1973–74 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
The following night Michigan Tech won their game against Harvard in overtime to match the two WCHA teams in the final. While the Huskies had easily handles Minnesota two weeks earlier, the team had started to show cracks, tying once against the weak Notre Dame team and losing one of their games to Michigan State in the WCHA tournament. Even with the experienced John MacInnes at the helm Michigan Tech wasn't playing particularly well and Minnesota took advantage early. The Gophers outshot MTU 17–11 in the opening frame, with John Sheridan scoring the game's first goal in the 16th minute.


1973–74 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
John Perpich added a second marker early in the second but the two-goal lead seemed to wake up the Huskies who proved a much stiffer test in the middle period. George Lyle cut the lead in half and sent the match into the third with Minnesota clinging to a narrow margin. The Huskies, however, fell apart in the last 20 minutes, allowing Minnesota to outshoot them 14–3 and score twice more to gain a three-goal edge. High-scoring sophomore Mike Zuke netted MTU's second goal of the game but it came with less than a minute remaining and Minnesota won its first National Title.


1973–74 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
Team Captain Brad Shelstad was named as the Tournament MOP and found himself on the All-Tournament Team along with teammates Les Auge and Mike Polich. Minnesota had none of its players make the AHCA All-American West Team while Shelstad was the only member of the Gophers to make an All-WCHA Team, earning first-team honors.


1973–74 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
Minnesota had not been expected to compete for a national championship and even after the win Pat Phippen was at a loss for how to explain their surprise title. This was due in part to Minnesota being the first team since Boston College in 1949 to win a championship with a team made up of primarily American players and were one Eric Lockwood game away from playing an entire season with only native Minnesotans.


1973–74 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season, NCAA Tournament
The All-American team was one of the most important wins for USA Hockey as it demonstrated that American players could compete with Canadians and gave professional teams one more reason why they should give US players a chance. The win by Minnesota was felt in the 1974 NHL amateur draft when Minnesota went from have no players taken in either of the previous two years to eight alumni selected in 1974.


1973–74 Minnesota North Stars season
The 1973–74 Minnesota North Stars season was the North Stars' seventh season.


1973–74 Minnesota North Stars season
Coached by Jack Gordon (3–8–6) and Parker MacDonald (20–30–11), the team compiled a record of 23–38–17 for 63 points, to finish the regular season 7th in the West Division and failed to qualify for the playoffs.


1973–74 Minnesota North Stars season, Draft picks
Minnesota's draft picks at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.


1973–74 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
The 1973–74 Montana Grizzlies basketball team represented the University of Montana during the 1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Charter members of the Big Sky Conference, the Grizzlies were led by third-year head coach Jud Heathcote and played their home games on campus at Dahlberg Arena in Missoula, Montana. They finished the regular season at 19–7, with a 11–3 conference record, tied for the regular season title with Idaho State; the Bengals won the one-game playoff in Missoula by three points.


1973–74 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
The Big Sky conference tournament debuted two years later, in 1976.


1973–74 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
Junior center Ken McKenzie was a unanimous selection to the all-conference team; senior guard Robin Selvig and junior swingman Eric Hays were on the second team.


1973–74 Montenegrin Republic League
The 1973–74 Montenegrin Republic League was the 29th season of Montenegrin Republic League. Season started in August 1973 and finished in June 1974.


1973–74 Montenegrin Republic League, Season
Second time in two years, a number of participants is expanded, so on season 1973-74, in Montenegrin Republic League played 16 teams. Among the teams which didn't play on previous season were Lovćen, Jedinstvo and Rudar (relegated from Yugoslav Second League) and three best teams from Regional leagues - Orjen, Mladost Lješkopolje and Tekstilac. After 30 weeks, the title won Lovćen, with 11 points more than second and third-placed Jedinstvo and Zeta.


1973–74 Montenegrin Republic League, Higher leagues
On season 1973–74, four Montenegrin teams played in higher leagues of SFR Yugoslavia. All of them (Sutjeska, Budućnost, OFK Titograd and Bokelj) participated in 1973–74 Yugoslav Second League.


1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season was the 65th season in team history. The Canadiens qualified for the playoffs, losing in the first round to the New York Rangers.


1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season, Off-season
Ken Dryden shocked the hockey world as he sat out the entire 1973–74 season. He had won a Vezina Trophy and helped lead Canada past Russia in the dramatic Hockey Summit of 1972. Despite his bargaining power, most players in Dryden's position would have simply accepted what the Canadiens were giving him. Dryden bolted training camp, while general manager Sam Pollock fumed.


1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
Wayne Thomas replaced Dryden as the starting goaltender and appeared in 42 games. Frank Mahovlich led the team in scoring with 80 points, while Yvan Cournoyer led the team in goals with 40.


1973–74 Montreal Canadiens season, Playoffs
The Canadiens qualified for the playoffs in second place, setting up a match-up with the third-place New York Rangers. The Rangers defeated the Canadiens twice at the Forum to win the series four games to two. Rookie goaltender Michel Larocque played all six games for the Canadiens.


1973–74 Moroccan Throne Cup
The 1973–74 season of the Moroccan Throne Cup was the 18th edition of the competition.


1973–74 Moroccan Throne Cup
Raja Club Athletic won the cup, beating Maghreb de Fès 1–0 in the final, played at the Stade d'honneur in Casablanca. Raja Club Athletic won the tournament for the first time in their history.


1973–74 Moroccan Throne Cup
Raja Club Athletic also won the first title in their history.


1973–74 Moroccan Throne Cup, Competition, Final
The final took place between the two winning semi-finalists, Raja Club Athletic and Maghreb de Fès, on 28 July 1974 at the Stade d'honneur in Casablanca.


1973–74 NAHL season
The 1973–74 North American Hockey League season was the first season of the North American Hockey League. Seven teams participated in the regular season, and the Syracuse Blazers were the league champions.


1973–74 NAHL season, Lockhart Cup-Playoffs, Qualification
Note: Syracuse-Long Island game was ruled a no contest following a brawl.


1973–74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
The NBA opened the year still very impressed with the New York Knicks' second-ever NBA title from a year ago. Much publicized, the team largely played this year as a victory lap, particularly after cornerstone Dave DeBusschere announced his pending retirement halfway through the season. Their opponent in three of the last four NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers, also went through some key changes. Wilt Chamberlain had accepted an offer to be playing coach of the San Diego Conquistadors of the ABA.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
The Lakers, however, sued Chamberlain to prevent his playing in the ABA while still owing Los Angeles the option year of his contract. Chamberlain never played professional basketball again, and left most of his coaching duties in the ABA to assistant Stan Albeck, who went on to be a head coach in the NBA. Jerry West played just 31 games due to injury, and that likewise spelled the end to his nearly peerless career at guard. These two teams, which had led the league from two huge cities and carried the NBA to new media heights, were now poised to decline, which now gave strong runners-up from a year ago their chance to ascend.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
There were no 60-win teams that season, but four teams did win over 50 games. Two of them, Milwaukee and Boston cast strong shadows all season long, each led by powerful individual forces determined to win.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
Milwaukee won a league-most 59 of 82 NBA games, led again by superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem had not seen the NBA Finals since the controversial changing of his name, but now had no Wilt Chamberlain to prevent his return. He averaged 27 points per game, making more field goals, 948, than any player in the league. The Bucks were again the top shooting team in the NBA and led in average margin of points over opponents as well. Second in minutes played and in the new blocked shots category, Abdul-Jabbar was a peerless presence all season long. One player, Atlanta's high-scoring Pete Maravich, had more shots, but Kareem sank his tries at a 53.9% clip, the second best in the NBA. The rest of the Bucks lineup provided good support for Abdul-Jabbar, but age and injuries remained a concern into the playoffs.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
The Boston Celtics cast a very determined shadow across the East with 56 wins, willed by 33-year-old team captain John Havlicek. The swingman star was again All-Defense while scoring 22.8 points per game. Hondo also leaked into the NBA's top assists category with six per game on average. More impressive than Havlicek, however, was the  intensity and standout play of 6' 9 245-pound center Dave Cowens. Cowens added 19 points per game and was second in the NBA in rebounds, leading the best board team in the league. Like Milwaukee's Abdul-Jabbar, he was a fixture in minutes played. But he was a star with a solid team around him, including guard Jo Jo White.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
Milwaukee's 59 wins won the Midwest Division, but not by much. The Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons each again posted strong campaigns to finish second and third in the division, with the third and fourth best records in the entire league.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
Chicago, led by coach Dick Motta, followed the same formula of scoring from the forwards and strong defense overall. Forward Bob Love carried the team with an average of 21.8 points per game. The Bulls impressed all season long in being able to deny opponents easy shots with strong, clean defense that did not often foul. Cliff Ray stepped in for an injured Tom Boerwinkle and performed solidly. Jerry Sloan and Norm Van Lier were each in the top ten in the new steals category, Sloan ranking fourth in the NBA.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
Detroit's hard luck team showed some of its potential this year. Former player Ray Scott had taken over for Butch Van Breda Kolff's controversial mentorship and was now leading a winner. Bob Lanier emerged as the solid center with 22.5 points per game on 50% shooting and 13.3 rebounds with four assists per game. Bob also averaged three blocks a game. Former scoring champion Dave Bing was back, carrying his club with seven assists per game and adding 18.8 per game in scoring. Vision problems still dogged him, hampering what had once looked like a sure Hall Of Fame career. Detroit's 52 wins would have won the Pacific Division. Third in the Midwest, they simply hoped to be allowed into the playoffs.


