1961 in sports
1961 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
| Years in sports: | 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s |
| Years: | 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 |
American football
- AFL Championship – Houston Oilers won 10-3 over the San Diego Chargers
- NFL Championship – Green Bay Packers won 37-0 over the New York Giants
- Sugar Bowl (1960 season):
- The Mississippi Rebels won 14-6 over the Rice Owls to win the FWAA Poll national championship
- Rose Bowl (1960 season):
- The Minnesota Golden Gophers lose 17-7 to the Washington Huskies; voted national champions by AP and UPI Poll
- 1961 college football season
- The Ohio State Buckeyes are voted national champions by the FWAA Poll; don't play in the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1962, due to the university faculty council decision to boycott the Rose Bowl Game berth
Association football
England
- FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leicester City. Tottenham also were division 1 champions, making them the first British club to win the double.
Australian rules football
- Victorian Football League
- August 12: Richmond becomes the only team to fail to kick a goal in a match since 1921, scoring only 0.8 (8) to St. Kilda's 12.19 (91).
- September 23: Hawthorn wins the 65th VFL pennant and its first, beating Footscray 13.16 (94) to 7.9 (51)
- John James wins the 34th Brownlow Medal
Bandy
- 1961 Bandy World Championship is held in Norway and won by
Soviet Union.
Baseball
- January 16 – Mickey Mantle becomes the highest paid player in Major League Baseball by signing a contract that will pay him $75,000 per season.
- April 11 – The former Washington Senators play their first home game in Metropolitan Stadium as the Minnesota Twins
- July 13 – In his majors debut, Milwaukee Braves outfielder Mack Jones tied a post-1900 National League record by collecting three singles and a double in his first game.
- Roger Maris hits 61 home runs during the regular season, establishing a record for the longer season. Babe Ruth's record of 60 still stood for the shorter season.
- October – World Series – New York Yankees win 4 games to 1 over the Cincinnati Reds. The series MVP is Whitey Ford of the Yankees.
Basketball
- NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
- Cincinnati wins 70-65 over Ohio St.
- NBA Finals –
- Boston Celtics won 4 games to 1 over the St. Louis Hawks
- The twelfth European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1961, is won by Soviet Union.
Boxing
- June 3 in Los Angeles, California – Emile Griffith knocked out Gaspar Ortega in the 12th round to retain the Welterweight Championship
Canadian football
- Grey Cup – Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 21-14 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Cycling
- August 1 – death of Adrie Voorting (aged 30), Dutch road bicycle and track cyclist
- Giro d'Italia won by Ercole Baldini of Italy
- Tour de France – Jacques Anquetil of France
- UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Rik Van Looy of Belgium
Figure skating
- The World Figure Skating Championships in Prague are cancelled after the entire USA team of skaters, officials, leaders and chaperones are killed in a plane crash on 15 February en route to the competition.
- Among the dead are:
- Bradley Lord (21), USA men's figure skating champion;
- Maribel Vinson-Owen, USA women's figure skating champion and coach;
- Maribel Yerxa Owen (20), USA women's figure skating champion;
- Laurence Owen (16), USA women's figure skating champion.
Golf
Men's professional
- Masters Tournament – Gary Player becomes the first international golfer to win the Masters.
- U.S. Open – Gene Littler
- British Open – Arnold Palmer
- PGA Championship – Jerry Barber
- PGA Tour money leader – Gary Player – $64,540
- Ryder Cup – United States wins 14½ to 9½ over Britain in team golf.
Men's amateur
Women's professional
- Women's Western Open – Mary Lena Faulk
- LPGA Championship – Mickey Wright
- U.S. Women's Open – Mickey Wright
- Titleholders Championship – Mickey Wright
- LPGA Tour money leader – Mickey Wright – $22,236
Harness racing
- United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
- Cane Pace – Cold Front
- Little Brown Jug – Henry T. Adios
- Messenger Stakes – Adios Don
- United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
- Hambletonian – Harlan Dean
- Yonkers Trot – Duke Rodney
- Kentucky Futurity – Duke Rodney
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Massacre
Horse racing
Steeplechases
- Cheltenham Gold Cup – Saffron Tartan
- Grand National – Nicolaus Silver
Flat races
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Lord Fury
- Canada – Queen's Plate won by Blue Light
- France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Molvedo
- Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Your Highness
- English Triple Crown Races:
- United States Triple Crown Races:
Ice hockey
- Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, Montreal Canadiens
- Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, Montreal Canadiens
- Stanley Cup – Chicago Black Hawks win 4 games to 2 over the Detroit Red Wings
- World Hockey Championship –
- Men's champion: Trail Smoke Eaters from Canada
- NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Denver Pioneers defeat St. Lawrence University Saints 12-2 in Denver, Colorado
Motor racing
- Stock car racing –
- Marvin Panch wins the Daytona 500 in the Smokey Yunick-owned and -prepared Pontiac
- NASCAR Championship – Ned Jarrett (Chevrolet)
- USAC Racing
- 30 May – A.J. Foyt wins his first 45th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Bowes Seal Fast Special Trevis–Offenhauser
- A.J. Foyt wins the driving championship
- Formula One – Phil Hill (United States) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving for Ferrari.
- 24 Hours of Le Mans – Olivier Gendebien / Phil Hill win, sharing a Ferrari 250TR
- Rally racing – the team of Maurice Martin / Roger Bateau win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Panhard PL17
- Drag racing
- Pete Robinson won Top Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals
- Jack Chrisman wins Top Eliminator at the first Winternats with NHRA's first sub-9 sec pass[1]
Radiosport
- First European Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships held in Stockholm, Sweden. This event was the first organized international competition in the sport.
Rugby league
- 1961 New Zealand rugby league season
- 1960–61 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1961–62 Northern Rugby Football League season
- 1961 NSWRFL season
Rugby union
- 67th Five Nations Championship series is won by France
Swimming
- August 13 – USA's Becky Collins breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 2:32.8.
- August 19 – US swimmer Carl Robie takes over the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) from his compatriot Michael Troy at a meet in Los Angeles, California, clocking 2:12.6.
Tennis
Australia
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Rod Laver (Australia) 1–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–4
- Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill (Australia) 6–1, 6–4
England
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Chuck McKinley (USA) 6–3, 6–1, 6–4
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Angela Mortimer Barrett (Great Britain) defeats Christine Truman Janes (Great Britain) 4–6, 6–4, 7–5
France
USA
Davis Cup
- 1961 Davis Cup –
Australia 5–0 
Italy at Kooyong Stadium (grass) Melbourne, Australia
Multi-sport events
- Pan Arab Games held in Casablanca, Morocco
- Second Summer Universiade held in Sofia, Bulgaria
Awards
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Roger Maris, Major League Baseball
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Wilma Rudolph, Track and field
References
- ↑ No. 23: Jack Chrisman, National Hot Rod Association; written in 2001, retrieved 4 March 2008.
{{Sports by year 1951 – 2000}}
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