1961 Campeonato Paulista

The 1961 Campeonato Paulista da Divisão Especial, organized by the Federação Paulista de Futebol, was the 60th season of São Paulo's top professional football league. Santos won the title for the 6th time. Portuguesa Santista was relegated. This year again, the top scorer was Santos's Pelé with 47 goals, achieving the distinction for the fifth year running.

Championship
The championship was disputed in a double-round robin system, with the team with the most points winning the title and the team with the fewest points being relegated.