1976 IN SPORTS

==Athletics

Contents

Records

Awards

Births

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

=Marathon===

★ May — Boston Marathon, Boston, United States

★
★ Men's Winner: Jack Fultz (USA) 2:20:19

★ July 31 — Olympic Marathon, Montreal, Canada

★
★ Men's Winner: Waldemar Cierpinski (GDR) 2:09:55

★ December 5 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan

★
★ Men's Winner: Jerome Drayton (CAN) 2:12:35
==Auto Racing==

★ Stock car racing:

★
★ February 15David Pearson won the Daytona 500 in a memorable last-lap duel with Richard Petty

★
★ NASCAR Championship - Cale Yarborough

★ Indianapolis 500 - Johnny Rutherford

★ USAC Racing - Gordon Johncock won the season championship

★ Formula One Championship:

★
★ James Hunt of Britain

★
★ Niki Lauda's famous accident occurred during the German Grand Prix at Nürburgring.

★ 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Jacky Ickx / Gijs van Lennep won, driving a Porsche 936

★ Rally racing - the team of Sandro Munari / Mario Manucci won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Stratos HF

★ Drag racing: Shirley Muldowney won "Top Fuel" at the NHRA World Finals

★ Touring car racing: Bob Morris and John Fitzpatrick won the Bathurst 1000, driving a Holden Torana
==Baseball==

★ April 25 - Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday rescues an American flag just as two protestors are about to burn it in the outfield during a game at Dodger Stadium.

★ Sparky Lyle breaks Hoyt Wilhelm's American League record of 154 career saves.

★ World Series: The Cincinnati Reds (aka the "Big Red Machine") sweep the New York Yankees, 4 games to 0, to win their second straight championship.
==Basketball==

★ NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:

★
★ Indiana wins 86-68 over Michigan

★ NBA Finals:

★
★ Boston Celtics win 4 games to 2 over the Phoenix Suns

★ October 26-Outdoor Basketball Association debuts
==Boxing==

★ September 28 in Yankee Staium, Bronx, New York Muhammad Ali won a controversial 15-round decision over Ken Norton to keep his World Heavyweight title.

★ October 8 in São Paulo, Brazil, former world featherweight champion Eder Jofre fought his last fight, outpointing Mexico's Octavio (Famoso) Gomez in ten rounds.
==Cycling==

★ Giro d'Italia won by Felice Gimondi of Italy

★ Tour de France - Lucien Van Impe of Belgium

★ World Cycling Championship: Freddy Maertens of Belgium
==Dogsled racing==

★ Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:

★
★ Gerald Riley won with lead dogs: ''Puppy'' & ''Sugar''
==Field Hockey==

★ Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Montreal, Canada

★
★ Gold Medal: New Zealand

★
★ Silver Medal: Australia

★
★ Bronze Medal: Pakistan

★ Women's World Cup in Berlin, West Germany

★
★ Gold Medal: West Germany

★
★ Silver Medal: Argentina

★
★ Bronze Medal: The Netherlands

★ March 13 - In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium,England. England beat Scotland 3-0.
==Figure skating==

★ World Figure Skating Championships:

★
★ Men's champion: John Curry, Britain

★
★ Ladies' champion: Dorothy Hamill, United States

★
★ Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union

★
★ Ice dancing champions: Lyudmila Pakhomova & Alexandr Gorshkov, Soviet Union
==Football (American)==

★ Super Bowl X:January 18 Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys

★ Pittsburgh Panthers are voted NCAA Football National Champions.

★ Seattle Seahawks founded.
==Football (Australian rules football)==

★ Victorian Football League

★
★ Hawthorn wins the 80th VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 13.22 (100) d North Melbourne 10.10 (70))

★
★ Brownlow Medal awarded to Graham Moss (Essendon)
==Football (Canadian)==

★ Grey Cup: Ottawa Rough Riders won 23-20 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders

★ Vanier Cup: Western Ontario Mustangs won 29-13 over the Acadia Axmen
==Football (Soccer)==
::''For an extensive coverage see 1976 in football (soccer)''

★ England - FA Cup: Southampton won 1-0 over Manchester United

★ Italy - Torino win Serie A for the first time since the Superga air disaster wiped out the team 27 years before.

