1971 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
This was the first time that a team with a losing record participated in an NCAA tournament.


1971 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
Four teams qualified for the tournament, two each from the eastern and western regions. The ECAC tournament champion and the two WCHA tournament co-champions received automatic bids into the tournament. An at-large bid was offered to a second eastern team based upon both their ECAC tournament finish as well as their regular season record.


1971 NCAA University Division Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The ECAC champion was seeded as the top eastern team while the WCHA co-champion with the better regular season record was given the top western seed. The second eastern seed was slotted to play the top western seed and vice versa. All games were played at the Onondaga War Memorial. All matches were Single-game eliminations with the semifinal winners advancing to the national championship game and the losers playing in a consolation game.


1971 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships
The 1971 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships were contested June 17−19 at the 49th annual NCAA-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate University Division outdoor track and field events in the United States.


1971 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships
This year's outdoor meet was hosted by the University of Washington at Husky Stadium in Seattle.


1971 NCAA University Division Outdoor Track and Field Championships
UCLA topped the team standings, claiming their third team national title.


1971 NCAA University Division Swimming and Diving Championships
The 1971 NCAA University Division Swimming and Diving Championships were contested in March 1971 at the Beyer Hall Pool at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa at the 48th annual NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of University Division men's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States.


1971 NCAA University Division Swimming and Diving Championships
Indiana again topped the team standings, the Hoosiers' fourth overall title.


1971 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships
The 1971 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships were the 26th annual tournaments to determine the national champions of NCAA University Division men's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


1971 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships
Defending champions UCLA captured the team championship, the Bruins' tenth such title. UCLA finished eight points ahead of Trinity (TX) in the final team standings (35–27).


1971 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships, Host site
This year's tournaments were contested at the Courtney Tennis Center at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.


1971 NCAA University Division Tennis Championships, Team scoring
Until 1977, the men's team championship was determined by points awarded based on individual performances in the singles and doubles events.


1971 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships
The 1971 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships were the 41st NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships to be held. Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama hosted the tournament at Memorial Coliseum.


1971 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships
Oklahoma State took home the team championship with 94 points and three individual champions.


1971 NCAA University Division baseball rankings
The following poll makes up the 1971 NCAA University Division baseball rankings. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper published its first human poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1959, and expanded to rank the top 30 teams in 1961.


1971 NCAA University Division baseball rankings, Collegiate Baseball
Currently, only the final poll from the 1971 season is available.


1971 NCAA University Division baseball season
The 1971 NCAA University Division baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1971. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1971 College World Series. The College World Series, held for the twenty fifth time in 1971, consisted of one team from each of eight geographical districts and was held in Omaha, Nebraska at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as a double-elimination tournament. Southern California claimed the championship.


1971 NCAA University Division baseball season, Conference winners
This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1971 season. Each of the eight geographical districts chose, by various methods, the team that would represent them in the NCAA Tournament. 10 teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship while 13 teams earned at-large selections.


1971 NCAA University Division baseball season, College World Series
The 1971 season marked the twenty fifth NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Southern California claiming their seventh championship with a 7–2 win over Southern Illinois in the final.


1971 NCAA University Division football rankings
Two human polls comprised the 1971 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll.


1971 NCAA University Division football rankings, Final Coaches' poll
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, in early December. Nebraska received 29 of the 31 first place votes; Alabama received the other two.


1971 NCAA University Division football season
The 1971 NCAA University Division football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. Ranked a close second behind Notre Dame  in the preseason poll, Nebraska moved up to first place the following week, remained there for the rest of 1971, and convincingly won the Orange Bowl 38–6 in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game against Alabama.


1971 NCAA University Division football season
Prior to the 1971 season, two programs were elevated to the University Division. The new programs were Temple and Texas–Arlington. The change brought the total number of programs in the University Division to 119.


1971 NCAA University Division football season
During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for major college football in its University Division (now the Football Bowl Subdivision in Division I). The NCAA Football Guide, however, did note an "unofficial national champion" based on the top ranked teams in the "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls. The "writers' poll" by Associated Press (AP) was the most popular, followed by the "coaches' poll" by United Press International) (UPI). Prior to the 1974 season, the UPI issued its final poll before the bowls, but since the 1968 season, the AP Trophy was withheld until the postseason was completed.


1971 NCAA University Division football season
The AP poll in 1971 consisted of the votes of as many as 55 sportswriters, though not all of them voted in every poll. Those who cast votes would give their opinion of the ten best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined.


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, September
In the preseason poll released on September 6, Notre Dame was ranked No. 1, with defending champion Nebraska was second. Nebraska had more first place votes (26) than Notre Dame (15), but fewer points overall (870 vs. 885). Texas, Michigan and USC rounded out the Top Five. The poll was 1.Notre Dame 2.Nebraska 3.Texas 4.Michigan 5.USC


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, September
September 10–11On Friday night in Los Angeles, Alabama beat No. 5 USC, 17–10, marking a successful debut for Bear Bryant's new Wishbone offense. The next day, No. 2 Nebraska won its opener at home, 34–7 over Oregon. No. 4 Michigan won 21–6 at No. 20 Northwestern. Notre Dame and Texas did not start their seasons until the following week. In the poll that followed, Nebraska received 31 of the 50 first place votes, while Ohio State took USC's No. 5 spot. The poll was 1.Nebraska 2.Notre Dame 3.Texas 4.Michigan 5.Ohio State


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, September
September 18Nebraska beat Minnesota 35–7, and No. 3 Texas won its opener 28–10 at UCLA. No. 2 Notre Dame opened with 50–7 win over Northwestern, No. 4 Michigan shut out Virginia 56–0, and No. 6 Auburn beat UT-Chattanooga 60–7,; they moved up to No. 5, as idle Ohio State dropped to sixth.Poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Notre Dame 3.Texas 4.Michigan 5.Auburn


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, September
September 25Nebraska beat Texas A&M, 34–7, and No. 3 Texas beat Texas Tech 28–0. No. 2 Notre Dame narrowly won at Purdue, 8–7, and No. 4 Michigan beat visiting UCLA, 38–0. No. 6 Ohio State lost 20–14 to visiting No. 10 Colorado. No. 5 Auburn edged No. 9 Tennessee at home, 10–9. Michigan and Notre Dame traded places in the poll that followed.Poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Michigan 3.Texas 4.Notre Dame 5.Auburn


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, October
October 2Fifteen of the Top 20 teams remained unbeaten, including the Top 12. Nebraska handled Utah State in Lincoln, 42–6, while No. 2 Michigan registered its third straight shutout at home, beating Navy 46–0. No. 3 Texas defeated Oregon 35–7, No. 4 Notre Dame beat Michigan State 14–2, and fell to seventh in the next poll. No. 5 Auburn beat Kentucky 38–6, and No. 6 Colorado rose to fifth after beating Kansas State 31–21.Poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Michigan 3.Texas 4.Auburn 5.Colorado


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, October
October 9The top 9 teams improved their records to 4–0 or 5–0. In their first Big Eight conference game and first on the road, No. 1 Nebraska shut out Missouri 36–0. No. 3 Texas lost to No. 8 Oklahoma in their rivlary game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, 48–27, while No. 2 Michigan won at Michigan State, 24–13. No. 4 Auburn beat Southern Miss 27–14, and No. 5 Colorado won 24–14 at Iowa State, but dropped in the poll to sixth, while No. 6 Alabama won 42–0 at Vanderbilt and rose to fourth. Texas dropped to tenth place, while Oklahoma rose to second. The poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Auburn


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, October
October 16Top-ranked Nebraska crushed Kansas 55–0, raising its record to 6–0 and outscoring its opposition 238–27. No. 2 Oklahoma beat visiting No. 6 Colorado 45–17 and No. 3 Michigan beat Illinois 35–6. No. 4 Alabama beat No. 14 Tennessee 32–15 at Birmingham and No. 5 Auburn won over Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 31–14. Eight teams had records of 5–0 or 6–0. The next poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Auburn 6.Notre Dame 7.Penn State 8.Georgia.


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, October
October 23Seven of the top 8 teams stayed unbeaten, playing unranked opponents. No. 1 Nebraska allowed Oklahoma State to reach double digits, but easily won at Stillwater, 41–13. No. 2 Oklahoma decimated Kansas State 75–28 in Manhattan. No. 3 Michigan won 35–7 at Minnesota, No. 4 Alabama hosted Houston, and No. 5 Auburn beat Clemson 35–13. No. 6 Notre Dame lost to visiting USC, 28–14. No. 7 Penn State walloped visiting TCU 66–14, No. 8 Georgia beat Kentucky at home, 34–0.Poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Auburn 6.Penn State 7. Georgia


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, October
October 30Number one Nebraska handed visiting No. 9 Colorado a 31–7 defeat, and No. 2 Oklahoma beat Iowa State 43–12. No. 3 Michigan rolled over Indiana 61–7, and No. 4 Alabama beat Mississippi State 41–10 at Jackson. No. 5 Auburn beat Florida 40–7, No. 6 Penn State won 35–7 at West Virginia, and No. 7 Georgia recorded its third consecutive shutout, 24–0 at South Carolina.


