philosophy class said he was "impressed" with Taheri-azar's "knowledge of classical Western thought." He was serious about his grades, and served briefly as the president of the UNC psychology club. However, not all of those who knew him had the same opinion. UNC Chancellor James Moeser described him as "totally a loner, introverted, and into himself".


2006 UNC SUV attack, Perpetrator
Fellow Muslims characterized Taheri-azar as "cantankerous and unorthodox in his practice of Islam" and "anything but traditionally devout." During prayers on campus he "wouldn't pray toward Mecca and refused to recite prayers in Arabic – contrary to standard Islamic practice." One Muslim student, Atif Mohiuddin, recalled Taheri-azar as being "anti-Arabic" and never using the standard Arabic greeting of Assalaamu Alaikum.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Perpetrator
UNC professor Charles Kurzman noted that Taheri-Azar had very little knowledge about Islam, not even knowing the difference between Sunnis and Shias  or that al-Qaeda, where his role model Muhammad Atta came from, does not recognize him as a follower of the faith because he is Shia.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Aftermath
Local Muslim leaders condemned the attack and the attempt by the assailant to link the Qur'an to his actions.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Aftermath
While UNC Chancellor James Moeser described Taheri-azar's attack as one of violence in an internal email to the university community, he stopped short of calling it a full-fledged act of terror. An official "Reclaim the Pit" event occurred on March 20, 2006, where students gathered for a moment of silence.


2006 UNC SUV attack, Aftermath
On August 26, 2008, Taheri-azar was sentenced on two counts of attempted murder to 26 years and 2 months to 33 years in prison by Orange County Superior Court. As of March 2016, he is projected to be released in April 2032.


2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup
The 2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup was the 24th edition of the international club football competition held in the UNCAF region representing the seven nations of Central America. This was the eighth year of the current format using the name UNCAF Interclub Cup. The tournament was also a qualifying event for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Sixteen teams representing seven football associations took part, beginning with the first qualifying games on August 22, 2006. The tournament concluded with a two-legged final that was won by Puntarenas of Costa Rica making them the Central American club football champions. The top three finishers in the tournament qualify for the 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.


2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup, First round
/f match forfeited1- Diriangén used ineligible players, and CONCACAF awarded Olimpia a 3-0 win.


2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup, Semifinals
Puntarenas qualify to 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2-0 on aggregate.


2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup, Semifinals
Olimpia qualify to 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup 4-2 on aggregate.


2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup, Third Place
Marquense qualify to 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup 4-1 on aggregate.


2006 UNCAF Interclub Cup, Final
Champion Puntarenas of the 2006 UNCAF Club Cup, and runner up Olimpia qualify to 2007 CONCACAF Champions' Cup.


2006 UNCAF U-16 Tournament
The 2006 UNCAF U-16 Tournament was the 1st UNCAF U-16 Tournament, a biennial international football tournament contested by men's under-16 national teams. Organized by UNCAF, the tournament took place in Nicaragua between 13 and 18 February 2006.


2006 UNCAF U-16 Tournament
The matches were played at Estadio Cacique Diriangén. Six Central American teams took part of the tournament, playing each other in a round-robin format. Belize did not send a team. Costa Rica won the tournament.


2006 UNLV Rebels football team
The 2006 UNLV Rebels football team represented the University of Nevada, Las Vegas during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. UNLV competed as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) and played their home games at Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada


2006 US Open (tennis)
The 2006 US Open began 28 August and finished on 10 September 2006.


2006 US Open (tennis)
Roger Federer was successful in defending his 2005 title, defeating 2003 champion Andy Roddick in the final. Kim Clijsters was unable to defend her title due to injury. 19-year-old Maria Sharapova won her second Grand Slam title, defeating Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final. It was Henin-Hardenne's third Grand Slam final loss of 2006, having lost the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals earlier in the year.


2006 US Open (tennis), Seniors, Men's doubles
Martin Damm /  Leander Paes  defeated  Jonas Björkman /  Max Mirnyi, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–3


2006 US Open (tennis), Seniors, Women's doubles
Nathalie Dechy /  Vera Zvonareva defeated  Dinara Safina /  Katarina Srebotnik, 7–6(7–5), 7–5


2006 US Open (tennis), Seniors, Mixed doubles
Martina Navratilova /  Bob Bryan defeated  Květa Peschke /  Martin Damm, 6–2, 6–3


2006 US Open (tennis), Juniors, Boys' doubles
Jamie Hunt /  Nathaniel Schnugg defeated  Jarmere Jenkins/ Austin Krajicek 6-3, 6-3


2006 US Open (tennis), Juniors, Girls' doubles
Mihaela Buzărnescu /  Ioana Raluca Olaru defeated  Sharon Fichman/ Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-2


2006 US Open (tennis), Wheelchair, Men's wheelchair doubles
Robin Ammerlaan /  Michael Jeremiasz defeated  Shingo Kunieda /  Tadeusz Kruszelnicki 7-6(7–2), 6-1


2006 US Open (tennis), Wheelchair, Women's wheelchair doubles
Jiske Griffioen /  Esther Vergeer defeated  Korie Homan /  Maaike Smit 6-4, 6-4


2006 US Open – Boys' Singles
The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually at Flushing Meadows, starting on the last Monday in August and lasting for two weeks. The tournament consists of five main championship events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for seniors, juniors, and wheelchair players.


2006 US Open – Boys' Singles
In 2006, the boys' singles event was won by Dušan Lojda of the Czech Republic who beat Peter Polansky of Canada, 7–6(4), 6–3 in the final.


2006 US Open – Girls' Doubles
At the 2006 US Open, the winner of the Girls' Doubles competition was the team of Buzărnescu and Olaru, both from Romania, who were seeded second in the tournament. The runners-up were Sharon Fichman and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, from Canada and Russia, respectively, who were seeded first. The other semifinalists were the teams of Kramperová and Vaňková, from the Czech Republic, and Klaffner and Paszek, from Austria. Neither of these teams had been seeded.


