1975 in sports - Definition and Overview

See also: 1974 in sports, other events of 1975, 1976 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Benny Parsons won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Richard Petty
• Indianapolis 500 - Bobby Unser
• USAC Racing - A.J. Foyt won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Niki Lauda of Austria
• 24 hours of Le Mans:
  • the team of Jacky Ickx / Derek Bell won, driving a Mirage GR8
• Rally racing - the team of Sandro Munari / Mario Manucci won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Stratos HF
• Drag racing - Don Garlits won the NHRA "Top Fuel" championship.

Baseball

• January 23: Slugger Ralph Kiner is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• September 16: Pirates second baseman Rennie Stennett ties Wilbert Robinson's ML record, set June 10, 1892, by going 7-for-7 in a 9-inning game. He scored five of his club's runs in a 22–0 massacre of the Cubs, a major-league record for the biggest score in a shutout game in the 20th century.

• World Series: Cincinnati Reds win 4 games to 3 over the Boston Red Sox. Often described as one of the most memorable of all World Series.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:
  • UCLA wins 92-85 over Kentucky

• NBA Finals:
  • Golden State Warriors win 4 games to 0 over the Washington Bullets

Boxing

• October 1 in Manila, Philippines Muhammad Ali defeated Joe Frazier to maintain the Heavyweight Championship of the world. Known as the Thrilla In Manila, many regard it as the greatest fight in boxing history.

Cricket

Cricket World Cup - West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Fausto Bertoglio of Italy
• Tour de France - Bernard Thévenet of France
• World Cycling Championship: Hennie Kuiper of Netherlands

Field Hockey

• March 8 - In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium,England. England beat Wales 2-1.

Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Sergej Wolkow, Soviet Union
  • Women's champion: Dianne de Leeuw, Netherlands
  • Pairs champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Saizew, Soviet Union

Football (American)

• Super Bowl IX: Pittsburgh Steelers won 16-6 over the Minnesota Vikings

Football (Australian Rules)

• Victorian Football League
  • North Melbourne wins the 79th VFL Premiership (North Melbourne 19.8 (122) d Hawthorn 9.13 (67))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Gary Dempsey (Footscray)

Football (Canadian Football League)

• Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos won 9-8 over the Montreal Alouettes
• Vanier Cup: Ottawa Gee Gees won 14-9 over the Calgary Dinos

Football (Soccer)

• England - FA Cup: West Ham United won 2-0 over Fulham played at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Jack Nicklaus
  2. June - US Open - Lou Graham
  3. July - British Open - Tom Watson
  4. August - PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Jack Nicklaus - $298,149

• Ryder Cup: United States wins 21-11 over Britain & Ireland in world team golf

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Sandra Palmer
• LPGA Championship - Kathy Whitworth
• Sandra Palmer is the leading money winner on the LPGA tour with earnings of $94,805.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• July 6 - In what was billed as the "Battle of the sexes," Kentucky Derby winner, Foolish Pleasure went head to head in a match race against the undefeated filly, Ruffian. In the lead, Ruffian broke a leg and after an unsuccessful operation to save her, the horse most believe to be the greatest thoroughbred filly ever, was humanely put down.

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Think Big
• Canada - Queen's Plate - L'Enjoleur
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Star Appeal
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Grundy

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Bolkonski
  2. Epsom Derby - Grundy
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Bruni

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Foolish Pleasure
  2. Preakness Stakes - Master Derby
  3. Belmont Stakes - Avatar

Harness Racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Nero
  2. Little Brown Jug - Seatrain
  3. Messenger Stakes - Bret's Champ

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Bonefish
  2. Yonkers Trot
  3. Kentucky Futurity

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Young Quinn

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bobby Orr, Boston Bruins.

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

• Stanley Cup - Philadelphia Flyers defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4 games to 2

• World Hockey Championship:
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia

• SM-liiga, the Finnish professional ice hockey league, launched its first season 1975-1976

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Gustavo Thoeni, Italy
  • The women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Ray Reardon beats Eddie Charlton 31-30

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - John Newcombe
  2. French Open - Bjorn Borg
  3. Wimbledon championships - Arthur Ashe
  4. US Open - Manuel Orantes

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Evonne Goolagong
  2. French Open - Chris Evert
  3. Wimbledon championships - Billie Jean King
  4. US Open - Chris Evert

• Davis Cup: Sweden wins 3-2 over Czechoslovakia in world tennis.
• 18 year old Martina Navratilova of Czechoslovakia announces her defection to the United States of America

General sporting events

• 1975 cricket World Cup, the first to be held. West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs.

• August 2, the first ascent of Chogolisa I is completed by an Austrian team.

• August 12, In Gothenburg, Sweden, New Zealander, John Walker set a new world record becoming the first man to break 3:50 for the mile when he clocked 3:49.4.

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
  • Emmitt Peters won with lead dogs: Nugget & Digger

Births

• February 11 - Chuck Watanabe, kayaker
• March 20 - Julia Zwehl, German field hockey goalkeeper
• May 2 - David Beckham, English footballer
• May 10 - Hélio Castroneves, Brazilian Indy Car driver
• May 12 - Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby union star
• May 16 - Simon Whitfield, Olympic triathalon champion
• July 31 - Andrew Hall, South African cricketer
• September 25 - Claire Taylor, English cricketer
• November 22 - Ayelen Stepnik, Argentinian field hockey international
• December 30 - Tiger Woods, golf superstar

Deaths

• January 5 - Don Wilson, Major League Baseball pitcher (1966-1974)
• March 21 - Joe Medwick, Major League Baseball player (1932-1948)
• May 22 - Lefty Grove, Major League Baseball pitching great (1925-1941)
• May 27 - Ezzard Charles, Heavyweight Boxing Champion
• June 4 - Wendell Ladner, NBA basketball player, died in a plane crash
• July 7 - Ruffian, undefeated filly race horse who broke a leg during a match race the previous day and had to put down after an usuccessful operation.
• August 17 - Vladimir Kuts, Russian distance runner, Olympic gold medalist
• September 29 - Casey Stengel, NY Yankees manager (1949-60)
• October 4 May Sutton, US Open & Wimbledon tennis chamnpion
• November 29 - Graham Hill, F1 race car champion, died when the plane he was piloting crashed
• December 1 - Nellie Fox, Major League Baseball player (1947-1965)