1973–74 NBA season, Season recap
Five other NBA teams won half their games to make a total of nine out of 17 total teams; there were no disasters like there had been a year ago. The playoff format took a closer look at records this year to answer criticisms of recent years past that had strongly tied playoff selections to the league's four divisions. It allowed some deserving teams to participate, which many were glad to see.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Boston met 42-40 Buffalo in Round One, the Braves finishing as a third-place team in the Atlantic Division. The Braves were led by self-promoting superstar Bob McAdoo, the NBA's most dangerous shooter at 30.6 points per game and 54.7% accuracy, both tops in the NBA. The Big Mac was also among the NBA's top five rebounders and shot blockers, an impressive feat. Jack Ramsay's club was well-balanced and deep, with Ernie DiGregorio as the pure point guard to lead his offense. The six-game series was very close, with the last three games decided by three points or less. But Boston's defense gave them a series win four games to two.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
The aging Knicks had dropped to 49 wins to finish second in the Atlantic, and again drew the Bullets as their first playoff opponents --- the Capital City Bullets. Washington, D.C. was slyly and slowly taking over Baltimore's team. But the 47-win Bullets were still largely the same bunch. Elvin Hayes and Phil Chenier were the team stars this year, with Wes Unseld battling knee injuries. Hayes had stepped up to lead the NBA in rebounds.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
The 6'10 240-pounder was also a leading shot blocker, while Chenier proved to be one of the league's best all around guards at both ends of the floor. The team, now coached by former Celtic K.C. Jones, gave the Knicks a tough full-seven game series, but the outcome was the same. Game Four went to overtime and Game Five ended 106–105, both Knick wins. Boston and New York were now set for another huge East final.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Milwaukee met the 47-win Los Angeles Lakers, winners of the Pacific, in the first round, but these were now different Lakers. Elmore Smith had come over from Buffalo to lead the league in blocks. Connie Hawkins had come over from Phoenix, and Happy Hairston was back on the boards. Gail Goodrich continued to bewilder critics with a 25.3 scoring average, trying and making more free throws than any other NBA player at an 86% clip. Like the Knicks, the Lakers were deep and smart. And old. The Bucks blew them out for a 4–1 series win which signaled a clear change between the two teams in their rich rivalry.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Chicago got to meet Detroit in a seven-game war, using their fourth home game to barely survive the Pistons. Five of the seven games were decided by five points or less, all hotly competitive. Bob Lanier tried mightily to make up for his forwards, but the all-star fell just short. Milwaukee and Chicago kept that Midwest theme alive in the second round for the West final.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Boston made it plain they would not play around with New York this year, with two big double-digit romps to start the series. The Knicks, clearly now led by their stellar backcourt of Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe, showed some heart by beating Boston in Boston in Game Three. But that proved a final parting shot for the New Yorkers who had been in three of the last four NBA Finals. Havlicek made sure of that almost single-handedly, leading a 4–1 series win.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Chicago's forwards and guards appeared to outplay Milwaukee for four games. But Ray was no match for Abdul-Jabbar at center, and coach Larry Costello's team got a good bench boost as well to pound the Bulls in four straight. Only Game Two in Chicago had been close. Kareem was just as determined as Havlicek.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Milwaukee was favored in the NBA Finals, with Cowens looking up at the 7' 2 Abdul-Jabbar. But the Boston center conceded nothing, averaging 20 points and 13 rebounds in courageous play. The series would be a classic, going the full seven games. Kareem got some solid help in the shooting of Bobby Dandridge and the passing of 35-year-old Oscar Robertson. But the Celtics hung tough, even after losing 102–101 in a legendary double-overtime affair at Boston Garden that saw Abdul-Jabbar throw in a 15-foot hook shot to win the game at the buzzer.


1973–74 NBA season, Playoffs
Game Seven in Milwaukee saw the Bucks poised to win their second title in four years. But Cowens turned in a huge 28-point game with aggressive defense to push the Celtics to a 102–87 upset. Havlicek had averaged 27 points and six assists in 18 playoff games to win his first NBA title ring without Bill Russell. But it was Cowens, who had saved his best game for last, who stood out most in proving he was in fact center enough to lead an NBA champion past the taller giants of the league.


1973–74 NBA season, NBA awards
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on


1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
The 1973–74 North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack were a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team finished undefeated in the ACC regular season, then won the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack then won the NCAA tournament, finishing the season as the national champions.


1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, Season summary
N.C. State had it all: a star high-jumping forward David Thompson, a towering center in 7-foot-4 Tom Burleson, a great point guard in Monte Towe and several excellent complementary players, including guard Moe Rivers and forward Phil Spence. The Wolfpack began the season ranked #2 in the nation, behind UCLA. On December 15, 1973, the two teams met in St. Louis, with UCLA beating NC State by 84–66 after trailing by one at halftime. It would be the only loss for the Wolfpack that season. NC State avenged that loss by beating the Bruins 80–77 in two overtimes in the NCAA Tournament semi-final game and ending their streak of seven straight national championships. Two nights later NC State captured its first NCAA championship by beating Marquette 76–64.


1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, ACC Tournament
The 1974 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Greensboro Coliseum from March 7 to 9. North Carolina State defeated Maryland 103–100 in overtime to claim the championship.


1973–74 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team, ACC Tournament
The Final pitted two of the top teams in the country. It has been regarded by many to be the greatest ACC game in history — and one of the greatest college games ever. The game was instrumental in forcing the expansion of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship to 32 teams, allowing more than one bid from a conference.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
The 1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, AP Poll
The January 21, 1974 poll was the first where UCLA was not ranked #1 since the rankings on February 1, 1971 – a string of 46 consecutive AP polls that stretched across parts of four seasons. The Bruins would regain the top ranking for three more weeks before NC State would grab the top spot for the final six weeks.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1973, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 25, 1974, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. The North Carolina State Wolfpack won its first NCAA national championship with a 76–64 victory over the Marquette Warriors.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Rule changes
Holding or grabbing an opposing player away from the ball became fouls, as did illegal screens.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Season outlook, Pre-season polls
The top 20 from the AP Poll and UPI Coaches Poll during the pre-season.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1973 and concluded with the 1974 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 16, 1974 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. This was the 27th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 79th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
In the summer of 1973 the NCAA changed the classifications of the tiers in each of their sponsored sports. The University- and College-divisions were done away with and replaced by numerical designations making this the first official Division I season.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The NIT held a competing ice hockey tournament for the first time. The tournament included NAIA champion Lake Superior State, ECAC 2 champion Vermont and two NCAA Division I schools (Minnesota–Duluth and Saint Louis). Minnesota–Duluth won the championship but the tournament was not renewed for a second season.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.


1973–74 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1973–74 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
The 1973–74 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season began in November 1973 and concluded in March of the following year. This was the 10th season of second-tier college ice hockey.


1973–74 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season
In 1973 the NCAA changed to a numerical classification system. As a result, the College division of ice hockey was split into Division II and Division III.


1973–74 NCAA Division II men's ice hockey season, Regular season, Standings
Western Michigan qualified for the CCHA Championship† indicates conference regular season champion


1973–74 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
The 1973–74 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in November 1973 and concluded on March of the following year. This was the 1st season of Division III college ice hockey.


1973–74 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1973 season began on December 22, 1973. The postseason tournament concluded with the Miami Dolphins defeating the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII, 24–7, on January 13, 1974, at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas.