★ 1976 European Championship - Czechoslovakia beat West Germany 5-3 on penalties to win , after the game had ended 2-2 after extra time.
==Golf==
Men's Golf

★ Grand Slam of golf results:

★ #April - The Masters - Ray Floyd

★ #June - US Open - Jerry Pate

★ #July - British Open - Johnny Miller

★ #August - PGA Championship - Dave Stockton

★ PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Jack Nicklaus - $266,439
Women's Golf

★ US Women's Open - JoAnne Carner

★ LPGA Championship - Betty Burfeindt

★ Judy Rankin is the leading money winner on the LPGA tour. With total earnings of $150,734, she is the first to ever earn more than $100,000 in a season.
==Thoroughbred Horse Racing==

★ Australia - Melbourne Cup - Van der Hum

★ Canada - Queen's Plate - Norcliffe

★ France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Ivanjica

★ Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Malacate

★ English Triple Crown Races:

★ #Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Wollow

★ #Epsom Derby - Empery

★ #St. Leger Stakes - Crow

★ United States Triple Crown Races:

★ #Kentucky Derby - Bold Forbes

★ #Preakness Stakes - Elocutionist

★ #Belmont Stakes - Bold Forbes
==Harness Racing==

★ United States Pacing Triple Crown races:

★ #Cane Pace - Keystone Ore

★ #Little Brown Jug - Keystone Ore

★ #Messenger Stakes - Windshield Wiper

★ United States Trotting Triple Crown races:

★ #Hambletonian - Steve Lobell

★ #Yonkers Trot - Steve Lobell

★ #Kentucky Futurity - Quick Pay

★ Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:

★
★ Pacers: Carclew

★
★ Trotters: Bay Johnny
==Ice Hockey==

★ Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens

★ Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Clarke - Philadelphia Flyers

★ Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 0 over the Philadelphia Flyers

★ World Hockey Championship:

★
★ Men's champion: Czechoslovakia defeated the Soviet Union

★ NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Golden Gophers defeat Michigan Technological University Huskies 6-4 in Denver, CO
==Skiing==

★ Alpine Skiing

★
★ The men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden

★
★ The women's overall season champion: Rosi Mittermaier, W. Germany
==Snooker==

★ World Snooker Championship: Ray Reardon beats Alex Higgins 27-16

★ World rankings are introduced. Ray Reardon becomes the first world number one, for 1976/77.
==Swimming==

Events

★ XXI Olympic Games, held in Montreal, Canada (July 18 – July 25)

Records

★ August 14 — USA's Jonty Skinner sets the first official world record in the 50m freestyle at a swimming meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, clocking '23.86'.
==Tennis==

★ Grand Slam in tennis men's results:

★ #Australian Open - Mark Edmondson

★ #French Open - Adriano Panatta

★ #Wimbledon championships - Björn Borg

★ #US Open - Jimmy Connors

★ Grand Slam in tennis women's results:

★ #Australian Open - Evonne Goolagong Cawley

★ #French Open - Sue Barker

★ #Wimbledon championships - Chris Evert

★ #US Open - Chris Evert

★ Davis Cup: Italy wins 4-1 over Chile in world tennis.
==General sporting events==

★ 1976 Summer Olympics takes place in Montreal, Canada

★
★ USSR wins the most medals (125), and the most gold medals (49).

★ 1976 Winter Olympics takes place in Innsbruck, Austria

★
★ USSR wins the most medals (27), and the most gold medals (13).

