1961 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, All-American honors
Other Big Ten players who were named first-team All-Americans by at least one selector were:


1961 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, Other awards
Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson won the Maxwell Award and the UPI and Sporting News College Football Player of the Year awards. He finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Ernie Davis.


1961 Big Ten Conference football season, Awards and honors, Other awards
Ron Miller of Wisconsin received the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the nation's top collegiate passer. He was the first Big Ten player to receive the award.


1961 Big Ten Conference football season, 1962 NFL Draft
The following Big Ten players were among the first 100 picks in the 1962 NFL Draft:


1961 Birmingham Small Heath by-election
The Birmingham Small Heath by-election was held on 23 March 1961 due to the death of the incumbent Labour MP William Wheeldon. It was won by the Labour candidate Denis Howell.


1961 Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours 1961 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries.


1961 Birthday Honours
The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The Queen. The announcement date varies, both from year to year and from country to country. The 1961 Queen's Birthday Honours for the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland were announced on 2 June 1961.


1961 Birthday Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1961 Birthday Honours, United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Royal Victorian Order, Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO)
At this time the two lowest classes of the Royal Victorian Order were "Member (fourth class)" and "Member (fifth class)", both with post-nominal letters MVO. "Member (fourth class)" was renamed "Lieutenant" (LVO) from the 1985 New Year Honours onwards.


1961 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The 1961 Queen's Birthday Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Elizabeth II, were appointments made by the Queen on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 10 June 1961.


1961 Birthday Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1961 Bluebonnet Bowl
The 1961 Bluebonnet Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game between the Rice Owls and the Kansas Jayhawks.


1961 Bluebonnet Bowl, Background
This was the Owls' sixth bowl game in 14 years, and second in the year of 1961, having appeared in the Sugar Bowl in January, though they had lost the last two. This was the Jayhawks' first bowl game since 1948.


1961 Bluebonnet Bowl, Game summary
Rice was playing the game on its home turf, in the second annual Bluebonnet Bowl. Ken Coleman of Wichita ran for a 1 yard touchdown for Kansas, but the extra point fell short. Johnny Burrell caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Randy Kerbow to give Rice a 7-6 lead. When Kansas was forced to punt later in the quarter, John Hadl mishandled the snap and ran 41 yards to give the Jayhawks crucial position. Coleman would score his second touchdown of the day to give Kansas a 12-7 lead at halftime. Rodger McFarland and Curtis McClinton both scored on rushing touchdowns on reverse plays to give Kansas a 25-7 lead by the fourth quarter, and McFarland scored his second touchdown in the fourth quarter to make the final score 33-7, giving Kansas their first ever bowl win.


1961 Bluebonnet Bowl, Aftermath
This would be the last bowl game for the Owls until 2006. The Jayhawks would return to a bowl game in 1969.


1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident
1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident is an air incident in the USSR that happened on Thursday June 22, 1961 near the town of Bogoroditsk, Tula Oblast, involving Il-18B aircraft of the Aeroflot company. The incident caused no deaths.


1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident
Il-18B bearing number 75672 (factory 189000901 and serial 009-01) was constructed by the factory of MMZ "Banner Of Labor" in 1959 and was handed over to General Directorate of Civil Air Fleet, which on April 19 transferred it to Vnukovo Air Squadron of the Moscow Department of Transport Aviation of the Civil Air Fleet. The passenger capacity of the airliner was of 80 seats. On April 24 it made its first flight from Moscow Domodedovo to Alma-Ata.


1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident
The plane was on a flight from Moscow to Sochi. It was driven by crew consisting of the commander B. E. Gratsianov, 2nd pilot Y. N. Belkin, sturman B. A. Andreev, flight mechanic G. D. Postribailo, radio operator G. Y. Margulis. The pilots had little experience in piloting Il-18: Gratsianov was making his 2nd flight as commander, Belkin was making his 1st flight after re-training. The stewardesses were V. E. Zhuravleva, N. V, Pokhitonova and V. Y. Smirnova. 89 passengers were on board. After taking off Vnukovo Airport the plane ascended to 6100 meters.


1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident
Flying over Tula oblast, a fire alarm went off for the engine #3. The crew activated the fire extinguishing system, but it didn't work. At the time, flight instructions contained no descriptions of this kind of situation. The nearest airfield was a military Efremov-3 (9 km south-east from Efremov town), that was reachable in several minutes. But the crew decided they were too short of time, so they started trying to make a forced landing on fields below them using emergency descent. Before starting, they radioed: "Landing on field. Plane on fire. End of link", and the link was broken.


1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident
While on fire, Il-18 leveled with the ground, the crew turned off 3 remaining engines. With gear up, the plane belly landed atop of an oat field in Bogoroditskiy rayon of Tula oblast, slipped 300 meters and stopped. The fire was extinguished quickly, nobody of the 97 people onboard died. The cause of the fire was destruction of the generator which debris damaged the oil pipeline. The oil spilled and caused fire. The fire extinguishing system didn't activate because electric terminals of its circuit scheme were mixed up.


1961 Bogoroditsk Il-18 incident
For the inventiveness and courage, all of the crew members were awarded in Moscow Kremlin: the commander Boris Evgenievich Gratsianov — Order of the Red Banner of Labour; 2nd pilot Yuri Nikolaevich Belkin — Order of Red Star; sturman Boris Anatolievich Andreev  — Order of Red Star; flight mechanic Georgiy Dmitrievich Postribailo — Order of Red Star; radio operator Grigoriy Yakovlevich Margulis — Order of the Badge of Honor; stewardesses Valentina Efimovna Zhuravleva, Nataliya Vasilyevna Pokhitonova and Valentina Yurievna Smirnova — Medal "For Distinguished Labour". The damaged plane was repaired and transferred as a model to Riga Civil Aviation Engineers Institute.


1961 Bolivarian Games
The IV Bolivarian Games (Spanish: Juegos Bolivarianos) were a multi-sport event held between December 3–16, 1961, at the Estadio Municipal in Barranquilla, Colombia. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (ODEBO). Bolivia was the only eligible country not to send a delegation.


1961 Bolivarian Games
The Games were officially opened by Colombian president Alberto Lleras Camargo. Torch lighter was hurdler Jaime Aparicio. The athlete's oath was sworn by local athlete Rafael Cotes.


1961 Bolivarian Games
A detailed history of the early editions of the Bolivarian Games between 1938 and 1989 was published in a book written (in Spanish) by José Gamarra Zorrilla, former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee, and first president (1976-1982) of ODESUR. Gold medal winners from Ecuador were published by the Comité Olímpico Ecuatoriano.


1961 Bolivarian Games, Medal count
The medal count for these Games is tabulated below. This table is sorted by the number of gold medals earned by each country. The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number of bronze medals.


1961 Bolivian Primera División
The 1961 Bolivian Primera División, the first division of Bolivian football (soccer), was played by 8 teams. The champion was Deportivo Municipal.


1961 Boston Celtics boycott
In October 1961, three African-American basketball players of the Boston Celtics boycotted a National Basketball Association exhibition game in Lexington, Kentucky against the St. Louis Hawks, after facing racial discrimination in the city.


1961 Boston Celtics boycott, Background
Two black players, Sam Jones and Satch Sanders went to a coffee shop on arriving in town, where a waitress refused to serve them. They informed player Bill Russell of this incident, and the three decided to leave Kentucky and return to Boston in protest. Coach Red Auerbach argued the three should stay, but ultimately agreed to drive them to the airport. On arriving in Boston, Russell stated to the media: "Negroes are in a  fight for their rights – a fight for survival in a changing world... I am with these Negroes."


1961 Boston College Eagles baseball team
The 1961 Boston College Eagles baseball team represented Boston College in the 1961 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Eagles played their home games at John Shea Field. The team was coached by Eddie Pellagrini in his 4th year at Boston College.


1961 Boston College Eagles baseball team
The Eagles won the District I Playoff to advanced to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the Southern California Trojans.


1961 Boston College Eagles football team
The 1961 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Eagles were led by second-year head coach Ernie Hefferle and played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. After posting a losing record for the second consecutive year, Hefferle resigned as head coach to join as an assistant at Pittsburgh.


1961 Boston Patriots season
The 1961 Boston Patriots season was the franchise's second season in the American Football League They finished with nine wins, four losses, and one tie, in second place in the AFL's Eastern Division.


1961 Boston Patriots season, Season summary
In the off-season, the team acquired quarterback Babe Parilli from the Oakland Raiders, himself a former starter for the NFL's Green Bay Packers. After a 2–3 start and two consecutive losses, the team fired head coach Lou Saban on the night of Tuesday, October 10, and replaced him with offensive backfield coach Mike Holovak, formerly the head coach at Boston College.


1961 Boston Patriots season, Season summary
The change was a positive one, as the team was 7–1–1 under Holovak and finished on a four-game winning streak, capped with a road shutout of the Western Division champion San Diego Chargers in the season finale, the team which scored 38 points on them in Boston in Saban's last game.


1961 Boston Patriots season, Season summary
The Patriots' 9–4–1 record put them in second place in the Eastern Division, one game behind Houston; the Oilers went on to win the league championship with a 10–3 win over the Chargers. This was the first season in which Boston used their "Pat the Patriot" logo on their helmets.


1961 Boston Patriots season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 Boston Patriots season, Roster
All of the following players appeared in at least one game for the 1961 Boston Patriots.


