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

thumb|180px|Hall of Famer [[Sandy Koufax]]

  • 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 defends the Heavyweight Championship of the world by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the 1st round of their rematch 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

  • 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.

Men's amateur

  • British Amateur – Michael Lunt
  • U.S. Amateur – Deane Beman

Women's professional

  • 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

  • Cheltenham Gold Cup – Mill House
  • Grand National – Ayala

Flat races

  • 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.

Motorsport

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
  • 1963–64 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France

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

  • 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

England

  • 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

France

  • 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

USA

  • 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

Events

  • Federation Cup – USA 2–1 Australia (inaugural event)

Davis Cup

  • 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

References