★ Fifth Pan Arab Games held in Damascus, Syria

Awards

★ Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Bruce Jenner, Track and field

★ Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Nadia Comaneci, Gymnastics

★ ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Nadia Comaneci, Gymnastics

Births

January

★ January 2 — Danilo Di Luca, Italian cyclist

★ January 4 — Erika Olivera, Chilean marathon runner

★ January 4 — Ezequiel Paulón, Argentine field hockey defender

★ January 6 — Melanie Clewlow, British field hockey player

★ January 6 — Amy Gillett, Australian rower and cyclist (d. 2005)

★ January 6 — Chun Lee-kyung, South Korean short track speed skater

★ January 6 — Jeremy Linn, American swimmer

★ January 7 — Éric Gagné, Canadian baseball player

★ January 7 — Vic Darchinyan, Armenian-born Australian boxer

★ January 10 — Remy Bonjasky, Surinam-born K1-fighter from The Netherlands

★ January 11 — Bindi Kullar, Canadian field hockey player

★ January 12 — Krešimir Čač, Croatian butterfly swimmer

★ January 16 — Martina Moravcová, Slovak swimmer

★ January 16 — Germán Orozco, Argentine field hockey defender

★ January 18 — Lars Paaske, Danish badminton player

★ January 20 — Mónica Rueda, Spanish field hockey defender

★ January 20 — Gretha Smit, Dutch speed skater

★ January 22 — Stefan van Dijk, Dutch cyclist

★ January 23 — Phillip Boudreault, Canadian boxer

★ January 29 — Karsten Kroon, Dutch cyclist

February

★ February 2 — Steven Dewick, Australian backstroke swimmer

★ February 2 — James Hickman, English swimmer

★ February 3 — Cătălin Hâldan, Romanian football (soccer) player (d. 2000)

★ February 5 — Sione Jongstra, Dutch triathlete

★ February 5 — Attila Sávolt, Hungarian tennis player

★ February 6 — Nelson Mora, Venezuelan swimmer

★ February 8 — Sissy van Alebeek, Dutch female cyclist

★ February 13 — Chantal de Bruijn, Dutch field hockey player

★ February 15 — Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist

★ February 16 — Xavier Ribas, Spanish field hockey defender

★ February 18 — Chanda Rubin, American tennis player

★ February 26 — Anna Bennett, English field hockey player

★ February 26 — Attila Vári, Hungarian water polo player

★ February 27 — Ludovic Capelle, Belgian cyclist

★ February 28 — Adam Pine, Australian freestyle and butterfly swimmer

March

★ March 4 — Hiram Bocachica, Puerto Rican Major League Baseball player

★ March 4 — Thierry Renaer, Belgian field hockey defender

★ March 4 — Vic Wunderle, American archer

★ March 5 — Wayne Denne, South African field hockey player

★ March 5 — Sarunas Jasikevicius, Lithuanian basketball player

★ March 5 — Sergey Mihaylov, Uzbek boxer

★ March 6 — Antoine Dénériaz, French alpine skier

★ March 7 — Agnaldo Nunes, Brazilian boxer

★ March 9 — Anier García, Cuban athlete

★ March 10 — Vanessa Atkinson, England-born Dutch squash player

★ March 10 — Lieja Tunks, Dutch athlete

★ March 14 — Brendon Dedekind, South African swimmer

★ March 14 — Sarah Ulmer, New Zealand cyclist

★ March 17 — Álvaro Recoba, Uruguay football (soccer) player

★ March 19 — Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov, Kazakh boxer

