1970 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
Alpine Skiing World Cup
Men's overall season champion – Karl Schranz, Austria
Women's overall season champion – Michèle Jacot, France
American football
11 January – Super Bowl IV: the Kansas City Chiefs (AFL) won 23–7 over the Minnesota Vikings (NFL) Location: Tulane Stadium Attendance: 80,562 MVP: Len Dawson, QB (Kansas City) Cotton Bowl (1969 season): The Texas Longhorns won 21–17 over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win the college football national championship 16 June – death of Brian Piccolo, Chicago Bears player 15 August – Patricia Palinkas becomes the first woman to play in a professional football game for the Orlando Panthers in the Atlantic Coast Football League. 3 September – death of Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers coach; subsequently, his name is given to the Super Bowl trophy and the Rotary Lombardi Award 2 October – 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. 14 November – A plane carrying most of the Marshall University team crashes just short of landing near Huntington, West Virginia, killing all 75 aboard, including 37 players.
Artistic gymnastics
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Men's all-around champion: Eizo Kenmotsu, Japan
Women's all-around champion: Ludmilla Tourischeva, USSR
Men's team competition champion: Japan
Women's team competition champion: USSR
Athletics
26 December – death from cancer of Lillian Board (22), British middle-distance runner July – 1970 Commonwealth Games held at Edinburgh December – 1970 Asian Games held at Bangkok
Baseball
16 January – Gold Glove outfielder Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause, a suit that will have historic implications. Flood refused to report to the Phillies after he was traded by the Cardinals, contending the baseball rule violates federal antitrust laws. 17 January – The Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s. 20 January – Lou Boudreau is elected to the Hall of Fame, receiving 232 of a possible 300 votes from the BBWAA. 7 April – The Milwaukee Brewers play their first ever game as the Brewers at Milwaukee County Stadium, after the team had relocated from Seattle. 12 June – Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. It is later revealed that he did so while under the influence of LSD. Robert W. Peterson's book Only the Ball was White is published. The book brings pressure on Major League Baseball to recognize the African-American players from Negro league baseball by honoring its stars in the Baseball Hall of Fame. World Series – The American League's Baltimore Orioles win their second World Title by defeating the National League's Cincinnati Reds, 4 games to 1.
Basketball
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship –
UCLA wins 80–69 over Jacksonville
National Basketball Association –
New York Knicks won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1970 NBA Finals 1970 ABA Finals – Indiana Pacers defeat Los Angeles Stars 4 games to 2 FIBA World Championship – Yugoslavia World Champion
Boxing
15 February – Carlos Cruz, Featherweight Boxing Champion died in a plane crash
16 February – Joe Frazier wins the undisputed World Heavyweight title with the knock out of Jimmy Ellis in five rounds. 30 December – death of Sonny Liston (38), former heavyweight champion
Canadian football
Grey Cup – Montreal Alouettes win 23–10 over the Calgary Stampeders
Vanier Cup – Manitoba Bisons win 38–11 over the Ottawa Gee-Gees
Cricket
6 January – Australia commences a controversial tour of South Africa. 4 March – South Africa completes a 4–0 series whitewash over Australia at Port Elizabeth. This was to be South Africa's last Test match for 22 years. 22 May – The British Government forces England to cancel the planned tour of England by South Africa. A "Rest of the World" team captained by Garry Sobers plays five unofficial Test matches against England winning the series 4–1. In their centenary year Kent wins the English County Championship for the first time since 1913. The International Cricket Conference votes to suspend South Africa from international cricket indefinitely because of its government's apartheid policy.