1963 in sports
Appearance
1963 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Years in sports: | 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 |
Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
Decades: | 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s |
Years: | 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 |
- 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
- Instant replay is used for the first time during the broadcast of the Army-Navy Game.
- FA Cup final – Manchester United won 3–1 over Leicester City
- August 24 – Founding of the German Football League - Fußball-Bundesliga. I Like Bananas
- May – Athletics at the 1963 Pan American Games held in São Paulo
- 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)
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win 21–10 over the B.C. Lions
- 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
- 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
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
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
- United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
- Speedy Scot won the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Triple Crown races –
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Cardigan Bay
Steeplechases
Flat races
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Gatum Gatum
- Canadian Triple Crown:
- Queen's Plate – Canebora
- Prince of Wales Stakes – Canebora
- 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:
- United States Triple Crown:
- 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[specify] at the NHRA Nationals[specify]
- 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.
- Third Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Vilnius, Lithuania.
- 1963 New Zealand rugby league season
- 1963 NSWRFL season
- 1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season
- 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
- 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.
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 at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo won by Brazil (both men's and women's tournaments)
- 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