en 1968 in sports

1968 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup:
- Men's overall champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France
- Women's overall champion: Nancy Greene, Canada

American football

Super Bowl II – the Green Bay Packers (NFL) won 33–14 over the Oakland Raiders (AFL)
- Location: Miami Orange Bowl
- Attendance: 75,546
- MVP: Bart Starr, QB (Green Bay)
Rose Bowl (1967 season):
- The Southern California Trojans won 14–3 over the Indiana Hoosiers to win the college football national championship
The Cincinnati Bengals were formed
November 17 – The Oakland Raiders score two consecutive touchdowns in the last minute of the fourth quarter to beat the New York Jets 43–32, in the infamous "Heidi Game".

O. J. Simpson, running back for the USC Trojans, was the overwhelming choice for the Heisman Trophy, with 2,853 points. Second was Leroy Keyes, running back for Purdue, with 1,103 points, followed by Terry Hanratty (QB-Notre Dame), Ted Kwalick (TE-Penn State) and Ted Hendricks (DE-Miami).

Association football

Brazil – First Division Champions: Botafogo FR
England – First Division Champions: Manchester City F.C.
England – FA Cup – West Bromwich Albion 1–0 Everton
Scotland – First Division Champions: Celtic F.C.
Scotland – Cup Winners: Dunfermline Athletic F.C. (defeated Heart of Midlothian 3–1)
European Championship – Italy beat Yugoslavia 2–0 in a replay. The original final ended 1–1.

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League
- Carlton wins the 72nd VFL Premiership (Carlton 7.14 (56) d Essendon 8.5 (53))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Bob Skilton (South Melbourne)

Baseball

Kansas City Athletics move to Oakland, California to become the Oakland Athletics.
January 23 – Joe Medwick is voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Medwick won the Triple Crown in 1937 and batted .300 in 14 of 17 seasons.
January 28 – Goose Goslin and Kiki Cuyler are admitted to the Hall of Fame by unanimous vote of the Special Veterans Committee. Goslin was a career .316 hitter who played in four World Series. Cuyler was a .321 career hitter with four stolen base crowns.
Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball to win 30 or more games since Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1934. Since McLain, no pitcher has accomplished that feat.
Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals recorded a 1.12 Earned Run Average, a live-ball era record, as well as the major league record in 300 or more innings pitched.
World Series – Detroit Tigers won 4 games to 3 over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Series MVP was Mickey Lolich, Detroit.
June 24 – Jim Northrup of the Detroit Tigers hits grand slams in consecutive at-bats, 5th and 6th innings.

Basketball

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
- UCLA wins 78–55 over North Carolina
NBA Finals –
- Boston Celtics won 4 games to 2 over the Los Angeles Lakers
Phoenix Suns, one of National Basketball Association club representative, was founded in Arizona on January 22.^{[citation needed]}

Boxing

May 8 – Bob Foster knocked out Dick Tiger in the fourth round to win the World Light-Heavyweight Championship.

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders won 24–21 over the Calgary Stampeders
Vanier Cup – Queen's Golden Gaels won 42–14 over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

Cricket

January 31 – Australia secure victory in the Fourth Test match versus India and win the series 4–0
August 27 – England win the final Test match at The Oval against Australia to tie the series 1–1. Australia retain The Ashes
August 28 – Basil D'Oliveira is excluded from the MCC South African tour side leading to turmoil in the world of cricket.

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium
Tour de France – Jan Janssen of the Netherlands
UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Vittorio Adorni of Italy

Field hockey

Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Mexico City, Mexico
- Gold Medal: Pakistan
- Silver Medal: Australia
- Bronze Medal: India
March 9 – In an international women's field hockey match at Wembley Stadium, England. England beat the Netherlands 1–0.

