Year 1973 in Sports History

Events in Sport

Events 1 - 100 of 218

• Jan 1 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Home favourite John Newcombe beats Onny Parun of New Zealand 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 for his first Australian title
• Jan 1 59th Rose Bowl: #1 Southern California beats #3 Ohio State, 42-17

• Jan 1 39th Orange Bowl: #9 Nebraska beats #12 Notre Dame, 40-6
• Jan 2 Japanese boxer Masao Ohba retains his WBA flyweight title with a 12th-round knockout of Chartchai Chionoi of Thailand in Tokyo; Ohba dies three weeks later in a car accident

• Jan 7 British Darts Organisation founded in North London
• Jan 8 Greg Chappell's best Test bowling, 5-61 v Pakistan at SCG
• Jan 11 American League adopts designated hitter rule
• Jan 14 Super Bowl VII, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: Miami Dolphins beat Washington Redskins, 14-7; MVP: Jake Scott, Miami, S
• Jan 18 Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as 1st player signed as a DH
• Jan 18 Islanders break 12 game losing streak, 20 game road winless streak

• Jan 24 Warren Spahn is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
• Jan 27 UCLA's basketball team wins 61st consecutive game (NCAA record)


• Jan 28 Henry Boucha, Detroit Red Wings, scores 6 sec into a game vs Mont
• Jan 30 26th NHL All-Star Game, Madison Square Garden, NYC: Eastern Division beats Western Division, 5-4; MVP: Greg Polis, Pittsburgh Penguins, LW
• Jan 30 1973 NFL Draft: John Matuszak from University of Tampa first pick by Houston Oilers
• Feb 1 Outfielder Monte Irvin is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Special Committee on the Negro Leagues; fourth inductee through the committee

• Feb 4 Islanders & Sabres had a penalty free game
• Feb 6 Bernice Fekete skips her curling rink to 2nd straight 8-ender, Edm
• Feb 7 1st time Rangers shut-out Islanders 6-0
• Feb 10 2nd time Rangers shut-out Islanders 6-0
• Feb 10 Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Mohammad scores 201 runs in a match against New Zealand
• Feb 11 1st sub 17-min 1,500m female free style swim (Shane Gould 16m56.9s)
• Feb 11 Philadelphia 76ers lose their 20th NBA game in a row

• Feb 15 Friendsville Academy (Tenn) ends 138-game basketball losing streak
• Feb 17 Rodney Redmond scores 107 on debut v Pakistan, his only Test Cricket

• Feb 20 10th time Islanders shut-out-4-0 vs Penguins
• Feb 21 Chicago Black Hawks, record 262nd NHL game without being shut-out
• Feb 27 White Sox slugger Dick Allen signs 3 year $750,000 contract
• Mar 1 Robyn Smith rides North Sea to victory in the Paumanok Handicap at Aqueduct Race Track in NYC to become the first American female jockey to win a stakes race


• Mar 5 Yankee pitchers Peterson & Kekich announce they swapped wives
• Mar 10 20th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: NC State beats Maryland, 76-74

• Mar 24 San Francisco 49er pres Lou Spadia proposes NFL expand to 30 teams
• Mar 25 AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament, Immaculata beats Queens College, 59-52, Immaculata 1st undefeated team in New York

• Mar 27 Dennis Amiss out for 99 v Pakistan, 3rd 99 in Test Cricket
• Mar 29 Dave Cowens wins NBA MVP
• Mar 31 Philadelphia Flyers score an NHL record tying 8 goals from an astounding 60 shots in the 2nd period of a 10-2 win over New York Islanders
• Mar 31 Muhammad Ali suffers a broken jaw in a shock split-points decision loss to Ken Norton over 12 rounds in San Diego; Ali wins rematch in another controversial split decision
• Mar 31 127th Grand National: Brian Fletcher wins aboard 9/1 co-favourite Red Rum; recovers from 15 lengths behind at final fence; first of Red Rum's record 3 GN victories

• Apr 1 Boston Celtics captain John Havlicek scores career high 54 points in 134-109 rout of Atlanta Hawks in Game 1 of 1st round Eastern Conference playoffs; hits NBA playoff record 24-of-36 field-goal attempts

