1961 Soviet Top League

22 teams took part in the league with FC Dynamo Kyiv winning the championship (the first Soviet champion from outside Moscow).

Top scorers

 * 22 goals
 * Gennadi Gusarov (Torpedo Moscow)


 * 20 goals
 * Gennadi Krasnitsky (Pakhtakor Tashkent)
 * Viktor Voroshilov (Lokomotiv Moscow)


 * 18 goals
 * Viktor Kanevskyi (Dynamo Kyiv)
 * Aleksei Mamykin (CSKA Moscow)


 * 15 goals
 * Igor Chislenko (Dynamo Moscow)
 * Sergey Kvochkin (Kairat Alma-Ata)


 * 14 goals
 * Zaur Kaloyev (Dinamo Tbilisi)
 * Galimzyan Khusainov (Spartak Moscow)
 * Yuri Zakharov (Shakhtyor Stalino)