2006 US Open – Girls' Singles
The girls' singles tournament of the 2006 US Open was won by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who beat Tamira Paszek in the final by 3–6, 6–4, 7–5.


2006 US Open – Girls' Singles
Victoria Azarenka was the defending champion, but she did not participate in the juniors' this year, having already been elevated to the seniors'.


2006 US Open – Men's Doubles
Bob and Mike Bryan were the defending champions, but lost in the third round to Leoš Friedl and Mikhail Youzhny.


2006 US Open – Men's Doubles
Martin Damm and Leander Paes won the title, defeating Jonas Björkman and Max Mirnyi in the final, 6–7(5–7), 6–4, 6–3.


2006 US Open – Men's Singles
Two-time defending champion Roger Federer successfully defended his title, defeating Andy Roddick in the final, 6–2, 4–6, 7–5, 6–1 to win the Men's Singles tennis title at the 2006 US Open. It was Federer's third US Open title and his ninth major title overall.


2006 US Open – Men's Singles
Federer became the sixth man after Jack Crawford, Don Budge, Frank Sedgman, Lew Hoad and Rod Laver, to reach all four Grand Slam finals in one calendar year, the second man to appear in all four finals in the Open Era, and the first to do so since Laver in 1969. Earlier that year, Federer won titles at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon and lost to Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros. Also, he reached a record-equalling 10th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearance (streak started at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships), after Rod Laver and Ivan Lendl.


2006 US Open – Men's Singles
This tournament marked Andre Agassi's last professional appearance. He played his last match against Benjamin Becker and retired thereafter. Future champion Juan Martín del Potro made his first appearance in the main draw of the US Open as a qualifier, losing to fellow qualifier Alejandro Falla in the first round. This was also the first Grand Slam tournament in which future world No. 1s Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were seeded. They were seeded 20th and 17th, respectively.


2006 US Open – Men's Singles, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Players who have lost are listed with the round in which they exited.


2006 US Open – Men's Singles Qualifying
The 2006 US Open Men's Qualifying Tournament ran from August 22 to 25. Sixteen players qualified for the Men's Singles Main Draw, which started on August 28.


2006 US Open – Men's Singles Qualifying, Seeds
The seeded players are listed below. Players who have lost are listed with the round in which they exited.


2006 US Open – Mixed Doubles
Daniela Hantuchová and Mahesh Bhupathi were the defending champions, but neither participated in the Mixed Doubles tournament.


2006 US Open – Mixed Doubles
Martina Navratilova and Bob Bryan won the title, defeating Květa Peschke and Martin Damm in the final 6–2, 6–3. It would be Navratilova's 59th and final Grand Slam title, 32 years after her first.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Men's Doubles
The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually at Flushing Meadows, starting on the last Monday in August and lasting for two weeks. The tournament consists of five main championship events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for seniors, juniors, and wheelchair players.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Men's Doubles
In 2006, the wheelchair men's doubles event was won by Robin Ammerlaan of the Netherlands and Michaël Jeremiasz of France who beat Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Tadeusz Kruszelnicki of Poland 7-6(2), 6-1 in the final.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Men's Singles
The 2006 US Open men's singles wheelchair tennis tournament was won by the Dutch player Robin Ammerlaan.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Women's Doubles
The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually at Flushing Meadows, starting on the last Monday in August and lasting for two weeks. The tournament consists of five main championship events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for seniors, juniors, and wheelchair players.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Women's Doubles
In 2006, the wheelchair women's doubles event was won by Jiske Griffioen and Esther Vergeer, both of the Netherlands, who beat Korie Homan and Maaike Smit, also of the Netherlands, 6-4, 6-4 in the final.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles
The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually at Flushing Meadows, starting on the last Monday in August and lasting for two weeks. The tournament consists of five main championship events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for seniors, juniors, and wheelchair players.


2006 US Open – Wheelchair Women's Singles
In 2006, the wheelchair women's singles event was won by Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands who beat her compatriot Yana Buchina 6–1, 6–2 in the final.


2006 US Open – Women's Doubles
Defending champions Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur were first seed. They were defeated in the semifinals by eighth seed Dinara Safina and Katarina Srebotnik who, in turn, had to give way in the finals to the unseeded Nathalie Dechy and Vera Zvonareva, the new champions.


2006 US Open – Women's Doubles
Martina Navratilova made her final grand slam appearance, marking the end of a 33-year career.


2006 US Open – Women's Doubles
Below are the seeds and draws for the 2006 US Open in the Women's Doubles event.


2006 US Open – Women's Singles
Maria Sharapova defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 2006 US Open. It was her second major title. She lost just one set during the tournament (to Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals). By reaching the final, Henin-Hardenne became the eighth woman, after Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles and Martina Hingis, to reach all four major finals in a calendar year.


2006 US Open – Women's Singles
Kim Clijsters was the defending champion, but did not participate due to injury.


2006 US Open – Women's Singles
This marked the first major since the 1999 Australian Open where Serena Williams was unseeded. Needing a wild card to participate due to her ranking of world No. 139, Williams defeated top 20 players Daniela Hantuchová and Ana Ivanovic en route to the fourth round, where she was beaten by Amélie Mauresmo in three sets.


2006 US Open – Women's Singles Qualifying
This article displays the qualifying draw for the Women's Singles at the 2006 US Open.


2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships was organised by USA Track & Field and held from June 22 to 25 at the IU Michael A. Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The four-day competition served as the national championships in track and field for the United States. As there was no Summer Olympics or World Championships in Athletics held that year, the competition did not serve as a national team selection event.


2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
It was the fourth time that the stadium in Indianapolis had held the combined gender national track and field event, having last done so for the 1997 edition. The USA Junior Championships were held in conjunction with the event, starting one day earlier, and were used for selection for the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Performances at that section included an American junior record of 71.62 m (234 ft 11 1⁄2 in) for the men's hammer throw by Walter Henning.


2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Bad weather including heavy storms caused a rearrangement of the programme, with many events scheduled on the first day being postponed. The weather also affected the calibre of performances at the meeting.


