1972 in sports

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • A.J. Foyt won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Richard Petty
• Indianapolis 500 - Mark Donohue[?]
• USAC Racing - Joe Leonard[?] won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Emerson Fittipaldi of Brazil
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Henri Pescarolo[?] / Graham Hill won, driving a Matra MS670
• Rally racing - Sandro Munari[?] / Mario Manucci[?] won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Fulvia 1.6HF
• Drag racing - Don Moody[?] won "Top Fuel" at the NHRA Supernationals

Baseball

• World Series: Oakland Athletics won their 6th World Title by defeating the Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3.

• December 31 - The Pittsburgh Pirates' legendary right fielder Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash near Puerto Rico on his way to bring relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims.

Basketball

• NCAA 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

Boxing

• June 26 - Roberto Duran stopped Ken Buchanan in the thirteenth round to win the WBA Lightweight Championship.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• World Cycling Championship: Marino Basso[?] of Italy

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)

• England - FA Cup: Leeds United won 1-0 over Arsenal

Football (American)

• Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys won 24-3 over the Miami Dolphins

Canadian Football League

• Grey Cup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats won 13-10 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Vanier Cup: Alberta Golden Bears[?] won 20-7 over the Waterloo Golden Hawks[?]

Golf

Men's Golf

• The European PGA[?] tour begins its first season of competition.

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

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Jack Nicklaus - $320,542

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Susie Berning[?]
• LPGA Championship - Kathy Ahern[?]
• Kathy Whitworth[?]: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $65,063

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Piping Lane[?]
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Victoria Song[?]
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - San San[?]
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Steel Pulse[?]

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - High Top[?]
  2. Epsom Derby - Roberto[?]
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Boucher[?]

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Riva Ridge[?]
  2. Preakness Stakes - Bee Bee Bee[?]
  3. Belmont Stakes - Riva Ridge[?]

Harness Racing

• September 21 - Strike Out became the first Canadian owned harness racing horse to ever win the Little Brown Jug.

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Hilarious Way[?]
  2. Little Brown Jug - Strike Out
  3. Messenger Stakes - Silent Majority[?]

• Super Bowl[?] wins the United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Super Bowl[?]
  2. Yonkers Trot - Super Bowl[?]
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Super Bowl[?]

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Welcome Advice[?]

Ice Hockey

• World Hockey Association (WHA) formed to compete with the NHL. This new league signed several of the top NHL stars including Bobby Hull and Derek Sanderson[?].

• 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 - Boston Bruins win 4 games to 2 over the the New York Rangers

• September 28 - Paul Henderson scores the “goal of the century” to give Canada the series win in the first ever Canada versus the Soviet Union hockey showdown.

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

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 - Andres Gimeno[?]
  3. Wimbledon championships - Stan Smith[?]
  4. US Open - Ilie Nastase[?]

• Grand Slam in tennis womens results:
  1. Australian Open - Virginia Wade
  2. French Open - Billie Jean King
  3. Wimbledon championships - Billie Jean King
  4. US Open - Billie Jean King

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

General sporting events

• Alex Higgins[?] won the World Professional Snooker Championship

Births

• February 11 - Dennis Iliohan[?], Dutch football player
• February 15 - Jaromir Jagr, ice hockey star
• February 17 - Philippe Candeloro[?], figure skater
• March 6 - Shaquille O' Neal, basketball player
• March 17 - Mia Hamm, soccer player
• March 22 - Elvis Stojko, figure skating champion

Deaths

• February 28 - Victor Barna[?], Hungarian-born, 5 time World table tennis champ
• February 28 - Dizzy Trout[?], Major League Baseball pitcher (1939-1957)
• March 11 - Zack Wheat[?], Major League Baseball player (1909-1927)
• March 16 - Pie Traynor[?], Major League Baseball player (1920-1937)
• March 28 - Donie Bush[?], Major League Baseball player (1908-1923)
• April 2 - Gil Hodges, Major League Baseball player/manager (1943-1963)
• October 9 - Dave Bancroft[?], Major League Baseball player (1915-1930)
• October 17 - Turk Broda[?], ice hockey goaltender
• October 24 - Jackie Robinson, (Baseball Hall of Famer) (1947-1956)
• December 31 - Roberto Clemente, (Baseball Hall of Famer) (1955-1972)
• December 20 - Gabby Hartnett[?], Major League Baseball player (1922-1941)