- January 8
- Willie McCovey is 16th elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year. [1]
- January 9
- New York Islanders, greatest shutout margin (9-0) versus Pittsburgh Penguins. [1]
- January 12
- Chicago Blackhawks' Denis Savard scores at 4 seconds of third period. [1]
- January 17
- Tim Witherspoon beats Tony Tubbs in 15 to regain WBA heavyweight title. [1]
- January 21
- 100 participate in Nude Olympics race in 38 degrees F (3 degrees C), Indiana, USA. [1]
- January 24
- New York Islanders' Mike Bossy scores his 1,000th point. [1]
- January 26
- Hein Vergeer becomes European skating champ. [1]
- Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears beat New England Patriots, 46-10 in New Orleans, Louisiana; Most Valuable Player: Richard Dent, Defensive End. [1] [84]
- Val Skinner wins LPGA Mazda Golf Classic. [1]
- January 28
- The Texas Rangers sign free-agent catcher Darrell Porter to a one-year contract. [56]
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- February 2
- Ayako Okamoto win LPGA Elizabeth Arden Golf Classic. [1]
- NFL Pro Bowl: NFC beats AFC 28-24. [1]
- February 4
- 38th NHL All-Star Game: Wales beat Campbell 4-3 (overtime) at Hartford, Connecticut. [1]
- February 6
- New Jersey Devils' Peter McNab becomes the 42nd NHL player to score 350 goals. [1]
- February 7
- US female Figure Skating championship won by Debi Thomas. [1]
- February 8
- Spud Webb (5 feet 7 inches tall) of Atlanta Hawks wins NBA Slam Dunk Competition. [1]
- US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano. [1]
- February 9
- 36th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 139-132 at Dallas, Texas. [1]
- Marvin Johnson wins record third time, light heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Classic. [1]
- West German team swims world record 4x200 metre freestyle (7:05.17). [1]
- Mohinder Amarnath becomes the first batsman dismissed for handling the ball in One Day International cricket. [84]
- February 11
- Australia beat India 2-0 to win the World Series Cup. [1]
- February 12
- First-class cricket debut of Curtly Ambrose, Leeward Island versus Guyana. [1]
- February 15
- 44,180 largest NBA crowd to date - Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons. [1]
- February 16
- Karlstad skates world record 10 km (14:12.14). [1]
- February 18
- San Antonio Spurs' Alvin Robertson scores NBA second quadruple double-20 points, 11 rebounds, ten assists and ten steals against Phoenix Suns. [1]
- February 20
- Los Angeles Dodgers' Orel Hershiser is first to win a US$1 million salary by arbitration. [1]
- February 21
- Tennis star Jimmy Connors fined US$20,000 and suspended for ten weeks. [1]
- In defiance of the Cincinnati Reds' policy, Rollie Fingers refuses to cut off his handlebar mustache, and retires from baseball. [56]
- February 23
- Despite losing his arbitration case, Boston Red Sox player Wade Boggs receives largest arbitration settlement (US$1.35 million). [1] [56]
- Mary Beth Zimmerman wins LPGA Standard Register/Samaritan Golf Classic. [1]
- Nelli Fiere-Cooman runs world record 60 metre indoor (7.00 seconds). [1]
- February 26
- Evert van Benthem wins 14th Frisian 11-Cities skating race (6:55:16). [1]
- February 28
- Seven Major League Baseball players, who are admitted drug users, are severely disciplined by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth. Penalties include year-long suspensions without pay, heavy fines, drug-related community service and career-long drug testing. [1] [56]
- March 2
- Mary Beth Zimmerman wins Uniden LPGA Golf Invitational. [1]
- March 4
- Border completes twin Test tons (140 and 114) versus New Zealand. [1]
- March 7
- Wayne Gretzky breaks own NHL season record with 136th assist. [1]
- March 8
- Martina Navratilova is first tennis player to earn US$10 million. [1]
- March 9
- Juli Inkster wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open. [1]
- March 10
- Ernie Lombardi, National League Most Valuable Player in 1938, and Bobby Doerr, elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. [1]
- March 11
- New York Islanders' Mike Bossy is first NHL player to score 50 goals in nine straight seasons. [1]
- NFL adopts instant replay rule. [1]
- March 12
- Susan Butcher wins 1,158 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. [1]
- March 13
- Irish racemare Dawn Run wins the Cheltenham Gold Cup at Cheltenham, England, becoming the first racehorse to complete the Champion Hurdle, Cheltenham Gold Cup double. [84]
- March 16
- Chris Johnson wins LPGA GNA/Glendale Federal Golf Classic. [1]
- March 18
