1964 in sports

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1964 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Years in sports
← 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 →
1964 in sports
Air sports American football Aquatic sports Association football Athletics Australian rules football Badminton Baseball Basketball Canadian football Chess Climbing Combat sports Sumo Cricket 1963–64 1964 1964–65 Cycling Dance sports Darts Equestrianism Esports Field hockey Flying disc Golf Gymnastics Handball Ice hockey Ice sports Korfball Lumberjack sports Mind sports Modern pentathlon Motorsport Orienteering Paralympic sports Precision sports Shooting Racquetball Roller sports Sailing Skiing Speedway Rugby league‎ Rugby union Snooker 1963–64 1964–65 Strength sports Weightlifting Squash Table tennis Tennis Triathlon Volleyball

• Men's Olympic gold medal:
  • Downhill: Egon Zimmermann, Austria
  • Slalom: Josef Stiegler, Austria
  • Giant Slalom: François Bonlieu, France
• Women's Olympic gold medal:
  • Downhill: Christl Haas, Austria
  • Slalom: Christine Goitschel, France
  • Giant Slalom: Marielle Goitschel, France
• FIS Alpine World Ski Championships –
  • Men's combined champion: Ludwig Leitner, Germany
  • Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

• NFL Championship: the Cleveland Browns won 27–0 over the Baltimore Colts at Cleveland Stadium
• Cotton Bowl (1963 season):
  • The Texas Longhorns won 28–6 over the Navy Midshipmen to win the college football national championship
• Heisman Trophy – John Huarte QB, Notre Dame
• AFL Championship – Buffalo Bills win 20–7 over the San Diego Chargers

• FA Cup final – West Ham United won 3–2 over Preston North End

• Spain beat the Soviet Union 2–1 to win the European Championship.
• In October during the celebration of the 1964 Summer Olympics FIFA gives the right to host the Football World Cup in 1970 to Mexico.
• The 1964 Jutland Series runs from 30 March to 15 November in Denmark

• March 6 – Tom O'Hara sets a new world record for the indoor mile run by completing it in 3 minutes and 56.4 seconds

• Victorian Football League
  • Melbourne wins the 68th VFL Premiership (Melbourne 8.16 (64) d Collingwood 8.12 (60))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Gordon Collis (Carlton)

• February 15 – death of Ken Hubbs (22), Chicago Cubs player, in an air crash just before the season began
• April 17 – The New York Mets play their first game at brand-new Shea Stadium and lose 4–3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Willie Stargell hits the first home run in the stadium's history, a second-inning solo shot off the Mets' Jack Fisher.
• June 21 – Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a perfect game in a 6–0 victory over the New York Mets.
• World Series – St. Louis Cardinals win 4 games to 3 over the New York Yankees. The Series MVP is pitcher, Bob Gibson of St. Louis.
• AL MVP – Brooks Robinson 3B, Baltimore Orioles
• NL MVP – Ken Boyer 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
• AL Rookie of the Year – Tony Oliva OF, Minnesota Twins
• NL Rookie of the Year – Dick Allen 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
• Cy Young Award – Dean Chance, Los Angeles Angels

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
  • UCLA wins 97–83 over Duke
• Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year – Gary Bradds F, Ohio State
• NBA Finals – Boston Celtics won 4 games to 1 over the San Francisco Warriors
• NBA MVP – Oscar Robertson G, Cincinnati Royals
• NBA Rookie of the Year – Jerry Lucas F, Cincinnati Royals

• February 25 in Miami Beach, Florida – Cassius Clay defeated Sonny Liston by TKO in the 7th round to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
• December 14 in Philadelphia, Joey Giardello won a 15-round decision over Rubin "Hurricane" Carter to win the World Middleweight title.

