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

Alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

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

American football

* 16 January −

Super Bowl VI Super Bowl VI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...

: the Dallas Cowboys (NFC) won 24−3 over the Miami Dolphins (AFC) ** Location: Tulane Stadium ** Attendance: 81,023 ** MVP: Roger Staubach, QB (Dallas) * Orange Bowl (1971 season): ** The

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

won 38–6 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the college football national championship * 23 December – In the first

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

playoff game in 25 years (and the franchises first playoff win), rookie Franco Harris salvages and converts into a touchdown a final seconds Terry Bradshaw incomplete pass in what has been called the greatest play in NFL history—The Immaculate Reception—to beat the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

13–7.

Association football

* Brazil –

Palmeiras Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras (), commonly known as Palmeiras, is a Brazilian professional football club based in the city of São Paulo, in the district of Perdizes. Palmeiras is one of the most popular clubs in South America, with around ...

wins the Campeonato Brasileiro * England – FA Cup – Leeds United won 1–0 over

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

* Europe – Cup Winners' Cup – Rangers F.C. won 3–2 over Dinamo Moscow * West Germany beat the Soviet Union 3–0 to win the European Championship.

Athletics

* September –

Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, 38 events in athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-ca ...

held in Munich

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

* Victorian Football League **

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

wins the 76th VFL Premiership (Carlton 28.9 (177) d

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

22.18 (150)) ** Brownlow Medal awarded to Len Thompson ( Collingwood)

Baseball

* The Washington Senators move to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas to become the Texas Rangers. * 19 January – The BBWAA elects Sandy Koufax (344 votes), Yogi Berra (339), and Early Wynn (301) to the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. * 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 The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

win their first World Championship since the team was based in Philadelphia in 1930, and sixth in franchise history, by defeating the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

, 4 games to 3. * 31 December – The

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

' legendary right fielder Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash near Puerto Rico on his way to bring relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

Basketball

* NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship – ** UCLA wins 81–76 over Florida St. *

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

– **

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

won 4 games to 1 over the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

1972 ABA Finals The 1972 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1971–1972 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers defeating the Eastern Division champion New York Nets, fou ...

– **

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

defeat New York Nets 4 games to 2

Boxing

* 26 June – Roberto Durán stopped

Ken Buchanan Ken Buchanan Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 28 June 1945) is a Scottish retired professional boxer from Edinburgh and the former List of undisputed boxing champions, undisputed world lightweight champion.Reg Gutteridge, Gutteridge, Reg" ...

in the thirteenth round to win the WBA Lightweight Championship.

Canadian football

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

–

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

won 13–10 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders * Vanier Cup – Alberta Golden Bears won 20–7 over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

Cycling

* Giro d'Italia won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium * Tour de France – Eddy Merckx of Belgium * UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race –

Marino Basso Marino Basso (born 1 June 1945) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist, considered one of the best sprinters of his generation. He won the World Cycling Championship in 1972. Basso was born at Rettorgole di Caldogno, in the Venet ...

of Italy

Disc sports

* Disc sports are introduced to Canada at the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships in Toronto

Field hockey

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

Figure skating

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

Golf

Men's professional *

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply The Masters, or the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week of April, the Masters is the first maj ...

–

Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...

* U.S. Open –

* British Open –

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

* PGA Championship – Gary Player * PGA Tour money leader –

– $320,542 * The European Tour begins its first season of competition. Men's amateur * British Amateur –

Trevor Homer Trevor ( Trefor in the Welsh language) is a common given name or surname of Welsh origin. It is an habitational name, deriving from the Welsh ''tre(f)'', meaning "homestead", or "settlement" and ''fawr'', meaning "large, big". The Cornish langua ...

* U.S. Amateur –

Vinny Giles Marvin M. "Vinny" Giles III (born January 4, 1943) is an American amateur golfer. He is best known for winning both the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur. Giles was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 19 ...

Women's professional *

LPGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...

