1973 in sports
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "1973_in_sports".

Athletics

For an extensive coverage see 1973 in athletics (track and field)

Marathon

• September 1 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands
  • Men's Winner: Ron Hill (ENG) 2:18:06

• December 2 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
  • Men's Winner: Frank Shorter (USA) 2:11:45

Auto Racing

• Open wheel racing
  • Formula One Championship: Drivers Championship won by Jackie Stewart and Constructors Championship won by Lotus-Ford
  • Indianapolis 500: Won by Gordon Johncock
  • USAC Championship Car Series: Won by Roger McCluskey
• Stock car/touring car racing
  • NASCAR championship won by Benny Parsons (singer Marty Robbins made his first appearance as a driver at the Daytona 500)
  • 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Henri Pescarolo / Gérard Larrousse won, driving a Matra MS670B
• Rally racing
  • World Rally Championship for Manufacturers: Won by Alpine Renault (1973 is the inaugural season for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's new World Rally Championship series)
• Drag racing
  • NHRA Supernationals: Top Fuel won by Don Garlits
  • NHRA Top Fuel championship: Dragster champion was Jerry Ruth and Funny Car champion was Frank Hall

Baseball

• January 18: Orlando Cepeda signs with the Boston Red Sox, making him the first player signed by a team specifically to be a designated hitter.

• The American League uses the designated hitter rule for the first time. Ron Blomberg is the first player to bat as a DH.

• World Series: Oakland Athletics won 4 games to 3 over the New York Mets

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:
  • UCLA wins 87-66 over Memphis State. Bill Walton of UCLA scored 44 points in the Championship game.

• NBA Finals:
  • New York Knicks won 4 games to 1 over the Los Angeles Lakers

• 1973 ABA Finals:
  • Indiana Pacers defeat Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3

Boxing

• January 22 - George Foreman beats Joe Frazier by a knockout in two rounds to lift the world's Heavyweight championship from Frazier. It is HBO Boxing's first telecast.

Cycling

• Tour de France - Luis Ocaña of Spain
• World Cycling Championship: Felice Gimondi, of Italy

Dogsled racing

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
  • Dick Wilmarth won with lead dog: Hotfoot

Field Hockey

• Men's World Cup in Amstelveen, The Netherlands
  • Gold Medal: The Netherlands
  • Silver Medal: India
  • Bronze Medal: West Germany

• March 10 - In an international women's hockey match at Wembley Stadium,England. England are beaten by Ireland 2-1.

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Ondrej Nepela, Czechoslovakia
  • Ladies' champion: Karen Magnussen, Canada
  • Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Lyudmila Pakhomova & Alexandr Gorshkov, Soviet Union

Football (American)

• O.J. Simpson becomes the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season.

• Super Bowl VII: Miami Dolphins won 14-7 over the Washington Redskins to complete the only unbeaten NFL season

Football (Australian rules football)

• Victorian Football League
  • Richmond wins the 77th VFL Premiership (Richmond 16.20 (116) d Carlton 12.14 (86))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Keith Greig (North Melbourne)

Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Ottawa Rough Riders win 22-18 over the Edmonton Eskimos
• Vanier Cup: St. Mary's Huskies win 14-6 over the McGill Redmen

Football (Soccer)

For an extensive coverage see 1973 in football (soccer)

• Brazil - Palmeiras wins the Campeonato Brasileiro
• England - FA Cup: Sunderland wins 1-0 over Leeds United
• 1 January 1973, Edinburgh, Scotland, Edinburgh Derby between Hearts and Hibernian played at Tynecastle ends in a 7-0 victory for Hibernian.
• The Greek national football team loses 14-0 at home to the Guinea-Bissau U17 side.
• Rangers F.C win European Cup Winners Cup, after beating Moscow Dynamo 3-2.

