- Jan 1 40th Orange Bowl: #6 Penn State beats #13 LSU, 16-9
- Jan 1 60th Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #7 Southern California, 42-21
Connors Wins Over Dent
Jan 1 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Jimmy Connors wins his only Australian title; beats home favourite Phil Dent 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
- Jan 1 Ernie DiGregorio of Buffalo hands out 25 assists in the Braves' 120-119 win over Portland, establishing an NBA single-game record for assists by a rookie
Lee MacPhail
Jan 1 Lee MacPhail takes over as AL president, succeeding Joe Cronin
- Jan 13 Super Bowl VIII, Rice Stadium, Houston, TX: Miami Dolphins beat Minnesota Vikings, 24-7; MVP: Larry Csonka, Miami, RB
- Jan 15 24th NBA All-Star Game, Seattle Center Coliseum: West beats East, 134-123; MVP: Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons
- Jan 19 Notre Dame beats UCLA, 71-70 in South Bend, Indiana to end Bruins' NCAA-record 88-game basketball win streak
- Jan 20 24th NFL Pro Bowl, Arrowhead Stadium, KC, Missouri: AFC beats NFC, 15-13; MVP: Garo Yepremian, Miami Dolphins, PK
- Jan 20 Essex Comm College beats Englewood Cliffs 210-67 in basketball
Baseball Hall of Fame
Jan 28 Sam Thompson, Jim Bottomley, & Jocko Conlan elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Jan 29 1974 NFL Draft: Ed Jones from Tennessee State first pick by Dallas Cowboys
- Jan 29 27th NHL All-Star Game, Chicago Stadium: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 6-4; MVP: Garry Unger, St. Louis, C
- Feb 2 Smallest crowd at Cleveland Arena (Cavs vs Golden State-1,641)
- Feb 5 Mats Wermelin, Sweden, scores all points in 272-0 basketball win
- Feb 6 3rd time Rangers shut-out Islanders 6-0
Hamill US Champion
Feb 9 US female Figure Skating championship won by Dorothy Hamill
Daytona 500
Feb 17 16th Daytona 500: Richard Petty first driver to win back-to-back titles at Daytona; his 5th Great American race
- Feb 17 49 die in stampede for seats at soccer match, Cairo, Egypt
Sports History
Feb 20 Gordie Howe comes out of retirement for $1M from Houston Aeros, WHA
- Feb 24 Dutch speed skater Atje Keulen-Deelstra becomes Women's Allround World Champion at Heerenveen, Netherlands, her third consecutive title and fourth in 5 years
- Feb 25 Veronica & Colin Scargill (England) begin tandem bicycle ride a record 18,020 miles around the world, completed on August 27, 1975
Cricket Record
Mar 1 Australian cricketing brothers Ian (145) and Greg Chappell (162no) record 264 partnership in 1st Test draw vs New Zealand at Wellington; Ian (121) and Greg (133) double up with centuries in 2nd innings
- Mar 2 Australian cricket batsman Greg Chappell makes 247no in drawn 1st Test vs NZ in Wellington; also hits 133 in 2nd innings; brother Ian 145 and 121 also scores twin centuries
- Mar 3 Despite Billy Harris' hat trick Islanders lose 3-4
- Mar 6 Australian cricketing brothers Ian (145 & 121) and Greg Chappell (247no and 133) score unique twin centuries in drawn 1st Test vs New Zealand in Wellington
- Mar 9 21st ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: NC State beats Maryland, 103-100 (OT)
- Mar 13 Glenn Turner scores twin tons for NZ's 1st win against Aust
- Mar 16 Both Wales (12-16 v England) and France (6-19 v Scotland) lose their final round matches handing Ireland their 8th Five Nations Rugby Championship
- Mar 24 36th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Marquette, 76-64; Wolfpack first title; first tournament officially designated as a Division I championship
Boxing Title Fight
Mar 26 George Foreman TKOs Ken Norton in 2nd round for the WBA, WBC and The Ring heavyweight boxing titles in Caracas, Venezuela
- Mar 30 128th Grand National: Brian Fletcher aboard Red Rum wins for the 2nd consecutive year; horse goes on to win 1977 race for 3 GN victories; Fletcher's record 3rd GN win
Sports History
Mar 31 American golfer Lee Trevino goes bogey-free for the full 4 rounds as he wins the Greater New Orleans Open by 8 strokes from Bobby Cole and Ben Crenshaw
