There were a few remarkable names in the sports of the 1970s. These names are still well-known even today: Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, Mark Spitz are among the most prominent athletes of all time. This period of the history of sports was also largely defined by a bunch of remarkable moments. In this article, we consider the most important ones in more detail.
May 8, 1970
KNICKS IN THE 1970 NBA FINALS
The most remarkable episode of sports of the 1970s was the 1970 NBA Finals. It was marked by the dramatic entrance of Willis Reed in Game 7. He managed to score the first two baskets of the game struggling with a severe leg trauma: torn thigh muscle. His eagerness encouraged the rest of the Knicks to their first NBA Championship.
November 14, 1970
CRASH OF THE MARSHALL PLANE
In November 1970, a plane with 75 people on board crashed. Nobody survived. Among the passengers, there were 37 players and eight members of the coaching staff of the Marshall football team.
August 26 to September 10, 1972
THE 1972 SUMMER OLYMPICS AND SEVEN GOLD MEDALS OF MARK SPITZ
Mark Spitz set numerous world records and won seven gold medals in seven sports events in the 1972 Olympic Games. This record will remain unsurpassed until 2008, marked by Michael Phelps’ incredible performance.
September 5-6, 1972
THE MUNICH MASSACRE
The Olympic Games are usually associated with a competitive spirit, widespread enthusiasm, and the atmosphere of sports achievements. But the Summer Olympics of 1972 drastically changed the whole picture. Eight members of Black September, the Palestinian terrorist group, kidnapped eleven sportsmen from the Israeli Olympic team. They demanded the release of 234 prisoners, who were kept in Israeli jails. They killed two of the team members initially. The rest, nine hostages, were killed during a failed rescue attempt.
December 23, 1972
THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION
In the 1972 AFC divisional playoff game of the NFL, the score was 7-6 in favor of Oakland Raiders. The last seconds of the game were truly dramatic, as Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh quarterback, attempted to throw a pass to John Fuqua, who didn’t manage to catch it. The same moment Franco Harris, a Steelers fullback, scooped the ball up and ran for a touchdown that turned out to be game-winning.
June 9, 1973
SECRETARIAT BECOMES THE TRIPLE CROWN WINNER
One of the most remarkable episodes of horse racing is Secretariat becoming the Triple Crown winner in 1973. It happened after Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by a record 31 horse lengths and previously won both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.
September 20, 1973
THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES ENDS WITH BILLIE JEAN KING’S TRIUMPH
In 1973 Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King met in The Battle of the Sexes. It ended with a triumph of Billie Jean King, who easily won.
October 30, 1974
THE RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
The year of the greatest sporting event of the twentieth century is widely believed to be 1974. This year Muhammad Ali got a victory over George Foreman, then-undefeated heavyweight champion and the king of the ring. That time, Muhammad Ali introduced his now-famous rope-a-dope tactic, and the fight ended in the eighth round by knockout.
April 8, 1974
HOME RUN RECORD BROKEN BY HANK AARON
Hank Aaron, a Braves outfielder, hit his 715th career home run at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium with its fifty thousand crowds. He surpassed the mark of Babe Ruth and was surpassed only thirty years later.