1973–74 NFL playoffs
Like the previous NFL seasons, the home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly divisional rotation, excluding the wild card teams who would always play on the road.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Participants
Within each conference, the three division winners and one wild card team (the top non-division winner with the best overall records of all remaining teams in the conference) qualified for the playoffs. The NFL did not use a seeding system until the 1975 season, and instead home teams during the first two rounds of the playoffs alternated by division. Thus it was possible for a team to host another club with a better regular season record. For the Super Bowl, the third and final round played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Schedule
In the United States, NBC broadcast the AFC playoff games, while CBS televised the NFC games and Super Bowl VIII.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
Minnesota scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 13-10 deficit, including two touchdowns in a span of 1:05.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
Both offenses struggled in the first quarter. The Vikings were completely unable to move the ball, finishing the quarter without any first downs, while Washington kicker Curt Knight missed two field goal attempts. One miss was from 49 yards and the other from 17, spoiling an impressive drive that saw the Redskins drive from their own 14 to inside the Vikings 10-yard line.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
Minnesota finally managed to get rolling in the second quarter, with a 50-yard completion from Tarkenton to running back Oscar Reed setting up Fred Cox's 19-yard field goal. But with 3:30 left in the half, Vikings defensive back Bobby Bryant fumbled a punt return that was recovered by Redskins running back Bob Brunet on the Minnesota 21-yard line. Billy Kilmer then completed a 17-yard pass to Charley Taylor before Larry Brown scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Redskins a 7–3 lead. Minnesota responded with a drive into field goal range, but Mike Bass intercepted a pass from Tarkenton to maintain Washington's lead going into halftime.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
The Vikings then took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 79 yards, including a 46-yard run by Reed, to score on fullback Bill Brown's 2-yard rushing touchdown. To make matters worse for Washington, star cornerback Pat Fischer suffered cracked ribs on the drive and was replaced by Speedy Duncan, an 11-year veteran who normally only played as a kick returner. Still, the Redskins managed to take back the lead with Knight's two third quarter field goals, first tying a playoff record from 52 yards, and the second from 46 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
Now facing a 13-10 fourth quarter deficit, the Vikings stormed back with two quick touchdowns. First they drove 71 yards in 8 plays to score on Tarkenton's pass to John Gilliam, who beat single coverage by Duncan for a 28-yard touchdown catch. Then on the first play of Washington's ensuing drive, Nate Wright intercepted a pass from Kilmer and returned it 26 yards to the Redskins 8-yard line, setting up a 6-yard touchdown pass from Tarkenton to Gilliam that made the score 24-13.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
With 5:28 left, Washington got back to within four points, getting good field position due to Ken Stone blocking a Vikings punt and converting it into Kilmer's 28-yard touchdown pass to Roy Jefferson. But the Vikings managed to burn up 4 minutes with their ensuing drive, finishing it off with a 30-yard Cox field goal that gave them a 27-20 lead. The Redskins had less than two minutes to drive for a tying touchdown, and ended up turning the ball over on downs at the Vikings 42-yard line.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
Tarkenton completed 16/28 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception. Reed had 17 carries for 95 yards and caught 4 passes for 76. Brown rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 2 passes for 13 yards.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
“Sometimes they’re not concentrating on me,” said Oscar Reed, in reference to his big plays in the game. “Since early in the season they’ve been keying on Chuck Foreman. I’m not the world’s greatest pass catcher or runner, but given a little room, I’ll use what I’ve got.”


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Washington Redskins 20
This was the first postseason meeting between the Redskins and Vikings.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
The Raiders outgained Pittsburgh in total yards 361 to 223, forced three turnovers without losing any on their side, and scored 16 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the Steelers.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
After forcing the Steelers to punt on the game's opening drive, Oakland drove 82 yards in 16 plays, including a 20-yard burst by running back Marv Hubbard, to go up 7-0 on Hubbard's 1-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, Pittsburgh drove into Raiders territory, only to lose the ball when Terry Bradshaw's pass was deflected by Otis Sistrunk into the arms of linebacker Phil Villapiano for an interception.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
A 21-yard completion from Ken Stabler to receiver Mike Siani on the ensuing drive set up a 25-yard field goal by George Blanda, increasing the Raiders lead to 10-0 with 8 minutes left in the half. The Steelers were forced to punt on their next drive, but their defense subsequently forced the Raiders to go three-and-out. Then safety Glen Edwards returned Ray Guy's 40-yard punt 20 yards to the Oakland 45-yard line. On the next play, Bradshaw completed a 24-yard pass to running back Preston Pearson. Bradshaw eventually threw an incomplete pass on third down, but a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty gave the Steelers a first down on the Oakland 7. Following a 3-yard running play, Bradshaw finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown toss to Pearson, cutting the score to 10-7 going into halftime.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
Oakland dominated the second half with 16 consecutive points. After Clarence Davis returned the second half kickoff 30 yards to the Raiders 32, a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty against Pittsburgh and a 17-yard completion from Stabler to Hubbard led to Blanda's 31-yard field goal. The Steelers had to punt on their next drive, and George Atkinson returned the ball 13 yards to the Oakland 43, sparking a drive that ended with another Blanda field goal that gave the Raiders a 16-7 lead.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
Pittsburgh seemed primed to respond when Frank Lewis caught a 17-yard reception that put them in Raiders territory, but on the next play, Willie Brown intercepted a pass from Bradshaw and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. With the Steelers now facing a 23-7 deficit, the situation continued to unravel as Bradshaw was intercepted again on the next drive, this time by Atkinson, who returned it 8 yards to the Raiders 37. Oakland running back Charlie Smith then took off on a 40-yard run to the Steelers 22, setting up Blanda's third field goal that gave them a 26-7 lead.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
With 9:12 left in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh got one last chance to get back in the game as Bradshaw's 26-yard touchdown pass to Lewis cut the score to 26-14. But after a punt from each team, Oakland put the game away, mainly due to Hubbard, who rushed for gains of 16, 15, 9, and 2 yards before finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Raiders a 33-14 lead with 14 seconds left on the clock.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
Stabler completed 14/17 passes for 142 yards. Hubbard rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching a 17-yard pass. Smith added 73 yards rushing and 10 yards receiving. Bradshaw was held to just 12/25 completions for 167 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Future Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris was held to 29 yards on 10 carries.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, December 22, 1973, AFC: Oakland Raiders 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
This was the second postseason meeting between the Steelers and Raiders, with Pittsburgh winning last year's meeting.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
The Dolphins outgained Cincinnati in total yards, 400–194, and first downs, 27–11, while also scoring on three of their first four possessions and shutting out the Bengals in the second half. The Dolphins racked up 241 yards on the ground, including 106 from Mercury Morris and 71 from Larry Csonka, while receiver Paul Warfield caught 5 passes for 95 yards and a score.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Miami dominated the game early on, scoring on their opening drive with Bob Griese's 13-yard touchdown pass to Warfield. Morris racked up 33 rushing yards on the way to Miami's next first quarter touchdown, a 1-yard run by Csonka. In the second quarter, faced with 3rd and 1 from his own 44, Griese completed a 48-yard bomb to Warfield that set up Morris' 4-yard touchdown run.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Miami's three touchdowns came on drives of 80, 80, and 73 yards, while all Cincinnati could manage in the first 26 minutes of the contest was 24-yard field goal by Horst Muhlmann on their first drive of the game. Even that drive caused a major setback for the team, as running back Essex Johnson, the team's leading rusher during the season with 997 yards, suffered a game-ending injury after picking up 14 yards on his first carry.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Facing the prospect of going into their locker room with a 21-3 deficit, the Bengals suddenly stormed back with 13 points in the final 3:26 of the second quarter. First, defensive back Neal Craig intercepted Griese's pass intended for Jim Mandich near the sideline and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. Then the Bengals defense forced a punt and got the ball back on their own 33 with less than two minutes left.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
It took nearly all of that time for the team to cross midfield, but quarterback Ken Anderson finally got them into scoring range with a 22-yard scramble to the Dolphins 38, where Muhlmann made a 46-yard field goal that cut the score to 21-13. Now with just 8 seconds left until halftime, Morris fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Bengals linebacker Jim LeClair recovered on the Dolphins 3-yard line. On the next play, Muhlmann kicked a 12-yard field goal that sent both teams into their locker rooms with a score of 21-16.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
However, Cincinnati's hope of a comeback was quickly crushed in the second half. On the third play of the third quarter, Anderson tried to connect on a deep pass to tight end Bob Trumpy, but it was intercepted by Dick Anderson, who returned the ball 19 yards to the Bengals 28. Seven plays later, Miami went up 28-16 with Griese's 7-yard touchdown pass to Mandich. Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian put the finishing touches on his team's victory with field goals from 50 and 46 yards.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
This was the first postseason meeting between the Bengals and Dolphins.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 27, Los Angeles Rams 16
The Cowboys avenged a 37–31 regular season loss to L.A. as two Rams turnovers in the first quarter gave the Cowboys a 14–0 lead. Lee Roy Jordan's interception of a John Hadl pass on the first play of the game led to Calvin Hill's 3-yard touchdown run. Mel Renfro then recovered a Lawrence McCutcheon fumble on the L.A. 35-yard line to set up the Cowboys again which later resulted in Roger Staubach's 4-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 27, Los Angeles Rams 16
In the second quarter, Toni Fritsch then added a 39-yard field goal to increase Dallas' lead to 17-0. However, a 40-yard reception by Rams receiver Harold Jackson set up David Ray's 33-yard field goal that made the score 17-3. Ray would miss three field goals throughout the game, but made two more to cut the score to 17-9 in the fourth quarter. Then Hill lost a fumble that L.A. converted into Tony Baker's 5-yard touchdown run, making the score 17-16 with 10 minutes left in regulation.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 27, Los Angeles Rams 16
Ever since taking their 17-0 lead in the second quarter, the Cowboys had managed just four first downs and had not crossed midfield, as Staubach faced a relentless pass rush that sacked him seven times (2½ by Jack Youngblood, 2 by Merlin Olsen).