1961 Boston Red Sox season
The 1961 Boston Red Sox season was the 61st season in the franchise's Major League Baseball history. The Red Sox finished sixth in the American League (AL) with a record of 76 wins and 86 losses, 33 games behind the AL and World Series champion New York Yankees.


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
Future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski made his major league debut on Opening Day, April 11. He was considered the heir apparent to Ted Williams, who had retired at the end of 1960.


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
On June 30, Wilbur Wood made his major league baseball debut with the Red Sox. In a game against the Cleveland Indians, Wood pitched 4 innings, allowed 3 hits, and 2 earned runs. He had 3 strikeouts and allowed 1 walk.


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season
On October 1, in a game against the New York Yankees, Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard gave up Roger Maris' 61st home run of the season, breaking Babe Ruth's record for most home runs in a season.


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Boston Red Sox season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Boston University Terriers football team
The 1961 Boston University Terriers football team was an American football team that represented Boston University as an independent during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In its fifth season under head coach Steve Sinko, the team compiled a 4–5 record and was outscored by a total of 142 to 100.


1961 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 1961 Bowling Green Falcons football team was an American football team that represented Bowling Green State University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their seventh season under head coach Doyt Perry, the Falcons compiled an 8–2 record (5–1 against MAC opponents), won the MAC championship, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 194 to 78.


1961 Bowling Green Falcons football team
On November 23, 1961, Bowling Green concluded its season with a 36–6 loss to Fresno State in the Mercy Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game was Bowling Green's first bowl appearance. The game was a fundraiser for the families of members of the Cal Poly Mustangs football team who died in a C-46 plane crash while returning home after a game at Bowling Green on October 29, 1960.


1961 Brabantse Pijl
The 1961 Brabantse Pijl was the inaugural edition of the Brabantse Pijl cycle race and was held on 6 April 1961. The race started and finished in  Brussels. The race was won by Pino Cerami.


1961 Bridgehampton National Races
The August 5, 1961, race at Bridgehampton Raceway was the ninth racing event of the eleventh season of the Sports Car Club of America's 1961 Championship Racing Series.


1961 Brisbane Carnival
The 1961 Brisbane Carnival was the 15th edition of the Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition. It was the last carnival to be held in Queensland.


1961 Brisbane Carnival
It was one of the most competitive carnivals to have been played, with the traditional carnival powerhouse Victoria going down to Western Australia in the final game to give Western Australia its first carnival victory since 1921. Despite Victoria comfortably accounting for South Australia, the Western Australians narrowly lost their game to South Australia. Tasmania, who traditionally struggle, lost all games but got within seven points of the South Australians. With Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria all finishing on 2 wins and a loss, Western Australia won the championship due to a superior percentage.


1961 Brisbane Carnival
In 2014, the Western Australian team from this carnival was inducted as a whole into the West Australian Football Hall of Fame.


1961 Brisbane Carnival, Teams
Although the carnival took place in Brisbane, no Queensland team competed in the tournament. The four teams were Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.


1961 Brisbane Carnival, Teams, Western Australia Squad
Although John Colgan was named in the squad, he had to withdraw due to injury.


1961 Brisbane Carnival, All-Australian team
In 1961 the All-Australian team was picked based on the Brisbane Carnival. Ron Barassi was named as captain. West Australian ruckman Jack Clarke became the first person to be named in four All Australian teams.


1961 Brisbane Carnival, Tassie Medal
Brian Dixon of the VFL won the Tassie Medal after beating East Fremantle's Jack Clarke by one vote.


1961 Bristol South East by-election
The 1961 Bristol South East by-election was a by-election held on 4 May 1961 for the British House of Commons constituency of Bristol South East in the city of Bristol.


1961 Bristol South East by-election
The seat had become vacant when the constituency's Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Tony Benn had inherited from his father a hereditary peerage as Viscount Stansgate, thus making him ineligible to serve in the House of Commons. He had been elected at a by-election in 1950.


1961 Bristol South East by-election
Benn stood in the by-election anyway, but due to his ineligibility, the Conservative Party candidate Malcolm St Clair was declared the winner.


1961 Bristol South East by-election
When the law was later changed to allow Benn to renounce his peerage, St Clair resigned his seat, and Benn was returned to the House of Commons at the 1963 Bristol South East by-election.


1961 British Cameroons referendum
A United Nations referendum was held in British Cameroons on 11 February 1961 to determine whether the territory should join neighbouring Cameroon or Nigeria. The option of independence was not on the ballot, having been opposed by Andrew Cohen, the UK representative to the UN Trusteeship Council, as well as African and anti-colonial delegations, notably by E. M. L. Endeley, who favoured integration with Nigeria, and John Ngu Foncha, who favoured (eventual) reunification with Francophone Cameroon.


1961 British Cameroons referendum
The Muslim-majority Northern Cameroons saw a majority of 60% in favour of joining Nigeria, whilst the Christian-majority Southern Cameroons saw 70.5% in favour of integration with Cameroon. Northern Cameroon officially became part of Nigeria on 1 June, whilst Southern Cameroons became part of Cameroon on 1 October.


1961 British Grand Prix
The 1961 British Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race, held on 15 July 1961 at the Aintree Circuit, near Liverpool. It was race 5 of 8 in both the 1961 World Championship of Drivers and the 1961 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers.


1961 British Grand Prix
Following a wet weekend, with torrential rain affecting both qualifying and the race start, the Grand Prix was ultimately dominated by Scuderia Ferrari, with their drivers taking all three podium positions. The race was won by German Wolfgang von Trips, who had led for much of the race after starting from fourth place on the grid. This was von Trips's second but also his final Grand Prix victory as two races later he was killed in an accident during the 1961 Italian Grand Prix. Pole position winner Phil Hill drove to second place, on his way to winning the World Drivers' Championship at the end of the season, and third place was taken by Hill's American compatriot Richie Ginther.


1961 British Grand Prix
The 1961 British Grand Prix is also notable as being the first occasion on which a four-wheel drive car, and the last at which a front engined car was entered for a World Championship race. These two accomplishments were achieved by the same vehicle: the experimental Ferguson P99-Climax run by the Rob Walker Racing Team. Although the car was disqualified for receiving assistance on the track, in the hands of Stirling Moss – who took over the car from first driver Jack Fairman after his own Lotus's brakes failed – it showed some promise. The 1961 British Grand Prix also marked the last occasion on which Moss contested a Grand Prix race on home soil, as his career was ended by an accident during a non-championship race prior to the 1962 season.


1961 British Guiana general election
General elections were held in British Guiana on 21 August 1961. The result was a victory for the People's Progressive Party, which won 20 of the 35 seats.


1961 British Guiana general election, Electoral system
The elections were the first to be held under the 1961 constitution, which had created a bicameral Legislature with an appointed Senate and an elected Legislative Assembly. The 36 members of the Legislative Assembly included 35 members elected in single-member constituencies and the Speaker, who was elected by the other members. The 13 members of the Senate included eight nominated by the ruling party, three by the opposition and two by the Governor.


1961 British Guiana general election, Campaign
A total of 98 candidates contested the elections. The PPP ran 29 candidates, the People's National Congress 35 and the United Force 34.


1961 British Guiana general election, Results
Following the elections, the People's National Congress (PNC) were allocated two of the Senate seats reserved for the opposition, with one given to the United Force. The PNC claimed they should have been given all three seats, and its members attempted to block Governor Richard Luyt from entering the Legislature for its ceremonial opening on 6 October, requiring the police to remove them.


1961 British Guiana general election, Aftermath
Although the PPP had only received 1.6% more of the vote than the new People's National Congress, it had won almost double the number of seats. This resulted in mass demonstrations led by the PNC, a general strike and severe inter-racial violence. After a few weeks the British authorities intervened by sending in troops and the Governor declared a state of emergency. Following these events, the country's electoral system was changed to use proportional representation. The first elections held under the new system took place in 1964.


1961 British Honduras general election
General elections were held in British Honduras on 26 March 1961. They were the first following a constitutional review, which had increased the number of elected seats from 9 to 18, whilst a further five members would be appointed by the Governor and two would be officials. The result was a victory for the ruling People's United Party, which won all 18 seats.


1961 British Honduras general election
The National Independence Party, founded in 1958 by a merger of the two previous major opposition parties, the Honduran Independence Party and the National Party, contested general elections for the first time in 1961. A third party formed by former PUP and NP members, the Christian Democratic Party, also fielded candidates. Both parties failed to win seats.


1961 British Saloon Car Championship
The 1961 British Saloon Car Championship, was the fourth season of the championship. It began at Snetterton on 25 March and finished after 9 races back at Snetterton on 30 September. The championship switched to the new Group 2 regulations. This year saw the first championship win for a Mini, with a car driven by John Whitmore, winning the title in his debut season.


1961 British Saloon Car Championship, Calendar & Winners
All races were held in the United Kingdom. Overall winners in bold.


1961 Brown Bears football team
The 1961 Brown Bears football team was an American football team that represented Brown University during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Brown went winless and finished last in the Ivy League.


1961 Brown Bears football team
In their third season under head coach John McLaughry, the Bears compiled a 0–9 record and were outscored 245 to 24. N.J. Rohrback was the team captain.


1961 Brown Bears football team
The Bears' 0–7 conference record placed eighth in the Ivy League standings. They were outscored by Ivy opponents 203 to 9.


