1966 in sports

Table of contents

1 Auto Racing 2 Baseball 3 Basketball 4 Boxing 5 Cycling 6 Figure Skating 7 Football (Soccer) 8 Football (American) 9 Canadian Football League 10 Golf 11 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 12 Harness Racing 13 Ice Hockey 14 Skiing 15 Snooker 16 Tennis 17 General sporting events 18 Births 19 Deaths

Auto Racing

• Stock car racing:
  • Richard Petty won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - David Pearson
• Indianapolis 500 - Graham Hill
• USAC Racing - Mario Andretti won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Jack Brabham of Australia
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Bruce McLaren / Chris Amon won driving a Ford GT-40 Mk.II
• Rally racing - the team of Pauli Toivonen / Ensio Mikander won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Citroen ID
• Drag racing - Pete Robinson won the NHRA "Top Fuel" World Championship.

• 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.

• 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

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • UTEP wins 72-65 over Kentucky

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

• 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.

• Giro d'Italia won by Gianni Motta of Italy
• Tour de France - Lucien Aimar of France
• Vuelta a Espana - Francisco Gabica of Spain
• World Cycling Championship: Rudi Altig of Germany

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Emmerich Dänzer, Austria
  • Women's champion: Peggy Fleming, United States
  • Pairs champions: Ludmila Belousowa & Oleg Protopopow, Soviet Union

• England defeats Germany to win the 1966 World Cup Final.
• England - FA Cup: Everton win 3-2 against Sheffield Wednesday

• 1966 season championships were played in late 1966 and early 1967
• AFL Championship: Kansas City Chiefs won 31-7 over the Buffalo Bills
• NFL Championship: Green Bay Packers won 34-27 over the Dallas Cowboys
• World Championship: Green Bay Packers won 35-10 over the Kansas City Chiefs

• Grey Cup: Saskatchewan Roughriders win 29-14 over the Ottawa Rough Riders
• Vanier Cup: St. Francis Xavier X-Men win 40-14 over the Waterloo Lutheran Golden Hawks

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters golf tournament - Jack Nicklaus
  2. June - US Open - Bily Casper
  3. July - British Open - Jack Nicklaus
  4. August - PGA Championship - Al Geiberger

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Billy Casper - $121,945

• US Women's Open - Sandra Spuzich
• LPGA Championship - Gloria Ehret
• Kathy Whitworth: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $33,517.

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Galilee
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Titled Hero
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Bon Mot III
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Sodium

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Kashmir
  2. Epsom Derby - Charlottown
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Sodium

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Kauai King
  2. Preakness Stakes - Kauai King
  3. Belmont Stakes - Amberoid

• Romeo Hanover wins the United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Romeo Hanover
  2. Little Brown Jug - Romeo Hanover
  3. Messenger Stakes - Romeo Hanover

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Kerry Way
  2. Yonkers Trot - Polaris
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Governor Armbro

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Chamfer Star
  • Trotters: Yamamoto

• 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: Bobby Hull, Chicago Blackhawks

• Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens won 4-2 over the Detroit Red Wings

• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia

• ISF World Championships:
  • Men's combined champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France
  • Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

• World Snooker Championship challenge match: John Pulman beats Fred Davis 5-2 matches

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Roy Emerson
  2. French Open - Tony Roche
  3. Wimbledon championships - Manuel Santana
  4. US Open - Fred Stolle

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Smith
  2. French Open - Ann Haydon Jones
  3. Wimbledon championships - Billie Jean King
  4. US Open - Maria Bueno

• Davis Cup: Australia wins 4-1 over India in world tennis.

• July 17, American runner Jim Ryun sets a new world record for the mile at 3:51.3

• British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Kingston, Jamaica.

Births

• February 1 - Michelle Akers, American soccer player
• February 9 - Ellen van Langen, Dutch athlete
• February 11 - Anthony Parker, American football player
• February 11 - Patrick Kuhnen, West German tennis player
• April 18 - Trine Hattestad, Norwegian javelin thrower
• May 10 - Jonathan Edwards, British triple jumper
• June 30 - Mike Tyson, American boxer
• November 25 - Lisa Bayliss,British field hockey international
• November 26 - Helen Morgan,British field hockey goalkeeper
• December 1 - Larry Walker, Canadian baseball player

• January 4 - Inga Artamonova, world speed-skating champion
• February 1 - Nicholas Piantanida, balloonist. Died after suffering from a pressurization failure during an attempt at an altitude record.
• March 11 - "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer
• May 4 - Bob Elliott, Major League Baseball player (1939-1953)
• June 30 - Giuseppe Farina, F1 champion race car driver
• July 6 - Sam Jones, Major League Baseball pitcher (1914-1935)
• July 24 - Tony Lema, U.S. golf champion, died in a Munster, Indiana plane crash.
• August 1 - Hank Gowdy, MLB player, manager