- Exciting draw in final gives New South Wales the Sheffield Shield over Queensland. [1]
- March 21
- Karin Kania (German Democratic Republic) skates ladies world record 500 metre (39.52 seconds) and 3 km (4:18.02). [1]
- Pittsburgh Associates buy Pittsburgh Pirates for US$218 million. [1]
- March 22
- Andrea Ehrig skates ladies world record 5 km (7:00.99). [1]
- HBO launches boxing's heavyweight title unification tournament. [1]
- Karin Kania skates ladies world record 1500 metre (1:09.30). [1]
- Kurt Browning (Canada) becomes first skater to land a quadruple jump. [1]
- World Ice Dance Championship in Geneva won by Natalia Bestemianova and Andrei Bukin (USSR). [1]
- World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Geneva won by Gordeeva and Grinkov (USSR). [1]
- World Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Geneva won by Debi Thomas (USA). [1]
- World Men's Figure Skating Championship in Geneva won by Brian Boitano (USA). [1]
- Trevor Berbick beats Pinklon Thomas in 15 rounds for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- March 23
- Penny Pulz wins LPGA Circle K Tucson Golf Open. [1]
- March 30
- 5th NCAA Women Basketball Championship: Texas beats Southern California 97-81. [1]
- March 31
- 48th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Louisville beats Duke 72-69. [1]
- April 1
- Delhi beats Haryana by innings and 141 to win Ranji Trophy. [1]
- April 2
- NCAA adopts 3-point basketball rule (19 feet 9 inch distance). [1]
- April 4
- Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season. [1]
- April 6
- 15th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Pat Bradley. [1]
- April 7
- Boston Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans becomes the first player to hit the first pitch of the first game on Opening Day for a home run. [56]
- April 8
- Facing Nolan Ryan of the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants' rookie Will Clark homers in his first major league at-bat. [56]
- The Seattle Mariners' Jim Presley hits two home runs in the ninth and tenth innings helping Seattle to beat the California Angels, 8-4 in a dramatic comeback victory on Opening Day. [56]
- April 12
- 16-year-old Steffi Graf wins her first professional tennis tournament. (Hilton Head). [37]
- April 13
- 50th Golf Masters Championship: Jack Nicklaus wins, shooting a 279. [1]
- Boston Celtics end season with a 40-1 home win record. [1]
- Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Kyocera Inamori Golf Classic. [1]
- Spanish Grand Prix decided by 0.014 of a second. [1]
- April 15
- Viv Richards century off 56 balls versus England in Antigua Test Cricket. [1]
- April 16
- West Indies complete 5-0 demolition of England. [1]
- April 19
- Michael Spinks beats Larry Holmes in 15 rounds for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- April 20
- Michael Jordan sets NBA playoff record with 63 points in a game. [1]
- April 21
- 15th Boston Women's Marathon won by I Kristiansen of Norway in 2:24:55. [1]
- 90th Boston Marathon won by Rob de Castella of Australia in 2:07:51. [1]
- Bob Hering sets Formula One power boat record (165.338 mph, Arizona). [1]
- April 23
- Madrid-Nelli Cooman runs world record 60 metre indoor (7 seconds). [1]
- April 26
- Baseball game between California Angels and Minnesota Twins delayed for 9 minutes by strong winds. [1]
- Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Marshall Holman. [1]
- April 27
- Pat Bradley wins LPGA S&H Golf Classic. [1]
- April 29
- Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox sets the record for the most strikeouts in a nine inning Major League Baseball game, striking out 20 Seattle Mariners' players. [1] [56] [84]
- April 30
- Seattle Mariners strike out 16 times, set record of 36 in two consecutive games. [1]
- May 1
- Bill Elliott sets stock car speed record of 212.229 mph. [1]
- May 2
- Dynamo Kiev wins 26th Europe Cup II. [1]
- May 3
- 112th Kentucky Derby: Bill Shoemaker aboard Ferdinand wins in 2:02.8. [1]
- Chicago Cubs' third baseman Ron Cey hits his 300th and 301st homerun. [1]
- New York Yankees' Don Mattingly is sixth to hit three sacrifice flies in a game. [1]
- May 5
- Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced to be built in Cleveland, Ohio. [1]
- May 6
- Berlin: Real Madrid wins 15th UEFA Cup. [1]
- May 7
- Bucharest wins 31st Europe Cup I. [1]
- Philadelphia Phillies' outfielder Garry Maddox retires. [1]
- May 11
- Muffin Spencer-Devlin wins LPGA United Virginia Bank Golf Classic. [1]
- May 12
- Fred Markham (US), unpaced and unaided by wind, is first to pedal 65 mph on a level course, at Big Sand Flat, California. [1]