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 27, Los Angeles Rams 16
But when faced with third down and long after an Olsen sack on the ensuing drive, Staubach threw a short pass over the middle to Drew Pearson, and as the Rams were about to stop Pearson for a short gain, defensive backs Dave Elmendorf and Steve Preece collided and fell, allowing Pearson to scamper untouched for an 83-yard touchdown that effectively clinched the game. Fritsch added another field goal for the 27–16 final.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, December 23, 1973, NFC: Dallas Cowboys 27, Los Angeles Rams 16
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and Cowboys.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
The Vikings forced 4 interceptions and recovered 2 fumbles in the second half while also holding Dallas to 152 total yards en route to a 27–10 victory over the Cowboys.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
With the loss of running back Calvin Hill and defensive tackle Bob Lilly to injuries, Dallas' offense could not get anything going. Minnesota jumped to a 10–0 lead by halftime with a Fred Cox field goal and an 86-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Chuck Foreman. The touchdown drive included Fran Tarkenton's completions to tight end Stu Voigt for gains of 16 and 7 yards, a 2-yard run by Foreman on 4th down and 1, and a 12-yard scramble by Tarkenton himself.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
What followed would be an amazingly sloppy second half in which both teams combined for 10 turnovers. Three minutes into the third quarter, Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach threw an interception to Bobby Bryant on the Vikings 2-yard line. But the Cowboys defense forced a punt and Golden Richards returned it 63 yards for a touchdown, cutting the score to 10-7. Tarkenton quickly struck back, throwing a 54-yard touchdown pass to John Gilliam, who managed to outrun single coverage by Cowboys future Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Renfro. Dallas responded with Toni Fritsch's 17-yard field goal which cut the lead to 17–10.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
Then a wave of turnovers began. On the ensuing possession, Dallas got a huge opportunity to score when Charlie Waters forced a fumble from Foreman that safety Cliff Harris recovered on the Minnesota 37. However, the Vikings took the ball right back when Staubach threw a pass that was deflected into the arms of linebacker Jeff Siemon. An even better scoring chance awaited the Cowboys at the end of the Vikings' next drive, as Tarkenton threw an interception to Waters on the Minnesota 24.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
But Dallas fared no better this time, losing the ball again when Jim Marshall knocked it out of Staubach's hand as he wound up for a pass, and defensive lineman Gary Larsen recovered it. The offensive futility continued with Minnesota, as their next drive ended with a fumbled handoff exchange between Tarkenton and Foreman that Dallas lineman Larry Cole recovered on the Vikings 47-yard line.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
A few plays later, Dallas faced 3rd and 3 with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Staubach attempted a pass to Bob Hayes near the right sideline, but Bryant intercepted the pass and raced 63 yards for a touchdown that put the Vikings up 24-10. Then on Dallas' next drive, Staubach tried to connect with Drew Pearson, but a devastating hit by Nate Wright caused the ball to bounce off his hands and into the arms of defensive back Jeff Wright, who returned the ball 13 yards to set up Cox's 34-yard game clinching field goal.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
Both teams combined for a net total of just 163 passing yards. Tarkenton completed only 10/21 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown with one interception, while also rushing for 16 yards. Staubach had one of the worst postseason performances of his career, completing just 10/21 passes for 89 yards and throwing 4 interceptions, though he did rush for 30 yards. Foreman was the top offensive performer of the day with 76 rushing yards and 4 receptions for 28, while fullback Oscar Reed added 18 carries for 75 yards and an 8-yard catch.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, NFC: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 10
This was the second postseason meeting between the Vikings and Cowboys, with Dallas winning the only previous meeting.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 27, Oakland Raiders 10
Miami threw only six passes during the game, completing just 3 for 34 yards, but gained 266 rushing yards (more than Oakland's total yards for the game) on 53 carries. Running back Larry Csonka led the Dolphins to a victory with 117 rushing yards and an AFC playoff record 3 rushing touchdowns.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 27, Oakland Raiders 10
Miami scored on an opening 64-yard drive when quarterback Bob Griese's 27-yard run set up Csonka's 11-yard rushing touchdown. Csonka scored again late in the second quarter at the end of a 63-yard drive that took more than 8 minutes off the clock, finishing it with a 2-yard touchdown run to make the score 14–0 with 14 seconds left in the half.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 27, Oakland Raiders 10
Oakland managed to get on the board in the third quarter with a 21-yard George Blanda field goal, but this was quickly countered with a 42-yard Garo Yepremian field goal set up by Charlie Leigh's 53-yard kickoff return. Oakland then drove 78 yards and scored on Ken Stabler's 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Siani, cutting the lead to 17–10. In the fourth quarter, after Griese's 17-yard run on a QB draw set up Yepremian's 26-yard field goal, the Raiders were faced with fourth down and inches on the Dolphins 42 and were forced to "go for it".


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 27, Oakland Raiders 10
But running back Marv Hubbard fumbled the ball while trying to get through the line. The ball bounced into the hands of Stabler, who was tackled for a loss by defensive back Dick Anderson, and the Dolphins used their running game to take time off the clock and set up Csonka's third touchdown to clinch the game.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, December 30, 1973, AFC: Miami Dolphins 27, Oakland Raiders 10
This was the second postseason meeting between the Raiders and Dolphins, with Oakland winning the only previous meeting.


1973–74 NFL playoffs, Super Bowl VIII: Miami Dolphins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Vikings and Dolphins.


1973–74 NHL season
The 1973–74 NHL season was the 57th season of the National Hockey League. The Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup championship, the team's first. The team was the first of the post-1967 teams to win the Cup.


1973–74 NHL season, League business
With owner Charles O. Finley unable to find a buyer, the league took over operation of the troubled California Golden Seals in February 1974.


1973–74 NHL season, Regular season
The Philadelphia Flyers, who developed the nickname "Broad Street Bullies" because of their physical style of play, dethroned the Chicago Black Hawks as the West Division champions behind the dominant play of Bobby Clarke and Bernie Parent.


1973–74 NHL season, Regular season
In the East Division, the Boston Bruins regained the top spot in the East and the league, behind an ongoing offensive juggernaut that saw Bruins' players finish 1–2–3–4 in NHL scoring (Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr, Ken Hodge and Wayne Cashman) for the second and most recent time in league history.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs
The playoffs began on April 9 with the first round, which was played between divisional opponents. The top teams all won their first rounds, with one mild upset, as the third-place New York Rangers defeated the second-place Montreal Canadiens, marking the third straight year that they had defeated the defending  Stanley Cup champions in the first round. In the second round, the teams played an inter-divisional round to determine the finalists. The Eastern champion Boston Bruins took on the Western's second-place Chicago Black Hawks, while the Western champion Philadelphia Flyers took on the New York Rangers.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs
Boston won its series in six games to take one Finals spot, while Philadelphia won its series against the New York Rangers in seven games to make the team's first Finals appearance. With Philadelphia defeating the NY Rangers in the semi-finals, this marked the first time a post 1967 NHL expansion team had ever won a playoff series against an Original Six opponent.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs
In the Finals, the Flyers won the series in six games against the Bruins to win not only the franchise's first championship but also to become the first post 1967 NHL expansion team and thus the first non 'Original Six' NHL team to win the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Maroons in 1935.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Quarterfinals, (E1) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) Toronto Maple Leafs
The Boston Bruins finished first in the league with 113 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished fourth in the East Division with 86 points. This was the 13th playoff meeting between these two teams. Toronto lead 8–4 in previous meetings. Boston won their most recent meeting in five games in the 1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. Boston won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Quarterfinals, (E2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (E3) New York Rangers
The Montreal Canadiens finished second in the East Division with 99 points. The New York Rangers finished third with 94 points. This was the 11th playoff meeting between these two teams with the teams splitting the ten previous series. They last met in the 1972 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals which New York won in six games. Montreal won four of the six games in this year's regular season series.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Quarterfinals, (W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (W4) Atlanta Flames
The Philadelphia Flyers finished first in the West Division and second in the league with 112 points. The Atlanta Flames finished fourth with 74 points, the lowest points earned by any playoff team in 1974. The Atlanta Flames made their first playoff appearance in their second season after entering the league in the previous year. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Quarterfinals, (W2) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (W3) Los Angeles Kings
The Chicago Black Hawks finished second in the West Division with 105 points. The Los Angeles Kings finished third in the West Division with 78 points. This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. Chicago won this year's six-game regular season series earning eight of twelve points.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Semifinals, (E1) Boston Bruins vs. (W2) Chicago Black Hawks
This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Boston winning all three previous series. Boston won their most recent meeting in a four-game sweep in the 1970 Stanley Cup Semifinals. Chicago won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Semifinals, (W1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (E3) New York Rangers
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. New York won this year's five-game regular season series earning six of ten points.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Bruins made their thirteenth Finals appearance; winning in their last appearance in 1972 where they defeated the New York Rangers in six games. The Flyers made their first Finals appearance in their seventh season since entering the league in the 1967–68 NHL season. Boston won this year's five-game regular season series earning seven of ten points. Boston was the prohibitive favorite entering the series.


1973–74 NHL season, Playoffs, Stanley Cup Finals
However, the Philadelphia Flyers stunned the Bruins in six games to become the first non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup since 1935 and the first expansion team to do so since the league began expanding in 1967.


1973–74 NHL season, Awards
A new award, the Jack Adams for the best coach, was introduced for this season. The first winner was Fred Shero of the Philadelphia Flyers.


1973–74 NHL season, Player statistics, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes


1973–74 NHL season, Player statistics, Leading goaltenders
Note: GP = Games played; Min – Minutes Played; GA = Goals Against; GAA = Goals Against Average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts


1973–74 NHL season, Debuts
The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1973–74 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):


1973–74 NHL season, Last games
The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1973–74 (listed with their last team):


1973–74 NHL season, Last games
NOTE: Frank Mahovlich would finish his major professional career in the World Hockey Association.