• Grey Cup – B.C. Lions win 34–24 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

• Giro d'Italia won by Jacques Anquetil of France
• Tour de France – Jacques Anquetil of France
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Jan Janssen of Netherlands

• Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Tokyo, Japan
  • Gold Medal: India
  • Silver Medal: Pakistan
  • Bronze Medal: Australia

• World Figure Skating Championships
  • Men's champion: Manfred Schnelldorfer, Germany
  • Ladies' champion: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Netherlands
  • Pair skating champions: Marika Kilius & Hans-Jürgen Bäumler, Germany
  • Ice dancing champions: Eva Romanová & Pavel Roman, Czechoslovakia

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament – Arnold Palmer
• U.S. Open – Ken Venturi
• British Open – Tony Lema
• PGA Championship – Bobby Nichols
• PGA Tour money leader – Jack Nicklaus – $113,285

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Gordon Clark
• U.S. Amateur – William C. Campbell

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open – Carol Mann
• LPGA Championship – Mary Mills
• U.S. Women's Open – Mickey Wright
• Titleholders Championship – Marilynn Smith
• LPGA Tour money leader – Mickey Wright – $29,800

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace – Race Time
  2. Little Brown Jug – Vicar Hanover
  3. Messenger Stakes – Race Time
• Ayres won the United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian – Ayres
  2. Yonkers Trot – Ayres
  3. Kentucky Futurity – Ayres
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers: Minuteman

• Northern Dancer becomes the first Canadian–bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Arkle
• Grand National – Team Spirit

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Polo Prince
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by Northern Dancer
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Prince Royal
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Santa Claus
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Baldric
  2. The Derby – Santa Claus^[1]
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Indiana
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Northern Dancer
  2. Preakness Stakes – Northern Dancer
  3. Belmont Stakes – Quadrangle

• Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens
• Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs won 4–3 over the Detroit Red Wings
• World Hockey Championship –
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Michigan Wolverines defeat University of Denver Pioneers 6–3 in Denver, Colorado

• Guelph Mohawks win the first Castrol Cup.
• Vancouver Carlings win the Mann Cup.
• Oshawa Green Gaels win the Minto Cup.

• 1964 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1964 NSWRFL season
• 1963–64 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1964–65 Northern Rugby Football League season

• 70th Five Nations Championship series is shared by Scotland and Wales

• The World Snooker Championship is revived in a challenge format:
  • John Pulman beats Fred Davis 19-16
  • John Pulman beats Rex Williams 40-33

• February 29 – in Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the women's 100m freestyle (long course) competition: 58.9 seconds.
• March 29 – Australia's Kevin Berry sets a new world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) at a meet in Sydney, clocking 2:06.9.
• July 12 – US swimmer Sharon Stouder breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course) with one second, during a meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, clocking 2:28.1.
• August 2 – Sharon Stouder once again breaks the world record in the women's 200m butterfly (long course), this time in Los Altos, California, clocking 2:26.4.
• October 18 – Kevin Berry breaks his own world record in the men's 200m butterfly (long course) on the last day of the swimming competition at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, with a time of 2:06.6.

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Fred Stolle (Australia) 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court (Australia) defeats Lesley Turner Bowrey (Australia) 6–3, 6–2

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – Manuel Santana (Spain) defeats Nicola Pietrangeli (Italy) 6–3, 6–1, 4–6, 7–5
• French Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Court (Australia) defeats Maria Bueno (Brazil) 5–7, 6–1, 6–2

UK

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Fred Stolle (Australia) 6–4, 12–10, 4–6, 6–3
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno (Brazil) defeats Margaret Smith Court (Australia) 6–4, 7–9, 6–3

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson (Australia) defeats Fred Stolle (Australia) in straight sets 6–4, 6–2, 6–4
• American Women's Singles Championship – Maria Bueno (Brazil) defeats Carole Caldwell Graebner (USA) in straight sets 6–1, 6–0

Davis Cup

• 1964 Davis Cup –  Australia 3–2  United States at Harold Clark Courts (clay) Cleveland, United States

• Volleyball at the 1964 Summer Olympics won by USSR (men) and Japan (women)

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Constellation defeats British challenger Sovereign, of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, 4 races to 0

• 1964 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan
  • United States wins the most gold medals (36) but the Soviet Union wins the most overall medals (96).
  • This Olympic opening ceremony is first time of live Olympic telecast program by geostationary communication satellite.
• 1964 Winter Olympics held in Innsbruck, Austria
  • USSR wins the most medals (25), and the most gold medals (11).
• Third Winter Universiade held in Špindleruv Mlýn, Czechoslovakia

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Don Schollander, Swimming
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Mickey Wright, LPGA golf
• ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Don Schollander, Swimming
• Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – Ken Venturi – Golf