★ March 19 — Franziska Gude, German field hockey midfielder

★ March 19 — Alessandro Nesta, Italian football (soccer) player

★ March 20 — Julia Zwehl, German field hockey goalkeeper

★ March 21 — Han Hyung-Bae, South Korean field hockey player

★ March 22 — Teun de Nooijer, Dutch field hockey player

★ March 24 — Peyton Manning, NFL player, league co-MVP in 2003

★ March 24 — Aaron Brooks, NFL player

★ March 25 — Wladimir Klitschko, Ukrainian heavyweight boxer

★ March 29 — Igor Astarloa, Spanish cyclist

★ March 29 — Jennifer Capriati, American tennis player

★ March 31 — Graeme Smith, Scottish freestyle swimmer

April

★ April 1 — Clarence Seedorf, Dutch football (soccer) player

★ April 3 — Nicolas Escudé, French tennis player

★ April 5 — Aleksei Budõlin, Estonian judoka

★ April 5 — Kim Collins, Saint Kitts and Nevis athlete

★ April 5 — David Staniforth, South African field hockey goalkeeper

★ April 8 — Tieme Klompe, Dutch football (soccer) player

★ April 10 — John van Lottum, Dutch tennis player

★ April 13 — Nami Miyazaki, Japanese field hockey goalkeeper

★ April 14 — Baeden Choppy, Australian field hockey striker

★ April 18 — Andrew Ilie, Romanian-born tennis player from Australia

★ April 20 — Big Ben, world champion show-jumping horse

★ April 24 — Steve Finnan, Irish football (soccer) player

★ April 25 — Tim Duncan, basketball player, two-time NBA MVP

★ April 25 — Rainer Schüttler, German tennis player

★ April 26 — Wijan Ponlid, Thai boxer

★ April 26 — Peter Short, Canadian field hockey player

★ April 23 — Dirk van 't Klooster, Dutch baseball player

★ April 27 — Olaf Tufte, Norwegian rower

★ April 27 — Walter Pandiani, Uruguay football (soccer) player

★ April 28 — Sylwia Nowak, Polish figure skater

May

★ May 1 — Patricia Stokkers, Dutch swimmer

★ May 3 — Juan Pablo Hourquebie, Argentine field hockey defender

★ May 6 — Adam Commens, Australian field hockey midfielder

★ May 6 — Ivan de la Peña, Spanish football (soccer) player

★ May 8 — Kim Christiansen, Norwegian snowboarder

★ May 9 — Mitesh Patel, New Zealand field hockey player

★ May 10 — Romain Barnier, French freestyle swimmer

★ May 13 — Hamid Ait Bighrade, Moroccan boxer

★ May 13 — Bobbi Jo Steadward, Canadian field hockey defender

★ May 15 — Tyler Walker, American baseball player

★ May 17 — Daniel Komen, Kenyan runner

★ May 17 — Kirsten Vlieghuis, Dutch freestyle swimmer

★ May 20 — Naoko Imoto, Japanese freestyle swimmer

★ May 21 — Graham Dunlop, Scottish field hockey player

★ May 25 — Stefan Holm, Swedish athlete

★ May 27 — Bianca Netzler, Australian field hockey player

★ May 29 — Sergei Liakhovich, Belarusian boxer

★ May 31 — Mashona Washington, American tennis player

June

★ June 1 — Niniwa Roberts, New Zealand field hockey striker

★ June 1 — Lars Conrad, German freestyle swimmer

★ June 3 — Jens Kruppa, German swimmer

★ June 4 — Nenad Zimonjić, Serbian tennis player

★ June 6 — Hamza Yerlikaya, Turkish Greco-Roman style wrestler

★ June 8 — Lindsay Davenport, American tennis player

★ June 8 — Jennifer Rodriguez, Cuban-American speed skater

★ June 8 — Josep Sánchez, Spanish field hockey player

★ June 9 — Laurence Godfrey, British archer

★ June 13 — Mark Versfeld, Canadian backstroke swimmer

★ June 17 — Carolina Pascual, Spanish rhythmic gymnast

★ June 17 — Jenny Pavley, American beach volleyball player

★ June 21 — Sander van der Weide, Dutch field hockey player

★ June 23 — Edwin Kempes, Dutch tennis player

★ June 23 — Paola Suarez, Argentine tennis player

★ June 23 — Patrick Vieira, French football (soccer) player

★ June 25 — Michelle Bowyer, Canadian field hockey foward

★ June 25 — Neil Walker, American swimmer

★ June 27 — Alvydas Duonėla, Lithuanian flatwater canoer

★ June 28 — Shinobu Asagoe, Japanese tennis player

★ June 28 — Fuad Aslanov, Azerbaijani boxer

July

★ July 1 — Patrick Kluivert, Dutch football (soccer) player

★ July 1 — Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dutch football (soccer) player