1961 Brown Bears football team
Brown played its home games at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island.


1961 Brownlow Medal
The 1961 Brownlow Medal was the 34th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Victorian Football League (VFL) home and away season. John James of the Carlton Football Club won the medal by polling twenty-one votes during the 1961 VFL season.


1961 Brussels Grand Prix
The 1961 Brussels Grand Prix was a motor race set to Formula One rules, held on 9 April 1961 at Heysel Park, Belgium. The race was run in three "heats" of 22 laps each and the times were aggregated. The race was won by Australian driver Jack Brabham in a Cooper T53.


1961 Bucknell Bison football team
The 1961 Bucknell Bison football team was an American football team that represented Bucknell University during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Bucknell finished second in the University Division of the Middle Atlantic Conference.


1961 Bucknell Bison football team
In its third season under head coach Bob Odell, the team compiled a 6–3 record, and a 5–2 record against division opponents. Kirk Foulke was the team captain.


1961 Bucknell Bison football team
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium on the university campus in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250
The 1961 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 8, 1961, at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Background
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars".


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Background
The track first opened in 1951 as a 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) dirt track. Gwyn Staley won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion. Drivers such as Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, and Ralph Earnhardt also became track champions in the 1950s, with Earnhardt  winning five of them.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Background
In 1953, NASCAR's Grand National Series (later the Cup Series) visited the track for the first time. Tim Flock won the first race at the speedway, which became a regular part of the Grand National schedule. After winning his track championship in 1952, Junior Johnson became the most successful Grand National driver at Hickory, winning there seven times.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Background
The track has been re-configured three times in its history. The track became a 0.4-mile (644 meters) dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Race report
Two hundred and fifty-two laps were accomplished on a dirt track spanning 0.400 miles (0.644 km). The race took one hour and twenty-eight minutes to complete (the approximate length of three modern 30-minute sitcoms aired simultaneously). The pole position speed achieved by eventual winner Rex White was 72.290 miles per hour (116.339 km/h). Jack Smith would become the eventual second-place finished after being outlapped by White in front of 10500 live spectators. Two cautions slowed the race for an undetermined length of laps.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Race report
Junior Johnson would crash on lap 58 in his 1961 Pontiac Catalina machine while the winning vehicle would be classified as a Chevrolet with a 1961 model year (presumably a Bel Air). Being a modest race on a short dirt track, the highest prize that was awarded at the time was $900 ($7,794 in current U.S. dollars).


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Race report
A young Richard Petty (being only 24 years old during this race) would finish in 17th place due to issues with his vehicle's rear end on lap 102.; it would be a rare occasion where he drove a car other than his signature number 43. The entire 20-car field was made up of American-born males. Bud Allman was Ned Jarrett's crew chief for the race; he helped Jarrett finish in eighth place.


1961 Buddy Shuman 250, Race report
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.


1961 Buffalo Bills season
The 1961 Buffalo Bills season was the team's second year in the American Football League. The Bills played in the Eastern division, winning six games, losing eight, and missing the postseason.


1961 Buffalo Bills season
The Bills didn't have a winning record at any point in the season; they played their final five games of the season on the road.


1961 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
The Bills had a problematic quarterback situation, with former Redskin M.C. Reynolds, second-year Bills QB Johnny Green and ex-Lion Warren Rabb all struggling at the passer position. None completed more than 46% of their passes, and only Reynolds had a winning record (2–1) and threw for more than 1,000 yards.


1961 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
Punter Billy Atkins led the league in punts, with 85; he also led the league with 44.5 yards per punt. Atkins also played safety for the Bills in 1961, and led the league with 10 interceptions, and was 2nd-Team All-AFL on defense.


1961 Buffalo Bills season, Season summary
Middle linebacker Archie Matsos was 1st-Team All-AFL for the second consecutive year, as was defensive tackle Chuck McMurtry. Defensive tackle LaVerne Torczon was 2nd-Team All-AFL in 1961.


1961 Buffalo Bills season, AFL Draft
The Bills amassed a great deal of talent on their offensive line in the 1961 draft. Four of their first seven picks—Rice, Shaw, Barber and Bemiller, all offensive linemen—would go on to make at least one All-AFL team in the next five years. This draft would form the nucleus for the Bills' power running game over the next five years.


1961 Buffalo Bills season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 Buffalo Bills season, 1961 Game-By-Game Results
The 1961 preseason was notable for the Bills as they became the only AFL (or NFL) team to lose to a CFL team, and it was the last game between the CFL and AFL/NFL met in history.


1961 Buffalo Bulls football team
The 1961 Buffalo Bulls football team was an American football team that represented the University of Buffalo as an independent during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In its seventh season under head coach Dick Offenhamer, the team compiled a 4–5 record. The team played its home games at Rotary Field in Buffalo, New York.


1961 Bulgarian Cup Final
The 1961 Bulgarian Cup Final was the 21st final of the Bulgarian Cup (in this period the tournament was named Cup of the Soviet Army), and was contested between CSKA Sofia and Spartak Varna on 28 June 1961 at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia. CSKA won the final 3–0.


1961 Burundian legislative election
Parliamentary elections were held in Burundi on 8 September 1961 in order to install a government to rule the country following independence from Belgium on 1 July 1962. The result was a victory for the Union for National Progress, which won over 80% of the vote and 58 of the 64 seats in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was 75.39%.


1961 CCCF Championship
The 1961 CCCF Championship was played in March 1961 in San José, Costa Rica. Costa Rica emerged as champion. It was the final edition of the tournament, as shortly afterward the CCCF was subsumed into CONCACAF.


1961 CFL season
The 1961 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the eighth season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the fourth Canadian Football League season.


1961 CFL season, CFL News in 1961
The Western Canada Intercollegiate Rugby Union merged with the Canadian Intercollegiate Athletic Union.


1961 CFL season, CFL News in 1961
The WIFU changed its name to become the Western Football Conference.


1961 CFL season, CFL News in 1961
The CFL season schedule was partially interlocked to allow teams of the Eastern Football Conference to play regular season games against the teams of the Western Football Conference. Beginning this season, teams played opponents in their own conference three times and opponents in the other conference once, meaning the length of the regular season remained unchanged in both conferences (i.e. sixteen games for Western teams and fourteen games for Eastern teams). The format remained as such until 1974 when the Eastern Conference extended its schedule to sixteen games.


1961 CFL season, CFL News in 1961
A third consecutive year of interleague exhibition matches were scheduled with teams in the National Football League. As in 1959 and 1960, both CFL teams lost, with the Toronto Argonauts falling to the St. Louis Cardinals, 36–7, on August 2, and the Montreal Alouettes losing to the Chicago Bears, 34–16, on August 5). The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had a better idea for success: challenge the nascent American Football League to a duel. The Tiger-Cats faced off against their cross-border "rivals", the Buffalo Bills, on August 8. The Tiger-Cats defeated the Bills, 38–21, giving the Canadian league its first win over an American team since 1941. The AFL, embarrassed over the loss, declined to play another international game, and with the CFL consistently losing to NFL teams, the CFL ended international competition.


1961 CFL season, CFL News in 1961
The 49th edition of the Grey Cup went to overtime for the first time at Toronto's CNE Stadium. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won championship over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 21–14.


1961 CFL season, CFL News in 1961
The CFL made rule changes for the 1962 season, permitting four defensive backs per team to have unlimited blocking during rushing plays, as long as they are lined up outside the ends. Additionally the tackle-eligible play became illegal.


1961 CFL season, Regular season standings, Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points


1961 CFL season, Playoff bracket, Grey Cup Championship
The 1961 Grey Cup remains the only CFL title game decided in overtime. It also marked the fourth time in five years that the championship was decided between the Blue Bombers and Tiger-Cats.


1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The 1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team represented California Polytechnic State University during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Cal Poly competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).


1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
The team was led by 12th-year head coach LeRoy Hughes and played home games at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, California. They finished the season with a record of four wins and four losses (4–4, 3–2 CCAA).


1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal Poly Mustangs were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.


1961 Cal Poly Mustangs football team, Team players in the NFL
The following finished their college career in 1961, were not drafted, but played in the NFL.


1961 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team
The 1961 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team represented Cal Poly Kellogg-Voorhis Unit during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Cal Poly played as an independent in 1961.


1961 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team
Cal Poly Pomona was led by fifth-year head coach Don Warhurst. They played home games at Los Angeles State field in Los Angeles, California for the 1961 season only. The Broncos finished the season with a record of six wins and three losses (6–3). Overall, the team outscored its opponents 258–147 for the season.


1961 Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football team, Team players in the NFL
No Cal Poly Pomona players were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.


1961 Calgary Stampeders season
The 1961 Calgary Stampeders finished in 3rd place in the Western Conference of the Canadian Football League (CFL) with a 7–9 record. They were defeated in the Western Finals by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.


1961 California Golden Bears football team
The 1961 California Golden Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of California, Berkeley in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In its second year under head coach Marv Levy, the team compiled a 1–8–1 record (1–3 against AAWU opponents), finished in last place in the AAWU, and was outscored by its opponents by a combined total of 268 to 118.


1961 California Golden Bears football team
The team's statistical leaders included Randy Gold with 403 passing yards, Alan Nelson with 331 rushing yards, and Bob Wills with 302 receiving yards.


