1961 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football
 AFL Championship – Houston Oilers won 10-3 over the San Diego Chargers
 NFL Championship – Green Bay Packers won 37-0 over the  New York Giants
 NCAA I-A Championship –
 University of Alabama (AP)(UPI)
 Ohio State (FWAA)

Association football

Cup Finals
 Copa Libertadores final - Peñarol won 2-1 on aggregate against Palmeiras
 European Cup final - Benfica 3-2 Barcelona
 FA Cup final – Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Leicester City
 Copa del Generalísimo final - Atletico Madrid 3-2 Real Madrid

League Winners
 : Racing Club
 : Santos
 : Tottenham Hotspur
 : AS Monaco
 : Juventus
 : Feyenoord
 : Benfica
 : Dynamo Kyiv
 : Real Madrid
 : Fenerbahçe

Baseball
 January 16 – Mickey Mantle becomes the highest paid player in Major League Baseball by signing a contract that will pay him $75,000 per season.
 April 11 – The former Washington Senators play their first home game in Metropolitan Stadium as the Minnesota Twins
 July 13 – In his majors debut, Milwaukee Braves outfielder Mack Jones tied a post-1900 National League record by collecting three singles and a double in his first game.
 Roger Maris hits 61 home runs during the regular season, breaking Babe Ruth's mark of 60 that had stood since 1927
 October - World Series – New York Yankees win 4 games to 1 over the Cincinnati Reds. The series MVP is Whitey Ford of the Yankees.

Basketball
 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
 Cincinnati wins 70-65 over Ohio St.
 NBA Finals|NBA Finals –
 Boston Celtics won 4 games to 1 over the St. Louis Hawks

Boxing
 June 3 in Los Angeles, California -  Emile Griffith knocked out Gaspar Ortega in the 12th round to retain the Welterweight Championship

Canadian football
 Grey Cup – Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 21-14 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Cycling
 August 1 – death of Adrie Voorting (aged 30), Dutch road bicycle and track cyclist
 Giro d'Italia won by Ercole Baldini of Italy
 Tour de France - Jacques Anquetil of France
 World Cycling Championship – Rik Van Looy of Belgium

Figure skating
 The World Figure Skating Championships in Prague are cancelled after the entire USA team of skaters, officials, leaders and chaperones are killed in a plane crash on 15 February en route to the competition.
 Among the dead are:
Bradley Lord (21), USA men's figure skating champion;
Maribel Vinson-Owen, USA women's figure skating champion and coach;
Maribel Yerxa Owen (20), USA women's figure skating champion;
Laurence Owen (16), USA women's figure skating champion.

Golf
Men's professional
 Masters Tournament - Gary Player becomes the first international golfer to win the Masters.
 U.S. Open - Gene Littler
 British Open - Arnold Palmer
 PGA Championship - Jerry Barber
 PGA Tour money leader - Gary Player - $64,540
 Ryder Cup - United States wins 14½ to 9½ over Britain in team golf.
Men's amateur
 British Amateur - Michael Bonallack
 U.S. Amateur - Jack Nicklaus
Women's professional
 Women's Western Open - Mary Lena Faulk
 LPGA Championship - Mickey Wright
 U.S. Women's Open - Mickey Wright
 Titleholders Championship - Mickey Wright
 LPGA Tour money leader - Mickey Wright - $22,236

Harness racing
 United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
 Cane Pace - Cold Front
 Little Brown Jug - Henry T. Adios
 Messenger Stakes - Adios Don
 United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
 Hambletonian - Harlan Dean
 Yonkers Trot - Duke Rodney
 Kentucky Futurity - Duke Rodney
 Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
 Pacers: Massacre

Horse racing
Steeplechases
 Cheltenham Gold Cup – Saffron Tartan
 Grand National – Nicolaus Silver
Flat races
 Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Lord Fury
 Canada – Queen's Plate won by Blue Light
 France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Molvedo
 Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Your Highness
 English Triple Crown Races:
 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Rockavon
 Epsom Derby – Psidium
 St. Leger Stakes – Aurelius
 United States Triple Crown Races:
 Kentucky Derby – Carry Back
 Preakness Stakes – Carry Back
 Belmont Stakes – Sherluck

Ice hockey
 Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, Montreal Canadiens
 Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, Montreal Canadiens
 Stanley Cup – Chicago Black Hawks win 4 games to 2 over the Detroit Red Wings
 World Hockey Championship –
 Men's champion: Trail Smoke Eaters from Canada
 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - University of Denver Pioneers defeat St. Lawrence University Saints 12-2 in Denver, CO

Motor racing
 Stock car racing –
 Marvin Panch wins the Daytona 500 in the Smokey Yunick-owned and -prepared Pontiac
 NASCAR Championship - Ned Jarrett (Chevrolet)
 USAC Racing
 30 May – A.J. Foyt wins his first 45th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Bowes Seal Fast Special Trevis-Offenhauser
A.J. Foyt wins the driving championship
 Formula One – Phil Hill (United States) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving for Ferrari.
 24 hours of Le Mans –  Olivier Gendebien / Phil Hill win, sharing a Ferrari 250TR
 Rally racing - the team of Maurice Martin / Roger Bateau win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Panhard PL17
 Drag racing
 Pete Robinson won Top Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals
 Jack Chrisman wins Top Eliminator at the first Winternats with NHRA's first sub-9 sec pass

Radiosport
 First European Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships held in Stockholm, Sweden.  This event was the first organized international competition in the sport.

Rugby union
 67th Five Nations Championship series is won by France

Swimming
 August 13 – USA's Becky Collins breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – 2:32.8.
 August 19 – US swimmer Carl Robie takes over the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) from his compatriot Michael Troy at a meet in Los Angeles, California, clocking 2:12.6.

Tennis
 Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
 Australian Open - Roy Emerson
 French Open - Manuel Santana
 Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
 US Open - Roy Emerson
 Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
 Australian Open - Margaret Court
 French Open - Ann Haydon Jones
 Wimbledon championships - Angela Mortimer Barrett
 US Open - Darlene Hard
 Davis Cup – Australia won 5-0 over Italy in world tennis.

Multi-sport events
 Pan Arab Games held in Casablanca, Morocco
 Second Summer Universiade held in Sofia, Bulgaria

Awards
 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Roger Maris, Major League Baseball
 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Wilma Rudolph, Track and field

References