Hall of Champions: 1971
1971 World Series
Pittsburgh Pirates 2, Baltimore Orioles 1
Pirates win series 4 games to 3 (3-5, 3-11, 5-1, 4-3, 4-0, 2-3 (10), 2-1).
The 1971 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1971 season, and the 68th edition of the World Series. It featured the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (97-65) against the American League (AL) champion Baltimore Orioles (101-57). Game 4 at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium was the first World Series game played at night. This was the first of three consecutive World Series, all seven games, in which the winning team scored fewer runs overall.
Game Date
Sunday, October 17, 1971
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The teams proved to be evenly matched, the home team won in each of the first six games. In game 7 the Pirates' Steve Blass pitched a four-hit complete game for a 2–1 win over Mike Cuellar in Baltimore.
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1972 World Series
After Game 2, the Orioles bats went silent. After hitting the Pirates pitching staff for 16 runs and 24 hits in the first two games, the O's scored only eight runs on 21 hits, hitting only .141 (21–149) in the next five games.
- In his final World Series appearance, Roberto Clemente became the first Spanish-speaking ballplayer to earn World Series MVPr Award. He hit safely in all seven games of the Series.
- The Pirates boasted a murderous lineup led by Willie Stargell (48, 125, .295), Bob Robertson (26, 72, .271) and Roberto Clemente (13, 86, .341), who collected 12 series hits and hit .414.
- The Orioles pitching staff featured four pitchers with 20+ wins (Dave McNally (21), Mike Cuellar (20), Pat Dobson (20), Jim Palmer (20)), and the booming bats of sluggers Frank Robinson (28, 99, .281) and Boog Powell (22, 92, .256).
- In Game 7, Steve Blass would get his second complete game win of the series, after Roberto Clemente had drawn first blood for the Pirates by hitting a two-out homer in the fourth off Mike Cuellar.
©CCM Feb 22 2022
1971 NFL Season: Super Bowl VI
Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3
Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, Louisiana. Attendance 81,023.
1971 NFL Season: Super Bowl VI featured the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys (11-3) against the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins (10-3-1). The Cowboys defeated the Dolphins to win their first Super Bowl. The game was played on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, the second time the Super Bowl was played in that stadium. Despite the southern locale, it was unseasonably cold at the time, with the kickoff air temperature of 39 degrees, making this the coldest Super Bowl played.
Game Date
Sunday, January 16, 1972
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The Cowboys dominated Super Bowl VI, setting Super Bowl records for the most rushing yards (252), the most first downs (23), and the fewest points allowed (3).
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1972 NFL Season: Super Bowl VII
Staubach became the first quarterback of a winning team in the Super Bowl to play the entire game. Wrote Staubach, "I can say that I don't think I ever felt any better as an athlete than how I felt after that game..."
- Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, who completed 12 out of 18 passes for 119 yards, threw 2 touchdown passes, and rushed 5 times for 18 yards, was named the Super Bowl's MVP.
- Dolphins' QB Bob Griese completed the same amount of passes as Staubach (12), and threw for 15 more yards (134), but threw no touchdown passes and was intercepted once.
- Cowboys' RB Duane Thomas was the top rusher of the game with 19 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown, and Walt Garrison added 74 rushing yards and caught 2 passes for 11 yards.
- Dolphin RB Jim Kiick said, "Dallas wasn't that much better, but football is momentum. We lost it in the first quarter when we fumbled and they scored, and we never got it back."
©CCM Feb 22 2022
1972 NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers 114, New York Knicks 100
Lakers win the series 4 games to 1 (92-114, 106-92, 107-96, 116-11 (OT), 114-100).
The 1972 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1972 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1971–72 season. The New York Knicks (48-34) from the Eastern Conference took on the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers (69-13). Former Celtic Bill Sharman, the Lakers’ new coach, was crucial in helping lift stars Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West to the championship in 1971-72.
Game Date
Sunday, May 7, 1972
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The Lakers had won a then NBA-record 69 regular season games, including 33 wins in a row - a record which still stands. They were led by Wilt Chamberlain, the NBA's top rebounder that season.
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1973 NBA Finals
The Knicks, without Willis Reed (knee injury), proved no match for L.A. in The Finals as the Lakers won their first championship since moving from Minneapolis in 1960. The 1971-72 Lakers were named as one of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History.
- Laker guards Gail Goodrich and Jerry West were each among the NBA's top ten scorers that season, spearheading the NBA's top offense at 121 points per game. West also led the NBA in assists.
- The Knicks were a top defensive team that allowed just 98.2 points per game. They had defeated the 38-win Baltimore Bullets and then upset the 56-win Boston Celtics to win the Eastern Conference final.
- 35-year-old Wilt Chamberlain (who was named Finals MVP) led the league during the season in field goal % (64.9) and rebounding (19.2). He had outdueled fellow big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in defeating the Bucks in the Conference finals.
- Wilt Chamberlain dominated the middle in the final game, flirting with what would have been a quadruple-double with 24 points, 29 rebounds, 8 blocks and 8 assists in 47 minutes.
©CCM Feb 22 2022
1972 Stanley Cup Finals
Boston Bruins 3, New York Rangers 0
Bruins win the series 4 games to 2 (6-5, 2-1, 2-5, 3-2, 2-3, 3-0).
The 1972 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1971–72 season, and the culmination of the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffs. It featured two Eastern Division teams, the Boston Bruins (54-13-11) and the New York Rangers (48-17-13), who were making their first appearance in the finals since 1950. The Bruins were making their first appearance since their victory in the 1970 Finals. It was the second Boston-New York Final series, the other being the 1929 Finals.
Game Date
Thursday, May 11, 1972
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Game 6 in New York saw the Bruins play flawlessly and Gerry Cheevers picked up a shutout, 3–0. Wayne Cashman scored two goals, one of which trickled in behind Rangers' goalie Gilles Villemure.
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1973 Stanley Cup Finals
Unlike 1972, finals contested by the Rangers in the past had coincided with an annual circus held at Madison Square Garden, compelling the Rangers to play Finals games at neutral sites and/or at the venues of their opponents.
- Bobby Orr, who tallied 4 goals and 4 assists in the series, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player for the second time.
- Bobby Orr also scored his second Cup-clinching goal in Game 6, having accomplished the feat in the 1970 finals. Phil Esposito drilled 41 shots in the series but was held without a goal.
- As with the 1970 Cup-winning team, the Boston Bruins did not have a team captain. John Bucyk, Phil Esposito, Ted Green and Ed Westfall all served as alternate captains.
- The 1972 Stanley Cup was presented to Bruins alternate captain Johnny Bucyk by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Bruins 3–0 win over the Rangers in game six.
©CCM Feb 22 2022