- May 14
- Reggie Jackson hits his 537th homerun passing Mickey Mantle into 6th place on the Major League Baseball all-time homerun list. [1] [56]
- May 17
- 112th Preakness: Alex Solis aboard Snow Chief wins in 1:54.8. [1]
- May 18
- Becky Pearson wins LPGA Chrysler-Plymouth Golf Classic. [1]
- Chung Kwung Ying does 2,750 "atomic" hand-stand push-ups. [1]
- David Goch finishes swimming 55,682 miles in a 25-yard pool. [1]
- May 21
- Atlanta Braves' player Rafael Ramirez hits four doubles in a game. [1]
- May 24
- NHL Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Calgary Flames, 4 games to 1. [1] [84]
- May 25
- 95-year-old woman scores a hole-in-one in Florida. [1]
- Kansas City Royals' George Brett gets his 2,000th hit. [1]
- Laurie Rinker wins LPGA Corning Golf Classic. [1]
- In Indianapolis, Indiana, the 70th Indianapolis 500 race is held. An unmodified production yellow 1986 Corvette convertible is the official pace car, driven by retired Air Force General Chuck Yeager. The car is given to the race winner, Bobby Rahal. [8]
- May 28
- Chicago White Sox player Joe Cowley sets record striking out first seven Texas Rangers he faces. [1]
- May 30
- Bobby Rahal is first to average over 170mph in the Indianapolis 500. [1]
- May 31
- The 1986 FIFA World Cup begins in Mexico. [84]
- June 6
- Kathy Ormsby, a 21-year-old member of the North Carolina State track team jumps off a bridge permanently paralyzing herself. [1]
- June 8
- Boston Celtics win NBA championship number 16 over Houston Rockets. [1]
- Longest nine-inning American League game (4:16), Baltimore Orioles beat New York Yankees 18-9. [1] [56]
- June 9
- California Angels' Don Sutton (298 wins) beats Chicago White Sox Tom Seaver (306 wins) 3-0. [1]
- June 10
- A Bartlett Giamatti becomes president of baseball's National League. [1]
- June 18
- San Francisco Giants' Robby Thompson sets a major league record when he is thrown out four times trying to steal in the 12-inning 7-6 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. [56]
- Don Sutton of the California Angels becomes 19th pitcher to win 300 games. [1] [56]
- June 27
- Anne White shocks Wimbeldon by wearing only a body stocking. [1]
- Robby Thompson (San Francisco Giants) sets record, caught stealing bases four times in one game. [1]
- June 29
- Boston Red Sox trade for Tom Seaver. [1]
- Argentina defeats Federal Republic of Germany 3-2 to win the 1986 FIFA World Cup. [84]
- Sparky Anderson is first to win 600 games as manager in both American baseball leagues. [1]
- July 5
- (to July 20) Goodwill Games are held in Moscow. [84]
- July 11
- Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway runs 10,000 m in world record 30:13.74. [1]
- Maricica Puica of Romania runs 2,000 m in 5:28.69 (record for women). [1]
- July 14
- Jane Geddes beats Sally Little to win golf's US Women's Open. [1]
- July 15
- American League beats National League for second time in 15 years, winning 57th All-Star Game 3-2. [1]
- July 19
- Cleveland Indians' pitcher Phil Niekro wins his 307th game. [1]
- July 27
- Greg LeMond wins the Tour de France. [84]
- July 29
- New York jury rules NFL violated antitrust laws, awards USFL US$1 in damages. [1]
- Sparky Anderson becomes the first baseball manager to win 600 games in both the National and American Leagues. [56]
- August 1
- Minnesota Twins' pitcher Bert Blyleven becomes the tenth major league pitcher to record 3,000 strikeouts. [56]
- August 2
- Jackie Joyner-Kersee (US) sets record for heptathlon (7161 points). [1]
- August 5
- San Francisco Giants' pitcher Steve Carlton throws his 4000th strike-out. [56]
- Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway sets the 5km woman's record (14:37.33). [1]
- August 6
- Baltimore Orioles (Dwyer and Sheets) and Texas Rangers (Harrah) hit record three grand slams. [1]
- August 10
- New York Yankees celebrate Billy Martin Day at Yankee Stadium, and retire his uniform, number 1. [1] [56]
- August 11
- Bob Tway wins PGA championship. [1]
- August 12
- Don Baylor gets hits by a pitch for a record 25th time in a season. [1]
- Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Lollar gets a pinch-hit single. [1]
- August 14
- Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates play a six-game series in four days. [1]
- August 21
- Boston Red Sox player Spike Owens scores six runs (first time in 40 years) in a 24-5 rout of the Cleveland Indians. [1] [56]
- August 25
- At Tiger Stadium, Oakland Athletics' rookie Mark McGwire hits his first major league home run off of Walt Terrell. [56]
- August 29
