In 1976, Americans were celebrating the Bicentennial, America’s 200th Anniversary. Here’s some of what happened in the world of sports.
It was a very exciting year in sports. Familiar franchises won championships, and it was a time when sports legends were starting or ending illustrious careers. 1976 was also the year two Olympic athletes were named male and female athlete of the year.
Here is a retrospective of 1976 in sports.
Swann makes the catch! (photo courtesy WTAE)
NFL: The first major event of the Bicentennial was Super Bowl X. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers became the third franchise to win consecutive Super Bowls, joining the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers. Notably, it was the first Super Bowl in which both teams had Super Bowl titles: the Steelers had won the previous year, and the Dallas Cowboys four years earlier. Lynn Swann was the MVP of the game, the first wide receiver to be named Super Bowl MVP. The excitement continued as two new football teams were introduced in the 1976 NFL season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks. During their first seasons, the Buccaneers were winless at 0-14, while the Seahawks, not much better, finished 2-12.
NCAA Football: On January 1st, the Oklahoma Sooners won 14-6 over the Michigan Wolverines to win the college football national championship. Barry Switzer coached the Sooners. It was also the final Orange Bowl played on artificial turf. Later that year, on November 30th, running back Tony Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy. Dorsett played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
NBA: Basketball’s enduring franchise, the Boston Celtics, won their 13th NBA championship. Future Hall of Famers John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, and Jo Jo White were part of that Celtics championship team. Jo Jo White was named the series MVP. Former Celtics coach Red Auerbach won his 4th NBA championship as an Executive for the Boston Celtics.
“Dr. J,” Julius Irving, of the ABA’s New York Nets (photo, Pinterest)
ABA: 50 years ago, the final ABA season took place. The New York Nets won the final championship, led by “Dr. J”, Julius Erving. Erving was named the MVP during the playoffs. On June 17th, the American Basketball Association would merge with the NBA. Four teams would enter the NBA: the San Antonio Spurs, the Denver Nuggets, the New York Nets, and the Indiana Pacers.
NCAA Basketball: In 1976, the men’s basketball world saw the last undefeated season. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Michigan Wolverines 86-68. The Hoosiers finished the season with a perfect 31-0 record, led by head coach Bob Knight. It was the first of three national championships Knight would win as a head coach.
NHL: Another renowned franchise won the Stanley Cup during the Bicentennial. The Montreal Canadiens won their 19th Stanley Cup Championship by sweeping the Philadelphia Flyers. Even though the Flyers lost the Stanley Cup, Reggie Leach was named the MVP. Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player. Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens was awarded the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer during the regular season.
MLB: Hank Aaron called it a career after 23 seasons in the MLB. On July 20th, Aaron would hit his 755th and final home run with the Milwaukee Brewers. In the World Series, the Cincinnati Reds, AKA the “Big Red Machine,” sweep the New York Yankees to win their second straight championship. The Cincinnati Reds became the third National League team to win consecutive World Series, joining the Chicago Cubs in 1907-1908 and the New York Giants in 1921-1922. Managed by the incomparable Sparky Anderson, the Reds were led by Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster, and Johnny Bench. Bench was named the series MVP.
PGA: In golf, Raymond Floyd won The Masters. Floyd was the fourth wire-to-wire winner in Masters history. Rookie Jerry Pate won the U.S. Open at the age of 22. It was Pate’s only career major championship. Johnny Miller won the British Open. It was Miller’s second and final major championship title. Dave Stockton won the PGA Championship. It took Stockton five days to win the PGA Championship, rather than the typical four days. For the first time, the final round of the PGA Championship finished on a Monday due to bad weather. The money leader for the PGA Tour was Jack Nicklaus, amassing about $266,000 in cash earnings. In 1976, Nicklaus won two PGA Tour titles, The Players and the World Series of Golf.
