1971 in sports

1971 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing edit

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

American football edit

17 January − Super Bowl V: the Baltimore Colts (AFC) won 16–13 over the Dallas Cowboys (NFC)
- Location: Miami Orange Bowl
- Attendance: 79,204
- MVP: Chuck Howley, LB (Dallas)
25 December – The Miami Dolphins defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional playoff game. The double-overtime contest is the longest game in NFL history, and the Chiefs' last home game at Municipal Stadium.
Orange Bowl (1970 season):
- The Nebraska Cornhuskers won 17–12 over the Louisiana State Tigers to win the AP Poll national championship after the previous #1 Texas Longhorns lost in the Cotton Bowl and the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes lost in the Rose Bowl.
24 October – death of Chuck Hughes, Detroit Lions wide receiver

Association football edit

2 January – At the end of a Rangers–Celtic match at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, barriers at Stairway 13 give way under a mass of fans, killing 66 and injuring over 200 others.
30 June – death of Georgi Asparuhov (28), Bulgarian international
Atlético Mineiro wins the first Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Arsenal are the English First Division champions
England – FA Cup – Arsenal won 2–1 over Liverpool to win The Double
European Championship Cup Final: Ajax – Panathinaikos 2–0

Athletics edit

August – Athletics at the 1971 Pan American Games held in Cali, Colombia
August – 1971 European Athletics Championships held at Helsinki

Australian rules football edit

Victorian Football League
- Hawthorn wins the 75th VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 12.10 (82) d St Kilda 11.9 (75))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Ian Stewart (Richmond)
SANFL
- North Adelaide 10.19 (79) defeated Port Adelaide 9.5 (59)

Bandy edit

1971 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by Soviet Union.

Baseball edit

World Series – Pittsburgh Pirates won 4 games to 3 over the Baltimore Orioles. Game four, played on 13 October at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, was the first night game in World Series history.

Basketball edit

NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship –
- UCLA wins 68–62 over Villanova
- Indiana University Hires Bob Knight as their head basketball coach.
NBA Finals –
- Milwaukee Bucks win 4 games to 0 over the Baltimore Bullets
1971 ABA Finals –
- Utah Stars defeat Kentucky Colonels 4 games to 3; Stars defeat Indiana Pacers in division finals while Colonels defeat Virginia Squires.

Boxing edit

8 March – Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali at Madison Square Garden, in the first of three epic bouts between the two, to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

Canadian football edit

Grey Cup – Calgary Stampeders won 14–11 over the Toronto Argonauts
Vanier Cup – Western Ontario Mustangs won 15–14 over the Alberta Golden Bears

Cricket edit

5 January, Melbourne – first-ever One Day International is played after a Test match is abandoned because of rain, Australia beating England by 5 wickets.

Cycling edit

Giro d'Italia won by Gösta Pettersson of Sweden
Tour de France – Eddy Merckx of Belgium
UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Eddy Merckx of Belgium

Field hockey edit

Men's World Cup in Barcelona, Spain
- Gold Medal: Pakistan
- Silver Medal: Spain
- Bronze Medal: India
Pan American Games (Men's Competition) in Cali, Colombia
- Gold Medal: Argentina
- Silver Medal: Mexico
- Bronze Medal: Canada

Figure skating edit

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 edit

Men's professional

PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus
Masters Tournament – Charles Coody
U.S. Open – Lee Trevino
British Open – Lee Trevino
PGA Tour money leader – Jack Nicklaus – $244,491
Ryder Cup – United States won 18½ to 13½ over Britain in team golf

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Steve Melnyk
U.S. Amateur – Gary Cowan

Women's professional

LPGA Championship – Kathy Whitworth
U.S. Women's Open – JoAnne Carner – this win made her the first person ever to win three different USGA individual championship events.
Titleholders Championship – not played
LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $41,181

Harness racing edit

United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
1. Cane Pace – Albatross
2. Little Brown Jug – Nansemond
3. Messenger Stakes – Albatross
United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
1. Hambletonian – Speedy Crown
2. Yonkers Trot – Quick Pride
3. Kentucky Futurity – Savoir
Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Stella Frost
- Trotters: Geffini

Horse racing edit

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – L'Escargot
Grand National – Specify

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Silver Knight
Canada – Queen's Plate won by Kennedy Road
France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Mill Reef
Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Irish Ball
English Triple Crown Races:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Brigadier Gerard
2. The Derby – Mill Reef^[1]
3. St. Leger Stakes – Athens Wood
United States Triple Crown Races:
1. Kentucky Derby – Canonero II
2. Preakness Stakes – Canonero II
3. Belmont Stakes – Pass Catcher

Ice hockey edit

13 April – death of Michel Brière (21), Canadian player with Pittsburgh Penguins
Art Ross 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 – Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 3 over the Chicago Black Hawks
World Hockey Championship
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Boston University Terriers defeat University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Golden Gophers 4–2 in Syracuse, New York
World Hockey Association (WHA) is formed as an alternative North American professional hockey league to the NHL

Lacrosse edit

Cornell beats Maryland 12–6 to win the first NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship.
The Brantford Warriors win the Mann Cup.
The Richmond Roadrunners win the Minto Cup.
The Victoria McDonalds win the Castrol Cup.

Motorsport edit

Radiosport edit

Sixth Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Duisburg, Federal Republic of Germany.

Rugby league edit

18 September – the 1971 NSWRFL season culminates in a Grand Final victory for South Sydney, defeating St George 16–10
1971 New Zealand rugby league season
1970–71 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1971–72 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union edit

77th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker edit

World Snooker Championship – John Spencer beats Warren Simpson 37–29

Swimming edit

27 August – US swimmer Mark Spitz recaptures the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course), clocking 2:03.9 at a meet in Houston, Texas.
31 August – Four days after Mark Spitz broke the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course), West Germany's Hans-Joachim Fassnacht betters the time to 2:03.3 at a meet in Landskrona, Sweden.