1961 in sports

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

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.

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

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, 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

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

French Men's Singles Championship –

French Women's Singles Championship –

USA

American Men's Singles Championship –

American Women's Singles Championship –

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