1961 in sports

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Contents 1 Athletics 1.1 Marathon 2 Auto Racing 3 Baseball 4 Basketball 5 Billiards 6 Boxing 7 Cycling 8 Figure Skating 9 Football (American) 10 Football (Australian rules football) 11 Football (Canadian) 12 Football (Soccer) 13 Golf 14 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 15 Harness Racing 16 Ice Hockey 17 Radiosport 18 Swimming 19 Tennis 20 Multi-sport events 21 Awards 22 Births 22.1 January 22.2 February 22.3 March 22.4 April 22.5 May 22.6 June 22.7 July 22.8 August 22.9 September 22.10 October 22.11 November 22.12 December 23 Deaths

[edit] Athletics

[edit] Marathon

• August 12 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands
  • Men's Winner: Peter Wilkinson (GBR) 2:24:12

• December 3 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
  • Men's Winner: Pavel Kantorek (CZE) 2:22:05

[edit] Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Marvin Panch won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Ned Jarrett
• Indianapolis 500 - A.J. Foyt
• USAC Racing - A.J. Foyt won the driving championship
• Formula One Championship - Phil Hill of the United States
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Olivier Gendebien / Phil Hill win, driving a Ferrari TR61
• Rally racing - the team of Maurice Martin / Roger Bateau won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Panhard PL17
• Drag racing - Pete Robinson won Top Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] Billiards

• Maureen Baynton won the Women's World Amateur Billiards Championships

[edit] Boxing

• June 3 in Los Angeles, California - Emile Griffith knocked out Gaspar Ortega in the 12th round to retain the Welterweight Championship

[edit] Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Ercole Baldini of Italy
• Tour de France - Jacques Anquetil of France
• World Cycling Championship: Rik Van Looy of Belgium

[edit] Figure Skating

• The World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia were canceled after the entire United States team of skaters, officials, leaders and chaperones all died on February 15 in a plane crash just outside of Belgium while traveling to the competition.

[edit] Football (American)

• 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)

[edit] Football (Australian rules football)

Hawthorn 13.16 (94) d Footscray 7.9 (51))

[edit] Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 21-14 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

[edit] Football (Soccer)

For an extensive coverage see 1961 in football (soccer)

• England - FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur won 2-0 over Leicester City

[edit] Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. April 6-10 - The Masters - Gary Player _ Player became the first international golfer to win The Masters.
  2. June 15-17 - US Open - Gene Littler
  3. July 11-14 - British Open - Arnold Palmer
  4. July 28-31 - PGA Championship - Jerry Barber

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Gary Player - $64,540

• Ryder Cup: United States wins 14 1/2 to 9 1/2 over Britain in world team golf.

Women's Golf

• 1. June 28-July 1 - US Women's Open - Mickey Wright
• LPGA Championship - Mickey Wright
• Mickey Wright: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $22,236

[edit] Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Lord Fury
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Blue Light
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Molvedo
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - 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. May 6 - Kentucky Derby - Carry Back
  2. Preakness Stakes - Carry Back
  3. Belmont Stakes - Sherluck

[edit] 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

[edit] 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 Smokeaters from Canada

• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - University of Denver Pioneers defeat St. Lawrence University Saints 12-2 in Denver, CO

[edit] Radiosport

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

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 Smith
  2. French Open - Ann Haydon
  3. Wimbledon championships - Angela Mortimer
  4. US Open - Darlene Hard

• Davis Cup: Australia won 5-0 over Italy in world tennis.

[edit] Multi-sport events

• Pan Arab Games held in Casablanca, Morocco

• Second Summer Universiade held in Sofia, Bulgaria

[edit] 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

[edit] Births

[edit] January

• January 1 — Maurits Hendriks, Dutch field hockey coach
• January 2 — Alberto Mercado, Puerto Rican boxer
• January 2 — Carole Teffri, French field hockey player
• January 4 — John Brenner, American shot putter
• January 6 — Harriet van Ettekoven, Dutch rower
• January 11 — Graham Welbourn, Canadian swimmer
• January 13 — Joaquim Silva, Portuguese long-distance runner
• January 15 — Jerry Page, American boxer
• January 22 — Dan Frost, Danish track cyclist
• January 23 — Jörg Müller, Swiss track cyclist and road bicycle racer
• January 26 — Francisco Centelles, Cuban high jumper
• January 26 — Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player
• January 31 — Miguel de Paz, Spanish field hockey player

