References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 August 9.

1973 April 1 Arthur Wood, cricket wicket-keeper (England 1938-39), dies. [1] Betsy Cullen wins LPGA Alamo Ladies Golf Classic. [1] April 5 NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie quarterbacks, 1-19). [1] April 6 Roberto Clemente Day, Pittsburgh Pirates retire his number. [1] New York Yankees' Ron Blomberg becomes first designated hitter, he walks. [1] April 7 Cleveland Indians sets day-game and opening-game attendance records of 74,420. [1] Doug Walters' best Test Cricket bowling, 5-66 vs West Indies Georgetown. [1] April 9 37th Golf Masters Championship: Tommy Aaron wins, shooting a 283. [1] April 10 Kansas City opens its new park, Royals Stadium, with 12-1 rout of Texas Rangers. [1] April 15 Second Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Mickey Wright. [1] April 17 Second Boston Women's Marathon won by Jacqueline Hansen of California in 3:05:59. [1] 77th Boston Marathon won by Jon Anderson of Oregon in 2:16:03. [1] April 19 George Steinbrenner replaces Mike Burke with Gabe Paul as New York Yankees' president. [1] April 27 Jim Sims, cricketer (England leg-spinner in 4 Tests 1935-37), dies. [1] Kansas City Royals' Steve Busby no-hits Detroit Tigers, 3-0. [1] April 29 Gloria Ehret wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic. [1] April 30 Women's tennis groups end disputes over sanctioning tournaments. [1] May 1 San Francisco Giants score seven runs with two outs in 9th inning to beat Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-7. [1] May 3 Kansas City Royals' George Brett gets his first major league hit. [1] May 4 BPAA US Women's Bowling Open won by Millie Martorella. [1] Longest game in Veterans' Stadium, Philadelphia Phillies beat Atlanta Braves 5-4 in 20 innings. [1] May 5 99th Kentucky Derby: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 1:59.4. [1] May 6 First WHA championship: New England Whalers beat Winnipeg Jets, 4 games to 1. [1] Judy Rankin wins LPGA American Defender-Raleigh Golf Classic. [1] May 8 Ralph Miller, last 19th century baseball player, dies. [1] May 9 For second time, Johnny Bench hits three homeruns in a game. [1] May 10 27th NBA Championship: New York Knicks beat Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 1. [1] 9th Mayor's Trophy Game, New York Mets beat New York Yankees 8-4. [1] Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4 games to 2. [1] May 12 6th ABA championship: Indiana Pacers beat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3. [1] May 13 Judy Rankin wins LPGA Lady Carling Golf Open. [1] Tennis hustler Bobby Riggs beats Margaret Smith Court in a Mother's Day match in California, USA. [1] May 15 Nolan Ryan pitches his first no-hitter game, as the California Angels defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-0. [1] [129] May 16 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Dave Soutar. [1] AC Milan wins 13th Europe Cup II in Saloniki. [1] May 17 California Angels' outfielder Bobby Valentine breaks his leg trying to scale wall to prevent a Dick Green homerun during a 5-4 loss to the Oakland Athletics. [1] Joe Ferguson hits the 6,000th Brooklyn Dodgers' homerun. [1] May 18 WIBC Bowling Queens won by Dotty Fothergill. [1] May 19 99th Preakness: Ron Turcotte aboard Secretariat wins in 1:54.4. [1] May 20 Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Bluegrass Golf Invitational. [1] May 25 Borussia Mönchengladbach wins second UEFA Cup at Mönchengladbach. [1] May 27 Rick Wohlhuter runs record 880 yards in 1:44.6. [1] May 28 Chicago White Sox beat Cleveland Indians, 6-3, in 21 innings (game started May 26). [1] May 30 Ajax wins third Europe Cup. [1] May 31 Glenn Turner scores his 1,000th cricket run of English season. [1] June 9 Secretariat wins Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown. [1] June 12 New York Yankees trade wife swapper Mike Kekich for Lowell Palmer. [1] June 13 Garvey, Lopes, Cey and Russell play together for first time, set record of staying together as an infield for 8+ years (Los Angeles Dodgers). [1] June 18 NCAA makes urine testing mandatory for participants. [1] June 19 Pete Rose and Willie Davis both get career hit number 2,000. [1] June 21 Frank Leahy, football coach (Notre Dame), dies at age 64. [1] June 23 Philadelphia Phillies' Ken Brett's