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1987 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

• Alpine Skiing World Cup
  • Men's overall season champion:Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland
  • Women's overall season champion:Maria Walliser, Switzerland

• Super Bowl XXI – theNew York Giants (NFC) won 39–20 over theDenver Broncos (AFC)
  • Location:Rose Bowl
  • Attendance: 101,063
  • MVP:Phil Simms, QB (New York)
• January 2 –Fiesta Bowl (1986 season):
  • ThePenn State Nittany Lions won 14–10 over theMiami Hurricanes to win thenational championship
• Arena football has its demonstration season—its first season— played with four teams.
• February 25 – TheSouthern Methodist University Mustangs football team becomes the first college football program to be given thedeath penalty by the NCAA Committee on Rules Infractions

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships –
  • Men's all-around champion:Dmitry Bilozerchev,USSR
  • Women's all-around champion:Aurelia Dobre,Romania
  • Men's team competition champion:USSR
  • Women's team competition champion:Romania

• FA Cup final – Coventry City defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3–2
• Automatic relegation is introduced from theFootball League, withLincoln City F.C. relegated

• Victorian Football League
  • TheWest Coast Eagles and theBrisbane Bears join the league.
  • Carlton wins the 91stVFL Premiership (Carlton 15.14 (104) dHawthorn 9.17 (71))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded toTony Lockett (St Kilda) andJohn Platten (Hawthorn)

• August–September –1987 World Championships in Athletics held in Rome

• January 14 –Catfish Hunter andBilly Williams are elected to theBaseball Hall of Fame. Hunter made his name as the ace of theOakland A's staff in their championship years and made his fortune as one of the first free agents. Williams set aNational League record by playing in 1,117 consecutive games and accumulating 426home runs and abatting title.
• August 3 –Minnesota Twins pitcherJoe Niekro is suspended for 10 days for possessing a nail file on the pitcher's mound. Niekro claimed he had been filing his nails in the dugout and put the file in his back pocket when the inning started.
• World Series –Minnesota Twins won 4 games to 3 over theSt. Louis Cardinals. The Series MVP wasFrank Viola, Minnesota
  • Lowest regular-season record of any World Series champion (85–77, .525) until 2006 (Cardinals 83–78, .516)
  • First World Series game played indoors (Game 1 at theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome)
  • First World Series where the home team won every game

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
  • Indiana won 74–73 overSyracuse
• NBA Finals –
  • Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 2 over theBoston Celtics
• National Basketball League (Australia)Finals:
  • Brisbane Bullets defeated thePerth Wildcats 2–0 in the best-of-three final series.

• March 7 inLas Vegas, Nevada,Mike Tyson adds theWBA heavyweight title to hisWBC belt when he beatsJames Smith in a 12-round decision.
• April 6 –Sugar Ray Leonard beatsMarvin Hagler for boxing's world Middleweight championship.

• Grey Cup –Edmonton Eskimos won 38–36 over theToronto Argonauts
• Vanier Cup –McGill Redmen won 47–11 over theUBC Thunderbirds

• 1987 Cricket World Cup –Final: Australia beat England by 7 runs

• Giro d'Italia won byStephen Roche of Ireland
• Tour de France –Stephen Roche of Ireland
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race –Stephen Roche of Ireland

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
  • Susan Butcher won with lead dogs:Granite &Mattie

• Men's Champions Trophy won by West Germany
• Women's Champions Trophy won by the Netherlands
• Men's European Nations Cup won by the Netherlands
• Women's European Nations Cup won by the Netherlands

• World Figure Skating Championship –
  • Men's champion:Brian Orser, Canada
  • Ladies' champion:Katarina Witt, Germany
  • Pair skating champions:Ekaterina Gordeeva /Sergei Grinkov, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions:Natalia Bestemianova /Andrei Bukin, Soviet Union

• Camogie
  • All-Ireland Camogie Champion:Kilkenny
  • National Camogie League:Kilkenny
• Gaelic football
  • All-Ireland Senior Football Championship –Meath 1–14 diedCork 0–11
  • National Football League –Dublin 1–11 diedKerry 0–11
• Ladies' Gaelic football
  • All-Ireland Senior Football Champion:Kerry
  • National Football League:Kerry
• Hurling
  • All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship –Galway 1–12 diedKilkenny 0–9
  • National Hurling League –Galway 3–12 beatClare 3–10

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament –Larry Mize
• U.S. Open –Scott Simpson
• British Open –Nick Faldo
• PGA Championship –Larry Nelson
• PGA Tour money leader –Curtis Strange – $925,941
• Senior PGA Tour money leader –Chi Chi Rodriguez – $509,145
• Ryder Cup – Europe won 15–13 over the United States in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur –Paul Mayo
• U.S. Amateur –Billy Mayfair