[edit] February

• February 1 — Stan van Belkum, Dutch water polo player
• February 1 — Volker Fried, German field hockey player
• February 6 — Bernd Dittert, German cyclist
• February 11 — Mary Docter, American speed skater
• February 15 — Marc Benninga, Dutch field hockey player
• February 20 — Steve Lundquist, American swimmer
• February 21 — Davey Allison, American automobile racer (d. 1993)
• February 21 — Marívi González, Spanish field hockey player
• February 23 — Sylvie Ruegger, Canadian long-distance runner
• February 24 — Tyke Peacock, American high jumper
• February 28 — János Váradi, Hungarian boxer
• February 28 — Biljana Petrović, Croatian high jumper

[edit] March

• March 2 — Ken Goodwin, Canadian field hockey goalkeeper
• March 4 — René Klaassen, Dutch field hockey defender
• March 4 — Ray Mancini, Italian-American boxer
• March 8 — Federico Moreira, Uruguayan road bicycle racer and track cyclist
• March 10 — Mitch Gaylord, American gymnast
• March 10 — Bobby Petrino, American college football coach
• March 10 — Ben Spijkers, Dutch judoka
• March 12 — Mary Nevill, British field hockey player
• March 21 — Lothar Matthäus, German football player
• March 24 — Maureen O’Toole, American water polo player
• March 24 — Pat Turner, Canadian rower

[edit] April

• April 5 — Jan Tops, Dutch equestrian
• April 6 — Brenda Stauffer, American field hockey player
• April 15 — Tiina Lillak, Finnish javelin thrower
• April 19 — Kirsten Emmelmann, East German track and field athlete
• April 20 — Yelena Didilenko-Korban, Soviet track and field sprinter
• April 21 — Ronald Florijn, Dutch rower
• April 23 — Bryan Carbis, British ice speed skater
• April 23 — Gilberto Passani, Italian volleyball player
• April 30 — Irina Bogachova, Kyrgyz long-distance runner

[edit] May

• May 2 — Ronnie Baxter, English darts player
• May 2 — Peter Doohan, Australian tennis player
• May 4 — Luis Herrera, Colombian cyclist
• May 7 — Diana Elliott, British high jumper
• May 8 — Andrea Pollack, East German butterfly swimmer
• May 10 — Viktor Deputatov, Soviet field hockey player
• May 13 — Dennis Rodman, American NBA player
• May 20 — Adauto Domingues, Brazilian middle-distance runner
• May 21 — Viktor Kuznetsov, Soviet backstroke swimmer
• May 24 — Trevor Porritt, Canadian field hockey player
• May 27 — Jill Sterkel, American freestyle swimmer

[edit] June

• June 1 — Werner Günthör, Swiss track and field athlete
• June 3 — Peter Vidmar, American gymnast
• June 5 — Ramesh Krishnan, Indian tennis player
• June 14 — Mihai Cioc, Romanian judoka
• June 16 — Marjolein Eijsvogel, Dutch field hockey forward
• June 16 — Stuart Grimshaw, New Zealand field hockey player
• June 23 — Stanley Floyd, American track and field sprinter
• June 24 — Juan Arnoldo Cayasso, Costa Rican soccer player
• June 26 — Greg LeMond, American cyclist, three-time Tour de France winner

[edit] July

• July 1 — Carl Lewis, American athletics legend, nine-time Olympic gold medalist
• July 7 — Steve Brace, Welsh long-distance runner
• July 7 — Chun Chil-Sung, South Korean boxer
• July 17 — Blair Horn, Canadian rower
• July 20 — Ria Visser, Dutch ice speed skater
• July 22 — Patrick McDonough, American track cyclist
• July 24 — Brian McMahon, Canadian coxswain
• July 26 — Danie Visser, South African tennis player
• July 28 — Alexander Kurlovitch, Soviet weightlifter
• July 28 — Yannick Dalmas, French Formula One driver

