# 1961 Campeonato Profesional

The 1961 Campeonato Profesional was the 14th season of Colombia's top-flight football league. 12 teams competed against one another. Millonarios won the league for the 6th time in its history after getting 62 points.

## Background

11 teams from the last tournament competed in this one, with Unión Magdalena declining to participate and both Deportes Caldas and Once Deportivo merging into Once Caldas. Millonarios won the championship for the sixth time. The runners-up were Independiente Medellín.

## League system

Every team played four games against each other team, two at home and two away. Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw. If two or more teams were tied on points, places were determined by goal difference. The team with the most points is the champion of the league.

## Teams

* 1. Armenia
* 2. Bogotá
* 3. Bucaramanga
* 4. Cali
* 5. Cúcuta
* 6. Ibagué
* 7. Manizales
* 8. Medellín
* 9. Pereira
| Team | City | Stadium |
| América | Cali | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | Bucaramanga | Estadio Alfonso López |
| Atlético Nacional | Medellín | Estadio Atanasio Girardot |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | Cúcuta | Estadio General Santander |
| Deportes Quindío | Armenia | Estadio San José de Armenia |
| Deportes Tolima | Ibagué | Estadio 10 de Mayo |
| Deportivo Cali | Cali | Estadio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero |
| Deportivo Pereira | Pereira | Estadio Alberto Mora Mora |
| Independiente Medellín | Medellín | Estadio Atanasio Girardot |
| Millonarios | Bogotá | Estadio El Campín |
| Once Caldas | Manizales | Estadio Fernando Londoño Londoño |
| Santa Fe | Bogotá | Estadio El Campín |

## Final standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Millonarios (C) | 44 | 25 | 12 | 7 | 95 | 56 | +39 | 62 | 1962 Copa Libertadores First Round |
| 2 | Independiente Medellín | 44 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 72 | 54 | +18 | 54 | |
| 3 | Santa Fe | 44 | 21 | 8 | 15 | 99 | 73 | +26 | 50 | |
| 4 | Cúcuta Deportivo | 44 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 71 | 66 | +5 | 47 | |
| 5 | Deportivo Cali | 44 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 75 | 65 | +10 | 46 | |
| 6 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 44 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 61 | 61 | 0 | 44 | |
| 7 | Once Caldas | 44 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 64 | 58 | +6 | 43 | |
| 8 | América | 44 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 65 | 74 | −9 | 40 | |
| 9 | Deportivo Pereira | 44 | 15 | 10 | 19 | 68 | 82 | −14 | 40 | |
| 10 | Deportes Quindío | 44 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 54 | 91 | −37 | 37 | |
| 11 | Atlético Nacional | 44 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 69 | 90 | −21 | 35 | |
| 12 | Deportes Tolima | 44 | 9 | 12 | 23 | 53 | 76 | −23 | 30 | |

### Results
#### First turn

| Home \ Away | AME | BUC | CAL | CUC | MED | MIL | NAC | ONC | PER | QUI | SFE | TOL |
| América | | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 3–4 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | 0–1 | | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 |
| Deportivo Cali | 1–3 | 2–1 | | 5–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 8–2 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2–1 |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 6–0 |
| Independiente Medellín | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 |
| Millonarios | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | | 4–2 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 6–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 |
| Atlético Nacional | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | | 1–3 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Once Caldas | 3–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 5–1 | | 1–3 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 0–3 |
| Deportivo Pereira | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | | 2–3 | 0–4 | 5–2 |
| Deportes Quindío | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–4 | | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Santa Fe | 4–1 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 4–4 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | | 3–0 |
| Deportes Tolima | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | |

#### Second turn

| Home \ Away | AME | BUC | CAL | CUC | MED | MIL | NAC | ONC | PER | QUI | SFE | TOL |
| América | | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | 2–1 | | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 |
| Deportivo Cali | 1–1 | 0–1 | | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 7–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Independiente Medellín | 1–0 | 4–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Millonarios | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | | 5–3 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 |
| Atlético Nacional | 3–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 2–4 | | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Once Caldas | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Deportivo Pereira | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | | 4–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Deportes Quindío | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Santa Fe | 5–2 | 4–3 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 5–2 | 5–0 | | 3–2 |
| Deportes Tolima | 6–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | |

### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Alberto Perazzo | Santa Fe | 32 |
| 2 | Juan Vairo | Independiente Medellín | 30 |
| 3 | Roberto Miravelli | Once Caldas | 23 |
| 4 | Eusebio Escobar | Deportivo Pereira | 21 |
| 5 | / Juan Hohberg | Cúcuta Deportivo | 19 |
| 6 | Osvaldo Panzutto | Santa Fe | 18 |
| 7 | Delio Gamboa | Millonarios | 15 |
| 7 | Rubén Pizarro | Millonarios | 15 |
| 9 | Walter Marcolini | América | 14 |
| 9 | Luis Piriz | Cúcuta Deportivo | 14 |
Source: RSSSF.com Colombia 1961
* 1961 Campeonato Profesional champion
* Millonarios Sixth title