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Recap of the year 1980 in sports.

Auto Racing[]

  • Stock car racing:
    • NASCAR Championship - Dale Earnhardt
    • Buddy Baker won the Daytona 500
  • CART Racing - Johnny Rutherford won the season championship
    • Indianapolis 500 - Johnny Rutherford
  • Formula One Champion - Alan Jones of Australia
  • 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Jean Rondeau / Jean-Pierre Jaussaud won, driving a Rondeau M379B
  • Rally racing - Walter Röhrl in a Fiat won the World Rally Championship
    • the team of Walter Röhrl / Christian Geistdorfer won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Fiat 131 Abarth
  • Drag racing - Shirley Muldowney won the NHRA Top Fuel championship.

Baseball[]

  • September 18: Outfielder Gary Ward become the sixth Minnesota Twins player to hit for the cycle. The Twins lose 9-8 to the Milwaukee Brewers, wasting Ward's effort. On May 26, 2004 his son, Daryle Ward, will repeat the feat guiding the Pirates' 11-8 victory over the Cardinals. Ward joined his father to become the first father-son combination in major league history to hit for the cycle.
  • Japan's Sadaharu Oh retires from the Yomiuri Giants as the all time professional baseball home run king.

Basketball[]

Boxing[]

  • March 14 - 22 members of the United States Olympic boxing team died in a plane crash near Warsaw, Poland
  • June 20- Roberto Duran defeats Sugar Ray Leonard by a 15 round decision to win boxing's WBC world Welterweight title.
  • August 2- Thomas Hearns defeats Jose Pipino Cuevas by a knockout in round 2 to win boxing's WBA world Welterweight title and Yasutsune Uehara knocks out Samuel Serrano in round six to win the WBA's world Jr. Lightweight title in Detroit
  • In Cincinnati, Aaron Pryor defeats Antonio Kid Pambele Cervantes by a knockout in round four to win the WBA's world Jr. Welterweight title.
  • October 2- Larry Holmes defeats Muhammad Ali by a knockout in round eleven to retain boxing's WBC world Heavyweight title, in what would be Ali's last world title bout.
  • November 25- In The No Más Fight, in Montreal, Quebec, Sugar Ray Leonard recovers the WBC's world Welterweight championship with an eight round technical knockout of Roberto Duran.

Cycling[]

  • Giro d'Italia won by Bernard Hinault of France
  • Tour de France - Joop Zoetemelk of the Netherlands
  • World Cycling Championship: Bernard Hinault of France

Field Hockey[]

  • Men's Champions Trophy in Karachi, Pakistan
    • Gold Medal: Pakistan
    • Silver Medal: West Germany
    • Bronze Medal: Australia
  • Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Moscow, Soviet Union
    • Gold Medal: India
    • Silver Medal: Spain
    • Bronze Medal: Soviet Union
  • March 8 - In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium,England. England beat Scotland 2-0.
  • August - In the first ever Olympic women's Field Hockey Final, Zimbabwe are the Olympic champions.

Figure Skating[]

  • World Figure Skating Championships:
    • Men's champion: Jan Hoffmann, Germany
    • Women's champion: Anett Pötzsch, Germany
    • Pairs champions: Marina Tscherkasowa & Sergej Schachrai, Soviet Union

Football (American)[]

Football (Australian Rules)[]

  • Victorian Football League
    • Richmond wins the 84th VFL Premiership (Richmond 23.21 (159) d Collingwood 9.24 (78))
    • Brownlow Medal awarded to Kelvin Templeton (Footscray)

Football (Canadian)[]

  • Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos win 48-10 over the Hamilton Tigercats
  • Vanier Cup: Alberta Golden Bears win 40-21 over the Ottawa Gee Gees

Football (Soccer)[]

Gaelic Athletic Association[]

  • Camogie
    • All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Cork
    • National Camogie League: Kilkenny
  • Gaelic football
    • All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: Kerry 1-9 d. Roscommon 1-6
    • National Football League: Cork 0-11 d. Kerry 0-10
  • Ladies' Gaelic football
    • All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Tipperary
    • National Football League: Kerry
  • Hurling
    • All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: Galway 2-15 d. Limerick 3-9
    • National Hurling League:

