title: 1961 in sports
text: # 1961 in sports
  
  1961 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
  
  ## American football
  
  * NFL Championship: the Green Bay Packers won 37–0 over the New York Giants at Lambeau Field
  * Rose Bowl (1960 season):
     * The Minnesota Golden Gophers lose 17–7 to the Washington Huskies; still voted national champions
  * The Ohio State Buckeyes boycott a trip to the Rose Bowl the following January resulting in student protests on campus.
  * AFL Championship – Houston Oilers won 10–3 over the San Diego Chargers
  
  ## 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
  
  * The American League expands to 10 teams, adding the Los Angeles Angels and the new Washington Senators. The league schedule is expanded from 154 to 162 games.
  * 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 – 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
  * The 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
  
  * British Amateur – Michael Bonallack
  * U.S. Amateur – Jack Nicklaus
  
  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:
     * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Rockavon
     * The Derby – Psidium
     * St. Leger Stakes – Aurelius
  * United States Triple Crown Races:
     * Kentucky Derby – Carry Back
     * Preakness Stakes – Carry Back
     * Belmont Stakes – Sherluck
  
  ## Ice hockey
  
  * Art Ross 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
  
  ## 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 – 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, 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
  
  * French Men's Singles Championship – Manuel Santana (Spain) defeats Nicola Pietrangeli (Italy) 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2
  * French Women's Singles Championship – Ann Haydon (Great Britain) defeats Yola Ramírez (Mexico) 6–2, 6–1
  
  USA
  
  * American Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Rod Laver (Australia) 7–5, 6–3, 6–2
  * American Women's Singles Championship – Darlene Hard (USA) defeats Ann Haydon (Great Britain) 6–3, 6–4
  
  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
  