Women's professional

• Nabisco Dinah Shore –Betsy King
• LPGA Championship –Jane Geddes
• U.S. Women's Open –Laura Davies
• Classique du Maurier Classic –Jody Rosenthal
• LPGA Tour money leader –Ayako Okamoto – $466,034

• TheNorth America Cup –Runnymede Lobell
• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  • –Cane Pace –Righteous Bucks
  • –Little Brown Jug –Jaguar Spur
  • –Messenger Stakes –Redskin
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  • –Hambletonian –Mack Lobell
  • –Yonkers Trot –Mack Lobell
  • –Kentucky Futurity –Napoletano
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers:Lightning Blue
  • Trotters:Tussle

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup –The Thinker
• Grand National –Maori Venture

Flat races

• Australia –Melbourne Cup won by Kensei
• Canada –Queen's Plate won byMarket Control
• France –Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won byTrempolino
• Ireland –Irish Derby Stakes won bySir Harry Lewis
• Japan –Japan Cup won byLe Glorieux
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes –Don't Forget Me
  2. The Derby –Reference Point^[1]
  3. St. Leger Stakes –Reference Point
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby –Alysheba
  2. Preakness Stakes –Alysheba
  3. Belmont Stakes –Bet Twice
• Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
  1. Breeders' Cup Classic –Ferdinand
  2. Breeders' Cup Distaff –Sacahuista
  3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile –Success Express
  4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies –Epitome
  5. Breeders' Cup Mile –Miesque
  6. Breeders' Cup Sprint –Very Subtle
  7. Breeders' Cup Turf –Theatrical

• Art Ross Trophy as theNHL's leading scorer during the regular season:Wayne Gretzky,Edmonton Oilers
• Hart Memorial Trophy for theNHL's Most Valuable Player:Wayne Gretzky,Edmonton Oilers
• Stanley Cup –Edmonton Oilers won 4 games to 3 over thePhiladelphia Flyers
• World Hockey Championship –
  • Men's champion: Sweden defeated the Soviet Union
  • Junior Men's champion: Finland defeatedCzechoslovakia after a bench clearing brawl occurred between Canada and the Soviet Union

• Inaugural season of theEagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (later theNational Lacrosse League)
  • Championship won by theBaltimore Thunder

• 1987 National Panasonic Cup
• 1987 NSWRL season
• 1987 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1986–87 Rugby Football League season /1987–88 Rugby Football League season
• 1987 State of Origin series
• 1987 World Club Challenge
• 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup

• 93rdFive Nations Championship series is won byFrance who complete theGrand Slam
• InauguralRugby Union World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand. The winners areNew Zealand.

• World Snooker Championship –Steve Davis beatsJoe Johnson 18–14
• World rankings –Steve Davis remainsworld number one for 1987/88

• TenthPan American Games held inIndianapolis, United States (August 9 – August 15)
• SecondPan Pacific Championships held inBrisbane, Australia (August 13 – August 16)
• August 13 –Tom Jager regains the world record from fellow AmericanMatt Biondi (22.33) in the 50m freestyle (long course) at the1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Brisbane, Australia, clocking 22.32.

• World Championships held inBarcelona, Spain

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  • –Australian Open –Stefan Edberg
  • –French Open –Ivan Lendl
  • –Wimbledon championships –Pat Cash
  • –U.S. Open –Ivan Lendl
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  • –Australian Open –Hana Mandlíková
  • –French Open –Steffi Graf
  • –Wimbledon championships –Martina Navratilova
  • –U.S. Open –Martina Navratilova
• Davis Cup
  • Sweden defeats India (5–0) in the final

• Asia Volleyball Championships won by Japan (men) and China (women)
• European Volleyball Championships inGhent, Belgium won by USSR (men) and DDR (women)
• Pan American Games Volleyball in Indianapolis won by USA (men) and Cuba (women)

• Men's World Cup held in Thessaloniki won by Yugoslavia
• Men's event at Pan American Games held in Indianapolis won by USA
• Men's European Championship held in Strasbourg won by USSR
• Women's European Championship held in Strasbourg won by the Netherlands

• TheAmerica's Cup returns to the United States as challengerStars & Stripes 87, ofSan Diego Yacht Club, beats Australian defenderKookaburra III, from theRoyal Perth Yacht Club,4 races to 0.

• TenthPan American Games held inIndianapolis, United States^[2]
• FourthAll-Africa Games held inNairobi, Kenya
• TenthMediterranean Games held inLatakia,Syria
• FourteenthSummer Universiade held inZagreb,Yugoslavia
• ThirteenthWinter Universiade held inŠtrbské Pleso,Czechoslovakia

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year –Ben Johnson,Track and field
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year –Jackie Joyner-Kersee,Track and field

• 1987 in sports
• Sports by year

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