[edit] August

• August 1 — Peter Evans, Australian breastroke swimmer
• August 3 — Ken Wark, Australian field hockey player
• August 12 — Peter Szmidt, Canadian swimmer
• August 16 — Sandy Lister, British field hockey player
• August 19 — Danuta Bartoszek, Polish-Canadian long-distance runner
• August 20 — Lizanne Bussieres, Canadian long-distance runner
• August 23 — Eloína Echevarría, Cuban long jumper
• August 24 — Ingrid Berghmans, Belgian judoka
• August 29 — Carsten Fischer, German field hockey player
• August 29 — Armando Martínez, Cuban boxer
• August 30 — Salvatore Todisco, Italian boxer

[edit] September

• September 1 — Karen Smyers, American triathlete
• September 2 — Carlos Valderrama, Colombian football player
• September 3 — Nick Brown, British tennis player
• September 6 — Akira Kuroiwa, Japanese ice speed skater
• September 7 — Deb Covey, Canadian field hockey player
• September 7 — Donald Curry, American boxer
• September 10 — Jörg and Uwe Freimuth, East German track and field athletes
• September 15 — Dan Marino, American football player
• September 18 — Denis Lambert, Canadian boxer
• September 20 — Juan de la Garza, Mexican javelin thrower
• September 24 — Nancy Garapick, Canadian backstroke swimmer
• September 25 — Eduardo Martínez, Argentine beach volleyball player
• September 25 — Frankie Randall, American boxer
• September 28 — Yordanka Donkova, Bulgarian hurdling athlete
• September 28 — Shannon Smith, Canadian freestyle swimmer
• September 30 — Hidde Kruize, Dutch field hockey striker

[edit] October

• October 2 — Nico Verhoeven, Dutch cyclist
• October 9 — Osmiro de Souza Silva, Brazilian long-distance runner
• October 10 — Ferdinando De Giorgi, Italian volleyball player and coach
• October 10 — Gary Hurring, New Zealand swimmer
• October 11 — Steve Young, American football player
• October 12 — Diego García, Spanish long-distance runner
• October 14 — Gene Samuel, Trinidad and Tobago road bicycle racer and track cyclist
• October 15 — Jon Uriarte, Argentine volleyball player
• October 17 — Vaclavas Kidykas, Lithuanian discus thrower
• October 21 — Pablo Arraya, Peruvian tennis player
• October 21 — Douglas Partie, American volleyball player
• October 22 — Barbara Potter, American tennis player
• October 25 — Alison Webb, Canadian judoka
• October 26 — Manuel Estiarte, Spanish water polo player
• October 28 — Biaggio Chianese, Italian boxer

[edit] November

• November 4 — Catharina Neelissen, Dutch rower
• November 10 — Rob Smith, Australia-born Canadian field hockey player
• November 12 — Nadia Comaneci, Romanian-born gymnast
• November 12 — Enzo Francéscoli, Uruguayan football (soccer) player
• November 28 — Salvatore Bettiol, Italian long-distance runner
• November 30 — Nicolette Hellemans, Dutch rower

[edit] December

• December 2 — Kim Hagger, English track and field athlete
• December 8 — Stephane Bonneau, Canadian tennis player
• December 9 — Kerstin Brandt, East German high jumper
• December 10 — Mark McKoy, Canadian hurdler
• December 13 — Ranza Clark, Canadian middle distance runner
• December 19 — Reggie White, American football player
• December 19 — Juan Martin Coggi, Argentine boxer
• December 20 — Freddie Spencer, American motorcycle racer
• December 27 — Tomi Poikolainen, Finnish archer
• December 27 — Harbhajan Rai, Indian-born Canadian field hockey player
• December 31 — Shelley Fruin, New Zealand cricketer

[edit] Deaths

• February 15 — Bradley Lord, U.S. men's figure skating champion
• February 15 — Maribel Vinson-Owen, U.S. figure skating champion & coach
• February 15 — Maribel Yerxa Owen, U.S. figure skating champion
• February 15 — Laurence Richon Owen, U.S. figure skating champion
• June 23 — Richard Gunn (90), English boxer (b. 1871)
• July 17 — Ty Cobb, American Major League Baseball player
• August 1 — Adrie Voorting (30), Dutch road bicycle and track cyclist (b. 1931)
• November 25 — Hubert van Innis (95), Belgian archer (b. 1866)
• December 3 — Pat O'Hara Wood (70), Australian tennis player (b. 1891)