1969 in sports
1969 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
| Years in sports: | 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s |
| Years: | 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 |
- Alpine Skiing World Cup:
- Men's overall champion: Karl Schranz, Austria
- Women's overall champion: Gertrud Gabl, Austria
College football's centennial year was marked by racial strife.[1]
- January 1 - Rose Bowl (1968 season)
- The Ohio State Buckeyes won 27-16 over the USC Trojans to win the college football national championship
- January 12 - The American Football League New York Jets upset the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III by a score of 16-7, after quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" a victory.
- September 28 - Minnesota Vikings' Quarterback Joe Kapp became the last player to throw seven touchdowns in a single game.
- Kansas City Chiefs 17-7 Oakland Raiders for 1969 AFL championship.
- Minnesota Vikings 27-7 Cleveland Browns for the 1969 NFL championship.
- November 22, 1969 - College Football - Michigan upsets #1 ranked Ohio State 24-12 sending Michigan to the Rose Bowl
- December 6, 1969 - College Football - #1 Texas beats #2 Arkansas 15-14 in the then Game of the Century. Texas would remain #1 for the rest of the season and were the AP 1969 National Champions following their Cotton Bowl win.
- September 26 – the Bolivian soccer team is killed in a plane crash near La Paz, Bolivia
- European Cup – A.C. Milan 4 - 1 AFC Ajax
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – Newcastle United beat Újpesti Dózsa 6-2 on aggregate
- England - First Division Champions: Leeds
- England - FA Cup – Manchester City won 1-0 over Leicester City
- Germany - Bundesliga – Bayern Munich
- Italy - Serie A: Fiorentina
- Scotland - First Division Champions: Celtic
- Scotland - FA Cup: Celtic won 4-0 over Rangers
- Spain - La Liga: Real Madrid
- Ecuador - Ecuadorian Serie A Champions: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito
- September – 1969 European Championships in Athletics held in Athens
- Victorian Football League
- April 12: Carlton become the first team to score 200 points in a VFL match when they kick 30.30 (210) to Hawthorn 12.10 (82). Alex Jesaulenko kicks 6.12 (48).
- Richmond wins the 73rd VFL Premiership (Richmond 12.13 (85) d Carlton 8.12 (60))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Kevin Murray (Fitzroy)
- 1969 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by
Soviet Union.
- March 1 – Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees announces his retirement.
- April 14 – Montreal Expos outfielder Mack Jones hit a three-run home run and two-run triple that highlighted an 8-7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Expos' first home victory as a franchise at Jarry Park. Jones' blast was also the first MLB home run hit outside the United States.
- July 20 – San Francisco Giants pitcher Gaylord Perry, some six years after his manager quipped, "They'll put a man on the moon before he hits a home run", hits the first home run of his career just hours after Neil Armstrong lands on the moon.
- World Series – the New York Mets win 4 games to 1 over the Baltimore Orioles.
- NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
- UCLA wins 92-72 over Purdue
- NBA Finals –
- Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers
- 1969 ABA Finals –
- Oakland Oaks defeat Indiana Pacers 4 games to 1
- June 23 - Joe Frazier scored a 7th round TKO over Jerry Quarry.
- August 26 - José Nápoles retained the World Welterweight Championship in a 15 round decision over Emile Griffith.
- August 31 – death of Rocky Marciano (45), Italian-American World Heavyweight boxing champion, in an air crash
- Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders won 29-11 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- Vanier Cup – Manitoba Bisons won 24-15 over the McGill Redmen
- February 20 - Australia defeat the West Indies at Sydney in the Fifth Test Match to win the series 3-1
- March 8 Rioting stops the final match of England's tour of Pakistan on the third day. The match is abandoned and the series drawn.
- July 15 - England defeat the West Indies at Headingley in the Third Test Match to win the series 2-0
- August 26 - England defeat New Zealand at The Oval in the Third Test Match to win the series 2-0
- Learie Constantine becomes the first cricketer and the first person of Afro-Caribbean descent to be given a life peerage.