Golf[]

Men's Golf

  • January - the Senior PGA Tour (Champions Tour) is founded.
  • Major championship results:
    1. May - The Masters - Seve Ballesteros
    2. June - US Open - Jack Nicklaus
    3. July - British Open - Tom Watson
    4. August - PGA Championship - Jack Nicklaus
  • PGA Tour leading money winner for the year: Tom Watson - $530,808
  • Champions Tour - In its first year, Don January is the leading money winner with earnings of $44,100.

Women's Golf

  • US Women's Open - Amy Alcott
  • LPGA Championship - Sally Little
  • Beth Daniel: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $231,000.

Horse racing[]

Thoroughbred Horse Racing[]

  • Australia - Melbourne Cup - Beldale Ball
  • Canada - Queen's Plate - Driving Home
  • France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Detroit
  • Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Tyrnavos
  • English Triple Crown Races:
    1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Known Fact
    2. Epsom Derby - Henbit
    3. St. Leger Stakes - Light Cavalry
  • United States Triple Crown Races:
    1. Kentucky Derby - Genuine Risk
    2. Preakness Stakes - Codex
    3. Belmont Stakes - Temperence Hill

Harness Racing[]

  • Superhorse, Niatross wins the United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
    1. Cane Pace - Niatross
    2. Little Brown Jug - Niatross
    3. Messenger Stakes - Niatross
  • United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
    1. Hambletonian - Burgomeister
    2. Yonkers Trot
    3. Kentucky Futurity
  • Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
    • Pacers: Koala King
    • Trotters: Hano Direct

Ice Hockey[]

See 1980 in ice hockey

Radiosport[]

  • First Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championships held in Cetniewo, Poland.

Skiing[]

  • Alpine Skiing
    • The men's overall season champion: Andreas Wenzel, Liechtenstein
    • The women's overall season champion: Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein

January 12 - Canada’s Ken Read, the leader of the "Crazy Canucks" ski team, wins the Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel, Austria, becoming the first North American to ever win the classic race.

Snooker[]

Tennis[]

  • Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
    1. Australian Open - Brian Teacher
    2. French Open - Björn Borg
    3. Wimbledon championships - Björn Borg
    4. US Open - John McEnroe
  • Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
    1. Australian Open - Hana Mandlikova
    2. French Open - Chris Evert
    3. Wimbledon championships - Evonne Goolagong Cawley
    4. US Open - Chris Evert
  • Davis Cup World tennis - Czechoslovakia defeated Italy 4-1.

General sporting events[]

  • 1980 Summer Olympics takes place in Moscow, USSR
    • USSR wins the most medals (195), and the most gold medals (80).
  • 1980 Winter Olympics takes place in Lake Placid, United States
    • GDR wins the most medals (23), and the USSR wins the most gold medals (10).
  • Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion:
    • Joe May won with lead dogs: Wilbur & Cora Gray

Births[]

January[]

  • January 3Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey defenseman
  • January 12Akiko Morigami, Japanese female tennis player
  • January 14Taeke Taekema, Dutch field hockey player
  • January 19Jenson Button, British Formula 1-driver
  • January 19 — Matic Osovnikar, Slovenian track and field athlete
  • January 25Xavi Hernández, Spanish football (soccer) player
  • January 25 — Christian Olsson, Swedish athlete
  • January 27Sherzod Husanov, Uzbek boxer
  • January 27 — Marat Safin, Russian tennis player
  • January 27 — Jiří Welsch, Czech basketball player

February[]

  • February 2Kyle Pontifex, New Zealand field hockey goalkeeper
  • February 3Craig Victory, Australian field hockey player
  • February 9Angelos Charisteas, Greek football (soccer) player
  • February 10Gordon D'Arcy, Irish rugby player
  • February 11Karin Ruckstuhl, Dutch athlete
  • February 12Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
  • February 16Miguel Espino, American professional boxer
  • February 20Imanol Harinordoquy, French rugby player
  • February 20 — Bram Som, Dutch athlete
  • February 24Roman Sloudnov, Russian swimmer
  • February 26Alex Fong, Hong Kong swimmer and actor
  • February 28Pascal Bosschaart, Dutch football (soccer) player

