- January 18
- Super Bowl X: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas Cowboys, 21-17 in Miami, Florida; Most Valuable Player: Lynn Swann, Wide Receiver. [1]
- January 20
- 29th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 7-5 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1]
- January 23
- Ian Redpath hits his only two sixes in Cricket Tests, versus West Indies Adelaide. [1]
- Washington Capitals end 25-game winless streak (0-22-3) beating New York Rangers 7-5. [1]
- January 24
- Cleveland Cavaliers' biggest margin victory-43 points (beat Milwaukee Bucks 132-89). [1]
- George Foreman knocks out Ron Lyle in 5th round of a real slugfest. [1]
- January 25
- Surinder Amarnath scores 124 on Test debut India versus New Zealand Auckland. [1]
- January 26
- 6th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 23-20. [1]
- January 27
- 9th ABA All-Star Game: Denver 144 beats ABA 138 at Denver, Colorado. [1]
- Viv Richards scores his first Test century against Australia. [1]
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- January 28
- Erapalli Prasanna takes 8-76 to rip through New Zealand at Eden Park. [1]
- January 30
- First-class debut of Dav Whatmore, in Johannesburg, South Africa. [1]
- January 31
- Lance Gibbs becomes highest Test wicket-taker at 308. [1]
- February 1
- East Lansing police arrest Los Angeles Dodgers' reliever Mike Marshall for taking batting practice at Michigan State University after he is warned not to. [1]
- Judy Rankin win LPGA Burdine's Golf Invitational. [1]
- February 2
- Roger Connor, Fred Lindstrom and umpire Cal Hubbard elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. Umpire Cal Hubbard is the first person to be elected to both the baseball and football Halls of Fame. [1] [56]
- February 3
- 26th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 123-109 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [1]
- February 4
- (to February 15) The XII Olympic Winter Games are held in Innsbruck, Austria. [7]
- Judge Oliver upholds Seitz's decision on Andy Messersmith free agency. [1]
- February 5
- Australia complete 5-1 series drubbing of West Indies. [1]
- Last day of Test Cricket for Lance Gibbs and Ian Redpath. [1]
- February 7
- Darryl Sittler, Toronto Maple Leafs, sets NHL record with ten points in a game. [1]
- February 8
- Jan Stephens wins LPGA Sarah Coventry Naples Golf Classic. [1]
- Largest crowd at Cleveland Coliseum (Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Bullets - 21,130). [1]
- February 9
- Oscar Charleston selected to baseball's Hall of Fame. [1]
- February 13
- Dorothy Hamill wins Olympics figure-skating gold, Innsbruck, Austria. [1]
- February 15
- XII Olympic Winter Games close at Innsbruck, Austria. [1]
- Joanne Carner wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic. [1]
- February 17
- New Zealand scores their first innings win in Test Cricket, versus India. [1]
- Richard Hadlee takes 7-23 versus India, his first match-winning spell. [1]
- February 20
- Muhammad Ali knocks out Jan Pierre Coopman in five rounds for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- February 22
- Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic. [1]
- February 23
- Major League Baseball owners announce spring training won't open without a labor contract. [1]
- March 4
- John Pezzin bowls 33 consecutive strikes in Toledo, Ohio. [1]
- San Francisco Giants are bought for US$8 million by Bob Lurie and Bud Herseth. [1]
- March 6
- World Ice Dance Championship in Gothenburg won by Liudmila Pakhomova and Alexandr Gorshkov (USSR). [1]
- World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Gothenburg won by Irina Rodnina and Alexandr Zaitsev (USSR). [1]
- World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Gothenburg won by Dorothy Hamill (USA). [1]
- World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Gothenburg won by John Curry (Great Britain). [1]
- March 9
- New York Islanders' Glenn Resch's 10th shut-out opponent-Saint Louis Blues 4-0. [1]