- Giro d'Italia won by Felice Gimondi of Italy
- Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
- UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Harm Ottenbros of Netherlands
- World Figure Skating Championships –
- Men's champion: Tim Wood, United States
- Ladies' champion: Gabrielle Seyfert, Germany
- Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexei Ulanov, Soviet Union
- Ice dancing champions: Diane Towler & Bernard Ford, Great Britain
Men's professional
- Masters Tournament - George Archer
- U.S. Open - Orville Moody
- British Open - Tony Jacklin
- PGA Championship - Raymond Floyd
- PGA Tour money leader - Frank Beard - $164,707
- Ryder Cup - United States and Britain tied 16 all in team golf.
Men's amateur
Women's professional
- LPGA Championship - Betsy Rawls
- U.S. Women's Open - Donna Caponi
- Titleholders Championship - not played
- LPGA Tour money leader - Carol Mann - $49,152
- United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
- Lindy's Pride won the United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Richmond Lass
- February 11 – Diana Crump becomes first woman jockey to ride against men in USA racing
- February 22 – Barbara Jo Rubin becomes the first female winner of a USA race
Steeplechases
Flat races
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Rain Lover
- Canada – Queen's Plate won by Jumpin Joseph
- France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Levmoss
- Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Prince Regent
- English Triple Crown Races:
- United States Triple Crown Races:
- Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
- Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
- Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens won 4 games to 0 over the St. Louis Blues
- World Hockey Championship
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
- NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Denver Pioneers defeat Cornell University Big Red 4-3 in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Goalie Karen Koch is signed to a professional contract with the Marquette Iron Rangers[2] to become the first woman to play professional hockey in North America, if not the world.[3]
- July 27 – death of Moisés Solana, Mexican race car driver in a racing accident
- Stock car racing –
- NASCAR Championship
- February 23 – LeeRoy Yarbrough wins the Daytona 500 in the #98 Mercury
- May 25 – LeeRoy Yarbrough wins the World 600 in the #98 Mercury
- David Pearson (#17) wins the driving championship. It is Pearson's third and final title, tied with Lee Petty.
- USAC Racing
- 30 May – Mario Andretti wins the 54th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the STP Oil Treatment Special Hawk–Cosworth
- Mario Andretti wins the season championship
- Formula One – Jackie Stewart (Scotland) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving a Matra MS10–Cosworth for Ken Tyrrell.
- 24 hours of Le Mans – Jacky Ickx / Jackie Oliver win, sharing a Ford GT-40
- Rally racing - the team of Björn Waldegård / Lars Helmer win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Porsche 911S
- Drag racing –
- Don Prudhomme wins the NHRA's Top Fuel Funny Car championship
- Steve Carbone wins Top Fuel[clarification needed] at the NHRA World Finals
- 1969–70 European Rugby League Championship
- 1969 New Zealand rugby league season
- 1969 NSWRFL season
- 1968–69 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1969–70 Northern Rugby Football League season
- 75th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales
- World Snooker Championship reverts to a knockout format. John Spencer beats Gary Owen 37-24
- June 6 – death of Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player, in an air crash
- June 21 – death of Maureen Connolly (34), first winner of the women's Grand Slam
- Australian Rod Laver, one of only two men to ever win the Grand Slam in tennis wins it for the second time
- Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
- Australian Open - Rod Laver (Australia)
- French Open - Rod Laver
- Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
- US Open - Rod Laver
- Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- Davis Cup – United States wins 5-0 over Romania in world tennis.
Awards
- ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Mario Andretti, race car driver
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Tom Seaver, Major League Baseball
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Debbie Meyer, Swimming
Further reading
- 1969: The Year Everything Changed by Rob Kirkpatrick. Skyhorse Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60239-366-0.
References
- ^ Oriard, Michael (2009-09-03). "College Football's Season of Discontent:How today's game was shaped by the racial strife of 1969". Slate. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ First Female Hockey Player Made Debut in 1969" Wisconsin Hockey News, August 15, 2000