1978 in sports

Years in sports:	1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Years:	1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981

Artistic Gymnastics

World Artistic Gymnastics Championships:
- Men's all-around champion: Nikolai Andrianov, USSR
- Women's all-around champion: Elena Mukhina, USSR
- Men's team competition champion: Japan
- Women's team competition champion: USSR

Athletics

For an extensive coverage see 1978 in athletics (track and field)

Marathon

August 11 — Commonwealth Games Marathon, Edmonton, Canada
- Men's Winner: Gidamis Shahanga (TAN) 2:15:40

September 3 — European Championships Marathon, Prague, Czechoslovakia
- Men's Winner: Leonid Moseyev (URS) 2:11:58

December 3 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
- Men's Winner: Toshihiko Seko (JPN) 2:10:21

December 17 — Asian Games Marathon, Bangkok, Thailand
- Men's Winner: Mineteru Sakamoto (JPN) 2:15:30

Auto racing

USAC - A J Foyt wins 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
Touring car racing: Peter Brock and Jim Richards win the Bathurst 1000, driving a Holden Torana

Baseball

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

Basketball

Wilt Chamberlain is elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, along with coaches Sam Barry, Eddie Hickey, John McLendon, Ray Meyer and Pete Newell, and referee Jim Enright

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

NBA Finals:
- Washington Bullets win 4 games to 3 over the Seattle SuperSonics

FIBA World Championship
- Yugoslavia World Champion

Boxing

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

May 6 to 20 – Second World Amateur Boxing Championships held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia
- Light Flyweight (– 48 kg): Stephen Muchoki (Kenya)
- Flyweight (– 51 kg): Henryk Średnicki (Poland)
- Bantamweight (– 54 kg): Adolfo Horta (Cuba)
- Featherweight (– 57 kg): Ángel Herrera (Cuba)
- Lightweight (– 60 kg): Andeh Davidson (Nigeria)
- Light Welterweight (– 63,5 kg): Valery Lvov (Soviet Union)
- Welterweight (– 67 kg): Valery Rachkov (Soviet Union)
- Light Middleweight (– 71 kg): Viktor Savchenko (Soviet Union)
- Middleweight (– 75 kg): José Gómez (Cuba)
- Light Heavyweight (– 81 kg): Sixto Soria (Cuba)
- Heavyweight (> 81 kg): Teófilo Stevenson (Cuba)

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.

Cycling

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

Dogsled racing

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
- Dick Mackey wins with lead dogs: Skipper & Shrew

Field hockey

Men's World Cup in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Gold Medal: Pakistan
- Silver Medal: The Netherlands
- Bronze Medal: Australia

Men's European Nations Cup in Hannover, West Germany
- Gold Medal: West Germany
- Silver Medal: The Netherlands
- Bronze Medal: England

Men's Champions Trophy in Lahore, Pakistan
- Gold Medal: Pakistan
- Silver Medal: Australia
- Bronze Medal: Great Britain

Women's World Cup in Madrid, Spain
- Gold Medal: The Netherlands
- Silver Medal: West Germany
- Bronze Medal: Argentina / Belgium

March 11 - In an international women's field-hockey match at Wembley Stadium, London. England drew with the United States of America: 2-2.

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Charles Tickner, United States
- Ladies' champion: Anett Pötzsch, Germany
- Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexander Zaitsev, Soviet Union
- Ice dancing champions: Natalia Linichuk & Gennadi Karponossov, Soviet Union

Football (American)

Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys win 27-10 over the Denver Broncos
The Holy Roller Game: Oakland Raiders vs San Diego Chargers, September 10, 1978.

Football (Australian rules football)

Victorian Football League
- Hawthorn wins the 82nd VFL Premiership (Hawthorn 18.13 (121) d North Melbourne 15.13 (103))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Malcolm Blight (North Melbourne)

Football (Canadian)

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

Football (Soccer)

For an extensive coverage see 1978 in football (soccer)

Football World Cup: Argentina wins 3-1 (after extra time) over the Netherlands
England - FA Cup: Ipswich Town win 1-0 over Arsenal
England - League: Nottingham Forest win the championship as well as the League Cup
The Major Indoor Soccer League begins operations in the United States.