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, October
All of the aforementioned games were overshadowed by the death of TCU head coach Jim Pittman, who suffered a massive heart attack during the Horned Frogs' rivalry game with Baylor in Waco. TCU somehow overcame its grief to oust the Bears 34–27. Pittman was in his first season at Fort Worth after five seasons at Tulane, where he guided the Green Wave to an 8–4 record in his final season of 1970, capped off by a 17–3 victory over Colorado in the Liberty Bowl. The top seven all stayed unbeaten and the poll was unchanged:1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Auburn 6.Penn State 7.Georgia


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, November
November 6Nebraska beat Iowa State 37–0 and No. 2 Oklahoma won 20–3 at Missouri. No. 3 Michigan crushed Iowa, 63–7, and No. 4 Alabama won at No. 18 LSU, 14–7. No. 5 Auburn beat Mississippi State 30–21, No. 6 Penn State won 63–27 over Maryland, and No. 7 Georgia beat Florida at Jacksonville. As the Top 7 teams extended their undefeated records, the poll stayed unchanged:1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Penn State 6.Auburn 7.Georgia (all undefeated)


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, November
November 13Nebraska won at Kansas State 44–17, and No. 2 Oklahoma beat Kansas 56–10. No. 3 Michigan narrowly won at Purdue, 20–17, and No. 4 Alabama defeated the visiting Miami Hurricanes, 31–3. No. 5 Auburn (8–0) and No. 7 Georgia (9–0) met at Athens, with the Auburn winning a decisive 35–20 victory. No. 6 Penn State beat North Carolina State 35–3.Poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Auburn 6.Penn State (all undefeated)


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, November
November 20Four of the top five teams were idle. No. 1 Nebraska (10–0) and No. 2 Oklahoma (10–0) prepared for their Thanksgiving Day meeting in Norman, while No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Auburn prepared for their season closer in the Iron Bowl in Birmingham. No. 3 Michigan (10–0) defeated Ohio State, 10–7, to win the Big 10 title and earn the Rose Bowl berth, and No. 6 Penn State won at Pittsburgh 55–18.Poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Oklahoma 3.Michigan 4.Alabama 5.Auburn 6.Penn State (all undefeated)


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, November
November 25–27As the regular season neared its close, Big Eight rivals Nebraska and Oklahoma were unbeaten, as were SEC rivals Alabama and Auburn, and Big Ten champ Michigan. On Thanksgiving Day, No. 1 Nebraska (10–0) and No. 2 Oklahoma (9–0) met on the Sooners' field in a game that would determine the Big Eight title, the No. 1 ranking, and a trip to the Orange Bowl in Miami. In the decade's Game of the Century, Nebraska won a classic back-and-forth battle 35–31; Husker I-back Jeff Kinney scored his fourth and game-deciding touchdown with 98 seconds left, capping a 5½-minute, 74-yard drive. The loss dropped Oklahoma behind the unbeatens into fifth place in the polls.


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, November
Later that weekend, No. 4 Alabama (10–0) and No. 5 Auburn (9–0) played their annual season-ender at Birmingham, with Alabama handing the Tigers their first loss, 31–7; as a result of this impressive win, Alabama jumped over Michigan. As SEC champion, Alabama was invited to, but not obligated to play in, the Sugar Bowl; they deferred and accepted a bid to play top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. Auburn went to the Sugar Bowl instead, to face Oklahoma in a meeting of conference runners-up. No. 6 Penn State was idle, but moved up two places. The next poll: 1.Nebraska 2.Alabama 3.Michigan 4.Penn State 5.Oklahoma


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Regular season, December
December 4Nebraska (11–0) had NCAA permission to play a twelfth game... in Hawaii; they beat the Rainbows 45–3 and ended the regular season at 12–0. No. 4 Penn State (10–0) faced No. 12 Tennessee (8–2), at Knoxville but lost 31–11. No. 5 Oklahoma's season ender was in state at Stillwater against Oklahoma State, which the Sooners easily won 58–14. The final regular season poll:1.Nebraska 2.Alabama 3.Michigan 4.Oklahoma 5.Auburn. 6. Colorado


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
^ Last game in which Stanford used nickname "Indians"; it was changed to "Cardinals" early in 1972, and to the singular "Cardinal" in 1982.


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
With No. 1 Nebraska slated to play No. 2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl on New Year's night, there was little suspense as to which game or games would decide the national title. No. 3 Michigan held out the slim hope that, if they handily defeated Stanford while Nebraska or Alabama barely won or tied, they could leapfrog both teams into the top position. For the second year in a row in the Rose Bowl, underdog Stanford rallied to defeat the undefeated Big Ten champion, besting Michigan 13–12 on a last second field goal by Rod Garcia. (He had missed all five of his kicks (four field goals and an extra point) when Stanford was upset by San Jose State on November 13, by the same score.)


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
In the final game of the day, Nebraska walloped Alabama in the Orange Bowl 38–6 to claim its second straight national title. Earlier in the day at the Sugar Bowl, Oklahoma intercepted Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan three times and easily handled Auburn 40–22,and regained the runner-up ranking in the final poll. With bowl losses by No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Michigan, and No. 5 Auburn, sixth-ranked Colorado, winner of the Bluebonnet Bowl, rose to third.


1971 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
The Big Eight occupied the top three spots in the final AP poll, with Nebraska receiving all 55 first place votes; Oklahoma was second, and Colorado (whose only losses were to Nebraska and Oklahoma) climbed to third. This was the first time that two teams from the same conference topped the final poll, and it remains as the only time that a conference had the top three.


1971 NFL Draft
The 1971 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. It was the first draft where the three first selections, Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning, and Dan Pastorini, were quarterbacks.


1971 NFL season
The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 24–3 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. The Pro Bowl took place on January 23, 1972, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum; the NFC beat the AFC 26–13.


1971 NFL season, Draft
The 1971 NFL Draft was held from January 28 to 29, 1971 at New York City's Belmont Plaza Hotel. With the first pick, the New England Patriots selected quarterback Jim Plunkett from Stanford University.


1971 NFL season, New officials
Three referees--Walt Fitzgerald, Bob Finley and George Rennix--retired following the 1970 season. Bob Frederic, Dick Jorgensen and Fred Wyant were promoted to fill those vacancies. Rich Eichhorst, a back judge in 1970, resigned to concentrate on officiating college basketball; he was replaced by Don Orr, who officiated in the league through 1995.


1971 NFL season, Division races
Starting in 1970, and until 2002, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. The winners of each division, and a fourth “wild card” team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by division records, record against common opponents, and records in conference play. More tiebreakers were provided in 1971 because, in 1970, reversing just one game’s outcome would have led to a coin toss between Dallas and Detroit for the NFC wild card berth.


1971 NFL season, Final standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1971 NHL Amateur Draft
The 1971 NHL Amateur Draft was the ninth NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 10, 1971, at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.


1971 NHL Amateur Draft, Selections by round
Below are listed the selections in the 1971 NHL amateur draft.


1971 NHRA Winternationals
The 1971 NHRA Winternationals were a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event, held at Pomona, California on 7 February.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Background
The Funny Car Eliminator title at the 1971 Winternats would go to Roland Leong's Dodge Charger, Hawaiian,. with Butch Maas at the wheel. Don Garlits' novel rear-engined dragster, Swamp Rat XIV, appeared at the Winternats, qualifying with 6.8; his best time of the meet was a 6.70, over Jim Dunn's 7.58, in the semi-final: Garlits would win, when Kenny Safford broke in the final.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Background
The last Top Gas Eliminator crown, before NHRA abolished the class, went to Walt Stevens, at the wheel of Ken Theiss' twin-engined Odd Couple TG/D. Canadian Barrie Poole repeated his 1970 Winternats win in Super Stock, in a Sandy Elliot Mustang. Don Enriquez (in Gene Adams' A/FD) won Competition Eliminator, turning in a pass of 7.34 at 199 mph (320 km/h), quicker and faster than Steve Woods' hemi-engined BB/Gas Ford Anglia; the field also included twin-engine straight-six-cylinder-powered D/Ds, and AA/FAs.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Background
The year's award for Best Engineered Car went to Jim Busby, with a dragster powered by a pair of injected 427 "Cammer" (SOHC) engines. (Hank Westmoreland failed to qualify the car, and it never ran again.)


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Background
The meet was marred by the death of "Sneaky Pete" Robinson, who wrecked his TF/D in qualifying, with a 6.77 pass, which would have been #4 qualifier.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Dragster
The field was 32 cars. Ron Rivero, Larry Dixon, Jim Paoli, Gary Cochran, and John Mitchell attended, but failed to qualify.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Dragster, Round one
Top qualifier Norm Wilcox (driving for Ted Gotelli) went out to #17 qualifier Jimmy King. "TV Tommy" Ivo, qualified #13, lost to Glen Woosley, who qualified #29. Larry Hendrickson qualified #24, losing to #8 qualifier Gerry Glenn. Jerry "The King" Ruth qualified #14, and was eliminated by #30 qualifier Carl Olson. #6 qualifier Rick Ramsey eliminated #22 qualifier Don "The Snake" Prudhomme. Don Cook qualified #28 and fell to Tom "Mongoo$e" McEwen. #31 qualifier Bill Alexander lost to #15 qualifier Kenny Safford (driving for Larry Bowers). Mike Tarter qualified #27 and lost to Jim Davis (qualified #11).