2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Then world record holder Justin Gatlin was among the major names to feature at the competition, but his 100 m win in 9.93 seconds was later removed from the record books due to his failing a doping test in April earlier that year.


2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Bernard Lagat, newly eligible to compete after gaining citizenship in 2005, completed a 1500 m/5000 m double. This was the first time that a man had ever achieved that feat at the American national championships, with Alexander Grant's 1903 double in the mile run and two miles being the closest equivalent.


2006 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Breaux Greer had a seventh straight win in the men's javelin throw, making him the most successful javelin athlete in the history of the championships. Daniel Lincoln extended his national streak in the steeplechase to three wins, while A.G. Kruger broke James Parker's hammer throw streak of the same length. Jennifer Stuczynski brought an end to Stacy Dragila's dominance of the women's pole vault – in which Dragila had won seventh straight national titles. Kim Kreiner had a third successive victory in the women's javelin, setting a new American record in the process.


2006 USA Team Handball College Nationals
The 2006 College Nationals was the 11th Men's and Women's College Nationals. The College Nationals was a team handball tournament to determine the College National Champion from 2006 from the US.


2006 USC Trojans football team
The 2006 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, winning the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) and playing in the Rose Bowl. The team was coached by Pete Carroll, led on offense by quarterback John David Booty, and played their home games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.


2006 USC Trojans football team
The previous year's team had played for the national championship, however, with many starters gone, including two Heisman Trophy-winners, there were doubts the team could repeat the success. With a highly ranked recruiting class, however, the Trojans were ranked in the top-5 in many pre-season polls. USC's 13-9 loss to rival UCLA snapped its NCAA-record streak of 63 consecutive 20-point games, and eliminated their hopes of playing in the BCS National Championship game.


