- January 10
- Jim Stewart, Boston Bruins' rookie goalie allows three goals in his first four minutes and a total of five in first period; he never again plays in the NHL. [1]
- January 20
- NFL Super Bowl XIV at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Los Angeles Rams, 31-19; Most Valuable Player: Terry Bradshaw, quarterback. The Pittsburgh Steelers become the first NFL franchise to win four Super Bowls. [1] [120]
- US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne. [1]
- US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner. [1]
- January 21
- Les Henson, Virginia Tech, makes 89-foot 3-inch basketball field goal. [1]
- January 22
- PGA begins a senior golf tour. [1]
- West Indies beat England 2-0 to win first World Series Cup. [1]
- January 24
- Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon purchase the New York Mets for an estimated US$21.1 million. The price tag is the highest amount ever paid for a baseball franchise. [56]
- January 25
- Dutch Government demands boycott of Olympics. [1]
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- January 26
- Mary Decker runs a mile in under 4.5 minutes. [1]
- New York Islanders and Hartford Whalers play a NHL penalty-free game. [1]
- January 27
- 10th NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 37-27. [1]
- January 29
- Cleveland Cavaliers beat Los Angeles Lakers 154-153 in quadruple overtime. [1]
- February 3
- 30th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 144-136 (overtime) at Washington. [1]
- Larry Holmes TKOs Lorenzo Holmes in six rounds for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- February 4
- Joanne Carner win LPGA Whirlpool Golf Championship of Deer Creek. [1]
- February 5
- 32nd NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 6-3 at Detroit. [1]
- February 9
- The late New York Yankees' catcher Thurman Munson is inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of Kent State University. [56]
- Rick Barry, Houston Rockets, is first in NBA to score eight 3-point goals in a game. [1]
- February 10
- Jane Blalock wins LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic. [1]
- February 12
- New York Islanders second scoreless tie, versus Winnipeg Jets. [1]
- Richard Hadlee becomes New Zealand's top wicket-taker with 117. [1]
- February 13
- New Zealand beats West Indies by one wicket in cricket at Dunedin. [1]
- (to February 24) The XIII Olympic Winter Games are held in Lake Placid, New York, USA. [1] [7] [120]
- February 15
- Wayne Gretzky assists on NHL-record-tying seven goals. [1]
- Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 500 metre in 38.03 seconds. [1]
- February 16
- Eric Heiden skates 5km in 7:02.29 (Olympic record). [1]
- February 17
- Dot Germain wins LPGA S&H Golf Classic. [1]
- Buddy Baker wins Daytona 500 (177.6 MPH/285.8 kph). [1]
- February 19
- Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1000 metre in 1:15.18. [1]
- Botham a century and 13 wickets in Jubilee Test Cricket at Bombay. [1]
- February 21
- Hanni Wenzel is first Liechtensteiner to win Olympics gold (giant slalom). [1]
- Eric Heiden skates Olympics record 1500 metre in 1:55.44. [1]
- February 22
- The United States Olympic Hockey Team defeats the Soviet Union 4-3 in the semifinals of the XIII Olympic Winter Games. The Soviet team had been undefeated in Olympic hockey since 1968. [1] [120] [129]
- February 23
- Eric Heiden wins all five speed skating golds at Lake Placid Olympics. [1]
- XIII Olympic Winter Games close at Lake Placid, New York. [1]
- February 24
- Joanne Carner wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic. [1]
- New York Rangers score five power-play goals against New York Islanders. [1]
- USA Olympic hockey team beats Finland (4-2) and wins gold medal. [1]
- February 26
- R Hadlee scores Test Cricket century versus Roberts, Garner, Holding, Croft. [1]
- February 29
- Gordie Howe becomes first NHL player to score 800 career goals. [1]
- March 1
- Hilbert van der Duim becomes world champion all-round skater. [1]
- March 2
- Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Sun City Golf Classic. [1]