March[]

  • March 1Shahid Afridi, Pakistani cricketer
  • March 6Emma Igelström, Swedish swimmer
  • March 9Sofia Konoukh, Russian water polo player
  • March 12California Molefe, Botswanan athlete
  • March 15Deidra Graham, American gymnast
  • March 15 — Josefin Lillhage, Swedish swimmer
  • March 18Alexei Yagudin, Russian figure skater
  • March 21Ronaldinho, Brazilian football (soccer) player
  • March 27Toni Cronk, Australian field hockey goalkeeper
  • March 30Liriel Higa, American rhythmic gymnast
  • March 31Jenny Smith, Australian gymnast

April[]

  • April 1Maartje Scheepstra, Dutch field hockey player
  • April 2Suriya Prasathinphimai, Thai boxer
  • April 4Bekzat Sattarkhanov, Kazakhstani boxer
  • April 4 — Mark Tuitert, Dutch speed skater
  • April 6Tanja Poutiainen, Finnish alpine skier
  • April 9Kristin Lee, American rhythmic gymnast
  • April 10Andy Ram, Israeli tennis player
  • April 12Terence Parkin, South African swimmer
  • April 18Michael Lee, Canadian field hockey player
  • April 22Monica Flammer, American gymnast
  • April 25Phillip Burrows, New Zealand field hockey player

May[]

  • May 6Brooke Bennett, American swimmer
  • May 6 — Kasumi Takahashi, Australian rhythmic gymnast
  • May 7Johan Kenkhuis, Dutch swimmer
  • May 8Steven Ferguson, New Zealand swimmer and canoer
  • May 9Grant Hackett, Australian swimmer
  • May 9 — Angela Nikodinov, American figure skater
  • May 10Kate Walsh, English field hockey player
  • May 14Joe van Niekerk, South African rugby player
  • May 14 — Eugene Martineau, Dutch athlete
  • May 15Yvonne Hijgenaar, Dutch cyclist
  • May 16Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spanish female tennis player
  • May 18Michael Llodra, French tennis player
  • May 18 — Sam Rukundo, Ugandan boxer
  • May 23Sarah Catherwood, New Zealand swimmer
  • May 27Jessica Deglau, Canadian swimmer
  • May 31Edith Bosch, Dutch judoka

June[]

  • June 1Aghasi Mammadov, Azerbaijani boxer
  • June 2Shingo Suetsugu, Japanese track and field athlete
  • June 7Ed Moses, American swimmer
  • June 9Udonis Haslem, American basketball player
  • June 16Thijs Al, Dutch mountainbiker
  • June 17Brittney McConn, American figure skater
  • June 17 — Andee Pickens, American gymnast
  • June 17 — Venus Williams, American tennis player
  • June 19Sanjay Ayre, Jamaican athlete
  • June 23Manus Boonjumnong, Thai boxer
  • June 23 — Ramnaresh Sarwan, Guyanese cricketer
  • June 30Nourdin Boukhari, Moroccan-born footballe player

July[]

  • July 1Matthijs Brouwer, Dutch field hockey player
  • July 3Roland Mark Schoeman, South African swimmer
  • July 6Pau Gasol, Catalan NBA player
  • July 7Michelle Kwan, American figure skater
  • July 8Robbie Keane, Irish football player
  • July 10Adam Petty, fourth-generation NASCAR driver (d. 2000)
  • July 16Travis Brooks, Australian field hockey player
  • July 17Rashid Ramzi, Moroccan-born athlete
  • July 19Xavier Malisse, Belgian tennisplayer
  • July 21Tom Soetaers, Belgian football player
  • July 22Dirk Kuijt, Dutch football player
  • July 29Fernando González, Chilean tennis player

