1976 in sports

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup

Men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden

Women's overall season champion: Rosi Mittermaier, West Germany

American football

Super Bowl X (January 18) – Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys

Lee Roy Selmon is selected as the first overall pick in the NFL Draft. (April 8)

Seattle Seahawks founded.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers founded.

Orange Bowl (1975 season):

The Oklahoma Sooners won 14-6 over the Michigan Wolverines to win the college football national championship

Tony Dorsett is awarded the Heisman Trophy (November 30).

Association football

England – FA Cup – Southampton won 1-0 over Manchester United

Stevenage F.C. were established

Italy – Torino win Serie A for the first time since the Superga air disaster wiped out the team 27 years before.

1976 European Championship – Czechoslovakia beat West Germany 5-3 on penalties to win, after the game had ended 2-2 after extra time.

Athletics

July – Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics held at Montreal

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League

Hawthorn wins the 80th VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 13.22 (100) d North Melbourne 10.10 (70))

Brownlow Medal awarded to Graham Moss (Essendon)

Baseball

April 17 – Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies hits four consecutive home runs in a game against the Chicago Cubs.

April 25 – Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday rescues an American flag just as two protesters are about to burn it in the outfield during a game at Dodger Stadium.

Seattle Mariners, officially founded in Washington State on August 24.

Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees breaks Hoyt Wilhelm's American League record of 154 career saves.

World Series – The Cincinnati Reds (aka the "Big Red Machine") sweep the New York Yankees, 4 games to 0, to win their second straight championship.

Basketball

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship –

Indiana wins 86-68 over Michigan

NBA Finals –

Boston Celtics win 4 games to 2 over the Phoenix Suns

1976 ABA Playoffs –

New York Nets defeat Denver Nuggets 4 games to 2

American Basketball Association merges with the National Basketball Association; Virginia Squires fold, Kentucky Colonels and Spirits of St. Louis are bought out, and the remaining four teams (San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, New York Nets, and Indiana Pacers) join the NBA

Boxing

May 22 – death of Oscar Bonavena (34), Argentinian heavyweight, who was shot in Reno, Nevada

September 28 in Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York Muhammad Ali won a controversial 15-round decision over Ken Norton to keep his World Heavyweight title.

October 8 in São Paulo, Brazil, former world featherweight champion Eder Jofre fought his last fight, outpointing Mexico's Octavio (Famoso) Gomez in ten rounds.

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders won 23-20 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders

Vanier Cup – Western Ontario Mustangs won 29-13 over the Acadia Axmen

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Felice Gimondi of Italy

Tour de France – Lucien Van Impe of Belgium

UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Freddy Maertens of Belgium

Dogsled racing

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –

Gerald Riley won with lead dogs: Puppy & Sugar

Field hockey

Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Montreal won by New Zealand

Women's World Cup in Berlin won by West Germany

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships –

Men's champion: John Curry, Britain

Ladies' champion: Dorothy Hamill, United States

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

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

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – Raymond Floyd

U.S. Open – Jerry Pate

British Open – Johnny Miller

PGA Championship – Dave Stockton

PGA Tour money leader – Jack Nicklaus – $266,439

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Dick Siderowf

U.S. Amateur – Bill Sander

Women's professional

LPGA Championship – Betty Burfeindt

U.S. Women's Open – JoAnne Carner

LPGA Tour money leader – Judy Rankin – $150,734, she is the first to ever earn more than $100,000 in a season.

Harness racing

United States Pacing Triple Crown races –

1. Cane Pace – Keystone Ore
2. Little Brown Jug – Keystone Ore
3. Messenger Stakes – Windshield Wiper

United States Trotting Triple Crown races –

1. Hambletonian – Steve Lobell
2. Yonkers Trot – Steve Lobell
3. Kentucky Futurity – Quick Pay

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –

Pacers: Carclew

Trotters: Bay Johnny

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Royal Frolic

Grand National – Rag Trade

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Van der Hum

Canada – Queen's Plate won by Norcliffe

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

Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Malacate

English Triple Crown Races:

1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Wollow
2. Epsom Derby – Empery
3. St. Leger Stakes – Crow

United States Triple Crown Races:

1. Kentucky Derby – Bold Forbes
2. Preakness Stakes – Elocutionist
3. Belmont Stakes – Bold Forbes

Ice hockey

Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens

Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Clarke – Philadelphia Flyers

Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 0 over the Philadelphia Flyers

World Hockey Championship –

Men's champion: Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union

Avco World Trophy – Winnipeg Jets win 4 games to 0 over the Houston Aeros

NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Golden Gophers defeat Michigan Technological University Huskies 6-4 in Denver, Colorado

Motor racing

Stock car racing –

February 15: David Pearson won the Daytona 500 in a memorable last-lap duel with Richard Petty

NASCAR Winston Cup Championship – Cale Yarborough

Indianapolis 500 – Johnny Rutherford in a rain-shortened 255-mile event.

USAC Racing – Gordon Johncock won the season championship

Formula One Championship –

James Hunt of Britain won the World Driving Championship

Niki Lauda's famous accident occurred during the German Grand Prix at Nürburgring.

24 Hours of Le Mans – the team of Jacky Ickx / Gijs van Lennep won, driving a Porsche 936

Rally racing – the team of Sandro Munari / Mario Manucci won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Stratos HF

Drag racing – Shirley Muldowney won "Top Fuel" at the NHRA World Finals

Touring car racing – Bob Morris and John Fitzpatrick won the Bathurst 1000, driving a Holden Torana

Rugby league

29 June – the World Club Challenge concept is trialled as English champions St Helens travel to Sydney to play Australian champions Eastern Suburbs. Easts defeat St Helens 25–2 in the one-off match.

18 August – the 1976 Amco Cup tournament culminates in Balmain's 21–7 win over North Sydney in the final

18 September – the 1976 NSWRFL season culminates in Manly-Warringah's 13–10 win over Parramatta in the Grand Final

Rugby union

82nd Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker

World Snooker Championship – Ray Reardon beats Alex Higgins 27-16

World rankings are introduced. Ray Reardon becomes the first world number one, for 1976/77.

Swimming

July 18 to July 25 – XXI Olympic Games, held in Montreal

August 14 – United States's Jonty Skinner sets the first official world record in the 50m freestyle in Philadelphia, clocking 23.86

Tennis

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:

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

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:

1. Australian Open – Evonne Goolagong Cawley
2. French Open – Sue Barker
3. Wimbledon championships – Chris Evert
4. US Open – Chris Evert

Davis Cup – Italy wins 4-1 over Chile in world tennis.

Water polo

Water polo at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal won by Hungary

General sporting events

1976 Summer Olympics takes place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

USSR wins the most medals (125), and the most gold medals (49).

1976 Winter Olympics takes place in Innsbruck, Austria

USSR wins the most medals (27), and the most gold medals (13).

Fifth Pan Arab Games held in Damascus, Syria

Awards

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce), Track and field

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Nadia Comăneci, Gymnastics

ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Nadia Comăneci, Gymnastics