1962 in sports

Years in sports:	1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
Years:	1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965

Artistic Gymnastics

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
  • Men's all-around champion: Yuri Titov, USSR
  • Women's all-around champion: Larissa Latynina, USSR
  • Team competition champions: men's - Japan; women's - USSR

Athletics

Events

• Seventh European Championships, held from September 12 to September 16 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Marathon

• August 29 — Asian Games Marathon, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Men's Winner: Masayuki Nagata (JPN) 2:34:55

• September 16 — European Championships Marathon, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
  • Men's Winner: Brian Kilby (ENG) 2:23:18

• November 29 — Commonwealth Games Marathon, Perth, Australia
  • Men's Winner: Brian Kilby (ENG) 2:21:17

• December 2 — Fukuoka Marathon, Japan
  • Men's Winner: Toru Terasawa (JPN) 2:16:19

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Fireball Roberts won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Joe Weatherly
• Indianapolis 500 - Rodger Ward
• USAC Racing - Rodger Ward won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Graham Hill of Great Britain
• 24 hours of Le Mans: won by the team of Olivier Gendebien / Phil Hill driving a Ferrari 330LM
• Rally racing - the team of Erik Carlsson / Gunnar Haggbom won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Saab 96
• Drag racing - Jack Chrisman won Top Eliminator at the NHRA Nationals

Baseball

• January 23: Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson are selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first years of eligibility.

• October: National League pennant playoff: After finishing tied for the league lead, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants played-off for the title. The Giants won the series 2 games to 1, thereby winning the National League championship.

• World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the San Francisco Giants. The Series MVP was Ralph Terry, New York.

Basketball

• March 2 - In Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors scored 100 points against the New York Knicks, breaking several National Basketball Association records.

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:
  • Cincinnati wins 71-59 over Ohio St.

• NBA Finals:
  • Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers

Boxing

• March 24, 1962 - Emile Griffith regained the World Welterweight Championship by knocking out Benny the "Kid" Paret in the 12th round. Paret died ten days later on April 3, 1962 as a result of severe head injuries sustained in the fight.
• September 25, 1962 - Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson, two minutes and six seconds into the first round, to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships
  • Men's champion: Donald Jackson, Canada
  • Ladies' champion: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Netherlands
  • Pair skating champions: Maria Jelinek & Otto Jelinek, Canada
  • Ice dancing champions: Eva Romanová & Pavel Roman, Czechoslovakia

Football (American)

• AFL Championship: Dallas Texans won 20-17 over the Houston Oilers in double overtime
• NFL Championship: Green Bay Packers won 16-7 over the New York Giants

Football (Australian rules football)

• Victorian Football League
  • Essendon wins the 66th VFL Premiership (13.12 (90) d Carlton 8.10 (58))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Alistair Lord (Geelong)

Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers win 28-27 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Football (Soccer)

For an extensive coverage see 1962 in football (soccer)

• Football World Cup in Chile: Brazil won 3-1 over Czechoslovakia

• England - FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur won 3-1 over Burnley

Golf

Men's professional

• April 6-9 - Masters Tournament - Arnold Palmer
• June 13-17 - U.S. Open - Jack Nicklaus
• July 10-13 - British Open - Arnold Palmer
• July 19-22 - PGA Championship - Gary Player
• PGA Tour money leader - Arnold Palmer - $81,448

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Richard Davies
• U.S. Amateur - Labron Harris Jr.

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open - Mickey Wright
• LPGA Championship - Judy Kimball
• U.S. Women's Open - Murle Lindstrom
• Titleholders Championship - Mickey Wright
• LPGA Tour money leader - Mickey Wright - $21,641

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Even Stevens
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Flaming Page
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Soltikoff
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Tambourine

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes - Privy Councillor
  2. Epsom Derby - Larkspur
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Hethersett

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. May 5 - Kentucky Derby - Decidedly
  2. Preakness Stakes - Greek Money
  3. Belmont Stakes - Jaipur

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial 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: Jacques Plante, Montreal Canadiens

• Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs won 4 games to 2 over the Chicago Black Hawks

• World Hockey Championship:
  • Men's champion: Sweden defeated Canada

• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - Michigan Technological University Huskies defeat Clarkson University Golden Knights 7-1 in Utica, NY

Skiing

• ISF World Championships:
  • Men's combined champion: Karl Schranz, Austria
  • Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

Swimming

• February 20 — Australian swimming ace Kevin Berry takes over the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) from USA's Carl Robie at a meet in Melbourne, Victoria, clocking 2:12.5.

• August 11 — Carl Robie regains the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) and betters the world's best time twice in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, clocking 2:12.4 and, eventually, 2:10.8.

• August 19 — US swimmer Sharon Finneran breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Chicago, Illinois: 2:31.2.

• August 25 — Sharon Finneran breaks her own world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) during a meet in Los Altos, California: 2:30.7.

• October 23 — Australia's Kevin Berry takes over the world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) once again, clocking 2:09.7 at a meet in Melbourne, Victoria.

Tennis

• Rod Laver becomes only the second man in tennis history to win the Grand Slam in tennis.

