1963 in sports

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

Years in sports

← 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 →

1963 in sports

American football Aquatic sports Association football Athletics Badminton Baseball Basketball Canadian football Chess Climbing Combat sports Sumo Cricket 1962–63 1963 1963–64 Cycling Equestrianism Esports Golf Gymnastics Ice sports Modern pentathlon Motorsport Racquetball Sailing Skiing Rugby league‎ Rugby union Snooker 1962–63 1963–64 Squash Table tennis Tennis Triathlon Volleyball Weightlifting

American football

• NFL Championship: the Chicago Bears won 14–10 over the New York Giants at Wrigley Field
• January 29 – First inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced
• September 7 – the Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.
• Rose Bowl (1962 season):
  • The Southern California Trojans won 42–37 over the Wisconsin Badgers to win the college football national championship. This is the first postseason bowl game to feature the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country.
• 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
• The Heisman Trophy – Roger Staubach, Navy
• Instant replay is used for the first time during the broadcast of the Army–Navy Game.

Association football

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

Bandy

• 1963 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by   Soviet Union.

Baseball

Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax

• 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
• Basketball 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.
• August 27 to September 7 – Pan American Games held in São 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
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – 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. The Derby – Relko ^[1]
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Ragusa
• United States Triple Crown:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Chateaugay
  2. Preakness Stakes – Candy Spots
  3. Belmont Stakes – Chateaugay

Ice Hockey

• Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 1.

Motorsport

Main articles: 1963 in motorsport and List of 1963 motorsport champions

Radiosport

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

Rugby league

• 1963 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1963 NSWRFL season
• 1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season

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, 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

• French Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Pierre Darmon (France) 3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
• French Women's Singles Championship – Lesley Turner (Australia) defeats Ann Haydon Jones (Great Britain) 2–6, 6–3, 7–5

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Rafael Osuna (Mexico) defeats Frank Froehling (USA) 7–5, 6–4, 6–2
• American Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno (Brazil) defeats Margaret Smith (Australia) 7–5, 6–4

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 ^[2]
• 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 (track and field)
• Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: Pete Rozelle NFL

References

1. "Epsom Derby | History, Winners, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
2. "FAQ: What are the Pan American Games?". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. Retrieved 3 January 2022.