Cricket History
Apr 2 England cricket fast bowler Tony Greig takes 8-86 in West Indies' 1st innings in tourists' 26 run 5th Test win in Port-of-Spain; Greig also captures 5-70 in 2nd innings
Sports History
Apr 4 Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th in Cincinnati, facing Jack Billingham
Cricket History
Apr 5 Last day of Test cricket for Garfield Sobers and Rohan Kanhai
- Apr 6 Yankees 1st home game at Shea Stadium, while Yankee Stadium is renovated; beat Cleveland Indians 6-1
- Apr 8 Hammerin' Hank Aaron hits 715th HR, off of L.A. Dodger Al Downing, breaking Babe Ruth's record in Atlanta
- Apr 9 San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc, addresses fans "Ladies & gentlemen, I suffer with you I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life"
US Masters Golf
Apr 14 38th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Gary Player wins the 2nd of his 3 Masters titles, 2 strokes ahead of Dave Stockton and Tom Weiskopf
- Apr 15 78th Boston Marathon: Neil Cusack of Ireland takes men's race in 2:13:39; American Miki Gorman women's winner in 2:47:11
- Apr 19 Oriole Al Bumbry hits an inside-the-park HR against NY Yankees
- Apr 24 NFL grants franchise to Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Apr 25 NFL moves goal posts & adopts sudden-death playoff
- Apr 26 Yankees trade Peterson, Beene, Kline & Buskey to Indians for Chambliss, Tidrow & Upshaw
Kentucky Derby
May 4 100th Kentucky Derby: Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. wins aboard Cannonade for first of 3 Derby victories
- May 6 Oakland A's pitcher Paul Lindblad makes an errant throw in 1st inning of 6-3 loss to Baltimore, ending his record streak of 385 consecutive errorless games
- May 8 FC Magdenburg of East Germany win 14th European Cup Winner's Cup against AC Milan of Italy 2-0 in Rotterdam
- May 10 7th ABA championship: NY Nets beats Utah Stars, 4 games to 1
- May 12 28th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat Milwaukee, 4 games to 3
- May 17 18th European Cup: Bayern Munich beats Atletico Madrid 4-0 at Brussels
- May 18 99th Preakness: Miguel Rivera aboard Current Little wins in 1:54.6
- May 19 Stanley Cup Final, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Goaltender Bernie Parent and the Flyers shut out the Boston Bruins, 1-0, to win series 4-2, become 1st "expansion" team to win Stanley Cup; Parent named playoff MVP
- May 22 Soccer team Veendam forms
- May 26 Indianapolis 500: Johnny Rutherford claims first of his three Indy victories; first Sunday start of the event
- Jun 4 NFL grants franchise to Seattle Seahawks
Sports History
Jun 5 As' Reggie Jackson and Bill North engage in clubhouse fight at Detroit
Sports History
Jun 10 Philadelphia Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt hits a ball off public address speaker hanging from Houston Astrodome roof
Sports History
Jun 11 Mel Stottlemyre sets an American League record by making his 272nd consecutive start without pitching a game in relief
Baseball Record
Jun 14 MLB Angels' Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 Boston Red Sox over 13 innings in a 15-inning 2-1 win for California at Anaheim Stadium
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 15 French Open Women's Tennis: American teenager Chris Evert beats Olga Morozova of Russia 6-1, 6-2 for first of a record 7 French singles titles
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 16 French Open Men's Tennis: Björn Borg of Sweden wins first career Grand Slam title; beats Manuel Orantes of Spain 2-6, 6-7, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1
US Golf Open
Jun 16 US Open Men's Golf, Winged Foot GC: Hale Irwin's score of 287 (+7) is good enough for the first of his 3 Open titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Forrest Fezler
- Jun 19 KC Royals pitcher Steve Busby throws his 2nd career no-hitter; beats Milwaukee Brewers, 2-0
LPGA Championship
