# 1972 in sports

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

## Alpine skiing

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

## American football

* 16 January − Super Bowl VI: the Dallas Cowboys (NFC) won 24−3 over the Miami Dolphins (AFC)
** Location: Tulane Stadium
** Attendance: 81,023
** MVP: Roger Staubach, QB (Dallas)
* Orange Bowl (1971 season):
** The Nebraska Cornhuskers won 38–6 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the college football national championship
* 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.

## Association football

* Brazil – Palmeiras wins the Campeonato Brasileiro
* England – FA Cup – Leeds United won 1–0 over Arsenal
* Europe – Cup Winners' Cup – Rangers F.C. 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

* The Washington Senators move to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas to become the Texas Rangers.
* 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 Division I Men's 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 –
** Cane Pace – Hilarious Way
** Little Brown Jug – Strike Out
** Messenger Stakes – Silent Majority
* Super Bowl wins the United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
** Hambletonian – Super Bowl
** Yonkers Trot – Super Bowl
** 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:
** 2,000 Guineas Stakes – High Top
** The Derby – Roberto
** St. Leger Stakes – Boucher
* United States Triple Crown Races:
** Kentucky Derby – Riva Ridge
** Preakness Stakes – Bee Bee Bee
** Belmont Stakes – Riva Ridge

## Ice hockey

* 18 March - NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Boston University Terriers defeat Cornell University Big Red 4–0 in Boston, Massachusetts
* 22 April - Czechoslovakia defeats the Soviet Union to win the 1972 Ice Hockey World Championships.
* 11 May - The Boston Bruins defeat the New York Rangers 3–0 to win the 1972 Stanley Cup Finals four games to two.
* 14 May - The Cornwall Royals defeat the Peterborough Petes to win the 1972 Memorial Cup Canadian amateur ice hockey junior men's championship.
* 15 May - The Spokane Jets defeat the Barrie Flyers 6–3 to win the 1972 Allan Cup Canadian amateur ice hockey senior men's championship.
* 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
* 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 challenge series.
* 7 October - The National Hockey League begins the 1972–73 season.
* 11 October - The World Hockey Association (WHA) professional league begins play in its first season. This new league signed several of the top NHL stars including Bobby Hull and Derek Sanderson.

## 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.

## 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:
** Australian Open – Ken Rosewall
** French Open – Andrés Gimeno
** Wimbledon championships – Stan Smith
** U.S. Open – Ilie Năstase
* Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
** Australian Open – Virginia Wade
** French Open – Billie Jean King
** Wimbledon championships – Billie Jean King
** U.S. 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