1966 in sports

See also: 1965 in sports, other events of 1966, 1967 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Auto Racing

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

Baseball

• January 20: The BBWAA elects Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams, the last batter to hit .400, receives 282 of a possible 302 votes.

• Roberto Clemente is the National League MVP.

• Frank Robinson is the American League MVP.

• Ted Williams is inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame.

• World Series: Baltimore Orioles win 4 games to 0 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Series MVP: Frank Robinson, Baltimore

Basketball

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

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

Boxing

• 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.

Cycling

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

Figure Skating

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

Football (Soccer)

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

Football (American)

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

Canadian Football League

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

Golf

Men's Golf

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

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

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Sandra Spuzich
• LPGA Championship - Gloria Ehret
• LPGA tour, earning $33,517.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

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

• Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Kashmir
  1. Epsom Derby - Charlottown
  2. St. Leger Stakes - Sodium

• Kentucky Derby - Kauai King
  1. Preakness Stakes - Kauai King
  2. Belmont Stakes - Amberoid

Harness Racing

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

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

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Yamamoto

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bobby Hull, Chicago Blackhawks

• Hart Memorial Trophy: for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Bobby Hull, Chicago Blackhawks

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

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

Skiing

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

Snooker

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

Tennis

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

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

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

General sporting events

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

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

Births

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

Deaths

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