• Apr 5 NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie QBs, 1-19)
• Apr 6 Roberto Clemente Day, Pirates retire his #
• Apr 6 Yankee Ron Blomberg becomes 1st designated hitter, he walks
• Apr 7 Doug Walters' best Test Cricket bowling, 5-66 v WI Georgetown
• Apr 9 37th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Due to weather delays final round is played on Monday with Tommy Aaron winning his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of J. C. Snead
• Apr 10 Kansas City Royals open their new park, Royals Stadium with 12-1 rout of the Texas Rangers; attendance 39,476
• Apr 14 Ireland edges France, 6-4 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin to create a 5-way tie for the Five Nations Rugby Championship; each nation wins their 2 home matches
• Apr 16 77th Boston Marathon: American double; Jon Anderson men's champion in 2:16:03; Jacqueline Hansen wins women's title in 3:05:59
• Apr 27 KC Royals pitcher Steve Busby no-hits Detroit Tigers, 3-0
• Apr 30 Women's tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments
• May 4 Longest baseball game in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, Phillies beat Braves 5-4 in 20 innings
• May 5 99th Kentucky Derby: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 1:59.4 - fastest Kentucky Derby ever

• May 10 27th NBA Championship: NY Knicks beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 1
• May 10 Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Yvan Cournoyer has a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 6-4 to take title, 4 games to 2
• May 12 6th ABA championship: Indiana Pacers beat Ky Colonels, 4 games to 3

• May 16 AC Milan of Italy win 13th European Cup Winner's Cup against Leeds of England 1-0 in Saloniki
• May 17 Joe Ferguson, hits the 6,000th Dodger home run
• May 17 Angels outfielder Bobby Valentine breaks his leg trying to scale wall to prevent a Dick Green home run during a 5-4 loss to the A's
• May 19 98th Preakness: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 1:54 - fastest Preakness race ever (recognized 2012)
• May 28 Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland Indians, 6-3, in 21 innings (game started 5/26)
• May 28 Indianapolis 500: Gordon Johncock wins in 2:05:25.320 (255.944 km/h)
• May 30 17th European Cup: Ajax beats Juventus 1-0 at Belgrade
• May 31 Glenn Turner scores his 1,000th run of English cricket season

• Jun 7 Rangers draft Texas high school pitcher David Clyde #1
• Jun 9 105th Belmont: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 2:24, becoming the 1st Triple Crown winner in 25 years

• Jun 12 New Zealand all-rounder Bevan Congdon scores 176 as Kiwis chase 479 in 1st Test v England at Nottingham; tourists just miss out, dismissed for 440
• Jun 12 Yanks trade wife swapper Mike Kekich for Lowell Palmer
• Jun 13 Garvey, Lopes, Cey & Russell play together for 1st time, set record of staying together as an infield for 8½ years (LA Dodgers)
• Jun 17 Canadian Open Golf (La Canadienne), Montreal Municipal GC: Jocelyne Bourassa of Canada wins inaugural event in a playoff with Sandra Haynie & Judy Rankin
• Jun 17 US Open Men's Golf, Oakmont CC: Johnny Miller fires a record final round 63 (-8) to win his first major championship, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up John Schlee
• Jun 18 NCAA makes urine testing mandatory for participants

• Jun 20 Chicago's Cy Acosta is 1st AL pitcher to bat since DH rule (strikeout)
• Jun 20 SF Giants Bobby Bonds sets NL record with 22 lead off HRs
• Jun 23 Phillies Ken Brett 4th consecutive game HR in which he pitched

• Jul 1 1st US-China basketball game, US collegiates beats Shanghai 96-61
• Jul 1 Australian Bruce Crampton becomes the 5th golfer (but first non-American) to win more than $1m when 4th in the Western Open
• Jul 3 Brothers Gaylord (Hall of Fame) and Jim Perry (3-time All Star) face each other for only time in MLB, Tigers beat Indians 5-4, Gaylord charged with loss
• Jul 5 Test cricket debut of English umpire Harold "Dickie" Bird v NZ at Leeds (66 Tests, 69 ODI)
• Jul 7 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Billie Jean King beats Chris Evert 6-0, 7-5 for her 10th career Grand Slam singles title

• Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next

Birthdays in Sport

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 700

• Jan 2 Chris Woodruff, American tennis player and coach (Indian Wells 1999 semi-finals; coach University of Tennessee), born in Knoxville, Tennessee
• Jan 4 Lamont Warren, NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
• Jan 4 Ray Mickens, American football cornerback (NY Jets), born in Frankfurt, Germany
• Jan 4 Todd Sauerbrun, NFL punter/kicker (Chicago Bears), born in East Setauket, New York
• Jan 4 Frank Høj, Danish cyclist, born in Denmark
• Jan 6 Sairaj Bahatule, Indian cricketer (promising Bombay leg-spin all-rounder), born in Mumbai, India
• Jan 7 Bobby Engram, American football wide receiver (Chicago Bears), born in Camden, South Carolina
• Jan 7 Brian Milne, American fullback (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Waterford, Pennsylvania
• Jan 7 Ricky Wood, American diver (Olympics 1996), born in Troy, New York
• Jan 7 Robert Dunn, American team handball left wing (Olympics 1996), born in Glenn Cove, New York
• Jan 9 Aaron Holbert, American baseball infielder (St Louis Cardinals), born in Torrance, California
• Jan 9 Ronald Hamming, Dutch football player (FC Groningen, Fortuna Sittard), born in Zeegse, Netherlands
• Jan 10 Glenn Robinson, American NBA forward (Milw, Olympic gold 1996), born in Gary, Indiana
• Jan 10 Travis Davis, American NFL strong safety (New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Wilmington, California
• Jan 11 Dave Dickenson, Canadian football coach and quarterback (Calgary Stampeders), born in Great Falls, Montana