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Dragster, Round one
#26 qualifier Tom Allen was eliminated by Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, who qualified #10 (in Swamp Rat XIV). #25 qualifier Denver Schutz lost to #9 qualifier Herman Petersen. Chris "The Greek" Karamesines qualified #7 and eliminated Paul Schoenfeld, who qualified #23. #22 qualifier Don Prudhomme was eliminated by #6 qualifier Rick Ramsey (in the Keeling & Clayton dragster). Les Allen qualified #21 and was beaten by Don Moody, who qualified #5. #32 qualifier Bill Dunlap lost to #16 qualifier Dennis Baca. #19 qualifier Ronnie Martin (later partner with Ronnie Sox) was eliminated by #3 qualifier Henry Harrison in the Ewell & Bell dragster. Jim Warren qualified #18, losing to #2 qualifier John Nichols (driving for Jerry Dee Hagood). Low qualifier Jim Dunn defeated #20 qualifier Ed Renck.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Dragster, Round two
Dunn beat McEwen. Woosley was defeated by Moody. Glenn eliminated Baca. Davis lost to Harrison. King defeated Petersen. Safford lost to Karamesines. Olson defeated Ramsey. Nichols fell to Garlits.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Dragster, Round three
Garlits defeated Olson. Moody fell to King. Glenn lost to Dunn. Safford eliminated Harrison.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Dragster, Final
Garlits defeated SAfford, when Safford broke. The win earned Garlits US$8,625.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Funny Car, Round one
Jake Johnston qualified #1 in the 1971 Dodge Charger owned by Gene Snow, and eliminated #9 qualifier Tom Prock. Snow qualified #2 in a 1971 Charger, beating Jim Dunn. Tom Hoover, qualifying #7, was eliminated by #15 qualifier Mike Snively. Qualifying #12, Kenny Goodell lost to Roland Leong's Hawaiian, driven by Butch Maas. Dave Condit qualified #13 and lost to #5 qualifier Larry Reyes (driving a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda owned by "Big John" Mamazian). Don "The Snake" Prudhomme qualified #14, and was eliminated by #6 qualifier Stan Shiroma. #3 qualifier Dick Tharp's 1971 Ford Mustang (owned by Harry Schmidt) lost to the Ramchargers 1971 Dodge Challenger of Leroy Goldstein. Low qualifier Don Schumacher went out to Rich Siroonian's Mamazian-owned 1971 Barracuda.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Funny Car, Round two
Snively lost to Goldstein. Maas defeated Siroonian. Reyes was defeated by Johnston. Snow eliminated Shiroma.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Fuel Funny Car, Final
Maas took the win over Goldstein, for a prize of US$8625.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Gas, Round one
Top qualifier Larry Van Unen lost to #9 qualifier Walt Stevens (driving Ken Theiss' twin-engined Odd Couple TG/D). Low qualifier Chuck Beal lost to #5 qualifier Bill Mullins.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Gas, Round two
Mullins beat #10 qualifier Gene Brasel, and Stevens eliminated #6 qualifier Ray Hadford.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Gas, Semi-final
Jerry Goddard, #8 qualifier, lost to Mullins. Don Hampton, qualified #7, was eliminated by Mullins.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Top Gas, Final
Mullins lost to Stevens in the final, earning Stevens US$7125.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Pro Stock
The Pro Stock field was 16 cars. Attendees included Herb McCandless (qualified #2 in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda), Dave Strickler (qualified #20), Jim Pettit (qualified #30), and Cecil Yother (qualified #31); none actually raced.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Pro Stock, Round one
Top qualifier Ronnie Sox's Barracuda defeated #17 qualifier Dick Brannan. Rich Miracki, qualified # 27, lost to #11 qualifier "Dyno Don" Nicholson. #29 qualifier Ed Schartman lost to #13 qualifier Bill Jenkins' 1971 Chevrolet Camaro. #12 qualifier "Dandy Dick" Landy defeated #28 qualifier Hubert Platt. Bob Lambeck qualified #9 and eliminated #25 qualifier John Livingston. #22 qualifier Ed Miller lost to #6 qualifier Arlen Vanke. John Petrie qualified #3, and defeated #19 qualifier Ken Van Cleve. Bobby Yowell, #8 qualifier, lost to #24 qualifier Bill Tanner. Low qualifier Ed Terry was eliminated by #16 qualifier Wally Booth (driving a 1970 Camaro).


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Pro Stock, Round two
Tanner lost to Booth. Nicholson was eliminated by Petrie. Sox overcame Lambeck.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Pro Stock, Semi-final
Jenkins was eliminated by Sox. Booth defeated Landy. Vanke was defeated by Booth. Petrie lost to Sox.


1971 NHRA Winternationals, Results, Pro Stock, Final
Booth lost to Sox, who earned US$11,625 in prize money.


1971 NPSL First Division
The 1971 National Professional Soccer League season was the first season of the National Professional Soccer League. Orlando Pirates won the inaugural title.


1971 NPSL First Division
At the time, due to the country's apartheid policies, the competition was only open to black South African teams, and it ran in parallel with the FPL and the NFL.


1971 NSWRFL season
The 1971 New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the sixty-fourth season of Sydney's professional rugby league football competition, Australia's first. Twelve teams, including six foundation clubs and another six admitted since 1908, competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a Grand Final match for the W.D. & H.O. Wills between the South Sydney and St. George clubs.


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The season saw the number of tackles in a set increased from four to six. In addition, the number of points awarded for a field goal was reduced from two to one.


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary
Each side met all others twice in twenty-two regular season rounds, resulting in the top four teams consisting of Manly-Warringah, South Sydney, St. George and Parramatta who fought out three finals for the right to play in the Grand Final.


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The 1971 Rothmans Medal was won by South Sydney's five-eighth Denis Pittard while Rugby League Week awarded their player of the year award to South Sydney's halfback Bob Grant.


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary
This season marked the end of a 23-year run where all but two of the premierships were won by St. George or South Sydney.


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The 1971 season saw a ban imposed by the NSWRL on TV coverage of games in the Sydney premiership. It was believed that TV coverage was a contributing factor to falling attendances at games. As a result, only the Grand Final was televised, and even then as a one-hour late night highlights package rather than live coverage. The ban was lifted for the 1972 season onwards, as in practice it was shown to have negligible effect on match attendances.


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary, Teams
37th seasonGround:Belmore Sports Ground Coach: Bob HaganCaptain(s): Johnny Greaves / Terry Reynolds


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary, Teams
64th seasonGround: Sydney Sports GroundCoach: Don Furner Captain: Kevin Junee


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary, Teams
64th seasonGround: Henson ParkCoach: Harry Bath Captain: Brian Moore / Barry Briggs


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary, Teams
64th seasonGround: North Sydney OvalCoach: Merv Hicks Captain: Noel Cavanagh


1971 NSWRFL season, Season summary, Teams
51st seasonGround: Kogarah Jubilee Oval Coach: Jack GibsonCaptain: Graeme Langlands


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals
Under the guidance of revolutionary head-coach Jack Gibson who was in 1971 beginning to embrace the attitude and training methods used in the United States' National Football League, St. George in 1971 had reached the Grand Final in all three grades. They were to lose all three matches. (5–11 v Canterbury-Bankstown in Third Grade; 5–19 v Canterbury-Bankstown in Reserve Grade and 10–16 v South Sydney in the top grade).


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Against a battle-hardened South Sydney side with a larger pack, the young Dragons went into the Grand Final as clear underdogs. Only Smith, Madison and Langlands for St. George had Grand Final experience of the level enjoyed by the entire Rabbitoh pack. Many of the Rabbitohs were playing in their fourth or fifth successive Grand Final.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The first half was a gruelling affair, with the sole point coming from an Eric Simms field goal. McCarthy crossed the Dragons’ try-line in the sixth minute but was called back on a forward pass ruling by referee Holman. Simms attempted a long-range field goal in the eighth minute which was unsuccessful, and Grant took another vain field goal shot minutes later. Souths dominated possession and field-position in the first fifteen minutes and were just held at bay by the rugged defence of the Dragons, especially from their centre, Clapham.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Pittard made a 75 metres (82 yd) break at the fourteen-minute mark and was brought down 3 metres (3.28 yd) from the Dragons’ line by a desperate diving tackle from Smith. In the fifteenth minute Simms took another field goal attempt from dead in front and was successful. Souths attack was free-flowing, and they kept the play alive with late offloads whilst St. George adopted a more structured play of one-off running or moving the ball across the backline. In the twentieth minute Beath was stopped in the Souths' corner by a classy Coote cover tackle.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Langlands missed two penalty goal attempts in the first half, one mid-way through the period and another shortly before the break. Only Beath and Smith regularly broke through Souths' defences. At the interval Souths were in front by the unlikely scoreline of 1–0.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
When play resumed Souths continued with their adventurous style of keeping the ball alive, they broke through poor Dragon defence and Branighan scored in the corner. Simms hit the post with the conversion attempt. Cox had replaced Bowen for St. George at half-time. Sattler tested out Cox early in the half with niggle and surreptitious fouls and appeared to eye-gouge Langlands in the 55th minute. The match began to turn spiteful at that point when Beath was penalised for using his knees on McCarthy.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
Coote scored the second try after a break by Sait, Simms converted and then added a penalty goal a few minutes later. At this stage Souths held an 11–0 lead and looked to be racing away with the match as St. George failed to complete tackles allowing the Rabbitohs to continually off-load.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The Dragons then rallied and fought back with a try to Barry Beath after a brave blind-side fifth tackle move by Billy Smith which was followed by a magnificent sideline conversion from Langlands. Smith was proving to be the Dragons’ only attacking spark until he was collared by Piggins and Sattler in a cynical head high tackle at the 65th minute. With the penalty that ensued Langlands took play to the other end of the field and Ted Walton scored for St. George. Langlands again converted from out wide.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
With the score at 11–10 and only twelve minutes remaining, Saints looked to be getting on top of their more fancied rivals. However a match-winning try two minutes from full-time by Bob McCarthy running freely off Ron Coote, showed the experience of the Rabbitohs, who took their fourth title in a five-year period.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
McCarthy and Coote had starred for Souths and continually threatened to split the Dragons' defence. Souths hooker George Piggins who had been called into the side to replace regular season rake Elwyn Walters, was hailed as a hero, playing himself to a standstill in what was ultimately a closely fought encounter.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
The victory was to be South Sydney's last for a period of 43 years, with the club not to win another Premiership until 2014.


1971 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
South Sydney 16 (Tries: Branighan, Coote, McCarthy. Goals: Simms 3. Field Goal: Simms.)


1971 NYPD Work Stoppage
The 1971 NYPD Work Stoppage occurred for five days between January 14 and January 19, 1971, when around 20,000 New York City police officers refused to report for regular duty. While officers maintained that they would continue to respond to serious crimes and emergencies, they refused to carry out routine patrolling duties, leading in some cases, to as few as 200 officers being on the street in the city.


