1971 in sports
See also: 1970 in sports, other events of 1971, 1972 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.
Auto Racing
- Stock car racing:
- Indianapolis 500 - Al Unser, Sr.
- USAC Racing - Joe Leonard
- Formula One Championship - Jackie Stewart of Great Britain
- 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Helmut Marko / Gijs van Lennep won, driving a Porsche 917
- Rally racing - the team of Ove Andersson / David Stone won the Monte Carlo Rally driving an Alpine-Renault A110
- Drag racing:
- The NHRA announces the first "Grandnational" in Canada at Sanair International Drag Strip, near Montreal, Quebec.
- Hank Johnson won Top Fuel at the NHRA Supernationals.
Baseball
- World Series: Pittsburgh Pirates won 4 games to 3 over the Baltimore Orioles. Game two was the first night game in World Series history.
Basketball
- NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:
- UCLA wins 68-62 over Villanova
- NBA Finals:
- Milwaukee Bucks win 4 games to 0 over the Baltimore Bullets
Boxing
- March 8 - Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in the first of three epic bouts. Frazier defends the World Heavyweight Championship in a star-studded Madison Square Garden.
Cricket
- 5 January, Melbourne - First one-day international, played between Australia and England as an exhibition after a Test match abandoned because of rain. Australia won by 5 wickets.
Cycling
- Giro d'Italia won by Gosta Pettersson of Sweden
- Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
- World Cycling Championship: Eddy Merckx of Belgium
Figure Skating
- World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Ondrej Nepala, Czechoslovakia
- Women's champion: Beatrix Schuba, Austria
- Pairs champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexei Ulyanov, Soviet Union
Football (American)
- Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts won 16-13 over the Dallas Cowboys
Football (Australian Rules)
- Victorian Football League
- Hawthorn wins the 75th VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 12.10 (82) d St Kilda 11.9 (75))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Ian Stewart (Richmond)
Football (Canadian)
- Grey Cup: Calgary Stampeders won 14-11 over the Toronto Argonauts
- Vanier Cup: Western Ontario Mustangs won 15-14 over the Alberta Golden Bears
Football (Soccer)
- Arsenal are the English First Division champions
- England - FA Cup: Arsenal won 2-1 over Liverpool to win The Double
- European Championship Cup Final: Ajax - Panathinaikos 2-0
- January 2 - At the end of a Rangers-Celtic match at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland, barriers at Stairway 13 give way under a mass of fans, killing 66 and injuring over 200 others.
Golf
- Grand Slam of golf results:
- May - The Masters - Charles Coody
- June - US Open - Lee Trevino
- July - British Open - Lee Trevino
- August - PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus
- PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Jack Nicklaus - $244,491
- Ryder Cup: United States won 18 1/2 to 13 1/2 over Britain in world team golf
- US Women's Open - JoAnne Carner
- LPGA Championship - Kathy Whitworth
- Kathy Whitworth: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $41,181
Thoroughbred Horse Racing
- Australia - Melbourne Cup - Silver Knight
- Canada - Queen's Plate - Kennedy Road
- France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Mill Reef
- Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Irish Ball
- English Triple Crown Races:
- Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Brigadier Gerard
- Epsom Derby - Mill Reef
- St. Leger Stakes - Athens Wood
- United States Triple Crown Races:
- Kentucky Derby - Canonero II
- Preakness Stakes - Canonero II
- Belmont Stakes - Pass catcher
Harness Racing
- United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
- Cane Pace - Albatross
- Little Brown Jug - Nansemond
- Messenger Stakes - Albatross
- United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
- Hambletonian - Speedy Crown
- Yonkers Trot
- Kentucky Futurity
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
- Pacers: Stella Frost
- Trotters: Geffini
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 Orr, Boston Bruins
- Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 3 over the Chicago Blackhawks
- World Hockey Championship
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
Skiing
Snooker
- World Snooker Championship: John Spencer beats Warren Simpson 37-29
Tennis
- Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
- Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- Davis Cup: United States wins 3-2 over Romania in world tennis.
- Sixteen year old Chris Evert makes her US Open debut reaching the semifinals where she is defeated by eventual champion Billie Jean King.
- First time in 16 years that Americans won both the men's and women's title at the US Open.
General sporting events
Births
- January 2 - Karina Massota, Argentinian field hockey international
- January 4 - Melanie Cremer, German field hockey international
- March 31 - Pavel Bure, ice hockey player
- June 21 - Irene Van Dyk, netballer
- July 9 - Hilary Rose, British field hockey goalkeeper
- August 4 - Jeff Gordon, NASCAR driver
- August 10 - Roy Keane, Irish international footballer
- August 12 - Pete Sampras, tennis player
- August 26 - Lisa Keightley, Australian cricketer
- August 28 - Janet Evans, Olympic swimming champion
- September 1 - Hakan Şükür, Turkish international footballer
- September 18 - Lance Armstrong, cyclist
- September 20 - Henrik Larsson, Swedish international footballer
- October 25 - Pedro Martinez, Major League Baseball player
- November 27 - Sam Smith, British tennis player
Deaths
- January 6 - Sonny Liston (date he was found dead)
- March 15 - Jean-Pierre Monser, age 22‚ Flemish cyclist
- April 4 - Carl Mays, Major League Baseball pitcher (1915-1929)
- April 13 - Michel Briere 21, star rookie ice-hockey player, Pittsburgh Penguins
- April 7 - Charles Pahud de Mortanges, Dutch 2 time Olympic Equestrian gold medalist
- May 12 - Heinie Manush, Major League Baseball player (1923-1939)
- May 15 - Goose Goslin, Major League Baseball player (1921-1938)
- June 17 - C. Christopher Morris, American cricketer
- October 24 - Chuck Hughes, Detroit Lions wide receiver collapsed during a game