- Jan 1 43rd Orange Bowl: #11 Ohio State beats #12 Colorado, 27-10
- Jan 1 43rd Sugar Bowl: #1 Pittsburgh beats #4 Georgia, 27-3; Tony Dorsett runs for record 202 yards
- Jan 1 63rd Rose Bowl: #3 Southern California beats #2 Michigan, 14-6
Ted Turner Suspended
Jan 2 MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing
Tanner Defeats Vilas
Jan 9 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Roscoe Tanner wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats Guillermo Vilas of Argentina 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
Raider Win Over Vikings
Jan 9 Super Bowl XI, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: Oakland Raiders beat Minnesota Vikings, 32-14; MVP: Fred Biletnikoff, Oakland, WR
- Jan 11 France releases Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in massacre of Israeli athletes at 1972 Munich Olympics
- Jan 11 MLB Chicago Cubs trade outfielder Rick Monday to Los Angeles Dodgers for Bill Buckner
- Jan 16 Cap's H Monahan scored on 2nd penalty shot against Islanders
- Jan 17 NFL Pro Bowl, Seattle Kingdome: AFC beats NFC, 24-14; MVP: Mel Blount, Pittsburgh Steelers, CB
Pakistan Defeats Australia
Jan 18 Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan takes 6 for 63 in the Australian 2nd innings for a match total of 12 to lead his side to an easy 8 wicket 3rd Test win in Sydney
Banks Elected
Jan 19 Ernie Banks elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Border's 1st-Class Debut
Jan 30 Allan Border scores 36 in his 1st-class innings (NSW vs Qld)
- Jan 30 Edward W. Stack replaces Paul Kerr ad president of baseball's Hall of Fame
Baseball Hall of Fame
Jan 31 Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie and Al López elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Sugar Ray Leonard's Debut
Feb 5 Future 5-division world boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard makes his professional debut with a 6-round unanimous decision over Luis Vega at Baltimore’s Civic Center
NBA All-Star Game
Feb 13 27th NBA All-Star Game, MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, Wi: West beats East, 125-124; MVP: Julius Erving, Philadelphia 76ers, F
Sports History
Feb 13 Eric Heiden is 1st American to win world speed skating championship
- Feb 18 West Indies cricket fast bowlers Joel Garner (4/130) and (Colin Croft 3/85) debut in drawn 1st Test v Pakistan at Bridgetown, Barbados
- Feb 19 A's sell pitcher Paul Lindblad to the Rangers for $400,000
- Feb 19 Doug Walters scores 250 v NZ, 217 stand for 7th wicket with Gilmour
- Feb 19 Right wing Rod Gilbert scores a goal and adds an assist in a 5-2 defeat at the NY Islanders to become first player in NY Rangers history (11th in NHL) to score 1,000 career points
Daytona 500
Feb 20 19th Daytona 500: Cale Yarborough wins his 2nd Great American Race; Janet Guthrie first female NASCAR Cup Series driver; finishes 12th
NBA Record
Feb 25 New Orleans' Pete Maravich sets NBA record for a guard with 68 points in a game
- Mar 1 PGA of America announces a sudden-death playoff format for the PGA Championship to be implemented; previously an 18-hole playoff applied after tie in regulation 72 holes
- Mar 3 Islanders allow Red Wings only 11 shots on goal
- Mar 3 World Ladies' Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Linda Fratianne (USA)
- Mar 4 West Indian cricket fast bowler Colin Croft takes 8-29 against Pakistan in 2nd Test win at Port-of-Spain; best Test figures by a pace bowler from the West Indies
- Mar 5 24th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: North Carolina beats Virginia, 75-69
Sports History
Mar 13 Dennis Lillee takes 6-26, England all out 95 in Centenary Test
- Mar 17 Australia wins cricket Centenary Test by 45 runs, same result as 1877
- Mar 19 France beats Ireland, 15-6 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin to clinch its 6th outright Five Nations Rugby Championship and 2nd Grand Slam
- Mar 20 PGA Tournament Players Championship, Sawgrass CC: Mark Hayes wins in windy conditions, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Mike McCullough