1971 NYPD Work Stoppage
The police called in sick, a form of strike action known as blue flu, in this case circumventing Article 14 of the New York State Civil Service Law, aka the Taylor Law, which legally prevented police officers from striking. The stoppage was partly a response to a lawsuit by the Sergeants Benevolent Association being struck down in court. That suit would have increased pay for both police and fire fighters, and entitled them to back pay up to the point of their last negotiated contract. More specifically in the 19th Precinct, where the first set of day-shift officers struck at E. 67th Street, another triggering event was the subpoenas from the Knapp Commission investigating corrupt practices.


1971 NYPD Work Stoppage
The strike was ended on January 19, after a "stormy union voting session" at the Hotel New Yorker. During the six days, the department managed to deploy about 15% of its regular force, using a mix of senior officers and auxiliary forces. In contrast to the Boston Police Strike of 1919, and the Montreal strike of 1969, there was no surge of crime or unrest. The back-pay issue was eventually settled in the favor of the officers and firemen with a ruling by State Supreme Court judge Irving H. Saypol. For violating the Taylor Law, later that year each participating officer was docked about $417 each.


1971 Nashville 420
The 1971 Nashville 420 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on July 24, 1971, at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee.


1971 Nashville 420, Background
Nashville Speedway was converted to a half-mile paved oval in 1957, when it began to be a NASCAR series track. The speedway was lengthened between the 1969 and 1970 seasons. The corners were cut down from 35 degrees to their present 18 degrees in 1972.


1971 Nashville 420, Race report
It took two hours and forty-seven minutes to complete 420 laps of racing at a paved oval track spanning 0.596 miles (0.959 km). Richard Petty qualified for the race with a pole position speed of 114.628 miles per hour (184.476 km/h) and won it with an average speed of 89.667 miles per hour (144.305 km/h). He defeated James Hylton by more than four laps in his 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner machine.


1971 Nashville 420, Race report
Dale Inman would be credited as the winning crew chief for this race. Other crew chiefs that were important to the race were Vic Ballard and Lee Gordon. Ten thousand people would watch two lead changes and four cautions for 46 laps.


1971 Nashville 420, Race report
Earl Brooks would make his best career finish with a fourth-place performance; he experienced tire problems as the race progressed and was unable to lead a lap. Brooks' team only had top 10s in 12% of its races, but 11% of their total top 10s came in this race.


1971 Nashville 420, Race report
All 29 of these competitors were American-born males. Other notable names include future car owner Richard Childress, Sterling Marlin's father Coo Coo, Elmo Langley, and Bobby Allison (one of the famous Allison brothers of NASCAR history). The total purse for this racing event was $20,980 ($133,493 when adjusted for inflation).


1971 Nashville 420, Race report
Richard Petty received $4,325 ($27,638 when adjusted for inflation) for his well-deserved victory while last-place finisher Dick May only received $215 ($1,374 when adjusted for inflation).


1971 Nashville 420, Finishing order
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased * Driver failed to finish race


1971 National 500
The 1971 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 10, 1971, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Most of the vehicles used in the race had a rating of 427 cubic inches.


1971 National 500
The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.


1971 National 500, Race report
There were 42 American-born drivers on this 238-lap race. It was supposed to last for 334 laps but the race had to end due to rain and darkness. On the day of the race, 0.22 inches of precipitation were recorded around the speedway.


1971 National 500, Race report
Bobby Allison managed to defeat Bobby Isaac by five seconds in front of 52000 people. The race lasted more than two and a half hours with six caution periods lasting for 37 laps. Charlie Glotzbach rightfully earned the pole position with a qualifying speed of 157.085 miles per hour (252.804 km/h) while the winner of the race would have an average speed of 126.14 miles per hour (203.00 km/h).


1971 National 500, Race report
Jim Vandiver would end up getting the last-place finish on lap 10 due to a single-car collision into the wall. Wendell Scott had to leave the race because his vehicle developed faulty wheel bearings on lap 63 while Dick Brooks' vehicle broke down early and finished poorly on lap 73. A faulty lug bolt took Neil Castles of the race on lap 114 while an engine problem took Maynard Troyer out of the race on lap 115.


1971 National 500, Race report
A couple of crashes on lap 120 took LeeRoy Yarbrough and Earle Canavan out of the race while steering problems took Dave Marcis out of the race on lap 152. Stick Elliot's vehicle developed a faulty driveshaft on lap 163 while lap 184 would see A.J. Foyt retiring from the race due to steering problems. Cale Yarborough would overheat his car on lap 209, ending his hopes of acquiring a top-ten finish.


1971 National 500, Race report
Bobby Allison and Richard Petty were duking it out up front at speeds up to 160 miles per hour (260 km/h), highlighting that Allison drove the Coke car during the race while Petty drove for Pepsi. Tiny Lund also had a Pepsi car in this one but dropped out early on.


1971 National 500, Race report
Country music singing sensation and part-time NASCAR driver Marty Robbins would finish in 37th place in his 1969 Dodge Charger machine after starting in 15th. LeeRoy Yarbrough ran a limited schedule during the 1971 season as Ford's factories were pulling out of NASCAR production at that time. This would force NASCAR teams using the Ford manufacturer to create vehicles by themselves with their in-house staff. Injuries sustained while practicing for that year's Indianapolis 500 contributed to the limited NASCAR schedule. He managed to shake off those injuries long enough to qualify in seventh place and finish in a lowly 34th place.


1971 National 500, Race report
The total purse of the race was $83,259 ($525,619 when adjusted for inflation); Allison would earn $18,450 of the total prize winnings that were offered in the race ($23,399 when adjusted for inflation).


1971 National Challenge Cup
The 1971 National Challenge Cup was the 58th awarding of the United States Soccer Football Association's annual open soccer championship prize. Teams from the North American Soccer League declined to participate. The New York Hota defeated the San Pedro Yugoslavs in the final game.


1971 National Football League (South Africa)
The 1971 National Football League was the 13th season of the National Football League. It was won by Hellenic.


1971 National Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series
The 1971 National Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series was an Australian motor racing competition open to Formula Ford racing cars. It was the second annual Australian series for Formula Fords.


1971 National Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series
The series was won by Larry Perkins driving an Elfin 600.


1971 National Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series, Points system
Points were awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the first ten places at each round except the Sandown round, for which double points were awarded.


1971 National Formula Ford Driver to Europe Series, Series results
All cars were powered by a standard Ford Cortina 1600 GT engine.


1971 National Invitation Tournament
The 1971 National Invitation Tournament was the 1971 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. 1971 was unique because it is the only time that major rivals Duke and North Carolina have played each other after the ACC Tournament. Eventual ACC member Georgia Tech also made the semis, and lost to North Carolina in the championship. The fourth semifinalist, St. Bonaventure, was playing its first season following the departure of All-American Bob Lanier, who led the Bonnies to the 1970 Final Four.


1971 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 16 teams selected for the tournament.


1971 National League Championship Series
The 1971 National League Championship Series was a best-of-five series that pitted the East Division champion Pittsburgh Pirates against the West Division champion San Francisco Giants. The Pirates won the Series three games to one and won the 1971 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Giants did not return to the postseason until 1987.


1971 National League Championship Series
This was the third National League Championship Series in all. It was the first League Championship Series in either league that was not a sweep for the winning team (Baltimore swept Oakland in the 1971 ALCS).


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
With aces Gaylord Perry and Steve Blass taking the mound for their respective teams, Game 1 looked to be a pitchers' duel. But the offenses were effective. The Pirates struck for two in the top of the third when Dave Cash doubled home Jackie Hernández. Cash scored the second run when Richie Hebner grounded to Tito Fuentes at second, but Willie McCovey dropped Fuentes' throw when he attempted to field the ball after having to scramble back to first because Perry didn't cover the bag. The Giants halved the lead in their half of the third when Chris Speier singled, went to second on a Perry sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Ken Henderson single.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Fuentes and McCovey would redeem themselves in the fifth by each slamming two-run homers off Blass for a 5–2 lead. Al Oliver cut the deficit to 5–4 for the Pirates with two-run single in the seventh, but that was it as Perry went the distance for a complete game win.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
In front of an NBC-TV audience, Pirate first baseman Bob Robertson grew into a star in Game 2. Robertson smashed three homers, becoming the first to do so in a playoff game. The Giants struck first in the bottom of the first when Tito Fuentes singled off Dock Ellis and scored on a double by Willie Mays.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
After the Pirates tied the game in the second off John Cumberland when Robertson hit a leadoff double and scored on Manny Sanguillén's single, the Giants retook the lead in the bottom half when Chris Speier hit a leadoff double and scored on Ken Henderson's single. Robertson's first home run of the game tied the score again in the fourth. Sanguillén's single then knocked Cumberland out of the game. After a stolen base, Jackie Hernández's RBI single off Jim Barr put the Pirates up 3–2. Gene Clines's home run next inning extended their lead to 4–2.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
A pivotal play occurred just prior to the Pirates' 4-run seventh, when Mays, batting in the bottom of the sixth with two out and his team trailing, 4–2, saw his bid for a bases-clearing double grabbed by right fielder Roberto Clemente. After a leadoff double and single, Clemente's RBI single off Don Carrithers made it 5–2 Pirates. One out later, Robertsons' three-run home run off Ron Bryant extended their lead to 8–2. Robertson's third home run in the ninth off of Steve Hamilton made it 9–2. A two-run home run from Mays off Bob Miller in the bottom half made it 9–4, but Dave Giusti in relief retired all three batters he faced as the Pirates tied the series heading to Pittsburgh.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The Pirates' Bob Johnson and the Giants' Juan Marichal locked into a tight pitcher's duel for eight innings. Bob Robertson hit a homer in the second, his then-record fourth of the series. The Giants tied it in the sixth when Ken Henderson singled and scored when third baseman Richie Hebner threw wildly past Robertson at first after fielding a bunt by Tito Fuentes.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Hebner would atone for the error, however, by slamming a game-winning homer in the eighth off Marichal. Dave Giusti came on in the ninth and saved it for Johnson and the Pirates.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Another anticipated pitching duel between Giants' Gaylord Perry and Pirates' Steve Blass quickly went by the wayside. Blass lasted only two innings, giving up five runs. Willie McCovey's RBI single with two on in the first gave the Giants a 1–0 lead, but they left the bases loaded. In the bottom half, after a leadoff single and double, Roberto Clemente's two-run single put the Pirates up 2–1, but in the second, Chris Speier's leadoff home run tied the game.


