Chronology of Sports

Copyright © 2007-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
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URL: http://kpolsson.com/sports/

References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2023 December 20.


1961

January 1
  • Briggs Stadium is renamed Tigers Stadium. [1]
January 2
  • First AFL Championship Game, Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers 24-16. [1]
January 7
  • First NFL Playoff Bowl (runner-up bowl)-Detroit Lions beats Cleveland Browns 17-16. [1]
January 9
  • Minnesota Twins agree on US$500,000 payment to AA for Minneapolis/Saint Paul territory. [1]
January 14
  • Chicago Bears' Willard Dewveall becomes first NFL player to join the AFL. [1]
January 15
  • NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 35-31. [1]
  • Suggs wins LPGA Sea Island Women's Golf Invitational Open. [1]
January 25
  • Louise Suggs wins LPGA Naples Pro-Am Golf Tournament. [1]
January 29
  • US female Figure Skating championship won by Laurence Owen. [1]
  • US male Figure Skating championship won by Bradley Lord. [1]
January 30
  • Lance Gibbs takes hat-trick (Mackay, Grout, Misson) at Adelaide. [1]
January 31
  • Kanhai completes twin tons (117 and 115) versus Australia at Adelaide. [1]
February 1
  • Mackay and Kline hang on for 100 minutes for cricket draw versus West Indies. [1]
February 10
  • AFL's Los Angeles Chargers move to San Diego. [1]
February 12
  • Boston Celtics' player Bill Russell grabs 40 rebounds to beat Philadelphia Warriors 136-125. [1]
  • Mickey Wright wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. [1]