Golf

Men's professional

April 6-9 - Masters Tournament - Gary Player
June 15-18 - U.S. Open - Andy North
July 12-15 - British Open - Jack Nicklaus
August 3-6 - PGA Championship - John Mahaffey
PGA Tour money leader - Tom Watson - $362,429

Men's amateur

Women's professional

LPGA Championship - Nancy Lopez
U.S. Women's Open - Hollis Stacy
LPGA Tour money leader - Nancy Lopez - $189,814

Thoroughbred horse racing

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:

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

Affirmed, ridden by jockey Steve Cauthen, wins the United States Triple Crown Races by narrowly defeating Alydar in all three races:
1. May 6 - Kentucky Derby - Affirmed, Alydar
2. Preakness Stakes - Affirmed, Alydar
3. Belmont Stakes - Affirmed, Alydar

Harness racing

United States Pacing Triple Crown races:

United States Trotting Triple Crown races:

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

Ice hockey

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.

Rowing

March — The Cambridge boat sinks during the annual English University Boat Race, the first sinking in the race since 1951.

Skiing

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

Snooker

World Snooker Championship: Ray Reardon beats Perrie Mans 25-18
World rankings: Ray Reardon remains world number one for 1978/79.

Speed skating

First ISU Short Track Speed Skating Championships for men and ladies held in Solihull, UK

Swimming

Events

The third FINA World Championships held in West-Berlin, West Germany

Records

July 29 — USA's Ron Manganiello sets a world record in the 50m freestyle at a swimming meet in Miami, Florida (United States), shaving off 0.02 of the previous record (23.74) set by Joe Bottom a year ago: 23.72.

Tennis

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:

Davis Cup: United States win 4-1 over Great Britain in world tennis.
US Open moves to hard courts of the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Total prize money at US Open exceeds US $500,000.

Volleyball

Men's World Championship in Rome, Italy
- Gold Medal: Soviet Union
- Silver Medal: Italy
- Bronze Medal: Cuba

Water Polo

Men's World Championship in West-Berlin, West Germany
- Gold Medal: Italy
- Silver Medal: Hungary
- Bronze Medal: Yugoslavia

General sporting events

Third All-Africa Games held in Algiers, Algeria

Eighth Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand

Central American and Caribbean Games held in Medellin, Colombia

British Commonwealth Games held in Edmonton, Canada

Ninth Winter Universiade held in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czechoslovakia

Awards

Births

January

January 4 — Dominik Hrbaty, Slovakian tennis player
January 8 — Lovrenco Franičević, Croatian butterfly swimmer
January 8 — Gennaro Gattuso, Italian football player
January 12 — Bonaventure Kalou, Ivorian footballer
January 13 — Nenad Buljan, Croatian freestyle swimmer
January 14 — Eddie Berlin, American football player
January 14 — Shawn Crawford, American athlete
January 16 — Koldo Gil, Spanish road racing cyclist
January 17 — Petra Mandula, Hungarian tennis player
January 17 — Maria Östling, Swedish breaststroke swimmer
January 18 — Thor Hushovd, Norwegian cyclist
January 18 — Bogdan Lobont, Romanian footballer
January 18 — Stev Theloke, German swimmer
January 19 — Zbigniew Malkowski, Polish footballer
January 20 — Lim Jung-Woo, South Korean field-hockey player
January 20 — Britt Raaby, Danish freestyle swimmer
January 22 — Ryan Millar, American volleyball player
January 24 — María del Pilar Pereyra, Argentine butterfly swimmer
January 26 — Corina Morariu, American tennis player
January 27 — Dipsy Selolwane, Botswana footballer
January 28 — Gianluigi Buffon, Italian footballer
January 28 — Takuma Sato, Japanese Formula 1-driver
January 28 — Paul Wettlaufer, Canadian field-hockey player
January 28 — Jamie Carragher, English footballer
January 30 — Michael Stember, American track and field athlete
January 31 — Clemens Arnold, German field-hockey goalkeeper
January 31 — Dmitry Usagin, Bulgarian boxer

February

February 3 — Beat Hefti, Swiss bobsledder
February 6 — Rustam Saidov, Uzbek boxer
February 7 — Frank Drmic, Australian basketball player
February 10 — André Raposo, Brazilian water polo player
February 15 — Kerstin Tzscherlich, German volleyball player
February 16 — Tia Hellebaut, Belgian atlete
February 17 — Amir Hadad, Israeli tennis player
February 20 — Andrea Moody, Canadian freestyle swimmer
February 23 — Dóra Györffy, Hungarian high jumper
February 28 — Benjamin Raich, Austrian skier
February 28 — Mariano Zabaleta, Argentinian tennis player