--77.97.57.67 (talk) 19:06, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Golf

Men's professional

• April 5-9 - Masters Tournament - Tommy Aaron
• June 14-7 - U.S. Open - Johnny Miller
• July 11-14 - British Open - Tom Weiskopf
• August 9-12 - PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus
• PGA Tour money leader - Jack Nicklaus - $308,362
• Ryder Cup - United States won 19-13 over Britain & Ireland in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Dick Siderowf
• U.S. Amateur - Craig Stadler

Women's professional

• June 7-10 - LPGA Championship - Mary Mills
• July 19-22 - U.S. Women's Open - Susie Berning
• LPGA Tour money leader - Kathy Whitworth - $82,864

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Gala Supreme
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Royal Chocolate
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Rheingold
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Weaver's Hall

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes - Mon Fils
  2. Epsom Derby - Morston
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Peleid

• Secretariat, ridden by jockey Ron Turcotte, becomes the first horse in 25 years to win the United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. May 5 - Kentucky Derby - Secretariat
  2. Preakness Stakes - Secretariat
  3. Belmont Stakes - Secretariat

Harness Racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Smog
  2. Little Brown Jug - Melvin's Woe
  3. Messenger Stakes - Valiant Bret

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

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Hondo Grattan
  • Trotters: Precocious

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins

• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Clarke - Philadelphia Flyers

• Stanley Cup - Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Black Hawks 4 games to 2

• World Hockey Association:
• AVCO Cup - New England Whalers defeat the Winnipeg Jets 4 games to 1 for first league championship.

• World Hockey Championship:
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship: University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers defeat University of Denver Pioneers 4-2 in Boston, MA

Radiosport

• Seventh Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Komló, Hungary.
• First ARRL 10 Meter Contest held in December.

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
  • The men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy
  • The women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Ray Reardon beats Eddie Charlton 38-32

Swimming

• The first FINA World Championships held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - John Newcombe
  2. French Open - Ilie Năstase
  3. Wimbledon - Jan Kodeš
  4. US Open - John Newcombe

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Court
  2. French Open - Margaret Court
  3. Wimbledon - Billie Jean King
  4. US Open - Margaret Court

• Davis Cup: Australia wins 5-0 over the United States in world tennis.
• Men and women players receive equal prize money at the US Open
• September 20 - In the famed Battle of the sexes at Houston's Astrodome - Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in 3straight sets.

Water Polo

• Men's World Championship in Belgrade, Yugoslavia
  • Gold Medal:  Hungary
  • Silver Medal:  Soviet Union
  • Bronze Medal:  Yugoslavia

General sporting events

• Second All-Africa Games held in Lagos, Nigeria

• Seventh Summer Universiade held in Moscow, Soviet Union

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: O.J. Simpson, National Football League
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Billie Jean King, Tennis

Births

January

• January 2 — Roman Karmazin, Russian boxer
• January 3 — Robert Baird, Canadian medley swimmer
• January 3 — Chris Woodruff, American tennis player
• January 5 — Giacomo Giretto, Italian volleyball player
• January 6 — Vasso Karadassiou, Greek beach volleyball player
• January 7 — Marek Bílek, Czech discus thrower
• January 7 — Rafael Dudamel, Venezuelan football (soccer) goalkeeper
• January 8 — Robert Braknis, Canadian backstroke swimmer
• January 11 — Sarah Forbes, Canadian field hockey goalkeeper
• January 11 — Rahul Dravid, Indian cricketer
• January 13 — Dana Anderson, Canadian field hockey player
• January 14 — Giancarlo Fisichella, Italian Formula 1-driver
• January 14 — Clarinda Sinnige, Dutch field hockey goalkeeper
• January 15 — Tomáš Galásek, Czech football (soccer) player
• January 16 — Nathalie Giguère, Canadian breaststroke swimmer
• January 16 — Somluck Kamsing, Thai boxer
• January 17 — Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican football (soccer) player
• January 17 — Katrin Meißner, East German freestyle swimmer
• January 18 — Regilio Vrede, Dutch football (soccer) player
• January 18 — Erle Wiltshire, Australian-Burmese boxer
• January 19 — Yevgeny Sadovyi, Russian swimmer
• January 22 — Mukhran Vakhtangadze, Georgian wrestler
• January 23 — Federico de Beni, Italian road bicycle racer
• January 24 — Ralf Braun, German backstroke swimmer
• January 25 — Nagore Gabellanes, Spanish field hockey player
• January 25 — Elsbeth Vink, Dutch cyclist

