American Football
- January 3 – Tony Dorsett sets NFL record for longest run from scrimmage by rushing for 99 yard touchdown.
- January 26 – death of Paul "Bear" Bryant, noted college football coach
- Super Bowl XVII – The Washington Redskins win their first Super Bowl title, and first NFL title since 1942, 27-17 over the Miami Dolphins.
- The Miami Hurricanes win their first national championship over the Nebraska Cornhuskers 31-30 in the Orange Bowl.
- Michigan Panthers win United States Football League Championship, 24-22 over Philadelphia Stars
- October 31 – death of George Halas, Chicago Bears founder and coach
Read more about this topic: 1983 In Sports
Famous quotes containing the words american and/or football:
“After all, the chief business of the American people is business. They are profoundly concerned with producing, buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)
“People stress the violence. That’s the smallest part of it. Football is brutal only from a distance. In the middle of it there’s a calm, a tranquility. The players accept pain. There’s a sense of order even at the end of a running play with bodies stewn everywhere. When the systems interlock, there’s a satisfaction to the game that can’t be duplicated. There’s a harmony.”
—Don Delillo (b. 1926)