# 1966 in sports

1966 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

## Alpine skiing

* FIS Alpine World Ski Championships –
** Men's combined champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France
** Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

## American football

* Orange Bowl (1965 season):
** The Alabama Crimson Tide won 39–28 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the AP Poll national championship after the previous #1 ranked Michigan State Spartans lost in the Rose Bowl and the #2 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks lost in the Cotton Bowl. This was the first time the AP conducted its final rankings at the conclusion of the postseason bowl games.
* June 8: The AFL and NFL reach an agreement to merge as equals into one league under the NFL name, to take effect with the 1970 season.
* AFL Championship – Kansas City Chiefs won 31–7 over the Buffalo Bills to advance to Super Bowl I in Jan. 1967
* NFL Championship – Green Bay Packers won 34–27 over the Dallas Cowboys to advance to Super Bowl I in Jan. 1967
* Each of the two existing top-level professional leagues added a new team for the 1966 season. The Atlanta Falcons joined the NFL, and the Miami Dolphins joined the AFL.
* 1966 NCAA University Division football season:
** November 19 – The top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the second-ranked Michigan State Spartans play to a 10–10 tie; Notre Dame retains its No. 1 ranking in the polls and are later named AP and UPI national champions.

## Artistic gymnastics

* World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
** Men's all-around champion: Mikhail Voronin, USSR
** Women's all-around champion: Věra Čáslavská, Czechoslovakia
** Men's team competition champion: Japan
** Women's team competition champion: Czechoslovakia

## Association football
### England

* FA Cup final – Everton win 3–2 against Sheffield Wednesday

### International

* World Cup – England defeats Germany to win the 1966 World Cup Final.
* FIFA decide to give the right to host the 1974 FIFA World Cup, 1978 FIFA World Cup and 1982 Football World Cup to West Germany, Argentina and Spain respectively

## Athletics

* July 17 – American runner Jim Ryun sets a new world record for the mile at 3:51.3
* August – 1966 Commonwealth Games held at Kingston, Jamaica
* September – 1966 European Championships in Athletics held at Budapest
* December – 1966 Asian Games held at Bangkok

## Australian rules football

* Victorian Football League
** St Kilda wins the 70th VFL Premiership (St Kilda 10.14 (74) d Collingwood 10.13 (73))
** Brownlow Medal awarded to Ian Stewart (St Kilda)

## Baseball

* Milwaukee Braves move to Atlanta, Georgia and become the Atlanta Braves.
* January 20 – The BBWAA elects Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams, the last batter to hit .400, receives 282 of a possible 302 votes.
* Roberto Clemente is the National League MVP.
* Frank Robinson is the American League MVP.
* Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the Major League Baseball Cy Young Award
* Tommie Agee of the Chicago White Sox is the American League MLB Rookie of the Year award
* Tommy Helms of the Cincinnati Red is the National League MLB Rookie of the Year award
* Ted Williams is inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame.
* World Series – Baltimore Orioles win 4 games to 0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Series MVP: Frank Robinson, Baltimore
* College World Series – Ohio State defeats Oklahoma State 8–2 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Ohio State pitcher Steve Arlin is named tournament Most Outstanding Player

## Basketball

* NCAA University Division Basketball Championship –
** Texas Western wins 72–65 over Kentucky
* NBA Finals –
** Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers. This would be the last of the Celtics' record eight straight NBA titles.
* NBA MVP – Philadelphia 76ers center Wilt Chamberlain
* A first season of Basketball Bundesliga was held in Germany on October 1.
* A first Basketball Super League of Turkey games was held on December 13, replace from three regional (Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir) basketball league were merger.
* An NBA club, Chicago Bulls was founded in Illinois, United States on January 16.

## Boxing

* March 29, Muhammad Ali defeats George Chuvalo in a 15-round unanimous decision
* April 25 at New York City, World Welterweight Champion Emile Griffith won a 15-round unanimous decision over Dick Tiger to also become the World Middleweight Champion.
* May 21 Muhammad Ali defeats Henry Cooper with a 6th-round TKO
* August 6 Muhammad Ali defeats Brian London with a 3rd-round KO
* September 10 Muhammad Ali defeats Karl Mildenberger with a 12th-round TKO
* November 14, Muhammad Ali knocks out Cleveland Williams in three rounds to retain the WBC heavyweight title.