1973–74 NK Hajduk Split season
The 1974–75 season was the 63rd season in Hajduk Split’s history and their 28th season in the Yugoslav First League. Their 8th place finish in the 1972–73 season meant it was their 28th successive season playing in the Yugoslav First League.


1973–74 NTFL season
The 1973/74 NTFL season was the 53rd season of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL).


1973–74 NTFL season
Waratah have won there 12th premiership title while defeating the Nightcliff Tigers in the grand final by 3 points.


1973–74 National Basketball League season
The 1973–74 Clarks Men's Shoes National Basketball League season was the second season of the newly formulated National Basketball League.


1973–74 National Basketball League season
The league was sponsored by Clarks Men's Shoes and the number of teams increased to eight. The Avenue club moved from Leyton to Edmonton and the Sutton club merged with Crystal Palace. Four new teams appeared in the form of the Doncaster Panthers, the Manchester Giants and two more London based teams the Islington & London Latvian Embassy All-Stars and the London YMCA Metros.


1973–74 National Basketball League season
The Sutton & Crystal Palace team completed the double of National League and Cup beginning what would soon be a dynasty for the Crystal Palace team. There were no play offs for the League during this era and an American called Jim Guymon was the season MVP.


1973–74 National Football League (Ireland)
The 1973–74 National Football League was the 43rd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland.


1973–74 National Football League (Ireland)
Kerry beat Roscommon in the final to complete a four-in-a-row.


1973–74 National Hurling League
The 1973–74 National Hurling League was the 43rd season of the National Hurling League.


1973–74 National Hurling League, Division 1
Wexford came into the season as defending champions of the 1972-73 season.


1973–74 National Hurling League, Division 1
On 5 May 1974, Cork won the title following a 6–15 to 1–12 win over Limerick in the final. It was their 10th league title overall and their first since 1971-72.


1973–74 National Hurling League, Division 1
Dublin's Pat Quigley was the Division 1 top scorer with 2-49.


1973–74 Nationalliga A, Overview
The Nationalliga A season 1973–74 was contested under 14 teams. These were the top 12 teams from the previous 1972–73 season and the two newly promoted teams Xamax and Chênois. The championship was played in a double round robin. The champions would qualify for the 1974–75 European Cup, the second and third placed teams were to qualify for 1974–75 UEFA Cup and the last two teams in the table at the end of the season were to be relegated. Zürich won the championship 12 points ahead of Grasshopper Club, 13 ahead of the Servette and Winterthur. La Chaux-de-Fonds and Chiasso suffered relegation.


1973–74 Nationalliga A season
The 1973–74 Nationalliga A season was the 36th season of the Nationalliga A, the top level of ice hockey in Switzerland. Eight teams participated in the league, and SC Bern won the championship.


1973–74 New England Whalers season
The 1973–74 New England Whalers season was the second season of the Whalers' franchise. The Whalers qualified for the playoffs for the second-straight season to attempt to defend their championship. They were defeated in the first round by the Chicago Cougars.


1973–74 New England Whalers season, Draft picks
New England's draft picks at the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft.


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season
The 1973–74 New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights season was the second season of operation of the franchise in the World Hockey Association.


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season
The club was known as the New York Raiders in the previous season. With a change in ownership, the financially challenged team was renamed the New York Golden Blades for the start of this season. The team drew as few as 500 ticket buyers to some home games, and the latest (of 18) owners folded operations. The league took over operations and moved the team to the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey on November 21, 1973, renaming the franchise the Jersey Knights.


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season
This was the last season of operation in the Northeast megalopolis area, as the franchise relocated to San Diego, California, becoming the San Diego Mariners for the 1974–75 WHA season.


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season, Player stats
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals      MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season, Transactions
Jim McLeod traded to Los Angeles Sharks for Russ Gillow & Earl Heiskala, January, 1974. Earl Heiskala refused to report and was suspended.


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season, Transactions
Bobby Sheehan to Edmonton Oilers for future considerations (Bob Falkenburg), March, 1974.


1973–74 New York Golden Blades/New Jersey Knights season, Draft picks
New York's draft picks at the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft.


1973–74 New York Islanders season
The 1973–74 New York Islanders season was the second season for the New York Islanders franchise in the National Hockey League. During the regular season, the Islanders finished in eighth place in the East Division with a 19–41–18 record and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight year.


1973–74 New York Islanders season, Player statistics
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals      MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts;


1973–74 New York Islanders season, Draft picks
The 1973 NHL Amateur Draft was  held on May 15, 1973, at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.


1973–74 New York Knicks season
The 1973–74 New York Knicks season was the 28th season for the team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Knicks entered the season as the defending NBA champions, having defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1973 NBA Finals in five games to win their second championship. In the regular season, the Knicks finished in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 49–33 record, and qualified for the NBA Playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.


1973–74 New York Knicks season
New York opened the 1974 playoffs against the Capital Bullets. With a 4–3 series victory, the Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they faced the Boston Celtics. The Celtics, who later won the NBA Finals, defeated the Knicks in five games, ending New York's title defense.


1973–74 New York Knicks season, Draft picks
Note: This is not an extensive list; it only covers the first and second rounds, and any other players picked by the franchise that played at least one game in the league.


1973–74 New York Nets season
The 1973–74 New York Nets season was the seventh season in the ABA basketball New York Nets franchise. The Nets won their first ABA Championship against the Utah Stars.


1973–74 New York Nets season, Offseason, Exhibition games
On September 18, 1973, the Nets opened the ABA vs. NBA exhibition season against the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. Playing in Binghamton, New York, the Nets beat the 76ers 94–88. On September 28 the Nets again faced the 76ers, this time in Trenton, New Jersey. The Nets also won this matchup, 118–100.


1973–74 New York Nets season, Offseason, Exhibition games
On September 29, in White Plains, New York, the Nets faced the Washington Bullets. Julius Erving scored a game-high 42 points as the Nets won 127–121.


1973–74 New York Nets season, Offseason, Exhibition games
On October 2, 17,226 fans showed up at Madison Square Garden to watch the Nets play the New York Knicks. Erving scored 27 points, 12 of them in the third quarter, as the Nets won 97–87.


1973–74 New York Nets season, Offseason, Exhibition games
On October 7 the Nets took their 4–0 streak against NBA teams into a contest with the Boston Celtics in Uniondale, New York. Erving scored 23 points, but John Havlicek scored 37 for Boston as the Celtics won, 121–102.


1973–74 New York Nets season, Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; MIN= Minutes; STL= Steals; REB = Rebounds; ASST = Assists; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points


1973–74 New York Rangers season
The 1973–74 New York Rangers season was the 48th season for the team in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Rangers compiled 94 points during the regular season and finished third in the East Division. The team made the Stanley Cup playoffs, where New York defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–2 in the quarter-finals. The Rangers then lost in a seven-game semi-finals series to the Philadelphia Flyers, who went on to win the Stanley Cup that season.


1973–74 New York Rangers season, Player statistics
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Rangers. Stats reflect time with Rangers only. ‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with Rangers only.


1973–74 New York Rangers season, Draft picks
New York's picks at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.


1973–74 Newport County A.F.C. season
The 1973–74 season was Newport County's 12th consecutive season in the Football League Fourth Division since relegation at the end of the  1961–62 season and their 46th overall in the Football League.


1973–74 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 1973–74 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1973–74 men's college basketball season.


1973–74 Northern Football League
The 1973–74 Northern Football League season was the 76th in the history of Northern Football League, a football competition in England.


1973–74 Northern Football League, Clubs
Division One featured 20 clubs which competed in the league last season, no new clubs joined the division this season.


1973–74 Northern Premier League
The 1973–74 Northern Premier League was the sixth season of the Northern Premier League, a regional football league in Northern England, the northern areas of the Midlands and North Wales. The season began on 11 August 1973 and concluded on 9 May 1974.


1973–74 Northern Premier League, Overview, Team changes
The following club left the League at the end of the previous season:


1973–74 Northern Premier League, Overview, Team changes
The following club joined the League at the start of the season:


1973–74 Northern Premier League, Overview, League table
The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976–77 season.


1973–74 Northern Premier League, Cup results, Northern Premier League Shield
Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.


1973–74 Northern Premier League, Cup results, FA Cup
Out of the twenty-four clubs from the Northern Premier League, only three teams reached for the second round:


1973–74 Northern Premier League, Cup results, FA Trophy
Out of the twenty-four clubs from the Northern Premier League, four teams reached for the fourth round:


1973–74 Northern Premier League, End of the season
At the end of the sixth season of the Northern Premier League none of the teams put forward for election received enough votes to be promoted to the Football League. Bradford Park Avenue folded.


1973–74 Northern Premier League, End of the season, Football League elections
Alongside the four Football League teams facing re-election, a total of seven non-League teams applied for election, one of which were from the Northern Premier League. All four Football League teams were re-elected.