Sports History
Mar 27 American tennis star Chris Evert wins her 4th and final WTA Tour Championship 2–6, 6–1, 6–1 against England's Sue Barker at Madison Square Garden, NYC
- Mar 28 39th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Marquette beats North Carolina, 67-59; Warriors' first title; coach Al McGuire retires
- Apr 2 131st Grand National: Tommy Stack wins aboard 9/1 Red Rum; record third GN victory (1973-74); Charlotte Brew first female to ride in the race
- Apr 2 Montreal Canadiens rout the Washington Capitals, 11-0 at the Montreal Forum to set an NHL record of 34 straight home games without a loss
- Apr 3 Boston Bruin Jean Ratelle scores his 1,000th NHL point
- Apr 6 Kingdome opens, Seattle Mariners 1st game, loses to Angels 7-0
- Apr 7 MLB Toronto Blue Jays 1st game, they beat Chicago 9-5
US Masters Golf
Apr 10 41st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Tom Watson wins the first of his 2 green jackets, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Jack Nicklaus
Sports History
Apr 21 Billy Martin pulls Yankee line-up out of a hat, beats Blue Jays 8-6
- Apr 23 ADO Den Haag soccer team forms in The Hague, Netherlands
- Apr 23 Czech chess master Vlastimil Hort plays 201 games simultaneously & only loses 10
- Apr 25 Cincinnati Reds tie record of 12 runs in 5th inning beating Braves 23-9
- May 1 American golfer Debbie Austin wins the Birmingham Classic, the first of 5 LPGA Tour victories in a 4-month span
- May 1 American golfer Gene Littler wins the Houston Open, his 29th and final PGA title
- May 1 French runner Chantal Langlacé sets female world marathon record (2:35:15.4) in Oyarzun, Spain
- May 3 1977 NFL Draft: Ricky Bell from USC first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kentucky Derby
May 7 103rd Kentucky Derby: Jean Cruguet on Seattle Slew wins in 2:02.2
- May 11 Ted Turner manages an Atlanta Braves game
- May 14 KC Royals Jim Colborn no-hits Texas Rangers, 6-0
- May 14 Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Jacques Lemaire scores twice as Montreal Canadiens edge Boston Bruins, 2-1 in OT for a 4 game sweep and back-to-back titles
Boxing Title Fight
May 16 Muhammad Ali beats Alfredo Evangelist in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
- May 21 102nd Preakness: Jean Cruguet aboard Seattle Slew wins in 1:54.4
- May 21 San Diego Padres beat Mont Expos, 11-8, in 21 innings
- May 22 Red Sox (6) & Brewers (5) tie single game HR record of 11
- May 25 21st European Cup: Liverpool beats Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 at Rome
- May 29 Australian Sue Prell first female golfer to hit consecutive holes-in one; 13th and 14th holes at Chatswood Golf Club, Sydney
Indy 500
May 29 Indianapolis 500: A. J. Foyt. becomes first driver to win Indy 500 four times; last time winning car built entirely within US; Janet Guthrie first female to qualify, lasts 27 laps
French Open Women's Tennis
Jun 4 French Open Women's Tennis: Mima Jaušovec of Yugoslavia wins her lone Grand Slam singles title; beats Florența Mihai of Romania 6-2, 6-7, 6-1
- Jun 5 31st NBA Championship: Port Trailblazers beat Philadelphia 76er, 4 games to 2
French Open Men's Tennis
Jun 5 French Open Men's Tennis: Guillermo Vilas of Argentina wins first career Grand Slam event; outclasses American Brian Gottfried 6-0, 6-3, 6-0
Sports History
Jun 5 Los Angeles Dodgers retire future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston's #24
Baseball Record
Jun 8 MLB California Angels pitcher Nolan Ryan notches his 4th career 19-strikeout game, in 10-inning, 2-1 win over visiting Toronto Blue Jays
- Jun 10 American golfer Al Geiberger becomes first player in history to post a sub-60 score, 59 (−13) in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, during the 2nd round Danny Thomas Memphis Classic at Colonial CC in Cordova, Tennessee
- Jun 11 109th Belmont: Jean Cruguet riding Seattle Slew wins in 2:29.6
LPGA Championship
