Suvarna Garge (Editor)

1972 in sports

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Years in sports
  
1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975

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

Contents

Alpine skiing

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

    • American football

  • 23 December - 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
  • Orange Bowl (1971 season):
  • The Nebraska Cornhuskers won 38-6 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the college football national championship

    • 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

  • 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
  • UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Marino Basso 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 – 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 at the Supernats.

    • 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 – 4 September)

    • 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

    1972 in sports Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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