1973–74 Northern Premier League, End of the season, Promotion and relegation
The following club left the league at the end of the season:


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season
The 1973–74 Rugby Football League season was the 79th season of rugby league football.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
1973-1974 saw two division rugby re-introduced. The Championship play offs were done away with and the league leaders were declared the champions. A "Club Championship" was played in place of the play offs but this was a one-off precursor to what became the end of season Premiership. It was a complicated format that involved sides from both divisions.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
On 25 April, David Watkins of Salford scored the last of 929 points (41 tries, 403 goals) in a record run of scoring in 92 consecutive games for one club.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
Keith Mumby made his début for Bradford Northern this season as the club's youngest ever player, aged 16. In a match against Doncaster this season he scored 12 goals and a try. He went on to become the club's record appearance holder, playing 576 games.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
Salford won their fifth Championship. Oldham, Hull Kingston Rovers, Leigh and Whitehaven were demoted to the Second Division.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
The Challenge Cup winners were Warrington who beat Featherstone Rovers 24-9 in the final.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
The Player's No.6 Trophy winners were Warrington who beat Rochdale Hornets 24-17 in the final.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
The Club Championship was won by Warrington who beat St. Helens 13-12 in the final.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy winners were Bramley  who beat Widnes 15-7 in the final.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
2nd Division Champions were: Bradford Northern, and they York, Keighley and Halifax were promoted to the First Division.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Season summary
Wigan beat Salford 19–9 to win the Lancashire County Cup, and Leeds beat Wakefield Trinity 7–2 to win the Yorkshire County Cup.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Challenge Cup
Warrington defeated Huddersfield, Huyton, Wigan and Dewsbury to get to the final against Featherstone Rovers. Captained by Alex Murphy, Warrington beat Featherstone Rovers 24-9 in the final played at Wembley in front of a crowd of 77,400.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Challenge Cup
This was Warrington’s fourth Cup Final win in ten Final appearances. Derek Whitehead, Warrington's full-back won the Lance Todd Trophy for man-of-the-match.


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Kangaroo Tour
From September until December also saw the appearance of the Australian team in England on their 1973 Kangaroo Tour. Other than the three test Ashes series against Great Britain (won 2–1 by Australia), The Kangaroos played matches against club and county representative sides


1973–74 Northern Rugby Football League season, Kangaroo Tour
The 1978 Kangaroos were captain-coached by champion St George Dragons fullback Graeme Langlands who was making his third tour following from 1963–64 and 1967–68


1973–74 Norwegian 1. Divisjon season
The 1973–74 Norwegian 1. Divisjon season was the 35th season of ice hockey in Norway. Ten teams participated in the league, and Hasle-Loren Idrettslag won the championship.


1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
The 1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1973–74 season. The team was coached by Digger Phelps and was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the entirety of the season.


1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
Forward John Shumate was the team's captain and leading scorer, averaging 24.2 points per game. After the season, Shumate was selected as a first-team player on the 1974 All-America team.


1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
The team's sole loss was by a 77–68 score against Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.


1973–74 OB I bajnoksag season
The 1973–74 OB I bajnokság season was the 37th season of the OB I bajnokság, the top level of ice hockey in Hungary. Four teams participated in the league, and Ferencvarosi TC won the championship.


1973–74 PAOK FC season
The 1973–74 season was PAOK Football Club's 48th in existence and the club's 15th consecutive season in the top flight of Greek football. The team entered the Greek Football Cup in first round, and also participated in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup reaching the quarter-finals.


1973–74 PAOK FC season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1973–74 PAOK FC season, Statistics, Squad statistics
Appearances denote players in the starting lineup, with the numbers in parentheses denoting appearances as substitute.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
The 1973–74 season was Paris Saint-Germain's 4th season in existence. PSG mainly played their home league games at the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, but occasionally at the Parc des Princes and the Stade Jean-Bouin (both in Paris) as well, registering an average attendance of 4,087 spectators per match. The club was presided by Daniel Hechter and the team was coached by co-managers Just Fontaine and Robert Vicot. Jean-Pierre Dogliani was the team captain.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
Paris Saint-Germain really took flight when fashion designer Daniel Hechter took over and offered his financial support to the club. Shortly before the start of the campaign, he replaced Henri Patrelle as president and named Francis Borelli as vice-president. Hechter then shocked the national game. He appointed French legend Just Fontaine as co-manager with Robert Vicot and signed several prestigious players like Jean-Pierre Dogliani, Jean Deloffre and Louis Cardiet.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season
The Parisians finished second in Group B of the 1973–74 French Division 2 and qualified for the promotion playoffs. Valenciennes won 2–1 at home, but the capital club recorded an incredible 4–2 comeback in the second game, thus sealing its spot in the 1974–75 French Division 1 and regaining its professional status abandoned two years earlier. Since then, PSG have always played in the top flight. The club's tradition of brilliant Coupe de France runs also started in the 1973–74 edition. PSG reached the quarterfinals after beating Metz at Parc des Princes in front of 25,000 spectators, before being ousted by Reims.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Transfers, Arrivals
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Transfers, Departures
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1973–74 Paris Saint-Germain F.C. season, Kits
Canadian soft-drink brand Canada Dry was the shirt sponsor. French sportswear brand Le Coq Sportif was the kit manufacturer.


1973–74 Philadelphia 76ers season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 76ers 25th season in the NBA & 11th season in Philadelphia. The team improved from a league history worst 9 wins to 25 wins, thanks to a fruitful 1973 NBA Draft which yielded overall #1 pick Doug Collins. Eventual 76er mainstays George McGinnis and Caldwell Jones were also selected by the team, but both would opt for the ABA.


1973–74 Philadelphia 76ers season
Fred Carter was the team's leading scorer who averaged over 20 points a game & Doug Collins was a rookie on this squad who was the #1 overall draft choice from Illinois State in the 1973 draft.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season
The 1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season was the Flyers' seventh season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Flyers became the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. Prior to this season, no post-1967 expansion team had either beaten an Original Six team in a playoff round or won a Stanley Cup Final game.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season
Goaltender Bernie Parent, an "Original Flyer", returned to the franchise in the off-season, and the Flyers proved that the expansion teams could challenge the Original Six in 1973–74. The Bullies continued their rough-and-tumble ways, led by Dave Schultz's 348 penalty minutes, and reached the top of the West Division with a record of 50–16–12. The return of Parent proved to be of great benefit as he established himself as one of if not the best goaltender in the league by winning 47 games, a record which stood for 33 years. Since the Flyers, along with Chicago, allowed the fewest goals in the league, Parent also shared the Vezina Trophy with Chicago's Tony Esposito.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season
Come playoff time, the Flyers swept the Atlanta Flames in four games in the first round. In the semi-finals, the Flyers faced the New York Rangers. The series, which saw the home team win every game, went seven games. The Flyers had home-ice advantage as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals by winning Game 7. Their opponent, Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins, took Game 1 in Boston, but Bobby Clarke scored an overtime goal in Game 2 to even the series.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season
The Flyers won Games 3 and 4 at home to take a 3–1 series lead, but Boston won Game 5 to stave off elimination. That set the stage for Game 6 at the Spectrum. The Flyers picked up the lead early when Rick MacLeish scored a first-period goal. Late in the game, Orr hauled down Clarke on a breakaway, a penalty which assured the Flyers of victory. Time expired as the Flyers brought the Stanley Cup to Philadelphia for the first time. Parent, having shut out Boston in Game 6, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Playoff MVP.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season
The 1973–74 season opened on October 11, 1973, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This was the first time Kate Smith performed "God Bless America" in person at a Flyers' game. The Flyers started strong to begin the season winning their first four games and only allowing their opponents to score three goals total while they netted 18. The Flyers were 29–11–6 heading into the All Star Game. The Flyers were represented in the All Star Game by Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Ed Van Impe and Joe Watson. The Flyers finished 1st in the Western Division, seven points ahead of the second place Chicago Black Hawks.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season
The team was led offensively by Bobby Clarke, who led the team in goals with 35, assists with 52 and points with 87. He finished fifth among scoring leader in points. Clarke was named a 2nd Team All Stars along with defenseman Barry Ashbee. Clarke was followed by Bill Barber in goals (34), and by Rick MacLeish both in assists (45) and in points (77).