Jun 12 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Bay Tree Plantation GC: Chako Higuchi of Japan wins her only LPGA major title by 3 from Pat Bradley, Sandra Post & Judy Rankin
Sports History
Jun 16 Ron Guidry's 1st complete game, 7-0 over KC Royals
Sports History
Jun 18 Billy Martin & Reggie Jackson get into a dugout altercation
Sports History
Jun 19 MLB Cleveland Indians fire manager Frank Robinson and replace him with Jeff Torborg
- Jun 19 Red Sox set 3 game record of 16 HRs, all against Yanks
- Jun 19 US Open Golf, Southern Hills CC: Hubert Green shoots 2-under 278 to beat Lou Graham by 1 stroke
- Jun 25 8th Rugby League World Cup: Australia beats Great Britain 13-12
Baseball Record
Jun 27 Willie McCovey smashes 2 HRs in inning for 2nd time (Apr 12, 1973)
Sports History
Jun 29 Future Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Stargell hits his 400th career HR as his Pittsburgh Pirates rout the St Louis Cardinals, 9-1 at Busch Stadium
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 1 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Hometown favourite Virginia Wade beats Betty Stöve of the Netherlands 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
Wimbledon Men's Tennis
Jul 2 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Sweden's Björn Borg beats American Jimmy Connors 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 for the second of 5 consecutive Wimbledon singles titles
- Jul 3 Canadian Open Golf (Peter Jackson Classic), Lachute GC: Judy Rankin wins by 3 strokes from Pat Meyers and Sandra Palmer
- Jul 4 Red Sox end 9-game losing streak by smashing a MLB-record 8 HRs in a 9-6 win vs Toronto at Fenway Park
- Jul 9 British Open Men's Golf, Turnberry: Tom Watson wins second of 5 Open titles by a stroke from Jack Nicklaus; pair play together in final 2 rounds; separate themselves from field under rare clear skies, remembered as the "Duel in the Sun"
Sports History
Jul 19 48th MLB All Star Game, Yankee Stadium, NYC, NY: NL wins, 7-5; MVP: Don Sutton, LA Dodgers, P
- Jul 24 64th Tour de France won by Bernard Thevenet of France
Baseball Record
Jul 24 Pete Rose passes Frankie Frisch as switch-hit leader with 2,881
US Women's Golf Open
Jul 24 US Open Women's Golf, Hazeltine National GC: Hollis Stacy wins wire-to-wire by 2 strokes from Nancy Lopez
Cricket Debut
Jul 28 Legendary England cricket all-rounder Ian Botham on debut takes 5 for 74 in the Australian 1st innings in a 7 wicket 3rd Test win at Trent Bridge
- Aug 1 San Francisco Giants 1st baseman Willie McCovey hits NL record 18th MLB career grand slam
- Aug 2 In his comeback Test, England cricket batsman Geoff Boycott is unbeaten on 80 after a 1st innings 107 as England beats Australia by 7 wickets in the 3rd Test at Trent Bridge
- Aug 8 Texas Rangers turn their 1st triple play (vs A's)
- Aug 9 NHL refuses merger of 6 WHA clubs
- Aug 10 Phillies & Expos play a doubleheader that ends at 3:23 AM
- Aug 14 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Pebble Beach: Lanny Wadkins wins his only major title in event's 1st sudden-death playoff with Gene Littler
- Aug 15 England regain cricket Ashes by taking a 3-0 series lead over Australia
- Aug 16 Yanks blow 9-4 lead in 9th but beat Chicago 11-10 in bottom of 9th
- Aug 18 Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton throws his NL record tying 5th one-hitter
- Aug 21 American water skier Donna Patterson Brice sets women's high speed record 111.11 mph at Long Beach, California
Hockey Hall of Fame
Aug 25 Canadian NHL player Tim Horton posthumously inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame
- Aug 27 Toby Harrah and Bump Wills hit back-to-back inside-the-park-homers off Yankee Ken Clay at Yankee Stadium, Rangers won 8-2
- Aug 28 Nolan Ryan strikes out 300 batters for 5th straight year
- Aug 28 NY Cosmos defeat Seattle Sounders, 2-1, at Civic Stadium in Portland Ore, winning their 2nd North American Soccer League championship
- Aug 28 NY Yankee Ron Guidry faces just 28 men & beats Texas Rangers 1-0
Sports History
