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

  • 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

Men's amateur

  • 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

Motorsport

Rugby league

  • 1962 Great Britain Lions tour
  • 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

  • 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

England

  • 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

France

  • 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

USA

  • 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

Events

  • Rod Laver becomes only the second man in tennis history to win the Grand Slam in tennis.

Davis Cup

  • 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

References