In the American sporting world, the year of 1961 will always be synonymous with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle. They dominated the sports pages that year like no other two athletes. For 34 years Babe Ruth’s single season record of 60 home runs had stood like the lofty peaks of some unassailable mountain. And then a couple of fellow Yankees started hitting home runs… lots of home runs. And they kept on hitting them, from April all the way to October. Most people that season expected Mickey Mantle to break Ruth’s record. “The Commerce Comet” as he was called, was the better all around player, possessed of blinding speed, high batting average and a legendary swing which inspired awe in teammates and opponents alike. But it was the milder mannered, journeyman outfielder from Grand Forks North Dakota, Roger Maris who ultimately broke the record, on the last day of a (suspiciously) lengthened season.
1961 NFL SCORES
In NFL football the season was also lengthened (from 12 games to 14), and the pre-Super Bowl, championship game featured the Green Bay Packers vs. the New York Giants. In one of the more famous sports scores of 1961 the Packers squashed the Giants 37 – 0. The MVP that year was the mighty Jim Brown who lead all players in rushing and total yards.
1961 AFL SCORES
The AFL featured only 8 teams in 1961, but the AFL championship game was a lot closer, than the NFL’s championship (the two pro leagues did not play against each other till 1967),with Huston defeating San Diego 10-3. The big stars of the AFL that season were Houston quarterback, George Blanda, and halfback Billy Cannon.
1961 NBA SCORES
In 1961, the NBA season, ended with a characteristic seven game championship series between the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Like the baseball and football seasons mentioned above, the number of games was expanded—though more modestly—from 79 games per team to 80. Bill Russell was the dominant force that year, collecting MVP honors, though Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game against the New York Knicks, and 50 point per game average, made him the league’s top scorer. But despite all the attention raised by the Russell-Chamberlain match up in the championship, Oscar Robertson enjoyed what may have been the greatest season of all times: becoming the only man in the history of basketball to average a triple double for the season. In other words his average points per game was 30.8, his average rebounds, 12.5 and his average assists, 11.4!
1961 NHL SCORES
The NHL 1961 season saw a classic Stanley Cup match up between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Black Hawks. Although in the first 43 seasons of NHL hockey only one person succeeded in scoring 50 goals. Two great players achieved this great milestone in ’61: Bernie Geoffrion and Bobby Hull. Despite the best efforts of Hull, the Black Hawks lost to the Maple Leafs 4 games to 2 in the Staley Cup Finals.
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