- 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
- 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]
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- 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 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, age 55, beats Margaret Smith Court 6-2, 6-1 in a Mother's Day match at San Diego Country Estate in California, USA. Riggs wins a $5000 bet that he could win. [1] [565.195]
- 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 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 23
- Philadelphia Phillies' Ken Brett's fourth consecutive game home run in which he pitched. [1]
- June 25
- Udo Beyer of German Democratic Republic puts the shot a record 20.47m. [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 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 versus 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 Stan 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 6
- Roberto Clemente is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Monte Irvin. [1302.198]
- August 14
- Johnny Unitas files US$725,000 suit against Baltimore Colts. [1]
- August 17
- At Shea Stadium, 42-year old New York Mets' outfielder, Willie Mays, hits his 660th and final home run of his career. [56]
- August 18
- Hank Aaron's record 1,378 extra base hit surpasses Stan Musial record. [1]
- August 26
- 10-year-old Mary Boitano wins 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 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in "The Battle of the Sexes" tennis match at the Houston Astrodome. Global TV audience estimated at 50 million. The winner collected $100,000. [1] [565.197]
- 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 versus 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
- California Angels' pitcher Nolan Ryan establishes a major league record striking out 383 batters in a season. [1] [56]
- September 29
- Baltimore Orioles pull their 5th triple play (5-4-3 versus 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 9
- Golden State Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers game in Cleveland postponed because of wet floors. [1]
- October 10
- In the fifth and deciding game, the New York Mets win the National League pennant beating the Cincinnati Reds, 7-2. [56]
- October 20
- US President Richard Nixon proclaims Jim Thorpe greatest athlete of first half century. [1]
- October 21
- The Oakland Athletics' win the 70th World Series defeating the New York Mets, 5-2 in Game 7. [1] [56]
- October 23
- New York Yankees' general manager and president Lee MacPhail named American League president. [1]
- October 25
- 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 versus Buffalo Bills. [1]
- November 7
- New Jersey becomes first state to allow girls into US baseball little league. [1] [56]
- 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 (Running Back). [1]
- December 9
- Saint Louis Cardinals' Jim Bakken kicks six field goals versus Atlanta Falcons. [1]
- December 10
- First time since 1885, tennis has two top males (S Smith and Jimmy Connors). [1]
- The American League vote unanimously to adopt the designated hitter rule on a trail basis for three years. [56]
- 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]
- 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 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]
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