See also: 1969 in sports, other events of 1970, 1971 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Contents

1 Auto Racing 2 Baseball 3 Basketball 4 Boxing 5 Cricket 6 Cycling 7 Figure Skating 8 Football (American) 9 Football (Australian Rules) 10 Football (Canadian) 11 Football (Soccer) 12 Golf 13 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 14 Harness Racing 15 Ice Hockey 16 Skiing 17 Snooker 18 Speed skating 19 Tennis 20 General sporting events 21 Births 22 Deaths

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Pete Hamilton won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Bobby Isaac
• Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser, Sr.
• USAC Racing - Al Unser, Sr. won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Jochen Rindt of Austria
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Hans Herrmann / Richard Attwood won, driving a Porsche 917
• Rally racing - the team of Bjorn Waldegard / Lars Helmer won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Porsche 911S.
• Drag racing - the NHRA launches the "Supernationals". Rick Ramsey wins "Top Fuel"

Baseball

• January 16: Gold Glove outfielder Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause, a suit that will have historic implications. Flood refused to report to the Phillies after he was traded by the Cardinals, contending the baseball rule violates federal antitrust laws.
• January 17: The Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s.
• January 20: Lou Boudreau is elected to the Hall of Fame, receiving 232 of a possible 300 votes from the BBWAA.
• June 12: Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. It is later revealed that he did so while under the influence of LSD.
• Robert Peterson's book Only the Ball was White is published. The book brought pressure on Major League Baseball to recognize the African-American players from Negro League baseball by equally honoring those qualified in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• World Series: The American League's Baltimore Orioles win their second World Title by defeating the National League's Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:
  • UCLA wins 80-69 over Jacksonville

• NBA Finals:
  • New York Knicks won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers

Boxing

• February 15 - Carlos Cruz, Featherweight Boxing Champion died in a plane crash
• February 16 - Joe Frazier starts a heavyweight world boxing champion winning streak with the knock out of Jimmy Ellis in five rounds.

Cricket

• International Cricket Council votes to suspend South Africa from international cricket indefinitely because of its government's apartheid policy.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• World Cycling Championship: Jean-Pierre Monsere of Belgium

Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Tim Wood , United States
  • Women's champion: Gabrielle Seyfert , Germany
  • Pairs champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexej Ulanow , Soviet Union

Football (American)

• Super Bowl IV: Kansas City Chiefs won 23-7 over the Minnesota Vikings

Football (Australian Rules)

• Victorian Football League
  • Carlton wins the 74th VFL Premiership (Carlton 17.9 (111) d Collingwood 14.17 (101))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Peter Bedford (South Melbourne)

Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Montreal Alouettes win 23-10 over the Calgary Stampeders
• Vanier Cup: Manitoba Bisons win 38-11 over the Ottawa Gee Gees

Football (Soccer)

• World Cup held in Mexico: Brazil won final 4-1 over Italy
• England - FA Cup: Chelsea won 2-1 over Leeds United

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Billy Casper
  2. June - US Open - Tony Jacklin
  3. July - British Open - Jack Nicklaus
  4. August - PGA Championship - Dave Stockton

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Lee Trevino - $157,037

Women's Golf

• US Open - Donna Caponi
• LPGA Championship - Shirley Englehorn
• Kathy Whitworth: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $30,235

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Baghdad Note
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Almoner
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Sassafrás
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Nijinsky II

• Nijinsky II wins the English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Nijinsky II
  2. Epsom Derby - Nijinsky II
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Nijinsky II

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Dust Commander
  2. Preakness Stakes - Personality
  3. Belmont Stakes - High Echelon

Harness Racing

• Fresh Yankee was named "Horse of the Year" by the U.S. Trotting Association and the U.S. Harness Writers Association .

• Most Happy Fella won the United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Most Happy Fella
  2. Little Brown Jug - Most Happy Fella
  3. Messenger Stakes - Most Happy Fella

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Timothy T.
  2. Yonkers Trot - Victory Star
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Timothy T.

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Bold David

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy - Bobby Orr becomes the first defenseman in the history of the National Hockey League to lead the league in scoring.
• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
• Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins win the Cup for the first time in 29 years, defeating the St. Louis Blues 4 games to 0. Defenseman, Bobby Orr is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the series MVP (most valuable player).
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Karl Schranz , Austria
  • The women's overall season champion: Michele Jacot , France

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Ray Reardon beats John Pulman 37-33

Speed skating

• First ISU Sprint Speed Skating Championships for Men and Ladies held in West Allis, U.S.A.

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Arthur Ashe
  2. French Open - Jan Kodes
  3. Wimbledon championships - John Newcombe
  4. US Open - Ken Rosewall

• Margaret Smith Court wins the Grand Slam in women's tennis:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Smith Court
  2. French Open - Margaret Smith Court
  3. Wimbledon championships - Margaret Smith Court
  4. US Open - Margaret Smith Court

• Davis Cup: United States wins 5-0 over Germany F.R. in world tennis.

General sporting events

• British Commonwealth Games held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Births

• February 11 - Alistair Brown , English cricket player.
• February 11 - Jason Allyn Scott , US rower.
• March 30 - Secretariat, two-time Horse of the Year, 1973 Triple Crown winner (+ 1989)
• April 19 - Kelly Holmes, UK athlete
• April 29 - Andre Agassi, tennis player
• May 12 - Mike Weir, Canadian, professional golfer
• May 16 - Gabriela Sabatini, tennis player
• May 24 - Jeff Zgonina, football player
• June 20 - Maia Lewis , New Zealand cricketer
• August 13 - Alan Shearer, England and Newcastle soccer player
• September 10 - Belinda Clarke,Australian cricketer
• September 28 - Isabelle Brasseur , figure skating world champion
• October 3 - Justine Sowry , Australian field hockey goalkeeper
• October 17 - Anil Kumble, Indian cricketer
• November 12 - Tonya Harding, US figure skater

Deaths

• February 6 - Abe Attell, World Champion and Hall of Fame boxer
• February 15 - Carlos Cruz, Featherweight Champion boxer
• May 19 - Ray Schalk, Major League Baseball player (1912-1929)
• May 31 - Terry Sawchuk, ice hockey goalie
• June 2 - Bruce McLaren, race car driver
• June 16 - Brian Piccolo, American football star
• May 31 - Terry Sawchuk, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender
• July 4 - Harold Vanderbilt , 3-time America's Cup winner
• September 3 - Vince Lombardi, NFL coach, Super Bowl trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award named for him
• September 5 - Jochen Rindt, Austrian Formula One racing driver
• September 19 - Greville Stevens, English cricketer
• November 5 - Charley Root , Major League Baseball pitcher (1923-1941)