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Rod Laver
  2. French Open - Rod Laver
  3. Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
  4. US Open - Rod Laver

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Smith
  2. French Open - Margaret Smith
  3. Wimbledon championships - Karen Susman
  4. US Open - Margaret Smith

• Davis Cup: Australia wins 5-0 over Mexico in world tennis.

Volleyball

• Men's World Championship in Moscow, Soviet Union
  • Gold Medal: Soviet Union
  • Silver Medal: Czechoslovakia
  • Bronze Medal: Romania

Yacht racing

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Weatherly defeats Australian challenger Gretel, of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, 4 races to 1; it is the first time in 81 years a country other than Great Britain has challenged for the Cup

Multi-sport events

• Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia
• British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Perth, Western Australia
• Second Winter Universiade held in Villars, Switzerland

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Maury Wills, Major League Baseball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Dawn Fraser, Swimming
• ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Jim Beatty, Athletics

Births

January

• January 1 — Sven Nylander, Swedish hurdler
• January 5 — Delroy Poyser, Jamaican long jumper
• January 17 — Jan Wegereef, Dutch football (soccer) referee
• January 18 — Laurie Gallen, New Zealand field hockey player
• January 22 — Uwe Messerschmidt, German track cyclist and road bicycle racer
• January 26 — Lynda Cornet, Dutch rower
• January 26 — Raúl Quiroga, Argentine volleyball player
• January 26 — Nick Sandhu, Indian-born Canadian field hockey defender

February

• February 2 — Andy Fordham, English darts player
• February 2 — Pedro Nolasco, Dominican boxer
• February 7 — Salvatore Antibo, Italian long distance runner
• February 10 — Bobby Czyz, Polish-American boxer
• February 13 — Jackie Silva, Brazilian beach volleyball player
• February 14 — Philippe Sella, French rugby union player
• February 19 — Hana Mandlíková, Czech tennis player
• February 20 — Stephan van den Berg, Dutch windsurfer
• February 20 — Pierre Quinon, French pole vaulter
• February 23 — Pedro Monzón, Argentine football coach and player
• February 23 — Ahn Byeong-Keun, South Korean judoka
• February 27 — Kory Tarpenning, American pole vaulter

March

• March 1 — Russell Coutts, New Zealand-born competitive sailor
• March 3 — Jackie Joyner-Kersee, US track and field athlete
• March 3 — Elliott Quow, US track and field sprinter
• March 6 — Bengt Baron, Swedish backstroke swimmer
• March 7 — Francisco Hervás, Spanish volleyball player and coach
• March 7 — Peter Manley, English darts player
• March 9 — Haruo Urata, Japanese long-distance runner
• March 9 — John Lyon, English boxer
• March 12 — Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player
• March 13 — Pello Ruiz Cabestany, Spanish road racing cyclist
• March 13 — Liane Tooth, Australian field hockey forward
• March 14 — Tsvetanka Khristova, Bulgarian discus thrower
• March 15 — Fernando Martín Espina, Spanish basketball player (d. 1989)
• March 18 — Nerguy Enkhbat, Mongolian boxer
• March 18 — Kazuhiro Mizoguchi, Japanese javelin thrower
• March 22 — Juan Aguilera, Spanish tennis player
• March 22 — Luiz Carvalho, Brazilian breaststroke swimmer
• March 22 — Teun van Vliet, Dutch road bicycle racer
• March 23 — Steve Redgrave, British rower, five-time Olympic gold medalist
• March 26 — Paul Chamberlin, American tennis player
• March 26 — John Stockton, American basketball player, all-time NBA leader in assists and steals
• March 26 — Laurien Willemse, Dutch field hockey defender
• March 30 — Manuel Matias, Portuguese long-distance runner
• March 30 — Alette Pos, Dutch field hockey goalkeeper

April

• April 1 — John Wallace, Canadian rower
• April 13 — Bill Reifsnyder, American long-distance runner
• April 15 — Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan hurdler
• April 17 — Christiane Knacke, East German butterfly swimmer
• April 24 — Stuart Pearce, English footballer and manager
• April 27 — PattiSue Plumer, American long-distance runner
• April 27 — Seppo Räty, Finnish javelin thrower
• April 29 — Rob Druppers, Dutch middle distance runner

May

• May 1 — Paula Weishoff, American volleyball player
• May 5 — Hugo Chapacu, Paraguayan tennis player
• May 6 — Mario Kummer, East German track and road cyclist and manager
• May 8 — Markku Slawyk, German field hockey player and coach
• May 9 — Steve Spence, American long-distance runner
• May 10 — José Youshimatz, Mexican track cyclist
• May 14 — Ricci Luyties, American volleyball player
• May 16 — Carmela Schmidt, East German freestyle swimmer
• May 29 — Misako Miyahara, Japanese long-distance runner
• May 30 — Jan Gunnarsson, Swedish tennis player