August[]

  • August 1Grant Schubert, Australian field hockey player
  • August 12Blair Hopping, New Zealand field hockey player
  • August 13Justus Scharowsky, German field hockey player
  • August 29Perdita Felicien, world champion track and field star
  • August 29 — Corina Ungureanu, Romanian gymnast
  • August 30Michael Boyce, Australian field hockey player
  • August 31Hayden Shaw, New Zealand field hockey player

September[]

  • September 1Ryan Archibald, New Zealand field hockey player
  • September 1 — Dawn Holden, English cricketer
  • September 6Samuel Peter, Nigerian heavyweight boxer
  • September 8Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, South African middle distance runner
  • September 10Timothy Goebel, American figure skater
  • September 10 — Tahar Tamsamani, Moroccan boxer
  • September 12Yao Ming, Chinese NBA player
  • September 13Daisuke Matsuzaka, Japanese baseball player
  • September 13 — Viren Rasquinha, Indian field hockey player
  • September 14Luis Horna, Peruvian tennis player
  • September 18Wendy Alcorn, Australian field hockey player
  • September 19Dimitri Yachvili, French rugby union player
  • September 20Vladimir Karpets, Russian cyclist
  • September 30Martina Hingis, Swiss tennis player
  • September 30 — Guillermo Rigondeaux Ortiz, Cuban boxer

October[]

  • October 2Amy Tran, American field hockey goalkeeper
  • October 3Sarah Collyer, English cricketer
  • October 4Tomas Rosicky, Czech footballer
  • October 7Andrei Kapralov, Russian swimmer
  • October 8Kasper Bøgelund, Danish football (soccer) player
  • October 10Megan Rivers, Australian field hockey player
  • October 13Scott Parker, English football player
  • October 15Tom Boonen, Belgian cyclist
  • October 19Anna-Karin Kammerling, Swedish swimmer
  • October 20Denise Durajski, Australian field hockey player
  • October 21Mike Danton, Canadian ice hockey player, accused of murder
  • October 26Christian Chivu, Romanian football (soccer) player
  • October 28Alfonso Gomez, Mexican boxer
  • October 31Geert-Jan Derikx, Dutch field hockey player

November[]

  • November 21Danielle Hartsell, American pairs skater
  • November 26Peter Manfredo, American boxer

December[]

  • December 2Nathan Eglington, Australian field hockey player
  • December 4Hicham Mesbahi, Moroccan boxer
  • December 4 — Sergio Mora, American boxer
  • December 18Marian Drăgulescu, Romanian gymnast
  • December 28Lomana LuaLua, Congolese football (soccer) player
  • December 29Andrea Lenders, Dutch gymnast

Deaths[]

  • January 1Frank Wykoff (70), American track and field athlete sprinter
  • January 12Hans Ebeling, Australian cricketer
  • January 25Peter Haughton, harness racing driver - auto accident
  • February 28Ian Peebles, English cricketer
  • March 1Dixie Dean, English footballer
  • March 18Herman Griffith, West Indian cricketer
  • March 21Marcel Boussac, French horse racing tycoon
  • March 31Jesse Owens, American athlete
  • April 2Dick Howorth, English cricketer
  • May 2Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer
  • June 1Richard Marquard (90), US baseball pitcher
  • June 10Denys Morkel, South African cricketer
  • July 18Naoomal Jeoomal, Indian cricketer
  • August 2Verdun Scott, New Zealand cricketer
  • August 6Charles Urbanus (66), Dutch baseball player
  • August 21Jack Cheetham, South African cricketer
  • September 8Bruce Dooland, English cricketer
  • October 10Walter Keeton, English cricketer
  • October 25Victor Galindez, light heavyweight world champion boxing, in car race accident
  • December 4Stanisława Walasiewicz or Stella Walsh (69), Polish-American athlete (b. 1911)
  • December 5Don Taylor, New Zealand cricketer
  • December 28Amir Elahi, Pakistani cricketer
  • December 31Arthur Wellard, English cricketer
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