1974 in sports

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Men's overall season champion: Piero Gros, Italy

Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria

American football

Super Bowl VIII – Miami Dolphins won 24–7 over the Minnesota Vikings

World Bowl I – Birmingham Americans won 22–21 over Florida Blazers (at Birmingham, Alabama)

Sugar Bowl (1973 season):

The game was actually played on December 31, 1973; other major bowl games were played on January 1, 1974

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 24-23 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win AP Poll national championship

1974 college football season

The Oklahoma Sooners win the AP Poll national championship; do not play in any bowl the next January due to sanctions

Artistic gymnastics

World Artistic Gymnastics Championships –

Men's all-around champion: Shigeru Kasamatsu, Japan

Women's all-around champion: Ludmilla Tourischeva, USSR

Men's team competition champion: Japan

Women's team competition champion: USSR

Association football

Brazil – CR Vasco da Gama wins the Campeonato Brasileiro

FIFA gives to Colombia the right to host the Football World Cup 1986, but Colombian officials decided in late 1982 that they could not afford to host the tournament on the scale FIFA required.

Football World Cup – West Germany won 2–1 over the Netherlands.

England – FA Cup – Liverpool won 3–0 over Newcastle United.

Ecuador - Ecuadorian Serie A Champions: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito

Athletics

January – 1974 Commonwealth Games held at Christchurch, New Zealand

September – East German athlete Manfred Kuschmann wins the 1974 European Championships in Rome

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League

Richmond wins the 78th VFL Premiership (Richmond 18.20 (128) d North Melbourne 13.9 (87))

Brownlow Medal awarded to Keith Greig (North Melbourne)

Baseball

16 January – Former Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mantle becomes only the seventh player to make it in his first try. His 536 home runs with the Yankees ranked second only to Babe Ruth and he played in more games (2,401) than any other pinstriper, including Lou Gehrig. Ford was arguably the greatest Yankees pitcher of all time, retiring with more wins (236), more innings (3,171), more strikeouts (1,956), and more shutouts (45) than anyone in club history.

Frank Robinson becomes the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball.

8 April – Hank Aaron hit home run# 715 in the fourth inning off Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Al Downing breaking Babe Ruth's career home run record.

4 June – The Cleveland Indians hosted "Ten Cent Beer Night", but had to forfeit the game to the Texas Rangers due to drunken and unruly fans.

World Series – Oakland Athletics win 4 games to 1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

14 October – Shigeo Nagashima, a well known sports player from Japan, retires from the Yomiuri Giants of Tokyo, after a 17-year baseball player career.

Basketball

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship –

North Carolina State wins 76–64 over Marquette

In the semifinals of this tournament, North Carolina State defeated UCLA 80–77 in overtime, ending UCLA's record streak of seven national titles. The last previous tournament not won by the Bruins was the 1966 tournament.

NBA Finals –

Boston Celtics win 4 games to 3 over the Milwaukee Bucks

1974 ABA Finals –

New York Nets defeat Utah Stars, 4 games to 1

FIBA World Championship

USSR World Champion

19 January – Notre Dame defeats UCLA 71–70, ending the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak.

Boxing

9 February in Paris – Carlos Monzón retains his world Middleweight title by a knockout in round seven over world Welterweight champion José Nápoles.

17 to 30 August – First World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Havana, Cuba

30 October in Kinshasa, Zaire – Muhammad Ali regained the World Heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of what was called The Rumble in the Jungle.

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Montreal Alouettes won 20–7 over the Edmonton Eskimos

Vanier Cup – Western Ontario Mustangs won 19–15 over the Toronto Varsity Blues

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 – Eddy Merckx of Belgium

Disc sports

Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner introduce the first disc freestyle competition and other disc sports to Canada at the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships, in Toronto

Dog sledding

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –

Carl Huntington won with lead dog: Nugget

Field hockey

Men's European Nations Cup held in Madrid and won by Spain

Women's World Cup held in Mandelieu, France, and won by the Netherlands

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships –

Men's champion: Jan Hoffmann, Germany

Ladies' champion: Christine Errath, Germany

Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union

Ice dancing champions: Lyudmila Pakhomova & Alexandr Gorshkov, Soviet Union

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – Gary Player

U.S. Open – Hale Irwin

British Open – Gary Player

PGA Championship – Lee Trevino

PGA Tour money leader – Johnny Miller – $353,022

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Trevor Homer

U.S. Amateur – Jerry Pate

Women's professional

LPGA Championship – Sandra Haynie

U.S. Women's Open – Sandra Haynie

LPGA Tour money leader – JoAnne Carner – $87,094

Harness racing

United States Pacing Triple Crown races –

1. Cane Pace – Boyden Hanover
2. Little Brown Jug – Armbro Omaha
3. Messenger Stakes – Armbro Omaha

United States Trotting Triple Crown races –

1. Hambletonian – Christopher T.
2. Yonkers Trot
3. Kentucky Futurity

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –

Pacers: Hondo Grattan

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Captain Christy

Grand National – Red Rum

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Think Big

Canada – Queen's Plate won by Amber Herod

France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Allez France

Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by English Prince

English Triple Crown Races:

1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Nonoalco
2. Epsom Derby – Snow Knight
3. St. Leger Stakes – Bustino

United States Triple Crown Races:

1. Kentucky Derby – Cannonade
2. Preakness Stakes – Little Current
3. Belmont Stakes – Little Current

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: Phil Esposito – Boston Bruins

Stanley Cup – Philadelphia Flyers win 4 games to 2 over the Boston Bruins

World Hockey Championship –

Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia

Avco World Trophy - Houston Aeros win 4 games to 0 over the Chicago Cougars

NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Golden Gophers defeat Michigan Technological University Huskies 4–2 in Boston, Massachusetts

Lacrosse

The 2nd World Lacrosse Championship is held in Melbourne, Australia. The United States win, and there is a 3-way tie for the runner-up position.

The National Lacrosse League of 1974 and 1975 is formed. It is not related to the modern National Lacrosse League.

The Rochester Griffens defeat the Philadelphia Wings in the six game National Lacrosse League (1974-75) championship, 4 games to 2 games.

The New Westminster Salmonbellies win the Mann Cup.

The Whitby Transporters win the Founders Cup.

The Peterborough PCO's win the Minto Cup.

The Johns Hopkins University Bluejays defeat the University of Maryland Terrapins 17-12 to win the NCAA Division I Men's Championship.

Motor racing

22 March – Peter Revson, American F1 driver, killed in a wreck during the South African Grand Prix

Stock car racing –

22 February – Richard Petty wins the Daytona 500 in the #43 Plymouth for Petty Enterprises

26 May – David Pearson wins the World 500 in the #21 Mercury for Wood Brothers

NASCAR Championship – Richard Petty (#43 Plymouth, Petty Enterprises)

IROC Championship – inaugural title won by Mark Donohue

USAC Racing

26 May – Johnny Rutherford wins the 58th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Bowes Seal Fast Special McLaren M16-Offenhauser

driving championship won by Bobby Unser

Formula One

Emerson Fittipaldi (Brazil) wins the World Drivers' Championship, driving a McLaren M23-Cosworth.

McLaren wins the World Constructors' Championship

Austrian driver Helmut Koinigg is killed during the United States Grand Prix

24 hours of Le Mans – Henri Pescarolo / Gérard Larrousse win, sharing a Matra MS670B

Rally racing – In the first rally to cross the Sahara Desert, the Australian team of Ken Tubman, Andre Welenski, and Jim Reddiex win the World Cup Rally driving a Citroën.

Drag racing – Top Fuel Dragster won by Don Garlits at the NHRA World Finals

Rugby league

1974 Amco Cup

Captain Morgan Trophy

1974 New Zealand rugby league season

1974 NSWRFL season

1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1974–75 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

80th Five Nations Championship series is won by Ireland

Snooker

World Snooker Championship – Ray Reardon beats Graham Miles 22–12

Tennis

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:

1. Australian Open – Jimmy Connors
2. French Open – Björn Borg
3. Wimbledon championships – Jimmy Connors
4. US Open – Jimmy Connors

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:

1. Australian Open – Evonne Goolagong
2. French Open – Chris Evert
3. Wimbledon championships – Chris Evert
4. US Open – Billie Jean King

Davis Cup – South Africa wins over India (walkover) in world tennis.

Last year in which US Open was played on grass courts

Volleyball

1974 FIVB Men's World Championship held in Mexico City and won by Poland

Yacht racing

The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Courageous defeats Australian challenger Southern Cross, of the Royal Perth Yacht Club, 4 races to 0; it is Australian businessman Alan Bond's first Cup challenge

General sporting events

Asian Games held in Teheran, Iran

British Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch, New Zealand

Central American and Caribbean Games held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

International Olympic Committee choose Moscow to host the 1980 Summer Olympics

Awards

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Muhammad Ali, Boxing

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Chris Evert, Tennis