1961 Cambodian school holiday referendum
A referendum on shortening school holidays was held in Cambodia on 12 January 1961. The proposed change was approved by voters.


1961 Cambridgeshire by-election
The Cambridgeshire by-election was held on 16 March 1961. The by-election was triggered by the appointment of the incumbent Conservative, Gerald Howard, as a High Court Judge on the Queen's Bench Division. It was won by the Conservative candidate Francis Pym.


1961 Cameroonian Premier League
11 teams competed in the 1960 or 1961 season of the Cameroonian Premier League. Oryx Douala won the championship.


1961 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby
The 1961 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby  was won by Mar del Plata who defeated Rosario in the final. There were several changes in this tournament:


1961 Campeonato Argentino de Rugby, Final Phase, Final
Mar del Plata:   Sastre O., Beverino G., Prieto L., Mollo A., Marenco C., Tiribelli H., Meyer R., Larosa R., Ferrari E., Ferrari L., Olivera C., Boublath R., Arroyo O., Esnaola M. (cap. ), Vial S.  Rosario:: Caballero J., Mauro R., Puccio A., Dimaje J., Abalos R., Orengo J., Conti R., Villar W., Cerfoglio R. (cap. ), Paillole C., Paquez E., Ferraro M., Esmendi R., Carosini A., Gómez Kenney J.


1961 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
The 1961 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the 1961 Taça Brasil) was the 3rd edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. It began on July 12, 1961, and ended on December  27, 1961.


1961 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Format
The competition was a single elimination knockout tournament featuring two-legged ties, with a Tie-Break (play-off) if the sides were tied on points (however, if the tie-break was a draw, the aggregate score of the first two legs was used to determine the winner).


1961 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Teams
17 state champions qualified, along with the 1960 Taça Brasil champions, Palmeiras.


1961 Campeonato Carioca
The 1961 edition of the Campeonato Carioca kicked off on July 30, 1961 and ended on December 28, 1961. It was organized by FCF (Federação Carioca de Futebol, or Carioca Football Federation). Twelve teams participated. Botafogo won the title for the 11th time. no teams were relegated.


1961 Campeonato Centroamericano y Caribe
The 1961 Campeonato Centroamericano was the second edition of the first attempt in an international tournament for the CONCACAF region. All teams that participated were champions of their respective leagues. The tournament was composed of Central American and Caribbean clubs with four from Central America and one from Caribbean. Unlike the 1959 edition, the 1961 edition did not involve North American clubs but instead the Central American champion from the four-team playoff would face off against the Caribbean club.


1961 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol
The 1961 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol (English: Ecuadorian Football Championship) was the 3rd national championship for football teams in Ecuador. Emelec won their second national title.


1961 Campeonato Paulista
The 1961 Campeonato Paulista da Divisão Especial, organized by the Federação Paulista de Futebol, was the 60th season of São Paulo's top professional football league. Santos won the title for the 6th time. Portuguesa Santista was relegated and the top scorer was Santos's Pelé with 47 goals.


1961 Campeonato Paulista, Championship
The championship was disputed in a double-round robin system, with the team with the most points winning the title and the team with the fewest points being relegated.


1961 Campeonato Profesional
The 1961 Campeonato Profesional was the 14th season of Colombia's top-flight football league. 12 teams competed against one another. Millonarios won the league for the 6th time in its history after getting 62 points.


1961 Campeonato Profesional, Background
11 teams from the last tournament competed in this one, with Unión Magdalena declining to participate and both Deportes Caldas and Once Deportivo merging into Once Caldas. Millonarios won the championship for the sixth time. The runners-up were Independiente Medellín.


1961 Campeonato Profesional, League system
Every team played four games against each other team, two at home and two away. Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw. If two or more teams were tied on points, places were determined by goal difference. The team with the most points is the champion of the league.


1961 Canada Cup
The 1961 Canada Cup took place June 1–4 at Dorado Beach in Dorado, Puerto Rico. It was the ninth Canada Cup event, which became the World Cup in 1967. The tournament was a 72-hole stroke play team event with 33 teams. These were the same teams that had competed in 1960 but without Central Africa and with the addition of Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. Each team consisted of two players from a country. The combined score of each team determined the team results. The American team of Jimmy Demaret and Sam Snead won by 12 strokes over the Australian team of Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson. The individual competition was won by Sam Snead, with a tournament record score of 272, finishing eight shots ahead of Peter Thomson.


1961 Canada Cup, Teams
The Canadian Stan Leonard, American Arnold Palmer and South African Gary Player withdrew from the event. The Canada Cup was played at the same time as the Memphis Open, an official event on the 1961 PGA Tour. Under a PGA Tour rule, the three, as winners of official PGA Tour events in the previous 12 months, were unable to play in non-tour events where they clashed with official events. The sponsors of the Memphis Open refused to allow the three to play in the Canada Cup with the result that the players withdrew from both events. They were replaced by Al Johnston, Jimmy Demaret and Harold Henning.


1961 Canadian Grand Prix
The 1961 Canadian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Mosport Park on September 30, 1961, held for sports cars eligible for the Canadian Sports Car Championship regulations. 26 cars started the race. It was the first time a motor race had carried the name Canadian Grand Prix, which in future years would become an event on the Formula One world championship. The race was won by Canadian driver Peter Ryan driving a Lotus 19. Ryan finished a lap ahead of Mexican racer Pedro Rodríguez driving a North American Racing Team-run Ferrari 250 TR with pole sitter Stirling Moss third in another Lotus 19 run by his Formula One team, UDT Laystall Racing.


1961 Canadian National Challenge Cup
In soccer, the 1961 Canadian National Challenge Cup, also known as the Dominion Cup, was won by Montreal Concordia (also National League champions). They beat the Vancouver Firefighters 1-0 in a rain–soaked game in Montreal.


1961 Canadian National Challenge Cup, Format
The eastern Canada based National Soccer League held a round robin series to determine a winner to play against the winner of the Eastern Professional Soccer League. The winner of that series would then face the western Canada representative.


1961 Canadian National Challenge Cup, Squad lists
The following are some of the players from the games found in the news reports.


1961 Cannes Film Festival
The 14th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 18 May 1961. The Palme d'Or went to the Une aussi longue absence, directed by Henri Colpi and Viridiana, directed by Luis Buñuel. The festival opened with Che gioia vivere, directed by René Clément.


1961 Cannes Film Festival
The festival also screened Shirley Clarke's debut film The Connection due to the efforts of the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. The success of the film caused the festival to create International Critics' Week the following year.


1961 Cannes Film Festival, Jury
The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1961 competition:


1961 Cannes Film Festival, Out of competition
The following film was selected to be screened out of competition:


1961 Cannes Film Festival, Short film competition
The following short films competed for the Short Film Palme d'Or:


1961 Carmarthenshire County Council election
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in April 1961. It was preceded by the 1958 election and followed, by the 1964 election.


1961 Carmarthenshire County Council election, Overview of the result
A close run election resulted in Labour increasing its majority by two after capturing an additional two seats. In addition, Labour took the majority of the aldermanic vacancies.


1961 Carmarthenshire County Council election, Retiring aldermen
A number of retiring councilors stood down to allow retiring aldermen to be returned unopposed. These included D.T. Williams at Llangadog, who stood down in favour of Gwynfor Evans.


1961 Carmarthenshire County Council election, Unopposed returns
39 members were returned unopposed, including six of the nine members in Llanelli town.


1961 Carmarthenshire County Council election, Election of aldermen
In addition to the 59 councillors the council consisted of 19 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Following the elections, the majority of the aldermanic seats were taken by Labour.


1961 Census of India
The 1961 Census of India was the 10th in a series of censuses held in India every decade since 1872.


1961 Census of India, Language data
The 1961 census recognized 1,652 mother tongues, counting all declarations made by any individual at the time when the census was conducted. However, the declaring individuals often mixed names of languages with those of dialects, sub-dialects and dialect clusters or even castes, professions, religions, localities, regions, countries and nationalities. The list therefore includes "languages" with barely a few individual speakers as well as 530 unclassified "mother tongues" and more than 100 idioms that are non-native to India, including linguistically unspecific demonyms such as "African", "Canadian" or "Belgian". Modifications were done by bringing in two additional components- place of birth i.e. village or town and duration of stay ( if born elsewhere).


1961 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The 1961 Central Michigan Chippewas football team represented Central Michigan University in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their 11th season under head coach Kenneth "Bill" Kelly, the Chippewas compiled a 2–8 record (1–5 against IIAC opponents) and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 214 to 95.


1961 Central Michigan Chippewas football team
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Gary Harrington with 239 passing yards and Chuck Koons with 402 rushing yards and 130 receiving yards. Guard Jim Hasse received the team's most valuable player award. Two Central Michigan players (Hasse and defensive end Bill Johnson) received first-team honors on the All-IIAC team.


1961 Chatham Cup
The 1961 Chatham Cup was the 34th annual nationwide knockout football competition in New Zealand.


1961 Chatham Cup
The competition was run on a regional basis, with regional associations each holding separate qualifying rounds.


1961 Chatham Cup
Other teams known to have taken part in the final rounds included Otangarei United (Whangarei), Hamilton Technical Old Boys, Kahukura (Rotorua), Eastern Union (Gisborne), Moturoa (New Plymouth), Napier Rovers, Wanganui United, Kiwi United (Manawatu), and Timaru Thistle.