1971 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
After two singles and two outs, Willie McCovey's three-run home run put the Giants up 5–2, but the Pirates, however, got Blass off the hook in the bottom of the inning. Richie Hebner tied the game with a three-run home run. The score stayed at 5–5 until the sixth when Dave Cash singled, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on a Roberto Clemente RBI single. Jerry Johnson relieved Perry and after intentionally walking Willie Stargell, Al Oliver's three-run home run made it 9–5 Pirates. Meanwhile, Bruce Kison and Dave Giusti pitched the last seven innings of shutout baseball to close out the series and win the pennant for the first time in 11 years.


1971 National Soccer League season
The 1971 National Soccer League season was the forty-eighth  season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in early May and concluded in October with the Canadian Open Cup final where Toronto Croatia defeated Challenge Trophy champions Vancouver Eintracht. The Croatians would secure a treble by successfully defending their regular season title, and defeating Toronto First Portuguese for the NSL Championship. The NSL Cup was successfully defended by Toronto First Portuguese who defeated Sudbury City.


1971 National Soccer League season
The Canadian Open Cup was created by the NSL with the objective of determining a national champion through an annual knock-out cup competition where all professional and amateur Canadian clubs were invited to participate.


1971 National Soccer League season, Overview
The National Soccer League became centered once more within the boundaries of Ontario after the departure of Soccer Portugais du Quebec of Montreal. Northern Ontario was added to the circuit once again as Sudbury Italia returned under the name Sudbury City. The league expanded into the Niagara region for the first time as St. Catharines Heidelberg was granted a franchise. Heidelberg previously competed in the Inter-City Soccer League. Ottawa Sons of Italy began a process of Canadianizing their organization by renaming the team Ottawa Tigers.


1971 National Soccer League season, Overview
The NSL experienced competition from the American based North American Soccer League as it expanded into Ontario with the creation of the Toronto Metros. The league's match attendance continued to surge, and surpassed the previous season's gate earnings at Stanley Park Stadium. The league ownership also approved the creation of a under-23 division.


1971 National Soccer League season, Cup
The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all fourteen teams took part. The tournament would conclude in a final match for the Cup.


1971 National Soccer League season, Canadian Open Cup
The Canadian Open Cup was a tournament organized by the National Soccer League in 1971 where the NSL champion would face the Challenge Trophy winners to determine the best team throughout the country. The intention of the tournament was to form an annual knock-out cup competition open to all Canadian professional and amateur clubs in order to determine a national champion. The championship was initially sponsored by the Macdonald Tobacco Company, and was named the Export Trophy. Toronto Croatia as the NSL champions were selected as the league's representative while their opponents were Vancouver Eintracht of the Pacific Coast Soccer League, who were the Challenge Trophy titleholders.


1971 National Soccer League season, Individual awards
The NSL awards were given to recipients from St. Catharines Heidelberg, Sudbury City, and Toronto Croatia. The most gentlemanly team award was given to St. Catharines, and league official John Parfect received the most dedicated official award. Željko Bilecki of Toronto Croatia was named the goalkeeper of the year, and would later represent the Canada national team and play in the North American Soccer League. The league's top goal scorer was Sudbury's Ferruccio Deni, and he later returned to the NSL to play with the Sudbury Cyclones. The final award went to Hugh Morrow as the top referee throughout the season.


1971 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 6th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 24 December 1971, honored the best filmmaking of 1971.


1971 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Picture
1. Claire's Knee (Le genou de Claire)2. The Conformist (Il conformista)3. A Clockwork Orange


1971 Nauruan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 23 January 1971. As there were no political parties, all candidates ran as independents. Following the election, Hammer DeRoburt was re-elected President by Members of the Parliament.


1971 Nauruan parliamentary election, Campaign
A total of 48 candidates contested the 18 seats. In Anabar Constituency the two incumbent MPs were returned unopposed.


1971 Nauruan parliamentary election, Results
Four sitting MPs were unseated in the election; Speaker Itubwa Amram, Asa Paul Diema, Totuwa Depaune and Derog Gioura.


1971 Nauruan parliamentary election, Aftermath
Following the elections, Hammer DeRoburt was the only candidate for president, and was elected unopposed by the newly elected Parliament. MPs also elected Kenas Aroi as Speaker and Victor Eoaeo as Deputy Speaker.


1971 Nauruan parliamentary election, Aftermath
DeRoburt's cabinet was unchanged from the previous parliamentary term with James Ategan Bop as Minister of Finance, Austin Bernicke as Minister for Health and Education, Joseph Detsimea Audoa as Minister of Justice and Buraro Detudamo as Minister of Works and Community Services and Minister Assistant to the President. DeRoburt held the portfolios of External Affairs, Internal Affairs and Island Development and Industry.


1971 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1971 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by third-year head coach Rick Forzano.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. The Cornhuskers were led by 10th-year head coach Bob Devaney and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The Huskers went undefeated at 13–0, repeating as national champions. They outscored their opponents by a combined total of 507 to 104, held ten of their thirteen opponents to single-digit points or fewer (including three shutouts), and famously defeated #2-ranked Oklahoma on the road in a game that has been referred to as the "Game of the Century". In the years since, the 1971 Nebraska team has been cited by some sports pundits as the greatest in college football history.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Schedule
The 1971 Cornhuskers were one of the most dominant teams in college football history, winning twelve of their thirteen games by 24 points (or more) and defeating the next three teams in the final AP poll. The sole close game of the season was the Game of the Century at #2 Oklahoma on Thanksgiving. Nebraska decisively beat #3 Colorado (then #9) 31–7 in Lincoln and #4 Alabama (then #2) 38–6 in the 1972 Orange Bowl in Miami.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Adkins, John #57 (Sr.) DEAnderson, Dan #67 (So.) RGAnderson, Frosty #89 (So.) SEAnderson, Jim #18 (Sr.) RCBAustin, Al #78 (So.) RTBell, John #31 (Jr.) MGBeran, Mike #62 (Jr.) RGBlahak, Joe #27 (Jr.) LCBBorg, Randy #19 (So.) RCBBranch, Jim #51 (Jr.) LBBrownson, Van #12 (Sr.) QBButts, Randy #36 (So.) HBCarstens, Jim #47 (Jr.) FBColeman, Ron #9 (So.) QBCox, Woody #32 (Sr.) SECrenshaw, Marvin #70 (So.) RTDamkroger, Maury #46 (So.) FBDeyke, Tom #94 (So.) DTDidur, Dale #84 (Sr.) SEDixon, Gary #22 (Jr.) HBDoak, Mark #93 (So.) NTDuffy, Joe #52 (So.) LGDumler, Doug #54 (Jr.) CDutton, John #90 (So.) DTFuller, Bruce #8 (So.) SGarson, Glen #39 (So.) HBGlover, Rich #79 (Jr.) MGGoeller, Dave #28 (So.) HBGuibord, Greg #87 (So.) DEHarper, Willie #81 (Jr.) DE


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Harvey, Phil #82 (Sr.) TEHauge, Bruce #48 (Jr.) LBHegener, Stan #92 (So.) LTHenderson, Joe #63 (So.) RGHenrichs, Dennis #96 (So.) LGHill, Jeff #98 (So.) SEHollstein, Gary #29 (Sr.) LCBHughes, Jeff #26 (Sr.) HBHumm, Dave #10 (So.) QBHunter, Ken #78 (Jr.) MGHyland, John #58 (Jr.) DEJacobson, Larry #75 (Sr.) DTJamail, Doug #50 (Jr.) CJanssen, Bill #55 (Jr.) DTJohnson, Carl #71 (Sr.) RTJohnson, Doug #64 (Jr.) DEJohnson, Monte #37 (Jr.) MGKinney, Jeff #35 (Sr.) HBKinsel, John #53 (Jr.) CKosch, Bill #24 (Sr.) SLackovic, Tim #80 (So.) SELinder, Max #88 (So.) SEList, Jerry #85 (Jr.) TELongwell, Brent #86 (So.) TELynch, Dan #73 (So.) DTManstedt, Steve #11 (So.) DEMason, Dave #25 (Jr.) MONMcClelland, Tom #16 (Sr.) SMcKinley, Kim #69 (So.) DTMoran, Jeff #30 (So.) HBMorell, Pat #40 (Sr.) LB


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Roster
Nelson, Chris #99 (So.) TEO'Connell, John #34 (So.) SO'Holleran, Mike #38 (So.) HBOlds, Bill #44 (Jr.) FBPabis, Bob #66 (Sr.) MGPeetz, Mike #33 (So.) MONPeterson, John (Unk) MGPitts, John #56 (Jr.) MONPowell, Ralph #41 (So.) FBRighetti, Phil #74 (Jr.) LTRobison, Tom #68 (So.) DTRodgers, Johnny #20 (Jr.) HBRunty, Steve #13 (So.) QBRupert, Dick #77 (Sr.) LGSanger, Rich #43 (So.) LBSchmit, Bob #23 (So.) HBSloey, Bill #42 (Jr.) LBStarkebaum, John #15 (So.) MONStrong, Jon #49 (So.) LBTagge, Jerry #14 (Sr.) QBTerrio, Bob #45 (Sr.) LBThornton, Bob #17 (Jr.) RCBWeber, Bruce #61 (Sr.) LGWestbrook, Don #21 (So.) HBWhite, Daryl #72 (So.) LTWieser, Steve #83 (So.) DEWolfe, Bob #76 (So.) LTWortman, Keith #65 (Sr.) RGZanrosso, Dennis #59 (So.) C


