1960 in sports
1960 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
[Alpine skiing]
- The men's Olympic Gold Medal:
- * Downhill: Jean Vuarnet, France
- * Slalom: Ernst Hinterseer, Austria
- * Giant Slalom: Roger Staub, Switzerland
- * The women's Olympic Gold Medal:
- * Downhill: Heidi Biebl, West Germany
- * Slalom: Ann Heggtveit, Canada
- * Giant Slalom: Yvonne Rüegg, Switzerland
- FIS Alpine World Ski Championships:
- * Men's combined champion: Guy Périllat, France
- * Women's combined champion: Ann Heggtveit, Canada, who becomes the first non-European to win a world championship title in Alpine skiing.
[American football]
- Cotton Bowl :
- * The Syracuse Orangemen won 23-17 over the Texas Longhorns to win the college football national championship
- National Football League names Pete Rozelle commissioner of the league. The league expands to Dallas for the 1960 season and Minneapolis-St.Paul for the 1961 season. The Chicago Cardinals relocate to St. Louis.
- December 26-NFL Championship – Philadelphia Eagles won 17-13 over the Green Bay Packers
- The American Football League played its first season
- First black pro football placekicker: Gene Mingo
- First Hispanic pro football quarterback: Tom Flores
- AFL Championship: Houston Oilers won 24-16 over the Los Angeles Chargers
[Association football]
- England – FA Cup – Wolverhampton Wanderers won 3-0 over Blackburn Rovers
- The Soviet Union beat Yugoslavia 2-1 to win the first European Football Championship
[Australian rules football]
- Victorian Football League
- * Melbourne wins the 64th VFL Premiership to McDonalds d Collingwood 2.2 )
- * Brownlow Medal awarded to John Schultz
[Baseball]
- World Series – Pittsburgh Pirates win 4 games to 3 over the New York Yankees. The Series MVP is New York's Bobby Richardson.
- October 13 – 1960 World Series Game 7 at Forbes Field – Pittsburgh Pirates player Bill Mazeroski becomes the first person to end a World Series with a home run, and still the only player to do it in the decisive seventh game.
- The Winnipeg Goldeyes win the Northern League championship.
[Basketball]
- Boston Celtics win four games to three over the St. Louis Hawks
[Boxing]
- March 16 – Flash Elorde won the world junior lightweight title with a seventh-round knockout of Harold Gomes in Quezon City, Philippines.
- June – Floyd Patterson recovered the world heavyweight title from Ingemar Johansson, becoming the first-ever boxer to do so.
- September 5 – Cassius Clay wins the gold medal in boxing at the Rome Olympic Games.
[Canadian football]
- Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 34-9
[Cycling]
- Tour de France – Gastone Nencini of Italy
- Giro d'Italia – Jacques Anquetil of France
[Field hockey]
- Olympic Games in Rome, Italy
- * Gold Medal: Pakistan
- * Silver Medal: India
- * Bronze Medal: Spain
[Golf]
- Masters Tournament – Arnold Palmer
- U.S. Open – Arnold Palmer
- British Open – Kel Nagle
- PGA Championship – Jay Hebert
- PGA Tour money leader – Arnold Palmer – $75,263
- British Amateur – Joe Carr
- U.S. Amateur – Deane Beman
- Women's Western Open – Joyce Ziske
- LPGA Championship – Mickey Wright
- U.S. Women's Open – Betsy Rawls
- Titleholders Championship – Fay Crocker
- LPGA Tour money leader – Louise Suggs – $16,892
[Harness racing]
- United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
- # Cane Pace – Countess Adios
- # Little Brown Jug – Bullet Hanover
- # Yonkers Trot
- # Kentucky Futurity
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- * Pacers: Caduceus
[Horse racing]
- Cheltenham Gold Cup – Pas Seul
- Grand National – Merryman II
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by
- Canada – Queen's Plate won by Victoria Park
- France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Puissant Chef
- Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Chamour
- English Triple Crown Races:
- # 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Martial
- # The Derby – St. Paddy
- # St. Leger Stakes – St. Paddy
- United States Triple Crown Races:
- # Kentucky Derby – Venetian Way
- # Preakness Stakes – Bally Ache
- # Belmont Stakes – Celtic Ash
[Ice hockey]
- The American Olympic men's ice-hockey team won the United States' first Olympic hockey gold medal with a record of 7–0–0 during the tournament.
- 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: Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings
- Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 0 over the Toronto Maple Leafs
- World Hockey Championship
- * Men's champion: United States is crushed by Canada
- NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Denver Pioneers defeat Michigan Technological University Huskies 5-3 in Boston
[Motorsport]
[Olympic Games]
- 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy
- * USSR wins the most medals, and the most gold medals
- 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, United States
- * USSR wins the most medals, and the most gold medals
- First Paralympic Games held in Rome, Italy
- * Italy wins the most medals and the most gold medals
- First Winter Universiade held in Chamonix, France
[Rugby league]
- 1960 New Zealand rugby league season
- 1959–60 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1960–61 Northern Rugby Football League season
- 1960 NSWRFL season
- 1960 Rugby League World Cup
[Rugby union]
- 66th Five Nations Championship series is shared by England and France
Swimming">Swimming (sport)">Swimming
- June 12 – Marianne Heemskerk from the Netherlands breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly during a meet in Leipzig, East Germany – 2:34.4.
- July 10 – US swimmer Michael Troy breaks his own world record in the men's 200m butterfly at a meet in Evansville, Indiana, clocking 2:15.0.
- July 23 – Thirteen days after breaking his own world record in the men's 200m butterfly Troy once again betters the world's best time in that event, this time at a meet in Toledo, Ohio clocking 2:13.4.
- August 4 – Less than a month before the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Troy again breaks the world record in the men's 200m butterfly, when he clocks 2:13.2 at a meet in Detroit, Michigan.
- September 2 – Michael Troy wins the men's 200m butterfly at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy by breaking his own world record – 2:12.8.
[Tennis]
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver defeats Neale Fraser 5–7, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6, 8–6
- Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill 7–5, 6–2
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Neale Fraser defeats Rod Laver 6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno defeats Sandra Reynolds Price 8–6, 6–0
USA
Davis Cup
- 1960 Davis Cup – 4–1 at White City Stadium Sydney, Australia
[Volleyball]
- 1960 FIVB Men's World Championship in Rio de Janeiro won by the USSR
Awards
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Rafer Johnson, Track and field
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Wilma Rudolph, Track and field