50 Fun Facts About 1960s Sports

Which children's film did NBC switch to in 1968, cutting off the end of a Jets–Raiders thriller?

Heidi started on schedule in the East, so viewers missed Oakland scoring two touchdowns in the final minute to win 43–32. Angry callers jammed NBC's switchboards.

What was the name of the dog that found the stolen World Cup trophy wrapped in newspaper in 1966?

Pickles, a black and white collie, sniffed out the trophy beside a parked car while on a walk with his owner. He was later invited to the winning team's celebration banquet.

Which sports drink did University of Florida researchers invent in 1965 for its football team?

Gatorade takes its name from the Florida Gators, the team it was first mixed for. Its inventors, led by Robert Cade, wanted to replace the water and electrolytes players lost in sweat.

Which NBA star scored 100 points in a single game in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in March 1962?

Wilt Chamberlain did it for the Philadelphia Warriors in front of just 4,124 fans. The game was not televised, and no video footage of it has ever been found.

Which country did Abebe Bikila represent when he won the 1960 Olympic marathon in Rome barefoot?

Ethiopia had never won an Olympic gold medal before Bikila's run. He went barefoot because the new running shoes he bought in Rome gave him blisters.

Which slugger hit 61 home runs in 1961, breaking Babe Ruth's 34-year-old single-season record?

Roger Maris hit number 61 in the last game of the season. Because the schedule had just grown to 162 games, many people questioned whether his record was legitimate.

Which NFL team won the first two Super Bowls, played in January 1967 and January 1968?

The Green Bay Packers beat the AFL's champions 35–10 and then 33–14. Quarterback Bart Starr was named most valuable player of both games.

Which Hollywood figure ran the pageantry for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics ceremonies?

Walt Disney designed the opening, closing and medal ceremonies for the Games in California. The opening went ahead in the midst of a blizzard and finished with fireworks.

Which Jets quarterback guaranteed victory three days before upsetting the Colts in Super Bowl III?

Joe Namath's team were 18-point underdogs, yet won 16–7. He was named the game's most valuable player without throwing a touchdown pass.

Why was Muhammad Ali stripped of his world heavyweight boxing title in the spring of 1967?

Muhammad Ali refused the draft because of his religious beliefs and his opposition to the Vietnam War. Convicted of draft evasion, he did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970.

Which domed stadium, nicknamed the Eighth Wonder of the World, opened in Houston in 1965?

The Astrodome was the world's first domed multi-purpose stadium. Its natural grass soon died indoors, which led to the artificial surface that became known as AstroTurf.

Which country won the 1966 FIFA World Cup by beating West Germany 4–2 after extra time?

England won at Wembley thanks to Geoff Hurst, who scored the first hat-trick in a World Cup final. Their dubious third goal, given by a linesman, has been argued over ever since.

Which Dodgers ace sat out Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur?

Sandy Koufax observed the holiest day of the Jewish calendar instead, then came back to win the deciding Game 7 on only two days' rest.

Which expansion team lost 120 games in 1962 but won the World Series just seven years later?

The New York Mets had never had a winning season before 1969. Nicknamed the Miracle Mets, they beat a much-fancied Baltimore Orioles team four games to one.

Which All-Star guard's silhouette is the basis for the NBA logo designed in 1969?

Jerry West picked up the nickname the Logo as a result. Designer Alan Siegel has said he based the outline on a photograph of West.

In which event did Bob Beamon beat the world record by 55 cm at the 1968 Olympics?

Long jump history changed with his leap of 8.90 metres, a mark that stood for almost 23 years. Unused to metric distances, Beamon did not realise at first what he had done.

Which heavyweight champion did heavy underdog Cassius Clay beat in Miami Beach in February 1964?

Sonny Liston retired on his stool rather than come out for the seventh round. He had taken the title by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round.

Which martial art made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games, the first held in Asia?

Judo joined the programme for a Games staged in the country that invented it. Dutchman Anton Geesink won the open category, denying the hosts a clean sweep of the golds.

Which NFL rushing champion retired at age 30 in 1966 while filming The Dirty Dozen?

Jim Brown walked away at the peak of his career, months after winning his third league MVP award, to pursue acting full time.

Which NBA team won eight straight championships from 1959 to 1966 under coach Red Auerbach?

The Boston Celtics' eight titles in a row are an NBA record. Auerbach made a habit of lighting a victory cigar on the bench once he thought a game was won.

Which host of the 1968 Olympics saw Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise gloved fists on the podium?

Mexico City's 200 metres medal ceremony became a landmark protest. The two Americans were suspended from the US team and banned from the Olympic Village.

Which TV innovation did CBS director Tony Verna debut during the 1963 Army–Navy football game?

Instant replay was so unfamiliar that the commentator had to tell viewers Army had not scored a second time. That first replay ran at normal speed.

Which Brazilian forward scored his 1,000th career goal from a penalty at the Maracanã in 1969?

Pelé's milestone goal, known in Brazil as O Milésimo, came against Vasco da Gama in what was a hugely anticipated moment across the country.

Which 22-year-old beat Arnold Palmer in a playoff at the 1962 US Open for his first pro win?

Jack Nicklaus won the 18-hole Sunday playoff at Oakmont, and the result marked the beginning of his long rivalry with Palmer.