## Canadian football

* Grey Cup – Saskatchewan Roughriders win 29–14 over the Ottawa Rough Riders
* Vanier Cup – St. Francis Xavier X-Men win 40–14 over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

## Cycling

* Giro d'Italia won by Gianni Motta of Italy
* Tour de France – Lucien Aimar of France
* Vuelta a España – Francisco Gabica of Spain
* UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Rudi Altig of Germany

## Figure skating

* World Figure Skating Championships –
** Men's champion: Emmerich Dänzer, Austria
** Ladies' champion: Peggy Fleming, United States
** Pair skating champions: Ludmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov, Soviet Union
** Ice dancing champions: Diane Towler & Bernard Ford, Great Britain

## Golf

* July 24 – Tony Lema (32), American golf champion, died in an air crash at Munster, Indiana
Men's professional
* Masters Tournament – Jack Nicklaus
* U.S. Open – Billy Casper
* British Open – Jack Nicklaus becomes the fourth player to win all four major professional championships.
* PGA Championship – Al Geiberger
* PGA Tour money leader – Billy Casper – $121,945
Men's amateur
* British Amateur – Bobby Cole
* U.S. Amateur – Gary Cowan
Women's professional
* Women's Western Open – Mickey Wright
* LPGA Championship – Gloria Ehret
* U.S. Women's Open – Sandra Spuzich
* Titleholders Championship – Kathy Whitworth
* LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $33,517

## Harness racing

* Romeo Hanover wins the United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
** Cane Pace – Romeo Hanover
** Little Brown Jug – Romeo Hanover
** Messenger Stakes – Romeo Hanover
* United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
** Hambletonian – Kerry Way
** Yonkers Trot – Polaris
** Kentucky Futurity – Governor Armbro
* Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
** Pacers: Chamfer Star
** Trotters: Yamamoto

## Horse racing

Steeplechases
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – Arkle
* Grand National – Anglo
Flat races
* Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Galilee
* Canada – Queen's Plate won by Titled Hero
* France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Bon Mot
* Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Sodium
* English Triple Crown Races:
** 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Kashmir
** The Derby – Charlottown
** St. Leger Stakes – Sodium
* United States Triple Crown Races:
** Kentucky Derby – Kauai King
** Preakness Stakes – Kauai King
** Belmont Stakes – Amberoid

## Ice hockey

* 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: Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks
* Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens won 4–2 over the Detroit Red Wings
* World Hockey Championship
** Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
* NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Michigan State University Spartans defeat Clarkson University Golden Knights 6–1 in Minneapolis

## Orienteering

* First Orienteering World Championships held 1–2 October in Fiskars, Finland.

## Rugby league

* 1966 New Zealand rugby league season
* 1966 NSWRFL season
* 1965–66 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1966–67 Northern Rugby Football League season

## Rugby union

* 72nd Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales

## Snooker

* World Snooker Championship challenge match: John Pulman beats Fred Davis 5–2 in matches.

## Speed skating

* January 4 – death of Inga Artamonova (29), Russian world speed-skating champion, who was murdered by her husband

## Tennis

Australia
* Australian Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Arthur Ashe (USA) 6–4, 6–8, 6–2, 6–3
* Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Nancy Richey (USA) walkover
England
* Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Manuel Santana (Spain) defeats Dennis Ralston (USA) 6–4, 11–9, 6–4
* Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Billie Jean King (USA) defeats Maria Bueno (Brazil) 6–3, 3–6, 6–1
France
* French Men's Singles Championship – Tony Roche (Australia) defeats István Gulyás (Hungary) 6–1, 6–4, 7–5
* French Women's Singles Championship – Ann Haydon Jones (Great Britain) defeats Nancy Richey (USA) 6–3, 6–1
USA
* American Men's Singles Championship – Tournament did not start until 1968
* American Women's Singles Championship – Tournament did not start until 1968
Davis Cup
* 1966 Davis Cup – Australia 4–1 India at Kooyong Stadium (grass) Melbourne, Australia

## Volleyball

* 1966 FIVB Men's World Championship in Prague won by Czechoslovakia

## Multi-sport events

* Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand
* 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Kingston, Jamaica
* Central American and Caribbean Games held in San Juan, Puerto Rico
* Fourth Winter Universiade held in Sestriere, Italy

## Awards

* Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Frank Robinson, Major League Baseball
* Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Kathy Whitworth, LPGA golf
* Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year - Jim Ryun, running