Jun 23 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Pleasant Valley CC: 1965 champion Sandra Haynie wins by 2 shots from JoAnn Carner
- Jun 24 India is dismissed for 42 in 17 overs in 2nd Test defeat to England at Lord's; lowest total in country's Test cricket history; Chris Old 5-21, Geoff Arnold 4-19
- Jun 24 Kansas City pitcher Steve Busby retires first 9 White Sox to set AL record with 33 consecutive batsmen retired; Royals still lose, 3-1 to Chicago
- Jun 30 Canadian Open Golf (Peter Jackson Classic), Candiac GC: Carole Jo Skala wins by 3 from JoAnn Carner
- Jul 1 NFL players go on strike for 41 days challenging the "Rozelle Rule" but had to wait until 1977 for new collective bargaining agreement
Sports History
Jul 3 Pitching in MLB-record 13th consecutive game for the LA Dodgers, Mike Marshall saves Tommy John's 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds
- Jul 4 Mike Marshall goes 9-0 with 3 saves in 20 appearances in 30 days
- Jul 5 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Chris Evert wins her first Wimbledon title beating Russian Olga Morzova 6-0, 6-4
- Jul 6 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Jimmy Connors wins his first of 2 Wimbledon singles titles beating Ken Rosewall of Australia 6-1, 6-1, 6-4
FIFA World Cup
Jul 7 FIFA World Cup Final, Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany: Striker Gerd Müller scores 43rd minute winner as West Germany beats the Netherlands, 2-1
- Jul 7 Milwaukee's Don Money sets MLB record for consecutive errorless games at 3rd base (78) in Brewers 8-5 win v Twins
- Jul 7 New Zealand imposes a blanket ban on sports teams from South Africa
- Jul 8 New York Yankees shortstop Jim Mason ties record with 4 doubles in 9 inning game
- Jul 13 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes GC: South African Gary Player wins his 3rd Open Championship, 4 strokes clear of runner-up Peter Oosterhuis of England
Sports History
Jul 14 Billy Martin is 1st AL manager ejected by umpire from 2 games in 1 day
Tour de France
Jul 21 61st Tour de France: Eddy Merckx of Belgium wins 5th Tour that he enters; equals Jacques Anquetil record for Tour victories
- Jul 21 US Open Women's Golf, La Grange CC: Sandra Haynie wins by 1 shot from Beth Stone and Carol Mann
- Jul 23 45th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 7-2 at 3 Rivers Stadium, Pitts
Sports History
Jul 23 All star MVP: Steve Garvey (LA Dodgers)
PGA Championship
Aug 11 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Tanglewood Park: Lee Trevino wins the first of his 2 PGA C'ships, 1 stroke ahead of defending champion Jack Nicklaus
- Aug 12 Nolan Ryan strikes out 19 & walks only 2 as Angels top Red Sox, 4-2
Hall of Fame
Aug 12 Yankees Mickey Mantle & Whitey Ford become 1st teammates inducted to hall of fame on same day
- Aug 15 Longest team (6) trampoline bouncing marathon (1,248 hours or 52 days)
- Aug 20 Nolan Ryan pitch measured at record 161.6 kph (100.4 mph)
- Aug 23 Zaheer Abbas scores 240 Pakistan v England at The Cricket Oval
- Aug 27 NY Met Benny Ayala hits a HR in his 1st at bat
- Sep 2 PGA Tournament Players Championship, Atlanta CC: Jack Nicklaus wins inaugural event; first of his 3 TPC titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up J. C. Snead
Sports History
Sep 3 Future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson retires; leaves NBA with 26,710 points, 9,887 assists & 7,804 rebounds in 1,040 games
- Sep 3 SF Giants' pitcher John Montefusco in his MLB debut, homers in his first at bat and pitches 9 innings in relief to earn a 9 - 5 victory over the Dodgers
US Open Women's Tennis
Sep 7 US Open Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Billie Jean King wins her 4th and final US singles title; beats Evonne Goolagong Cawley of Australia 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
- Sep 8 England's Ian Thompson wins European Championship marathon in 2:13:18.8 in Rome, Italy
