1980 in sports
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (February 2013) |
| Years in sports: | 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s |
| Years: | 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 |
1980 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
- Alpine Skiing World Cup:
- Men's overall season champion: Andreas Wenzel, Liechtenstein
- 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 second North American to ever win the classic race.
- Super Bowl XIV – Pittsburgh Steelers won 31–19 over the Los Angeles Rams at the Rose Bowl
- Sugar Bowl (1979 season):
- Alabama Crimson Tide won 24-9 over the Arkansas Razorbacks to claim the college football national championship
- December 21: The New Orleans Saints became the NFL's first ever 1-15 team
- European Championship – West Germany 2–1 Belgium
- European Cup – Nottingham Forest 1–0 Hamburg
- UEFA Cup – 2 legs, Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–2 Eintracht Frankfurt; Eintracht Frankfurt 1–0 Borussia Mönchengladbach, 3–3 on aggregate, Frankfurt win on away goals
- Cup Winners' Cup – Valencia 0–0 Arsenal (AET), Valencia won 5–4 on penalties
- England – FA Cup – West Ham United won 1–0 over Arsenal
Newport County AFC win Welsh Cup for first time.
- March 31 – death of Jesse Owens, American sprinter who won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics in 1936
- June 12 – Soviet Union's Nadezhda Olizarenko sets the world record in the women's 800 metres, clocking 1:54.85 at Moscow
- July 27 – Nadezhda Olizarenko betters her own world record in the women's 800 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, clocking 1:53.43.
- 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)
- 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.
- Rollie Fingers breaks Hoyt Wilhelm's major league record of 250 saves
- 1980 World Series – The Philadelphia Phillies of the National League end 97 years of frustration by defeating the American League champion Kansas City Royals four games to two, for the Phillies' first-ever World Championship.
- Japan's Sadaharu Oh retires from the Yomiuri Giants as the all time professional baseball home run king.
NBA Finals
- Los Angeles Lakers win four games to two over the Philadelphia 76ers
National Basketball League (Australia) Finals
- St. Kilda Saints defeated the West Adelaide Bearcats 113–88 in the final.
- March 14–22 members of the United States Olympic boxing team died in a plane crash near Warsaw, Poland
- June 20- Roberto Durán 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 New Orleans, Louisiana, Sugar Ray Leonard recovers the WBC's world Welterweight championship with an eight round technical knockout of Roberto Durán.
- Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos win 48–10 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Vanier Cup – Alberta Golden Bears win 40–21 over the Ottawa Gee-Gees
- Giro d'Italia won by Bernard Hinault of France
- Tour de France – Joop Zoetemelk of the Netherlands
- UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Bernard Hinault of France
- Disc ultimate league play begins in Toronto with the formation of the Toronto Ultimate League
- Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
- Joe May won with lead dogs: Wilbur & Cora Gray
- Men's Champions Trophy held in Karachi and won by Pakistan
- Olympic Games (Men's Competition) won by India
- Olympic Games (Women's Competition) won by Zimbabwe
- World Figure Skating Championships –
- Men's champion: Jan Hoffmann, Germany
- Ladies' champion: Anett Pötzsch, Germany
- Pair skating champions: Marina Cherkasova & Sergei Shakhrai, Soviet Union
- Ice dancing champions: Krisztina Regőczy & András Sallay, Hungary
- Camogie
- Gaelic football
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Kerry 1–9 died Roscommon 1–6
- National Football League – Cork 0–11 died Kerry 0–10
- Ladies' Gaelic football
- Hurling
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Galway 2–15 died Limerick 3–9
- National Hurling League –
Men's professional
- The Senior PGA Tour (now called Champions Tour) is founded.
- Masters Tournament – Seve Ballesteros
- U.S. Open – Jack Nicklaus
- British Open – Tom Watson
- PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus
- PGA Tour money leader – Tom Watson – $530,808
- Senior PGA Tour – money leader – Don January – $44,100
Men's amateur
Women's professional
- LPGA Championship – Sally Little
- U.S. Women's Open – Amy Alcott
- Classique Peter Jackson Classic – Pat Bradley
- LPGA Tour money leader – Beth Daniel – $231,000
- Superhorse, Niatross wins the United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
- United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Koala King
- Trotters: Hano Direct
Hockey
- New York Islanders win Stanley Cup on Bobby Nystrom's overtime goal in Game 6 of the Finals over the Philadelphia Flyers.he
- The United States Men's Olympic hockey team win the gold medal after defeating the USSR in the medal round and then Finland in the Gold Medal Round in what is called the "Miracle on Ice".
Steeplechases
Flat races
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Beldale Ball
- Canada – Queen's Plate won by Driving Home
- France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Detroit
- Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Tyrnavos
- English Triple Crown Races:
- United States Triple Crown Races:
- Stock car racing –
- CART Racing – Johnny Rutherford won the season championship
- 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 Geistdörfer won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Fiat 131 Abarth
- Drag racing – Shirley Muldowney won the NHRA Top Fuel championship.
- Touring car racing – Peter Brock and Jim Richards won their third consecutive Bathurst 1000, driving a Holden Torana
- 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
- First Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championships held in Cetniewo, Poland.
- 8 July – The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20–10 at Lang Park
- 1980 European Rugby League Championship
- 1980 New Zealand rugby league season
- 1979–80 Northern Rugby Football League season
- 1980 NSWRFL season
- 1980–81 Rugby Football League season
- 1980 Tooth Cup
- 86th Five Nations Championship series is won by England who complete the Grand Slam
- World Snooker Championship – Cliff Thorburn beats Alex Higgins 18–16, becoming the first non-UK player to win the title
- World rankings – Ray Reardon remains world number one for 1980/81
- XXII Olympic Games, held in Moscow, Soviet Union (July 20 – July 27)
- February 2 – USA's Chris Cavanaugh sets a world record in the 50m freestyle (long course) at a swimming meet in Amersfoort, Netherlands, shaving off 0.04 of the previous record (23.70) set by Germany's Klaus Steinbach nearly a year ago: 23.66.
- April 10 – Chris Cavanaugh betters his own world record in the 50m freestyle (long course) at a swimming meet in Austin, Texas (USA): 23.12. At the same event (and on the same day), two other swimmers from the United States, Rowdy Gaines and Bruce Stahl, go under his time, clocking 22.96 and 22.83 respectively.
- August 15 – USA's Joe Bottom betters the world record in the 50m freestyle (long course) at a meet in Honolulu, Hawaii, shaving off 0.12 of the previous record (22.83) set by Bruce Stahl four months earlier: 22.71.
- Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
- Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- Davis Cup World tennis – Czechoslovakia defeated Italy 4–1.
- Water polo at the 1980 Summer Olympics won by USSR
- The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Freedom defeats challenger Australia, of the Royal Perth Yacht Club, 4 races to 1
Awards
- ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – U.S. Olympic hockey team, Amateur Ice Hockey
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Chris Evert, Tennis