- Heike Drechsler of German Democratic Republic ties world women's 200m mark (21.71s). [1]
- September 2
- Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs use a record 53 players in an 14-inning game. [56]
- September 13
- Bert Blyleven gives up a record 44 home runs in a season. [1]
- September 14
- At Royals Stadium, Kansas City Royals' rookie outfieder Bo Jackson hits his first major league home run. The 475-foot hit by the NFL running back is the longest homer ever hit in the ballpark. [56]
- Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats play first Canadian Football League regular-season overtime game. [1]
- September 17
- Marina Stepanova of USSR sets the 400m hurdle woman's record (52.94). [1]
- September 19
- Chicago White Sox player Joe Crowley no-hits California Angels, 7-1. [1]
- September 20
- Wichita State Shockers blow a 35-3 lead; lose 36-35 to Morehead State. [1]
- September 21
- Miami Dolphins' Dan Marino passes for six touchdowns versus New York Jets (51-45). [1]
- New York Jets beat Miami Dolphins 51-45 in overtime; record 884 passing yards. [1]
- New Orleans Saints' Mel Gray returns kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. [1]
- September 22
- Los Angeles Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela is first Mexican to win 20 games. [1]
- September 23
- Houston Astros' Jim Deshales sets record of striking out first 8 men starting a ball game, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. [1]
- September 25
- Houston Astros' Mike Scott no-hits San Francisco Giants, 2-0. [1]
- September 28
- Record 23,000 start in a marathon (Mexico City). [1]
- September 29
- Chicago Cubs' Greg Maddux defeats Philadelphia Phillies' Mike Maddux (first rookie brothers). [1] [56]
- October 8
- Mike Scott ties playoff record of 14 strikeouts, beats New York Mets 1-0. [1]
- October 9
- Gilbert Perreault of the Buffalo Sabres becomes 12th NHL player to score 500 goals. [1]
- October 12
- California Angels, within one pitch of pennant victory lose to Boston Red Sox. [1] [56]
- October 13
- 25th New York, National League appearance in World Series (New York Mets versus Oakland Athletics) (World Series #83). [1]
- October 14
- The International Olympic Committee decides to stagger the Winter and Summer Olympic schedule. [1]
- October 15
- Longest post-season game, New York Mets beat Houston Astros 7-6 in 16 innings and win National League pennant. [1] [56]
- After being down three games to one in the American League Championship Series, the Boston Red Sox defeat the California Angels 8-1 to win the American League pennant. [56]
- October 25
- Michael Sergio parachutes into Shea Stadium during game six of World Series. [1]
- October 27
- The New York Mets win the Major League Baseball World Series, defeating the Boston Red Sox in 7 games. [1] [56] [84]
- November 14
- Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon buy the World Champion Mets from the Doubleday Publishing Company for US$80.75 million. [56]
- November 22
- Mike Tyson wins his first world boxing title by defeating Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas, Nevada. [1] [84]
- Wayne Gretzky, of Edmonton Oilers, became 13th NHL player to score 500 goals. [1]
- December 3
- Sri Lanka all out 55 versus West Indies in one-dayer Walsh 5-1 in four 3 overs. [1]
- December 6
- 52nd Heisman Trophy Award: Vinny Testaverde, Miami Florida (quarterback). [1]
- December 7
- Juli Inkster/Tom Purtzer win LPGA J C Penney Golf Classic. [1]
- December 10
- Atlanta Hawks' Dominique Wilkins scores 57 points versus Chicago Bulls. [1]
- December 11
- A Bartlett Giamatti becomes president of American baseball's National League. [1]
- December 12
- David Boon's fourth Test century, 103 versus England at Adelaide. [1]
- James "Bone Crusher" Smith TKOs WBA champion Tim Witherspoon at Madison Square Garden. [1]
- December 19
- Jack Morris agrees to salary arbitration with former team Detroit Tigers and accuses owners of collusion against free agency. [1]
- Michael Sergio, who parachuted into Shea Stadium during game six of the World Series, sentenced to 100 hours of community service and fined $500. [1]
- December 21
- 75th Davis Cup: Australia beats Sweden in Melbourne (3-2). [1]
- Amy Alcott/Bob Charles win LPGA Mazda Golf Championship. [1]
- December 22
- India scores 7-676 versus Sri Lanka at Kanpur in Cricket. [1]
- December 26
- Doug Jarvis, age 31, sets NHL record of 916 consecutive games. [1]
- December 28
- Pat Davis, ranked 412th among world tennis competitors, wins Davis Cup. [1]
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