1961 Chatham Cup, The 1961 final
Northern won the cup for a second time, having previously been champions in 1959; North Shore United made their third consecutive finals appearance, having won the cup in 1960. The match was thus both a match between the two previous winners and also a rematch of the 1959 final, with the same team winning on both occasions. Seven Northern players and six North Shore players played in both finals, these six latter players - among them England and New Zealand international Ken Armstrong - also having played in the winning side of 1960. The final was a free flowing affair, but no goals came until the half hour mark, when Northern took the lead through George Little. The score remained 1-0 until two minutes from the end of the match, when Bruce Campbell doubled Northern's lead.


1961 Chattanooga Moccasins football team
The 1961 Chattanooga Moccasins football team was an American football team that represented the University of Chattanooga (now known as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. In their 31st year under head coach Scrappy Moore, the team compiled a 4–6 record.


1961 Chicago Bears season
The 1961 Chicago Bears season was their 42nd regular season completed in the National Football League. The team finished with an 8–6 record under George Halas, which was an improvement over the 5–6–1 record of the previous season.


1961 Chicago Bears season, Offseason
On January 14, Chicago Bears End Willard Dewveall played out his option and joined the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. He became the first player to move deliberately from one league to another.


1961 Chicago Bears season, Offseason
The Bears were notable for taking part in an exhibition game in their first ever game outside of the United States, taking on the CFL's Montreal Alouettes (the original team), winning 34–16.


1961 Chicago Bears season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 Chicago Cubs season
The 1961 Chicago Cubs season was the 90th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 86th in the National League and the 46th at Wrigley Field. In the first season under their College of Coaches, the Cubs finished seventh in the National League with a record of 64–90, 29 games behind the Cincinnati Reds.


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, The College of Coaches
This season marked the introduction of the so-called "College of Coaches", a system instituted by owner Philip K. Wrigley after input from El Tappe. Under this system, the Cubs would have no single manager, but instead would have a rotating series of eight coaches, with one managing the team while others served as either assistant coaches or minor league field personnel.


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Regular season, The College of Coaches
Four different men served as manager during 1961: Tappe, who served the most games in the position and had a record of 42–54; Harry Craft, who had a record of 7–9; Vedie Himsl, who had a record of 10–21; and Lou Klein, who was brought on board in midseason and had a record of 5–6. Other coaches in the system during the season were Charlie Grimm – the team's manager in 1960 – Bobby Adams, Dick Cole, Ripper Collins, Goldie Holt, Fred Martin and Verlon Walker. The team improved to 64–90, four games better than their 1960 record, although none of the four managers posted a winning record individually. The experiment would be carried over into the 1962 season.


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Chicago Cubs season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Chicago White Sox season
The 1961 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 61st season in the major leagues, and its 62nd season overall. They finished with a record 86–76, good enough for fourth place in the American League, 23 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Their pitching staff surrendered 13 of Roger Maris's 61 home runs that year, the most of any team.


1961 Chicago White Sox season, Player stats, Batting
Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases


1961 Chicago White Sox season, Player stats, Pitching
Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts


1961 Chico State Wildcats football team
The 1961 Chico State Wildcats football team represented Chico State College during the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. Chico State competed in the Far Western Conference in 1961. They played home games at College Field in Chico, California.


1961 Chico State Wildcats football team
The 1961 Wildcats were led by fourth-year head coach George Maderos. Chico State finished the season with a record of four wins and six losses (4–6, 0–5 FWC). The Wildcats were outscored by their opponents 162–233 for the season.


1961 Chico State Wildcats football team, Team players in the NFL
No Chico State players were selected in the 1962 NFL Draft.


1961 Chilean parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Chile on 5 March 1961. The Radical Party remained the largest party in the Chamber of Deputies and also became the largest party in the Senate.


1961 Chilean parliamentary election, Electoral system
The term length for Senators was eight years, with around half of the Senators elected every four years. This election saw 24 of the 45 Senate seats up for election.


1961 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
The 1961 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented University of Cincinnati during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. The Bearcats, led by first-year head coach Chuck Studley, participated in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and played their home games at Nippert Stadium.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
The 1961 Cincinnati Reds season was a season in American baseball. It consisted of the Reds winning the National League pennant with a 93–61 record, four games ahead of the runner-up Los Angeles Dodgers, but losing the World Series in five games to the New York Yankees. The Reds were managed by Fred Hutchinson, and played their home games at Crosley Field. The Reds were also the last team to win the National League in the 154-game schedule era, before going to a 162-game schedule a year later.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
Cincinnati's road to the World Series was truly a remarkable one, as the Reds went through significant changes in a single season to improve from a team that won just 67 games and finished 28 games behind the eventual World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960. The architect of the turnaround was the Reds' new general manager Bill DeWitt, who left his role as president and general manager of the Detroit Tigers after the end of the 1960 season to replace Gabe Paul as the Reds' GM. Paul was hired as the general manager of the expansion Houston Colt .45s.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
DeWitt, who had a short history of successful trades in Detroit including acquiring Norm Cash and Rocky Colavito, went to work at the 1960 Winter Meetings for Cincinnati. DeWitt found trade partners in the Milwaukee Braves and the Chicago White Sox. In essentially a three-team trade, the Reds acquired pitchers Joey Jay and Juan Pizarro for slick-fielding shortstop Roy McMillan on Dec. 15, 1960. On that same day, the Reds then traded Pizzaro and pitcher Cal McLish to the White Sox for third baseman Gene Freese. It was the fourth time Freese had been traded in 18 months. Most recently, the White Sox had acquired Freese from the Philadelphia Phillies for future all star Johnny Callison in December 1959.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
Reds owner Powel Crosley, Jr. died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Cincinnati on March 28, 1961, 13 days before the start of the Reds' season. DeWitt would eventually purchase 100% of the team ownership from Crosley's estate by year's end.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
The Reds began the season with Freese at third base, sure-handed Eddie Kasko moved from third (where he played in 1960) to shortstop and long-time minor leaguer Jim Baumer at second base. Baumer was one of MLB's "feel good" stories. After playing in nine games with the White Sox in 1949 as an 18 year old rookie, Baumer returned to the minor leagues and didn't make it back to the big league for 11 years. The Reds drafted Baumer during the Rule 5 draft after the Pittsburgh Pirates left him unprotected.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
After a solid spring training with the Reds, Baumer was named starting second baseman to open the season. As the season began, expectations were low for the Reds among baseball "experts." The Reds won their first three games, but then went into a slump, losing 10 of 12. To the surprise of many, it was the Reds' offense that struggled most. Baumer in particular was hitting just .125.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
DeWitt then made a bold move on April 27, 1961, trading all-star catcher Ed Bailey to the San Francisco Giants for second baseman Don Blasingame, catcher Bob Schmidt and journeyman pitcher Sherman Jones. Blasingame was inserted as starter at second base, and Baumer was traded to the Detroit Tigers on May 10 for backup first baseman Dick Gernert. Baumer never again played in the majors.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
On April 30, the Reds won the second game of a double-header from the Pittsburgh Pirates to begin a 9-game winning streak. Exactly a month after the trade of Bailey, the Reds began another win streak, this time six games, to improve to 26–16. Those streaks were part of a stretch where the Reds won 50 of 70 games to improve to 55–30. Cincinnati led Los Angeles by five games at the All Star break.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
After the break, the Dodgers got hot and the Reds floundered. After the games of August 13, Los Angeles was 69-40 and led Cincinnati (70-46) by 2½ games, but six in the loss column as the Dodgers had played seven fewer games than the Reds due to multiple rainouts. On Aug. 15, the Reds went into Los Angeles to begin a three-game, two-day series highlighted by a double-header. In the first game of the series, Reds' righty Joey Jay bested Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers, 5–2, as Eddie Kasko had four hits and Frank Robinson drove in two for Cincinnati.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
In the Wednesday double-header, knuckle-baller Bob Purkey threw a four-hit shutout as the Reds won Game 1, 6–0. In Game 2, Freese hit two home runs off Dodgers' lefty Johnny Podres and Jim O'Toole hurled a two-hitter as the Reds completed the sweep with an 8–0 victory. The Reds left Los Angeles with a half-game lead. It was the Dodgers' fourth-straight loss in what would turn out to be a 10-game losing streak to put the Dodgers in a hole, while the Reds stayed in first-place the rest of the season.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
The Reds clinched their first pennant in 21 years on Sept. 26 when they beat the Cubs, 6–3, in the afternoon and the Dodgers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8–0, in the second game of a doubleheader. The Reds earned a chance to face the mighty New York Yankees in the 1961 World Series.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
Outfielders Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson led the Reds offense while starting pitchers Bob Purkey, Jim O'Toole and newcomer Joey Jay were the staff standouts. Robinson (37 homers, 124 RBI, 117 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, .323 average) was named National League MVP. Pinson (208 hits, .343 average, 101 runs scored, 23 stolen bases) and a Gold Glove recipient, finished third in MVP voting. Purkey won 16 games, O'Toole won 19 and Jay won an NL-best 21 games. Jay also finished a surprising fifth in NL MVP voting, one spot ahead of future Hall of Famer Willie Mays who hit 40 home runs and drove in 123 for the Giants, such was the respect the Baseball Writers had for Jay's contributions to the Reds' pennant.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
At a position (3B) that the Reds had received little offensive production from in the recent years leading up to 1961, Freese provided a major boost, slugging 26 home runs and driving in 87 runs to go with a .277 average.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season
Hutchinson, a former MLB pitcher, was masterful in his handling of the pitching staff as well as juggling a lineup that included part-timers (and former slugging standouts) Gus Bell, Wally Post (20, 57, .294) as well as Jerry Lynch (13, 50, .315). For the second straight season, Lynch led the National League with 19 pinch hits. Hutchinson was named Manager of the Year.


