1961 in sports

1961 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

 * NFL Championship: the Green Bay Packers won 37–0 over the New York Giants at Lambeau Field
 * 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.
 * AFL Championship – Houston Oilers won 10–3 over the San Diego Chargers

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.

Baseball

 * The American League expands to 10 teams, adding the Los Angeles Angels and the new Washington Senators. The league schedule is expanded from 154 to 162 games.
 * 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 – 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 Men's amateur Women's professional
 * Masters Tournament – Gary Player becomes the first international golfer to win the Masters.
 * U.S. Open – Gene Littler
 * The 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.
 * British Amateur – Michael Bonallack
 * U.S. Amateur – Jack Nicklaus
 * 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 –
 * Cane Pace – Cold Front
 * Little Brown Jug – Henry T. Adios
 * Messenger Stakes – Adios Don
 * United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
 * Hambletonian – Harlan Dean
 * Yonkers Trot – Duke Rodney
 * Kentucky Futurity – Duke Rodney
 * Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
 * Pacers: Massacre

Horse racing
Steeplechases Flat races
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Saffron Tartan
 * Grand National – Nicolaus Silver
 * 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:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Rockavon
 * The Derby – Psidium
 * St. Leger Stakes – Aurelius
 * United States Triple Crown Races:
 * Kentucky Derby – Carry Back
 * Preakness Stakes – Carry Back
 * Belmont Stakes – Sherluck

Ice hockey

 * Art Ross 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

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 – 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, clocking 2:12.6.

Tennis
Australia England France USA Davis Cup
 * 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
 * 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
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Manuel Santana (Spain) defeats Nicola Pietrangeli (Italy) 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Ann Haydon (Great Britain) defeats Yola Ramírez (Mexico) 6–2, 6–1
 * American Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Rod Laver (Australia) 7–5, 6–3, 6–2
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Darlene Hard (USA) defeats Ann Haydon (Great Britain) 6–3, 6–4
 * 1961 Davis Cup – 5–0  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