–

Kathy Ahern Kathy Ahern (May 7, 1949 – July 6, 1996) was an American professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. Career Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ahern was raised in Dallas, Texas, and won the Texas women's public links title at age 15 She joined ...

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open, one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, W ...

–

Susie Berning Susie Maxwell Berning (born July 22, 1941) is a retired American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1964 and won four major championships and eleven LPGA Tour victories in all. She also competed under her maiden name S ...

Titleholders Championship The Titleholders Championship was a women's golf tournament played from in 1937 to 1966 and again in 1972. It was later designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour. History The Titleholders Championship was founded in 1937. Like the Masters ...

–

Sandra Palmer Sandra Palmer may refer to: * Sandra Palmer (golfer) Sandra Palmer (born March 10, 1943) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1964 and won 19 LPGA Tour events, including two major championships, during her ...

* LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $65,063

Harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

* 21 September –

Strike Out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denot ...

became the first Canadian owned

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australi ...

horse to ever win the Little Brown Jug. * United States Pacing Triple Crown races – *# Cane Pace – Hilarious Way *# Little Brown Jug –

Messenger Stakes The Messenger Stakes is an American harness racing event for 3-year-old pacing horses. It was organized in 1956 at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, New York (on suburban Long Island) to join with the Cane Pace and the Little Brown Jug to create ...

– Silent Majority *

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

wins the United States Trotting Triple Crown races – *# Hambletonian –

*# Yonkers Trot –

Kentucky Futurity The Kentucky Futurity is a stakes race for three-year-old trotters, held annually at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky since 1893. It is part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters. In the 2007 race, Donato Hanover's winning time ...

–

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship :''for winners of the Inter Dominion see: Inter Dominion Pacing Championship and Inter Dominion Trotting Championship'' The Inter Dominion is a harness racing competition that has been contested since 1936 in Australia and New Zealand. It is of ...

– ** Pacers: Welcome Advice

Horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

Steeplechases * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Glencaraig Lady * Grand National –

Well To Do Well To Do (1963–1985) was a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in National Hunt racing. He is best known for winning the 1972 Grand National giving Tim Forster Captain Timothy Arthur Forster, OBE (27 February 1934 – ...

Flat races * Australia – Melbourne Cup won by

Piping Lane Piping Lane (foaled 1966, died 1996) was a brown Australian Thoroughbred racehorse gelding by Lanesborough out of the mare Londonderry Air by Piping Time. Piping Lane came to prominence by winning the 1972 Melbourne Cup over 3,200 metres at odds ...

* Canada – Queen's Plate won by

Victoria Song Song Qian (; born February 2, 1987), known professionally as Victoria or Victoria Song, is a Chinese singer, dancer, actress, model, host and author known for her work as a member of South Korean girl group f(x). In 2010, Song gained fame as pa ...

* France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by San San * Ireland –

Irish Derby Stakes The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

won by Steel Pulse *

English Triple Crown Races The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, often shortened to Triple Crown, is a series of horse races for Thoroughbreds, often restricted to three-year-olds. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplis ...

: *#

2,000 Guineas Stakes The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

– High Top *# The Derby – Roberto *# St. Leger Stakes – Boucher * United States Triple Crown Races: *#

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

– Riva Ridge *# Preakness Stakes – Bee Bee Bee *#

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over 1.5 miles (2,400 m). Colts and geldings carry a weight of ; fillies carry . The race, nicknamed Th ...

– Riva Ridge

Ice hockey

* 18 March - NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Boston University Terriers defeat Cornell University Big Red 4–0 in Boston, Massachusetts * 22 April - Czechoslovakia defeats the Soviet Union to win the

1972 Ice Hockey World Championships The 1972 Ice Hockey World Championships was the 39th edition of the Ice Hockey World Championships. The tournament was held in Prague, Czechoslovakia from 7 to 22 April 1972, and the Czechoslovakia national team won the tournament, the third ti ...

