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1972 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

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

• 16 January −Super Bowl VI: theDallas Cowboys (NFC) won 24−3 over theMiami Dolphins (AFC)
  • Location:Tulane Stadium
  • Attendance: 81,023
  • MVP:Roger Staubach, QB (Dallas)
• Orange Bowl (1971 season):
  • TheNebraska Cornhuskers won 38–6 over theAlabama Crimson Tide to win the college footballnational championship
• 23 December – In the firstPittsburgh Steelers playoff game in 25 years (and the franchises first playoff win), rookieFranco Harris salvages and converts into a touchdown a final secondsTerry Bradshaw incomplete pass in what has been called the greatest play in NFL history—The Immaculate Reception—to beat theOakland Raiders 13–7.

• Brazil –Palmeiras wins theCampeonato Brasileiro
• England – FA Cup –Leeds United won 1–0 overArsenal
• Europe – Cup Winners' Cup –Rangers F.C. won 3–2 overDinamo Moscow
• West Germany beat theSoviet Union 3–0 to win theEuropean Championship.

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

• Victorian Football League
  • Carlton wins the 76thVFL Premiership (Carlton 28.9 (177) dRichmond 22.18 (150))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded toLen Thompson (Collingwood)

• TheWashington Senators move to Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas to become theTexas Rangers.
• 19 January – The BBWAA electsSandy Koufax (344 votes),Yogi Berra (339), andEarly Wynn (301) to theHall of Fame.
• Sparky Lyle saves 35 games for theNew York Yankees, breakingRon 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 inPhiladelphia in 1930, and sixth in franchise history, by defeating theCincinnati Reds, 4 games to 3.
• 31 December – ThePittsburgh Pirates' legendary right fielderRoberto Clemente dies in a plane crash nearPuerto Rico on his way to bring relief supplies toNicaraguan earthquake victims.

• 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 theNew York Knicks
• 1972 ABA Finals –
  • Indiana Pacers defeatNew York Nets 4 games to 2

• 26 June –Roberto Durán stoppedKen Buchanan in the thirteenth round to win the WBA Lightweight Championship.

• Grey Cup –Hamilton Tiger-Cats won 13–10 over theSaskatchewan Roughriders
• Vanier Cup –Alberta Golden Bears won 20–7 over theWilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

• Giro d'Italia won byEddy Merckx of Belgium
• Tour de France –Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race –Marino Basso of Italy

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

• Olympic Games (Men's Competition) inMunich, West Germany
  • Gold Medal: West Germany
  • Silver Medal: Pakistan
  • Bronze Medal:

• 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

Men's professional

• 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
• TheEuropean Tour begins its first season of competition.

Men's amateur

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

Women's professional

• LPGA Championship –Kathy Ahern
• U.S. Women's Open –Susie Berning
• Titleholders Championship –Sandra Palmer
• LPGA Tour money leader –Kathy Whitworth – $65,063

• 21 September –Strike Out became the first Canadian ownedharness racing horse to ever win theLittle 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 theUnited 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

Steeplechases

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

Flat races

• Australia –Melbourne Cup won byPiping Lane
• Canada –Queen's Plate won byVictoria Song
• France –Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won bySan San
• Ireland –Irish Derby Stakes won bySteel Pulse
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes –High Top
  2. The Derby –Roberto^[1]
  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

• 18 March -NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship –Boston University Terriers defeatCornell University Big Red 4–0 inBoston, Massachusetts
• 22 April -Czechoslovakia defeats the Soviet Union to win the1972 Ice Hockey World Championships.
• 11 May - TheBoston Bruins defeat theNew York Rangers 3–0 to win the1972 Stanley Cup Finals four games to two.
• 14 May - TheCornwall Royals defeat thePeterborough Petes to win the1972 Memorial Cup Canadian amateur ice hockey junior men's championship.
• 15 May - TheSpokane Jets defeat theBarrie Flyers 6–3 to win the1972 Allan Cup Canadian amateur ice hockey senior men's championship.^[2]
• Art Ross Trophy as theNHL's leading scorer during the regular season:Phil Esposito,Boston Bruins
• Hart Memorial Trophy – for theNHL's Most Valuable Player:Bobby Orr,Boston Bruins
• 28 September –Paul Henderson scored the "goal of the century" to give Canada the win in theSummit Series, the first ever Canada versus the Soviet Union challenge series.
• 7 October - TheNational Hockey League begins the1972–73 season.
• 11 October - TheWorld Hockey Association (WHA) professional league begins play in its first season. This new league signed several of the top NHL stars includingBobby Hull andDerek Sanderson.

• The Long Branch P.C.O.'s win the firstFounders Cup.
• The New Westminster Salmonbellies win theMann Cup.
• The Peterborough PCO's win theMinto Cup.

• 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

• 78thFive Nations Championship series is undecided after two matches are not played for political reasons

• World Snooker Championship –Alex Higgins beatsJohn Spencer 37–32

• XX Olympic Games, held inMunich, West Germany (28 August – 4 September)

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open –Ken Rosewall
  2. French Open –Andrés Gimeno
  3. Wimbledon championships –Stan Smith
  4. U.S. Open –Ilie Năstase
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open –Virginia Wade
  2. French Open –Billie Jean King
  3. Wimbledon championships –Billie Jean King
  4. U.S. Open –Billie Jean King (first player in Open Era to repeat as singles champion)
• Davis Cup – United States wins 3–2 overRomania in world tennis.

• 1972 Summer Olympics takes place inMunich, Germany
  • USSR wins the most medals (99), and the most gold medals (50)
• 1972 Winter Olympics takes place inSapporo, Japan
  • USSR wins the most medals (16), and the most gold medals (8)
• SeventhWinter Universiade held inLake Placid, New York, United States

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year –Mark Spitz,Swimming
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year –Olga Korbut,Gymnastics

• 1972 in sports
• Sports by year

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
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• Articles needing additional references from January 2022
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