2006 USC Trojans football team
The team finished the regular season with a 10–2 record and were invited to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to play at the 2007 Rose Bowl, where they beat the Michigan Wolverines. With a final record of 11–2, they finished the season ranked fourth in both the Associated Press (AP) and Coaches Polls. Following the season, a number of players won national awards, while five players left the team as they were selected in the 2007 National Football League (NFL) Draft.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Before the season
The four previous Trojan teams were very successful. Since the 2002 season, the Trojans won four Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) titles, two national championships, and three players won the Heisman Trophy. The 2003 team won the Associated Press (AP) national championship, while the 2004 team won the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and AP championships. Additionally, the 2005 team, named by some of the media as one of the best offenses in the history of college football, played for the national championship where they lost to the Texas Longhorns. Eleven starters returned from that team, and the Trojans were picked by the Pac-10 media to win the conference. The team began the season ranked sixth in the AP Poll and third in the Coaches Poll.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Before the season, Coaching changes
After the 2005 season, defensive coordinator, Jethro Franklin, took an assistant coaching position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Idaho coach, Nick Holt, a former assistant at USC, was hired to replace him. Holt had previously served as linebackers coach for three years at USC.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Before the season, Roster changes
Although returning 11 starters from 2005, the team lost eleven players to the National Football League (NFL), including 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, and 2005 Heisman winner, Reggie Bush. Bush, who had one year left of eligibility, announced his plans to skip his senior season a week after the team's loss in the Rose Bowl. Bush was eventually selected as the second pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, while Leinart was the second Trojan selected in the first round. In all the team lost eight players on offense and three on defense.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Before the season, Recruiting
The Trojans signed 25 recruits for the new class. Included in the top ranked class were four five-star recruits on defense, three five-star recruits on offense, and another thirteen four-star recruits.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Before the season, Pre-season honors
Eleven Trojan players were named to pre-season national award watchlists.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Before the season, Pre-season honors
In addition to the awards, five players were named to various pre-season All-America teams. Playboy, Athlon, Lindy's, Street & Smith's, Rivals.com, and NationalChamps. Net each named Jarrett and Baker to their first teams, with Jarrett also named to Sporting News, Blue Ribbon's, Phil Steele's, and Collegefootballnews.com first teams. Both ESPN.com and Street & Smith named Jackson and Kalil to their first teams, and Jackson was additionally named to Sporting News Athlon, and Phil Steele's first teams. Rivers was named to various second teams.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Season, Roster
The Trojans went into the 2006 campaign having suffered many season-ending injuries. Redshirt senior and 2003 starting fullback Brandon Hancock tore his knee ligaments in fall camp, ending his career. Hancock was expected to start at fullback. Redshirt senior running back and 2003 starter Hershel Dennis re-tore his knee ligaments in spring practice after initially tearing them during the 2005 FedEx Orange Bowl, finishing his time at USC unless he gets a sixth year of eligibility. Dennis was expected to compete for the starting tailback job with redshirt junior Chauncey Washington and a host of talented freshmen.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Season, Roster
Sophomore safety Will Harris suffered torn knee ligaments during the off-season while recovering from a 2005 knee injury and was not expected to return in 2006. Senior defensive end Rashaad Goodrum suffered a back and rib injury in 2005 and was not expected to play again for USC. Redshirt sophomore defensive end Lawrence Miles missed the season while recovering from shoulder surgery and was expected to miss the season. Redshirt senior walk-on linebacker Lou Ferrigno, Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury in spring practice and is out of eligibility. Freshman wide receiver Jamere Holland was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Freshman linebacker Joshua Tatum suffered a knee injury. Redshirt junior offensive lineman Matt Spanos was academically ineligible.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Season, Roster
By the Trojans' first game at Arkansas, the starting lineup had undergone some revisions from the expected one from the summer. True freshman tailback C.J. Gable beat out talented freshmen Emmanuel Moody, Allen Bradford, and Stafon Johnson along with upperclassmen Desmond Reed and Michael Coleman for the starting job after junior Chauncey Washington was not ready to go due to injuries. Redshirt junior fullback Ryan Powdrell won the starting job after Hancock's season ended before it began. Redshirt junior Drew Radovich beat out Jeff Byers for the starter's job at left guard. Sophomore linebacker Brian Cushing was installed in Kyle Moore's starting spot at defensive end. Redshirt junior cornerback Terrell Thomas became the other starter with Kevin Thomas. Redshirt senior linebacker Oscar Lua was the first starting middle linebacker. Finally, redshirt sophomore walk-on Greg Woidneck won the starting punter's job.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Season, Coaching staff
The Trojan team was coached by sixth-year head coach, Pete Carroll and his staff, most of whom returned from 2005.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries
USC began the season with many impressive streaks intact despite having lost the 2006 Rose Bowl to Texas.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arkansas
Although both ESPN and Arkansas asked for the game to be moved, the Trojans opened their season playing at the Arkansas Razorbacks, who were led by ninth-year head coach Houston Nutt and by running back Darren McFadden. Although USC won the game in 2005, 70–17, this game looked to be closer as the Trojans had to replace two Heisman Trophy winners, Leinart and Bush. However, with John David Booty taking over for Leinart and C.J. Gable becoming the first true freshman to start at running back in USC history, the Trojans outmatched the Razorbacks.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arkansas
Although Razorback freshman quarterback, Mitch Mustain, ran for the first touchdown of his career and one Razorback running back ran for a touchdown, Booty threw three touchdowns, three Trojan running backs ran for a touchdown each, and Mario Danelo kicked two field goals to outscore them, 50–14. A crowd of 76,564, a record in Razorback Stadium, attended the game. With the win, the Trojans extended their record-setting streak of games where they scored at least 20 points to 53.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Nebraska
