1976 Sports: Knight & Madden Win First Rings; Big Red Machine Dominates
This is part of a series of sports history articles aimed at preserving the best moments of the modern sports era, from 1976 to the present. The focus is team sports—college & pro basketball and football, major league baseball and hockey. This article offers a snapshot of 1976 sports, a year that saw future legends like Bob Knight and John Madden win their first championships, an aging dynasty in the Celtics win one more and the Big Red Machine solidify their place in history. We go through the seasons in order–college basketball, to the NBA & NHL, to major league baseball, to college football and concluding with the NFL.