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oregon
The Nebraska reserves were on the field in the 4th quarter, working under a comfortable 34-0 lead, when a fumbled punt allowed Oregon to put in a late score to avoid the shutout with 3 minutes to play.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Two days later, Nebraska vaulted Notre Dame for the No. 1 spot in the polls and never relinquished it.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Minnesota
Minnesota managed a 2nd-quarter touchdown, but the game was never really in doubt as Nebraska extended their unbeaten streak to 21 games.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
Two huge plays left Nebraska's signature on the Texas A&M win, as Johnny Rodgers tore off a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and Bill Kosch returned an interception 95 yards for a score of his own. The Aggies also managed a big score for their only points, an equally-impressive 94-yard kickoff return touchdown.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Utah State
Utah State was behind 0-35 when they managed to avoid the shutout with a 3rd-quarter touchdown, but the PAT was blocked. The Cornhuskers ran the margin of victory back up again with a final fourth-quarter touchdown.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Nebraska was held scoreless for over 20 minutes, but Missouri eventually succumbed to the pressure as Nebraska then ran up 36 points and shut out the Tigers in Columbia.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Nebraska smashed Kansas at Homecoming for another shutout, holding the Jayhawks to 56 yards of total offense, barely more than one tenth of the Cornhuskers' 538 yards.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
All of Oklahoma State's entire scoring was picked up in the last 2 minutes against Nebraska reserves, making the game appear closer than it was, if 41-13 can be called close.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Nebraska rolled right out to a 24-0 lead by halftime and was cruising against #9 Colorado without much effort. The Buffaloes did manage a 3rd-quarter touchdown on a broken play, but Nebraska matched it and easily held on for the win.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
The Cornhuskers held Iowa State to just 105 yards of offense and had no trouble holding the Sun Bowl-bound Cyclones off the scoreboard for another shutout.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
Nebraska QB Jerry Tagge became the first Cornhusker to exceed 5000 career yards at Kansas State as Nebraska scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions. Johnny Rodgers also entered the record book with his 10-season touchdown receptions, 45 receptions on the season, and 84 receptions for his career. No other team managed to score so many points on Nebraska this season as did the Wildcats, but another convincing win was behind them as Nebraska prepared for a showdown with #2 Oklahoma to decide the Big 8 title and potentially the national championship.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Oklahoma and Nebraska battled back and forth in the Game of the Century in front of a sold-out crowd in Norman and over 55 million viewers on ABC-TV on Thanksgiving Day. Nebraska struck first with a 72-yard Johnny Rodgers punt return, but Oklahoma pulled ahead by 3 by halftime. The Cornhuskers came back strong in the third quarter with two more touchdowns, but the Sooners responded with two of their own to retake the lead with only 7:10 remaining. Down by 3 points, the Huskers went on a final drive and with only 1:38 remaining, Jeff Kinney scored his fourth touchdown of the day for the lead and the win.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Hawaii
Almost 1/3 of the fans in the relatively sparse crowd were dressed in red and rooting for the Cornhuskers, as Nebraska handily won this game almost as an afterthought to the vacation in Honolulu. It was 24-3 at the half, and Hawaii never saw the scoreboard again.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Alabama
In the 1972 Orange Bowl, the Huskers battled a #2 team for the second time this season, but Alabama hardly posed the challenge that the Oklahoma Sooners had been, as Nebraska sent the Crimson Tide to the locker room at the half trailing by an embarrassing 28-0.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Alabama
Alabama managed a feeble third-quarter touchdown but failed in the following 2-point conversion and never scored again, while Nebraska responded with 10 more points of their own to close the game and ended the season as national champions for the second consecutive year and exact revenge for losses to Alabama in the 1966 Orange Bowl and 1967 Sugar Bowl.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Rankings, Awards
Jerry Tagge finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1971,teammate Johnny Rodgers would win in 1972.


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1971 team players in the NFL
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers seniors selected in the 1972 NFL Draft:


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1971 team players in the NFL
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers juniors selected in the following year's 1973 NFL Draft:


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1971 team players in the NFL
The 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers sophomores selected in the 1974 NFL Draft:


1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, 1971 team players in the NFL, NFL and pro players
The following is a list of 1971 Nebraska players who joined a professional team as draftees or free agents.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game
The 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game was the 51st edition of the rivalry, one of several labeled as a "Game of the Century." The Big Eight Conference matchup was held on Thursday, November 25, 1971, in Norman, Oklahoma.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game
The top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, defending national champions with a 20-game winning streak (and 29 without a loss), traveled south to play the second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. In a game that lived up to the hype, the Cornhuskers scored a late touchdown to defeat the Sooners by four, 35–31.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
The teams combined for 17 of 22 first-team All-Big Eight players. Nebraska had the nation’s top-ranked defense. Oklahoma had the nation's most productive offense with their wishbone averaging over 472 rushing yards per game, an NCAA record.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
The cover of Sports Illustrated (November 22) prior to the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back Greg Pruitt, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska." Both teams had twelve days to prepare, as neither had played on the preceding Saturday.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
The Husker "Blackshirts" defense included seven first-team All-Big Eight selections, four players who would earn consensus All-America recognition during their careers and two Outland Trophy winners: tackle Larry Jacobson and middle guard Rich Glover. Glover would win both the Outland and Lombardi awards in 1972 and eventually be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. They were joined in the starting lineup by end Willie Harper, like Glover, a two-time All-American. John Dutton, an All-American in 1973, was a sophomore backup.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
The Sooners' record-setting wishbone attack was led by All-American QB Jack Mildren who rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was also a very good passer. His weapons were Heisman candidate HB Greg Pruitt, who averaged a stunning 9.5 yards per carry and speedy split end Jon Harrison. Future College Football Hall of Famer Tom Brahaney was the anchor at center.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
The Husker offense was led by junior flanker Johnny Rodgers, a future Heisman Trophy winner, senior quarterback Jerry Tagge, and bullish senior tailback Jeff Kinney; the latter two were first round picks in the 1972 NFL Draft. The Sooner defense was anchored by all-Big 8 defensive tackle Derland Moore, a future All-American and NFL Pro Bowler.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
With a kickoff shortly before 3 pm EST, ABC-TV broadcast the game nationally to an estimated 55 million viewers (at the time the largest television audience ever for a college football game). Chris Schenkel did the play-by-play, color analysis was provided by Oklahoma's legendary former coach, Bud Wilkinson, with Bill Flemming reporting from the sidelines. Before the game, Schenkel and Wilkinson emerged from the tunnel leading to the field, and when the Oklahoma crowd spotted Wilkinson, they erupted into applause. They came to their feet with admiration for the Minnesota-born coach who had guided the Sooners to prominence with three national championships and an NCAA record 47-game winning streak in the 1950s.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Background
The game was played at Owen Field in Norman on Thanksgiving Day. Not only at stake was the Big Eight title, but also the #1 national ranking in the polls. However, the bowl trips had already been determined before the game, with Nebraska going to the Orange in Miami and Oklahoma headed for the Sugar in New Orleans. Two days after Thanksgiving, #5 Auburn (9–0) with Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan at quarterback, faced #3 Alabama (10–0) at Birmingham for the SEC title, the two opponents that Oklahoma and Nebraska would play. Given the magnitude of the game, Devaney had even had his players' food flown in from Lincoln, in case gamblers attempted to induce a hotel chef to give the Huskers food poisoning.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, Summary
The game went back and forth, with three lead changes in the second half, after Oklahoma took its first lead of the game, 17–14, with five seconds left to play in the first half. Oklahoma would go ahead once more, 31–28 with 7:10 left in the game, but Nebraska then answered with a 74-yard drive for the winning touchdown with 1:38 left. At that point, Nebraska had scored touchdowns on three of its last four possessions to secure a 35–31 victory.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, First half
The first half was atypical for both teams, as the Huskers' potent offense was stymied by the underrated Sooner defense; meanwhile, the Sooners devastating wishbone offense was blunted by the brutal Nebraska defense, as the Sooners lost the ball on fumbles a total of three times (twice in the first half) and were continually frustrated by Husker middle guard Rich Glover, who ended  up with twenty-two tackles on the day, despite lining up across from All-American OU center Tom Brahaney.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, First half
The Cornhuskers struck first, with Rodgers shocking the Sooners with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown after the Sooners' first possession was stopped. The punt return remains one of college football's signature moments.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, First half
Oklahoma answered with a field goal before the teams exchanged touchdown drives — first Nebraska to take a 14–3 lead (the largest of the day), then Oklahoma, to make the score 14–10 Nebraska with 5:40 to play in the first half.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, First half
Relying almost entirely on Jack Mildren's arm and legs, the Sooners grabbed a 17–14 lead on two long passes from Mildren to Harrison with five seconds left before halftime. For the first time all season, the Cornhuskers trailed.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, Second half
Relying on a power running game, the Huskers scored two touchdowns (the first aided by the Sooners' third lost fumble of the game) to lead, 28–17, with 3:38 to play in the third quarter. Mildren then led the Sooners back with a pair of touchdowns, and Oklahoma was ahead 31–28 with 7:10 to play.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Game, Second half
The Huskers got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. On a play starting from the Oklahoma 48, Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge threw to Rodgers, who broke tackles and ran all the way to the 15. Tailback Jeff Kinney, who would finish the game with 171 yards on 31 carries, then carried four consecutive times, the last resulting in his fourth touchdown of the game, and Nebraska regained the lead at 35–31 with only 98 seconds remaining. Sacks of Mildren on third and fourth down in Sooner territory finished the game off as a Nebraska win.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
This game, much more than the previous year's national championship, made Nebraska a program with a national following. Already having sold every seat available at their Memorial Stadium since coach Bob Devaney arrived in 1962, they would be a perennial national championship contender and a frequent presence on national TV.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
The Cornhuskers had one more regular season game to play, venturing well southwest to Honolulu to crush  Hawaii 45–3. Nebraska then traveled southeast to the Orange Bowl in Miami and soundly defeated the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide 38–6 on New Year's Day night for consecutive national titles.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
Devaney returned in 1972 hoping to win three consecutive national championships, but was derailed by a season-opening road loss to UCLA, as well as a tie at Iowa State and a 17–14 loss at home to Oklahoma in Lincoln. He retired right after routing Notre Dame 40–6 in the Orange Bowl. Continuing as Nebraska's athletic director, he promoted 35-year-old assistant Tom Osborne, who led the program for a quarter century (1973–97).