The Nebraska Cornhuskers, led by second-year head coach Bill Callahan, traveled to face the Trojans in the Coliseum, where the Trojans held a 27-home-game winning streak. Although the Cornhuskers had an early 3–0 lead, three unanswered touchdown passes by Booty gave the Trojans a 21–3 lead in the third quarter. Although quarterback Zac Taylor ran for a touchdown to cut the Trojans' lead, a rushing touchdown by Chauncey Washington sealed the win for the Trojans, 28–10. During the game, wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, with two receiving touchdowns, became USC's all-time leader in touchdown receptions, with 31. With the win, the Trojans extended their streak of games where they scored at least 20 points to 54 and extended their Pac-10-record home winning streak to 28.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arizona
The Trojans next traveled to face the Arizona Wildcats, led by third-year head coach, Mike Stoops. Both offenses struggled early in the game, and the Trojans took a 3–0 lead before half-time. The Trojans finally increased their lead in the third quarter when Jarrett scored the first touchdown of the game to tie the Pac-10 record for career receiving touchdowns with 32. A fourth-quarter field goal by the Wildcats brought them within a touchdown, but the Trojans answered with a Danelo field goal.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arizona
Emmanuel Moody ran for the last score of the game to give the Trojans a 20–3 win and extend their streak of games where they scored at least 20 points to 55. With the conference win, the Trojans increased their winning streak over conference foes to 24 games. The win did not come without a price, however, as the Trojans, who had already lost fullbacks, Brandon Hancock and Ryan Powdrell to season-ending injuries, lost freshman fullback, Stanley Havili, to an ankle injury.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Washington State
The Trojans next traveled to face the Washington State Cougars, led by fourth-year head coach, Bill Doba, and quarterback, Alex Brink. Although Jarrett came into the game tied for the Pac-10 career record of receiving touchdowns, he would sit out the game with an ankle injury. Steve Smith took his place, however, and scored two touchdowns to lead the Trojans in the 28–22 win. Although the Cougars lost their only lead in the first quarter, they had a chance to score and tie the game on the final play of the game before Brink's pass was intercepted. The Trojans continued their conference winning streak and moved to 25 games and increased their streak of scoring 20 points to 56 games.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Washington
The Washington, led by first-year head coach, Tyrone Willingham, and quarterback, Isaiah Stanback, next visited the Trojans. Willingham was the last coach to beat the Trojans at the Coliseum in 2001 with Stanford, but the Huskies were large underdogs. Despite this, the Huskies kept the game close, as, after two early Trojan touchdowns, their only other scores came from four Danelo field goals. The Huskies scored on two Stanback touchdown passes and two field goals, but the time clock ran out during their final drive, giving the Trojans a 26–20 win. With the win, the Trojans continued their home winning streak, their conference winning streak, and their streak of games scoring over 20 points.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arizona State
The Arizona State Sun Devils, led by sixth-year head coach, Dirk Koetter, and quarterback, Rudy Carpenter, next visited the Trojans. Though the Sun Devils started the season with three wins, they had been blown out in both of their next two games and were a three touchdown underdog to the Trojans. The Trojans dominated the first half with three touchdowns before the Sun Devils could score. Their third touchdown, a pass to Jarrett, made him the Pac-10 leader in career touchdown receptions with 33. The Sun Devils, however, finally answered with a rushing touchdown before half-time.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Arizona State
The Sun Devils tied the game in the third quarter with Carpenter's touchdown pass and a returned interception for a touchdown, however, Chauncey Washington ran for the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter to give the final score of 28–21 in favor of the Trojans. Once again scoring over 20 points, they won another home conference game to extend their streaks.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Oregon State
The Trojans next visited the Oregon State Beavers, led by head coach, Mike Riley. The Beavers took an early lead, and, after the Trojans tied the game, scored three field goals to take a nine-point lead. A Danelo field goal at the end of the first half brought the Trojans within six points at half-time. The Beavers took control of the game in the second half, passing for a touchdown, returning a punt for a touchdown, and kicking another field goal to take a 33–10 lead.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Oregon State
The Trojans finally answered at the end of the third quarter to bring their deficit to 16 points. In the fourth quarter, Booty threw his second touchdown of the game, and, after a two-point conversion, brought the score to 33–25 in favor of the Beavers. Booty threw his third touchdown of the game with seven seconds remaining, however, their second two-point conversion attempt was batted away by the Beavers to preserve their 33–31 win. Though the Trojans continued their streak of games scoring over 20 points, they ended their streaks of, among others, 38 wins in the regular season, 27 wins against Pac-10 opponents, and 18 wins on the road.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
Notre Dame visited the Coliseum with a four-game losing streak to the Trojans, however an eight-game winning streak in the season. After the epic 2005 game, the Irish thought they might break the losing streak, and would be assured of a BCS Bowl game. With a win, the Trojans knew that they would still be in the national title hunt. The game started with the Irish receiving the ball and Brady Quinn throwing a quick 38-yard pass to Rhema McKnight. The Irish drive stalled afterwards and turned the ball over after Quinn's fourth down pass flew errantly into the endzone.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
The Trojans took over and quarterback John David Booty led them on a 61-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Jarrett. After the next Irish drive ended with a punt and a return by the Trojans to the Irish 26, Booty completed another touchdown pass to Jarrett to put the Trojans ahead 14–0. On the ensuing Irish drive, Quinn and Darius Walker brought the Irish downfield, allowing Carl Gioia to kick a field goal. The first quarter ended with the Trojans winning 14–3.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
In the first drive of the second quarter, Booty led the Trojans to the Irish 1-yard line where he snuck the ball in for USC's third touchdown of the game. On the ensuing drive for the Irish, on a third down, Quinn scrambled for 59-yards, Notre Dame's longest run of the season, to bring the Irish to the USC 17-yard line. Four plays later, a Darius Walker fumble was recovered by the Trojans giving them the ball back. The Irish defense, however, held the Trojans for the first time forcing a punt.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
The punt was partially blocked giving the Irish the ball back on the 7-yard line. On the next play, Quinn threw a touchdown to Marcus Freeman. The next two drives by the Trojans both ended when Booty threw an interception, but the Irish couldn't capitalize on either, turning the ball over on downs two more times. The half ended with the Trojans leading 21–10.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
The second half began with a Trojan drive of 65-yards capped with a Chauncey Washington 2-yard touchdown run. The only other score of the third quarter came on Notre Dame's second drive of 58-yards, when Quinn hit Rhema McKnight for a 2-yard touchdown pass on fourth down. The fourth quarter began with the Trojans driving to an eventual 32-yard field goal by Mario Danelo. After the Irish were held, Booty threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Jarrett to give the Trojans a 37–17 lead (Danelo missed the extra point).


