1978 in sports

Table of contents

1 Auto racing 2 Baseball 3 Basketball 4 Boxing 5 Cycling 6 Field Hockey 7 Figure Skating 8 Football (Soccer) 9 Football (American) 10 Canadian Football League 11 Golf 12 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 13 Harness Racing 14 Ice Hockey 15 Skiing 16 Tennis 17 General sporting events 18 Births 19 Deaths

Auto racing

• USAC - A J Foyt won final season championship under USAC.
  • CART, Championship Auto Racing Teams open wheel racing established in the United States.
  • Indianapolis 500 - won by Al Unser Snr

• World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Series MVP is Bucky Dent, New York

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • Kentucky wins 94-88 over Duke

• NBA Finals:
  • Washington Wizards won 4 games to 3 over the Seattle Supersonics

• February 15: Leon Spinks defeats Muhammad Ali by decision in 15 rounds to win the world's Heavyweight title.

• September 15: Muhammad Ali recovers the world's Heavyweight title, beating Leon Spinks by decision in their rematch. It is the first time a boxer wins the world Heavyweight title for a third time.

• Giro d'Italia won by Johan de Muynck of Belgium
• Tour de France - Bernard Hinault of France
• World Cycling Championship: Gerrie Knetemann of Netherlands

• November 17 - 24: Champions Trophy first held in Lahore, Pakistan won by Pakistan

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Charles Tickner, United States
  • Women's champion: Anett Pötzsch, Germany
  • Pairs champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Saizew, Soviet Union

• Football World Cup: Argentina wins 3-1 over the Netherlands
• England - FA Cup: Ipswich Town won 1-0 over Arsenal

• Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys won 27-10 over the Denver Broncos

• Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos win 20-13 over the Montreal Alouettes
• Vanier Cup: Queen's Golden Gaels win 16-3 over the UBC Thunderbirds

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Gary Player
  2. June - US Open - Andy North
  3. July - British Open - Jack Nicklaus
  4. August - PGA Championship - John Mahaffey

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Tom Watson - $362,429

• US Women's Open - Hollis Stacy
• LPGA Championship - Nancy Lopez
• Nancy Lopez: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $189,213.

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Arwon
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Regal Embrace
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Alleged
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Shirley Heights

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Roland Gardens
  2. Epsom Derby - Shirley Heights
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Julio Mariner

• July 13: At Belmont Park, Elmont, New York, star jockey, Ron Turcotte is injured in a racing accident ending his career, leaving him a paraplegic.

• Affirmed, ridden by jockey Steve Cauthen, wins the United States Triple Crown Races by narrowly defeating Alydar in all three races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Affirmed, Alydar
  2. Preakness Stakes - Affirmed, Alydar
  3. Belmont Stakes - Affirmed, Alydar

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Armbro Tiger
  2. Little Brown Jug - Happy Escort
  3. Messenger Stakes - Abercrombie

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Speedy Somolli
  2. Yonkers Trot - Speedy Somolli
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Doublemint

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Markovina
  • Trotters: Derby Royale

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens

• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens

• Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 2 over the Boston Bruins

• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
  • Junior Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
  • Note: In the early years of the Junior tournament, Canada did not send a true National Junior team to the event. Instead, the Memorial Cup champions usually went to represent Canada. The exception was 1978 in Montreal, when an "all-star" team was put together.

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Ingemar Stenmark, Sweden
  • The women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Guillermo Vilas
  2. French Open - Bjorn Borg
  3. Wimbledon championships - Bjorn Borg
  4. US Open - Jimmy Connors

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Chris O'Neil
  2. French Open - Virginia Ruzici
  3. Wimbledon championships - Martina Navratilova
  4. US Open - Chris Evert

• Davis Cup: United States won 4-1 over Great Britain in world tennis.

• British Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton, Canada

• First Ironman Triathlon held in Hawaii

• Embassy World Snooker Championship:
  • Ray Reardon won 25-18 over Perrie Mans

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
  • Dick Mackey won with lead dogs: Skipper & Shrew

• June 19 - Dirk Nowitzki, German NBA star
• August 23 - Kobe Bryant, NBA star
• October 20 - Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer

• January 13 - Joe McCarthy, baseball manager
• January 21 - Dit Clapper, NHL star, Boston Bruins
• September 3 - Alexander Belov 26, USSR Olympic basketball star
• September 23 - Lyman Bostock, Major League Baseball player