1961 in sports

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Marvin Panch[?] won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Ned Jarrett[?]
• Indianapolis 500 - A.J. Foyt
• USAC Racing - A.J. Foyt won the driving championship
• Formula One Championship - Phil Hill[?] of the United States
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Olivier Gendebien[?] / Phil Hill[?] win, driving a Ferrari TR61
• Rally racing - the team of Maurice Martin[?] / Roger Bateau[?] won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Panhard PL17[?]
• Drag racing - Pete Robinson[?] won Top Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals

Baseball

• 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.

• Roger Maris[?] hits 61 home runs during the regular season, breaking Babe Ruth's mark of 60 that had stood since 1927

• 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

Boxing

• June 3 in Los Angeles, California - Emile Griffith knocked out Gaspar Ortega[?] in the 12th round to retain the Welterweight Championship

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Ercole Baldini[?] of Italy
• Tour de France - Jacques Anquetil[?] of France
• World Cycling Championship: Rik Van Looy[?] of Belgium

Figure Skating

• The World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia were canceled after the entire United States team of skaters, officials, leaders and chaperones all died on February 15 in a plane crash just outside of Belgium while traveling to the competition.

Football (Soccer)

• England - FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur won 2-0 over Leicester City[?]

Football (American)

• NFL Championship: Green Bay Packers won 37-0 over the New York Giants

Canadian Football League

• Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 21-14 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Gary Player[?]
  2. June - US Open - Gene Littler[?]
  3. July - British Open - Arnold Palmer
  4. August - PGA Championship - Jerry Barber[?]

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Gary Player[?] - $64,540

• Ryder Cup: United States wins 14 1/2 to 9 1/2 over Britain in world team golf.

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Mickey Wright[?]
• LPGA Championship - Mickey Wright[?]
• Mickey Wright[?]: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $22,236

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Lord Fury[?]
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Blue Light[?]
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Molvedo[?]
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Your Highness[?]

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Rockavon[?]
  2. Epsom Derby - Psidium[?]
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Aurelius[?]

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Carry Back[?]
  2. Preakness Stakes - Carry Back[?]
  3. Belmont Stakes - Sherluck[?]

Harness Racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Cold Front[?]
  2. Little Brown Jug - Henry T. Adios[?]
  3. Messenger Stakes - Adios Don[?]

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Harlan Dean[?]
  2. Yonkers Trot - Duke Rodney[?]
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Duke Rodney[?]

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Massacre[?]

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial 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 Blackhawks win 4 games to 2 over the Detroit Red Wings

• World Hockey Championship:
  • Men's champion: Trail Smokeaters[?] from Canada

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Roy Emerson[?]
  2. French Open - Manuel Santana[?]
  3. Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
  4. US Open - Roy Emerson[?]

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Smith
  2. French Open - Ann Haydon[?]
  3. Wimbledon championships - Angela Mortimer[?]
  4. US Open - Darlene Hard[?]

• Davis Cup: Australia won 5-0 over Italy in world tennis.

General sporting events

• Maureen Baynton[?] won the Women's World Amateur Billiards Championships

Births

• January 26 - Wayne Gretzky, Ice hockey player
• February 11 - Mary Docter[?], American speed skater
• February 21 - Davey Allison[?], automobile racer (+ 1993)
• March 4 - Ray Mancini, boxer
• March 14 - Kirby Puckett, baseball player
• September 2 - Carlos Valderrama, footballer

Deaths

• February 15 - Bradley Lord[?], (1961 U.S. men's figure skating champion)
• February 15 - Laurence Owen[?], (1961 U.S. women's figure skating champion)
• July 17 - Ty Cobb, Major League Baseball star