- Sep 8 US Open Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Jimmy Connors wins his first of 5 US singles titles; outclasses veteran Australian Ken Rosewall 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 in last event played on grass
- Sep 10 MLB St Louis Cardinals Lou Brock ties (104) & then sets (105) baseball stolen base mark
- Sep 10 Teuvo Louhivouri sets cycling distance record of 515.8 mi in 24 hrs
- Sep 13 Phillies set NL record, using 27 players in a game, St Louis uses 24, tying record of 51. Phils win 7-3 in 17
- Sep 17 Courageous (US) beats Southern Cross (Aust) in 23rd America's Cup
- Sep 21 Enzo Maiorca sets the world record for free diving of 90 metres
- Sep 28 California Angel Nolan Ryan 3rd no-hitter beats Minn Twin, 4-0
- Sep 29 New York City Marathon: Norbert Sander wins men's race in 2:26:30; Katherine Switzer takes out women's event in 3:07:29
- Oct 2 Future Baseball Hall of Fame right fielder Hank Aaron hits his final home run as a member of the Atlanta Braves, in a 13-0 drubbing of the Cincinnati Reds; Aaron's 733rd career HR on his last NL at bat
Contract of Interest
Oct 3 39-year old Frank Robinson becomes MLB’s first African-American manager when he signs as player-manager for Cleveland Indians; agrees to 1-year contract estimated at $180,000
Sports History
Oct 3 Future Basketball Hall of Fame guard Jerry West (“Mr. Clutch”) retires after 14 NBA seasons with the LA Lakers; West has 25,192 career points; averages 29.1 ppg in 153 playoff games
F1 World Champion
Oct 6 Brazilian McLaren driver Emerson Fittipaldi finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen to win his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 3 points from Clay Ragazzoni
- Oct 9 MLB American League Championship: Oakland Athletics beat Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 1
- Oct 9 MLB National League Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 games to 1
- Oct 9 Washington Capitals 1st NHL game, losing 6-3 to NY Rangers at Madison Square Garden; start of a 37 game road losing streak for Washington
- Oct 10 MLB Oakland A's Mike Andrews files $25 million lawsuit against team owner Charlie Finley
- Oct 10 US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff army General George Brown's deplores Jewish influence in US security policy during question and answers after speech at Duke University
- Oct 12 1st time Washington Capitals are shutout as they are beat 6-0 by Minnesota
- Oct 15 Washington Capitals 1st NHL tie, playing LA Kings to 1-1 tie
Sports History
Oct 16 MLB Oakland As' pitcher Ken Holtzman, in his 1st at bat of the season, belts 3rd inning home run in Game 4 of the World Series, and gets the win, 5-2
- Oct 17 Baseball World Series: Oakland A's 3-peat; beat LA Dodgers, 3-2 in Oakland for 4-1 series win; MVP: A's pitcher Rollie Fingers
- Oct 17 NBA New Orleans Jazz begin a 28 game road losing streak
- Oct 17 Washington Capitals 1st NHL home victory, beating Chicago 4-3
- Oct 18 1st NBA game at Market Square Arena - Pacers beat Spurs 129-121
Sports History
Oct 18 Chicago Bull Nate Thurmond becomes 1st in NBA to complete a quadruple double-22 pts, 14 rebounds, 13 assists & 12 blocks
- Oct 19 Australian tennis star Evonne Goolagong wins her first WTA Tour Championship; beats Chris Evert 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the Los Angeles Sports Arena
- Oct 19 Detroit Pistons beat Trailblazers in Portland (next win 6-1-90)
- Oct 19 NHL Detroit Red Wing Mickey Redmond scores 1st hat trick against Washington Capitals
- Oct 21 NHL New York Islanders and goaltender Billy Smith's 1st shut-out win, 5-0 vs Washington Capitals
Baseball Trade
Oct 22 MLB New York Yankees trade outfielder Bobby Murcer to San Francisco Giants for outfielder Bobby Bonds
- Oct 23 Chicago Cubs trade 6-time MLB All Star outfielder Billy Williams to Oakland A's for second baseman Manny Trillo and 2 pitchers
- Oct 24 Billy Martin named AL Manager of Year (Texas Rangers)
- Oct 26 Cleveland Coliseum opens for NBA's Cavaliers & MISL's Crunch
