1963 in sports

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

Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
Years:	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966

American football

January 29 – First inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced
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
NFL Championship – Chicago Bears win 14–10 over the New York Giants
September 7 – the Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.
The Heisman Trophy – Roger Staubach, Navy

Association football

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

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
FIBA 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, Nevada.
August 27 to September 7 – Pan American Games held in Sao 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
World Cycling Championship – 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 –
1. Cane Pace – Meadow Skipper
2. Little Brown Jug – Overtrick
3. Messenger Stakes – Overtrick
Speedy Scot won the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Triple Crown races –
1. Hambletonian – Speedy Scott
2. Yonkers Trot – Speedy Scott
3. 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:
1. Queen's Plate – Canebora
2. Prince of Wales Stakes – Canebora
3. 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:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Only for Life
2. Epsom Derby – Relko
3. St. Leger Stakes – Ragusa
United States Triple Crown:
1. Kentucky Derby – Chateaugay
2. Preakness Stakes – Candy Spots
3. Belmont Stakes – Chateaugay

Motor racing

Stock car racing
- Tiny Lund wins the Daytona 500 in the #21 Ford
- NASCAR Championship – Joe Weatherly in the #8 Pontiac (for Bud Moore
USAC Racing
- 30 May – Parnelli Jones wins the 47th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Agajanian/Willard Battery Special Watson-Offenhauser
- A.J. Foyt wins the season championship
Formula One – Jim Clark (Great Britain) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving a Lotus 25-Climax.
24 hours of Le Mans – Ludovico Scarfiotti / Lorenzo Bandini win, sharing a Ferrari 250P
Rally racing – the team of Erik Carlsson / Gunnar Palm win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Saab 96
Drag racing – Bobby Vodnik wins Top Fuel at the NHRA Nationals
5 September – at Bonneville, Craig Breedlove sets a new land speed record at 407.447 mph (655.722 km/h) in Spirit of America. The controversial jet-propelled three-wheeler's record is not recognized by FIA, because it is neither wheel-driven nor four-wheeled; FIM quickly accepts the record, & the public does not recognize the distinction.

Radiosport

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

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, Pennsylvania, 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

USA

Events

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

Davis Cup

1963 Davis Cup – United States 3–2 Australia 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, Athletics

References

Sports by year 1951 – 2000

1951 \| 1952 \| 1953 \| 1954 \| 1955 \| 1956 \| 1957 \| 1958 \| 1959 \| 1960 1961 \| 1962 \| 1963 \| 1964 \| 1965 \| 1966 \| 1967 \| 1968 \| 1969 \| 1970 \| 1971 \| 1972 \| 1973 \| 1974 \| 1975 \| 1976 \| 1977 \| 1978 \| 1979 \| 1980 1981 \| 1982 \| 1983 \| 1984 \| 1985 \| 1986 \| 1987 \| 1988 \| 1989 \| 1990 \| 1991 \| 1992 \| 1993 \| 1994 \| 1995 \| 1996 \| 1997 \| 1998 \| 1999 \| 2000

to 1850 • 1851 – 1900 • 1901 – 1950 • 1951 – 2000 • from 2001

1963 in sports

Contents

Awards

References