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

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – Bob Goalby wins after Roberto DeVicenzo makes on a score card error. DeVicenzo writes a 4 instead of the 3 on the 17th hole.
U.S. Open – Lee Trevino became the first golfer to shoot in the 60s in every round of the U.S. Open.
British Open – Gary Player
PGA Championship – Julius Boros
PGA Tour money leader – Billy Casper – $205,169

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Michael Bonallack
U.S. Amateur – Bruce Fleisher

Women's professional

Women's Western Open – discontinued
LPGA Championship – Sandra Post became the youngest golfer to ever win an LPGA major tournament by capturing the LPGA Championship.
U.S. Women's Open – Susie Berning
Titleholders Championship – not played
LPGA Tour money leader – Kathy Whitworth – $48,379

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Fort Leney
Grand National – Red Alligator

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Royal Parma
Canada – Queen's Plate won by Merger
France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Vaguely Noble
Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Ribero
English Triple Crown Races:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Sir Ivor
2. The Derby – Sir Ivor^[1]
3. St. Leger Stakes – Ribero
United States Triple Crown Races:
1. Kentucky Derby – Forward Pass
2. Preakness Stakes – Forward Pass
3. Belmont Stakes – Stage Door Johnny

Ice hockey

January 15 – death of Bill Masterton, Canadian ice hockey player, as a result of injury sustained during a game
Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Stan Mikita, Chicago Black Hawks
Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens win four games to none over the St. Louis Blues
World Hockey Championship
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Czechoslovakia
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Denver Pioneers defeat University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux 4–0 in Duluth, Minnesota

Motorsport

Rugby league

Rugby union

74th Five Nations Championship series is won by France who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker

World Snooker Championship challenge match: John Pulman beats Eddie Charlton 39–34

Swimming

XIX Olympic Games, held in Mexico City (October 17 – October 26)

Tennis

Australia

Australian Men's Singles Championship – William Bowrey (Australia) defeats Juan Gisbert, Sr. (Spain) 7–5, 2–6, 9–7, 6–4
Australian Women's Singles Championship – Billie Jean King (USA) defeats Margaret Smith Court (Australia) 6–1, 6–2

England

Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Rod Laver (Australia) defeats Tony Roche (Australia) 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Billie Jean King (USA) defeats Judy Tegart Dalton (Australia) 9–7, 7–5

France

French Men's Singles Championship – Ken Rosewall (Australia) defeats Rod Laver (Australia) 6–3, 6–1, 2–6, 6–2
French Women's Singles Championship – Nancy Richey (USA) defeats Ann Haydon Jones (Great Britain) 5–7, 6–4, 6–1

USA

American Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Ashe (USA) defeats Tom Okker (Netherlands) 14–12, 5–7, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
American Women's Singles Championship – Virginia Wade (Great Britain) defeats Billie Jean King (USA) 6–4, 6–2

Events

The "open era" in tennis begins, as all the Grand Slam events open to professionals for the first time

Davis Cup

1968 Davis Cup – United States 4–1 Australia at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre (grass) Adelaide, Australia

Multi-sport events

1968 Winter Olympics takes place in Grenoble, France (Feb 6 - Feb 18)
- Norway wins the most medals (14), and the most gold medals (6)
1968 Summer Olympics takes place in Mexico City, Mexico (Oct 12 - Oct 27)
- United States wins the most medals (107), and the most gold medals (45)
Fifth Winter Universiade held in Innsbruck, Austria

Awards

Births

February 3 – Vlade Divac, Yugoslav and Serbian basketball player
February 5 – David Flores, Mexican jockey
March 22 – Javier Castillejo, Spanish boxer
April 8 – Max Brito, Ivorian rugby union player (died 2022)
April 16 – Martin Dahlin, Swedish footballer
April 19 – Fernando Marroquin, Guatemalan Olympic swimmer^[2]
August 6 – Olga Markova, Russian long-distance runner
December 18 – Mark Cooper, English footballer

Deaths

April 7 - Jim Clark, 32, racecar driver^[3]
June 9 – Ronnie Duman, 39, US racecar driver (crashed while competing in the Rex Mays 150)^[4]
September 30 – Johan Nyström, 94, Swedish Olympic athlete^[5]

References

^ "Epsom Derby | History, Winners, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Fernando Marroquin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
^ "Motorsport was left in disbelief when Jim Clark died 52 years ago today | The Scotsman". www.scotsman.com.
^ "Indianapolis Auto greats" (PDF). Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery. Crown Hill Cemetery. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
^ Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.

[1] "Epsom Derby | History, Winners, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

[2] Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Fernando Marroquin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2012.

[3] "Motorsport was left in disbelief when Jim Clark died 52 years ago today | The Scotsman". www.scotsman.com.

[4] "Indianapolis Auto greats" (PDF). Celebrating Automotive Heritage at Crown Hill Cemetery. Crown Hill Cemetery. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-09-10.

[5] Mallon, Bill (1998). The 1900 Olympic Games, Results for All Competitors in All Events, with Commentary. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 0-7864-0378-0.

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