Sporting Highlights for 1971
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1971.
It was a tragic start to the year. 66 Rangers fans died and over 200 were injured at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, in a crush involving fans trying to leave the stadium and others trying to return when they heard that a late goal had been scored. It was reported that a fall on the stairs by one of the spectators caused a massive chain-reaction pile-up.
Two teams began their streak that to this date stands as the longest streaks ever. The LA Lakers started their 33-game winning streak and won 30 games in that year. The UCLA men's basketball team started their 88-game winning streak which would eventually span multiple years and championships.
In tennis, Ken Rosewall beat Arthur Ashe in the Australian Open for his seventh slam and John Newcombe won the Wimbledon for the third time. Evonne Goolagong Cawley won her first grand slam at the French Open and that same year also took the Wimbledon title and finished her career with a total of seven grand slam titles. Billie Jean King won the US Open to become the first women ever in tennis to earn $100,000.
Jack Nicklaus won the PGA Championship for his ninth major. With that win Jack became the first golfer ever to win all the four majors for the second time. Tiger Woods is the only other golfer to have also achieved this feat. Kathy Whitworth won the LPGA Championship for the second time for her fifth win at majors.
In 1971, English football team Arsenal won both league title and the FA Cup, the fourth team to win the double.
66 Rangers fans died and over 200 were injured at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, in a crush involving fans trying to leave the stadium and others trying to return when they heard that a late goal had been scored. It was reported that a fall on the stairs by one of the spectators caused a massive chain-reaction pile-up. There was another stadium disaster at Ibrox Stadium in 1902.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1971.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Tennis Australia Open won by Ken Rosewall and Margaret Court |
| Jan | Super Bowl held in Miami won by Baltimore |
| April | Golf Masters won by Charles Coody |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Jan Kodes and Evonne Goolagong |
| June | Golf US Open won by Lee Trevino |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Eddy Merckx |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon singles were won by Australian's John Newcombe and Evonne Goolagong |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Lee Trevino |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by Jack Nicklaus (his second title) |
| Sep | Tennis US Open won by Stan Smith and Billie Jean King |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by Pittsburgh Pirates |
Please note that the dates for past events are not always known, and are sometimes just placed in the month that the current event is held. If no exact date is listed, then it is just an estimated month that it was held.
If you have a correction or know of events that should be included here, please let me know.
Related Pages
- Ballon D'or Winners for 1971
- Timeline (all years) in the world of sport
- For future sporting events, see the Calendar of Major Sporting Events
- More about the World of Sport
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
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