1971 in sports

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Richard Petty won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Richard Petty
• Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser, Sr.[?]
• USAC Racing - Joe Leonard[?]
• Formula One Championship - Jackie Stewart[?] of Great Britain
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Helmut Marko[?] / Gijs van Lennep[?] won, driving a Porsche 917
• Rally racing - the team of Ove Andersson[?] / David Stone[?] won the Monte Carlo Rally driving an Alpine-Renault A110[?]
• Drag racing:
  • The NHRA announces the first "Grandnational" in Canada at Sanair International Drag Strip, near Montreal, Quebec.
  • Hank Johnson[?] won Top Fuel at the NHRA Supernationals.

Baseball

• World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates won 4 games to 3 over the Baltimore Orioles. Game two was the first night game in World Series history.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • UCLA wins 68-62 over Villanova

• NBA Finals:
  • Milwaukee Bucks win 4 games to 0 over the Baltimore Bullets

Boxing

• March 8 - Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in the first of three epic bouts. Frazier defends the World Heavyweight Championship in a star-studded Madison Square Garden.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Gosta Pettersson[?] of Sweden
• Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• World Cycling Championship: Eddy Merckx of Belgium

Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Ondrej Nepala[?], Czechoslovakia
  • Women's champion: Beatrix Schuba[?], Austria
  • Pairs champions: Irina Rodnina[?] & Alexej Ulanow[?], Soviet Union

Football (Soccer)

• Arsenal is the FA Premier league champions

• England - FA Cup: Arsenal won 2-1 over Liverpool to win The Double

Football (American)

• Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts won 16-13 over the Dallas Cowboys

Canadian Football League

• Grey Cup: Calgary Stampeders won 14-11 over the Toronto Argonauts
• Vanier Cup: Western Ontario Mustangs[?] won 15-14 over the Alberta Golden Bears[?]

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Charles Coody[?]
  2. June - US Open - Lee Trevino[?]
  3. July - British Open - Lee Trevino[?]
  4. August - PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Jack Nicklaus - $244,491

• Ryder Cup: United States won 18 1/2 to 13 1/2 over Britain in world team golf

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - JoAnne Carner[?]
• LPGA Championship - Kathy Whitworth[?]
• Kathy Whitworth[?]: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $41,181

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Silver Knight[?]
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Kennedy Road[?]
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Mill Reef[?]
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Irish Ball[?]

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Brigadier Gerard[?]
  2. Epsom Derby - Mill Reef[?]
  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[?]

Harness Racing

• 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
  3. Kentucky Futurity

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Stella Frost[?]
  • Trotters: Geffini[?]

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 Orr, Boston Bruins

• Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 3 over the Chicago Blackhawks

• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Gustavo Thoeni[?], Italy
  • The women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll[?], Austria

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis mens results:
  1. Australian Open - Ken Rosewall[?]
  2. French Open - Jan Kodes[?]
  3. Wimbledon championships - John Newcombe[?]
  4. US Open - Stan Smith[?]

• Grand Slam in tennis womens results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Smith Court
  2. French Open - Evonne Goolagong
  3. Wimbledon championships - Evonne Goolagong
  4. US Open - Billie Jean King

• Davis Cup: United States wins 3-2 over Romania in world tennis.

General sporting events

• John Spencer[?] won the World Professional Snooker Championship

Births

• March 31 - Pavel Bure[?], ice hockey player
• August 12 - Pete Sampras, tennis player[?]
• August 28 - Janet Evans, Olympic swimming champion
• September 18 - Lance Armstrong, cyclist
• October 25 - Pedro Martinez, baseball player

Deaths

• January 6 -- Sonny Liston (date he was found dead)
• March 15 - Jean-Pierre Monser[?], age 22‚ Flemish cyclist
• April 4 - Carl Mays[?], Major League Baseball pitcher (1915-1929)
• April 13 - Michel Briere[?] 21, star rookie ice-hockey player, Pittsburgh Penguins
• April 7 - Charles Pahud de Mortanges[?], Dutch 2 time Olympic Equestrian[?] gold medalist
• May 12 - Heinie Manush[?], Major League Baseball player (1923-1939)
• May 15 - Goose Goslin[?], Major League Baseball player (1921-1938)
• June 17 - C. Christopher Morris[?], American cricketer
• October 24 - Chuck Hughes[?], Detroit Lions wide receiver collapsed during a game