February

• February 1 — Michael Joyce, American tennis player
• February 2 — Jarosław Lewak, Polish judoka
• February 4 — Oscar de la Hoya, American boxer
• February 5 — Marty O'Donnell, Canadian boxer
• February 5 — Deng Yaping, Chinese table tennis player
• February 12 — Laurens Looije, Dutch athlete
• February 12 — Gianni Romme, Dutch speed skater
• February 13 — Bas Roorda, Dutch football goalkeeper
• February 15 — Francesco Ingargiola, Italian long-distance runner
• February 15 — Amy Van Dyken, American swimmer
• February 16 — Cathy Freeman, Australian athlete
• February 18 — Claude Makélélé, French football (soccer) player
• February 18 — Mirjam Overdam, Dutch waterpolo player
• February 19 — Robert Grzegorczyk, Polish figure skater
• February 22 — Shota Arveladze, Georgian football player
• February 22 — Philippe Gaumont, French professional road cyclist
• February 24 — Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey rightwinger
• February 24 — Vsevolods Zeļonijs, Latvian judoka
• February 25 — Gerard Wiekens, Dutch football player
• February 26 — Jenny Thompson, American swimmer
• February 26 — Marshall Faulk, American football player
• February 28 — Eric Lindros, Canadian ice hockey player
• February 28 — Natalya Safronnikova, Belarusian athlete

March

• March 1 — Herbert Dercksen, Dutch sailor
• March 2 — Max van Heeswijk, Dutch cyclist
• March 2 — Romāns Vainšteins, Latvian cyclist
• March 3 — Sean Campbell, Canadian field hockey player
• March 6 — Silvia Manrique, Spanish field hockey player
• March 7 — Wang Manli, Chinese speed skater
• March 8 — Jeroen Delmee, Dutch field hockey player
• March 9 — Maximiliano Caldas, Argentine field hockey defender
• March 9 — Danny Green, Australian boxer
• March 9 — Jakob Piil, Danish cyclist
• March 13 — Edgar Davids, Dutch football player
• March 13 — Allison Higson, Canadian breaststroke and freestyle swimmer
• March 13 — Nicole Schnyder-Benoit, Swiss beach volleyball player
• March 16 — Fernando Platas, Mexican diver
• March 17 — Daniel Ballart, Spanish water polo player
• March 20 — Javier Arnau, Spanish field hockey player
• March 24 — Mette Jacobsen, Danish freestyle and butterfly swimmer
• March 27 — Rui Jorge, Portuguese football player
• March 28 — Luis Adrian Morejon, Ecuadorian tennis player
• March 29 — Brad Bridgewater, American swimmer
• March 29 — Marc Overmars, Dutch football player
• March 30 — Simon Mason, English field hockey goalkeeper

April

• April 3 — Christopher Reitz, German field hockey goalkeeper
• April 4 — Peter Hoekstra, Dutch football (soccer) player
• April 5 — Kristin Topham, Canadian freestyle and butterfly swimmer
• April 6 — Edith van Dijk, Dutch long distance swimmer
• April 8 — Patrik Isaksson, Swedish breaststroke swimmer
• April 8 — Nicholas Tongue, New Zealand freestyle swimmer
• April 9 — Bart Goor, Belgian football player
• April 10 — Roberto Carlos, Brazilian football player
• April 10 — Andrew Clayton, British freestyle swimmer
• April 11 — Jerine Fleurke, Dutch volleybal player
• April 11 — Olivier Magne, French rugby union player
• April 11 — Vasa Mijić, Serbian volleyball player
• April 12 — Roberto Ayala, Argentine football player
• April 12 — Lionel Roux, French tennis player
• April 13 — Nicolas Jalabert, French cyclist
• April 14 — Tammy Cole, Australian field hockey player
• April 15 — Jeroen Dubbeldam, Dutch horse rider
• April 15 — Emanuel Rego, Brazilian beach volleyball player
• April 17 — Kenneth Carlsen, Danish tennis player
• April 18 — Haile Gebreselassie, Ethiopian long distance track and road running athlete
• April 19 — Carlos Carreño, Spanish volleyball player
• April 19 — George Gregan, Zambia-born Australian rugby union scrum half
• April 19 — Tzipora Obziler, Israeli tennis player
• April 22 — Mohamed Elsayed, Egyptian boxer
• April 22 — Christian Giantomassi, Italian boxer
• April 24 — Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricketer
• April 25 — Paige Gordon, Canadian diver
• April 26 — Stephanie Graf, Austrian middle distance athlete
• April 26 — Lee Woon-Jae, South Korean football (soccer) player
• April 29 — Tessa Appeldoorn, Dutch rower
• April 29 — Miguel Ángel Falasca, Spanish volleyball player
• April 30 — Michael Blaudzun, Danish cyclist