March

March 1 — Gavin Woods, Australian water polo player
March 3 — Núria Camón, Spanish field-hockey player
March 4 — César Morales, Mexican bantamweight boxer
March 6 — Paola Croce, Italian volleyball player
March 8 — Johanna Sjöberg, Swedish swimmer
March 11 — Reiver Alvarenga, Venezuelan judoka
March 12 — Cristina Teuscher, American swimmer
March 14 — Pieter van den Hoogenband, Dutch swimmer
March 17 — Patrick López, Venezuelan boxer
March 18 — Brooke Hanson, Australian swimmer
March 18 — Antonio Margarito, Mexican boxer
March 18 — Yoshie Takeshita, Japanese volleyball player
March 20 — Egbert Ho, Dutch field-hockey midfielder
March 20 — Julien Sicot, French freestyle swimmer
March 21 — Ronnie Jagday, Canadian field-hockey player
March 21 — Sally Barsosio, Kenyan distance runner
March 21 — Anders Lyrbring, Swedish freestyle swimmer
March 22 — Samantha Judge, Scottish field hockey forward
March 23 — György Kozmann, Hungarian canoer
March 24 — Eric Pacome N'Dri, Ivorian athlete
March 26 — Ron van der Hoff, Dutch archer

April

April 1 — Mirjam Orsel, Dutch volleyball player
April 2 — Chiel Warners, Dutch athlete
April 3 — Tommy Haas, German tennis player
April 3 — John Smit, South African rugby player
April 5 — Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
April 7 — Lilia Osterloh, American tennis player
April 7 — Vladimir Voltchkov, Belarusian tennis player
April 9 — Naman Keita, French track and field athlete
April 11 — Victor Sikora, Dutch football player
April 13 — Carles Puyol, Spanish football player
April 13 — Raemon Sluiter, Dutch tennis player
April 16 — Noam Okun, Israeli tennis player
April 17 — Jason White, Scottish rugby player
April 18 — Jochem de Gruijter, Dutch volleyball player
April 20 — David Sánchez, Spanish tennis player
April 20 — Edvaldo Valério, Brazilian freestyle swimmer
April 24 — Willy Blain, French boxer
April 24 — Beth Storry, English field hockey goalkeeper
April 26 — Elson Becerra, Colombian footballer (d. 2006)
April 29 — Bob and Mike Bryan, American twins and tennis players
April 30 — Raquel Silva, Brazilian volleyball player

May

May 1 — Tracey Larson, American field-hockey midfielder
May 2 — Matthew Wells, Australian field-hockey defender
May 3 — Dai Tamesue, Japanese athlete
May 7 — Stephanie Pohl, German beach volleyball player
May 7 — Peter Wessels, Dutch tennis player
May 8 — Yumilka Ruiz, Cuban volleyball player
May 8 — Danilo Turcios, Honduran football midfielder
May 14 — Emma Rochlin, Scottish field hockey defender
May 14 — Elisa Togut, Italian volleyball player
May 15 — Sue Rolph, British swimmer
May 17 — Priscila Marques, Brazilian judoka
May 24 — Caroline Casaretto, German field-hockey midfielder
May 26 — Dan Parks, Scottish rugby union footballer
May 29 — Sebastien Grosjean, French tennis player

June

June 1 — Aleksandar Šapić, Serbian water polo player
June 3 — María Olay, Spanish breaststroke swimmer
June 7 — João José, Portuegese volleyball player
June 7 — Tomás MacCormik, Argentine field-hockey midfielder
June 10 — Han Hee-Won, South Korean golfer
June 15 — Wilfred Bouma, Dutch footballer
June 17 — Juan Pedro Toledo, Mexican sprint athlete
June 18 — Pablo ("Pol") Amat Escudé, Spanish field-hockey striker
June 19 — Dirk Nowitzki, German basketball player
June 20 — Héctor Soto, Puerto Rican volleyball player
June 22 — José Meolans, Argentinian swimmer
June 22 — Cibeles Romero, Spanish field-hockey player
June 24 — Shunsuke Nakamura, Japanese football player
June 24 — Juan Román Riquelme, Argentinian footballer
June 25 — Miki Nakao, Japanese backstroke swimmer
June 26 — Ákos Braun, Hungarian judoka
June 26 — Mark Veens, Dutch swimmer

