1982 in sports

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup:

Men's overall season champion: Phil Mahre, United States

Women's overall season champion: Erika Hess, Switzerland

American football

Super Bowl XVI – San Francisco 49ers won 26-21 over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Orange Bowl (1981 season)

The Clemson Tigers won 22-15 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the national championship

Strike – First regular season strike by NFL players ends on November 16 after 57 days.

Association football

World Cup in Spain – Italy beats West Germany 3-1 for their third title.

Champions' Cup – Aston Villa 1-0 Bayern München

UEFA Cup – Two legs; 1st leg IFK Göteborg 1-0 Hamburger SV; 2nd leg Hamburger SV 0-3 IFK Göteborg. IFK Göteborg won 4-0 on aggregate. 66 fans died in the Luzhniki disaster during the UEFA Cup second round match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem in Moscow on 20 October.

Cup Winners' Cup – Barcelona 2-1 Standard Liège

Super Cup – Two legs; 1st leg Barcelona 1-0 Aston Villa; 2nd leg Aston Villa 3-0 Barcelona. Aston Villa won 3-1 on aggregate

Copa Libertadores de América – Two legs; 1st leg Peñarol 0-0 Cobreloa; 2nd leg Cobreloa 0-1 Peñarol. Peñarol win 1-0 on aggregate

England - FA Cup – Tottenham Hotspur won 1-0 over Queens Park Rangers

Athletics

September – 1982 European Championships in Athletics held in Athens

October – 1982 Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane, Australia

December – 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi, India

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League

Carlton wins the 86th VFL Premiership (Carlton 14.19 (103) d Richmond 12.13 (83))

Brownlow Medal awarded to Brian Wilson (Melbourne)

The inaugural VFL Players Association Most Valuable Player Award goes to Leigh Matthews (Hawthorn). The award would be renamed the Leigh Matthews Trophy in his honour in 2002.

Baseball

March 27 – KBO League, a professional baseball league in South Korea, a first officially game held.

May 30 – Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays the first of what will become a record-breaking 2,632 consecutive games

July 13 – Montreal hosts the first MLB All-Star Game outside the United States. Reds SS Dave Concepción hits a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning to spark the National League to its 11th consecutive win over the American League 4-1. The NL has now won 19 of the last 20 contests. Concepción was named the MVP.

August 18 – Pete Rose sets record with his 13,941st plate appearance.

World Series – St. Louis Cardinals won 4 games to 3 over the Milwaukee Brewers to claim their first World Championship since 1967. The Series MVP was Cardinals catcher Darrell Porter.

The Salem Angels won the Northwest League championship.

Basketball

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –

North Carolina wins 63-62 over Georgetown

NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship

Louisiana Tech wins 76–62 over Cheney State

NBA Finals –

Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 2 over the Philadelphia 76ers

National Basketball League (Australia) Finals:

West Adelaide Bearcats defeated the Geelong Cats 80-74 in the final.

FIBA World Championship

USSR World Champion

Boxing

May 4 to May 15 – 1982 World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Munich

June 11 – Larry Holmes defeats Gerry Cooney for the WBC Heavyweight title. Cooney, a white challenger, was dubbed "The White Hope" in what built up to be a very racially toned fight: see Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney.

November 12 – Aaron Pryor defeats Alexis Argüello in what would later be called the fight of the decade. Pryor retained the WBA's world Jr. Welterweight title with a 14th round knockout

November 13 – Ray Mancini defeats Duk Koo Kim by knockout in 14 rounds in a tragic fight. Kim died five days later and the fight's outcome brought many new resolutions to boxing.

December 3 – The Carnival of Champions

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos won 32-16 over the Toronto Argonauts, the Eskimos' record fifth consecutive Grey Cup victory.

Vanier Cup – UBC Thunderbirds won 39-14 over the Western Ontario Mustangs

Cricket

Graham Gooch leads a "rebel" team of players on tour of South Africa, banned from official cricket since 1970 because of apartheid.

