Editing 1976 in sports

{{Short description|Sports-related events of 1976}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2015}}
'''1976 in sports''' describes the year's events in world sport.
{{Year nav sports topic5|1976|sports}}

==[[Alpine skiing]]==
* [[1975–76 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup|Alpine Skiing World Cup]]
** Men's overall season champion: [[Ingemar Stenmark]], Sweden
** Women's overall season champion: [[Rosi Mittermaier]], [[West Germany]]

==[[American football]]==
* January 18 – [[Super Bowl X]]: the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] (AFC) won 21−17 over the [[Dallas Cowboys]] (NFC)
** Location: [[Miami Orange Bowl]]
** Attendance: 80,187
** MVP: [[Lynn Swann]], WR (Pittsburgh)
* [[Lee Roy Selmon]] is selected as the first overall pick in the [[1976 NFL draft|NFL draft]]. (April 8)
* [[Seattle Seahawks]] founded.
* [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] founded.
* [[1976 Orange Bowl|Orange Bowl]] (1975 season):
** The [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma Sooners]] won 14–6 over the [[Michigan Wolverines football|Michigan Wolverines]] to win the college football [[1975 NCAA Division I football season|national championship]]
* [[Tony Dorsett]] is awarded the [[Heisman Trophy]] (November 30).

==[[Association football]]==
* [[1976 FA Cup Final|England – FA Cup]] – [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]] won 1–0 over [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
* [[Stevenage F.C.]] were established
* Italy – [[Torino Calcio|Torino]] win [[1975–76 Serie A|Serie A]] for the first time since the [[Superga air disaster]] wiped out the team 27 years before.
* [[UEFA Euro 1976|1976 European Championship]] – [[Czechoslovakia national football team|Czechoslovakia]] beat [[Germany national football team|West Germany]] 5–3 on [[kicks from the penalty mark|penalties]] to win, after the game had ended 2-2 after extra time.

==[[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]==
* July – [[Athletics at the 1976 Summer Olympics]] held at Montreal

==[[Australian rules football]]==
* [[Victorian Football League (1897–1989)|Victorian Football League]]
** [[Hawthorn Football Club|Hawthorn]] wins the 80th [[1976 VFL season|VFL Premiership]] (Hawthorn 13.22 (100) d [[North Melbourne Football Club|North Melbourne]] 10.10 (70))
** [[Brownlow Medal]] awarded to [[Graham Moss]] ([[Essendon Football Club|Essendon]])

==[[Baseball]]==
{{main|1976 in baseball}}
* April 17 – [[Mike Schmidt]] of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] hits four consecutive home runs in a game against the Chicago Cubs.
* April 25 – [[Chicago Cubs]] outfielder [[Rick Monday]] rescues an [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] just as two protesters are about to [[flag desecration|burn it]] in the outfield during a game at [[Dodger Stadium]].
* [[Sparky Lyle]] of the [[New York Yankees]] breaks [[Hoyt Wilhelm]]'s American League record of 154 career saves.
* [[1976 World Series|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]]==
{{main|1976 in basketball}}
* [[1976 NCAA Division I Basketball Championship Game|NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship]] –
** [[Indiana Hoosiers|Indiana]] wins 86–68 over [[Michigan Wolverines|Michigan]]
* [[1976 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] –
** [[Boston Celtics]] win 4 games to 2 over the [[Phoenix Suns]]
* [[1976 ABA Playoffs]] –
** [[New York Nets]] defeat [[Denver Nuggets]] 4 games to 2
* [[American Basketball Association]] merges with the [[National Basketball Association]].  Of the seven remaining teams in the ABA, the [[Virginia Squires]] fold, [[Kentucky Colonels]] and [[Spirits of St. Louis]] are bought out, and the remaining four teams ([[San Antonio Spurs]], [[Denver Nuggets]], [[New York Nets]], and [[Indiana Pacers]]) join the NBA

==[[Boxing]]==
* May 22 – death of [[Oscar Bonavena]] (34), Argentinian heavyweight, who was shot in Reno, Nevada
* September 28 in [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], [[Bronx]], [[New York (state)|New York]] [[Muhammad Ali]] won a controversial 15-round decision over [[Ken Norton]] to keep his World Heavyweight title.
* October 8 in [[São Paulo (city)|São Paulo]], Brazil, former world featherweight champion [[Eder Jofre]] fought his last fight, outpointing [[Mexico]]'s [[Octavio (Famoso) Gomez]] in ten rounds.

