1961 in sports facts for kids

1961 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

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
• NCAA I-A Championship –
  • University of Alabama (AP)(UPI)
  • Ohio State (FWAA)

Association football

Cup Finals

• Copa Libertadores final - Peñarol won 2-1 on aggregate against Palmeiras
• European Cup final - Benfica 3-2 Barcelona
• FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leicester City
• Copa del Generalísimo final - Atletico Madrid 3-2 Real Madrid

League Winners

•  Argentina: Racing Club
•  Brazil: Santos
•  England: Tottenham Hotspur
•  France: AS Monaco
•  Italy: Juventus
•  Netherlands: Feyenoord
•  Portugal: Benfica
•  Soviet Union: Dynamo Kyiv
•  Spain: Real Madrid
•  Turkey: Fenerbahçe

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, breaking Babe Ruth's mark of 60 that had stood since 1927
• 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|NBA Finals –
  • Boston Celtics won 4 games to 1 over the St. Louis Hawks

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
• World Cycling Championship – 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

• 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 –
  1. Cane Pace - Cold Front
  2. Little Brown Jug - Henry T. Adios
  3. Messenger Stakes - Adios Don
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian - Harlan Dean
  2. Yonkers Trot - Duke Rodney
  3. 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:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Rockavon
  2. Epsom Derby – Psidium
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Aurelius
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Carry Back
  2. Preakness Stakes – Carry Back
  3. Belmont Stakes – Sherluck

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, CO

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

Radiosport

• First European Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships held in Stockholm, Sweden. This event was the first organized international competition in the sport.

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

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Roy Emerson
  2. French Open - Manuel Santana
  3. Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
  4. US Open - Roy Emerson
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Court
  2. French Open - Ann Haydon Jones
  3. Wimbledon championships - Angela Mortimer Barrett
  4. US Open - Darlene Hard
• Davis Cup – Australia won 5-0 over Italy in world tennis.

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