May

• May 1 — Oliver Neuville, German football player
• May 2 — Richard Schuil, Dutch volleybal player
• May 3 — Michael Reiziger, Dutch football player
• May 3 — Peter Windt, Dutch field hockey player
• May 4 — Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Argentine football player
• May 5 — Jana Vollmer, Czech-German beach volleyball player
• May 6 — Zsuzsanna Szabó, Hungarian pole vaulter
• May 7 — Paolo Savoldelli, Italian cyclist
• May 8 — Wolf Wigo, American water polo player
• May 9 — Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan long-distance track and road runner
• May 9 — Oscar Ortiz, Mexican tennis player
• May 9 — Kellie Suttle, American pole vaulter
• May 10 — Wayne Mardle, English darts player
• May 10 — Rüştü Reçber, Turkish football player
• May 11 — Britta Becker, German field hockey player
• May 12 — Kira Bulten, Dutch swimmer
• May 13 — Mike Beres, Canadian badminton player
• May 14 — Mike van de Goor, Dutch volleybal player
• May 17 — Frédéric Havas, French volleyball player
• May 19 — Dario Franchitti, Scottish automobile racer
• May 22 — Tatiana Petrova, Russian water polo player
• May 24 — Karim Alami, Moroccan tennis player
• May 25 — Josée Corbeil, Canadian volleyball player
• May 25 — Marco Meoni, Italian volleyball player
• May 28 — Alberto Berasategui, Spanish tennis player
• May 28 — Nery Kennedy, Paraguayan javelin thrower
• May 29 — Malcolm Allen, Australian freestyle swimmer
• May 31 — Dominique van Roost, Belgian tennis player
• May 31 — Kate Howey, British judoka

June

• June 1 — Fred Deburghgraeve, Belgian swimmer
• June 1 — Jeff Schiebler, Canadian long-distance runner
• June 2 — Marko Kristal, Estonian football midfielder
• June 2 — Anja Smolders, Belgian athlete
• June 4 — Lourdes Becerra, Spanish swimmer
• June 4 — Greg van Hest, Dutch athlete
• June 4 — Alexandra Verbeek, Dutch sailor
• June 5 — Gella Vandecaveye, Belgian judoka
• June 7 — Luizão Correa, Brazilian beach volleyball player
• June 10 — Natalia Via Dufresne, Spanish sailor
• June 11 — Nicole van Hooren, Dutch badminton player
• June 12 — Daron Rahlves, American alpine skier
• June 13 — Gabriella Csépe, Hungarian breaststroke swimmer
• June 14 — Alex Calatrava, German-born tennis player from Spain
• June 15 — Vanina Oneto, Argentine field hockey player
• June 16 — Jan Maarten Heideman, Dutch marathon skater
• June 16 — Nikos Machlas, Greek football player
• June 17 — Leander Paes, Indian tennis player
• June 18 — Baljit Singh Dhillon, Indian field hockey midfielder
• June 21 — Alyson Annan, Australian field hockey player
• June 27 — Simon Archer, British badminton player
• June 28 — Brian Maisonneuve, American soccer player
• June 29 — George Hincapie, American cyclist
• June 30 — Koichi Nishimura, Japanese volleyball player

July

• July 1 — Denislav Kalchev, Bulgarian swimmer
• July 5 — Marcus Allbäck, Swedish football player
• July 11 — Albert Guardado, American boxer
• July 11 — Konstantinos Kenteris, Greek athlete
• July 11 — Joeri Stoffels, Dutch waterpolo player
• July 12 — Christian Vieri, Italian football player
• July 13 — Craig Parnham, English field hockey defender
• July 13 — Kátia Lopes, Brazilian volleyball player
• July 14 — Halil Mutlu, Bulgaria-born Turkish weightlifter
• July 14 — Maider Tellería, Spanish field hockey player
• July 16 — Stefano Garzelli, Italian cyclist
• July 20 — Peter Forsberg, Swedish ice hockey player
• July 21 — Sun Caiyun, Chinese pole vaulter
• July 21 — Stephen Clarke, Canadian swimmer
• July 21 — Mandy Wötzel, German figure skater
• July 25 — Carolijn Brouwer, Dutch sailor
• July 26 — Jean-François Bergeron, Canadian boxer
• July 27 — David McLellan, Canadian freestyle swimmer
• July 30 — Andrea Gaudenzi, Italian tennis player