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
Quinn drove the Irish 78-yards and threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Samardzija to put the Irish deficit to 13 points. However, the onside kick attempt, was recovered by Brian Cushing, who ran it back to give the Trojans a 20-point lead again. Notre Dame's last drive would end on another failed fourth down attempt, giving the Trojans the 44–24 win.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, UCLA
UCLA's defensive performance snapped USC's NCAA-record streak of 63 consecutive 20-point games.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Michigan
In the month leading to the Rose Bowl, starting kicker Troy Van Blarcom was dismissed by the university because of his grades, leaving all duties to Mario Danelo.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Game summaries, Michigan
The Rose Bowl crowd marked USC's 11th sell out, a single season school record.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Legacy
USC is the first team to win five Pac-10 championships in a row, although the Trojans shared the 2002 championship with Washington State and the 2006 championship with California.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Legacy
USC's popularity continued to remain high, setting a school record with 11 sold-out games over the season and a total attendance of 995,778, shy of the all-time record set in 2005 of 1,037,565—attributable to the smaller stadiums at away games in the 2006 season.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Legacy
At the end of the 2006 season, with only Dwayne Jarrett departing early for the NFL and returning many of the starters from the 2006 team, major media sources projected the 2007 USC Trojans football team as the presumptive pre-season No. 1 team and national title contender for the 2007 season.


2006 USC Trojans football team, Deaths
USC placekicker Mario Danelo was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in San Pedro, California, on the night of January 6, 2007.


2006 USG Sheetrock 400
The 2006 USG Sheetrock 400 was a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held on July 9, 2006, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. The race was the 18th of the 2006 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season. Jeff Burton of Richard Childress Racing won the pole position with a lap speed of 181.647 mph (292.333 km/h), his second pole of 2006 along with the Daytona 500, marking the first time in his career that he won two poles in the same year. Roush Racing's Matt Kenseth led the most laps, while Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race on a green-white-checker finish, which extended the race from 267 laps to 270.


2006 USG Sheetrock 400, Race recap
Pole-sitter Jeff Burton led much of the early portion of the race, but Jeff Gordon then took the lead after a strong green-flag pit stop. On lap 68, the first caution flag was flown for debris on the track, shuffling the driver order and giving the lead to Kevin Harvick. With three laps to go, Gordon drove into a slowing Matt Kenseth's rear bumper, spinning him.


2006 USG Sheetrock 400, Race recap
On the green-white-checker finish, Gordon led the final laps to win his 75th career Cup Series victory and second of 2006 with a 0.461 second lead over Burton, followed by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, and defending race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Points leader Jimmie Johnson, Reed Sorenson, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and J. J. Yeley closed out the top ten. Meanwhile, Kenseth was involved in a second wreck and ran out of fuel, but managed to finish the race on the lead lap and finished 22nd.


2006 USG Sheetrock 400, Race recap
After the race, the points standings saw Johnson pull away from Kenseth, with the eight-point margin between them increasing to 51, with Johnson leading Kenseth 2,651 points to 2,600. Earnhardt, Jr. was third with 2,394 points, Burton had 2,327 points, and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five with 2,303. Mark Martin (2,291), Tony Stewart (2,274), Kyle Busch (2,265), Harvick (2,253) and Gordon (2,219) completed the top ten points standings.


