1962 in sports
# 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

* 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

## 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

* 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 – Australia 5–0 Mexico 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
