1966 in sports

[Alpine skiing]

• FIS Alpine World Ski Championships –
• * Men's combined champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France
• * Women's combined champion: Marielle Goitschel, France

  [American football]

• Orange Bowl :
• * The Alabama Crimson Tide won 39-28 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the AP Poll national championship after the previous #1 ranked Michigan State Spartans lost in the Rose Bowl and the #2 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks lost in the Cotton Bowl. This was the first time the AP conducted its final rankings at the conclusion of the postseason bowl games.
• 1966 season championships were played in late 1966 and early 1967
• June 8: The AFL and NFL reach an agreement to merge as equals into one league under the NFL name, to take effect with the 1970 season.
• AFL Championship – Kansas City Chiefs won 31-7 over the Buffalo Bills
• NFL Championship – Green Bay Packers won 34-27 over the Dallas Cowboys
• Each of the two existing top-level professional leagues added a new team for the 1966 season. The Atlanta Falcons joined the NFL, and the Miami Dolphins joined the AFL.
• 1966 college football season:
• * November 19 – The #1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the #2 ranked Michigan State Spartans play to a 10-10 tie; Notre Dame retains its #1 ranking in the polls and are later named AP & UPI national champions

  [Artistic gymnastics]

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
• *Men's all-around champion: Mikhail Voronin, USSR
• *Women's all-around champion:
• *Men's team competition champion: Japan
• *Women's team competition champion: Czechoslovakia

  [Association football]

England

• FA Cup final – Everton win 3-2 against Sheffield Wednesday

  International

• World Cup – England defeats Germany to win the 1966 World Cup Final.
• FIFA decide to give the right to host the 1974 FIFA World Cup, 1978 FIFA World Cup and 1982 Football World Cup to West Germany, Argentina and Spain respectively

  Athletics">sport of athletics">Athletics

• July 17 – American runner Jim Ryun sets a new world record for the mile at 3:51.3
• August – 1966 Commonwealth Games held at Kingston, Jamaica
• September – 1966 European Championships in Athletics held at Budapest
• December – 1966 Asian Games held at Bangkok

  [Australian rules football]

• Victorian Football League
• * St Kilda wins the 70th VFL Premiership d Collingwood 10.13 )
• * Brownlow Medal awarded to Ian Stewart

  [Baseball]

• Milwaukee Braves move to Atlanta, Georgia and become the Atlanta Braves.
• January 20 – The BBWAA elects Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams, the last batter to hit.400, receives 282 of a possible 302 votes.
• Roberto Clemente is the National League MVP.
• Frank Robinson is the American League MVP.
• Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the Major League Baseball Cy Young Award
• Tommie Agee of the Chicago White Sox is the American League MLB Rookie of the Year award
• Tommy Helms of the Cincinnati Red is the National League MLB Rookie of the Year award
• Ted Williams is inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame.
• World Series – Baltimore Orioles win 4 games to 0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Series MVP: Frank Robinson, Baltimore
• College World Series – Ohio State defeats Oklahoma State 8-2 at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium. Ohio State pitcher Steve Arlin is named tournament Most Outstanding Player

  [Basketball]

• NCAA University Division Basketball Championship –
• * Texas Western wins 72–65 over Kentucky
• NBA Finals –
• * Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers. This would be the last of the Celtics' record eight straight NBA titles.
• NBA MVP – Philadelphia 76ers center Wilt Chamberlain

  [Boxing]

• March 29, Muhammad Ali defeats George Chuvalo in a 15-round unanimous decision
• April 25 at New York City, World Welterweight Champion Emile Griffith won a 15-round unanimous decision over Dick Tiger to also become the World Middleweight Champion.
• May 21 Muhammad Ali defeats Henry Cooper with a 6th-round TKO
• August 6 Muhammad Ali defeats Brian London with a 3rd-round KO
• September 10 Muhammad Ali defeats Karl Mildenberger with a 12th-round TKO
• November 14, Muhammad Ali knocks out Cleveland Williams in three rounds to retain the WBC heavyweight title.

