# 1963 in sports

1963 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

## American football

* NFL Championship: the Chicago Bears won 14–10 over the New York Giants at Wrigley Field
* January 29 – First inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced
* September 7 – the Pro Football Hall of Fame opens in Canton, Ohio with 17 charter members.
* Rose Bowl (1962 season):
** The Southern California Trojans won 42–37 over the Wisconsin Badgers to win the college football national championship. This is the first postseason bowl game to feature the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country.
* 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
* The Heisman Trophy – Roger Staubach, Navy
* Instant replay is used for the first time during the broadcast of the Army–Navy Game.

## Association football

* FA Cup final – Manchester United won 3–1 over Leicester City
* August 24 – Founding of the German Football League – Bundesliga

## Athletics

* May – Athletics at the 1963 Pan American Games held in São Paulo

## Australian rules football

* 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)

## Bandy

* 1963 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by Soviet Union.

## Baseball

* 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.

## Basketball

* 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

## Boxing

* 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.
* August 27 to September 7 – Pan American Games held in São Paulo, Brazil.

## Canadian football

* Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats win 21–10 over the B.C. Lions

## Cycling

* 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

## Figure skating

* 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

## Golf

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
* British Amateur – Michael Lunt
* U.S. Amateur – Deane Beman
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

## Harness racing

* United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
** Cane Pace – Meadow Skipper
** Little Brown Jug – Overtrick
** Messenger Stakes – Overtrick
* Speedy Scot won the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Triple Crown races –
** Hambletonian – Speedy Scott
** Yonkers Trot – Speedy Scott
** Kentucky Futurity – Speedy Scott
* Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
** Pacers: Cardigan Bay

## Horse racing

Steeplechases
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – Mill House
* Grand National – Ayala
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:
** 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Only for Life
** The Derby – Relko
** St. Leger Stakes – Ragusa
* United States Triple Crown:
** Kentucky Derby – Chateaugay
** Preakness Stakes – Candy Spots
** Belmont Stakes – Chateaugay

## Ice Hockey

* Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 1.

## Radiosport

* Third Amateur Radio Direction Finding European Championship held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

## Rugby league

* 1963 New Zealand rugby league season
* 1963 NSWRFL season
* 1962–63 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season

## Rugby union

* 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

## Swimming

* July 27 – US swimmer Susan Pitt breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Philadelphia, clocking 2:29.1.

## Tennis

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
* French Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Pierre Darmon (France) 3–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–4
* French Women's Singles Championship – Lesley Turner (Australia) defeats Ann Haydon Jones (Great Britain) 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
USA
* American Men's Singles Championship – Rafael Osuna (Mexico) defeats Frank Froehling (USA) 7–5, 6–4, 6–2
* American Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno (Brazil) defeats Margaret Smith (Australia) 7–5, 6–4
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

* Volleyball at the 1963 Pan American Games in São Paulo won by Brazil (both men's and women's tournaments)

## Multi-sport events

* 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 (track and field)
* Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year: Pete Rozelle NFL