- March 14
- Jockey Bill Shoemaker wins his 7,000th race. [1]
- March 17
- Malikov skates world record 1000 metre (1:15.76). [1]
- March 20
- Jevgeni Kulikov skates world record 1000 metre (1:15.70). [1]
- March 26
- American League approves purchase of Toronto franchise by LaBatt Brewing for US$7 million. [1]
- March 27
- Delta States beat Immaculata, 69-64, for AIWA basketball title. [1]
- March 29
- 38th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Indiana beats Michigan 86-68. [1]
- March 31
- Cleveland Cavaliers clinch their first ever NBA playoff berth. [1]
- April 2
- Oakland Athletics trade prospective free agents Reggie Jackson and Ken Holtzman to Baltimore Orioles for Don Baylor, Mike Torrez and Paul Mitchell. [1]
- April 3
- Philadelphia Flyers win record-tying 20th straight NHL home game. [1]
- April 4
- 5th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Judy Rankin. [1]
- April 10
- Milwaukee Brewers' Don Money's grand slammer disallowed-New York Yankees win 9-7. [1]
- Cleveland Cavaliers win their first NBA Central Division title. [1]
- April 11
- 40th Golf Masters Championship: Ray Floyd wins, shooting a 271. [1]
- April 12
- India set 403 to win by West Indies; they get them, six wickets 7 overs spare. [1]
- April 13
- First NBA playoff game for Cleveland Cavliers, they lose 100-95 to Washington Bullets. [1]
- April 15
- Yankee Stadium reopens, New York Yankees beat Minnesota Twins after trailing 4-0. [1]
- April 17
- National League greatest comeback, trailing 12-1 the Philadelphia Phillies win 18-16 in 10, Mike Schmidt hits four consecutive homeruns. [1]
- April 18
- Judy Rankin wins LPGA Karsten - Ping Golf Open. [1]
- April 19
- 5th Boston Women's Marathon won by Kim Merritt of Wisconsin in 2:47:10. [1]
- 80th Boston Marathon won by Jack Fultz of Washington DC in 2:20:19. [1]
- April 25
- Chicago Cubs' centerfielder Rick Monday rescues US flag from two fans trying to set it on fire. [1]
- India all out for 97 versus West Indies. [1]
- Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic. [1]
- April 30
- Muhammad Ali beats Jimmy Young in 15 round for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- May 1
- 102nd Kentucky Derby: Angel Cordero Junior on Bold Forbes wins in 2:01.6. [1]
- Jos Hermens on the Netherlands sets record for 20,000 metre, 57:24.2. [1]
- May 2
- Joanne Carner wins LPGA Lady Tara Golf Classic. [1]
- May 5
- Anderlecht wins 16th soccer Europe Cup II. [1]
- May 9
- Sally Little wins LPGA Ladies Masters at Moss Creek Golf Tournament. [1]
- May 12
- Bayern Munich wins 21st Europe Cup 1. [1]
- May 13
- Ninth and final ABA championship: New York Nets beat Denver Nuggets, 4 games to 2. [1]
- May 15
- 102nd Preakness: John Lively aboard Elocutionist wins in 1:55. [1]
- May 16
- Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens sweep Philadelphia Flyers in four games. [1]
- Sue Roberts wins LPGA American Defender Golf Classic. [1]
- May 19
- Liverpool wins 5th UEFA Cup at Bridge. [1]
- May 22
- Saint Louis Cardinals' Reggie Smith hits three homeruns. [1]
- May 23
- Amy Alcott wins '76 LPGA Golf Classic. [1]
- May 25
- Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali knocks out Richard Dunn in five rounds for heavyweight boxing title in Munich, Germany. [1]
- May 29
- Only homerun of Joe Niekro's 22-year career, comes off brother Phil. [1]
- May 30
- 22nd LPGA Championship won by Betty Burfeindt. [1]
- Bobby Unser sets world record for the fastest pit stop (4 seconds). [1]
- June 6
- Boston Celtics beat Phoenix Suns for NBA championship, 4 games to 2. [1]
- June 14
- 12th Mayor's Trophy Game: New York Yankees beat New York Mets 8-4. [1]
- June 15
- New York Yankees trade May, Martinez, Pagan, MacGregor and Demsey to Baltimore Orioles. [1]
- June 18
- NBA and ABA agree to merge. [1]
- June 30
- John Walker of New Zealand sets record for 2000 metre, 4:51.4. [1]
- July 9
- Houston Astros' Larry Dierker no-hits Montreal Expos, 6-0. [1]
- July 13
- National League beats American League 7-1 in 47th All Star Game (Veteran's Stadium, Philadelphia). [1]
- July 17
- (to August 1) The Games of the XXI Olympiad are held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [1]
- ABA merges into the NBA. [1]
- July 20
- Hank Aaron hits his last big league homer, his 755th and establishes the all-time major league record for career home runs. [56]
- July 23
- Baltimore Orioles' player Reggie Jackson homers in 6th straight game. [1]
- July 28
- Chicago White Sox player John Odom (5 innings) and Francisco Barrios (4 innings) no-hits Oakland Athletics. [1]
- July 30
- Japanese beat Russian for Olympic gold in woman's volleyball. [1]
- August 1
- Seattle Seahawks play first (preseason) soccer game (San Francisco Gales 27, Seattle 20). [1]
- August 9
- Pittsburgh Pirates' player John Candelaria no-hits Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0. [1]
- August 16
- Saint Louis Cardinals beat San Diego Chargers 20-10 in Tokyo (NFL expo). [1]
- August 21
- Al Bumbry hits the 17th inside-the-park home run in Baltimore Orioles' history. [1]
- August 25
- New York Yankees beat Minnesota Twins 5-4 in 19 innings. [1]
- August 28
- New York Cosmos beat Seattle Sounders 2-1 for NASL cup. [1]
- September 1
- New Jersey Meadowlands racetrack opens. [1]
- September 11
- Evonne Goolagong loses her fourth straight US Open Final (Chris Evert wins). [1]
- September 12
- Seattle Seahawks play first regular-season game (Saint Louis 30, Seattle 24). [1]
- Chicago White Sox player Minnie Minoso at age 53 hits a single. [1]
- September 25
- Montreal Expo's last game at Montreal's Jarry Park. [1]
- September 26
- Philadelphia Phillies clinch their first National League East Division title. [1]
- September 28
- Muhammad Ali retains heavyweight boxing championship in a close 15-round decision over Ken Norton at Yankee Stadium. [1]
- September 29
- San Francisco Giants' John Montefusco no-hits Atlanta Braves, 9-0. [1]
- October 9
- New York Yankees' first American League Championship game, beating Kansas City Royals 4-1. [1]
- October 10
- Greece's 98-year-old Dimitrion Yordanidis is oldest man to compete in a marathon; he finishes in 7:33. [1]
- New Jersey Meadowlands' (New York Giants) Stadium opens. [1]
- October 14
- Chris Chambliss' 9th inning lead-off homer gives New York Yankees pennant #30. [1] [56]
- October 16
- Toronto Maple Leafs' Lanny McDonald scores a hat trick in 2 minutes 54 seconds. [1]
- October 20
- New York Nets' Julius "Dr J" Erving sold to the Philadelphia 76ers. [1]
- October 21
- Cincinnati Reds sweep New York Yankees in 73rd World Series. [1] [56]
- New York Knicks retire first number, 19, Willis Reed. [1]
- October 28
- Billy Martin named American League Manager of the Year (New York Yankees). [1]
- November 16
- Rick Barry (San Francisco Warriors), ends then longest NBA free-throw streak of 60. [1]
- November 18
- New York Yankees sign free agent Don Gullett. [1]
- November 24
- NBA Atlanta Hawks end a 28-game road losing streak. [1]
- November 29
- The New York Yankees sign free-agent Reggie Jackson to five-year, US$3.5 million contract. [1] [56]
- December 5
- Buffalo Bill's OJ Simpson rushes 203 yards. [1]
- December 12
- Quarterback Joe Namath's last game with New York Jets. [1]
- December
- New Jersey Lottery begins Touchdown football-themed lottery game. [86.58]
- December 19
- Jo Ann Washam/Chi Chi Rodriguez win Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Golf Championship. [1]
- John Lever takes 7-46 in first Test Cricket innings, versus India Delhi. [1]
- Piper Cherokee plane crashes into Baltimore Memorial Stadium upper stands, injuring the pilot and three others, 10 minutes after Baltimore Colts lose 40-14 to Pittsburgh Steelers; no one seriously hurt. [1] [56]
- December 21
- 20th New York Islanders' shut-out opponent-Billy Smith 3-0 versus Boston Bruins. [1]
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