Sep 1 Tracy Austin at age 14 years, 8 months, 20 days, becomes the youngest female to play in the US Open, beating German Heidi Eisterlehner 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a 1st round match
- Sep 2 One of the great anti-climaxes in sport; 43-year-old transsexual Rene Richards, who fought for over a year for right to play in a major event, is beaten 6-1, 6-4 by Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade at the US Open
- Sep 3 Japanese baseball superstar Sadaharu Oh hits his 756th career home run to surpass Hank Aaron as all-time career leader in professional baseball
- Sep 5 Cleveland Indians stage 1st "I hate the Yankee Hanky Night", inspired by local radio personality Pete Franklin; home team sweeps a doubleheader over New York at Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Sports History
Sep 6 Angels acquire Dave Kingman from Padres for cash, 9 days later Yankees buy Kingman (started with Mets) who plays in all 4 divisions in 1977
- Sep 10 Blue Jays beat Yankees 19-3 with 20 hits
- Sep 10 Christa Vahlensieck runs female world record marathon (2:34:47.5)
- Sep 10 US Open Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Chris Evert wins her 3rd straight US singles title; beats Wendy Turnbull of Australia 7-6, 6-2; final time event played at West Side Tennis Club
- Sep 11 US Open Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Guillermo Vilas becomes the only Argentine to win US title; beats Jimmy Connors 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-0; final time event played at West Side Tennis Club
Sports History
Sep 15 Orioles forfeit to Blue Jays when mgr Earl Weaver pulls team off field in 5th citing hazardous condition (small tarpaulin on bullpen mound)
- Sep 17 Dave Kingman hits his 1st Yankee homer, Reggie hits 2 more
- Sep 17 Ryder Cup Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes: US wins 12½-7½; last time a Great Britain and Ireland team competes for Ryder Cup
Sports History
Sep 18 Brooks Robinson Night in Baltimore
- Sep 18 Ted Turner's Courageous (US) sweeps Alan Bond's Australia 4-0 in the 24th America's Cup
- Sep 22 Minnesota Twin Bert Blyleven no-hits California Angels, 9-0
- Sep 24 Ken Hinton of CFL British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards
- Sep 26 Cleveland Browns play their 1st overtime game, beat Patriots 30-27
- Sep 27 Phillies clinch 2nd straight NL East Division title
- Sep 29 Eva Shain is 1st woman to referee a heavyweight championship
- Sep 29 Muhammad Ali beats Earnie Shavers by unanimous decision over 15 rounds in NYC for WBA, WBC and The Ring heavyweight boxing titles
Sports History
Oct 1 Brazilian soccer great Pelé plays his final game for the New York Cosmos in an exhibition against Santos in front of 75,000 at Giants Stadium; 1,281 goals in 1,363 games
- Oct 1 New York Yankees end MLB season with 100-62 record; win 2nd consecutive AL East title; go on the win World Series 4-2 v LA Dodgers
F1 World Champion
Oct 2 Austrian Ferrari driver Niki Lauda finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen to clinch his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship; Englishman James Hunt wins the race
Baseball Record
Oct 2 Dusty Baker hits his 30th homer of the season against Astros' J.R. Richard; Dodgers become the first team in MLB history to have 4 players hit 30 or more HRs; joins Steve Garvey (33), Reggie Smith (32) and Ron Cey (30)
- Oct 6 Yankees win AL pennant by rallying for 3 runs in 9th to beat KC Royals 5-3 in 5th & deciding playoff game
- Oct 8 Largest baseball crowd in Penns, 64,924 see Dodgers beat Phillies 4-1 in 4th NL championship game (Dodgers win pennant)
- Oct 8 MLB National League Championship: Los Angeles Dodgers beat Philadelphia Phillies, 3 games to 1
- Oct 9 MLB American League Championship: New York Yankees beat Kansas City Royals, 3 games to 2
- Oct 9 Yanks rally for 3 in 9th & beat Royals 5-3 for pennant #31
- Oct 12 "Throwaway Game" Catfish Hunter loses WS 6-1 resting Yank pitchers
Sports History
