1963 in sports

American football

January 29 – First inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced

AFL Eastern Division Playoff – Boston Patriots win 26–8 over the Buffalo Bills

AFL Championship – San Diego Chargers win 51–10 over the Boston Patriots on January 5, 1964

NFL Championship – Chicago Bears win 14–10 over the New York Giants

September 7 – the Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.

Rose Bowl (1962 season):

The Southern California Trojans won 42-37 over the Wisconsin Badgers to win the college football national championship. This is the first postseason bowl game to feature the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country.

The Heisman Trophy – Roger Staubach, Navy

Instant replay is used for the first time during the broadcast of the Army-Navy Game.

Association football

FA Cup final – Manchester United won 3–1 over Leicester City

August 24 – Founding of the German Football League - Fußball-Bundesliga

Athletics

May – Athletics at the 1963 Pan American Games held in São Paulo

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League

Geelong wins the 67th VFL Premiership (Geelong 15.19 (109) d Hawthorn 8.12 (60))

Brownlow Medal awarded to Bob Skilton (South Melbourne)

Bandy

1963 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by  Soviet Union.

Baseball

June 22 – Phillies center fielder Tony Gonzalez plays his 200th straight errorless game to help rookie Ray Culp beat Roger Craig and the Mets 2–0.

World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers win 4 games to 0 over the New York Yankees. The series MVP is Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles.

Basketball

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –

Loyola (Illinois) wins 60–58 over Cincinnati

NBA Finals –

Boston Celtics win 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Lakers

Basketball World Championship –

Brazil World Champion

Boxing

July 22 – Sonny Liston wins the Heavyweight Championship of the world by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the 1st round of their bout in Las Vegas, Nevada.

August 27 to September 7 – Pan American Games held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win 21–10 over the B.C. Lions

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Franco Balmamion of Italy

Tour de France – Jacques Anquetil of France

UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Benoni Beheyt of Belgium

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

Men's champion: Donald McPherson, Canada

Ladies' champion: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Netherlands

Pair skating champions: Marika Kilius & Hans-Jürgen Bäumler, Germany

Ice dancing champions: Eva Romanová & Pavel Roman, Czechoslovakia

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – Jack Nicklaus

U.S. Open – Julius Boros

British Open – Bob Charles

PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus

PGA Tour money leader – Arnold Palmer – $128,230

Ryder Cup – United States wins 23 to 9 over Britain in team golf.

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Michael Lunt

U.S. Amateur – Deane Beman

Women's professional

Women's Western Open – Mickey Wright

LPGA Championship – Mickey Wright

U.S. Women's Open – Mary Mills

Titleholders Championship – Marilynn Smith

LPGA Tour money leader – Mickey Wright – $31,269

Harness racing

United States Pacing Triple Crown races –

1. Cane Pace – Meadow Skipper
2. Little Brown Jug – Overtrick
3. Messenger Stakes – Overtrick

Speedy Scot won the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Triple Crown races –

1. Hambletonian – Speedy Scott
2. Yonkers Trot – Speedy Scott
3. Kentucky Futurity – Speedy Scott

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –

Pacers: Cardigan Bay

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Mill House

Grand National – Ayala

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Gatum Gatum

Canadian Triple Crown:

1. Queen's Plate – Canebora
2. Prince of Wales Stakes – Canebora
3. Breeders' Stakes – Canebora

Canebora becomes the country's second Triple Crown winner, and the last until 1989.

France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Exbury

Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Ragusa

English Triple Crown:

1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Only for Life
2. Epsom Derby – Relko
3. St. Leger Stakes – Ragusa

United States Triple Crown:

1. Kentucky Derby – Chateaugay
2. Preakness Stakes – Candy Spots
3. Belmont Stakes – Chateaugay

Ice Hockey

Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 1.

Motor racing

Stock car racing

Tiny Lund wins the Daytona 500 in the #21 Ford

NASCAR Championship – Joe Weatherly in the #8 Pontiac (for Bud Moore

USAC Racing

30 May – Parnelli Jones wins the 47th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Agajanian/Willard Battery Special Watson-Offenhauser

A.J. Foyt wins the season championship

Formula One – Jim Clark (Great Britain) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving a Lotus 25-Climax.

24 hours of Le Mans – Ludovico Scarfiotti / Lorenzo Bandini win, sharing a Ferrari 250P

Rally racing – the team of Erik Carlsson / Gunnar Palm win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Saab 96

Drag racing – Bobby Vodnik wins Top Fuel at the NHRA Nationals

5 September – at Bonneville, Craig Breedlove sets a new land speed record at 407.447 mph (655.722 km/h) in Spirit of America. The controversial jet-propelled three-wheeler's record is not recognized by FIA, because it is neither wheel-driven nor four-wheeled; FIM quickly accepts the record, & the public does not recognize the distinction.

Radiosport

Third Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Rugby league

1963 New Zealand rugby league season

1963 NSWRFL season

1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

69th Five Nations Championship series is won by England

New Zealand All Blacks team tours Great Britain and is defeated only once: 3–0 by Newport RFC on 30 October

Swimming

July 27 – US swimmer Susan Pitt breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, clocking 2:29.1.

Tennis

Australia

Australian Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Ken Fletcher (Australia) 6–3, 6–3, 6–1

Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill (Australia) 6–2, 6–2

England

Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Chuck McKinley (USA) defeats Fred Stolle (Australia) 9–7, 6–1, 6–4

Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Billie Jean King (USA) 6–3, 6–4

France

French Men's Singles Championship –

French Women's Singles Championship –

USA

American Men's Singles Championship –

American Women's Singles Championship –

Events

Federation Cup – USA 2–1 Australia (inaugural event)

Davis Cup

1963 Davis Cup –  United States 3–2  Australia at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre (grass) Adelaide, Australia

Volleyball

Volleyball at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo won by Brazil (both men's and women's tournaments)

Multi-sport events

Fourth Pan American Games held in São Paulo, Brazil

Fourth Mediterranean Games held in Naples, Italy

Third Summer Universiade held in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Awards

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Sandy Koufax, Major League Baseball

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Mickey Wright, LPGA golf

ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the year: Valery Brumel, Athletics