1969 in sports

1969 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

[Alpine skiing]

Alpine Skiing World Cup:
* Men's overall champion: Karl Schranz, Austria
* Women's overall champion: Gertrud Gabl, Austria

[American football]

Super Bowl III: the New York Jets won 16−7 over the Baltimore Colts
* Location: Miami Orange Bowl
* Attendance: 75,389
* MVP: Joe Namath, QB
* Game note: Super Bowl is remembered for New York quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteeing" a victory.
Rose Bowl
* The Ohio State Buckeyes won 27–16 over the Southern California Trojans to win the college football national championship
College football's centennial year was marked by racial strife.
September 28 – Minnesota Vikings' Quarterback Joe Kapp became the last player to throw seven touchdowns in a single game.
November 22 – College Football – Michigan upsets #1 ranked Ohio State 24-12 sending Michigan to the Rose Bowl
December 6 – College Football – #1 Texas beats #2 Arkansas 15–14 in the then [1969 University of Texas|Texas vs. Arkansas football game|Game of the Century]. Texas would remain #1 for the rest of the season and were the AP 1969 National Champions following their Cotton Bowl win.

[Association football]

September 26 – the Bolivian soccer team is killed in a plane crash near La Paz, Bolivia
European Cup – A.C. Milan 4–1 Ajax
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – Newcastle United defeat Újpesti Dózsa 6–2 on aggregate
England – First Division Champions: Leeds United
England – FA Cup – Manchester City won 1–0 over Leicester City
Germany – Bundesliga – Bayern Munich
Italy – Serie A: Fiorentina
Scotland – First Division Champions: Celtic
Scotland – FA Cup: Celtic won 4–0 over Rangers
Spain – La Liga: Real Madrid
Ecuador – Ecuadorian Serie A Champions: LDU Quito

Athletics">Sport of athletics">Athletics

September – 1969 European Championships in Athletics held in Athens

[Australian rules football]

Victorian Football League
* April 12: Carlton become the first team to score 200 points in a VFL match when they kick 30.30 to Hawthorn 12.10. Alex Jesaulenko kicks 6.12.
* Richmond wins the 73rd VFL Premiership d Carlton 8.12 )
* Brownlow Medal awarded to Kevin Murray

[Bandy]

1969 Bandy World Championship is held in Sweden and won by.

[Baseball]

The American League expands to 12 teams, adding the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots, and the National League expands to 12 teams, adding the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres.
Due to expansion, Major League Baseball creates four divisions, with two in each league.
March 1 – Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees announces his retirement.
April 14 – Montreal Expos outfielder Mack Jones hit a three-run home run and two-run triple that highlighted an 8–7 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the Expos' first home victory as a franchise at Jarry Park. Jones' blast was also the first MLB home run hit outside the United States.
July 20 – San Francisco Giants pitcher Gaylord Perry, some six years after his manager quipped, "They'll put a man on the Moon before he hits a home run", hits the first home run of his career just hours after Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon.
World Series – the New York Mets win 4 games to 1 over the Baltimore Orioles.

[Basketball]

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
* UCLA wins 92–72 over Purdue
NBA Finals –
* Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the Los Angeles Lakers
1969 ABA Finals –
* Oakland Oaks defeat Indiana Pacers 4 games to 1

[Boxing]

June 23 – Joe Frazier scored a 7th-round TKO over Jerry Quarry.
August 26 – José Nápoles retained the World Welterweight Championship in a 15-round decision over Emile Griffith.
August 31 – death of Rocky Marciano, Italian-American World Heavyweight boxing champion, in an air crash

[Canadian football]

Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders won 29–11 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Vanier Cup – Manitoba Bisons won 24–15 over the McGill Redmen

[Cricket]

February 20 – Australia defeat the West Indies at Sydney in the Fifth Test Match to win the series 3-1
March 8 Rioting stops the final match of England's tour of Pakistan on the third day. The match is abandoned and the series drawn.
July 15 – England defeat the West Indies at Headingley in the Third Test Match to win the series 2-0
August 26 – England defeat New Zealand at The Oval in the Third Test Match to win the series 2-0
Learie Constantine becomes the first cricketer and the first person of Afro-Caribbean descent to be given a life peerage.

Cycling">Cycle sport">Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Felice Gimondi of Italy
Tour de France – Eddy Merckx of Belgium
UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Harm Ottenbros of Netherlands

[Figure skating]

World Figure Skating Championships –
* Men's champion: Tim Wood, United States
* Ladies' champion: Gabrielle Seyfert, Germany
* Pair skating champions: Irina Rodnina & Alexei Ulanov, Soviet Union
* Ice dancing champions: Diane Towler & Bernard Ford, Great Britain

[Golf]

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – George Archer
U.S. Open – Orville Moody
British Open – Tony Jacklin
PGA Championship – Raymond Floyd
PGA Tour money leader – Frank Beard – $164,707
Ryder Cup – United States and Britain tied 16 all in team golf.

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Michael Bonallack
U.S. Amateur – Steve Melnyk

Women's professional

LPGA Championship – Betsy Rawls
U.S. Women's Open – Donna Caponi
LPGA Tour money leader – Carol Mann – $49,152

[Harness racing]

United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
# Cane Pace – Kat Byrd
# Little Brown Jug – Laverne Hanover
# Messenger Stakes – Bye Bye Sam
Lindy's Pride won the United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
# Hambletonian – Lindy's Pride
# Yonkers Trot – Lindy's Pride
# Kentucky Futurity – Lindy's Pride
Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
* Pacers: Richmond Lass

[Horse racing]

February 11 – Diana Crump becomes first woman jockey to ride against men in USA racing
February 22 – Barbara Jo Rubin becomes the first female winner of a USA race

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – What A Myth
Grand National – Highland Wedding

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Rain Lover
Canada – Queen's Plate won by Jumpin Joseph
France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Levmoss
Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Prince Regent
English Triple Crown Races:
# 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Right Tack
# The Derby – Blakeney
# St. Leger Stakes – Intermezzo
United States Triple Crown Races:
# Kentucky Derby – Majestic Prince
# Preakness Stakes – Majestic Prince
# Belmont Stakes – Arts and Letters

[Ice hockey]

Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Phil Esposito, Boston Bruins
Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens won 4 games to 0 over the St. Louis Blues
World Hockey Championship
* Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Denver Pioneers defeat Cornell University Big Red 4–3 in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Goalie Karen Koch is signed to a professional contract with the Marquette Iron Rangers to become the first woman to play professional hockey in North America, if not the world.

[Rugby league]

[Rugby union]

75th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales

[Snooker]

World Snooker Championship reverts to a knockout format. John Spencer beats Gary Owen 37-24

[Tennis]

June 6 – death of Rafael Osuna, Mexican tennis player, in an air crash
June 21 – death of Maureen Connolly, first winner of the women's Grand Slam
Australian Rod Laver, one of only two men to ever win the Grand Slam in tennis wins it for the second time
Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
# Australian Open – Rod Laver
# French Open – Rod Laver
# Wimbledon championships – Rod Laver
# U.S. Open – Rod Laver
Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
# Australian Open – Margaret Court
# French Open – Margaret Court
# Wimbledon championships – Ann Haydon-Jones
# U.S. Open – Margaret Court
Davis Cup – United States wins 5–0 over Romania in world tennis.

Awards

ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year: Mario Andretti, race car driver
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Tom Seaver, Major League Baseball
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Debbie Meyer, Swimming