★ July 2 — Derya Büyükunçu, Turkish backstroke and butterfly swimmer

★ July 4 — Marcelo Romero, Uruguay football (soccer) player

★ July 5 — Nuno Gomes, Portuguese football (soccer) player

★ July 5 — Brent Livermore, Australian field hockey midfielder

★ July 6 — Nikki Hudson, Australian field hockey striker

★ July 9 — Jochem Uytdehaage, Dutch speed skater

★ July 16 — Anna Smashnova, Belarusian-born tennis player from Israel

★ July 17 — Dimitar Stilianov, Bulgarian boxer

★ July 22 — Moira Senior, New Zealand field hockey striker

★ July 23 — Judit Polgár, Hungarian chess player

★ July 25 — Carlos Barreto, Venezuelan boxer (d. 1999)

★ July 30 — Renata Kolbovic, Czech-Canadian tennis player

★ July 31 — Louise Jöhncke, Swedish swimmer

★ July 31 — Paulo Wanchope, Costarican football (soccer) player

August

★ August 2 — Reyes Estévez, Spanish athlete

★ August 4 — Paul Goldstein, American tennis player

★ August 6 — Luke Milligan, English tennis player

★ August 7 — Neisser Bent, Cuban backstroke swimmer

★ August 7 — Timme Hoyng, Dutch field hockey player

★ August 9 — Rogier Wassen, Dutch tennis player

★ August 12 — Baljit Singh Saini, Indian field hockey player

★ August 15 — Boudewijn Zenden, Dutch football (soccer) player

★ August 18 — Thomas Malchow, US swimmer

★ August 23 — LaTasha Colander, US track and field sprint athlete

★ August 23 — Edinanci Silva, Brazilian judoka

★ August 24 — Shamek Pietucha, Polish-Canadian butterfly swimmer

★ August 25 — Céline Lebrun, French judoka

★ August 26 — Sébastien Vieilledent, French rower

★ August 27 — Carlos Moya, Spanish tennis player

★ August 27 — Mark Webber, Australian Formula 1-driver

★ August 29 — Jon Dahl Tomasson, Danish football (soccer) player

★ August 29 — Chris Renaud, Canadian backstroke swimmer

★ August 30 — Aoibhinn Grimes, Canadian field hockey forward

September

★ September 1 — Ivano Brugnetti, Italian race walker

★ September 6 — Francisco Sánchez, Venezuelan swimmer

★ September 7 — Carmel Bakurski, Australian field hockey player

★ September 8 — Sjeng Schalken, Dutch tennis player

★ September 10 — Gustavo Kuerten, Brazilian tennis player

★ September 10 — Reinder Nummerdor, Dutch volleybal player

★ September 12 — Jolanda Čeplak, Slovenian middle distance athlete

★ September 14 — Joshua Ilika, Mexican swimmer

★ September 20 — Michael Ballack, German football (soccer) player

★ September 22 — Ronaldo, Brazilian football (soccer) player

★ September 23 — James Nation, New Zealand field hockey player

★ September 25 — Melissa Collins, Canadian water polo player

★ September 27 — Francesco Totti, Italian football (soccer) player

★ September 29 — Oscar Sevilla, Spanish cyclist

★ September 29 — Andriy Shevchenko, Ukrainian football (soccer) player

October

★ October 2 — Angus Shelford, New Zealand boxer

★ October 3 — Tommy Kafri, Hungary-born track and field athlete from Israel

★ October 3 — Denys Sylant'yev, Ukrainian swimmer

★ October 4 — Danilo Ikodinović, Serbian water polo player

★ October 4 — Kjell Schneider, German beach volleyball player

★ October 6 — Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov, Russian boxer