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Regular season
In net, the Flyers were led by goaltender Bernie Parent, who went 47–13–12, posted a 1.89 goals against average (136 goals against on 2038 shots) and 12 shutouts. Parent's 47 wins was a record until Martin Brodeur won 48 games in the 2006–07 NHL season. It remains the record for most regulation wins by a goaltender in a single season as several of Brodeur's wins came in overtime and the shootout, neither of which existed in the 1970s. Parent was a co-winner of the Vezina Trophy, which was awarded at the time to any goaltenders who played 25 or more games for the team allowing the fewest goals against, with Black Hawks' goaltender Tony Esposito.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Playoffs
The Flyers opened the post season against the 4th place Atlanta Flames. The Flyers swept the Atlanta Flames in four games with a combined score of 17–6. Rick MacLeish led the Flyers with four goals during the series. He scored a natural hat-trick in Game 2.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Playoffs
The Flyers headed into a grueling semi-finals match up against the New York Rangers, who had won the regular season series 2–1–2. The series opened up in Philadelphia at the Spectrum with the Flyers shutting out the Rangers 4–0 in Game 1 and taking Game 2 5–2. The series switched back to New York and the Rangers would take Game 3 5–3 and Game 4 in overtime 2–1. The Flyers won Game 5 at home 4–1. With the Rangers on the verge of defeat in Game 6 the Rangers won 4–1. In Game 7 Gary Dornhoefer scored the game-winning goal with 10:59 left in the third. Rick MacLeish again led the Flyers in scoring in this series with seven goals. The home team was the winner of every game in the series.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Playoffs
This set up a Stanley Cup Finals matchup against the Boston Bruins, who won the season series 3–1–1. The series opened in Boston at the Boston Garden with Boston winning Game 1, 3–2 and the Flyers winning Game 2, 3–2 in overtime on a Bobby Clarke goal. The series moved to Philadelphia where the Flyers won Game 3, 4–1 and Game 4, 4–2. The series returned to Boston and Bruins won Game 5, 5–1. The series returned to Philadelphia for Game 6. Kate Smith performed "God Bless America" to a sell out crowd of 17,007 prior to the game.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Playoffs
The Flyers won their first Stanley Cup on the lone goal of the game by Rick MacLeish in the first period. With seconds left on the Clock Gene Hart, the Flyers play-by-play announcer, made his famous call "Ladies and gentlemen, the Flyers are going to win the Stanley Cup. The Flyers win the Stanley Cup. The Flyers win the Stanley Cup. The Flyers have won the Stanley Cup!". Bernie Parent was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions
The Flyers were involved in the following transactions from May 11, 1973, the day after the deciding game of the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals, through May 19, 1974, the day of the deciding game of the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Signings, Free agency
The following players were signed by the Flyers via free agency.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Signings, Internal
The following players were either re-signed by the Flyers or, in the case of the team's selections in the NHL Entry Draft, signed to contracts.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, NHL Intra-League Draft
The 1973 NHL Intra-League Draft was held on June 12, 1973. Each NHL team placed 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders on a protected list from which the other teams could not select. It cost $40,000 to make a claim. The Flyers were not involved in any selections during the draft.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Transactions, Departures
The following players left the team via free agency, release, or retirement. Players who were under contract and left the team during the season are marked with an asterisk (*).


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Draft picks
Philadelphia's picks at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft, which was held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec on May 15, 1973.


1973–74 Philadelphia Flyers season, Farm teams
The Flyers were affiliated with the Richmond Robins of the AHL and the San Diego Gulls of the WHL. Rene Drolet led the Robins with 73 points and Richmond finished 4th in their division and lost in five games to the Baltimore Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. San Diego finished 3rd in the 6-team WHL's final season in existence. The Gulls also ceased operations once the Jersey Knights of the WHA moved to San Diego and became the San Diego Mariners.


1973–74 Phoenix Suns season
The 1973–74 Phoenix Suns season was the sixth for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. It was the first of 14 seasons head coach John MacLeod spent with Phoenix. The season would also be the last for former All-Star forward/center Connie Hawkins, traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after appearing in nine games for the Suns. Charlie Scott would repeat as an All-Star, but who missed 30 games due to injury despite his NBA career-high 25.4 points a game. The team went on to finish the season 30–52, a career-worst for MacLeod and the franchise's poorest record since their inaugural season.


1973–74 Phoenix Suns season
Dick Van Arsdale averaged 17.8 points on the season, while Neal Walk averaged 16.8 points and a team-high 10.2 rebounds per contest. Keith Erickson, obtained by the Suns along with a future second round pick in the Hawkins trade, enjoyed a career-high 14.6 points a game in his ninth year in the NBA and first with Phoenix.


1973–74 Phoenix Suns season
Van Arsdale was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team, while Mike Bantom, a rookie out of Saint Joseph's, was named to the All-Rookie Team.


1973–74 Phoenix Suns season, Player statistics, Season
* – Stats with the Suns. † – Minimum 560 field goal attempts. ^ – Minimum 160 free throw attempts. + – Minimum 70 games played.


1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's seventh season in the National Hockey League. The 'Century Line' of Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost was established this season. The trio took their name as a result of combining for more than 100 goals over the course of the year.


1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Playoffs
The Penguins failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.


1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Player statistics
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. ‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.


1973–74 Pittsburgh Penguins season, Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1973–74 season:


1973–74 Polska Liga Hokejowa season
The 1973–74 Polska Liga Hokejowa season was the 39th season of the Polska Liga Hokejowa, the top level of ice hockey in Poland. 10 teams participated in the league, and Podhale Nowy Targ won the championship.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season
The 1973–74 season was Port Vale's 62nd season of football in the Football League, and their fourth successive season (tenth overall) in the Third Division. They finished in twentieth spot, though were seven points clear of relegation. Manager Gordon Lee left the club in January, and was replaced by club legend Roy Sproson.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division
The pre-season saw Sammy Morgan sold to Aston Villa for £22,222 (plus top-up fees). Gordon Lee drafted in tall young players David Harris and John Ridley from the youth set-up, as well as versatile Keith Chadwick from Crewe Alexandra. The club also erected a 2.5 feet high steel fence around the Bycars End to help combat hooliganism.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division
The season opened with four games unbeaten, though Tommy McLaren soon damaged his ligaments, and the team suffered in his absence. On 1 October, Vale beat Wrexham 1–0 in an 'ugly' game that saw five players booked and Colin Tartt and opposition player Arfon Griffiths separated by police following a scrap in the tunnel. Later in the month Roy Cross badly injured his knee, and would later have to leave the professional game due to the injury. Vale slipped down the league, and by Christmas they were sixth from bottom, with only John Woodward in good form.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division
Lee then took out striker Keith Leonard on loan from Aston Villa, and bought left-back Neil Griffiths from Chester for a £5,000 fee. He also changed the formation from 4–4–2 to 4–3–3, hoping to give Brian Horton more room in the centre of the park. After an upturn in form in the new year, Bill Summerscales broke his neck, and Lee departed for the management position at Blackburn Rovers. Lee had been seen to have done an excellent job with little money.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division
In his place club legend Roy Sproson was appointed as caretaker manager, who advocated an 'entertaining' style of play as opposed to battling for every point. Winning his first match 1–0 at Shrewsbury Town, he cracked his head on the concrete trainer's box after leaping up to celebrate McLaren's goal. On 17 February, 8,505 turned up at Vale Park to witness a 3–1 win over high-flying Bristol Rovers in an experimental Sunday game. Later Leonard returned to Villa Park at the end of his loan deal, and £5,000 was not enough to tempt Villa to part with his services permanently.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division
From mid-March Vale went eleven games without a win, and on 25 March they could have ended this run, but 'a shocking mistake' from Alan Boswell handed Walsall an equalizer as he palmed a header into his own net. The team continued to rack up yellow cards, and following a warning from The Football Association, Sproson arranged for local referee Roy Capey to lecture the players on sportsmanship. In the middle of April, Sproson was given the management job on a permanent basis, despite his team falling to fifth from bottom. Sproson stated that he was 'calculated' and 'controlled', compared to Lee who 'fizzes like a bottle of pop'. By the time they broke their poor run with a 2–1 home win over managerless Charlton Athletic, other results had already ensured their safety from the drop.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Third Division
They finished in twentieth position with 42 points, though this meant they were seven points clear of relegated Cambridge United in 21st place.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Finances
On the financial side, an average home attendance of under 4,000 failed to prevent a profit of £17,831. This profit came from the early sale of Morgan, and donations of £16,443 from the Sportsmen's Association and the Development Fund. The club's total debt stood at £121,647, as Chairman Singer warned of more player sales to balance the books. Two players leaving for free at the end of the season were Bobby Gough (Southport) and Alan Boswell (Oswestry Town) – Boswell was described as 'capable of brilliant saves and conceding soft goals'.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the FA Cup, Vale won away at Stockport County 1–0, before advancing past Northern Premier League Scarborough in the Second Round. After a 1–1 draw in Burslem with Second Division Luton Town, they lost the replay at Kenilworth Road 4–2.


1973–74 Port Vale F.C. season, Overview, Cup competitions
In the League Cup, Vale exited at the first stage with a 2–0 defeat at Edgeley Park to Fourth Division Stockport County.


1973–74 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 1973–74 season was the fourth season of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Blazers finished at 27–55, a six-game improvement from the previous season.


1973–74 Primeira Divisão, Overview
It was contested by 16 teams, and Sporting Clube de Portugal won the championship.


1973–74 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team
The 1973–74 Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball team represented Purdue University during the 1973–74 college basketball season. They finished the regular season with a record of 17–9 and received an invitation to the 1974 National Invitation Tournament, where they won the championship.


1973–74 QMJHL season
The 1973–74 QMJHL season was the fifth season in the history of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. East and west divisions resumed with the addition of two new teams, the Hull Festivals and Chicoutimi Saguenéens. Eleven teams played 70 games each in the schedule, up from the 64 games the previous season.