2006 USL W-League season, Standings
Blue indicates division title clinchedGreen indicates playoff berth clinchedOrange indicates bye into the W-League semifinals as hosts.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team
The 2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Santo Tomas in the men's basketball tournament of the 69th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team
The Tigers defeated the Blue Eagles of the Ateneo de Manila University to win their nineteenth UAAP men's title, and their first since the 1996 season. Jervy Cruz was selected on the Mythical Five, and Jojo Duncil was named as the Most Valuable Player of the Finals.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Preseason tournaments
After the expiration of head coach Nel Parado contract at the 2005 yearend, the university administration announced the hiring of former varsity and Ginebra San Miguel standout Pido Jarencio as the new head coach.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Preseason tournaments
The Tigers participated in one off-season tournament: the Home and Away Invitational League (HAIL), where they were eliminated in the elimination round with a 3–4 record, good for fourth place, a game behind fourth seed Ateneo.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Schedule
Due to the suspension of the De La Salle Green Archers, the league used a two-round, 12-game schedule, instead of the normal 14-game schedule.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Schedule
Notes: The July 14 game was postponed due to Tropical Storm Florita, while the September 28 game was postponed due to Typhoon Milenyo.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round
The Tigers were ranked at the start of the season as at the middle, with neither being held as a favorite or as a cellar-dweller. Popular collegiate sports website UBelt.com placed UST to be fourth.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, UP Fighting Maroons
A seesaw game all throughout, the Tigers were on the verge of victory when Fighting Maroon Marvin Cruz converted a jump shot at the top of the key, giving the Maroons the victory.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, UP Fighting Maroons
Rookie Jervy Cruz was the top scorer for UST with 16 points. Marvin Cruz (no relation) top scored for UP, with 25 points.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, FEU Tamaraws
The Tigers leaned on Dylan Ababou's three-point play with 8.6 seconds remaining to pull ahead of FEU  for good.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, FEU Tamaraws
Cruz and Duncil led all scorers with 25 points each. Duncil found a wide-open Ababou to cause the three-point play; the Tigers were ahead by 14 points but the Tamaraws fought back to tie at 87-all.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, UE Red Warriors
With a strong second quarter, the Tigers pulled away from season host UE as they dumped the Warriors at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Duncil and Cruz stepped up as they led a 32–10 run at the second quarter to give a comfortable cushion for the rest of the game.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, UE Red Warriors
Duncil scored 25 points, tying his career best. Cruz ended with a double-double of 22 points and ten rebounds.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, NU Bulldogs
Behind a strong outside presence, the NU Bulldogs repulsed the Growling Tigers in a high-scoring game. NU's one-two punch of Jonathan Fernandez and previous season's Mythical 5 awardee Edwin Asoro finished with a combined 44 points.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, NU Bulldogs
The Bulldogs converted 13 three-point field goals, a season record. Duncil made matters worse for the Tigers as he head-butted Dave Catamora with 52.9 seconds remaining.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, Adamson Soaring Falcons
Behind Adamson's run-and-gun offense, the Falcons made a big run at the second quarter to prevent the Tigers from catching up. Kenneth Bono, Leo Canuday and Roel Hugnatan stepped up for the Falcons as they scored a combined 59 points.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, Adamson Soaring Falcons
Ababou top scored for the Tigers with 19 points, Cruz earned another double-double, with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Duncil served his one-game suspension while Cuan was injured.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, Ateneo Blue Eagles
Ateneo was assured of a first place at the end of the first round of eliminations, even though they were defeated in this game. However, the Eagles and the Tigers fought a close game, with Ateneo leading by a point at the end of the first quarter.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, Ateneo Blue Eagles
But it all changed in the second quarter as the Eagles pounced on the Tigers defense while limiting the Tigers in offense. By halftime, the game was over with Ateneo leading 63–36. All of the starters of Ateneo ended in double-figures, with Intal sharing game-high honors with Duncil, who was back from a one-game suspension, with 24 points.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, First round, Ateneo Blue Eagles
Ateneo swept the first round of eliminations with an impressive 6–0 record.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round
The Tigers started the second round tied for last place, along with the UP Fighting Maroons, NU Bulldogs and defending champions FEU Tamaraws. The Eagles are at the top of the pack with a 6–0 record. Two games behind are the Red Warriors, followed by the Adamson.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, UE Red Warriors
Just like in the last three games, the Tigers managed to keep at pace with the Red Warriors, but as terrible second quarter let them down again. Only nine suited up for the Tigers, though, due to injuries and other ailments.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, UE Red Warriors
Cruz had another double-double performance with 17 points and 15 rebounds. James Martines of UE led all scorers with 19 points.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, NU Bulldogs
With their Final Four aspirations in dire straits, the Tigers are in a must-win situation to have a fighting chance to reach the semifinal round.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, NU Bulldogs
The Tigers started passively, allowing he Bulldogs to lead at halftime. But the Tigers, due to the efforts of Cruz and Cuan, caught up with the Bulldogs at the end of the third quarter. Ababou finished the business for the Tigers as they outscored  NU 43–27 at the second half.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, NU Bulldogs
Cruz led all scorers with 18 points, and achieved his seventh double-double of the season, raking in 13 rebounds.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, FEU Tamaraws
Now tied for fourth place, the Tigers are not out of the woods yet, especially at the logjam at the middle of table with Adamson, FEU and NU all having a chance of taking the last two semifinal berths – Ateneo and UE already clinched theirs.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, FEU Tamaraws
Anthony Espiritu stepped up his game as he compensated to Duncil's and Cortez's absence due to injuries and ailments, chipping in a career-high and tournament-best 31 points to lead the Tigers into a season sweep of the defending champions.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Second round, FEU Tamaraws
The Tigers move up to third place with a 4–5 record. Jeff Chan topscored for FEU with 21 points. Cruz had another double-double, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals
After winning the classification game against Adamson, UST clinched the third seed, and the right to face the twice-to-beat UE Red Warriors in the semifinals.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, First game
Possessing the twice to beat advantage, the Warriors started passively, allowing UST to take the lead early on, with UST leading by six by halftime.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, First game
After the halftime break, the game was tightly contested; however UST pulled away at the middle of the third quarter, but with UE overtaking the Tigers, at the end of the third quarter, with UE leading, 44–40. UST would then play their own version of catching up, with the Thomasians staying within striking distance. In a game of attacks and counterattacks, the Tigers unleashed a 5–0 run, leading by as much as eight points.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, First game
The Warriors wouldn't lose easily, as they did their own 8–2 run, cutting the UST lead into two points. With 21.1 seconds left, June Cortez drove hardly to the basket scoring a fieldgoal, plus a personal foul. Cortez sank his bonus freethrow as the Red Warriors failed to erase a four-point lead, giving the Tigers the win, and another game at Season 69.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, Second game
With the season on the line, the Growling Tigers and the Red Warriors faced off anew for the right to meet the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the Finals; Ateneo did not need their twice-to-beat advantage as they edged out Adamson, 76–73.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, Second game
Prior to the game, the Red Warriors announced the suspension of star player Bonifacio "Bonbon" Custodio due to disciplinary measures.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, Second game
Just like in the first game, it was tightly contested, but unlike it, this wasn't a game of attacks and counter-attacks, as neither team led by double digits, although UST led for much of the way at the first half.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, Second game
In the second half, UST began creating inroads to the UE defense, leading by as much as fourteen. UE struck hard at the endgame, and led by five points. With the game on the line, Jojo Duncil, converted a fieldgoal off a Jervy Cruz put-back, plus a foul. Duncil converted his bonus freethrow to set up a thrilling last 53.8 seconds, with UST on the lead 82–79.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, Second game
On the inbound play after the Duncil freethrow, Warriors Team Captain Robert Labagala drove unmolested into the basket, cutting the lead into one point. Trying to seal the game, the Tigers committed a turnover, and with no timeouts on both sides, the Red Warriors sprinted onto their frontcourt. With UST's transition defense sprinting along, Jorel Canizares managed to attempt a jumpshot on the right quartercourt. The shot bounced off the rim, with Canizares getting his own rebound. He missed his shot yet again, when UE captain Rob Labagala getting the rebound as time expired.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Semifinals, Second game
The Thomasians go into their first UAAP men's basketball Finals since 1999. The Warriors were booted out of the semifinals yet again, the third time since the Final Four era when they acquired the twice-to-beat incentive.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals
The Finals series between UST and Ateneo favored the Blue Eagles, as they have figured in more playoff games, and had a championship experience. UST was the underdog in the series.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals
It would be the first time that the Tigers and the Eagles met in a UAAP men's basketball final; the last time they have met was in the 1931 NCAA season where the Blue and White dethroned the Gold and White.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game one