August

• August 1 — Veerle Dejaeghere, Belgian athlete
• August 2 — Daniele Nardello, Italian cyclist
• August 2 — Karina Habšudová, Slovak tennis player
• August 2 — Susie O'Neill, Australian swimmer
• August 4 — Oscar Cortínez, Argentine marathon runner
• August 4 — Xavier Marchand, French medley swimmer
• August 6 — Alexander Lüderitz, German freestyle swimmer
• August 7 — Larissa Loukianenko, Belarusian rhythmic gymnast
• August 12 — Joseba Beloki, Spanish cyclist
• August 14 — Jared Borgetti, Mexican football (soccer) player
• August 14 — Jimmy Muindi, Kenyan long-distance runner
• August 14 — Jay-Jay Okocha, Nigerian football (soccer) player
• August 14 — Kieren Perkins, Australian freestyle swimmer
• August 14 — Nancy Sweetnam, Canadian medley swimmer
• August 16 — Tracy Looze, Australian-born triathlete
• August 19 — Vania Ishii, Japanese-Brazilian judoka
• August 20 — Scott Goodman, Australian butterfly swimmer
• August 21 — Nikolay Valuev, Russian heavyweight boxer
• August 22 — Okkert Brits, South African pole vaulter
• August 22 — Eurelijus Žukauskas, Lithuanian basketball player
• August 22 — Mark Hickman, Australian field hockey goalkeeper
• August 24 — Inge de Bruijn, Dutch swimmer
• August 25 — Bas van Dooren, Dutch mountainbiker
• August 25 — Bernard Inom, French boxer
• August 27 — Karim Tulaganov, Uzbek boxer
• August 29 — Olivier Jacque, French motorcyclist

September

• September 1 — Trent Bray, New Zealand freestyle swimmer
• September 1 — Eiko Koizumi, Japanese beach volleyball player
• September 2 — Matthew Dunn, Australian swimmer
• September 4 — Lidia Simon, Romanian long-distance runner
• September 5 — Jennifer Whittle, Australian basketball player
• September 6 — Nikola Grbic, Serbian volleyball player
• September 6 — Greg Rusedski, Canadian-born tennis player
• September 9 — Vesa Hanski, Finnish butterfly swimmer
• September 10 — Mark Huizinga, Dutch judoka
• September 11 — Bas de Jong, Dutch waterpolo player
• September 12 — Jack Rosendaal, Dutch athlete
• September 13 — Christine Arron, French sprint athlete
• September 13 — Fabio Cannavaro, Italian football player
• September 15 — Cristina Pomacu, Romanian long-distance runner
• September 16 — Alexander Vinokourov, Kazach cyclist
• September 18 — Dario Frigo, Italian cyclist
• September 19 — José Azevedo, Portuguese cyclist
• September 21 — Virginia Ruano-Pascual, Spanish tennis player
• September 21 — Andrei Kivilev, Kazach cyclist (d. 2003)
• September 28 — Mohamed Allalou, Algerian boxer
• September 28 — Kathryn Leng, English cricketer
• September 28 — Diederik van Weel, Dutch field hockey player

