1962 in sports

1962 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Years in sports
← 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 →
1962 in sports
Air sports American football Aquatic sports Association football Athletics Australian rules football Badminton Baseball Basketball Canadian football Chess Climbing Combat sports Sumo Cricket 1961–62 1962 1962–63 Cycling Dance sports Darts Equestrianism Esports Field hockey Flying disc Golf Gymnastics Handball Ice hockey Ice sports Korfball Lumberjack sports Mind sports Modern pentathlon Motorsport Orienteering Paralympic sports Precision sports Shooting Racquetball Roller sports Sailing Skiing Speedway Rugby league‎ Rugby union Snooker 1961–62 1962–63 Strength sports Weightlifting Squash Table tennis Tennis Triathlon Volleyball

• FIS Alpine World Ski Championships –
  • Men's combined champion: Karl Schranz, Austria
  • Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

• 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

• 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

• Football World Cup in Chile – Brazil won 3–1 over Czechoslovakia^[1]

• FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur won 3-1 versus Burnley^[2]
• Football League First Division – Ipswich Town F.C won the First Division^[3]

• European Cup – Benfica won their second European Cup 5–3 against Real Madrid

• Seventh European Championships held from September 12 to September 16 at Belgrade
• Commonwealth Games Championships held in November at Perth, Western Australia

• Victorian Football League
  • Essendon wins the 66th VFL Premiership (13.12 (90) d Carlton 8.10 (58))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Alistair Lord (Geelong)

• 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.

• 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

• 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.

• Grey Cup – Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 28–27 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats^[4]

• 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

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.

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

• 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

• 1962 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1962 NSWRFL season
• 1961–62 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season

• 68th Five Nations Championship series is won by France

• 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.

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

• 1962 FIVB Men's World Championship in Moscow won by the USSR

• 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

• 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

• 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