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^[1]

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^[4]

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Franco Balmamion of Italy
• Tour de France – Jacques Anquetil of France^[5]
• 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:
  1. Queen's Plate – Flaming Page
  2. Prince of Wales Stakes –
  3. Breeders' Stakes –
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Soltikoff
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes –
• English Triple Crown:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Privy Councillor
  2. The Derby – Larkspur^[6]
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Hethersett
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Decidedly
  2. Preakness Stakes – Greek Money
  3. 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 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^[7]
• 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