Sporting Highlights for 1979
Here are some of the sporting highlights in the world of sport for 1979.
Wayne Gretzky is indisputably the greatest hockey player and goal scorer ever. Nicknamed "The Great One", he fired his first goal on October 14th 1979 to begin his account that to this date holds about 60 NHL records.
When two players with the least possible sportsmanship are on the court, drama is for sure guaranteed. That's exactly what happened, in the Suntory Cup match between John McEnroe and Ilie Năstase. After several warnings for his on-court behavior and delay of game penalties, Năstase was initially defaulted, only to be reinstated a few minutes later. McEnroe, the 19 year old who won the match, went on to win the US Open for his first grand slam title. The US Open also saw a 16 year old Tracy Austin win the women's title. Though Austin would repeat her US Open success the following year, she was stuck in an era dominated by two other stars.
ESPN has currently become inseparable from sports revolutionizing the broadcasting industry. The network made its debut on the September and has since remained the leader in sports broadcasting.
It was the year of the cricket World Cup which West Indies won by easily defeating England in the finals. The biggest upset of the World Cup was pulled by Sri Lanka by defeating the heavily favored Indian team.
It was a good year for Pittsburghers - with Pittsburgh teams winning the Super Bowl and the World Series.
Below is a timeline of some significant results in the world of sport for the year 1979.
| Date | Results |
|---|---|
| Jan | Super Bowl held in Miami won by Pittsburgh |
| April | Golf Masters won by Fuzzy Zoeller |
| May | Tennis French Open won by Bjorn Borg and Chris Evert Lloyd |
| June | Golf US Open won by Hale Irwin |
| July | the Cycling Tour de France won by Bernard Hinault |
| July | Tennis Wimbledon won by Bjorn Borg and Martina Navratilova |
| July | Golf The Open Championship won by Seve Ballesteros |
| Aug | Golf US PGA won by David Graham |
| Sep | Tennis US Open won by John McEnroe and Tracy Austin |
| Oct | The Baseball World Series won by Pittsburgh Pirates |
| Dec | Tennis Australia Open won by Guillermo Vilas and Barbara Jordan |
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 1979
- 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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