1963 in sports

1963 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

 * NFL Championship: the Chicago Bears won 14–10 over the New York Giants at Wrigley Field
 * January 29 – First inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced
 * September 7 – the Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.
 * Rose Bowl (1962 season):
 * The Southern California Trojans won 42–37 over the Wisconsin Badgers to win the college football national championship. This is the first postseason bowl game to feature the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country.
 * AFL Eastern Division Playoff – Boston Patriots win 26–8 over the Buffalo Bills
 * AFL Championship – San Diego Chargers win 51–10 over the Boston Patriots on January 5, 1964
 * The Heisman Trophy – Roger Staubach, Navy
 * Instant replay is used for the first time during the broadcast of the Army–Navy Game.

Association football

 * FA Cup final – Manchester United won 3–1 over Leicester City
 * August 24 – Founding of the German Football League – Bundesliga

Athletics

 * May – Athletics at the 1963 Pan American Games held in São Paulo

Australian rules football

 * Victorian Football League
 * Geelong wins the 67th VFL Premiership (Geelong 15.19 (109) d Hawthorn 8.12 (60))
 * Brownlow Medal awarded to Bob Skilton (South Melbourne)

Bandy

 * 1963 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by.

Baseball

 * June 22 – Phillies center fielder Tony Gonzalez plays his 200th straight errorless game to help rookie Ray Culp beat Roger Craig and the Mets 2–0.
 * World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers win 4 games to 0 over the New York Yankees. The series MVP is Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles.

Basketball

 * NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
 * Loyola (Illinois) wins 60–58 over Cincinnati
 * NBA Finals –
 * Boston Celtics win 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Lakers
 * Basketball World Championship –
 * Brazil World Champion

Boxing

 * July 22 – Sonny Liston wins the Heavyweight Championship of the world by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the 1st round of their bout in Las Vegas.
 * August 27 to September 7 – Pan American Games held in São Paulo, Brazil.

Canadian football

 * Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win 21–10 over the B.C. Lions

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 – Benoni Beheyt of Belgium

Figure skating

 * World Figure Skating Championships
 * Men's champion: Donald McPherson, Canada
 * Ladies' champion: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Netherlands
 * Pair skating champions: Marika Kilius & Hans-Jürgen Bäumler, Germany
 * Ice dancing champions: Eva Romanová & Pavel Roman, Czechoslovakia

Golf
Men's professional Men's amateur Women's professional
 * Masters Tournament – Jack Nicklaus
 * U.S. Open – Julius Boros
 * British Open – Bob Charles
 * PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus
 * PGA Tour money leader – Arnold Palmer – $128,230
 * Ryder Cup – United States wins 23 to 9 over Britain in team golf.
 * British Amateur – Michael Lunt
 * U.S. Amateur – Deane Beman
 * Women's Western Open – Mickey Wright
 * LPGA Championship – Mickey Wright
 * U.S. Women's Open – Mary Mills
 * Titleholders Championship – Marilynn Smith
 * LPGA Tour money leader – Mickey Wright – $31,269

Harness racing

 * United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
 * Cane Pace – Meadow Skipper
 * Little Brown Jug – Overtrick
 * Messenger Stakes – Overtrick
 * Speedy Scot won the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Triple Crown races –
 * Hambletonian – Speedy Scott
 * Yonkers Trot – Speedy Scott
 * Kentucky Futurity – Speedy Scott
 * Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
 * Pacers: Cardigan Bay

Horse racing
Steeplechases Flat races
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Mill House
 * Grand National – Ayala
 * Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Gatum Gatum
 * Canadian Triple Crown:
 * Queen's Plate – Canebora
 * Prince of Wales Stakes – Canebora
 * Breeders' Stakes – Canebora
 * Canebora becomes the country's second Triple Crown winner, and the last until 1989.
 * France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Exbury
 * Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Ragusa
 * English Triple Crown:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Only for Life
 * The Derby – Relko
 * St. Leger Stakes – Ragusa
 * United States Triple Crown:
 * Kentucky Derby – Chateaugay
 * Preakness Stakes – Candy Spots
 * Belmont Stakes – Chateaugay

Ice Hockey

 * Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 1.

Radiosport

 * Third Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Rugby league

 * 1963 New Zealand rugby league season
 * 1963 NSWRFL season
 * 1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

 * 69th Five Nations Championship series is won by England
 * New Zealand All Blacks team tours Great Britain and is defeated only once: 3–0 by Newport RFC on 30 October

Swimming

 * July 27 – US swimmer Susan Pitt breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Philadelphia, clocking 2:29.1.

Tennis
Australia England France USA Events Davis Cup
 * Australian Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Ken Fletcher (Australia) 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
 * Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill (Australia) 6–2, 6–2
 * Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Chuck McKinley (USA) defeats Fred Stolle (Australia) 9–7, 6–1, 6–4
 * Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Billie Jean King (USA) 6–3, 6–4
 * French Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Pierre Darmon (France) 3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
 * French Women's Singles Championship – Lesley Turner (Australia) defeats Ann Haydon Jones (Great Britain) 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
 * American Men's Singles Championship – Rafael Osuna (Mexico) defeats Frank Froehling (USA) 7–5, 6–4, 6–2
 * American Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno (Brazil) defeats Margaret Smith (Australia) 7–5, 6–4
 * Federation Cup – USA 2–1 Australia (inaugural event)
 * 1963 Davis Cup – 3–2  at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre (grass) Adelaide, Australia

Volleyball

 * Volleyball at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo won by Brazil (both men's and women's tournaments)

Multi-sport events

 * Fourth Pan American Games held in São Paulo, Brazil
 * Fourth Mediterranean Games held in Naples, Italy
 * Third Summer Universiade held in Porto Alegre, Brazil

Awards

 * Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Sandy Koufax (Major League Baseball)
 * Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Mickey Wright (LPGA golf)
 * ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the year: Valery Brumel (track and field)
 * Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: Pete Rozelle NFL