1973–74 QMJHL season
The season sparked an offensive explosion, unmatched in Canadian Hockey League history. The Sorel Éperviers finished first overall in the regular season, and set a CHL record of 620 goals scored as a team. Three Sorel players, Pierre Larouche, Michel Deziel and Jacques Cossette, had more than 90 goals and 200 points each. Sorel goalkeeper Claude Legris won the top goaltender award, despite posting a 4.50 goals against average; the highest GAA of any Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy winner to date.


1973–74 QMJHL season
Pierre Larouche set a Canadian junior ice hockey record scoring record for most points scored in a season with 251, that lasted until the 1983–84 QMJHL season when broken by Mario Lemieux. Three different players, Mike Bossy, Alain Daigle and Bob Sirois each scored 70 goals or more in the season, yet none were in the top ten league scoring leaders.


1973–74 QMJHL season
The Quebec Remparts finished second place in the regular season despite scoring 531 goals as a team, the second highest in CHL history. Quebec won the President's Cup, defeating the first place Sorel Éperviers in the finals.


1973–74 QMJHL season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; Pts = Points; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against


1973–74 QMJHL season, Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in Minutes


1973–74 QMJHL season, Playoffs
Jacques Locas was the leading scorer of the playoffs with 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists).


1973–74 Quebec Nordiques season
The 1973–74 Quebec Nordiques season was the Nordiques second season, as they were coming off a 33–40–5 record, earning 71 points, failing to qualify for the playoffs in their first season.


1973–74 Quebec Nordiques season
The Nordiques would replace head coach Maurice Filion in the off-season, and name recently retired NHL superstar goaltender Jacques Plante as head coach of the team. The club also acquired Serge Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings and Rejean Houle from the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL to try to spark the offense.


1973–74 Quebec Nordiques season
The Nordiques would improve and finish over .500 for the first time in team history with a 38–36–4 record, however, they would once again come up short for a playoff berth, finishing only 1 point behind the Chicago Cougars for the final spot.


1973–74 Quebec Nordiques season
Offensively, Quebec was led by Serge Bernier, as he would post a team best 86 points, scoring a Nordiques record 37 goals along the way. Bob Guindon would have a very solid season, scoring 31 goals and 70 points, while Alain Coron would also score 31 goals while appearing in only 59 games due to injuries. Defenseman J. C. Tremblay would anchor the defense, scoring 9 goals and earning 53 points, while Pierre Roy supplied the team toughness, recording 137 penalty minutes in only 44 games.


1973–74 Quebec Nordiques season
In goal, Richard Brodeur would lead the Nordiques in wins with 15 and save percentage at .901, while Michel DeGuise would post a team best 3.29 GAA, playing in a team high 32 games. Serge Aubry also had some playing time, winning 11 games.


1973–74 RFU Knockout Cup
The 1973–74 RFU Knockout Cup was the third edition of England's premier rugby union club competition at the time. Coventry won the competition for the second successive year defeating London Scottish in the final. The final was held at Twickenham Stadium.


1973–74 Rangers F.C. season
The 1973–74 season was the 94th season of competitive football by Rangers.


1973–74 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
Rangers played a total of 51 competitive matches during the 1973–74 season. This was the club's centenary season, however, the start to the league championship was poor with no goals in the first four home games which left the side with just seven points from their first six league matches. This early blip meant Rangers were always chasing the title and eventually finished third, five points behind champions Celtic.


1973–74 Rangers F.C. season, Overview
The League Cup campaign saw an Old Firm semi-final. A 3–1 win for Celtic saw them through to the final. The Scottish Cup did not prove any better as the club exited the competition thanks to a 3–0 defeat to Dundee. The European Cup Winners' Cup run was ended in the second round at the hands of Borussia Mönchengladbach.


1973–74 Ranji Trophy
The 1973–74 Ranji Trophy was the 40th season of the Ranji Trophy. Karnataka ended Bombay's sequence of 15 consecutive titles by defeating them on first innings in the semifinal. They defeated Rajasthan by 185 runs in the final to win their first Ranji Trophy.


1973–74 Real Madrid CF season
The 1973–74 season is Real Madrid Club de Fútbol's 71st season in existence and the club's 42nd consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football.


1973–74 Real Madrid CF season, Summary
During the summer, the Spanish Football Federation lifted the ban on foreign player transfers after eleven seasons, so, the club was able to buy Argentine forward Oscar Más, German midfielder Günter Netzer, teenage defender José Antonio Camacho and youngster Vicente del Bosque. The club finished in eighth place in the league. On 8 September 1973 the club announced plans to build a new stadium in Fuencarral, a project that was finally rejected by City Government. During the season Miguel Muñoz was fired on 14 January 1974 after a bad streak of results, being replaced by Luis Molowny.


1973–74 Real Madrid CF season, Summary
In June the team won the 1974 Copa del Generalísimo Final 4–0 against CF Barcelona.


1973–74 Real Madrid CF season, Summary
In the UEFA Cup the squad were eliminated by Ipswich Town 0–1 on aggregate in the first round.


1973–74 Real Madrid CF season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1973–74 Regionalliga
The 1973–74 Regionalliga  was the eleventh season of the Regionalliga, the second tier of the German football league system. The league operated in five regional divisions, Berlin, North, South, Southwest and West. The five league champions and runners-up then entered a promotion play-off to determine the two clubs to move up to the Bundesliga for the next season. Northern German and Berlin champions Eintracht Braunschweig and Tennis Borussia Berlin were promoted.


1973–74 Regionalliga
It was the last season of the Regionalliga as a tier two league, being replaced by two regional divisions of the 2. Bundesliga at this level from 1974–75. Apart from the two teams promoted to the Bundesliga, 38 clubs qualified for the new 2. Bundesliga while the remaining 43 dropped down to the third division Verbandsligas, Amateurligas and Oberligas. Qualification to the 2. Bundesliga took the previous five Regionalliga season into account to determine the qualified teams, rather than just the final tables of 1973–74.


1973–74 Regionalliga, Regionalliga Nord
The 1973–74 season saw three new clubs in the league, Concordia Hamburg and VfL Pinneberg, both promoted from the Amateurliga, while Eintracht Braunschweig been relegated from the Bundesliga to the league.


1973–74 Regionalliga, Regionalliga Berlin
The 1973–74 season saw two new clubs in the league, SC Westend 01 and BBC Südost, both promoted from the Amateurliga, while no club had been relegated from the Bundesliga to the league.


1973–74 Regionalliga, Regionalliga West
The 1973–74 season saw four new clubs in the league, Rot-Weiß Lüdenscheid, Viktoria Köln and OSC Solingen, all three promoted from the Amateurliga, while Rot-Weiß Oberhausen been relegated from the Bundesliga to the league.


1973–74 Regionalliga, Regionalliga Südwest
The 1973–74 season saw two new clubs in the league, Eintracht Kreuznach and FC Ensdorf, both promoted from the Amateurliga, while no club had been relegated from the Bundesliga to the league.


1973–74 Regionalliga, Regionalliga Süd
The 1973–74 season saw three new clubs in the league, FC Augsburg, VfR Mannheim and FSV Frankfurt, all three promoted from the Amateurliga, while no club had been relegated from the Bundesliga to the league.


1973–74 Rheinlandliga
The 1973–74 Rheinlandliga was the 22nd season of the highest amateur class of the Rhineland Football Association under the name of 1. Amateurliga Rheinland. It was a predecessor of today's Rheinlandliga.


1973–74 Rheinlandliga, Results
Rhineland champion was SV Leiwen. With the introduction of the two-division 2nd soccer Bundesliga this season, there were no newcomers from the amateur league. SV Leiwen represented Rhineland in the 1974 German Soccer Amateur Championship and lost in the first round to ASV Herzogenaurach (Bavaria).


1973–74 Rheinlandliga, Results
SV Speicher, VfB Lützel, Alemannia Plaidt and FV Engers had to move down to the 2. Amateur league. For the following 1974–75 season, Ahrweiler BC, TuS Bad Marienberg and FC Bitburg moved up from the 2. A mature league, as well as a descendants from the Regional league, TuS Neuendorf and Sportfreunde Eisbachtal.


1973–74 Rochdale A.F.C. season
The 1973–74 season saw Rochdale compete for their 5th consecutive season in the Football League Third Division. They finished in 24th and last position and were relegated into the Football League Fourth Division


1973–74 Roller Hockey Champions Cup
The 1973–74 Roller Hockey Champions Cup was the 9th edition of the Roller Hockey Champions Cup organized by CERH.


1973–74 Roller Hockey Champions Cup, Teams
The champions of the main European leagues, and Barcelona as title holders, played this competition, consisting in a double-legged knockout tournament.


1973–74 Romanian Hockey League season
The 1973–74 Romanian Hockey League season was the 44th season of the Romanian Hockey League. Eight teams participated in the league, and Steaua Bucuresti won the championship.


1973–74 Rugby Union County Championship
The 1973–74 Rugby Union County Championship was the 74th edition of England's County Championship rugby union club competition.


1973–74 Rugby Union County Championship
Gloucestershire won their 11th title after defeating Lancashire in the final.


1973–74 S.L. Benfica season
The 1973–74 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 70th season in existence and the club's 40th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 July 1973 to 30 June 1974. Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Divisão and the Taça de Portugal, and participated in the European Cup after winning the previous league.