1961 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; CG = Complete games; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Cincinnati Reds season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash
A Zantop Air Transport Douglas DC-4 was on its final approach to Greater Cincinnati Airport runway 18 (now runway 18C), when it clipped some trees and crashed into a wooded area north of the airport. This was the first of at least three aircraft on their final approach that failed to reach runway 18 at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, becoming victims of the area's hilly terrain with steep changes in elevation from the Ohio River, the others being American Airlines Flight 383 and TWA Flight 128.


1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash, Crash
The pilot, Calvin Goutier, the co-pilot, Richard Breathren, and the unnamed flight engineer were flying from Detroit, Michigan, carrying automotive parts for General Motors Corporation to the airport for a routine landing while en route to Atlanta, Georgia. In the crash the fuselage broke into two pieces and the wreckage was strewn along a 400-foot (122-m) path. The crash occurred about 5:26 a.m.


1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash, Crash
The plane had been tracked by radar and suddenly disappeared from the radar screen, and airport authorities saw a large flash.


1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash, Crash
The crew exited through an escape hatch, surviving with minor injuries (Goutier a sprained ankle and Breathren a leg injury). They walked to Kentucky Route 20, about 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) away, for help. A passing motorist, who worked for Delta Air Lines, noted a person walking out of the woods and continued driving to the airport. Later, Delta employees picked up the crew members.


1961 Cincinnati Zantop DC-4 crash, Aircraft
The DC-4 aircraft involved was originally a United States Army Air Forces Douglas Skymaster, s/n 42-72226, which had been re-purchased by Douglas Aircraft Company on October 1, 1945, and reconfigured into a DC-4. On January 9, 1946, it was sold to United Airlines bearing US registration number N30061. United leased the airliner to Slick Airways on June 20, 1956. On June 4, 1959, it was sold to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, who leased it back to Slick Airways until June 1960. Zantop Air Transport bought the aircraft in June 1960 and operated it as a cargo plane until it crashed.


1961 Claxton Shield
The 1961 Claxton Shield was the 22nd annual Claxton Shield, it was held at Norwood Oval in Adelaide, South Australia. The participants were South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland. The series was won by the home team South Australia, claiming their seventh and third consecutive Shield title.


1961 Clemson Tigers football team
The 1961 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In its 22nd season under head coach Frank Howard, the team compiled a 5–5 record (3–3 against conference opponents), tied for third place in the ACC, and outscored opponents by a total of 199 to 126. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.


1961 Clemson Tigers football team
Ron Andreo and Calvin West were the team captains. The team's statistical leaders included Jim Parker with 736 passing yards, Ron Scrudato with 341 rushing yards and 48 points scored (8 touchdowns), and Gary Barnes with 247 receiving yards.


1961 Cleveland Browns season
The 1961 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 12th season with the National Football League.


1961 Cleveland Browns season, Offseason
On March 22, Dave R. Jones sold the Browns to a group headed by Arthur B. Modell


1961 Cleveland Browns season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1961 Cleveland Indians season
The 1961 Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished fifth in the newly expanded 10-team American League with a record of 78–83, 30½ games behind the New York Yankees. Although the 1961 season ended up being a disappointment, the Indians had a brief flurry of pennant fever early in the 1961 season. After starting 12-13, the Indians started to streak, going 22-4 over their next 26 games to reach a record of 34-17 (were 38-20 after 58 games).


1961 Cleveland Indians season
However the Indians cooled off afterwards and were quickly knocked out of first place, as they went 44-66 the rest of the year. For the 2nd year in a row, the Indians had held first place in June, only to slump to a losing record. This would happen again in 1962 as well (47-34 start in early July).


1961 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1961 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Cleveland Indians season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1961 Cleveland mayoral election
The Cleveland mayoral election of 1961 saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Anthony J. Celebrezze. His Republican opponent was Albina Cermak, the first woman to run for mayor of Cleveland.


1961 Colchester by-election
The Colchester by-election, 1961 was a parliamentary by-election for the British House of Commons constituency of Colchester on 16 March 1961.


1961 Colchester by-election, Vacancy
It was held due to the incumbent Conservative MP, Cuthbert Alport becoming British High Commissioner to Rhodesia and so getting a Life Peerage on appointment. He had been MP here since gaining the seat in 1950.


1961 Colchester by-election, Election history
Colchester had been won by the Conservatives at every election since 1950 when they gained the seat from Labour. The result at the last General election was as follows;


1961 Colgate Red Raiders football team
The 1961 Colgate Red Raiders football team was an American football team that represented Colgate University as an independent during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In its third season under head coach Alva Kelley, the team compiled a 5–4 record. Kenneth Kerr was the team captain.


1961 Colgate Red Raiders football team
The team played its home games at Colgate Athletic Field in Hamilton, New York.


1961 College Baseball All-America Team
An All-American team is an honorary sports team composed of the best amateur players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply "All-Americans". Although the honorees generally do not compete together as a unit, the term is used in U.S. team sports to refer to players who are selected by members of the national media. Walter Camp selected the first All-America team in the early days of American football in 1889.


1961 College Baseball All-America Team
From 1947 to 1980, the American Baseball Coaches Association was the only All-American selector recognized by the NCAA.


1961 College Football All-America Team
The 1961 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1961. The six selectors recognized by the NCAA as "official" for the 1961 season are (1) the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), (2) the Associated Press (AP), (3) the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), (4) the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), (5) the Sporting News, and (6) the United Press International (UPI).


1961 College Football All-America Team, Consensus All-Americans
For the year 1961, the NCAA recognizes six published All-American teams as "official" designations for purposes of its consensus determinations. The following chart identifies the NCAA-recognized consensus All-Americans and displays which first-team designations they received.


1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team
The 1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Colorado during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Head coach Sonny Grandelius led the team to a 7–0 mark in the "Big 8" and 9–2 overall.


1961 Colorado State College Bears baseball team
The 1961 Colorado State College Bears baseball team represented Colorado State College in the 1961 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Bears played their home games at Jackson Field. The team was coached by Pete Butler in his 19th year at Colorado State.


1961 Colorado State College Bears baseball team
The Bears won the District VII playoff to advanced to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the Duke Blue Devils.


1961 Colorado State Rams football team
The 1961 Colorado State Rams football team represented Colorado State University in the Skyline Conference during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. In their sixth and final season under head coach Don Mullison, the Rams compiled a 0–10 record (0–6 against Skyline opponents), finished last in the Skyline Conference, and were outscored by a total of 249 to 74.


1961 Colorado State Rams football team
The team's statistical leaders included LeeRoy Gutierrez with 387 passing yards, Dennis Wohlhueter with 308 rushing yards, and Kay McFarland with 196 receiving yards.


1961 Colorado State Rams football team
The Skyline Conference disbanded after the 1961 season, and Colorado State became an independent for the 1962 season.


1961 Columbia Lions football team
The 1961 Columbia Lions football team represented Columbia University in the 1961 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Ivy League. The Lions were led by fifth-year head coach Aldo Donelli and played their home games at Baker Field. The Lions finished the season 6–3 overall and 6–1 in Ivy League play to win Columbia's first and only Ivy League championship, sharing the title with Harvard.


1961 Columbia Lions football team
Although Columbia had accumulated an Ivy record of 4–10 in the previous two seasons, expectations for the team in 1961 were high; the Columbia Spectator wrote before the season, "[i]f practically no one gets hurt, if a few key sophomores come through, and most important of all, if [Aldo] Donelli's nineteen experienced seniors get fighting mad, then no Ivy League squad will have a chance against the Lions."


1961 Columbia Lions football team
The Lions began the season on the road against Ivy League foe Brown, whom they defeated in one of the most lopsided victories in Columbia Lions history, but followed up with a homecoming defeat against Princeton; despite this, Princeton's head coach, Dick Colman, said, "I'll tell you this much–they had the better team." Although the team had led the Tigers 14–0, depth was and remained an issue throughout the season for the Lions; Columbia had only 14 players that consistently played and, as was common in the era, did not have separate offensive and defensive units.


1961 Columbia Lions football team
The team entered the penultimate week of the season having to defeat Penn to win a share of the conference title. Playing without their captain, Bill Campbell, who had been injured, the Lions defeated the Quakers 37–6. Five members of the team were awarded All-Ivy honors following the season: Bob Asack, Lee Black, Tony Day, Tom Haggerty, and Russ Warren. In 2006, the 1961 Columbia Lions football team became the fourth sports team to be inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame, in recognition of their championship season.


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
The 1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was the 11th Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth of Nations. It was held in the United Kingdom in March 1961, and was hosted by that country's Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan.


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
While Commonwealth conferences were normally held biennially, this conference was held after an interval of only a year as the May 1960 conference due to disagreement over South Africa and whether the country should be removed from the Commonwealth due to its policy of racial segregation with Malaya's Prime Minister demanding South Africa's expulsion.


