# 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

* NFL Championship: the Philadelphia Eagles won 17–13 over the Green Bay Packers at Franklin Field in Philadelphia
* Cotton Bowl Classic (1959 season):
** 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.
* The American Football League (AFL) played its first season
* First black pro football placekicker: Gene Mingo (Denver Broncos, AFL)
* First Hispanic pro football quarterback: Tom Flores (Oakland Raiders, AFL)
* 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 (Melbourne 8.14 (62) d Collingwood 2.2 (14))
** Brownlow Medal awarded to John Schultz (Footscray)

## 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

NBA Finals
* 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 (Men's Competition) in Rome, Italy
** Gold Medal: Pakistan
** Silver Medal: India
** Bronze Medal: Spain

## Figure Skating

* January 30 - US Figure Skating championship Civic Ice Arena in Seattle January 30
** US female championship won by Carol Heiss
** US male championship won by David Jenkins
** The Pairs won Nancy Ludington / Ron Ludington
** Ice dancing won Margie Ackles / Charles Phillips

## Golf

Men's professional
* 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
Men's amateur
* British Amateur – Joe Carr
* U.S. Amateur – Deane Beman
Women's professional
* 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 – Duke of Decatur
** Kentucky Futurity – Elaine Rodney
* Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
** Pacers: Caduceus

## Horse racing

Steeplechases
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – Pas Seul
* Grand National – Merryman II
Flat races
* 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: Canada defeats the United States
* NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Denver Pioneers defeat Michigan Technological University Huskies 5–3 in Boston

## Olympic Games

* 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy
** USSR wins the most medals (103), and the most gold medals (43)
* 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, United States
** USSR wins the most medals (21), and the most gold medals (7)
* First Paralympic Games held in Rome, Italy
** Italy wins the most medals (80) and the most gold medals (29)
* 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

* 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 (long course) 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 (long course) 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 (long course), when he clocks 2:13.2 at a meet in Detroit, Michigan.
* September 2 – Michael Troy wins the men's 200m butterfly (long course) at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy by breaking his own world record – 2:12.8.

## Tennis

Australia
* Australian Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Neale Fraser (Australia) 5–7, 3–6, 6–3, 8–6, 8–6
* Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Jan Lehane O'Neill (Australia) 7–5, 6–2
England
* Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Neale Fraser (Australia) defeats Rod Laver (Australia) 6–4, 3–6, 9–7, 7–5
* Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno (Brazil) defeats Sandra Reynolds Price (South Africa) 8–6, 6–0
France
* French Men's Singles Championship – Nicola Pietrangeli (Italy) defeats Luis Ayala (Chile) 3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
* French Women's Singles Championship – Darlene Hard (USA) defeats Yola Ramírez (Mexico) 6–3, 6–4
USA
* American Men's Singles Championship – Neale Fraser (Australia) defeats Rod Laver (Australia) 6–4, 6–4, 9–7
* American Women's Singles Championship – Darlene Hard (USA) defeats Maria Bueno (Brazil) 6–4, 10–12, 6–4
Davis Cup
* 1960 Davis Cup – Australia 4–1 Italy at White City Stadium (grass) 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