. * 11 May - The Boston Bruins defeat the New York Rangers 3–0 to win the

1972 Stanley Cup Finals The 1972 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1971–72 season, and the culmination of the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers. It was th ...

four games to two. * 14 May - The Cornwall Royals defeat the Peterborough Petes to win the

1972 Memorial Cup The 1972 Memorial Cup occurred May 8–14 at the Ottawa Civic Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was the 54th annual Memorial Cup competition, organized by the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) to determine the champion of major juni ...

Canadian amateur ice hockey junior men's championship. * 15 May - The Spokane Jets defeat the Barrie Flyers 6–3 to win the

1972 Allan Cup The 1972 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1971–72 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Spokane Jets and Spokane, Washington with Kimberley, British Columbia. The 1972 playoff marked the 64th time t ...

Canadian amateur ice hockey senior men's championship. *

Art Ross Trophy The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League (NHL) player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the league by former player, General Manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has ...

as the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

's leading scorer during the regular season: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins * Hart Memorial Trophy – for the

's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins * 28 September –

Paul Henderson Paul Garnet Henderson, (born January 28, 1943) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A left winger, Henderson played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs and Atlanta Flam ...

scored the "goal of the century" to give Canada the win in the

Summit Series The Summit Series, Super Series 72, Canada–USSR Series (russian: Суперсерия СССР — Канада, Superseriya SSSR — Kanada), or Series of the Century (french: Série du siècle, Séries of the Century), was an eight-game ic ...

, the first ever Canada versus the Soviet Union challenge series. * 7 October - The National Hockey League begins the 1972–73 season. * 11 October - The World Hockey Association (WHA) professional league begins play in its first season. This new league signed several of the top NHL stars including Bobby Hull and

Derek Sanderson Derek Michael Sanderson (born June 16, 1946), nicknamed "Turk", is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and two-time Stanley Cup champion who helped transform the culture of the professional athlete in the 1970s era. The two-time Sta ...

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.

Motorsport Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...

Rugby league

1972 NSWRFL season The 1972 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 65th season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six of 1908's foundation clubs and another six from across Sydne ...

* 1972 New Zealand rugby league season *

1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season The 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 77th season of rugby league football. This season saw the entry of rugby league's first sponsors: Joshua Tetley and John Player. Season summary This season saw the introduction of the L ...

1972–73 Northern Rugby Football League season The 1972–73 Northern Rugby Football League season was the 78th season of rugby league football played in England. It would also be the last season whereby the British championship was decided by a play-off system until Super League III in 1998. ...

1972 Rugby League World Cup The sixth Rugby League World Cup was held in France in October and November 1972. Australia started as the favourites to retain the trophy they had won just two years previously. New Zealand had beaten all three of the other nations in 1971 a ...

Rugby union

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

Snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...

* World Snooker Championship – Alex Higgins beats John Spencer 37–32

Swimming

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

Tennis

* Grand Slam in tennis men's results: *#

Australian Open The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...

– Ken Rosewall *#

French Open The French Open (french: Internationaux de France de tennis), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France, beginning in late May each year. The tournament and ven ...

– Andrés Gimeno *# Wimbledon championships –

Stan Smith Stanley Roger Smith (born December 14, 1946) is an American former professional tennis player. Smith is best known to non-tennis players as the namesake of a popular brand of tennis shoes. A world No. 1 player and two-time major singles cham ...

*# U.S. Open – Ilie Năstase * Grand Slam in tennis women's results: *#

– Virginia Wade *#

–

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

*# Wimbledon championships –

*# U.S. Open –

(first player in Open Era to repeat as singles champion) *

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

– United States wins 3–2 over Romania in world tennis.

General sporting events

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

takes place in Munich, Germany ** USSR wins the most medals (99), and the most gold medals (50) *

1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 ( ja, 札幌1972), was a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside Europe ...

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

Awards

* Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Mark Spitz, Swimming *

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year The first Athlete of the Year award in the United States was initiated by the Associated Press (AP) in 1931. At a time when women in sports were not given the same recognition as men, the AP offered a male and a female athlete of the year award ...

– Olga Korbut, Gymnastics

References

{{Sports by year 1951 – 2000 Sports by year