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  • Mushtaq Mohammad scores first Test Cricket century at age 17 years 82 days. [1]
February 14
  • Louise Suggs wins LPGA Royal Poinciana Golf Invitational. [1]
February 15
  • Australia beats West Indies 2-1 in one of best Test Cricket series ever. [1]
  • Entire US figure skating team of 18 dies in Belgian Sabena 707 crash. [1]
February 19
  • Henk van der Grift (Netherlands) becomes world champion all-around skater. [1]
February 25
  • Niagara ends Saint Bonaventura's 99-game home basketball win streak. [1]
March 11
  • NHL record 40 penalties, Chicago Black Hawks and Toronto Maple Leafs (20 each). [1]
March 12
  • Mickey Wright wins LPGA Miami Golf Open. [1]
March 13
  • Floyd Patterson knocks out Ingemar Johansson in six rounds to retain heavyweight boxing title. [1]
March 14
  • George Weiss becomes president of New York Mets. [1]
March 17
  • New York district attorney arrests professional gamblers who implicate Seton Hall players. [1]
March 21
  • Art Modell purchases Cleveland Browns for record US$3,925,000. [1]
March 24
  • New York Senate approves US$55 million for a baseball stadium at Flushing Meadows. [1]
March 25
  • 23rd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Cincinnati beats Ohio State 70-65 (overtime). [1]
  • Third place game is one of the wildest contests in NCAA Tournament history as Saint Joseph's defeats Utah 127-120 in four overtimes. [1]
March 26
  • Louise Suggs wins LPGA Golden Circle of Golf Festival. [1]
April 10
  • 25th Golf Masters Championship: Gary Player wins, shooting a 280. [1]
  • New Washington Senators loses first regular-season game 4-3 to Chicago White Sox. [1]
April 11
  • 15th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat Saint Louis Hawks, 4 games to 1. [1]
April 12
  • Douglas MacArthur declines offer to become baseball commissioner. [1]
April 16
  • Louise Suggs wins LPGA Dallas Civitan Golf Open. [1]
  • NHL Stanley Cup: Chicago Blackhawks beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 2. [1]
April 19
  • 65th Boston Marathon won by Eino Oksanen of Finland in 2:23:39. [1]
April 23
  • Mary Lena Faulk wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open. [1]
April 27
  • NFL officially recognizes Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. [1]
April 28
  • Warren Spahn pitches second no-hitter at age 41, beats San Francisco Giants, 1-0. [1]
April 29
  • ABC-TV debuts ABC's Wide World of Sports, hosted by Jim McKay. [1] [457]
April 30
  • Mickey Wright wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. [1]
  • San Francisco Giants' Willie Mays hits four homeruns in a game. [1]
May 3
  • Warren Spahn pitches a two hitter after pitching a no hitter. [1]
May 6
  • 87th Kentucky Derby: John Sellers aboard Carry Back wins in 2:04. [1]
May 7
  • Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Peach Blossom Golf Open. [1]
May 9
  • Baltimore Orioles' player Jim Gentile hits two grand slams (nine RBIs) versus Minnesota Twins. [1]
May 12
  • Botvinnik wins world chess championship for third time. [1]
May 14
  • Mickey Wright wins LPGA Columbus Golf Open. [1]
May 20
  • 87th Preakness: Johnny Sellers aboard Carry Back wins in 1:57.6. [1]
May 27
  • Fiorentina wins first Europe Cup II in Florence. [1]
  • Ralph Boston of the US sets long jump record at 27 feet 0.5 inches. [1]
May 28
  • Record 27 homeruns hit in seven American League games. [1]
May 31
  • Benfica wins 6th Europe Cup 1 at Bern, Switzerland. [1]
June 11
  • Norm Cash becomes first Detroit Tigers' player to hit a ball out of Tiger Stadium. [1]
June 23
  • Philadelphia Phillies overcome 9-0, losing 11-2 they score 4 in 8th and six in 9th. [1]
June 25
  • Baltimore Orioles and California Angels use a record 16 pitchers in a game (8 each) in 14 innings. [1]
June 28
  • Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants set then record longest night game (5:11) 7-7 15-inning tie. [1]
July 13
  • National League beats American League 5-4 (10 innings) in 30th All Star Game (San Francisco, Candlestick Park). [1]
July 16
  • Ralph Boston of the US sets long jump record at 27 feet 2 inches. [1]
July 25
  • New York Yankees' Roger Maris hits home runs 37, 38, 39 and 40 in a double header. [1]
July 31
  • At Boston's Fenway Park, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the ninth inning because of rain. [1] [5]
August 2
  • Saint Louis Cardinals (NFL) beat Toronto Argonauts (Canadian Football League) 36-7 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [1]
August 5
  • Chicago Bears (NFL) beat Montreal Alouettes (Canadian Football League) 34-16 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. [1]
August 8
  • Hamilton Tigercats (Canadian Football League) beat Buffalo Bills (NFL) 38-21 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. [1]
August 11
  • Warren Spahn records victory number 300, beats Chicago Cubs 2-1. [1]
August 20
  • Philadelphia Phillies set dubious record of 23 straight losses. [1]
August 26
  • Official International Hockey Hall of Fame opens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [1]
August 30
  • Baltimore Orioles' player Jack Fisher walks 12 Los Angeles Angels' players in a 9-inning game. [1]
September 17
  • Minnesota Vikings' first NFL game (beat Chicago Bears 37-13). [1]
September 20
  • After 84 1/3 innings Bill Fischer gives up a base on balls. [1]
  • New York Yankees' Roger Maris hits home run number 59 and barely misses number 60 in game 154 of the season. New York Yankees clinch pennant 26. [1]
September 26
  • New York Yankees' Roger Maris hits home run number 60 off Jack Fisher, tying Babe Ruth's record. [1]
October 1
  • New York Yankees' Roger Maris sets record of 61 home runs, last off of Tracy Stallard. [1]
October 9
  • New York Yankees beat Cincinnati Reds, four games to one in 58th World Series. [1]
  • New York Yankees' Whitey Ford breaks Babe Ruth's record of 29 2/3 consecutive innings. [1]
October 27
  • American Basketball League starts play. [1]
October 28
  • Ground broken for Municipal (Shea) Stadium for New York Mets. [1]
November 9
  • PGA eliminates Caucasians-only rule. [1]
November 19
  • Houston Oilers' George Blanda passes for seven touchdowns versus New York Titans (49-13). [1]
November 25
  • NBA's Bob Cousy becomes second player to score 15,000 points. [1]
November 27
  • Gordie Howe becomes first to play in 1,000 NHL games. [1]
December 2
  • First overtime Grey Cup game (Winnipeg Blue Bombers 21, Hamilton Tiger Cats 14). [1]
December 3
  • Anton Geesink becomes first not-Japanese judo world champion. [1]
  • George Blanda of Houston Oilers kicks 55-yard field goal. [1]
December 4
  • Floyd Patterson knocks out Tom McNeeley in four rounds for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
  • Smallest New York Knicks crowd at 49th Steet Madison Square Garden - 1,300 (due to snowstorm). [1]
December 6
  • 27th Heisman Trophy Award: Ernie Davis, Syracuse (Half Back). [1]
December 8
  • Larry Costello scores 32 consecutive points without a miss (NBA record). [1]
  • South Africa versus New Zealand, Durban debuts for Eddie Barlow and Peter Pollock. [1]
  • Wilt Chamberlain scores the second highest total in the NBA - 78. [1]
December 9
  • Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 67 points vs New York Knicks. [1]
December 10
  • Houston Oilers' Billy Cannon gains record 373 yards against New York Titans. [1]
December 18
  • For second consecutive year, Associated Press names Wilma Rudolph female athlete of year. [1]
  • Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Philadelphia Warriors scores 78 points versus Los Angeles Lakers. [1]
December 24
  • Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3 in AFL championship game. [1]
December 31
  • Green Bay Packers shutout New York Giants 37-0 in NFL championship game. [1]

End of 1961. Next: 1962.

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A list of references to all source material is available.


Last updated: 2023 December 20.
Copyright © 2007-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com).
URL: http://kpolsson.com/sports/
Link to Ken P's home page.

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