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
South African Prime Minister H.F. Verwoerd, attended the conference to give formal notice that his country was to become a republic in May 1961 after having approved the constitutional change in an October 1960 referendum. South Africa's application was opposed by the leaders of African states under black majority rule, as well as Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Malaya's Tunku Abdul Rahman, and the other non-white Commonwealth countries as well as Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker due to South Africa's policy of apartheid. Canada was the only member of the old white Commonwealth to oppose South Africa's application.


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
The "Keep South Africa In" group included Britain's Harold Macmillan, Rhodesia and Nyasaland's Roy Welensky, Australia's Robert Menzies and Keith Holyoake of New Zealand. Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker proposed that South Africa only be re-admitted if it joined other states in condemning apartheid in principle. Once it became clear that South Africa's membership would be rejected, Verwoerd withdrew his country's application and left the conference.


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
Concerns were also expressed about Britain's prospective membership in the Common Market and the possible impact on trade relations between the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth also expressed its support for worldwide disarmament "subject to effective inspection and control".


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
Cyprus' application to join the Commonwealth, following its independence the previous year, was approved over the opposition of the United Kingdom which objected as Cyprus had not applied for membership prior to independence as had been customary. Cyprus' President, Archbishop Makarios III, joined the conference once the decision on his country's membership was made. The membership application of Sierra Leone was also accepted and became effective upon its independence on 27 April.


1961 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
This was the first Commonwealth conference in which one of the heads of government was a woman, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike, who was also the first female prime minister in the world.


1961 Connecticut Huskies football team
The 1961 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 1961 NCAA College Division football season. The Huskies were led by tenth-year head coach Bob Ingalls, and completed the season with a record of 2–7.


1961 Cook Islands general election
General elections were held in the Cook Islands in May 1961.


1961 Cook Islands general election, Electoral system
The 27 members of the Legislative Assembly consisted of 15 directly elected members (14 from ten general constituencies and one from a European voter constituency), seven members indirectly elected by Island Councils (four from Rarotonga and one from Aitutaki, Atiu and Mangaia), and five officials members, including the Resident Commissioner as President of the Assembly, the Administration Secretary, the Treasurer and two members appointed by the Resident Commissioner.


1961 Cook Islands general election, Aftermath
In 1962 an Executive Committee was established, with its members elected by the Assembly. It initially consisted of Les Bailey, Dick Charles Brown, William Estall, Ngatupuna Matepi, Vainerere Tangatapoto, Tangaroa Tangaroa and Teariki Tuavera, together with the Government Secretary and the Treasurer.


1961 Cook Islands general election, Aftermath
By-elections in 1963 saw Dick Rapley elected to replace Les Bailey for the European seat (Bailey was also replaced on the Executive Committee by Napa Tauei Napa), Julian Dashwood becoming the MLA for Mauke and David Marama Hosking becoming an MLA for Ratotonga, replacing Teupoko'ina Morgan after she emigrated to New Zealand


1961 Cook Islands general election, Aftermath
In November 1963 the Executive Committee was revamped, becoming a "shadow cabinet" with defined portfolios. Dick Charles Brown was elected the first Leader of Government business, defeating Ngatupuna Matepi by a vote of 11–10. A new speaker was also appointed, with Teariki Tuavera defeating Ngatapuna Matepi in a secret ballot.


1961 Copa Chile Green Cross
The Copa Chile Green Cross 1961 was the 4th edition of the Chilean Cup tournament. The competition started on March 11, 1961 and concluded on June 29, 1961. Santiago Wanderers won the competition for the second time, beating Universidad Católica on goal difference.


1961 Copa Chile Green Cross
Matches were scheduled to be played at the stadium of the team named first on the date specified for each round. From the beginning of the second Round, if scores were level after 90 minutes had been played, an extra time took place.


1961 Copa Libertadores
The 1961 Copa de Campeones de América was the second season of the competition, South America's prized football tournament. Nine teams entered, two more than the previous season, with Venezuela not sending a representative. In order to further enhance the competition, CONMEBOL maintained the criteria of having regional clashes in order to take advantage of the cross-border rivalries


1961 Copa Libertadores
Although Peñarol also won their national league, this became the first and, so far, only time the defending champions did not qualify automatically to the next edition. Nevertheless, the Manyas successfully defended their title by defeating Palmeiras in the final.


1961 Copa Libertadores, Format
Each match-up was a two-team group stage. Because of the increase in participants, a preliminary group was implemented in the competition, with the rest following the previous season's format. Wins were awarded two points, 1 point for a draw, and no points for a loss. The team with the most points after a home and away game advanced to the next stage.


1961 Copa Libertadores, Format
If the teams still remained tied, goal difference will become a factor. A one-game playoff would be implemented in case the teams are still tied. A draw of lots was to become the last solution to breaking a tie. Controversially, Independiente Santa Fe and Jorge Wilstermann tied on points which would have required a playoff; CONMEBOL, however, scrapped the idea and decided that the last semifinal slot was to be given by a draw of lots which the Colombians won.


1961 Copa Libertadores, First round, Group 1
Olimpia drew 2–2 with Colo-Colo on point aggregate. Olimpia progressed to the semifinals due to better goal difference.


1961 Copa Libertadores, First round, Group 2
Peñarol drew 2–2 with Universitario on point aggregate. Peñarol progressed to the semifinals due to better goal difference.


1961 Copa Libertadores, First round, Group 4
Independiente Santa Fe drew 2–2 with Jorge Wilstermann on point aggregate and goal difference. No playoff was disputed to determine the winner. Independiente Santa Fe progressed to the semifinals after a draw of lots.


1961 Copa Libertadores, Semifinals
Four teams were drawn into two groups of two teams each. In each group, teams played against each other home and away. The top team in each group advanced to the Finals.


1961 Copa Libertadores Finals
The 1961 Copa de Campeones de América Finals was a football series between Peñarol and Palmeiras on June 4 and June 11 of this same year. It was the second final of South America's most prestigious football competition, the Copa de Campeones (known in the modern era as the Copa Libertadores). Defending champions Peñarol were appearing in their second consecutive final, whereas Palmeiras were seeking to win the competition for the first time. Both finalists reached the final with relative ease as each of them won three of their four matches.


1961 Copa Libertadores Finals
Each club needed to win two group series to reach the final. Peñarol's victories were incredibly one-sided affairs, each effectively settled by the first leg, as they thumped Universitario of Peru 5-0 in the first leg of their quarterfinal group. Peñarol even dispatched Olimpia in the semifinals with little difficulty as they won both matches of the series in a rematch of the previous year's finals. Palmeiras made similar comfortable progress: they scored nine goals while conceding only three after beating Independiente away and crushing Independiente Santa Fe 4-1 at home.


1961 Copa Libertadores Finals
Like the previous edition, Alberto Spencer scored a late goal in the first leg of the final to give his team a slight lead. Going into São Paulo, José Sasía scored in the first two minutes of the match in order to give Peñarol their second consecutive title in the competition. Sacia's goal also became the fastest goal to be scored on a final match. Curiously, José Luis Praddaude became the first, and so far only, referee to officiate both matches of the final series in this competition. He also refereed the second leg of the 1960 final.


1961 Copa Libertadores Finals, Rules
The final will be played over two legs; home and away. The team that accumulates the most points —two for a win, one for a draw, zero for a loss— after the two legs will be crowned the champion. Should the two teams be tied on points after the second leg, the team with the best goal difference will win. If the two teams have equal goal difference, a playoff match at a neutral venue will be contested.


1961 Copa del Generalísimo Final
The Copa del Generalísimo 1961 Final was the 59th final of the King's Cup. The final was played at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, on 2 July 1961, being won by Club Atlético de Madrid, who beat Real Madrid 3–2.


1961 Copa del Generalísimo Juvenil
The 1961 Copa del Generalísimo Juvenil was the 11th staging of the tournament. The competition began on May 21, 1961, and ended on July 2, 1961, with the final.


1961 Coppa Italia
The 1st Coppa Italia was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 12 October 1961 at Vallelunga Circuit. The race was run over two heats of 30 laps of the circuit, and was won by Italian driver Giancarlo Baghetti  in a Porsche 718.


1961 Coppa Italia
After the Italian Drivers' Championship finished as a tie between Giancarlo Baghetti and Lorenzo Bandini, a deciding race was organised. However, the fairness of this idea is in question since it was well known that Bandini would not be available to take part. Baghetti's team, Scuderia Sant Ambroeus, borrowed the Porsche from Ecurie Nationale Suisse, and their driver won both heats to take the national title.


1961 Coppa Italia Final
The 1961 Coppa Italia Final was the final of the 1960–61 Coppa Italia. The match was played on 11 June 1961 between Fiorentina and Lazio. Fiorentina won 2–0.


1961 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
The 1961 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship was the 52nd staging of the Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1909.


1961 Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship
On 8 October 1961, Glen Rovers won the championship following a 4–06 to 1–06 defeat of Castletownroche in a replay of the final at Riverstown Sportsfield. This was their sixth championship title overall and their first title since 1958.


1961 Cork Senior Football Championship
The 1961 Cork Senior Football Championship was the 73rd staging of the Cork Senior Football Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1887.


1961 Cork Senior Football Championship
University College Cork entered the championship as the defending champions.


1961 Cork Senior Football Championship
On 1 October 1961, Avondhu won the championship following a 1-07 to 1-05 defeat of Clonakilty in the final. It remains their only championship title.