With several lead changes, the ga came on to the final two possessions. With Ateneo leading by one point, 71–70, J.C. Intal of Ateneo committed a backing violation. UST coach Pido Jarencio then called a timeout to design a play. After the timeout, Jervy Cruz had a hard time penetrating the Blue Eagle defense. He kicked out the ball to a tightly-guarded Allan Evangelista. With Doug Kramer covering him, Evangelista converted a fadeaway jumper, to put UST up, 72–71, with one second remaining.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game one
Ateneo head coach Norman Black (a former varsity player of St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia) sued for time. Devising one the plays he previously used the head coach of the professional team San Miguel Beermen, he instructed Chris Tiu to set a pick for Doug Kramer in order to free him from his defender right under the basket. Tigers coach Pido Jarencio (who used to play for Norman Black on his rookie year at Ginebra San Miguel, and was a Glowing Goldie, the Tigers previous moniker) instructed his boys to implement the man-to-man defense.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game one
Macky Escalona inbounded the ball from the left side of center line. With Tiu setting a pick that separated Japs Cuan from defending Doug Kramer, Escalona passed the ball to the free Kramer and calmly converted his fieldgoal attempt, sending the Ateneo fans into pandemonium.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game two
The second game was originally scheduled for September 28, but due to Typhoon Milenyo causing a direct hit to Metro Manila by the time of the game, the UAAP Board rescheduled the second game to September 30, at the Araneta Coliseum.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game two
At the first quarter, the Tigers got off to a hot start, but Ateneo rallied. However, as the quarter concluded, the Tigers hanged on to a one-point lead. The Eagles would lose steam as bad plays and turnovers ruined their offensive flow, while the Tigers began hitting outside shots and grabbing offensive rebounds to negate the Eagles' zone defense. The Eagles would remain within striking distance thanks to J.C. Intal, but without support from his teammates, Intal's one-man show was not enough as Tigers Dylan Ababou and Jojo Duncil both surpassed the twenty-point barrier, leading into an easy 16-point win.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
UST opened the game with a 4–0 lead, barely two minutes into the game, before Ateneo countered, using a 6–2 run, with Macky Escalona's fastbreak lay-up to tie the game at 6. Later on, with the game tied at 10, Ateneo ran off five straight points to grab a 15–10 lead, with 3:07 left in the first. The Tigers rallied with a 5–2 burst, cutting Ateneo's lead to two at the end of the quarter.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
The Blue Eagles started with a 10–4 run to open the second quarter, stretching the lead to eight, 27–19, as well as putting UST in the penalty. The Tigers misfired on their field goals, and their four points were all from the free throw line during this stretch. The Tigers regrouped, rallying to within three at 34–31, before Ken Barracoso hit a three with less than a minute to go in the half, giving Ateneo a 37–31 lead, which they maintained until halftime.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
UST came out scorching in the third quarter, opening the second half with a 10–0 blitz to grab a 41–37 spread. Dylan Ababou started the burst with a triple from the right wing, then after Clifford Arao turned the ball over in Ateneo's next possession, Jun Cortes found Jervy Cruz under the basket for a lay-up that cut ADMU's lead to one.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
The Tigers continued to pour it on, scoring five more unanswered points to grab a 41–37 lead, before the Eagles stopped the bleeding with a lay-up by Escalona. However, the Tigers were not done, going on another 7–0 run to stretch their lead to nine, 48–39 with 4:52 left, forcing Ateneo to call a timeout.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Ateneo came out aggressive from the timeout, drawing fouls and putting UST in penalty. Cruz, Evangelista, and Duncil were all in foul trouble with 3 each, slowing down their offense, and giving Ateneo more momentum. The Eagles ran off five straight points, and after the Tigers stopped the bleeding, Escalona fired a three-point shot with 1:13 remaining, then after UST came up empty again, drove into the lane from the left wing, converting a lay-up which pushed Ateneo to within 49–51. As the Tigers misfired on their free throws, Ateneo took advantage of this, finishing the quarter with an 11–3 windup, drawing them to within one at the end of the third, 51–50.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Neither team could score in the first 3:35 of the quarter until Ababou hit an awkward shot that gave UST the first points of the fourth, as well as a three-point spread. Ateno countered with its four points of its own, and Doug Kramer's basket with 4:46 left gave them back the lead for the first time since early in the third quarter. JC Intal missed two free throws, and Allan Evangelista hit a jumper to swing the lead back to UST.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
After both teams traded baskets, however, Evangelista fouled out on UST's next possession, and Intal hit a three-pointer, giving the Eagles a 59–57 lead, which Escalona stretched to four later on with a jumper. Duncil then sank a jumper of his own off a crossover dribble to pull the Tigers within two, setting the stage for the crucial final minute and a half of regulation.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
With less than a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter and his team leading by two, JC Intal drove past Dylan Ababou, drawing Jervy Cruz' fifth and last foul, converting the basket, and setting himself up for a three-point play. After sending Cruz to the bench for good, Intal converted the free throw to give the Blue Eagles a five-point lead, 64–59 with about a minute remaining.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
With a two of UST's main players out of the game and five-point lead with just over a minute to go in regulation, Ateneo looked poised to end the match. But fate had other things in mind.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
On UST's next possession, Anthony Espiritu faked his defender into the air then drained a critical triple to draw the Tigers to within two, with just over a minute left in the fourth. Intal drove to the basket in Ateneo's next play, but he missed the shot, and the rebound was controlled by Duncil. On the Tigers' possession, Intal committed a foul, giving UST an inbounds play with clock reading 43.5 seconds. Ateneo then used out of its two timeouts.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Duncil caught the pass out of the inbound, but then missed a rushed layup from the right side. However, Mark Canlas grabbed the rebound and scored on a putback to tie the game at 64, with 37.3 seconds left in regulation. The Eagles, opting not to call their final timeout, brought the ball upcourt and isolated Intal at the top of the key. Intal drove into the lane but again missed his lay-up, and the ball was tipped to Duncil. He could not control the rebound, however, and Intal was able to force him to turn the ball over. With only 21 seconds remaining, Ateneo called a timeout to set up their final offensive play of regulation.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Intal inbounded the ball to Escalona, who waited until about 11 seconds left before passing it to Chris Tiu, who in turn passed it to Intal on the left wing. He drove into the lane once more, but he again missed the shot, and Japs Cuan threw up a halfcourt shot that missed as time expired. Game 3 had gone into overtime.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Both teams started off cold in the overtime period, unable to score on their initial possessions. After Doug Kramer missed a shot on Ateneo's second possession, Japs Cuan brought the ball up and was fouled by Yuri Escueta. Since both teams were in the penalty, this sent UST's floor general to the free throw line. Cuan split his free throws, giving the Tigers a one-point lead.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Ateneo came up empty again on their next play, then Kramer fouled June Dizon on UST's possession. Dizon, though, missed both free throws, and Escalona hit another three, giving him 26 points and the Eagles their first lead of the period. Duncil answered right away with a jumper to tie the game again, then after Intal turned the ball over on Ateneo's next possession, Cuan was fouled anew, and once again split his free throws.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
On the Eagles next possession, Escalona faked his defender into the air then drove into the lane for a difficult lay-up to give the Eagles back the lead, 69–68. Duncil tried to answer on the Tiger's next possession, but he air-balled a three-pointer. Duncil though, chased down his own miss, and drew a foul from Chris Tiu. He then knocked in both shots to swing the lead back to his team.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
After Escalona missed a three, Ababou stole Kramer's pass and brought the ball into UST's attack zone. Duncil faked off Barracoso behind the three-point arc, then dribbled closer to sink another jumper which gave the Tigers a three-point lead, 72–69, with just over a minute remaining. As the yellow side of the arena grew louder, Chris Tiu sank a three-pointer of his own off an assist pass from JC Intal to tie the game again at 72, forcing UST to call a timeout with 55 seconds left.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
The Tigers ran an isolation play for Duncil in the right wing against Escalona. Duncil drove into the lane, faked Escalona into the air, then drained yet another jumper to give UST a two-point lead. Intal answered on Ateneo's next play, driving into the lane and laying it in, tying the game anew at 74. The Eagles defended Duncil well on the next play, forcing him to give up the ball to Jun Cortes, who missed an open three. But Ateneo could not control the rebound, and Dylan Ababou grabbed it, drawing a foul in the process. Ababou missed his first free throw, but made the second, giving UST the slimmest of margins, with time down to 12.5 seconds. The Eagles called their last timeout to set up their final offensive play.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Barracoso inbounded to Intal, who called for an isolation at the top of the key against Ababou. He drove past Ababou, but missed a short bank shot. As Intal went up for his own miss, Cuan tied him up, forcing a jumpball, with the possession arrow pointing at UST. The Tigers then inbounded to Jun Cortes, who was fouled immediately. Cortes made the first free throw, giving UST a two-point lead, 76–74, with 3.7 seconds left. The second free throw rattled out, and the ball was tipped to Jai Reyes, who missed a desperation heave at the buzzer.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Game summaries, Finals, Game three
Macky Escalona topscored for the Blue Eagles with 26 points, while Jojo Duncil led the Tigers' charge with 18.


2006 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team, Aftermath
The celebrations at the campus began at the moment of UST's victory on October 2. The main celebrations were held on October 4, started by a thanksgiving holy mass at 5 pm, celebrated by incoming Fr. Ernesto Arceo, O.P., followed by parties, a dinner, and a 10-minute fireworks display seen over much of Sampaloc, Manila.