1973 in sports

1973 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

• O.J. Simpson becomes the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season.
• Super Bowl VII – Miami Dolphins won 14–7 over the Washington Redskins to complete the only perfect (unbeaten and untied) season in the modern NFL era.

Association football

• Brazil – Palmeiras wins the Campeonato Brasileiro
• England – FA Cup – Sunderland wins 1–0 over Leeds United
• 1 January 1973, Edinburgh, Scotland, Edinburgh Derby between Hearts and Hibernian played at Tynecastle ends in a 7–0 victory for Hibernian.
• Rangers F.C win European Cup Winners Cup, after beating Dynamo Moscow F.C. 3–2.
• Philadelphia Atoms defeat Toronto Metros to win the North American Soccer League championship in their inaugural season.

Australian rules football

• Victorian Football League
  • Richmond wins the 77th VFL Premiership (Richmond 16.20 (116) d Carlton 12.14 (86))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Keith Greig (North Melbourne)

Baseball

• 18 January – Orlando Cepeda signs with the Boston Red Sox, making him the first player signed by a team specifically to be a designated hitter.
• The American League uses the designated hitter rule for the first time. Ron Blomberg is the first player to bat as a DH.
• World Series – Oakland Athletics won 4 games to 3 over the New York Mets

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship –
  • UCLA wins 87–66 over Memphis State. Bill Walton of UCLA scored 44 points in the Championship game.
• NBA Finals –
  • New York Knicks won 4 games to 1 over the Los Angeles Lakers
• 1973 ABA Finals –
  • Indiana Pacers defeat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3

Boxing

• 22 January – George Foreman beats Joe Frazier by a knockout in two rounds to lift the world's Heavyweight championship from Frazier. It is HBO Boxing's first telecast.

Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders win 22–18 over the Edmonton Eskimos
• Vanier Cup – St. Mary's Huskies win 14–6 over the McGill Redmen

Cycling

• Tour de France – Luis Ocaña of Spain
• World Cycling Championship – Felice Gimondi, of Italy

Dogsled racing

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
  • Dick Wilmarth won with lead dog: Hotfoot

Field hockey

• Men's World Cup in Amstelveen, Netherlands won by the Netherlands

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Ondrej Nepela, Czechoslovakia
  • Ladies' champion: Karen Magnussen, Canada
  • Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Lyudmila Pakhomova & Alexandr Gorshkov, Soviet Union

Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament – Tommy Aaron
• U.S. Open – Johnny Miller
• British Open – Tom Weiskopf
• PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus
• PGA Tour money leader – Jack Nicklaus – $308,362
• Ryder Cup – United States won 19–13 over Britain & Ireland in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Dick Siderowf
• U.S. Amateur – Craig Stadler

Women's professional

• LPGA Championship – Mary Mills
• U.S. Women's Open – Susie Berning
• LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $82,864

Harness racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace – Smog
  2. Little Brown Jug – Melvin's Woe
  3. Messenger Stakes – Valiant Bret
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian – Flirth
  2. Yonkers Trot
  3. Kentucky Futurity
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers: Hondo Grattan
  • Trotters: Precocious

Horse racing

• Secretariat, ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, becomes the first horse in 25 years to win all three United States Triple Crown Races

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – The Dikler
• Grand National – Red Rum

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup – Gala Supreme
• Canada – Queen's Plate – Royal Chocolate
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Rheingold
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes – Weaver's Hall
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Mon Fils
  2. Epsom Derby – Morston
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Peleid
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Secretariat
  2. Preakness Stakes – Secretariat
  3. Belmont Stakes – Secretariat

Ice hockey

• 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 Clarke – Philadelphia Flyers
• Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Black Hawks 4 games to 2
• World Hockey Association –
• AVCO Cup – New England Whalers defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 1 for first league championship.
• World Hockey Championship –
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers defeat University of Denver Pioneers 4–2 in Boston

Motor racing

• 2 July – death of Swede Savage (26), USAC race car driver, in a racing accident
• 29 July – death of Roger Williamson, British Formula One driver, in a racing accident
• Open wheel racing
  • Formula One Championship
    • Jackie Stewart wins World Drivers' Championship in a Tyrell 003-Cosworth
    • World Constructors Championship won by Tyrrell
  • 28 & 30 May – Gordon Johncock wins the 57th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the STP Double Oil Filter Eagle-Offenhauser
  • USAC Championship Car Series – Won by Roger McCluskey
• Stock car racing
  • 18 February – Richard Petty wins the Daytona 500 in the #43 Plymouth for Petty Enterprises
    • singer Marty Robbins makes his first appearance as a driver
  • 27 May – E. W. Baker wins the World 500 in the #6 Dodge
  • NASCAR championship won by Benny Parsons
• 24 hours of Le Mans – the team of Henri Pescarolo / Gérard Larrousse won, driving a Matra MS670B
• Rally racing
  • World Rally Championship for Manufacturers – Won by Alpine Renault (1973 is the inaugural season for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's new World Rally Championship series)
• Drag racing
  • NHRA Supernationals – Top Fuel Dragster won by Don Garlits
  • NHRA Top Fuel championship – Top Fuel Dragster (TFD) won Jerry Ruth, Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) by Frank Hall

Radiosport

• Seventh Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Komló, Hungary.
• First ARRL 10 Meter Contest held in December.

Rugby league

• Captain Morgan Trophy
• 1973 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1973 NSWRFL season
• 1972–73 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

• 79th Five Nations Championship series is a five-way tie with all teams winning two matches each

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – Ray Reardon beats Eddie Charlton 38–32

Swimming

• The first FINA World Championships held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open – John Newcombe
  2. French Open – Ilie Năstase
  3. Wimbledon – Jan Kodeš
  4. US Open – John Newcombe
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open – Margaret Court
  2. French Open – Margaret Court
  3. Wimbledon – Billie Jean King
  4. US Open – Margaret Court
• Davis Cup – Australia wins 5–0 over the United States in world tennis.
• Men and women players receive equal prize money at the US Open
• 20 September – In the famed Battle of the sexes at Houston's Astrodome – Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in 3straight sets.

Water polo

• 1973 FINA Men's World Water Polo Championship held in Belgrade and won by Hungary

General sporting events

• Second All-Africa Games held in Lagos, Nigeria
• Seventh Summer Universiade held in Moscow, Soviet Union

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – O.J. Simpson, National Football League
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Billie Jean King, Tennis

References

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