1972 in sports

[Alpine skiing]

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

  [American football]

• 23 December – In the first Pittsburgh Steelers playoff game in 25 years, 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.
• January 16 − Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys won 24−3 over the Miami Dolphins
• * Location: Tulane Stadium
• * Attendance: 81,023
• Orange Bowl :
• * The Nebraska Cornhuskers won 38-6 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the college football national championship

  [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">sport of athletics">Athletics

• September – Athletics at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich

  [Australian rules football]

• Victorian Football League
• * Carlton wins the 76th VFL Premiership d Richmond 22.18 )
• * Brownlow Medal awarded to Len Thompson

  [Baseball]

• The Washington Senators move to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas to become the Texas Rangers.
• 19 January – The BBWAA elects Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, and Early Wynn 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">Flying disc games">Disc sports

• Disc sports are introduced to Canada at the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships in Toronto

  [Field hockey]

• Olympic Games 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]

• 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.

• British Amateur – Trevor Homer
• U.S. Amateur – Vinny Giles

• 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]

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Glencaraig Lady
• Grand National – Well To Do

• 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]

• World Hockey Association 's first season. This new league signed several of the top NHL stars including Bobby Hull and Derek Sanderson.
• 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 – Boston Bruins win 4 games to 2 over the New York Rangers
• 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 hockey showdown.
• World Hockey Championship
• * Men's champion: Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Boston University Terriers defeat Cornell University Big Red 4–0 in Boston, Massachusetts

  [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.

  [Motorsport]

[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">swimming (sport)">Swimming

• XX Olympic Games, held in Munich, West Germany

  [Tennis]

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
• # Australian Open – Ken Rosewall
• # French Open – Andrés Gimeno
• # Wimbledon championships – Stan Smith
• # US Open – Ilie Năstase
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
• # Australian Open – Virginia Wade
• # French Open – Billie Jean King
• # Wimbledon championships – Billie Jean King
• # US Open – Billie Jean King
• 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, and the most gold medals
• 1972 Winter Olympics takes place in Sapporo, Japan
• * USSR wins the most medals, and the most gold medals
• 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