1966 in sports

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Years in sports: 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Centuries: 19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades: 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s
Years: 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

Alpine skiing[]

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 college football season[disambiguation needed]:

Artistic gymnastics[]

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[]

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[]

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[]

Cycling[]

Figure skating[]

Golf[]

  • July 24 – Tony Lema (32), American golf champion, died in an air crash at Munster, Indiana

Men's professional

Men's amateur

Women's professional

Harness racing[]

Horse racing[]

Steeplechases

Flat races

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

Motorsport[]

Main articles: 1966 in motorsport and List of 1966 motorsport champions

Orienteering[]

Rugby league[]

Rugby union[]

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

England

France

USA

Davis Cup

Volleyball[]

Multi-sport events[]

Awards[]

  • Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Frank Robinson, Major League Baseball
  • Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Kathy Whitworth, LPGA golf

References[]

  1. ^ "World Orienteering Championships 1966". International Orienteering Federation. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
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