1971
Recap of the year 1971 in sports.
[edit] Auto Racing
- Stock car racing:
- Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser, Sr.
- USAC Racing - Joe Leonard
- Formula One Championship - Jackie Stewart of Great Britain
- 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Helmut Marko / Gijs van Lennep won, driving a Porsche 917
- Rally racing - the team of Ove Andersson / David Stone won the Monte Carlo Rally driving an Alpine-Renault A110
- Drag racing:
- The NHRA announces the first "Grandnational" in Canada at Sanair International Drag Strip, near Montreal, Quebec.
- Hank Johnson won Top Fuel at the NHRA Supernationals.
[edit] Baseball
- 1971 World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates won 4 games to 3 over the Baltimore Orioles. Game four was the first night game in World Series history.
[edit] Basketball
- 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament:
- UCLA wins 68-62 over Villanova
- NBA Finals:
- Milwaukee Bucks win 4 games to 0 over the Baltimore Bullets
[edit] Boxing
- March 8 - Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in the first of three epic bouts. Frazier defends the World Heavyweight Championship in a star-studded Madison Square Garden.
[edit] Cricket
- 5 January, Melbourne - First one-day international, played bion after a Test match abandoned because of rain. Australia won by 5 wickets.
[edit] Cycling
- Giro d'Italia won by Gosta Pettersson of Sweden
- Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
- World Cycling Championship: Eddy Merckx of Belgium
[edit] Field Hockey
- Men's World Cup in Barcelona, Spain
- Gold Medal: Pakistan
- Silver Medal: Spain
- Bronze Medal: India
- Pan American Games (Men's Competition) in Cali, Colombia
- Gold Medal: Argentina
- Silver Medal: Mexico
- Bronze Medal: Canada
[edit] Figure Skating
- World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Ondrej Nepela, Czechoslovakia
- Women's champion: Beatrix Schuba, Austria
- Pairs champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexei Ulyanov, Soviet Union
[edit] Football (American)
- Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts won 16-13 over the Dallas Cowboys
- December 25 - The Miami Dolphins defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional playoff game. The double-overtime contest is the longest game in NFL history, and the Chiefs' last-ever home game at Municipal Stadium.
- 1970 NCAA Division I-A national football championship: The Nebraska Cornhuskers win 17-12 over the LSU Tigers on January 1st ,1971.
[edit] Football (Australian Rules)
- Victorian Football League
- Hawthorn wins the 75th VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 12.10 (82) d St Kilda 11.9 (75))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Ian Stewart (Richmond)
[edit] Football (Canadian)
- Grey Cup: Calgary Stampeders won 14-11 over the Toronto Argonauts
- Vanier Cup: Western Ontario Mustangs won 15-14 over the Alberta Golden Bears
[edit] Football (Soccer)
- Arsenal are the English First Division champions
- England - FA Cup: Arsenal won 2-1 over Liverpool to win The Double
- European Championship Cup Final: Ajax - Panathinaikos 2-0
- January 2 - At the end of a Rangers-Celtic match at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland, barriers at Stairway 13 give way under a mass of fans, killing 66 and injuring over 200 others.
[edit] Golf
- Grand Slam of golf results:
- May - The Masters - Charles Coody
- June - US Open - Lee Trevino
- July - British Open - Lee Trevino
- August - PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus
- PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Jack Nicklaus - $244,491
- Ryder Cup: United States won 18 1/2 to 13 1/2 over Britain in world team golf
- US Women's Open - JoAnne Carner
- LPGA Championship - Kathy Whitworth
- Kathy Whitworth: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $41,181
[edit] Thoroughbred Horse Racing
- Australia - Melbourne Cup - Silver Knight
- Canada - Queen's Plate - Kennedy Road
- France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Mill Reef
- Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Irish Ball
[edit] Harness Racing
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
- Pacers: Stella Frost
- Trotters: Geffini
[edit] Ice Hockey
- Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
- Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins
- Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 3 over the Chicago Blackhawks
- World Hockey Championship
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
[edit] Lacrosse
- Cornell beats Maryland 12-6 to win the first NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship.
- The Brantford Warriors win the Mann Cup.
- The Richmond Roadrunners win the Minto Cup.
- The Victoria McDonalds win the Castrol Cup.
[edit] Radiosport
- Sixth Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Duisburg, Federal Republic of Germany.
[edit] Skiing
- Alpine Skiing
- The men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy
- The women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria
[edit] Snooker
- World Snooker Championship: John Spencer beats Warren Simpson 37-29
[edit] Tennis
- Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
- Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- Davis Cup: United States wins 3-2 over Romania in world tennis.
- Sixteen year old Chris Evert makes her US Open debut reaching the semifinals where she is defeated by eventual champion Billie Jean King.
- First time in 16 years that Americans won both the men's and women's title at the US Open.
[edit] General sporting events
- Sixth Pan American Games held in Cali, Colombia
- Sixth Mediterranean Games held in Izmir, Turkey
[edit] Births
[edit] January
- January 2 — Markus Baur, German handball player
- January 2 — Karina Massota, Argentinian field hockey player
- January 4 — Melanie Cremer, German field hockey player
- January 11 — Gregg Clark, South African field hockey player
- January 14 — Bert Konterman, Dutch football player
- January 16 — Sergi Bruguera, Spanish tennis player
- January 16 — Ulrich van Gobbel, Dutch football player
- January 18 — Josep Guardiola, Spanish football player
- January 19 — Begoña Larzabal, Spanish field hockey midfielder
- January 22 — Ellen Elzerman, Dutch swimmer
- January 26 — Karin Kienhuis, Dutch judoka
- January 26 — Denise Klecker, German field hockey player
- January 29 — Sonja Pfeilschifter, German shooter
[edit] February
- February 1 — Zlatko Zahovič, Slovenian football player
- February 19 — Martin van der Spoel, Dutch swimmer
- February 20 — Jari Litmanen, Finnish football player
- February 20 — Margaret "Peggy" Storrar, American field hockey goalkeeper
- February 23 — Cornelia Pfohl, German archer
- February 24 — Pedro de la Rosa, Spanish Formula 1-driver
- February 25 — Nova Peris-Kneebone, Australian athlete and field hockey player
- February 28 — Koos Issard, Dutch waterpolo player
[edit] March
- March 1 — Atif Bashir, Pakistani field hockey player
- March 1 — Tyler Hamilton, American road bicycle racer
- March 1 — Dick Norman, Belgian tennis player
- March 5 — Filip Meirhaeghe, Belgian cyclist
- March 6 — Servais Knaven, Dutch cyclist
- March 15 — Ralf Bißdorf, German fencer
- March 18 — Jerzy Brzęczek, Polish football (soccer) player
- March 19 — Sébastien Godefroid, Belgian sailor
- March 20 — Dmitriy Gaag, Kazakhstani triathlete
- March 27 — David Coulthard, Scottish Formula 1-driver
- March 29 — Arjen Teeuwissen, Dutch equestrian
- March 30 — Carlton Myers, Italian basketball player
- March 31 — Pavel Bure, Russian ice hockey player
[edit] April
- April 1 — Vladimir Selkov, Russian swimmer
- April 1 — Daniel Vacek, Czech tennis player
- April 2 — Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player
- April 3 — Picabo Street, American alpine skier
- April 8 — Ellen Kuipers, Dutch field hockey player
- April 9 — Jacques Villeneuve, Canadian Formula 1-driver
- April 10 — Marcus Baur, German sailor
- April 10 — Helen Clarke, New Zealand field hockey goalkeeper
- April 12 — Fernando Meligeni, Brazilian tennis player
- April 12 — Christophe Moreau, French cyclist
- April 13 — Franck Esposito, French swimmer
- April 14 — Danja Müsch, German beachvolleyball player
- April 15 — Finidi George, Nigerian football player
- April 20 — Carla Geurts, Dutch swimmer
- April 21 — Rachel Petrie, New Zealand field hockey defender
- April 21 — Indrek Pertelson, Estonian judoka
- April 22 — Nicklas Kulti, Swedish tennis player
- April 24 — Mike Fenner, German athlete
- April 24 — Phil Rogers, Australian swimmer
- April 28 — Markus Beyer, German boxer
[edit] May
- May 1 — Damon Diletti, Australian field hockey player
- May 8 — James Elmer, Australian field hockey player
- May 10 — Ådne Søndrål, Norwegian speed skater
- May 12 — Ingrid van Lubek, Dutch triathlete
- May 14 — Martin Reim, Estonian football (soccer) player
- May 21 — Tom Nanne, Dutch baseball player
- May 25 — Stefano Baldini, Italian track and field athlete
- May 25 — Georg Totschnig, Austrian cyclist
- May 27 — Grant Stafford, South African tennis player
- May 28 — Manuel Beltran, Spanish cyclist
- May 30 — Kyle Vander Kuyp, Australian indigenous athlete
- May 31 — Irene Dalby, Norwegian swimmer
- May 31 — Nicole Struse, German table tennis player
[edit] June
- June 9 — Jean Galfione, French athlete
- June 12 — Florencia Labat, Argentine tennis player
- June 12 — Adam Vella, Australian target shooter
- June 13 — Stefano Pescosolido, Italian tennis player
- June 16 — Christian Mayerhöfer, German field hockey player
- June 21 — Irene Van Dyk, netballer
- June 24 — Thomas Helveg, Danish football (soccer) player
- June 24 — Nicole Livingstone, Australian swimmer and television sports commentator
- June 26 — Max Biaggi, Italian motorcyclist
- June 26 — Edward Parenti, Canadian swimmer
- June 28 — Fabien Barthez, French football (soccer) goalkeeper
- June 29 — Iván Pérez, Cuba-born water polo player from Spain
[edit] July
- July 6 — Jessica Gal, Dutch judoka
- July 9 — Hilary Rose, British field hockey goalkeeper
- July 12 — Joel Casamayor, Cuban boxer
- July 13 — Richard Groenendaal, Dutch cyclist
- July 14 — Bernardo Mota, Portuguese tennis player
- July 17 — Wilma van Hofwegen, Dutch swimmer
- July 17 — Nico Mattan, Belgian cyclist
- July 19 — Erik Jazet, Dutch field hockey player
- July 19 — Vitali Klitschko, Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion
- July 23 — Kristin Wagner, German sailor
- July 26 — Mladen Rudonja, Slovenian footballer
- July 30 — Mzukisi Sikali, South African boxer (d. 2005)
[edit] August
- August 4 — Jeff Gordon, American NASCAR driver
- August 5 — Darren Lange, Australian freestyle swimmer
- August 6 — Angela Postma, Dutch freestyle swimmer
- August 7 — Stephan Volkert, German rower
- August 8 — Johnny Balentina, Dutch baseball player
- August 8 — Ramón Sala, Spanish field hockey player
- August 9 — Davide Rebellin, Italian cyclist
- August 10 — Roy Keane, Irish footballer
- August 10 — Mario César Kindelán Mesa, Cuban amateur boxer
- August 12 — Svetlana Bondarenko, Ukrainian swimmer
- August 12 — Diana van der Plaats, Dutch swimmer
- August 12 — Pete Sampras, American tennis player
- August 14 — Andrea Peron, Italian cyclist
- August 16 — Rulon Gardner, American wrestler
- August 18 — Jonathan Winter, New Zealand backstroke swimmer
- August 19 — Mary Joe Fernandez, American-Dominican tennis player
- August 23 — Demetrio Albertini, Italian footballer
- August 25 — Andrew Baildon, Australian freestyle swimmer
- August 25 — Gilberto Simoni, Italian cyclist
- August 26 — Jeroen van Dijk, Dutch badminton player
- August 26 — Charles Friedek, German athlete
- August 26 — Lisa Keightley, Australian cricketer
- August 27 — Ernest Faber, Dutch footballer
- August 28 — Janet Evans, American Olympic swimming champion
- August 29 — Marco Sandy, Bolivian football (soccer) defender
[edit] September
- September 1 — Hakan Şükür, Turkish footballer
- September 2 — Kjetil André Aamodt, Norwegian alpine skier
- September 2 — Gregory Corbitt, Australian field hockey striker
- September 2 — Tom Steels, Belgian cyclist
- September 3 — Paolo Montero, Uruguay football player
- September 4 — Bas van de Goor, Dutch volleyball player
- September 8 — Daniel Petrov, Bulgarian boxer
- September 9 — Glen Housman, Australian long-distance swimmer
- September 9 — Serge Kats, Dutch sailor
- September 9 — Magali Messmer, Swiss triathlete
- September 12 — Chandra Sturrup, Bahamian sprint athlete
- September 12 — Perry Ubeda, Dutch fighter
- September 13 — Goran Ivanisevic, Croatian tennis player
- September 15 — Annamarie Thomas, Dutch speed skater
- September 16 — Karsten Kobs, German athlete
- September 17 — Jens Voigt, German cyclist
- September 18 — Lance Armstrong, American cyclist
- September 19 — Mirnawan Nawawi, Malaysian field hockey player
- September 20 — Henrik Larsson, Swedish footballer
- September 22 — Trinko Keen, Dutch table tennis player
- September 24 — Linda Moes, Dutch swimmer
- September 26 — Anke Feller, German athlete
[edit] October
- October 5 — Carlos Espínola, Argentine sailor
- October 13 — André Bergdølmo, Norwegian football player
- October 13 — Pyrros Dimas, Greek weightlifter
- October 22 — Amanda Coetzer, South African tennis player
- October 23 — Suzanne Plesman, Dutch field hockey player
- October 25 — Pedro Martínez, Major League Baseball player
- October 25 — Geoffrey Prommayon, Dutch football player
- October 26 — Didier Martel, French football player
- October 30 — Suzan van der Wielen, Dutch field hockey player
[edit] November
- November 1 — Jorge Lombi, Argentinian field hockey player
- November 4 — Marco Büchel, Liechtensteiner alpine skier
- November 6 — Laura Flessel-Colovic, French épée fencer
- November 12 — Linley Frame, Australian swimmer
- November 16 — Alexander Popov, Russian swimming champion
- November 18 — Danny Heister, Dutch table tennis player
- November 18 — Bobby Julich, American cyclist
- November 23 — Christoph Bechmann, German field hockey player
- November 27 — Ingo Euler, German rower
- November 27 — Sam Smith, British tennis player
- November 30 — Gerard van Velde, Dutch speed skater
[edit] December
- December 3 — Henk Timmer, Dutch football player
- December 4 — Inge van den Broek, Dutch field hockey player
- December 6 — Richard Krajicek, Dutch tennis player who won Wimbledon (1996)
- December 6 — Carole Thate, Dutch field hockey player
- December 7 — Spira Grujic, Serbian football player
- December 12 — Khassaraporn Suta, Thai weightlifter
- December 17 — Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player
- December 18 — Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Spanish tennis player
- December 19 — Karen Pickering, British swimmer
- December 26 — Mika Nurmela, Finnish footbal player
- December 27 — Sabine Spitz, German mountainbiker
- December 27 — Falko Zandstra, Dutch speed skater
- December 28 — Sergi Barjuán, Spanish football player
- December 29 — Jeroen Blijlevens, Dutch cyclist
- December 30 — Kylie Foy, New Zealand field hockey striker
[edit] Deaths
- March 15 — Jean-Pierre Monser (22), Flemish cyclist
- April 4 — Carl Mays, Major League Baseball pitcher (1915-1929)
- April 13 — Michel Briere (21), star rookie ice-hockey player, Pittsburgh Penguins
- April 7 — Charles Pahud de Mortanges, Dutch two time Olympic equestrian gold medalist
- May 12 — Heinie Manush, Major League Baseball player (1923-1939)
- May 15 — Goose Goslin, Major League Baseball player (1921-1938)
- June 5 — Clare Dennis (55), Australian breaststroke swimmer (b. 1916)
- June 17 — Christopher Morris, American cricketer
- June 30 — Georgi Asparuhov (28), Bulgarian football (soccer) player, in a car crash
- October 24 — Chuck Hughes, Detroit Lions wide receiver, collapsed during a game
- December 14 — Dick Tiger, Nigerian boxer (b. 1929)