  [Canadian football]

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

  [Cycling]

• Giro d'Italia won by Gianni Motta of Italy
• Tour de France – Lucien Aimar of France
• Vuelta a España – Francisco Gabica of Spain
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Rudi Altig of Germany

  [Figure skating]

• World Figure Skating Championships –
• * Men's champion: Emmerich Dänzer, Austria
• * Ladies' champion: Peggy Fleming, United States
• * Pair skating champions: Ludmila Belousova & Oleg Protopopov, Soviet Union
• * Ice dancing champions: Diane Towler & Bernard Ford, Great Britain

  [Golf]

• July 24 – Tony Lema, American golf champion, died in an air crash at Munster, Indiana

• Masters Tournament – Jack Nicklaus
• U.S. Open – Billy Casper
• British Open – Jack Nicklaus becomes the fourth player to win all four major professional championships.
• PGA Championship – Al Geiberger
• PGA Tour money leader – Billy Casper – $121,945

• British Amateur – Bobby Cole
• U.S. Amateur – Gary Cowan

• Women's Western Open – Mickey Wright
• LPGA Championship – Gloria Ehret
• U.S. Women's Open – Sandra Spuzich
• Titleholders Championship – Kathy Whitworth
• LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $33,517

  [Harness racing]

• Romeo Hanover wins the United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
• # Cane Pace – Romeo Hanover
• # Little Brown Jug – Romeo Hanover
• # Messenger Stakes – Romeo Hanover
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
• # Hambletonian – Kerry Way
• # Yonkers Trot – Polaris
• # Kentucky Futurity – Governor Armbro
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
• * Pacers: Chamfer Star
• * Trotters: Yamamoto

  [Horse racing]

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Arkle
• Grand National – Anglo

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Galilee
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by Titled Hero
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Bon Mot
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Sodium
• English Triple Crown Races:
• # 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Kashmir
• # The Derby – Charlottown
• # St. Leger Stakes – Sodium
• United States Triple Crown Races:
• # Kentucky Derby – Kauai King
• # Preakness Stakes – Kauai King
• # Belmont Stakes – Amberoid

  [Ice hockey]

• Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks
• Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks
• Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens won 4-2 over the Detroit Red Wings
• World Hockey Championship
• * Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Michigan State University Spartans defeat Clarkson University Golden Knights 6-1 in Minneapolis

  [Motorsport]

[Orienteering]

• First Orienteering World Championships held 1–2 October in Fiskars, Finland.

  [Rugby league]

• 1966 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1966 NSWRFL season
• 1965–66 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1966–67 Northern Rugby Football League season

  [Rugby union]

• 72nd Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales

  [Snooker]

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

  [Speed skating]

• January 4 – death of Inga Artamonova, Russian world speed-skating champion, who was murdered by her husband

  [Tennis]

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Roy Emerson defeats Arthur Ashe 6–4, 6–8, 6–2, 6–3
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Smith Court defeats Nancy Richey walkover

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Manuel Santana defeats Dennis Ralston 6–4, 11–9, 6–4
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Billie Jean King defeats Maria Bueno 6–3, 3–6, 6–1

• French Men's Singles Championship – Tony Roche defeats István Gulyás 6–1, 6–4, 7–5
• French Women's Singles Championship –

• American Men's Singles Championship – Tournament did not start until 1968
• American Women's Singles Championship – Tournament did not start until 1968

• 1966 Davis Cup – 4–1 at Kooyong Stadium Melbourne, Australia

  [Volleyball]

• 1966 FIVB Men's World Championship in Prague won by Czechoslovakia

  [Multi-sport event]s

• Asian Games held in Bangkok, Thailand
• British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Kingston, Jamaica
• Central American and Caribbean Games held in San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Fourth Winter Universiade held in Sestriere, Italy

  Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Frank Robinson, Major League Baseball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Kathy Whitworth, LPGA golf