June

• June 8 — Phil Bourque, American hockey player
• June 10 — Ralf Schumann, German pistol shooter
• June 19 — Jeremy Bates, British tennis player
• June 21 — David Smith, British hammer thrower
• June 23 — Patrick Kelly, Canadian ice speed skater
• June 28 — Ann-Louise Skoglund, Swedish track and field hurdler
• June 30 — Silke Renk, German javelin thrower

July

• July 1 — Chris Cavanaugh, American freestyle swimmer
• July 7 — Ross Rutledge, Canadian field hockey player (d. 2004)
• July 11 — Kerrith Brown, British judoka
• July 12 — Jin-Sun Yoo, South Korean tennis player
• July 14 — Diane Ratnik, Canadian volleyball player
• July 15 — Michelle Ford, Australian freestyle and butterfly swimmer
• July 27 — Neil Brooks, Australian swimmer
• July 29 — Vincent Rousseau, Belgian long-distance runner

August

• August 1 — Joetta Clark, American middle distance runner
• August 1 — Robert Clift, British field hockey player
• August 1 — Jacob "Baby Jakes" Matlala , South African boxer
• August 2 — Mercedes Coghen, Spanish field hockey player
• August 4 — Roger Clemens, baseball pitcher, seven-time Cy Young Award winner
• August 5 — Patrick Ewing, American NBA player
• August 5 — Eric Geboers, Belgian motocross racer
• August 7 — Robert de Wit, Dutch decathlete and bobsledder
• August 18 — Carina Benninga, Dutch field hockey international
• August 20 — Dong-Wook Song, South Korean tennis player
• August 25 — Theresa Andrews, American backstroke swimmer
• August 26 — Roger Kingdom, American sprint hurdler
• August 30 — Toshihiro Shibutani, Japanese long-distance runner
• August 31 — Wanda Guenette, Canadian volleyball player

September

• September 1 — Ruud Gullit, Dutch football player and manager
• September 5 — Joni Nyman, Finnish boxer
• September 10 — Policarpio Calizaya, Bolivian long-distance runner
• September 13 — Brian Fowler, New Zealand cyclist
• September 16 — Ricardo Vera, Uruguayan long-distance runner
• September 17 — Ernie Cholakis, Canadian field hockey player
• September 20 — José Esteban Montiel, Spanish long-distance athlete
• September 21 — Kelly Evernden, New Zealand tennis player
• September 30 — Rolf Gölz, German road and track cyclist
• September 30 — Frank Rijkaard, Dutch football (soccer) player and manager
• September 30 — Martin Steele, British middle-distance runner

October

• October 9 — Jorge Luis Burruchaga, Argentine football (soccer) player and coach
• October 13 — Jerry Rice, American football player
• October 14 — Shahar Perkiss, Israeli tennis player
• October 19 — Evander Holyfield, American heavyweight boxer
• October 20 — Jan Goessens, Belgian road racing cyclist
• October 21 — Lev Shatilo, Soviet javelin thrower
• October 26 — Wilbert Suvrijn, Dutch football (soccer) midfielder
• October 27 — Ang Peng Siong, Singaporean swimmer
• October 30 — Courtney Walsh, Jamaican cricketer
• October 30 — Jorge Mondragón, Mexican diver
• October 31 — Hiroshi Yamamoto, Japanese archer

November

• November 1 — Sharron Davies, British swimmer
• November 5 — Zheng Meizhu, Chinese volleyball player
• November 5 — Abédi Pelé, Ghanaian football (soccer) player
• November 6 — Joan Hodson, New Zealand netball player
• November 19 — Glenn Buchanan, Australian butterfly swimmer
• November 24 — Karen Marsden, Australian field hockey goalkeeper
• November 24 — Tracey Wickham, Australian middle distance swimmer
• November 30 — Bong-Soo Kim, South Korean tennis player

December

• December 4 — Nixon Kiprotich, Kenyan athlete
• December 10 — John de Wolf, Dutch football (soccer) player
• December 12 — Tracy Austin, American tennis player
• December 13 — Roger Ilegems, Belgian track cyclist and road bicycle racer
• December 13 — Kendra Slewenski, English netballer
• December 14 — Redzep Redzepovski, Yugoslav-Macedonian boxer
• December 16 — Charly Mottet, French cyclist
• December 19 — Markus Weise, German field hockey player and coach
• December 24 — Juan Hernández, Cuban boxer
• December 27 — Mark Few, American college basketball coach
• December 27 — Bill Self, American college basketball coach
• December 27 — Sherri Steinhauer, American golfer

Deaths

• February 18 — Erik Granfelt (76), Swedish gymnast (b. 1883)
• April 3 — Benny Paret, Cuban boxer (b. 1937)
• April 14 — Iuliu Baratky, Romanian football player (b. 1910)
• April 18 — Oscar van Rappard (66), Dutch athlete and football (soccer) player (b. 1896)
• June 28 — Mickey Cochrane, US Major League Baseball player
• September 9 — Paavo Aaltonen (42), Finnish gymnast (b. 1919)
• September 12 — Cornelis den Held (79), Dutch athlete (b. 1883)
• November 2 — Ricardo Rodríguez, Mexican Race Car Driver in a racing accident.