• Jan 13 Nikolai Khabibulin, Sverdlovsk Russia, NHL goalie (Winnipeg Jets)
• Jan 14 Lethon Flowers, American NFL defensive back (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Columbia, South Carolina
• Jan 14 Rod Myers, American baseball outfielder (KC Royals), born in Conroe, Texas
• Jan 14 Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian race car driver, born in Rome, Italy
• Jan 15 Essam El-Hadary, Egyptian footballer, born in Damietta Governorate, Egypt
• Jan 16 Mario Bates, American NFL-running back (New Orleans Saints), born in Victoria, Texas
• Jan 16 Willie Whitehead, American CFL defensive end (Hamilton Tiger Cats), born in Tuskegee, Alabama
• Jan 17 Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican footballer, born in Mexico City, Mexico
• Jan 17 Liz Ellis, Australian netball defender and captain (122 caps; World C'ship gold 1995, 99, 2007; C'wealth Games gold 1998, 2002), born in Windsor, Australia
• Jan 18 Edward Jasper, American football defensive tackle (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Tyler, Texas
• Jan 18 Junior Burrough, American NBA forward (Boston Celtics), born in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Jan 18 Regilio Vreede, Dutch football player (Blue White, RKC), born in Paramaribo, Suriname
• Jan 19 Chris Stynes, American baseball infielder (KC Royals), born in Queens, New York
• Jan 19 Wang Junxia, Chinese long distance runner, born in Jiaohe, Jilin
• Jan 19 Yevgeny Sadovyi, Russian swimmer (Olympic gold 200fre/400fre/4x200m 1992), born in Volzhsky, Russia
• Jan 20 Eddie Kennison, American football wide receiver (St Louis Rams), born in Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Jan 20 Jalen Rose, American NBA guard (Denver Nuggets), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Jan 21 Grady Jackson, defensive tackle (Oakland Raiders)
• Jan 22 Deon Minor, American 400m runner, born in Paris, Texas
• Jan 22 George Noga, CFL linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
• Jan 22 Reggie Barlow, American football wide receiver (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Montgomery, Alabama
• Jan 22 Rogerio Ceni, Brazilian footballer, born in Paraná, Brazil
• Jan 23 Mark Kolesar, Canadian NHL right wing (Toronto Maple Leafs), born in Manitoba, Canada
• Jan 24 Erik Gervais, Canadian kayaker (Olympics 1996), born in Valleyfield, Quebec
• Jan 25 Anthony Harris, American football linebacker (Miami Dolphins), born in Fort Pierce, Florida
• Jan 25 Marco Battaglia, American football tight end (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Howard Beach, New York
• Jan 25 Rodney Young, American NFL safety (NY Giants), born in Grambling, Louisiana
• Jan 25 Terrell Wade, American baseball pitcher (Atlanta Braves), born in Rembert, South Carolina
• Jan 25 Scott Milanovich, American football coach & quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), born in Butler, Pennsylvania
• Jan 26 Tony Ramirez, American football tackle (Detroit Lions), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
• Jan 27 Eddie Davis, American CFL cornerback (CFL All-Star 2000, 04, 05, 06; Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders), born in St. Louis, Missouri
• Jan 28 Bronwyn Thompson, Australian rower (Olympics 1996)
• Jan 28 Jerome Allen, American NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves) and coach, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Jan 28 Joe Stephens, NBA forward (Houston Rockets)
• Jan 28 Robert Braknis, 100m backstroke/4 x 100 (Olympics 1996), born in Montreal, Quebec
• Jan 29 Darnell Stephens, American NFL linebacker (Tampa Bay Bucs), born in San Antonio, Texas
• Jan 29 Jason Schmidt, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 2003, 04, 06; Pittsburgh Pirates, SF Giants), born in Lewiston, Idaho
• Jan 30 Jalen Rose, American basketball player (Indiana Pacers), born in Detroit, Michigan
• Jan 30 Jimmy Oliver, Canadian football wide receiver (San Diego Chargers)
• Jan 30 Sharone Wright, American basketball player (Toronto Raptors), born in Macon, Georgia
• Jan 31 Latario Rachal, American football player (Amsterdam Admirals, San Diego Chargers), born in California
• Feb 1 Tiia Reima, Finnish ice hockey center (bronze Olympics 1998; World C'ships 1990, 92, 94, 97, 99; 4 x Euro C'ship gold), born in Tampere, Finland
• Feb 2 Dan Brandenburg, linebacker (Buffalo Bills)
• Feb 2 Patrick Jeffers, NFL wide receiver (Denver Broncos-Super Bowl 32)
• Feb 2 Radka Bobkova, tennis star (quarter Bournemouth), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
• Feb 2 Tim Denton, NFL cornerback (Atlanta Falcons)
• Feb 3 Jim Campbell, American hockey forward (Olympics 1994), born in Worcester, Massachusetts
• Feb 4 Oscar De La Hoya, American boxer (Olympic gold 1992, 6-weight world champion), born in Los Angeles, California
• Feb 5 Israel Raybon, American football defensive end (Carolina Panthers), born in Huntsville, Alabama
• Feb 5 Laura Espinoza-Watson, American baseball infielder (Silver Bullets), born in Torrance, California
• Feb 5 Richard Matvichuk, Canadian NHL defenseman (Dallas Stars), born in Edmonton, Canada
• Feb 6 Fred Miller, American football offensive tackle (St Louis Rams), born in Houston, Texas
• Feb 6 Lulama Masikazana, South African cricket wicket-keeper (Kwazulu for E Province), born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa (d. 2011)
• Feb 7 Billy Baumhoff, soccer midfielder/forward (Olympic gold 1996), born in St Louis, Missouri
• Feb 7 Juwan Howard, NBA forward/center (Washington Bullets/Wizards)
• Feb 7 Kristin Godridge, Traralgon Aust, tennis star (1993 Futures-Singapore)
• Feb 7 Leanne Schuster, WPVA volleyballer (National-9th-1995), born in Mesa, Arizona
• Feb 7 Sonia Paquette, St-Janvier Quebec, hurdler (Olympics 1996)
• Feb 7 Tim Bowens, NFL defensive tackle (Miami Dolphins)
• Feb 8 Andreas Gliatis, soccer player (NEC)
• Feb 8 Dave Dopek, Bolingbrook Illinois, 200m runner
• Feb 8 Eric Kresser, quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals)
• Feb 8 Michelle Brogan, Australian basketball forward (Olympic bronze 1996)
• Feb 8 Tom King, Australian 470 class sailor (Olympics 1996)
• Feb 9 Svetlana Boginskaya, Soviet gymnast
• Feb 11 Tom Tumulty, American linebacker (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania
• Feb 12 Brendon Mark Cameron, New Zealand 4k pursuit cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Otorohanga, New Zealand
• Feb 13 Willie Smith, NFL linebacker (Detroit Lions), born in Smithfield, North Carolina
• Feb 14 George Hegamin, American football offensive lineman (Dallas Cowboys, Frankfurt Galaxy), born in Camden, New Jersey
• Feb 14 Michael "Mike" Theodore Lambert IV, US rower (Olympics 1996), born in Thomaston, Georgia
• Feb 14 Steve McNair, American football quarterback (Houston Oilers, Titans), born in Mount Olive, Mississippi (d. 2009)
• Feb 14 Tyus Edney, American basketball player (Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings), born in Gardena, California
• Feb 15 Amy Van Dyken, US 50m/100m freestyle/100m butterfly swimmer (Olympic 2 g-96), born in Denver, Colorado
• Feb 16 Cathy Freeman OAM, Australian athlete (Olympic gold 400m 2000; silver 1996; World C'ship gold 400m 1997, 99), born in Mackay, Australia
• Feb 16 James Young, Australian water polo player (Olympics 1996)
• Feb 16 Nikos Kostakis, Greek footballer
• Feb 16 Christian Bassedas, Argentine former footballer
• Feb 17 Chris Robinson, NBA guard (Vancouver Grizzlies)
• Feb 17 Drew Barry, NBA guard (Atlanta Hawks)
• Feb 17 Frank Sanders, NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals)
• Feb 17 Raymond Jackson, NFL defensive back (Buffalo Bills)
• Feb 18 Claude Makélélé, French footballer, born in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Feb 19 Terrence Rencher, NBA guard (Phoenix Suns)
• Feb 19 Tommy Bennett, safety (Arizona Cardinals)

• Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• Next

Weddings in Sport

Deaths in Sport

• Jan 24 Alan Lisette, New Zealand cricketer (NZ slow left-armer vs West Indies 1956), dies at 53
• Jan 25 Masao Ohba, Japanese boxer (WBA flyweight champion), dies in a car accident at 23
• Feb 8 Herbie Taylor, South African cricket batsman and captain (42 Tests; 2,936 runs @ 40.77; 7 x 100s), dies at 83
• Feb 16 Pieter Van der Bijl, cricketer (outstanding S Af bat in 1938-39), dies
• Feb 26 Doc Hayes, American basketball coach (Southern Methodist University 1947-67), dies in an auto accident at 67
• Mar 8 [John] Gordon Leggat, New Zealand cricketer (open batsman in 9 Tests 1953-56), dies at 46
• Mar 12 Frankie "Fordham Flash" Frisch, baseball player, dies at 74
• Mar 26 George Sisler, American MLB Hall of Fame 1st baseman, 1915-30; MLB record 257 hits in 1920, 2x AL batting champ, 4x AL Stolen Base leader (St. Louis Browns, and 2 other teams), dies at 80
• Mar 26 Johnny Drake, American NFL football running back, 1937-41 (Cleveland Rams), dies at 56
• Apr 1 Arthur Wood, English cricket wicketkeeper (4 Tests, 11 dismissals), dies at 74
• Apr 27 Jim Sims, English cricket spin bowler (4 Tests, 11 wickets; Middlesex), dies at 69
• Apr 27 Carlos Menditeguy, Argentine racing driver, dies at 57
• Apr 28 Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (Olympic gold 1924, 28), dies at 80
• May 12 Art Pollard, American racecar driver (b. 1927)
• May 20 Jarno Saarinen, Finnish motorcycle racer (b. 1945)
• Jun 21 Frank Leahy, American football coach (Notre Dame), dies at 64
• Jun 30 Elmer Layden, College Football Hall of Fame fullback (Notre Dame legendary 4-horsemen, 1st NFL Commissioner), dies at 70
• Jul 2 Swede Savage, dies of injuries at Indianapolis 500
• Jul 2 Chick Hafey, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (2 World Series 1926, 31), dies at 70
• Jul 2 George McBride, American MLB shortstop and manager (AL fielding leader 1912-15), dies at 92
• Jul 4 Leonid Stein, Russian chess player, dies at about 39
• Jul 8 Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer (4187 1st-class wickets, most ever), dies at 95
• Jul 8 Harry F. V. Edward, British 100m/200m runner (Olympic bronze 1920), dies at 75
• Jul 10 Wallace "Bud" Smith, American boxer (World lightweight title 1955-56), dies of gunshot wounds at 49
• Jul 29 Roger Williamson, English racing driver (b. 1948)
• Aug 7 Jack Gregory, Australian cricketer (scorer of fastest ton Australia 1921), dies at 77
• Aug 9 Charlie Daniels, US swimmer (4 Olympic golds 1904, 08), dies at 88
• Aug 12 John Clay, cricketer (Glamorgan offie in only Test 1935), dies
• Aug 31 Stan Worthington, English cricket pace bowler (9 Tests 1930-36), dies
• Sep 5 Jack Fournier, American baseball player, 1912-27 (White Sox; Cardinals; Brooklyn Robins) dies at 83

• Oct 24 Jack Iverson, Australian cricketer (5 Tests 21 wickets S1024 15 23), dies at 58

• Nov 2 Earl Neale, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach (Virginia; NFL: Philadelphia Eagles) and MLB outfielder (Cincinnati Reds), dies at 81
• Nov 19 Cyril Allcott, cricketer (6 Tests for NZ, 113 runs & 6 wickets), dies
• Dec 2 Watson Washburn, American tennis player (runner-up Wimbledon doubles 1924, US Nationals 1921, 23; founder International Tennis Hall of Fame), dies at 79
• Dec 16 Syd Barnes, cricketer (13 Tests for Australia 1938-48), dies
• Dec 22 James Anderson, Australian tennis player (Australasian C'ship 1922, 24, 25), dies at 79
• Dec 23 Arthur Richardson, Australian cricketer (9 Tests 1924-26), dies at 85