Oct 14 Linda Ronstadt sings national anthem prior to World Series Game 3 at Dodger Stadium; criticised for casual attire but ranked by Washington Examiner as second-best rendition ever at a sporting event
- Oct 18 Baseball World Series: Reggie Jackson hits 3 consecutive HRs tying Babe Ruth's WS record; NY Yankees beat LA Dodgers, 8-4 to clinch, 4-2 series win; MVP: Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson
- Oct 18 NY Yankees win their 21st World Championship, 4 games
- Oct 18 Yanks beat Dodgers 8-4 for 21st world championship, 1st in 15 years
- Oct 23 Despite not driving in season ending Japanese Grand Prix, Austrian Niki Lauda wins his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from Jody Scheckter of South Africa
New York City Marathon
Oct 23 New York City Marathon: defending champion Bill Rodgers wins in 2:11:38; Miki Gorman retains women's title in 2:43:10
Sports History
Nov 2 Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carlton wins his second Cy Young Award, outpointing Tommy John of the LA Dodgers; Carlton leads National League with 23 wins and posts 2.64 ERA
- Nov 19 Canuck's Ron Sedlbauer fails on 3rd penalty shot against Islanders
- Nov 20 27th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Cale Yarborough wins
- Nov 20 Steve Largent begins NFL streak of 177 consecutive game receptions
Payton's 275 Yards
Nov 20 Walter Payton (Bears) rushes for NFL record 275 yards
Murray AL Rookie
Nov 21 Baltimore Orioles 1st baseman Eddie Murray wins AL Rookie of Year
- Nov 24 Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Greise passes for 6 touchdowns in a 55-14 win over Cardinals in St. Louis
Hearns vs. Hill
Nov 25 Thomas Hearns KOs Jerome Hill in 2 rounds in his 1st pro fight
- Nov 26 42nd Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 48-21 in Birmingham
- Nov 27 CFL Grey Cup, Olympic Stadium, Montreal: Montreal Alouettes beat Edmonton Eskimos, 41-6; record Grey Cup crowd 68,318; game referred to as the 'Ice Bowl'; Dan Sweet record 23 points
- Dec 2 First day of World Series Cricket at VFL Park in Melbourne; barely 200 people see Australia dismissed for 256 by West Indies; Ray Bright top scores with 69; Michael Holding captures 4 wickets & Andy Roberts 3; WI go on to win 1st WSC 'Test' by 3 wickets
- Dec 4 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Sydney: John Alexander beats Adriano Panatta of Italy 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, 11-9 in a 3 hour, 54 minute classic to give Australia a 3-1 victory
- Dec 4 NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati beats KC 27-7
1st World Series Cricket 'Test'
Dec 4 West Indies win 1st World Series Cricket 'Test' against Australia at VFL Park in Melbourne by 3 wickets; chasing 235 for victory, Viv Richards with 56 and Clive Lloyd 44 guide WI to 237/7 with 2 days to spare
Abdul Qadir Test Debut
Dec 14 Test Cricket debut of Pakistan spin bowling great Abdul Qadir v England in 1st Test at Lahore
- Dec 17 Rookie defenseman Barry Beck scores first career hat trick and adds an assist in Colorado Rockies' 5-1 win v Minnesota North Stars; sets NHL record for rookie defensemen with a goal in his 6th straight game
- Dec 18 NBA Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 42, Nate Thumond
- Dec 25 7th Fiesta Bowl: #8 Penn State beats #15 Arizona State, 42-30
Ballon d'Or
Dec 27 Ballon d'Or: Borussia Mönchengladbach's Danish forward Allan Simonsen is named Europe's best football player ahead of Hamburg forward Kevin Keegan and Nancy midfielder Michel Platini
Evonne Goolagong Cawley Champion
Dec 30 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Evonne Goolagong Cawley wins her 6th career Grand Slam title; beats fellow Australian Helen Gourlay Cawley 6-3, 6-0
Gerulaitis Defeats Lloyd
Dec 31 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Vitas Gerulaitis wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats Englishman John Lloyd 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 3-6, 6-2
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions