- January 11
- Chicago Cubs trade outfielder Rick Monday to Los Angeles Dodgers for Bill Buckner. [1]
- France releases Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. [1]
- January 12
- Anti-French demonstrations takes place in Israel after Paris releases Abu Daoud, responsible for 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli athletes. [1]
- January 15
- Jane Blalock wins LPGA Colgate Triple Crown Golf Tournament. [1]
- January 16
- Washington Capitals' H Monahan scores on second penalty shot against New York Islanders. [1]
- January 17
- 7th AFC-NFC pro bowl, AFC wins 24-14. [1]
- Kansas City Royals release Tommy Davis, ends an 18-year career with ten teams. [1]
- January 18
- Imran Khan takes 12 wickets in match for Pakistan win at the Sydney Cricket Ground. [1]
- January 19
- Ernie Banks elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. [1]
- January 26
- Soviet figure skaters Sergei Shakrai and Marine Tcherkasova are first to perform a quadruple twist lift, in Helsinki, Finland. [1]
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- January 30
- Allan Border scores 36 in his first-class innings (New South Wales versus Queensland). [1]
- Edward W Stack replaces Paul Kerr as president of Baseball Hall of Fame. [1]
- January 31
- Joe Sewell, Amos Rusie, and Al Lopez elected to baseball Hall of Fame. [1]
- February 1
- Hillsdale High School defeats Person High School 2-0 in basketball. [1]
- February 2
- Toronto Maple Leafs' Ian Turnbull scores five goals in one game; NHL record for a defenseman. [1]
- February 3
- Martin Dihigo John Lloyd elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. [1]
- February 4
- 30th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 4-3 at Vancouver, BC, Canada. [1]
- February 5
- Sugar Ray Leonard beats Luis Vega in six rounds in his first pro fight. [1]
- US female Figure Skating championship won by Linda Fratianne. [1]
- US male Figure Skating championship won by Charles Tickner. [1]
- February 6
- 4th time New York Rangers shut-out New York Islanders 4-0. [1]
- February 12
- Toronto Maple Leafs shutout Washington Capitals 10-0. [1]
- February 13
- Eric Heiden is first American to win world speed skating championship. [1]
- Pam Higgins wins LPGA American Cancer Society Golf Classic. [1]
- February 18
- Test Cricket debuts of Colin Croft and Joel Garner versus Pakistan Bridgetown. [1]
- February 19
- Oakland Athletics sell pitcher Paul Lindblad to the Texas Rangers for $400,000. [1]
- Doug Walters scores 250 versus New Zealand, 217 stand for 7th wicket with Gilmour. [1]
- February 20
- Judy Rankin wins LPGA Orange Blossom Golf Classic. [1]
- February 25
- New Orleans' Pete Maravich sets NBA record for a guard with 68 points. [1]
- February 27
- Judy Rankin wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic. [1]
- March 3
- New York Islanders allow Detroit Red Wings only 11 shots on goal. [1]
- World Ice Dance Championship in Tokyo won by Irina Moiseeva and Andrei Minenkov (USSR). [1]
- World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Irina Rodnina/Alexandr Zaitsev (USSR). [1]
- World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Linda Fratianne (USA). [1]
- World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Tokyo won by Vladimir Kovalev (USSR). [1]
- March 4
- Colin Croft takes 8-29 against Pakistan at Port-of-Spain. [1]
- March 13
- Dennis Lillee takes 6-26, England all out 95 in Centenary Test. [1]
- March 17
- Australia wins cricket Centenary Test by 45 runs, same result as 1877. [1]
- March 19
- Jevgeni Kulikov skates world record 1000 metre (1:15.33). [1]
- March 27
- Sandra Palmer wins LPGA Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Golf Classic. [1]
- March 28
- 39th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Marquette beats North Carolina 67-59. [1]
- April 1
- NFL decides to experiment with a 7th official in some preseason games. [1]
- April 2
- Montreal Canadiens set NHL record of 34 straight home games without a loss. [1]
- April 3
- 6th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Kathy Whitworth. [1]
- Boston Bruins' Jean Ratelle scores his 1,000th NHL point. [1]
- April 6
- Kingdome opens, Seattle Mariners' first game, loses to California Angels 7-0. [1]
- April 7
- Toronto Blue Jays' first game, they beat Chicago Cubs 9-5. [1]
- April 10
- 41st Golf Masters Championship: Tom Watson wins, shooting a 276. [1]
- Beverly Klass wins LPGA Women's International Golf Satellite. [1]
- Cleveland Indians set club record for longest, 9 inning game (3:17). [1]
- April 15
- First baseball game at Montréal's Olympic Stadium, Quebec, Canada. [1]
- April 17
- Sandra Palmer wins LPGA Women's International Golf Tournament. [1]
- April 18
- 6th Boston Women's Marathon won by Miki Gorman of California in 2:48:33. [1]
- 81st Boston Marathon won by Jerome Drayton of Canada in 2:14:46. [1]
- Baltimore Orioles' Eddie Murray hits his first homerun. [1]
- April 21
- Billy Martin pulls New York Yankees line-up out of a hat, beats Toronto Blue Jays 8-6. [1]
- April 24
- Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA American Defender Golf Tournament. [1]
- April 25
- Cincinnati Reds tie record of 12 runs in 5th inning beating Atlanta Braves 23-9. [1]
- May 1
- Chantal Langlace runs female world record marathon (2:35:15.4). [1]
- Debbie Austin wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic. [1]
- May 7
- 103rd Kentucky Derby: Jean Cruguet on Seattle Slew wins in 2:02.2. [1]
- May 8
- Hollis Stacy wins LPGA Lady Tara Golf Classic. [1]
- May 9
- The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners, 12-4, when the two new American League's teams meet for the first time. [56]
- May 11
- Hamburger SV wins 17th soccer Europe Cup II. [1]
- May 14
- English football international' Bobby Moore retires. [1]
- Kansas City Royals' Jim Colborn no-hits the Texas Rangers, 6-0. [1]
- Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens sweep Boston Bruins in four games. [1]
- May 15
- Jane Blalock wins LPGA Greater Baltimore Golf Classic. [1]
- May 16
- Muhammad Ali beats Alfredo Evangelist in 15 round for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- May 18
- Juventus wins 6th UEFA Cup at Bilbao. [1]
- May 21
- 103rd Preakness: Jean Cruguet aboard Seattle Slew (undefeated) wins in 1:54.4. [1]
- San Diego Padres beat Montreal Expos, 11-8, in 21 innings. [1]
- May 22
- Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic. [1]
- Boston Red Sox (6) and Milwaukee Brewers (5) tie single game homerun record of 11. [1]
- May 25
- Liverpool wins 22nd Europe Cup 1 in Rome. [1]
- May 29
- A J Foyt wins Indianapolis 500 (average speed of 161.331 mph) for a record fourth time. [1]
- Sandra Spuzich wins LPGA Lady Keystone Golf Open. [1]
- Golfer Sue Press hits consecutive holes-in one. [1]
- May 30
- Cleveland Indians' Dennis Eckersley no-hits California Angels, 2-0. [1]
- June 3
- Baltimore Orioles pull their 6th triple play (9-6-4-6-6 versus Kansas City Royals). [1]
- June 5
- Portland Trail Blazers beat Philadelphia 76ers for NBA championship, 4 games to 2. [1]
- June 6
- Doobie Brothers sponser a Golf Classic and Concert for United Way. [1]
- June 11
- Seattle Slew wins Belmont Stakes and Triple Crown. [1]
- June 16
- Ron Guidry's first complete game, 7-0 over Kansas City Royals. [1]
- June 18
- Billy Martin and Reggie Jackson get into a dug-out altercation. [1]
- June 19
- Boston Red Sox set three-game record of 16 home runs, all against New York Yankees. [1]
- June 23
- 13th Mayor's Trophy Game, New York Mets beat New York Yankees 6-4. [1]
- June 30
- New York Yankees' designated hitter Cliff Johnson hits three consecutive home runs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [1]
- July 1
- Virginia Wade beats Betty Stove for Wimbeldon's women's singles. [1]
- July 2
- Sweden's Björn Borg wins Wimbeldon men's singles over Jimmy Connors. [1]
- July 19
- National League beats American League 7-5 in 48th All Star Game (Yankee Stadium, New York). [1]
- August 8
- Texas Rangers turn their first triple play (vs Oakland Athletics). [1]
- August 9
- NHL refuses merger of six WHA clubs. [1]
- August 10
- Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos play a doubleheader that ends at 3:23 AM. [1]
- August 14
- 77,691 see New York Cosmos beat Fort Lauderdale Strikers 8-3 at Giant Stadium. [1]
- August 16
- New York Yankees blow 9-4 lead in 9th but beat Chicago 11-10 in bottom of 9th. [1]
- August 27
- Toby Harrah and Bump Wills hit back-to-back inside-the-park-homers off New York Yankees' pitcher Ken Clay at Yankee Stadium, Texas Rangers won 8-2. [1]
- August 28
- New York Cosmos defeat Seattle Sounders, 2-1, at Civic Stadium in Portland Oregon, winning their second North American Soccer League championship. [1]
- New York Yankees' pitcher Ron Guidry faces just 28 men and beats Texas Rangers 1-0. [1]
- August 29
- Saint Louis Cardinals' Lou Brock eclipses Ty Cobb's 49-year-old career stolen bases record at 893 as San Diego Padres win 4-3. [1] [56]
- September 3
- Japanese superstar Sadaharu Oh hits his 756th career homer to surpass Hank Aaron as the All-time career home run leader in professional baseball. [56]
- September 5
- Cleveland Indians stage first "I hate the Yankee Hanky Night". [1]
- September 10
- Toronto Blue Jays beat New York Yankees 19-3 with 20 hits. [1]
- September 11
- Guillermo Vilas beats Jimmy O'Connors winning US Open. [1]
- September 17
- Dave Kingman hits his first New York Yankees' homer, Reggie Jackson hits two more. [1]
- September 18
- Courageous (US) sweeps Australia (Australia) in 24th America's Cup. [1]
- September 22
- Minnesota Twins' Bert Blyleven no-hits California Angels, 9-0. [1]
- September 24
- Ken Hinton of Canadian Football League's British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards. [1]
- September 27
- Philadelphia Phillies clinch second straight National League East Division title. [1]
- September 29
- Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous, 15-round decision over Earnie Shavers. [1]
- October 1
- Brazilian soccer great Pele retires with 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. [1]
- New York Yankees win second consecutive American League East title. [1]
- October 6
- New York Yankees win American League pennant by rallying for three runs in 9th to beat Kansas City Royals 5-3 in 5th and deciding playoff game. [1]
- October 7
- With two outs in top of 9th, Los Angeles Dodgers trailing Philadelphia Phillies 5-3 in playoffs, score three runs and win 6-5. Dodgers hold 2-1 game lead. [1]
- October 8
- Largest baseball crowd in Pennsylvania, 64,924 see Los Angeles Dodgers beat Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in fourth National League championship game (Dodgers win pennant). [1]
- October 12
- "Throwaway Game" Catfish Hunter loses World Series 6-1 resting New York Yankees' pitchers. [1]
- October 14
- Linda Ronstadt sings the national anthem at the 74th World Series. [1]
- October 15
- Arkansas Razorbacks' Steve Little kicks a record-tying 67-yard field goal. [1]
- October 18
- First New York Islanders' 0-0 tie - Los Angeles Kings at Nassau-25th time shutout-Resch's 15th. [1]
- Reggie Jackson hits three consecutive homers tying Babe Ruth's series record. [1]
- New York Yankees beat Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 for 21st world championship, first in 15 years. [1] [56]
- November 1
- New York Islanders' Goran Hogosta's only shut-out Calgary Flames 9-0-Trottier four goals. [1]
- November 5
- NCAA passing record set at 571 yards (Marc Wilson, Brigham Young). [1]
- November 10
- Major Indoor Soccer League officially organized (New York City). [1]
- November 13
- 25th New York Islanders' shut-out Resch 6-0 Gilles scores on 5th penalty shot. [1]
- November 20
- Walter Payton (Chicago Bears) rushes for NFL-record 275 yards. [1]
- November 24
- Miami Dolphins' Bob Greise passes for six touchdowns vs Saint Louis Cardinals (55-14). [1]
- December 4
- Hollis Stacy/Jerry Pate win Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Golf Championship. [1]
- NFL's 5,000th game, Cincinnati Bengals beat Kansas City Chiefs 27-7. [1]
- December 7
- New York Islanders' Billy Smith's 10th shut-out opponent - Chicago Black Hawks 4-0. [1]
- December 8
- 43rd Heisman Trophy Award: Earl Campbell, Texas (Running Back). [1]
- December 12
- New York Yankees purchase Andy Messersmith from Atlanta Braves. [1]
- December 13
- Entire University of Evansville basketball team (14 players) die in plane crash. [1]
- December 14
- Boston Red Sox trade Fergie Jenkins to Texas Rangers for John Poloni and cash. [1]
- Test Cricket debut of Abdul Qadir, versus England at Lahore. [1]
- December 17
- Bobby Simpson scores 176 Australia versus India at the WACA, aged 41. [1]
- December 18
- Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey number 42 (Nate Thumond). [1]
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