The ABC Sportsman Of The Year Awards were started in 1951 and first televised in 1957. Despite the gender-specific title, both males and females were eligible. The awards were eventually re-named the ABC Sports Award Of The Year in 1984 and later merged with the Sport Australia Awards to become the Australian Sports Awards. They continued until 2006.
The 1980 ABC Sportsman Of The Year was hosted by Norman May, with the major award won by motor racing driver Alan Jones.
See also: Saturday 3 January 1981 — SYDNEY
Source: TV Scene, 3 January 1981
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| 6AM | 6am Rocky And His Friends 6.30 King Leonardo |
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| 7AM | 7am King Kong 7.30 Sigmund And The Sea Monsters |
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| 8AM | 8am Swiss Family Robinson | 8am How 8.30 Nobody’s House |
8am Waterline 8.30 Laurel And Hardy (B&W) |
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| 9AM | 9am Sounds. Donnie Sutherland | 9am The Curiosity Show | 9am Cartoon Carnival | ||
| 10AM | 10am The Krofft Supershow 10.50 Cricket: First Test. Australia v India. Live from the Sydney Cricket Ground |
10.30 The Magic Wok | |||
| 11AM | 11am Let’s Go Greek — Endaxi. John Tikis | ||||
| 12PM | 12pm John’s Workshop 12.30 Havoc |
12pm The Cisco Kid | |||
| 1PM | 1pm Soccer: Match Of The Day | 1pm Tennis: Australian Men’s Open. Live from Kooyong, Melbourne | 1pm Snooker: TAA International Championship 1.30 Cricket (cont’d) |
1pm Movie: Magic Fire. 1954 [IMDB] | |
| 2PM | 2pm Motor Racing: Manufacturers Championship. Highlights | ||||
| 3PM | 3pm Fall Line 3.50 Basketball: Australian Men’s Final 1979. Victoria v South Australia (Rpt) |
3pm Racing. Live from Moonee Valley, Melbourne | 3pm Making It Together 3.30 The Rovers |
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| 4PM | 4.55 Paddles Up | 4pm Wild Kingdom 4.30 Barrier Reef |
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| 5PM | 5.10 Thrillmaker Sports 5.35 Survival |
5pm Tennis (cont’d) | 5pm Almost Anything Goes | 5.30pm Cartoons | |
| 6PM | 6.05 The Magic Show | 6pm Seven National News 6.30 Little Women |
6pm National Nine News 6.30 Diff’rent Strokes |
6pm Eyewitness News 6.30 Young Talent Time (Rpt) |
6pm The Orphan (France) 6.30 In The Wake Of Odysseus (Germany) |
| 7PM | 7pm ABC News 7.15 Today’s Sport 7.26 Weather 7.30 Parkinson |
7.30 Phyl And Mikhy | 7pm Angie 7.30 Salvage 1 |
7.30 Special: Roger Whittaker | 7pm Along The Mediterranean (Yugoslavia) 7.30 Josephine (France) |
| 8PM | 8.35 Special: ABC Sportsman Of The Year 1980. Norman May | 8pm The Howerd Confessions 8.25 Tattersall’s Super 66 8.30 Special: George Burns’ 100th Birthday |
8.30 Movie: The Great Niagara. 1974 [IMDB] | 8.30 Special: The Elusive Geisha. Paul Ricketts | |
| 9PM | 9.35 ABC News, Weather 9.45 Target |
9.35 Tattslotto 9.40 Fallen Hero |
9.30 Movie: The Laughing Policeman. 1973 [IMDB] | 9pm Movie: I Only Wish You Loved Me (Germany) [IMDB] | |
| 10PM | 10.35 The Val Doonican Music Show | 10.40 Big League Soccer | 10pm Cricket: First Test. Highlights 10.30 Movie: In Broad Daylight. 1971 [IMDB] |
10.30 Close | |
| 11PM | 11.25 Close | 11.55 Movie: Breakout. 1967 [IMDB] | 11.40 World Snooker | ||
| 12AM | 12am Movie: The Killers. 1964 (B&W) [IMDB] | 12.10am Special Edition 12.40 Movie: The Last Days Of Dolwyn. 1949 (B&W) [IMDB] |
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| 1AM | 1.45am Close | ||||
| 2AM | 2am Movie: The Gamblers. 1970 [IMDB] | ||||
| 3AM | 3.50 Movie: The Brasher Doubloon. 1947 (B&W) [IMDB] | 3.30 Close | |||
| 4AM | |||||
| 5AM | 5.10 Danger Man (B&W) (Continues to 6am) |
