1962 in sports
See also: 1961 in sports, other events of 1962, 1963 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.
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 2 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.
Cycling
- Giro d'Italia won by Franco Balmamion of Italy
- Tour de France – Jacques Anquetil of France
- World Cycling Championship: Jean Stablinski of France
Field Hockey
- March 10,1962- In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium,England. England drew with the United States Of America 2–2.
Figure Skating
- World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Donald Jackson, Canada
- Women's champion: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Netherlands
- Pairs champions: Maria Jelinek & Otto Jelinek, Canada
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)
- 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)
- England – FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur won 3–1 over Burnley
- Football World Cup in Chile: Brazil won 3–1 over Czechoslovakia
Golf
- Grand Slam of golf results:
- PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Arnold Palmer – $81,448
- US Women's Open – Murle Lindstrom
- LPGA Championship – Judy Kimball
- Mickey Wright: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $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:
- Two Thousand Guineas Stakes – Privy Councillor
- Epsom Derby – Larkspur
- St. Leger Stakes – Hethersett
- United States Triple Crown Races:
- Kentucky Derby – Decidedly
- Preakness Stakes – Greek Money
- Belmont Stakes – Jaipur
Harness Racing
- United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
- Cane Pace – Ranger Knight
- Little Brown Jug – Lehigh Hanover
- Messenger Stakes – Thor Hanover
- United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
- Hambletonian – A.C.'s Viking
- Yonkers Trot – A.C.'s Viking
- Kentucky Futurity – Safe Mission
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
- Pacers: James Scott
Ice Hockey
- Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bobby Hull, Chicago Blackhawks
- 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 Blackhawks
Skiing
- ISF World Championships:
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:
- Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- Australian Open – Margaret Smith
- French Open – Margaret Smith
- Wimbledon championships – Karen Susman
- US Open – Margaret Smith
General sporting events
Births
- February 10 – Bobby Czyz, boxer
- March 3 – Jackie Joyner-Kersee, track and field athlete
- March 12 – Darryl Strawberry, former baseball player
- March 23 – Steve Redgrave, British rower, five-time Olympic gold medalist
- March 26 – John Stockton, former basketball player, all-time NBA leader in assists and steals
- April 15 – Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan hurdler
- April 24 – Stuart Pearce, English footballer
- August 4 – Roger Clemens, baseball pitcher, seven-time Cy Young Award winner
- August 5 – Patrick Ewing, former NBA star
- August 18 – Carina Benninga, Dutch field hockey international
- September 1 – Ruud Gullit, Dutch footballer
- September 30 – Frank Rijkaard, Dutch footballer
- October 13 – Jerry Rice, NFL star
- October 19 – Evander Holyfield, heavyweight boxer
- October 30 – Courtney Walsh, cricketer
- November 1 – Sharron Davies, swimmer
- November 24 – Karen Marsden,Australian field hockey goalkeeper
- December 12 – Tracy Austin,US tennis star
- December 13 – Kendra Slewenski,English netballer
Deaths
- June 28 – Mickey Cochrane, Major League Baseball player
Categories: 1962 | 1962 in sports