★ October 8 — Galo Blanco, Spanish tennis player

★ October 8 — Renate Groenewold, Dutch ice speed skater

★ October 10 — Bob Burnquist, Brazilian skateboarder

★ October 12 — Julie Towers, Australian field hockey player

★ October 16 — Marcela Acuña, Argentine female boxer

★ October 14 — Nataša Kejžar, Slovenian swimmer

★ October 18 — Kjell Carlström, Finnish cyclist

★ October 19 — Chris DeBow, American field hockey defender

★ October 19 — Ranjeev Deol, Canadian field hockey player

★ October 20 — Vanessa Menga, Brazilian tennis player

★ October 22 — Alexander Abt, Russian figure skater

★ October 23 — Julie Howard, Canadian swimmer

★ October 26 — Corrie de Bruin, Dutch discus thrower

November

★ November 4 — Alexander Popp, British-born tennis player

★ November 7 — Mark Philippoussis, Australian tennis player

★ November 7 — Zahir Raheem, American boxer

★ November 8 — Sylvia Karres, Dutch field hockey player

★ November 13 — Bob de Jong, Dutch speed skater

★ November 13 — Albina Akhatova, Russian biathlete

★ November 14 — Jesse Brinkley, American boxer

★ November 14 — Ramon Delgado, Paraguayan tennis player

★ November 15 — Jessica Amey, Canadian butterfly swimmer

★ November 16 — Martijn Zuijdweg, Dutch swimmer

★ November 18 — Matt Welsh, Australian swimmer

★ November 22 — Kate Barber, American field hockey player

★ November 26 — Kelson Santos, Brazilian boxer

★ November 28 — Gordan Kožulj, Croatian swimmer

★ November 29 — Lindsay Benko, American swimmer

December

★ December 6 — Eduardo Aguilar, Spanish field hockey midfielder

★ December 11 — László Bodrogi, Hungarian cyclist

★ December 11 — Timmy Simons, Belgian football player

★ December 14 — Petter Hansson, Swedish football player

★ December 14 — Peter Gade, Danish badminton player

★ December 19 — Redouane Bouchtouk, Moroccan boxer

★ December 19 — Theo Lucius, Dutch football player

★ December 20 — Jordi Casas, Spanish field hockey player

★ December 22 — Stephen Mowlam, Australian field hockey goalkeeper

★ December 23 — Joanna Hayes, American athlete

★ December 24 — Marion Rodewald, German field hockey defender

★ December 25 — Percy Isenia, Dutch baseball player

★ December 29 — Timothy Cherigat, Kenyan long-distance runner

★ December 30 — Hadi Al Somayli, Saudi Arabian athlete

★ December 30 — Rhoshii Wells, American boxer

Deaths

★ January 5 — Károly Takács (65), Hungarian pistol shooter (b. 1910)

★ January 18 – Ad Verhoeven, Dutch football (soccer) player

★ February 2 – Harry Elliott, English cricket wicketkeeper (b. 1891)

★ March 6 – Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom, American boxer and actor (b. 1903)

★ March 11 – Larry Gardner, Major League Baseball player (1908-1924)

★ May 22 – Oscar Bonavena, Argentinian heavyweight boxer (b. 1942)

★ May 30 – Max Carey, Major League Baseball player (1910-1929)

★ June 15 – Jimmy Dykes, Major League Baseball player (1918-1939)

★ June 22 — Tibor Csík (48), Hungarian boxer (b. 1927)

★ July 5 — Kevin O'Halloran (39), Australian freestyle swimmer (b. 1937)

★ September 25 – Red Faber, Major League Baseball, pitcher (1914-1933)