1972 in sports

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

Alpine skiing

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

American football

• December 23 - In the first Pittsburgh Steelers 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 13-7.
• 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 1 January 1972.
• Oklahoma Sooners beat Auburn Tigers 40–22 in Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
• Stanford beats Michigan 13–12 in Rose Bowl.
• Penn St. Nittany Lions beats Texas Longhorns 30–6 in Cotton Bowl.
• Georgia Tech beats Iowa St. 31–30 in Liberty Bowl.
• Arizona St. beats Missouri 49–35 in Fiesta Bowl.
• University of Tampa beats Kent St. 21–18 in Tangerine Bowl.
• North Carolina St. beats West Virginia 49–13 in Peach Bowl.
• North Carolina beats Texas Tech 32–28 in Sun Bowl.
• Tennessee beats LSU 24–17 in Bluebonnet Bowl.
• Auburn beats Colorado 24–3 in Gator Bowl.
• Oklahoma beats Penn St. 14–0 in Sugar Bowl played on New Year's Eve.

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.

Athletics

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

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)

Baseball

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

• 19 January – 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 first World Championship since the team was based in Philadelphia in 1930, and sixth in franchise history, by defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3.
• 31 December – 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.

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

Boxing

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

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

Cycling

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

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 – 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

Harness racing

• 21 September – 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

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

Ice hockey

• World Hockey Association (WHA)'s first season. 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
• 28 September – 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, Massachusetts

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.

Motor racing

• Stock car racing –
  • 20 February – A. J. Foyt wins the Daytona 500 in the #21 Mercury for Wood Brothers
  • 28 May – E. W. Baker wins the World 500 in the #6 Dodge for Petty Enterprises
  • NASCAR Championship – Richard Petty (#43 Plymouth, Petty Enterprises)
• USAC Racing
  • 30 May – Mark Donohue wins the 56th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Sunoco Special McLaren-Offenhauser
  • Joe Leonard wins the season drivers' championship
• Formula 5000 – Gijs van Lennep of the Netherlands
• Formula One – Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving a Lotus 72D-Cosworth.
• 24 hours of Le Mans – Henri Pescarolo / Graham Hill win, sharing a Matra MS670
• Rally racing – Sandro Munari / Mario Manucci win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Fulvia 1.6HF
• Drag racing – Don Moody wins Top Fuel^[specify] at the Supernats.^[specify]

Rugby league

• 1972 NSWRFL season
• 1972 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1972–73 Northern Rugby Football League season
• 1972 Rugby League World Cup

Rugby union

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

Snooker

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

Swimming

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

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open – Ken Rosewall
  2. French Open – Andrés Gimeno
  3. Wimbledon championships – Stan Smith
  4. US Open – Ilie Năstase
• 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.

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

Awards

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

References