Which American won 1968 Olympic gold by clearing the bar back-first, a style now named after him?

Dick Fosbury sprinted at the bar on a curve and leapt over it backwards, which kept his centre of mass lower than the older techniques could.

Which sprinter, who wore a leg brace as a child, won three gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics?

Wilma Rudolph overcame polio and wore the brace until she was 12. In Rome she became the first American woman to win three track and field golds at a single Games.

Which university won five NCAA men's basketball titles from 1964 to 1969 under John Wooden?

UCLA went on to win ten national championships in twelve years under Wooden, including a record seven in a row.

Which amateur won tennis's first open-era US Open in 1968 but could not accept the prize money?

Arthur Ashe received only $20 a day in expenses for his win. The $14,000 winner's cheque went instead to Tom Okker, the man he beat in the final.

Which 1960s coach, whose name is now on the Super Bowl trophy, won five NFL titles in seven seasons?

Vince Lombardi never had a losing season as an NFL head coach. The Super Bowl trophy was renamed in his honour in 1970, the year he died of cancer.

Which American carmaker ended Ferrari's six-year winning run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1966?

Ford built the GT40 specifically to beat Ferrari, and the car went on to win the race four years running.

Which baseball great homered at Fenway Park in the final at-bat of his career in September 1960?

Ted Williams refused to tip his cap or come out of the dugout as the crowd cheered. John Updike turned the afternoon into a celebrated essay for The New Yorker.

Which star became the first Black head coach in NBA history in 1966 while still playing?

Bill Russell took over from Red Auerbach and stayed on the court as player-coach for his final three seasons, becoming the first Black NBA coach to win a championship.

Which Australian won all four tennis majors in one calendar year twice, in 1962 and 1969?

Rod Laver was banned from the majors between the two because he had turned professional. The arrival of open tennis in 1968 let him back in to repeat the feat.

Which future heavyweight champion carried a small US flag round the ring after his 1968 Olympic win?

George Foreman bowed to the crowd as he walked the flag around the ring. He turned professional the following year and took the world title in 1973.

Which figure skater won the only United States gold medal at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics?

Peggy Fleming won seven years after a plane crash killed the entire US figure skating team, her coach among them. She was 12 at the time of the disaster.

Which Negro leagues legend pitched three innings for the Athletics in 1965 at the age of 59?

Satchel Paige gave up just one hit, having waited in the bullpen in a rocking chair while a nurse served him coffee. Owner Charles O. Finley had signed him for a single game.

Which AFL franchise started out in 1960 as the Dallas Texans before moving north three years later?

The Kansas City Chiefs got their new name from a fan contest, in a nod to the nickname of the mayor who had lured the team from Texas.

Which team won the 1967 Stanley Cup, the last final played before the NHL doubled from six teams?

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal in six games with a squad whose average age was 31, the oldest line-up to win the Cup.

Which winger, nicknamed the Golden Jet, was the first NHL player to top 50 goals in a season?

Bobby Hull passed the old mark of 50 in March 1966 and finished the season with 54 goals for Chicago.

Which ABC show hosted by Jim McKay from 1961 brought rodeo, curling and cliff diving to American TV?

Wide World of Sports ran until 1997, mostly on Saturday afternoons. It showed many events never before seen on American television, such as demolition derby and barrel jumping.

Which golfer, nicknamed the Black Knight, became the first non-American to win the Masters in 1961?

Gary Player of South Africa won by a single stroke when Arnold Palmer, who needed only a par on the final hole for victory, took a double bogey.

Which St. Louis Cardinals ace posted a 1.12 earned run average in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher?

Bob Gibson was so dominant that baseball lowered the mound from 15 inches to 10 for 1969, changes sometimes known as the Gibson rules.

Which skier swept all three men's alpine gold medals at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympics?

Jean-Claude Killy won the downhill, giant slalom and slalom on home snow, which made him the most successful athlete of those Games.

Which Cincinnati Royals star averaged a triple-double across the whole 1961–62 NBA season?

Oscar Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists that season. No other NBA player managed a season-long triple-double until 2016–17.

Which NASCAR driver, nicknamed the King, won 27 races in 1967, including ten in a row?

Richard Petty's 27 wins in a season and ten straight victories are both NASCAR records. He retired in 1992 with 200 career wins, another all-time best.

Which college started five Black players and beat all-white Kentucky in the 1966 NCAA final?

Texas Western, now known as UTEP, won 72–65 under coach Don Haskins. The story later inspired the book and film Glory Road.

Which outfielder won the 1967 Triple Crown, a feat not repeated until Miguel Cabrera in 2012?

Carl Yastrzemski led the American League with a .326 average, 44 home runs and 121 runs batted in, sharing the home run crown with Harmon Killebrew.

Which Formula One champion won the 1965 Indianapolis 500 in a rear-engined Lotus?

Jim Clark was the first driver to win at Indianapolis in a rear-engined car, and he took the Formula One world title in the same year.

Which Detroit Tigers pitcher won 31 games in 1968, the last 30-win season of the twentieth century?

Denny McLain finished 31–6, the first 30-win season in the majors for 34 years, and collected both the Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards.

Which little-known US Marine officer won a shock 10,000 metres gold at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics?

Billy Mills, an Oglala Lakota and a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve, was a virtual unknown before the race, one of the great Olympic upsets.