1962 in sports

1962 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

 * FIS Alpine World Ski Championships –
 * Men's combined champion: Karl Schranz, Austria
 * Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

American football

 * NFL Championship: the Green Bay Packers won 16–7 over the New York Giants at Yankee Stadium
 * Sugar Bowl (1961 season):
 * The Alabama Crimson Tide won 10–3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks to win the AP and UPI Poll national championship
 * The NCAA-record consecutive stadium sellout streak began at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, which is still continuing today.
 * AFL Championship – Dallas Texans won 20–17 over the Houston Oilers in double overtime

Artistic gymnastics

 * World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
 * Men's all-around champion: Yuri Titov, USSR
 * Women's all-around champion: Larisa Latynina, USSR
 * Team competition champions: men's – Japan; women's – USSR

Association football

 * Football World Cup in Chile – Brazil won 3–1 over Czechoslovakia

United Kingdom

 * FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur won 3-1 versus Burnley
 * Football League First Division – Ipswich Town F.C won the First Division

Europe

 * European Cup – Benfica won their second European Cup 5–3 against Real Madrid

Athletics

 * Seventh European Championships held from September 12 to September 16 at Belgrade
 * Commonwealth Games Championships held in November at Perth, Western Australia

Australian rules football

 * Victorian Football League
 * Essendon wins the 66th VFL Premiership (13.12 (90) d Carlton 8.10 (58))
 * Brownlow Medal awarded to Alistair Lord (Geelong)

Baseball

 * The National League expands to 10 teams, adding the Houston Colt .45's and the New York Mets. The league expands its schedule from 154 to 162 games.
 * January 23 – Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson are selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first years of eligibility.
 * October: National League pennant playoff: After finishing tied for the league lead, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants played-off for the title. The Giants won the series 2 games to 1, thereby winning the National League championship.
 * World Series – New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the San Francisco Giants. The Series MVP was Ralph Terry, New York.

Basketball

 * March 2 – In Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points against the New York Knicks, breaking several National Basketball Association records.
 * NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship –
 * Cincinnati wins 71–59 over Ohio St.
 * NBA Finals –
 * Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers

Boxing

 * March 24 – Emile Griffith regained the World Welterweight Championship by knocking out Benny the "Kid" Paret in the 12th round. Paret died ten days later on April 3 as a result of severe head injuries sustained in the fight.
 * September 25 – Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson, two minutes and six seconds into the first round, to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Canadian football

 * Grey Cup – Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 28–27 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

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 – Jean Stablinski of France

Golf
Men's professional Men's amateur
 * Masters Tournament – Arnold Palmer
 * U.S. Open – Jack Nicklaus
 * British Open – Arnold Palmer
 * PGA Championship – Gary Player
 * Canadian Open – Ted Kroll
 * PGA Tour money leader – Arnold Palmer – $81,448
 * British Amateur – Richard Davies
 * U.S. Amateur – Labron Harris Jr.

Horse racing
Steeplechases
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Mandarin
 * Grand National – Kilmore

Flat races
 * Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Even Stevens
 * Canadian Triple Crown:
 * Queen's Plate – Flaming Page
 * Prince of Wales Stakes –
 * Breeders' Stakes –
 * France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Soltikoff
 * Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes –
 * English Triple Crown:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Privy Councillor
 * The Derby – Larkspur
 * St. Leger Stakes – Hethersett
 * United States Triple Crown Races:
 * Kentucky Derby – Decidedly
 * Preakness Stakes – Greek Money
 * Belmont Stakes – Jaipur

Ice hockey

 * Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks
 * Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadiens
 * Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs won 4 games to 2 over the Chicago Black Hawks
 * World Hockey Championship –
 * Men's champion: Sweden defeated Canada
 * NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Michigan Technological University Huskies defeat Clarkson University Golden Knights 7–1 in Utica, New York

Rugby league

 * 1962 New Zealand rugby league season
 * 1962 NSWRFL season
 * 1961–62 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

 * 68th Five Nations Championship series is won by France

Swimming

 * February 20 – Australian swimming ace Kevin Berry takes over the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) from USA's Carl Robie at a meet in Melbourne, clocking 2:12.5.
 * August 11 – Carl Robie regains the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) and betters the world's best time twice in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, clocking 2:12.4 and, eventually, 2:10.8.
 * August 19 – US swimmer Sharon Finneran breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Chicago, Illinois – 2:31.2.
 * August 25 – Sharon Finneran breaks her own world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Los Altos, California – 2:30.7.
 * October 23 – Australia's Kevin Berry takes over the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) once again, clocking 2:09.7 at a meet in Melbourne, Victoria.

Tennis
Australia England France USA Events Davis Cup
 * Australian Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Roy Emerson (Australia) 8–6, 0–6, 6–4, 6–4
 * Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill (Australia) 6–0, 6–2
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Martin Mulligan (Australia) 6–2, 6–2, 6–1
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Karen Hantze Susman (USA) defeats Věra Pužejová Suková (Czechoslovakia) 6–4, 6–4
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Roy Emerson (Australia) 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–2
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Lesley Turner (Australia) 6–3, 3–6, 7–5
 * American Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Roy Emerson (Australia) 6–2, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Darlene Hard (USA) 9–7, 6–4
 * Rod Laver becomes only the second man in tennis history to win the Grand Slam in tennis.
 * 1962 Davis Cup – 5–0  at Milton Courts (grass) Brisbane, Australia

Volleyball

 * 1962 FIVB Men's World Championship in Moscow won by the USSR

Yacht racing

 * The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Weatherly defeats Australian challenger Gretel, of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, 4 races to 1; it is the first time in 81 years a country other than Great Britain has challenged for the Cup

Multi-sport events

 * Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia
 * 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Perth, Australia
 * Central American and Caribbean Games held in Kingston, Jamaica
 * Second Winter Universiade held in Villars, Switzerland

Awards

 * Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Maury Wills, Major League Baseball
 * Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Dawn Fraser, Swimming
 * ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Jim Beatty, Athletics