fourth consecutive game home run in which he pitched. [1] June 25 Udo Beyer of East Germany puts the shot a record 20.47 m. [1] June 28 Lawsuit in Detroit, Michigan, challenges Little League's "no girls" rule. [1] July 1 First US-China basketball game, US collegiates beats Shanghai 96-61. [1] July 2 Swede Savage dies from injuries at Indianapolis 500. [1] July 3 Brothers Jim and Gaylord Perry face each other for only time, Detroit Tigers beat Cleveland Indians 5-4, as Gaylord loses. [1] July 7 First all-US women's Wimbeldon, Billie Jean King beats Chris Evert. [1] All women board of directors takes control of ABA's Kentucky Colonels. [1] Baltimore Orioles pull their fourth triple play (5-4-3 vs Oakland Athletics). [1] Glenda Reiser (Canada) sets record women's mile (4:34.9). [1] July 8 New York Mets are 12.5 games back in National League, and go on to win the pennant. [1] July 9 9th Maccabiah games opens in Tel Aviv, Israel. [1] July 13 Bobby Murcer's three homers account for all RBIs, beating Kansas City Royals 5-0. [1] July 15 California Angels' Nolan Ryan second no-hitter, beats Detroit Tigers, 6-0. [1] Willie McCovey becomes 15th to hit 400 home runs. [1] July 19 Willie Mays named to National League all star team for 24th time (ties Musial). [1] July 21 Hank Aaron becomes second major league player to hit 700 home runs. [1] July 22 Sue Berning wins her third US Golf Open championship. [1] July 24 National League beats American League 7-1 in 44th All Star Game (Royals Stadium, Kansas City). [1] Sue Berning wins US golf open for third time. [1] July 27 Walter Blum becomes 6th jockey to ride 4,000 winners. [1] July 30 Texas Rangers' Jim Bibby no-hits Oakland Athletics, 6-0. [1] July 31 ABA Virginia Squires trade Julius Erving to the New York Nets. [1] August 1 Thurman Munson and Carleton Fisk get into a brawl at Fenway Park. [1] August 5 Atlanta Braves' Phil Niekro no-hits San Diego Padres, 9-0. [1] August 14 Johnny Unitas files US$725,000 suit against Baltimore Colts. [1] August 17 Lee Trevino's first hole-in-one. [1] August 18 Hank Aaron's record 1,378 extra base hit surpasses Stan Musial record. [1] August 26 10-year-old Mary Boitano is first woman to win 6.8-mile Dipsea Race in Marin County, California, beating a field of 1,500 runners. [1] September 1 George Foreman knocks out Jose Roman in the first round to retain heavyweight title in Japan. [1] September 2 Billy Martin fired as manager of Detroit Tigers. [1] September 6 New York Times reports almost all Superfecta harness racing run at Yonkers, Roosevelt and Monticello from January to March of 1973 were fixed. [1] September 7 Mike Storen becomes the American Basketball Association's fourth commissioner. [1] September 8 First all Australian women's US Open final, (Court beats Goolagong). [1] Billy Martin named manager of the Texas Rangers. [1] Hank Aaron sets record of most home runs in one league (709). [1] September 10 Muhammad Ali defeats Ken Norton. [1] New York Jets trade pro football's leading receiver Don Maynard to Saint Louis Cardinals. [1] September 13 ABC announces it obtained TV rights for the 1976 Olympics. [1] US Congress passes and sends a bill to President Richard Nixon to lift football's blackout. [1] September 14 Indianapolis is awarded a WHA franchise. [1] US President Richard Nixon signs into law a measure lifting pro football's blackout. [1] September 16 Buffalo Bills' OJ Simpson rushes 250 yards (two touchdowns), beating New England Patriots 31-13. [1] September 19 National League refuses to allow San Diego Padres move to Washington DC. [1] September 20 Billy Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-sexes tennis match. [1] Willie Mays announces retirement at end of 1973 season. [1] September 21 New York Mets go into first place (at .500) after trailing 12.5 games. [1] Nate Archibald signs seven-year contract with NBA's Kansas City Kings for US$450,000. [1] September 22 Baltimore Orioles' player Al Bumbry hits three triples vs Milwaukee Brewers. [1] September 24 Saint Louis Cardinals' Jim Bakken sets NFL record kicking seven field goals. [1] September 25 Willie Mays night at Shea Stadium. [1] September 26 Wilt Chamberlain signs with ABA San Diego Conquistadors. [1] September 27 Nolan Ryan strikes out his 383rd batter of the year. [1] September 29 Baltimore Orioles pull their 5th triple play (5-4-3 vs Detroit Tigers). [1] Insurance industry announces auto racers get into more highway accidents. [1] September 30 New York Yankees close 50th year at Yankee Stadium losing 8-5. [1] October 1 Leo Durocher resigns as Houston Astros' manager. [1] October 2 Paavo "Flying Finn" Nurmi, who won six Olympic gold medals, dies. [1] October 9 Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers game in Cleveland postponed because of wet floors. [1] October 20 US President Richard Nixon proclaims Jim Thorpe greatest athlete of first half century. [1] October 21 Oakland Athletics' manager Dick Williams quits after Athletics beat New York Mets in 70th World Series. [1] October 23 New York Yankees' general manager and president Lee MacPhail named American League president. [1] October 25 Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian marathoner (Olympics-gold 1960, 1964), dies at age 46. [1] Chris Wills wins first National hang-gliding championship. [1] October 27 First time New York Islanders beat the New York Rangers: 3-2. [1] Alabama sets offensive record (828 yards), beats Virginia Tech 77-6. [1] October 28 Elmore Smith of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks 17 shots in a game (NBA record). [1] October 30 Tom Seaver becomes first non-20-game winner to win baseball Cy Young award. [1] November 4 New Orleans Saints' first shutout victory, 13-0 vs Buffalo Bills. [1] November 7 New Jersey becomes first state to allow girls into US baseball little league. [1] November 13 Oakland Athletics' Reggie Jackson wins American League Most Valuable Player unanimously. [1] December 1 Jack Nicklaus becomes first golfer to earn $2 million in a year. [1] Jan Ferraris wins LPGA-Japan Golf Classic. [1] December 2 62nd Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Cleveland (5-0). [1] US Air Arena opens in Landover, Maryland, Baltimore Bullets beat Seattle Supersonics, 98-96. [1] December 4 John Cappelletti wins Heisman trophy. [1] December 5 Chicago Cubs' Ron Santo became first baseball player to veto his trade. [1] Los Angeles Dodgers trade Willie Davis to Montreal Expos for relief pitcher Mike Marshall. [1] December 6 National League votes to move San Diego Padres to Washington DC (doesn't happen). [1] December 7 Baltimore Orioles sell pitcher Eddie Watt to the Philadelphia Phillies. [1] Philadelphia Phillies sell infielder-outfielder Cesar Tovar to the Texas Rangers. [1] December 8 39th Heisman Trophy Award: John Cappelletti, Pennsylvania State (RB). [1] December 9 Saint Louis Cardinals' Jim Bakken kicks six field goals vs Atlanta Falcons. [1] December 10 First time since 1885, tennis has two top males (S Smith and Jimmy Connors). [1] December 11 Houston Astros' Caesar Cedino jailed in death of 19-year-old woman. [1] North American Soccer League awards Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver franchises. [1] December 12 Canada begins selling Olympic coins ($5 and $10 silver coins). [1] San Diego files anti-trust against National League (stopping San Diego Padres move to Washington DC). [1] December 13 World Football League grants first franchise (Detroit Wheels). [1] December 15 Sandy Hawley becomes first jockey to win 500 races in one year. [1] Tennessee beats Temple 11-6 in low scoring NCAA basketball game. [1] December 16 O J Simpson becomes first NFL player to rush 2,000 yard in a season. [1] Syd Barnes, cricketer (13 Tests for Australia 1938-48), dies. [1] December 18 New York Yankees sign Dick Williams as manager, overturned later by American League president. [1] December 20 American League President Joe Cronin refuses to allow Dick Williams to manage New York Yankees. [1] Montreal Canadiens' Henri Richard scores his 1,000th NHL point. [1] December 23 Arthur Richardson, cricketer (9 Tests 1924-26), dies. [1] December 27 Los Angeles Dodgers announce night games will start at 7:30 instead of 8. [1] December 30 Miami Dolphins beat Oakland Raiders 27-10 in AFC championship game. [1] Minnesota Vikings beat Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in NFC championship game. [1] December 31 40th Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 24 beats Alabama 23. [1] 61st Australian Men's Tennis: John Newcombe beats O Parun (6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1). [1] Johan Cruyff chosen European soccer Player of Year. [1]