July

July 1 — Vladimer Tchanturia, Georgian boxer
July 3 — Mizuki Noguchi, Japanese long-distance runner
July 4 — Marie Luc Arpin, Canadian water polo player
July 4 — Fatima Moreira de Melo, Dutch field-hockey player
July 4 — Peter Mankoc, Slovenian swimmer
July 6 — Aiko Miyake, Japanese freestyle swimmer
July 7 — Jana Toepel, American field-hockey midfielder
July 8 — Urmas Rooba, Estonian footballer
July 10 — Clarence Vinson, American boxer
July 11 — Massimiliano Rosolino, Italian swimmer
July 12 — Takahiro Yamamoto, Japanese volleyball player
July 15 — Kim Buker, Canadian field hockey player
July 17 — Aleksandr Leonov, Russian boxer
July 18 — Shane Horgan, Irish rugby player
July 18 — Ben Sheets, American baseball player
July 21 — Kyoko Iwasaki, Japanese breaststroke swimmer
July 22 — Ishe Smith, American boxer
July 23 — Takashi Yamamoto, Japanese swimmer
July 26 — David Kosoof, New Zealand field-hockey player
July 26 — Elena Plotnikova, Russian volleyball player
July 29 — Joseph Batangdon, Cameroonian sprints athlete
July 29 — Caroline Jack, South African field-hockey goalkeeper

August

August 5 — Matias Cammareri, Argentine field-hockey midfielder
August 5 — Kim Gevaert, Belgian athlete
August 5 — Harel Levy, Israeli tennis player
August 8 — Ioan Gherghel, Romanian butterfly swimmer
August 9 — Wesley Sonck, Belgian footballer
August 11 — Jermain Taylor, American boxer
August 12 — Jesse Mahieu, Dutch field-hockey player
August 13 — Igor Snitko, Ukrianian freestyle swimmer
August 14 — Marcel Fischer, Swiss fencer
August 17 — Mehdi Baala, French middle-distance athlete
August 20 — Alberto Martin, Spanish tennis player
August 22 — Kutre Dulecha, Ethiopian middle distance runner
August 23 — Kobe Bryant, American basketball player
August 23 — Georgi Chilikov, Bulgarian footballer
August 24 — José Antonio Hermida, Spanish cyclist
August 26 — Hestrie Cloete, South African high jumper
August 29 — Jens Boden, German speed skater

September

September 2 — Pietie Coetzee, South African field-hockey striker
September 3 — Sam Oud, Dutch canoer
September 5 — Vicente Henriques, Brazilian water polo player
September 6 — Amy Agulay, Canadian field-hockey player
September 10 — Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Indian field-hockey player
September 11 — Robert Cheboror, Kenyan long-distance runner
September 12 — Eri Yamanoi, Japanese freestyle swimmer
September 13 — Jill Orbinson, Irish field-hockey midfielder
September 13 — Elisabeth Willebroordse, Dutch female judoka
September 15 — Kew Jaliens, Dutch footballer
September 17 — Jennifer Rosales, Filipino golfer
September 20 — Sophie Simard, German-born swimmer from Canada
September 21 — Alexander Heath, South African alpine skier
September 24 — Wietse van Alten, Dutch archer
September 25 — Laura Nicholls, Canadian freestyle swimmer
September 26 — Gert-Jan Liefers, Dutch athlete
September 26 — Judith Meulendijks, Dutch badminton player
September 29 — Karel Klaver, Dutch field-hockey player
September 30 — Malgorzata Glinka, Polish volleyball player