- Oct 27 French runner Chantal Langlacé sets female world marathon record (2:46:24) in Neuf-Brisach, France
- Oct 28 1st time 2 Islanders hat trick in same game-MacMillian & Westfall
Boxing Title Fight
Oct 30 "The Rumble in the Jungle": Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the 8th round in Kinshasa, Zaire; regains world heavyweight boxing title with famous "rope-a-dope" tactic
- Oct 30 California Angel Nolan Ryan throws fastest recorded pitch (100.9 MPH)
- Nov 2 Atlanta Braves trade then MLB home run king Hank Aaron to Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Dave May
- Nov 6 Dodger Mike Marshall is 1st relief pitcher to win Cy Young Award
- Nov 10 Montreal Canadiens shutout Washington Capitals 11-0
- Nov 13 Dodgers Steve Garvey wins NL MVP
- Nov 16 Milwaukee Bucks lose their 11th straight NBA game (team record)
- Nov 17 Bonnie Bryant becomes the only left-handed player in history to win an LPGA Tour event; scores a 3-stroke victory in the Bill Branch Golf Classic in Fort Myers, Florida
- Nov 22 Test Cricket debut of Gordon Greenidge and Viv Richards, at Bangalore
- Nov 23 Alexis Argüello of Nicaragua knocks out Mexican defending champion Rubén Olivares in the 13th round at the Forum in Inglewood, California, to claim the WBA world featherweight boxing title
- Nov 24 24th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Richard Petty wins
- Nov 24 CFL Grey Cup, Empire Stadium, Vancouver: Montreal Alouettes defeat Edmonton Eskimos, 20-7 on a slick, wet field
- Nov 26 Greenidge scores 107 in 2nd innings of Test Cricket debut v India
- Nov 27 MLB St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Bake McBride wins NL Rookie of Year
George Steinbrenner Suspended
Nov 28 Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for two years because of his Federal conviction for illegal contributions to political campaigns [1]
- Nov 29 39th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 17-13 in Birmingham
- Nov 30 20th time Islanders shut-out (3-0 vs Canucks)
- Dec 1 American Jacqueline Hansen runs female world record marathon 2:43:54.5 in Culver City, California
- Dec 1 South Africa is awarded the Davis Cup tennis title after India refuses to travel to South Africa for the final in protest of the South African government's apartheid policies
- Dec 2 MLB Rules Committee changes long time philosophy to permit the use of cowhide, rather than just horsehide in the manufacture of baseballs
- Dec 5 Birmingham Americans defeat the Florida Blazers 22-21 in the WFL's World Bowl
- Dec 5 NFL's Seattle Seahawks forms
Richards' 1st Test Century
Dec 14 Viv Richards scores 1st Test Cricket ton 192 v India 20 fours 6 sixes
Vilas Wins ATP
Dec 15 Guillermo Vilas of Argentina beats defending champion lie Năstase 7–6, 6–2, 3–6, 3–6, 6–4 to win his first and only season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis final in Melbourne, Australia
- Dec 19 Dave Kryskow scores Washington Capitals 1st NHL shorthanded goal
Esposito Scores 500
Dec 22 Phil Esposito, Boston, became 6th NHLer to score 500 goals
Steelers Defeat Raiders
Dec 29 AFC Championship, Oakland Coliseum: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Oakland Raiders, 24-13
- Dec 29 NFC Championship, Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington: Minnesota Vikings beat Los Angeles Rams, 14-10
- Dec 31 41st Sugar Bowl: #8 Nebraska beats #18 Florida, 13-10
Goolagong Retains Title
Dec 31 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley retains her title; beats Martina Navratilova of Czechoslovakia 6-3, 6-2
Johan Cruyff Wins Again
Dec 31 Ballon d'Or: Ajax forward Johan Cruyff wins back-to-back awards, and his 3rd overall, for best European football player ahead of Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer and Legia Warsaw midfielder Kazimierz Deyna
- Dec 31 New York Yankees sign Cy Young Award winner Jim "Catfish" Hunter for 5 years for a record $3.75 million from the Oakland A's
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions