1972

April 1

• Major league baseball players stage first collective strike. [1]

April 2

• Gil Hodges, manager (New York Mets), dies of heart attack at age 57. [1]

April 5

• Baseball season is delayed due to a strike. [1]
• New York Mets trade Ken Singleton to Montreal Expos for Rusty Staub. [1]

April 8

• Alvin Kallicharran scores 100 in his first Test Cricket innings versus New Zealand. [1]

April 9

• 36th Golf Masters Championship: Jack Nicklaus wins, shooting a 286. [1]
• Glenn Turner (259) and Terry Jarvis make 387 opening cricket stand versus West Indies. [1]

April 12

• The Players' Association and owners agree to terms ending the first players strike in baseball history. [56]

April 13

• First baseball players' strike ends after 13 days. [1]

April 16

• First Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Jane Blalock. [1]
• Chicago Cubs' player Burt Hooton no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0. [1]

April 17

• First Boston Women's Marathon won by Nina Kuscsik of New York in 3:10:26. [1]
• 76th Boston Marathon won by Olavi Suomalainen of Finland in 2:15:39. [1]
• Kiteman attempting to throw out first ball in Philadelphia Phillies' Veterans Stadium crashes into the centerfield seats. [1]

April 20

• Kallicharran scores his second Test century in his second Test Cricket. [1]

April 23

• Betty Burfeind wins LPGA Birmingham Centennital Golf Classic. [1]

April 30

• Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Alamo Ladies Golf Open. [1]

May 6

• 98th Kentucky Derby: Ron Turcotte aboard Riva Ridge wins in 2:01.8. [1]

May 7

• 26th NBA Championship: Los Angeles Lakers beat New York Knicks, 4 games to 1. [1]
• Betty Burfeindt wins Sealy LPGA Golf Classic. [1]

May 11

• San Francisco Giants trade Willie Mays to New York Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and cash. [1]
• Stanley Cup: Boston Bruins beat New York Rangers, 4 games to 2. [1]

May 13

• Milwaukee Brewers beat Minnesota Twins, 4-3, in 22 innings (started May 12). [1]

May 14

• In Willie Mays' first game as a New York Mets player, his homer beats the San Francisco Giants, 5-4. [1]

May 16

• Greg Luzinski's 500-foot homerun hits the Liberty Bell monument in Philadelphia's Veteran Stadium. [1]
• Jane Blalock wins LPGA Suzuki Golf Internationale. [1]

May 17

• Tottenham Hotspur wins first UEFA Cup in London, England. [1]

May 18

• John Sebastian makes 63 consecutive free throws while blindfolded. [1]

May 20

• 5th ABA Championship: Indiana Pacers beat New York Nets, 4 games to 2. [1]
• 98th Preakness: Eldon Nelson aboard Bee Bee Bee wins in 1:55.6. [1]

May 21

• Kathy Cornelius wins LPGA Bluegrass Golf Invitational. [1]

May 24

• Glasgow Rangers wins 12th Europe Cup II at Barcelona, Spain. [1]

May 26

• Joe Frazier TKOs Ron Stander in five rounds for heavyweight boxing title. [1]

May 29

• Sandra Palmer wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. [1]

May 31

• Ajax wins Europe Cup 1 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. [1]

June 3

• New York Yankees score eight times in 13th beating Chicago White Sox 18-10. [1]

June 23

• US President Richard Nixon signs act barring sex discrimination in college sports. [1]

June 30

• Cincinnati Reds are 11 games back in National League (and go on to win the pennant). [1]

July 7

• Billie Jean King beats Evonne Goolagong to win Wimbeldon. [1]

July 13

• Los Angeles Rams (Irsay) and Baltimore Colts (Rosenbloom) swap owners. [1]

July 15

• Lee Trevino wins his second consecutive golf's British Open. [1]

July 23

• Eddy Merckx (Belgium) wins his fourth consecutive Tour de France. [1]

July 25

• National League beats American League 4-3 in 43rd All Star Game (Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia). [1] [56]

July 27

• NHL star Maurice "Rocket" Richard signs with WHL Quebec Nordiques. [1]

July 31

• Chicago White Sox player Dick Allen hits two inside-the-park-homers in Minnesota. [1]

August 1

• Nate Colbert of San Diego Padres hits record tying five home runs in a double header. [1]

August 7

• Baseball Hall of Fame inducts Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Lefty Gomez, and Early Wynn. [1]

August 8

• New York Yankees sign 30-year lease with New York City. [1]

August 13

• George Wiess, New York Yankees' general manager, dies. [1]

August 17

• Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton wins his 15th straight game. [1]

August 24

• 8th Mayor's Trophy Game, New York Yankees beat New York Mets 2-1. [1]
• Gordie Howe and Jean Beliveau inducted in Hockey Hall of Fame. [1]

August 26

• New York Cosmos beat Saint Louis Stars, 2-1 to win the NASL championship. [1]
• (to September 10) The Games of the XX Olympiad are held in Munich, Germany. [1] [7] [37]

August 31

• Olga Korbut, USSR, wins Olympic gold medal in gymnastics. [1]

September 2

• Chicago White Sox player Milt Pappas no-hits San Diego Padres, 1-0. [1]

September 4

• US swimmer Mark Spitz becomes first athlete to win seven Olympic gold medals. [1]

September 5

• Eleven Israeli athletes are slain at Munich Olympics, Germany. [1]

September 8

• Chicago Cubs' Ferguson Jenkins wins his 20th game for 6th straight year. [1]
• Jim Ryun (US) and Billy Fordjour (Ghana) collide and fall in qualifying competitions for 1,500m finals, ending Ryan's chances for gold. [1]

September 10

• Emerson Fittipaldi is youngest to win an auto race World Championship. [1]
• US Men's Olympic basketball team's first loss, 51-50 to USSR (disputed). [1]

September 12

• Lord Michael Killanin succeeds Avery Brundage as head of Olympics. [1]

September 24

• Jack Tatum, Oakland Raiders' player, returns a fumble 104 yards versus Green Bay Packers (record). [1]
• New York Jets' Joe Namath passes for six touchdowns versus Baltimore Colts (44-34). [1]

September 27

• First game at Nassau Coliseum, New York Rangers beat New York Islanders 6-4 (exhibition). [1]

October 1

• First games of the World Hockey Association. [1]

October 2

• Montreal Expos' Bill Stoneman pitches second no-hitter, beats New York Mets, 7-0. [1]
• Ron Johnson becomes first New York Giants' player to score four touchdowns (vs Philadelphia Eagles). [1]

October 3

• Steve Carlton wins 27th game for Philadelphia Phillies (almost half of their 59 wins). [1]

October 7

• First season game at Nassau Coliseum, Calgary Flames-3, New York Islanders-2. [1]

October 11

• The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game five to win the National League Championship Series. [56]

October 12

• Goalie Billy Harris fails in first New York Islanders' penalty shot. [1]

October 17

• First time New York Islanders shut-out; 5-0 versus Pittsburgh Penguins. [1]

October 22

• Oakland Athletics' first championship, beating Cincinnati Reds 4 games to 3 in 69th World Series. [1] [56]

October 24

• Jackie Robinson, major league baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers 1947, Hall of Fame), dies of heart disease at age 53 at his home in Stamford, Connecticut. [1] [56] [129]

October 29

• Don Cockroft of Cleveland Browns kicks 57-yard field goal. [1]

November 1

• Germain Gagnon scores first New York Islanders' hat trick. [1]

November 4

• Los Angeles Kings score three goals within 45 seconds against New York Islanders. [1]

November 22

• Pittsburgh Penguins set NHL record for scoring fastest five goals (2 minutes 7 seconds). [1]

November 26

• Pete Gogolak scores New York Giants record 8 points after a touchdown. [1]

November 27

• New York Yankees trade Ellis, Torres and Spikes to Cleveland Indians for Nettles and Moses. [1]

November 28

• Los Angeles Dodgers trade Frank Robinson to California Angels. [1]

December 2

• 60th Canadian Football League Grey Cup: Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeat Saskatchewan Roughriders, 13-10. [1]
• In one of their worst trades New York Yankees get Rich McKinney for Stan Bahnsen. [1]

December 5

• 38th Heisman Trophy Award: Johnny Rodgers, Nebraska (FL). [1]

December 11

• Jet's Don Maynard becomes all time pro reception leader (632). [1]
• John Mills, cricketer (7 Tests for New Zealand in early 1930s, 241 runs), dies. [1]

December 16

• Miami Dolphins become first undefeated NFL team (14-0-0). [1]

December 23

• "Immaculate Reception" Pittsburgh Steelers turns around a 7-6 defeat with a last second touchdown reception against the Oakland Raiders to win 13-7. [1]
• Chandrasekhar takes 8-79 India versus England at Delhi. [1]
• New York Islanders end 15-game winless streak. [1]

December 25

• England beats India by six wickets in the first Test Cricket at Delhi. [1]

December 29

• Test Cricket debut of Jeff Thomson and Max Walker versus Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground. [1]

December 31

• 39th Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma beats Penn State 14-0. [1]
• Miami Dolphins beat Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7 in AFC championship game. [1]
• Pittsburgh Pirates' outfielder Roberto Clemente is tragically killed at age 38 when a cargo plane crashes during a relief effort to bring supplies to the victims of the Nicaraguan earthquake. [1] [56]
• Washington Redskins beat Dallas Cowboys 26-3 in NFC championship game. [1]