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
Pruitt did not win the Heisman, which went to quarterback Pat Sullivan of Auburn; the announcement came only hours after the conclusion of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game. The Sooners ended the regular season by destroying Oklahoma State in Stillwater 58–14.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
By coincidence, Auburn was Oklahoma's opponent in the Sugar Bowl, and the Sooners won 40–22. (By another coincidence, these two arch-rivals, Nebraska and Oklahoma, played each half of another rivalry, Alabama and Auburn, and beat them both.)


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
Despite the loss, Oklahoma's program was also relaunched by this game, and were a perennial national contender throughout the 1970s up until Barry Switzer's departure in the late 1980s. Head coach Chuck Fairbanks left the Sooners after the 1972 season for the NFL's New England Patriots, and offensive coordinator Barry Switzer was promoted. Over the next 16 seasons (1973–88), he compiled a 157–29–4 (.837) record and guided the Sooners to national championships in 1974, 1975, and 1985.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
The top three teams in the final AP poll for the 1971 season were from the Big Eight: Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado. The top two teams had never been from the same conference, and this year had three.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, considered a minor rivalry before the Game of the Century (of 1971), became one of the biggest in the country, usually played on the day after Thanksgiving. Oklahoma still played Oklahoma State after playing Nebraska until 1979, when the game vs. the Cornhuskers became the Sooners' regular season finale (except in 1983, when the Sooners played at Hawaii on the first Saturday of December; and 1985, when Oklahoma played Oklahoma State and SMU after the Nebraska game due to television commitments).


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
A scandal caught up with Oklahoma in the late 1980s, sending it into a decline and forcing Switzer's resignation in June 1989. That coincided with the rise of the football program at Colorado, which replaced Oklahoma as Nebraska's Thanksgiving Friday opponent in 1996 due to the formation of the Big 12 conference (leading to the end of the annual Nebraska-Oklahoma matchup).


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
The Big Eight added the four most prominent Southwest Conference schools (Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor) to become the Big 12 Conference in 1996. Since one of those four was Texas, already a major non-conference rival with Oklahoma, the UT-OU rivalry game in Dallas grew in importance as they became division foes. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were put in the South Division, while Nebraska and the other five Big 8 teams went into the North Division. Now in different divisions, NU and OU only played each other twice every four seasons, which significantly diminished the rivalry, while the OU-OSU rivalry game was returned to the end of the regular season and became more competitive.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
Oklahoma bottomed out in the second half of the 1990s, going 5-5-1 under Howard Schnellenberger in 1995, then suffering three consecutive losing seasons under John Blake. The Sooners returned to glory under Bob Stoops, who replaced Blake in 1999. Stoops guided Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship and compiled a 190-48 record in 18 seasons, winning the Big 12 championship nine times. The Sooners have continued their dominance under Lincoln Riley, winning the Big 12 championship in each of his first four seasons.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
Nebraska left the Big 12 in the summer of 2011 to join the Big Ten Conference. The Sooners and Huskers met in the final Big 12 championship game in 2010, with OU winning 23–20 on December 4. The schools agreed in 2012 to play a home-and-home series in 2021 and 2022. The 2021 game is scheduled for Norman to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1971 classic, with the following year in Lincoln. The Sporting News named the 1971 Cornhusker team as the greatest team of the 20th century in 1988.


1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game, Aftermath
It is unlikely future meetings will be scheduled after 2022. Oklahoma announced in August 2021 it was departing the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference no later than 2025 (along with Texas), while the Big Ten soon thereafter entered into a scheduling alliance with the Atlantic Coast and Pacific-12 conferences to begin in 2024.


1971 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball)
The 1971 Nemzeti Bajnokság I is the 21st season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Hungary's premier Handball league.


1971 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1971 Nepalese general election
General elections were held in Nepal in 1971 to elect members of the Rastriya Panchayat. At the time, the Rastriya Panchayat had 125 members; out of them 16 were appointed by the King, 90 were elected by Zonal Assemblies, 15 were elected by class organizations and 4 were elected by the graduates constituency.


1971 Nepalese general election, District representatives
The district representatives were elected by the Anchal Sabhas (Zonal Assemblies) of the 14 Zones of Nepal, one representative for each district. The 15 districts with a population of more than 100 000 were able to elect an additional Rastriya Panchayat member. The Anchal Sabhas consisted of all the members of the Zilla Panchayats (District Councils). Each Zilla Panchayat had 11 members, who were elected from the town or village panchayats in the district. The town and village panchayats were elected from local assemblies in which all adult residents could vote.


1971 Nepalese general election, District representatives
A potential candidate had to be a Zilla Panchayat member of the concerned district to be an eligible to contest a district seat. Moreover, the potential candidate had to be proposed and seconded by two other members of the same Zilla Panchayat. To be elected the candidate would need a simple majority of the votes in the Anchal Sabha. The system favoured the less populates areas in the hills, whose districts had a much lower population than the Terai districts in the south.


1971 Nepalese general election, Class organisation representatives
The following official class organisations were able to select their representatives in the Rastriya Panchayat. The representatives were elected by the central committees of the respective organisation, through a Preferential Proportional Representation vote:


1971 Nepalese general election, Graduates constituency
The college graduates of the country, numbering about 13000 at the time, were able to elect four members of the Rastriya Panchayat. The representatives were elected with Preferential Proportional Representation vote. The candidates had to be college graduates themselves. In total 22 candidates were in the fray. Seventeen of them contested on a joint reformist agenda. One candidate, the young advocate Ram Raja Prasad Singh, demanded direct transition to parliamentary democracy.


1971 Nepalese general election, Graduates constituency
The prime minister Kirti Nidhi Bista campaigned against the reformist candidates as opponents of the Panchayat system. However, the regime was embarrassed as the reformist candidates were elected, including Ram Raja Prasad Singh.


1971 Netherlands Antilles island council elections
Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles in 1971. They were the sixth elections for the Island Council,


1971 Netherlands Antilles island council elections, Aruba
General elections were held in Aruba in 1971. They were the first in which the People's Electoral Movement participated, after Gilberto Croes split from the AVP.


1971 Netherlands Antilles island council elections, Sint Maarten
General elections were held in Sint Maarten on 7 May 1971 to elect the 5 members of the Island Council. The result was a victory for the Democratic Party, which won four of the five Island Council seats.


1971 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1971 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. Nevada competed as an independent. The Wolf Pack were led by third-year head coach Jerry Scattini and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election
The 1971 New Democratic Party leadership election was a leadership convention held in Ottawa from April 21 to 24 to elect a leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Tommy Douglas retired as federal leader, and David Lewis was elected as his successor. At this convention the Waffle faction was at the zenith of its popularity and power. Donald C. MacDonald, the former Ontario NDP leader, was elected as the party's president. The major non-leadership issues were what stance would the party take in terms of Quebec sovereignty and whether policy initiatives calling for the nationalization of the oil, gas, and mining industries would pass.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Waffle–Unity Group floor battle
The Waffle was a group of mostly young, university students and intellectuals. It was formed in 1969 and was led at the convention by University of Toronto economist Mel Watkins, an NDP vice-president, and James Laxer, a candidate to replace Tommy Douglas as federal leader. The Unity Group – also known as "NDP NOW", from the title of a pamphlet released earlier in the year that espoused its philosophy – was a committee of party establishment officials and organizers set up to oppose the Waffle at the convention by presenting more moderate views at the convention floor microphones.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Waffle–Unity Group floor battle
It was formed in 1970, after the well-organized Waffle had effectively taken over much of the floor debate at the Winnipeg Convention in October 1969. The group was headed by Desmond Morton, a University of Toronto professor who was involved with organizing the party in Ontario, and Marion Bryden, the director of research for the Ontario NDP. Lynn Williams, of the United Steelworkers, was the main link between the Unity Group and organized labour. He helped co-ordinate the Canadian Labour Congress' (CLC) actions during the convention.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Waffle–Unity Group floor battle
The big issues over which the groups fought were those of Quebec's right to self-determination, and large scale nationalization of the natural resources/energy sector. The Waffle was at the forefront for advocating these ideas, while the Unity Group put up the defence against these proposals The Unity Group won these debates, and the Waffle's motions on these issues were defeated or heavily modified.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Gender equity motion
The first test for the Waffle, on the convention floor, occurred on opening day, Wednesday, April 21. That afternoon, the constitution committee tabled a motion to ensure at least 12 of the approximately 100 members of the ruling Federal Council were women. The Waffle put their full support behind it, when Krista Maeots, leadership candidate James Laxer's wife, put forward the resolution that 12 of the 24 council members elected at the convention be women. She was met by surprising resistance from fellow women, but had the support of leadership candidate John Harney. It needed a two-thirds majority to pass, according to the party's constitution, but many delegates thought it was tokenism, and voted down the resolution two to one.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Natural resources nationalization debate
On Friday, April 23, the most complex and thorny issues were debated. The first contentious issue on the agenda dealt with natural resources industries, such as the oil, gas, and mines, as it became the centre of a major showdown between the Waffle and the labour movement forces. The Waffle faction wanted total nationalization and public ownership of resource industries. The party establishment, and Labour, being more moderate, wanted only to expand public and co-operative ownership. The hour-long debate, quickly transcended into raucous name-calling and physical pushing and shoving at the microphone stands.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Natural resources nationalization debate
Sidney Green, Manitoba’s Minister of Mines and Resources in the NDP provincial government, spoke in favour of the moderate resolutions committee motion. He was countered on the convention floor by university professor Peter Usher, a Waffle member from Ottawa, who moved to refer the committee’s motion back for redrafting to push for nationalization of all resource industries. After much heated debate, his motion was defeated in a standing-count vote by a three to one margin. The standing vote was needed because Waffle members challenged two previous voting attempts.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Natural resources nationalization debate
Once defeated, the Unity Group, and its labour supporters, pressed for the adoption of the original eight-point resolution, which then passed easily with a five to one plurality. With the Waffle’s amendment defeated, it seemed unlikely that they could pass other motions that called for the nationalization of other economic sectors like manufacturing, financial, and transportation.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
No other issue at the convention caused more worry for the NDP than what its policy should be with regards to Quebec self-determination. The Waffle's position called for the recognition of Quebecers' right to secede from the rest of Canada, without intervention from the other provinces and the federal government. The Unity Group, and its allies, urged the convention not to take a stance which could be construed by Canadian voters as assisting Quebec separation.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
In an effort to prevent the whole Quebec issue even reaching the floor, the Unity Group tried to reach a compromise with the Waffle and the NDP's Quebec wing the day before the convention started. In essence, compromise would have been a "commitment to Canadian union while saying that the constitutional arrangements between Ottawa and the provinces must be completely renegotiated." It went on to further state that "The unity of this country cannot be based on force. ...


