1972 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years:	1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975

Contents 1 Alpine skiing 2 American football 3 Association football 4 Athletics 5 Australian rules football 6 Baseball 7 Basketball 8 Boxing 9 Canadian football 10 Cycling 11 Field hockey 12 Figure skating 13 Golf 14 Harness racing 15 Horse racing 16 Ice hockey 17 Lacrosse 18 Motor racing 19 Rugby union 20 Snooker 21 Swimming 22 Tennis 23 General sporting events 24 Awards 25 References

[edit] Alpine skiing

• Alpine Skiing World Cup
  • Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy
  • Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria

[edit] American football

• Super Bowl VI – Dallas Cowboys won 24-3 over the Miami Dolphins
• 1971 NCAA Division I-A national football championship – Nebraska Cornhuskers win 38-6 over the University of Alabama Crimson Tide to claim back-to-back National Championship titles on January 1, 1972.

[edit] Association football

• Brazil – Palmeiras wins the Campeonato Brasileiro
• England - FA Cup – Leeds United won 1-0 over Arsenal
• Europe - Cup Winners' Cup – Rangers FC won 3-2 over Dinamo Moscow
• West Germany beat the Soviet Union 3-0 to win the European Championship.

[edit] Athletics

• September – Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich

[edit] Australian rules football

• Victorian Football League
  • Carlton wins the 76th VFL Premiership (Carlton 28.9 (177) d Richmond 22.18 (150))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Len Thompson (Collingwood)

[edit] Baseball

• January 19 – The BBWAA elects Sandy Koufax (344 votes), Yogi Berra (339), and Early Wynn (301) to the Hall of Fame.
• Sparky Lyle saves 35 games for the New York Yankees, breaking Ron Perranoski's 1970 records for AL pitchers and left-handers. Lyle also becomes the first left-hander to save 100 career games in the American League.
• World Series – Oakland Athletics win their 6th World Championship by defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3.
• December 31 - The Pittsburgh Pirates' legendary right fielder Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash near Puerto Rico on his way to bring relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

[edit] Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship –
  • UCLA wins 81-76 over Florida St.
• NBA Finals –
  • Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 1 over the New York Knicks
• 1972 ABA Finals –
  • Indiana Pacers defeat New York Nets 4 games to 2

[edit] Boxing

• June 26 - Roberto Duran stopped Ken Buchanan in the thirteenth round to win the WBA Lightweight Championship.

[edit] Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats won 13-10 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Vanier Cup – Alberta Golden Bears won 20-7 over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

[edit] Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• World Cycling Championship – Marino Basso of Australian

[edit] Field hockey

• Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Munich, West Germany
  • Gold Medal: West Germany
  • Silver Medal: Pakistan
  • Bronze Medal:

[edit] Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Ondrej Nepela, Czechoslovakia
  • Ladies' champion: Beatrix Schuba, Austria
  • Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexei Ulyanov, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Lyudmila Pakhomova & Alexandr Gorshkov, Soviet Union

[edit] Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament - Jack Nicklaus
• U.S. Open - Jack Nicklaus
• British Open - Lee Trevino
• PGA Championship - Gary Player
• PGA Tour money leader - Jack Nicklaus - $320,542
• The European Tour begins its first season of competition.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Trevor Homer
• U.S. Amateur - Vinny Giles

Women's professional

• LPGA Championship - Kathy Ahern
• U.S. Women's Open - Susie Berning
• Titleholders Championship - Sandra Palmer
• LPGA Tour money leader - Kathy Whitworth - $65,063

[edit] Harness racing

• September 21 - Strike Out became the first Canadian owned harness racing horse to ever win the Little Brown Jug.
• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace - Hilarious Way
  2. Little Brown Jug - Strike Out
  3. Messenger Stakes - Silent Majority
• Super Bowl wins the United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian - Super Bowl
  2. Yonkers Trot - Super Bowl
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Super Bowl
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers: Welcome Advice

[edit] Horse racing

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Glencaraig Lady
• Grand National – Well To Do

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Piping Lane
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by Victoria Song
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by San San
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Steel Pulse
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – High Top
  2. Epsom Derby – Roberto
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Boucher
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Riva Ridge
  2. Preakness Stakes – Bee Bee Bee
  3. Belmont Stakes – Riva Ridge

[edit] Ice hockey

• World Hockey Association (WHA) formed to compete with the NHL. This new league signed several of the top NHL stars including Bobby Hull and Derek Sanderson.
• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
• Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
• Stanley Cup - Boston Bruins win 4 games to 2 over the New York Rangers
• September 28 - Paul Henderson scored the "goal of the century" to give Canada the win in the Summit Series, the first ever Canada versus the Soviet Union hockey showdown.
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Boston University Terriers defeat Cornell University Big Red 4-0 in Boston, MA

[edit] Lacrosse

• The Long Branch P.C.O.'s win the first Founders Cup.
• The New Westminster Salmonbellies win the Mann Cup.
• The Peterborough PCO's win the Minto Cup.

[edit] Motor racing

• Stock car racing –
  • February 20 – A.J. Foyt won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Richard Petty
• Indianapolis 500 - Mark Donohue
• USAC Racing - Joe Leonard won the season championship
• Formula 5000 - Gijs van Lennep of The Netherlands
• Formula One Championship - Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil
• 24 hours of Le Mans – the team of Henri Pescarolo / Graham Hill won, driving a Matra MS670
• Rally racing - Sandro Munari / Mario Manucci won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Fulvia 1.6HF
• Drag racing - Don Moody won "Top Fuel" at the NHRA Supernationals

[edit] Rugby union

• 78th Five Nations Championship series is undecided after two matches are not played for political reasons

[edit] Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – Alex Higgins beats John Spencer 37-32

[edit] Swimming

• XX Olympic Games, held in Munich, West Germany (August 28 – September 4)

[edit] Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Ken Rosewall
  2. French Open - Andres Gimeno
  3. Wimbledon championships - Stan Smith
  4. US Open - Ilie Nastase
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Virginia Wade
  2. French Open - Billie Jean King
  3. Wimbledon championships - Billie Jean King
  4. US Open - Billie Jean King (first player in Open Era to repeat as singles champion)
• Davis Cup – United States wins 3-2 over Romania in world tennis.

[edit] General sporting events

• 1972 Summer Olympics takes place in Munich, Germany
  • USSR wins the most medals (99), and the most gold medals (50)
• 1972 Winter Olympics takes place in Sapporo, Japan
  • USSR wins the most medals (16), and the most gold medals (8)
• Seventh Winter Universiade held in Lake Placid, New York, United States

[edit] Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Mark Spitz, Swimming
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Olga Korbut, Gymnastics

[edit] References

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