October

October 3 — Claudio Pizarro, Peruvian football striker
October 4 — Daniël Mensch, Dutch rower
October 8 — Agustin Fiorilli, Argentinian swimmer
October 8 — Ewout Holst, Dutch swimmer
October 9 — Jacob Carstensen, Danish swimmer
October 9 — Kristy Kowal, American swimmer
October 10 — Caroline Evers-Swindell, New Zealand rower
October 13 — Ellen Estes, American water polo player
October 14 — Paul Hunter, British snooker player
October 15 — Eleonora Dziekiewicz, Polish volleyball player
October 17 — Milagros Cabral, Dominican Republic volleyball player
October 19 — Ruslan Chagaev, Uzbek boxer
October 20 — Virender Sehwag, Indian cricketer
October 22 — Ricardo Monasterio, Venezuelan freestyle swimmer
October 25 — Matt Shirvington, Australian athlete
October 26 — Yolanda Ortíz, Cuban diver
October 28 — Juan Manuel Esparis, Argentine field-hockey forward
October 29 — Alwin de Prins, Luxembourgish swimmer
October 30 — Valentina Borrelli, Italian volleyball player
October 30 — Elisângela Oliveira, Brazilian volleyball player
October 31 — Emmanuel Izonritei, Nigerian boxer
October 31 — Martin Verkerk, Dutch tennis player

November

November 1 — Cleiton Conceição, Brazilian boxer
November 1 — Marcos Hernández, Cuban freestyle swimmer
November 1 — Andrew Smith, Australian field-hockey striker
November 2 — Christian Gyan, Ghanaian football player
November 2 — Alexander Östlund, Swedish football player
November 4 — Bertha Sánchez, Colombian long-distance runner
November 6 — Dean Kent, New Zealand swimmer
November 7 — Elisabeth Bachman, American volleyball player
November 7 — Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Dutch football player
November 8 — Tim de Cler, Dutch football player
November 11 — Michael Halika, Israeli medley swimmer
November 11 — Silke Müller, German field-hockey midfielder
November 12 — Eric Addo, Ghanaian football player
November 12 — Nancy Metcalf, American volleyball player
November 15 — Paul Miller, Australian boxer
November 19 — Mahe Drysdale, New Zealand rower
November 22 — Magdalena Grzybowska, Polish tennis player
November 22 — Francis Obikwelu, Nigerian-born athlete
November 25 — Sameer Dad, Indian field-hockey forward
November 25 — Nate Dusing, American swimmer
November 27 — Radek Štěpánek, Czech tennis player
November 29 — Heather Bown, American volleyball player
November 30 — Chris Thompson, American freestyle swimmer

December

December 2 — Sven Coster, Dutch sailor
December 5 — Irina Tebenikhina, Russian volleyball player
December 6 — Aram Ramazyan, Armenian boxer
December 7 — Déborah Gyurcsek, Uruguayan pole vaulter
December 9 — Gastón Gaudio, Argentinian tennis player
December 10 — Tatiana Lemos, Brazilian freestyle swimmer
December 10 — Daniel Pliński, Polish volleyball player
December 12 — Kassim Ouma, Ugandan boxer
December 12 — Yelena Pavlova, Kazakhstani volleyball player
December 14 — Patty Schnyder, Swiss tennis player
December 15 — Christophe Rochus, Belgian tennis player
December 18 — Marcelo Tomazini, Brazilian breaststroke swimmer
December 20 — Lechedzani Luza, Botswanan boxer
December 21 — Emiliano Brembilla, Italian swimmer
December 21 — Rodrigo Castro, Brazilian swimmer
December 21 — Kelli Gannon, American field-hockey midfield player
December 21 — Jackie Stiles, American basketball player
December 21 — Rigoberto Trujillo, Cuban judoka
December 25 — Miyuki Takahashi, Japanese volleyball player
December 27 — Antje Buschschulte, German swimmer
December 29 — Kieron Dyer, English football player
December 29 — Wayne Fernandes, Canadian field-hockey player
December 29 — Brian Pinas, Dutch footballer

Deaths

January 13 — Joe McCarthy, baseball manager
January 14 — Harold Abrahams (78), British athlete (b. 1899)
January 21 — Dit Clapper, NHL player, Boston Bruins
February 9 — Hans Stuck (77), German racing driver (b. 1900)
March 20 — Jacques Brugnon, French tennis player (b. 1895)
March 27 — Sverre Farstad, Norwegian speed skater (b. 1920)
June 10 — Väinö Muinonen (79), Finnish long-distance runner (d. 1898)
September 3 — Alexander Belov (26), USSR Olympic basketball player
September 6 — Max Décugis (95), French tennis player (b. 1882)
September 15 — Ricardo Zamora (77), Spanish football player
September 23 — Lyman Bostock, Major League Baseball player
November 28 — Fernando Peyroteo (60), Angola-born Portuguese football player (b. 1918)

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