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Bernard Hinault of France

Tour de France - Bernard Hinault of France

UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Giuseppe Saronni of Italy

Dogsled racing

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –

Rick Swenson won with lead sled dog – Andy

Field hockey

Men's World Cup held in Bombay won by Pakistan

Men's Champions Trophy held at Amstelveen in the Netherlands and won by the host nation

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships –

Men's champion: Scott Hamilton, United States

Ladies' champion: Elaine Zayak, United States

Pair skating champions: Sabine Baeß & Tassilo Thierbach, Germany

Ice dancing champions: Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean, Great Britain

Gaelic Athletic Association

Camogie

All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Cork

National Camogie League: Kilkenny

Gaelic football

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Offaly 1-15 died Kerry 0-17

National Football League – Kerry 1-9 died Cork 0-5 (replay)

Ladies' Gaelic football

All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry

National Football League: Kerry

Hurling

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Kilkenny 3-18 died Cork 1-13

National Hurling League –

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament - Craig Stadler

U.S. Open - Tom Watson

British Open - Tom Watson

PGA Championship - Raymond Floyd

PGA Tour money leader - Craig Stadler - $446,462

Senior PGA Tour money leader - Miller Barber - $106,890

Men's amateur

British Amateur - Martin Thompson

U.S. Amateur - Jay Sigel

Women's professional

LPGA Championship - Jan Stephenson

U.S. Women's Open - Janet Anderson

Classique Peter Jackson Classic - Sandra Haynie

LPGA Tour money leader - JoAnne Carner - $310,400

Harness racing

United States Pacing Triple Crown races –

1. Cane Pace - Cam Fella
2. Little Brown Jug - Merger
3. Messenger Stakes - Cam Fella

United States Trotting Triple Crown races –

1. Hambletonian - Speed Bowl
2. Yonkers Trot - Mystic Park
3. Kentucky Futurity - Jazz Cosmos

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –

Pacers: Rhett's Law

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Silver Buck

Grand National – Grittar

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Gurner's Lane

Canada – Queen's Plate won by Son of Briartic

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

Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Assert

Japan – Japan Cup won by Half Iced

English Triple Crown Races:

1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Zino
2. Epsom Derby – Golden Fleece
3. St. Leger Stakes – Touching Wood

United States Triple Crown Races:

1. Kentucky Derby – Gato Del Sol
2. Preakness Stakes – Aloma's Ruler
3. Belmont Stakes – Conquistador Cielo

Ice hockey

Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers

Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers

Stanley Cup – New York Islanders win 4-0 over the Vancouver Canucks

World Hockey Championship –

Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia

Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated Czechoslovakia

Motor racing

Stock car racing –

NASCAR Championship - Darrell Waltrip

Bobby Allison won the Daytona 500

CART Racing - Rick Mears won the season championship

Indianapolis 500 - Gordon Johncock

Formula One Champion - Keke Rosberg of Finland

24 hours of Le Mans –

won by the team of Jacky Ickx / Derek Bell driving a Porsche 956

Rally racing - Walter Röhrl in an Opel won the World Rally Championship

Walter Rohrl / Christian Geistdörfer won the Monte Carlo Rally driving an Opel Ascona 400

Drag racing - Shirley Muldowney won the NHRA Top Fuel championship.

Rugby league

1982 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

1982 KB Cup

1982 New Zealand rugby league season

1982 NSWRFL season - Parramatta Eels win their second title, defeating Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles 21-8 in the final.

1981–82 Rugby Football League season / 1982–83 Rugby Football League season

1982 State of Origin series

Rugby union

88th Five Nations Championship series is won by Ireland

Snooker

World Snooker Championship – Alex Higgins beats Ray Reardon 18-15

World rankings – Ray Reardon becomes world number one for 1982/83

Swimming

The fourth FINA World Championships held in Guayaquil, Ecuador

Tennis

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:

1. Australian Open - Johan Kriek
2. French Open - Mats Wilander
3. Wimbledon championships - Jimmy Connors
4. US Open - Jimmy Connors

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:

1. Australian Open - Chris Evert
2. French Open - Martina Navratilova
3. Wimbledon championships - Martina Navratilova
4. US Open - Chris Evert

Davis Cup – United States won 4-1 over France in world tennis.

Billie Jean King makes her final singles appearance at the US Open, losing in the first round.

Total prize money at US Open exceeds 1 million US dollars.

Volleyball

1982 FIVB Men's World Championship held in Buenos Aires, Argentina won by USSR

1982 FIVB Women's World Championship held in Lima, Peru won by China

Water polo

Men's World Championship held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, won by USSR

Multi-sport events

Asian Games held in New Delhi, India

Central American and Caribbean Games held in Havana, Cuba

Awards

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Wayne Gretzky, NHL ice hockey

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Mary Decker, Track and field

ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Wayne Gretzky