- Mike Bratz (Phoenix Suns) ends NBA free throw streak of 57 games. [1]
- March 4
- 40th hat trick in New York Islanders' history-Mike Bossy. [1]
- March 8
- Greg Chappell 235 and Yallop 172, for 217 stand at Faisalabad. [1]
- March 9
- Joanne Carner wins LPGA Sunstar '80 Golf Tournament. [1]
- March 11
- Rod Marsh bowls ten overs for 51 runs in dull Australia versus Pakistan cricket draw. [1]
- March 12
- New York Islanders third scoreless tie, versus Pittsburgh Penguins. [1]
- March 13
- Eric Heiden skates world record 1000 metre (1:13.60). [1]
- March 14
- World Ice Dance Championship in Dortmund, Federal Republic of Germany won by Krisztina Regoczy and Andras Sallay (Hungary). [1]
- World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Marina Cherkasova and Sergei Shakhrai (USSR). [1]
- World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Anett Potzsch. [1]
- World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Dortmund won by Jan Hoffmann (German Democratic Republic). [1]
- In Poland, a plane crashes during an emergency landing near Warsaw, killing a 14-man American boxing team and 73 others. [1] [120]
- March 16
- Joanne Carner wins LPGA Honda Civic Golf Classic. [1]
- March 21
- U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. [120]
- March 23
- Border completes 150 in each inning of Test Cricket versus Pakistan. [1]
- Donna Caponi Young Pro-Am wins LPGA National Golf Tournament. [1]
- March 24
- 42nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Louisville beats UCLA 59-54. [1]
- The Australia Olympic Committee announces it will send an Olympic delegation to Moscow, despite objections by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. [120]
- March 30
- Nancy Lopez wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open. [1]
- March 31
- Larry Holmes TKOs Leroy Jones in 8 rounds for WBC heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- Mike Weaver knocks out John Tate in 15 rounds for WBA heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- April 1
- Baseball Players' Association votes to cancel 92 remaining exhibition games. [1]
- Wayne Gretzky breaks Bobby Orr's NHL record with 103rd assist. [1]
- April 2
- Wayne Gretzky becomes first teenager to score 50 goals in an NHL season. [1]
- April 6
- 9th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Donna Caponi Young. [1]
- Gordie Howe completes a record 26th hockey season. [1]
- April 8
- New York Islanders' Potvin's two shorthanded goals tie NHL record vs Los Angeles Kings and set NHL record of two shorthanded playoff goals in one period. [1]
- April 9
- Los Angeles Kings tie NHL record with two shorthanded playoff goals in a period versus New York Islanders. [1]
- April 12
- Milwaukee Brewers beats Boston Red Sox, 18-1 (Cooper and Money hit grand slams). [1]
- US Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympic games. [1]
- April 13
- 44th Golf Masters Championship: Seve Ballesteros wins, shooting a 275. [1]
- Amy Alcott wins LPGA American Defender/WRAL Golf Classic. [1]
- Soviet news agency TASS denounces US boycott of the Moscow Summer Olympics. [1]
- April 16
- Delhi beats Bombay by 240 runs to win Ranji Trophy final. [1]
- Arthur Ashe retires from professional tennis. [1]
- April 20
- Donna White wins LPGA Florida "Lady Citrus" Golf Tournament. [1]
- April 21
- 84th Boston Marathon won by Bill Rodgers of Massachusetts in 2:12:11. [1]
- 9th Boston Women's Marathon won by Jacqueline Gareau of Canada in 2:34:28; Rosie Ruiz disqualified as women's champion; she hadn't run entire course. [1] [120]
- April 25
- Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Wayne Webb. [1]
- Oakland Athletics' manager Billy Martin restrained by umpires from attacking a fan. [1]
- April 26
- Gerard Nijboer runs Dutch record marathon (2:09:01). [1]
- Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton pitches his sixth one-hitter (beats Saint Louis Cardinals). [1]
- April 27
- Barbara Barrow wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic. [1]
- May 3
- 106th Kentucky Derby: Jacinto Vasquez on Genuine Risk wins in 2:02. [1]
- San Francisco Giants' first baseman Willie McCovey hits his 521st and final homerun. [1]
- Texas Rangers' Ferguson Jenkins becomes fourth to win 100 games in American League and National League. [1]
- May 4
- Chicago White Sox first baseman Mike Squires catches final inning of 11-1 loss to Milwaukee Brewers, becoming first lefty to catch since Dale Long in 1958. [1]
- Hollis Stacy wins LPGA CPC Women's Internationalional Golf Tournament. [1]
- May 8
- Buffalo Sabres take only 15 shots, New York Islanders 22, in a playoff game. [1]
- May 11
- Pam Higgins wins LPGA Lady Michelob Golf Tournament. [1]
- Pete Rose steals second, third, and home in one inning for Philadelphia Phillies. [1]
- May 13
- Cincinnati Reds' Ray Knight hits two homeruns in 5th inning versus New York Mets. [1]
- May 14
- Valencia wins 20th Europe Cup II. [1]
- Bucky Dent hits an inside the park homerun, Kansas City Royals walk 14 New York Yankees including five with bases loaded, New York Yankees win 16-3. [1]
- May 15
- Philadelphia Flyers score 8 goals against New York Islanders in playoffs. [1]
- May 16
- 34th NBA Championship: Los Angeles Lakers beat Philadelphia 76ers, 4 games to 2. [1]
- May 17
- 106th Preakness: Angel Cordero Junior aboard Codex wins in 1:54.2. [1]
- May 18
- Donna White wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic. [1]
- May 21
- Eintracht Frankfurt wins 9th UEFA Cup at Frankfurt, Germany. [1]
- May 23
- ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Neil Burton. [1]
- May 24
- Stanley Cup: New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 2. [1]
- May 25
- Jacek Wszoka of Poland sets high jump record (7 feet 8 inches). [1]
- Indianapolis 500: Johnny Rutherford wins for a third time in car owner Jim Hall's revolutionary ground effect Chaparral car; the victory is Hall's second as an owner. [120]
- Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Corning Golf Classic. [1]
- May 26
- Philadelphia Phillies' Steve Carlton is first National League player to record six one-hitters. [1]
- Dietmar Mogenburg of Federal Republic of Germany ties high jump record at 7 feet 8 inches. [1]
- May 28
- Joe Darby does a standing long jump of 12 feet 5 inches. [1]
- Nottingham Forrest wins 25th Europe Cup 1 in Madrid, Spain. [1]
- Two Oakland Athletics' players steal home in first inning. [1]
- May 29
- Larry Bird beats out Magic Johnson for NBA rookie of year. [1]
- May 30
- Detroit Tigers' relief pitcher John Hiller, 37, (who had a 1971 heart attack), retires. [1]
- Minnesota Twins' Ken Landreaux ends his hitting streak after 31 games. [1]
- June 3
- ESPN begins televising college World Series games. [1]
- June 6
- Björn Borg beats John McEnroe for Wimbeldon title. [1]
- June 7
- Temperance Hill wins Belmont Stakes (50:1 long shot). [1]
- Tommy John wins his 200th, 3-0 on a 2-hitter. [1]
- John McEnroe beats Björn Borg for US Open. [1]
- June 9
- Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants end their game at 3:11 AM. [1]
- June 15
- Jorge Orta of Cleveland Indians gets six hits in a baseball game. [1]
- June 22
- Federal Republic of Germany beats Belgium 2-1 to win the Euro 80. [120]
- June 24
- Affirmed wins $500,000 Hollywood Cup, first horse to win $2 million. [1]
- June 27
- Brooklyn Dodgers' Jerry Reuss' no-hits San Francisco Giants 8-0. [1]
- July 1
- Steve Overt runs world record 3:48.8 mile in Oslo, Norway. [1]
- July 4
- Nolan Ryan strikes out Ceasar Geronimo to record his 3000th career strike out. [56]
- July 8
- National League beats American League 4-2 in 51st All Star Game (Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California). [1]
- July 15
- Johnny Bench hits his 314th home run as a catcher, breaking Yogi Berra's record. [1]
- July 19
- (to August 3) The Games of the XXII Olympiad are held in Moscow, USSR. USA and other countries boycott the games due to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. [1] [7] [120]
- August 1
- Gerd Wessig of German Democratic Republic sets the high jump record. [1]
- August 2
- US swimmers set three world records at National championships. [1]
- August 3
- Duke Snider and Al Kaline enter baseball's Hall of Fame. [1]
- August 5
- New York Mets' Doug Flynn ties record of three triples in a game. [1]
- August 6
- American University administration declares five Pac-10 schools ineligible for conference titles and post-season play due to transcript and curriculum abuses. [1]
- August 10
- Jack Nicklaus wins PGA Championship for fifth time. [1]
- August 11
- Reggie Jackson hits his 400th homer. [1]
- August 13
- Tatyana Kazankina of USSR sets 1.5k woman's record (3:52.47) in USSR. [1]
- August 20
- New York Yankees' Bob Watson hits Seattle Kingdome speaker, second straight day. [1]
- September 6
- Chantal Langlace sets women's record for fastest 100km run (7:27:22). [1]
- College football's longest losing streak of 50 games ends for Macalaster University of Saint Paul, Minnesota beating Mount Senario 17-14. [1]
- September 7
- Earnest Gray becomes second New York Giants' player to score four touchdowns (vs Saint Louis Cardinals). [1]
- September 10
- Bill Gullickson sets rookie record of striking out 18. [1]
- September 20
- Plaque dedicated in Thurman Munson's memory at Yankee Stadium. [1]
- Spectacular Bid runs in Belmont alone as three horses drop out. [1]
- September 21
- Los Angeles Rams' Johnnie Johnson scores a 99-yard interception. [1]
- Richard Todd of the New York Jets completes 42 passes in a game (NFL record). [1]
- September 30
- 1,754 turn out to see the Philadelphia Phillies play the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. [1]
- October 2
- Larry Holmes retains WBC heavweight title defeating Muhammad Ali. [1]
- October 5
- Kansas City Royals' Willie Wilson establishes a major league record for the most at-bats in a season with 705. [56]
- New York Yankees set American League attendance mark at 2,627,417. [1]
- October 10
- New York Yankees lose 4-2 and are swept by Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship series. [1]
- October 18
- Detroit Pistons block 21 Atlanta Hawks' shots setting NBA record (double). [1]
- October 21
- In Game six in front of 65,838 fans at Veterans Stadium, the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Series ever in the 98-year history of the franchise by defeating the Kansas City Royals, 4-1. [1] [56] [120]
- October 26
- Saint Louis Cardinals sack Baltimore Colts' quarterbacks an NFL record-tying 12 times. [1]
- October 27
- Dave Gryllis sets world bicycle speed record of 94.37 kph. [1]
- November 4
- Japan's all-time home run hitter, Sadaharu Oh, retires from professional baseball. The Tokyo Yomiuri Giants' first baseman hit a record 868 home runs in his 22-year playing career. [56]
- November 11
- New York Islanders' Mike Bossy scores four goals against Minnesota North Stars. [1]
- November 20
- Billy Martin named American League Manager of the Year (Oakland Athletics). [1]
- November 21
- Gene Michaels replaces Dick Howser as New York Yankees' 25th manager. [1]
- November 25
- Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Duran, regains WBC welterweight championship. [1]
- December 1
- 46th Heisman Trophy Award: George Rogers, South Carolina (Running Back). [1]
- December 4
- New York Islanders end 15-game undefeated streak (13-0-2) (to Colorado Rockies). [1]
- December 11
- Dirk Wellham scores 100 on first-class debut, New South Wales versus Victoria. [1]
- December 14
- Anders Kailur scores on 6th New York Islanders' penalty shot. [1]
- Minnesota Vikings pass for 456 yards against Cleveland Browns, winning 28-24. [1]
- Nancy Lopez/Curtis Strange win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic. [1]
- New Orleans Saints end 14-game losing streak, beat New York Jets 21-20. [1]
- December 15
- New York Yankees' Dave Winfield becomes highest-paid player, ten years $15 million. [1]
- December 20
- NBC broadcasts New York Jets' 24-17 win over Miami Dolphins without audio. [1]
- December 21
- Harold Carmichael ends NFL streak of 127 consecutive game receptions. [1]
- December 22
- Saint Louis Cardinals release outfielder Bobby Bonds. [1]
- December 31
- New York Islanders' greatest shutout margin (9-0) versus Chicago Black Hawks. [1]
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