1973 in sports

1973 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

• O.J. Simpson becomes the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season.
• Super Bowl VII – Miami Dolphins won 14–7 over the Washington Redskins to complete the only perfect (unbeaten and untied) season in the history of the National Football League.
• Rose Bowl (1972 season):
  • The USC Trojans won 42-17 over the Ohio State Buckeyes to win college football national championship

Association football

• Brazil – Palmeiras wins the Campeonato Brasileiro
• England – FA Cup – Sunderland wins 1–0 over Leeds United
• 1 January 1973, Edinburgh, Scotland, Edinburgh Derby between Hearts and Hibernian played at Tynecastle ends in a 7–0 victory for Hibernian.
• Philadelphia Atoms defeat Toronto Metros to win the North American Soccer League championship in their inaugural season.

Australian rules football

• Victorian Football League
  • Richmond wins the 77th VFL Premiership defeating Carlton 16.20 (116) to 12.14 (86) in the Grand Final.
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Keith Greig (North Melbourne)
• South Australian National Football League:
  • 1 September: South Adelaide kick only 1.4 (10) against Sturt’s 14.24 (108) in the rain at Unley Oval, with the Panthers’ sole goal being the first score of the match after five minutes. It was the lowest score in the SA(N)FL between 1914 and 2003.^[1]
  • 29 September: Glenelg 21.11 (137) defeat North Adelaide 19.16 (130) for their second SANFL premiership in what is often regarded as the great-ever SANFL Grand Final
• Western Australian National Football League
  • 29 September: Subiaco break the longest premiership drought in WANFL history, beating West Perth 10.12 (72) to 6.4 (40) for their first premiership since 1924.

Bandy

• 1973 Bandy World Championship is held in the Soviet Union and won by  Soviet Union.

Baseball

• 18 January – Orlando Cepeda signs with the Boston Red Sox, making him the first player signed by a team specifically to be a designated hitter.
• The American League uses the designated hitter rule for the first time. Ron Blomberg is the first player to bat as a DH.
• World Series – Oakland Athletics won 4 games to 3 over the New York Mets

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship –
  • UCLA wins 87–66 over Memphis State. Bill Walton of UCLA scored 44 points in the Championship game.
• NBA Finals –
  • New York Knicks won 4 games to 1 over the Los Angeles Lakers
• ABA Finals –
  • Indiana Pacers defeat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3

Boxing

• 22 January – George Foreman beats Joe Frazier by a knockout in two rounds to lift the world's Heavyweight championship from Frazier. It is HBO Boxing's first telecast.

Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders win 22–18 over the Edmonton Eskimos
• Vanier Cup – St. Mary's Huskies win 14–6 over the McGill Redmen

Cycling

• Tour de France – Luis Ocaña of Spain
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Felice Gimondi, of Italy

Dogsled racing

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
  • Dick Wilmarth won with lead dog: Hotfoot

Field hockey

• Men's World Cup in Amstelveen, Netherlands won by the Netherlands

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Ondrej Nepela, Czechoslovakia
  • Ladies' champion: Karen Magnussen, Canada
  • Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Lyudmila Pakhomova & Alexandr Gorshkov, Soviet Union

Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament – Tommy Aaron
• U.S. Open – Johnny Miller – Miller's final round of 63 was a new major championship record which has been equaled several times since, but as of 2014 has not been bettered.
• British Open – Tom Weiskopf
• PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus
• PGA Tour money leader – Jack Nicklaus – $308,362
• Ryder Cup – United States won 19–13 over Great Britain & Ireland in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Dick Siderowf
• U.S. Amateur – Craig Stadler

Women's professional

• LPGA Championship – Mary Mills
• U.S. Women's Open – Susie Berning
• LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $82,864

Harness racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace – Smog
  2. Little Brown Jug – Melvin's Woe
  3. Messenger Stakes – Valiant Bret
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian – Flirth
  2. Yonkers Trot
  3. Kentucky Futurity
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers: Hondo Grattan
  • Trotters: Precocious

Horse racing

• Secretariat, ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, becomes the first horse in 25 years to win all three United States Triple Crown Races

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – The Dikler
• Grand National – Red Rum

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup – Gala Supreme
• Canada – Queen's Plate – Royal Chocolate
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Rheingold
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes – Weaver's Hall
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Mon Fils
  2. Epsom Derby – Morston
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Peleid
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Secretariat
  2. Preakness Stakes – Secretariat
  3. Belmont Stakes – Secretariat

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: Bobby Clarke – Philadelphia Flyers
• Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4 games to 2
• World Hockey Association –
• AVCO Cup – New England Whalers defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 1 for first league championship.
• World Hockey Championship –
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Wisconsin–Madison Badgers defeat University of Denver Pioneers 4–2 in Boston

Lacrosse

• NCAA Men's Division I Championship - University of Maryland Terrapins defeated Johns Hopkins University Bluejays 10-9 in 2 overtimes.

Motor racing

• 2 July – death of Swede Savage (26), USAC race car driver, in a racing accident
• 29 July – death of Roger Williamson, British Formula One driver, in a racing accident
• Open wheel racing
  • Formula One Championship
    • Jackie Stewart wins World Drivers' Championship in a Tyrell 003-Cosworth
    • World Constructors Championship won by Tyrrell
  • 28 & 30 May – Gordon Johncock wins the 57th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the STP Double Oil Filter Eagle-Offenhauser
  • USAC Championship Car Series – Won by Roger McCluskey
• Stock car racing
  • 18 February – Richard Petty wins the Daytona 500 in the #43 Plymouth for Petty Enterprises
    • singer Marty Robbins makes his first appearance as a driver
  • 27 May – E. W. Baker wins the World 500 in the #6 Dodge
  • NASCAR championship won by Benny Parsons
• 24 hours of Le Mans – the team of Henri Pescarolo / Gérard Larrousse won, driving a Matra MS670B
• Rally racing
  • World Rally Championship for Manufacturers – Won by Alpine Renault (1973 is the inaugural season for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's new World Rally Championship series)
• Drag racing
  • NHRA Supernationals – Top Fuel Dragster won by Don Garlits
  • NHRA Top Fuel championship – Top Fuel Dragster (TFD) won Jerry Ruth, Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) by Frank Hall

Radiosport

• Seventh Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Komló, Hungary.
• First ARRL 10 Meter Contest held in December.

Rugby league

• Captain Morgan Trophy
• 1973 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1973 NSWRFL season
• 1972–73 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

• 79th Five Nations Championship series is a five-way tie with all teams winning two matches each

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – Ray Reardon beats Eddie Charlton 38–32

Swimming

• The first FINA World Championships held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open – John Newcombe
  2. French Open – Ilie Năstase
  3. Wimbledon – Jan Kodeš
  4. US Open – John Newcombe
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open – Margaret Court
  2. French Open – Margaret Court
  3. Wimbledon – Billie Jean King
  4. US Open – Margaret Court
• Davis Cup – Australia wins 5–0 over the United States in world tennis.
• Men and women players receive equal prize money at the US Open
• 20 September – In the famed Battle of the sexes at Houston's Astrodome – Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in 3straight sets.

Water polo

• 1973 FINA Men's World Water Polo Championship held in Belgrade and won by Hungary

General sporting events

• Second All-Africa Games held in Lagos, Nigeria
• Seventh Summer Universiade held in Moscow, Soviet Union

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – O.J. Simpson, National Football League
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Billie Jean King, Tennis

References