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NFL champions
NFL Championship – Philadelphia Eagles won 17-13 over the Green Bay Packers -
Milwaukee Braves
In his majors debut, Milwaukee Braves outfielder Mack Jones tied a post-1900 National League record by collecting three singles and a double in his first game. -
NBA finals
In Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points against the New York Knicks, breaking several National Basketball Association records. -
Hall of fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members -
Track and field
Tom O'Hara sets a new world record for the indoor mile run by completing it in 3 minutes and 56.4 seconds -
Boxing
José Torres won the Light Heavyweight Championship of the World, stopping Willie Pastrano in nine rounds, at New York's Madison Square Garden -
AFL and NFL
The AFL and NFL reach an agreement to merge as equals into one league under the NFL name, to take effect with the 1970 season -
Boxing
Muhammad Ali was stripped of his World Heavyweight Champion titles and was banned from boxing by the various commissions for his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army. -
Olympics
Olympics where terrorists attacked, 11 athletes were killed -
Baseball
Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees announces his retirement. -
Plane crash
The Wichita State University football team plane crash claims approximately half the football team when one of two planes crashes on the way to a game at Utah State University. -
NFL
The Miami Dolphins defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional playoff game. The double-overtime contest is the longest game in NFL history, and the Chiefs' last-ever home game at Municipal Stadium. -
Baseball
The Pittsburgh Pirates' legendary right fielder Roberto Clemente dies in a plane crash near Puerto Rico on his way to bring relief supplies to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. -
Basketball
Harlem globtrotters made their debut. -
Boxing
Muhammed Ali vs. Joe Frazier -
Baseball hall of fame
Slugger Ralph Kiner is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. -
Superbowl X
Pittsburgh Steelers won 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys -
NFL
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their second NFL season win their first ever game over the New Orleans Saints. The win ends their NFL record 26-game losing streak encompassing the entire 1976 season and the first 12 games in 1977. -
Baseball
Death of Lyman Bostock (27), California Angels player, who was murdered in error by a jealous husband. -
Football
Opening game of the American Football Bundesliga played between Frankfurter Löwen and Düsseldorf Panther, first-ever league game of American football in Germany. -
Boxing
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.