==[[Canadian football]]==
* [[64th Grey Cup|Grey Cup]] – [[Ottawa Rough Riders]] won 23–20 over the [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]]
* [[12th Vanier Cup|Vanier Cup]] – [[Western Ontario Mustangs]] won 29–13 over the [[Acadia Axemen]]

==[[Cycle sport|Cycling]]==
* [[1976 Giro d'Italia|Giro d'Italia]] won by [[Felice Gimondi]] of Italy
* [[1976 Tour de France|Tour de France]] – [[Lucien Van Impe]] of Belgium
* [[1976 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race]] – [[Freddy Maertens]] of Belgium

==[[Dogsled racing]]==
* [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race|Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion]] –
** [[Gerald Riley]] won with lead dogs: ''Puppy'' & ''Sugar''

==[[Field hockey]]==
* [[Field hockey at the 1976 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games (Men's Competition)]] in Montreal won by New Zealand
* [[1976 Women's Hockey World Cup|Women's World Cup]] in Berlin won by West Germany

==[[Figure skating]]==
* [[1976 World Figure Skating Championships|World Figure Skating Championships]] –
** Men's champion: [[John Curry]], Britain
** Ladies' champion: [[Dorothy Hamill]], United States
** Pair skating champions: [[Irina Rodnina]] & [[Alexander Zaitsev (skater)|Alexander Zaitsev]], Soviet Union
** Ice dancing champions: [[Lyudmila Pakhomova]] & [[Aleksandr Gorshkov (figure skater)|Alexandr Gorshkov]], Soviet Union

==[[Golf]]==
'''Men's professional'''
* [[1976 Masters Tournament|Masters Tournament]] – [[Raymond Floyd]]
* [[1976 U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] – [[Jerry Pate]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Felber |first1=Bill |title=The Hole Truth: Determining the Greatest Players in Golf Using Sabermetrics |date=January 2019 |publisher=U of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-1-4962-1276-4 |page=193 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BN19DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA193 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[1976 Open Championship|British Open]] – [[Johnny Miller]]
* [[1976 PGA Championship|PGA Championship]] – [[Dave Stockton]]
* [[PGA Tour]] money leader – [[Jack Nicklaus]] – $266,439
'''Men's amateur'''
* [[The Amateur Championship|British Amateur]] – [[Dick Siderowf]]
* [[United States Amateur Championship (men's golf)|U.S. Amateur]] – [[Bill Sander]]
'''Women's professional'''
* [[1976 LPGA Championship|LPGA Championship]] – [[Betty Burfeindt]]
* [[1976 U.S. Women's Open|U.S. Women's Open]] – [[JoAnne Carner]]
* [[LPGA|LPGA Tour]] money leader – [[Judy Rankin]] – $150,734, she is the first to ever earn more than $100,000 in a season.

==[[Harness racing]]==
* [[Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Pacers|United States Pacing Triple Crown races]] –
*# [[Cane Pace]] – [[Keystone Ore]]
*# [[Little Brown Jug (horse racing)|Little Brown Jug]] – [[Keystone Ore]]
*# [[Messenger Stakes]] – [[Windshield Wiper]]
* [[Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters|United States Trotting Triple Crown races]] –
*# [[Hambletonian Stakes|Hambletonian]] – [[Steve Lobell]]
*# [[Yonkers Trot]] – [[Steve Lobell]]
*# [[Kentucky Futurity]] – [[Quick Pay]]
* [[Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship]] –
**Pacers: [[Carclew (horse)|Carclew]]
**Trotters: [[Bay Johnny]]

==[[Horse racing]]==
'''Steeplechases'''
* [[Cheltenham Gold Cup]] – [[Royal Frolic]]
* [[1976 Grand National|Grand National]] – [[Rag Trade (horse)|Rag Trade]]
'''Flat races'''
* Australia – [[Melbourne Cup]] won by [[Van der Hum]]
* Canada – [[Queen's Plate]] won by [[Norcliffe]]
* France – [[1976 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe|Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe]] won by [[Ivanjica]]
* Ireland – [[Irish Derby Stakes]] won by [[Malacate]]
* [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|English Triple Crown Races]]:
*# [[2,000 Guineas Stakes]] – [[Wollow]]
*# [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]] – [[Empery]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Epsom Derby {{!}} History, Winners, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/Derby-horse-race |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=3 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
*# [[St. Leger Stakes]] – [[Crow (horse)|Crow]]
* [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|United States Triple Crown Races]]:
*# [[1976 Kentucky Derby|Kentucky Derby]] – [[Bold Forbes]]
*# [[1976 Preakness Stakes|Preakness Stakes]] – [[Elocutionist (horse)|Elocutionist]]
*# [[Belmont Stakes]] – [[Bold Forbes]]

==[[Ice hockey]]==
* [[Art Ross Trophy]] as the [[National Hockey League|NHL]]'s leading scorer during the regular season: [[Guy Lafleur]], [[Montreal Canadiens]]
* [[Hart Memorial Trophy]] for the [[National Hockey League|NHL]]'s Most Valuable Player: [[Bobby Clarke]] – [[Philadelphia Flyers]]
* [[1976 Stanley Cup Finals|Stanley Cup]] – [[Montreal Canadiens]] win 4 games to 0 over the [[Philadelphia Flyers]]
* [[1976 Ice Hockey World Championships|World Hockey Championship]] –
** Men's champion: [[Czechoslovakia]] defeated the Soviet Union
* [[Avco World Trophy]] – [[Winnipeg Jets]] win 4 games to 0 over the [[Houston Aeros (WHA)|Houston Aeros]]
* [[1976 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament|NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship]] – [[University of Minnesota-Twin Cities]] Golden Gophers defeat [[Michigan Technological University]] Huskies 6–4 in [[Denver, Colorado]]

==[[Motorsport]]==
{{main|1976 in motorsport|List of 1976 motorsport champions}}

==[[Rugby league]]==
* 29 June – the [[World Club Challenge]] concept is trialled as English champions [[St Helens R.F.C.|St. Helens]] travel to Sydney to play Australian champions [[Sydney Roosters|Eastern Suburbs]]. Easts defeat St Helens 25–2 in the [[1976 World Club Challenge|one-off match]].
* 18 August – the [[1976 Amco Cup]] tournament culminates in [[Balmain Tigers|Balmain]]'s 21–7 win over [[North Sydney Bears|North Sydney]] in the final
* 18 September – the [[1976 NSWRFL season]] culminates in [[Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles|Manly-Warringah]]'s 13–10 win over [[Parramatta Eels|Parramatta]] in the Grand Final

==[[Rugby union]]==
* 82nd [[1976 Five Nations Championship|Five Nations Championship]] series is won by [[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]] who complete the [[Grand Slam (rugby union)|Grand Slam]]

==[[Snooker]]==
* [[1976 World Snooker Championship|World Snooker Championship]] – [[Ray Reardon]] beats [[Alex Higgins]] 27-16
* [[Snooker world rankings|World rankings]] are introduced. [[Ray Reardon]] becomes the first [[Snooker world number ones|world number one]], for 1976/77.

==[[Swimming (sport)|Swimming]]==
* July 18 to July 25 – [[Swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics|XXI Olympic Games]], held in Montreal
* August 14 – United States's [[Jonty Skinner]] sets the first official world record in the [[World record progression 50m freestyle|50m freestyle]] in Philadelphia, clocking 23.86

==[[Tennis]]==
* [[Grand Slam in tennis]] men's results:
*# [[1976 Australian Open – Men's singles|Australian Open]] – [[Mark Edmondson]]
*# [[1976 French Open – Men's singles|French Open]] – [[Adriano Panatta]]
*# [[1976 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|Wimbledon championships]] – [[Björn Borg]]
*# [[1976 U.S. Open – Men's singles|U.S. Open]] – [[Jimmy Connors]]
* [[Grand Slam in tennis]] women's results:
*# [[1976 Australian Open – Women's singles|Australian Open]] – [[Evonne Goolagong|Evonne Goolagong Cawley]]
*# [[1976 French Open – Women's singles|French Open]] – [[Sue Barker]]
*# [[1976 Wimbledon Championships – Women's singles|Wimbledon championships]] – [[Chris Evert]]
*# [[1976 U.S. Open – Women's singles|U.S. Open]] – [[Chris Evert]]
* [[1976 Davis Cup|Davis Cup]] – Italy wins 4–1 over [[Chile]] in world tennis.

==[[Water polo]]==
* [[Water polo at the 1976 Summer Olympics]] in Montréal won by Hungary

==General sporting events==
* [[1976 Summer Olympics]] takes place in [[Montreal]], Quebec, Canada
** [[Soviet Union|USSR]] wins the most medals (125), and the most gold medals (49).
* [[1976 Winter Olympics]] takes place in [[Innsbruck]], Austria
** [[Soviet Union|USSR]] wins the most medals (27), and the most gold medals (13).
* Fifth [[5th Pan Arab Games|Pan Arab Games]] held in [[Damascus, Syria]]

==Awards==
* [[Associated Press Athlete of the Year#List of award winners|Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year]] – [[Caitlyn Jenner]] (then Bruce),{{efn|Jenner changed her name due to [[gender transition]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|author = Buzz Bissinger|author-link = Buzz Bissinger|title=Introducing Caitlyn Jenner|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/06/caitlyn-jenner-bruce-cover-annie-leibovitz/|work=Vanity Fair|date=June 1, 2015|access-date=June 1, 2015}}</ref> }} [[Track and field]]
* [[Associated Press Athlete of the Year#List of award winners|Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year]] – [[Nadia Comăneci]], [[Gymnastics]]
* [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s [[Wide World of Sports (U.S. TV series)|Wide World of Sports]] Athlete of the Year: Nadia Comăneci, Gymnastics

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Sports by year 1951 – 2000}}

[[Category:1976 in sports| ]]
[[Category:Sports by year]]