October

• October 1 — Jana Henke, German freestyle swimmer
• October 1 — Marijan Kanjer, Croatian freestyle swimmer
• October 5 — Jacqueline Poelman, Dutch athlete
• October 6 — Anna Gomis, French wrestler
• October 8 — Toby Haenen, Australian backstroke swimmer
• October 12 — Marcio Araujo, Brazilian beach volleyball player
• October 12 — Freeman Barr, Bahamian boxer
• October 19 — Hicham Arazi, Moroccan tennis player
• October 19 — Marc Lotz, Dutch cyclist
• October 19 — Hanneke Smabers, Dutch field hockey player
• October 20 — Malin Nilsson, Swedish freestyle swimmer
• October 22 — Marten Eikelboom, Dutch field hockey player
• October 22 — Fleur van de Kieft, Dutch field hockey player
• October 22 — Ichiro Suzuki, Japanese baseball player
• October 22 — Mark van der Zijden, Dutch swimmer
• October 23 — David Beard, Australian volleyball player
• October 23 — Scott Mosher, Canadian field hockey player
• October 23 — Semmy Schilt, Dutch kickboxer and mixed martial artist
• October 23 — Conrad Stoltz, South African athlete
• October 28 — Brent Cooper, American boxer
• October 28 — Mirko Corsano, Italian volleyball player
• October 28 — Bing Chao Lin, Taiwanese tennis player
• October 30 — Harry van der Meer, Dutch waterpolo player

November

• November 1 — Magdalena Aicega, Argentine field hockey defender
• November 1 — Dawn Burrell, American long jumper
• November 1 — Leonardo Sottani, Italian water polo player
• November 2 — John "Bull" Hayes, Irish rugby union footballer
• November 5 — Koos Moerenhout, Dutch cyclist
• November 7 — Monique van der Lee, Dutch judoka
• November 12 — Sandra Azon, Spanish sailor
• November 13 — Serrana Fernández, Uruguayan backstroke swimmer
• November 13 — Sam Soliman, Australian boxer
• November 14 — Darren Smith, New Zealand field hockey player
• November 15 — Mahammatkodir Abdoollayev, Uzbek boxer
• November 15 — Albert Portas, Spanish tennis player
• November 15 — Robert Sycz, Polish rower
• November 16 — Joe Hudepohl, American swimmer
• November 17 — Alexei Urmanov, Russian figure skater
• November 20 — Matthew Smith, Australian field hockey player
• November 23 — Claudia Zwiers, Dutch judoka
• November 25 — Tamara Larrea, Cuban beach volleyball player
• November 25 — Steven de Jongh, Dutch cyclist
• November 27 — Mike Oliver, Canadian field hockey player
• November 29 — Ryan Giggs, Welsh football player
• November 30 — Carla Somerville, Canadian field hockey player

December

• December 2 — Monica Seles, Yugoslavia-born American tennis champion
• December 2 — Jan Ullrich, German cyclist
• December 5 — Eelco Uri, Dutch waterpolo player
• December 9 — Vénuste Niyongabo, Burundian middle distance runner
• December 12 — Josephat Kiprono, Kenyan long-distance runner
• December 12 — Moges Taye, Ethiopian long-distance runner
• December 14 — Sue Armstrong, Canadian field hockey player
• December 14 — Falk Balzer, German hurdler
• December 14 — Jean-Paul Mendy, French boxer
• December 15 — Marcel Matanin, Slovak long-distance runner
• December 16 — Kristie Boogert, Dutch tennis player
• December 16 — Tomasz Czubak, Polish athlete
• December 17 — Paula Radcliffe, English athlete
• December 19 — Marc Herremans, Belgian triathlete
• December 19 — Heike Lätzsch, German field hockey player
• December 20 — Antti Kasvio, Finnish swimmer
• December 24 — Frédéric Demontfaucon, French judoka
• December 26 — Ryan Berube, American freestyle swimmer
• December 28 — Ids Postma, Dutch speed skater
• December 28 — Garth da Silva, New Zealand boxer
• December 31 — Curtis Myden, Canadian medley swimmer

Deaths

• February 8 — Herbie Taylor, South African cricketer
• March 12 — Frankie Frisch, Major League Baseball player (1919-1937)
• March 26 — George Sisler, Major League Baseball hall of famer (1915-1930)
• July 2 — Swede Savage (26), USAC race car driver
• July 7 — Fred Fulton (82), American heavyweight boxer (b. 1891)
• July 8 — Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer
• July 29 — Roger Williamson, Formula One driver
• July 29 — Cecil Griffiths, British athlete (b. 1901)
• August 7 — Wilbur Cooper, Major League Baseball pitcher (1912-1926)
• August 9 — Charles Daniels (88), American freestyle swimmer (b. 1885)
• October 2 — Paavo Nurmi, Finnish runner
• December 3 — Count Fleet, thoroughbred racehorse and Triple Crown champion
• December 16 — Syd Barnes, Australian cricketer