1961 Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The 1961 Cork Senior Hurling Championship was the 73rd staging of the Cork Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1887. The draw for the opening round fixtures took place at the Cork Convention on 29 January 1961. The championship began ob 9 April 1961 and ended on 17 September 1961.


1961 Cork Senior Hurling Championship
Glen Rovers were the defending champions, however, they were defeated by Avondhu at the semi-final stage.


1961 Cork Senior Hurling Championship
On 18 September 1961, Blackrock won the championship following a 4-10 to 3-7 defeat of Avondhu in the final. This was their 23rd championship title overall and their first title in five championship seasons.


1961 Cork Senior Hurling Championship
Avondhu's Richie Browne was the championship's top scorer with 9-11.


1961 Cornell Big Red football team
The 1961 Cornell Big Red football team was an American football team that represented Cornell University during the 1961 NCAA University Division football season. Cornell finished sixth in the Ivy League .


1961 Cornell Big Red football team
In its first season under head coach Tom Harp, the team compiled a 3–6 record but outscored opponents 143 to 137. Dave McKelvey and George Telesh were the team captains.


1961 Cornell Big Red football team
Cornell's 2–5 conference record placed sixth in the Ivy League standings. The Big Red were outscored 106 to 102 by Ivy opponents.


1961 Cornell Big Red football team
Cornell played its home games at Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 1961 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 25th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, January 2. Part of the 1960–61 bowl game season, it matched two conference champions, the seventh-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southwest Conference (SWC), and the #10 Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). With a late score, underdog Duke won 7–6, in front of 74,000 spectators.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic
New Year's Day was on Sunday in 1961; the major bowl games were played the following day.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Teams, Arkansas
Arkansas won the Southwest Conference in 1960, led by junior star Lance Alworth (RB/PR/DB/P), who led the nation in punt return yardage, and was ninth in the country in kick return yardage. The Hogs defeated #11 Texas and #10 Rice, but lost to #20 Baylor and second-ranked Ole Miss.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Teams, Arkansas
It was the Razorbacks' third appearance in the Cotton Bowl, and the first under third-year head coach Frank Broyles.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Teams, Duke
Duke won the Atlantic Coast Conference, but lost its final two games, on the road at North Carolina and UCLA. The Blue Devils had four first team-all conference players. This was the program's sixth appearance in a major bowl, and first in the Cotton.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Game summary
In a game full of stars such as Lance Alworth of Arkansas and Don Altman and Tee Moorman of Duke, Dave Unser came up biggest. His block of Mickey Cissel's extra point attempt was the difference in the final score.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Game summary
The games was scoreless until late in the third quarter. Alworth provided a memorable play when he snagged a high snap on a punt. Under pressure from Duke defenders, he then rolled right and sprinted upfield. While running he punted the ball deep, which went out at the Duke 2. Two plays later he returned a Duke punt for a touchdown. The kick was blocked by Unser, keeping the Hogs' lead at six points.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Game summary
In the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils hooked together five passes from Altman to Moorman in one drive that culminated in the tying touchdown and go-ahead extra point.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Game summary
Duke improved to 3–3 in bowl appearances, all in major bowls, while the Arkansas postseason record dropped to 2–2–2, with two losses and a tie in the Cotton Bowl.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Aftermath
In the nineteen seasons under Broyles, Arkansas played in four Cotton Bowls and four Sugar Bowls; the 1964 team went undefeated.


1961 Cotton Bowl Classic, Aftermath
It was the first of three consecutive conference titles for Duke, but remains the program's most recent appearance in a major bowl game. Their next bowl was nearly three decades later, in 1989.


1961 County Championship
The 1961 County Championship was the 62nd officially organised running of the County Championship. Hampshire won their first ever Championship title.


1961 County Championship
For the 1961 season, the follow-on was abolished in the County Championship, when play took place on the first day of matches. Teams were able to forfeit their second innings, but none did so.


1961 Coupe de France Final
The 1961 Coupe de France Final was a football match held at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes on May 7, 1961, that saw UA Sedan-Torcy defeat Nîmes Olympique 3–1 thanks to goals by Max Fulgenzi, Claude Brény and Mohamed Salem.


1961 Craven A Gold Star
The 1961 Craven A Gold Star was a motor race staged at the Mount Panorama Circuit near Bathurst in New South Wales, Australia on 3 April 1961. The race was contested over 19 laps at a total distance of approximately 75 miles and it was Round 2 of the 1961 Australian Drivers' Championship.


1961 Craven A Gold Star
The race was won by Bill Patterson driving a Cooper T51 Climax.


1961 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
The 1961 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré was the 15th edition of the cycle race and was held from 29 May to 4 June 1961. The race started in Avignon and finished in Grenoble. The race was won by Brian Robinson of the Saint-Raphaël–R. Geminiani–Dunlop team.


1961 Cupa României Final
The 1961 Cupa României Final was the 23rd final of Romania's most prestigious football cup competition. It was disputed between Arieșul Turda and Rapid București, and was won by Arieșul Turda after a game with 3 goals. It was the first cup for Arieșul Turda.


1961 Cupa României Final
Arieșul Turda become the second club representing Divizia B which won the Romanian Cup final, after Metalul Reșița which accomplished this in 1954.


1961 DFB-Pokal Final
The 1961 DFB-Pokal Final decided the winner of the 1960–61 DFB-Pokal, the 18th season of Germany's knockout football cup competition. It was played on 13 September 1961 at the Glückauf-Kampfbahn in Gelsenkirchen. Werder Bremen won the match 2–0 against 1. FC Kaiserslautern, to claim their 1st cup title.


1961 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
The DFB-Pokal began with 16 teams in a single-elimination knockout cup competition. There were a total of three rounds leading up to the final. Teams were drawn against each other, and the winner after 90 minutes would advance. If still tied, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a replay would take place at the original away team's stadium. If still level after 90 minutes, 30 minutes of extra time was played. If the score was still level, a drawing of lots would decide who would advance to the next round.


1961 DFB-Pokal Final, Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).


1961 Dallas Cowboys season
The 1961 Dallas Cowboys season was their second in the National Football League. The team finished with 4 wins, 9 losses, and 1 tie, placing them 6th in the Eastern Conference.


1961 Dallas Cowboys season, Offseason
The Cowboys participated in their first NFL college draft following the 1960 season. Despite owning the league's worst record, the team picked second overall because the expansion Minnesota Vikings received the first overall selection. However, the team previously traded away their first round pick in the 1961 draft to the Washington Redskins for quarterback Eddie LeBaron. The Cowboys had another selection in the first round (13th overall) that they acquired from the Cleveland Browns, and with that selection they chose defensive lineman Bob Lilly from Texas Christian University. Other notable selections in the draft included offensive linemen E.J. Holub, Billy Shaw, and Stew Barber. However, all three chose to sign with teams in the rival American Football League.


1961 Dallas Cowboys season, Offseason
Other notable acquisitions by the Cowboys during the offseason included trading for linebacker Chuck Howley from the Chicago Bears, and signing rookie free agents Amos Marsh and Warren Livingston.


1961 Dallas Cowboys season, Offseason
The Cowboys played in the NFL's Western Division for the 1960 season, but were a "swing team" and played each of the other 12 teams in the league that year. When the Minnesota Vikings joined the league for the 1961 season, the owners of the Eastern Division teams were allowed to vote on which expansion franchise they wanted to be permanently assigned to their division. In April 1961, the Eastern Division owners voted for Dallas, largely as a safeguard against early winters in Minnesota. This also pleased Western Division owners, who preferred the Vikings because of lower travel expenses and natural geographic rivalries with teams like the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. This resulted in both Eastern and Western Divisions having seven teams.


1961 Dallas Cowboys season, Season recap
Coming off of a winless first season, the Cowboys wasted no time getting their first win in franchise history in their second season. The first game in the history of the Cowboys was a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the team's first victory came against the Steelers in a 27–24 home game in the season opener, the winning points coming on a last second field goal. The Cowboys would go on to win two of their next three, both easy victories coming over the expansion Minnesota Vikings, and a month into the season the Cowboys found themselves tied for first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 3–1.


1961 Dallas Cowboys season, Season recap
While much improved over their first season, the Cowboys would continue to be outclassed by the better teams in the league. In between their victories over the Vikings the Cowboys suffered a 25–7 defeat at the hands of perennial powerhouse Cleveland. The following weeks after their 3–1 start quickly dampened any realistic chance they had of contending for the Eastern Conference championship, with home losses to the New York Giants and the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles coming by a combined score of 74–17. However, the following week the team stunned the Giants at Yankee Stadium, 16–14, on another late field goal, and the Cowboys found themselves with a winning record at the midway point of the season at 4–3.


1961 Dallas Cowboys season, Season recap
Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there, as the Cowboys did not win another game all season. The Cowboys gave up 28 points or more in each of their remaining seven games, and were beaten by 14 or more points in five of them. The Cowboys managed a tie against the woeful Washington Redskins in week 10, a game in which quarterback Don Meredith, who had been splitting playing time at the position with Eddie LeBaron, suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder, and would not play again the rest of the season. The final game of the season saw the Cowboys lose to the Redskins at D.C. Stadium (the Redskins first win at their new home), 34–24, the only win of the Redskins season.