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
If one of our provinces were to choose to separate, freely and democratically, it would be madness to attempt to restrain it by force." A compromise could not be reached as the small Quebec contingent – and the Waffle members in attendance at the resolutions committee – refused to vote to accept the new resolution, forcing the Quebec issue on to the convention floor on Friday, April 23.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
The next day, while giving his final leader's report, T. C. "Tommy" Douglas launched the party establishment's opening salvo against the Waffle and their Quebec resolution. He told the almost 2000 convention attendees that he rejected the principle that Quebec has the right to self-determination through unilateral separation from Canada. He further rejected the notion that non-Quebecers could not partake in that province's internal debates and stated that he would "do everything I can to better the conditions of those people in Quebec who have been betrayed by successive governments."


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
He reiterated the intent of the compromise motion by stating that if "the overwhelming majority of the people of Quebec want out of Confederation, it will be time enough to call in the lawyers." To further support Douglas' call for dialogue between English and French-speaking Canadians, towards an equal partnership based on common goals, Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis (David Lewis's son) announced his section's support for national unity.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
The Quebec wing, led by Raymond Laliberté, a former head of Quebec's activist teachers' union, Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CEQ), was making noises that they might secede from the party if it adopted the federalist resolution. The official resolution that the Waffle and the Quebec wing refused to vote on the previous day was: "The unity of our country cannot be based on force. However, the business of the NDP is to work for a united Canada, on a basis that will do full justice to our people."


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
To counter this, Richard Comber, the Waffle's Quebec leader, and Laliberté proposed a resolution from the floor to form a new alliance between the two Canadian founding nations. Their resolution demanded: "A recognition to Quebeckers of their absolute right to self-determination, meaning their right to collectively determine the degree of political sovereignty which they desire."


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
On Friday, the debate and vote on the Quebec issue lasted about an hour and a half. The Resolutions Committee's motion was tabled by leadership contender, David Lewis. He led the charge against the Waffle, speaking from the floor, and surrounded by approximately 600 supporters, stated: "You would be doing an immense disservice to the party and this great country if this convention binds itself to any resolution that questions the desire of the people to live in one united Canada."


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
Another leadership hopeful, Ed Broadbent, tried to bridge the two polarized factions, by attempting to introduce a compromise amendment to Lewis' motion that said: "There should be no questioning of the fundamental right of Quebeckers to leave Confederation if the decision is democratically arrived by the people of Quebec." His amendment garnered little support, and was rejected outright by a wide majority. In the end, the vast majority of the 1,700 convention delegates supported the Lewis motion, with a show of hands.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, The Quebec issue
The motion backed a one-Canada stand, and really gave the party's establishment a free-hand on how to prepare a more detailed position for the up-coming federal election, since the motion also made the party's establishment-controlled Federal Council responsible for producing that policy. After the Quebec wing's defeat on the Quebec motion, Laliberté refused to state whether they would leave the party, only suggesting that it would be dealt with at their June provincial convention.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Party officer elections
NDP Now and the Waffle fought for control of the party's bureaucracy, by trying to get as many people elected as party officers of the Federal Executive and Council. The major battles were for the party's executive positions, especially the President and Vice-President positions. NDP Now, and its trade union backers, nominated the Ontario NDP's former leader, Donald C. MacDonald as its candidate for party President. The Waffle candidate was Susan Gudmundson, from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Party officer elections
Both MacDonald and Gudmundson were vying to succeed Allan Blakeney, who was stepping down as president because he recently was elected as the leader of the Saskatchewan NDP. MacDonald won 885 to 565, as expected, but Gudmundson received a surprisingly high level of support, due in part, to leadership candidate Ed Broadbent's supporters and the relative strength of the Waffle's supporters.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Party officer elections
Gudmundson then ran for one of the seven Vice-President positions, as did fellow Waffler Mel Watkins. She managed to get elected, but Watkins failed to keep his seat on the executive, and had to run for a general council seat instead. David Lewis' campaign manager, McGill University professor Charles Taylor easily won re-election as a Vice-President.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Party officer elections
The whole Federal Council, including the executive, had 124 members, on which the Waffle held 20 positions going into the elections. After April 23, they held only Gudmundson and Watkins' seats. On April 25, Laxer and Watkins tried to get on the executive, as there were still two vacant seats. They were overwhelmingly rebuffed in their attempts by the pro-establishment council.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, David Lewis
David Lewis was seen as the front runner by the media. He had worked for either the NDP and its forerunner, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, for almost 36 years. He was the National Secretary from 1936 until 1950, when he moved from Ottawa to Toronto to set up a labour law practice. He served as the National President of the CCF during its final years, and was one of the main organizers behind bringing labour and democratic socialists together to form the NDP in 1961.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, David Lewis
He had been the Member of Parliament for the federal electoral district of York South, since 1962 (with the exception of a two-year period between 1963 and 1965). The two times that T. C. Douglas did not win a seat to parliament, Lewis took over as house leader. The second time, in 1968, essentially left Lewis as the de facto leader. His years of service and control of most of the federal party's apparatus made him the "establishment" candidate, and the one to beat at the convention. During the leadership campaign, he did not travel around the country, as the other candidates had to, since he did most of his electioneering in the fall of 1970, and declared his intentions formally in December 1970, as a direct result of this work.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, Ed Broadbent
Ed Broadbent was a newly elected Member of Parliament, for the Oshawa–Whitby electoral district and was the first candidate to declare candidacy for the leadership when he did so in June 1970. He had been one of the founders of the Waffle, but backed away from them before the 1969 convention. He ran partially to bridge gulf between the Waffle and the Establishment in the party. When Lewis and Frank Howard attacked the Waffle, Broadbent warned that they were setting up the convention to be divided along Waffle/Establishment lines, which is what happened.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, Ed Broadbent
Before getting into politics, Broadbent was a professor at York University, teaching political theory. He was educated at the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics. His performance on the Quebec issue the day before the leadership vote cost him much of his support as his amendments were rejected outright on the convention floor.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, John Harney
John Harney was originally from Quebec and was fluently bilingual. Entering the race in November 1970, he turned forty years old during the campaign, and like the other candidates, was essentially a generation younger than David Lewis. Like Broadbent, he was a university professor, first at the University of Guelph, and later at York University, teaching English literature. He was the Provincial Secretary for the Ontario New Democratic Party from 1966 to 1970. In that time, he was also the campaign manager for that party's breakthrough campaign in the 1967 general election.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, John Harney
However, he had a major disadvantage compared to some of the other candidates: at the time of the leadership campaign, he did not hold elected office, and had been defeated in four previous attempts to get elected to the House of Commons. The Quebec issue, and much of the fall-out from weeks of debating it before the convention, pulled Harney away from the issues that he was trying to get debated, notably regulating financial institutions to use their wealth to promote programs that had social benefits for all, and following the Ontario NDP's plan for nationalizing resource industries.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, Frank Howard
Of all of Lewis' challengers, Frank Howard was the oldest at 45, still considerably younger than Lewis' 61 years, and the only one not from Ontario. He entered the leadership campaign in January 1971, attacking the Waffle for their political naiveté. At the time, he had served in the Commons for 14 years, one of the last CCF MPs left from the 1957 federal election, representing the Skeena electoral district. He was known for his caustic, no-nonsense approach to politics, and was frequently in trouble with the Speaker of the House of Commons.


1971 New Democratic Party leadership election, Leadership contenders, Frank Howard
He also had a criminal record for armed robbery, committed when he was 18. This naturally led him to espousing penal reform as one of his main platform items. His other platform plank included support for native-Canadian issues, or in the parlance of the time, Indian Affairs. He did not spend much time campaigning before the convention, and even went on a two-week parliamentary trip to Australia and New Zealand in March. His strategy was to win delegate support at the convention in the days leading up to the Saturday vote.