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

College football's centennial year was marked by racial strife.^[1]

• January 12 - The American Football League New York Jets upset the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III by a score of 16-7, after quarterback Joe Namath "guaranteed" a victory.
• September 28 - Minnesota Vikings' Quarterback Joe Kapp became the last player to throw seven touchdowns in a single game.
• Kansas City Chiefs 17-7 Oakland Raiders for 1969 AFL championship.
• Minnesota Vikings 27-7 Cleveland Browns for the 1969 NFL championship.
• November 22, 1969 - College Football - Michigan upsets #1 ranked Ohio State 24-12 sending Michigan to the Rose Bowl
• December 6, 1969 - College Football - #1 Texas beats #2 Arkansas 15-14 in the then Game of the Century. Texas would remain #1 for the rest of the season and were the AP 1969 National Champions.

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 AFC Ajax
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – Newcastle United beat Újpesti Dózsa 6-2 on aggregate
• England - First Division Champions: Leeds
• 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: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito

Athletics

• September – 1969 European Championships in Athletics held in Athens

Australian rules football

• Victorian Football League
  • Richmond wins the 73rd VFL Premiership (Richmond 12.13 (85) d Carlton 8.12 (60))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Kevin Murray (Fitzroy)

Baseball

• 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 (45), 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

• Giro d'Italia won by Felice Gimondi of Italy
• Tour de France - Eddy Merckx of Belgium
• World Cycling Championship – 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
• Titleholders Championship - not played
• LPGA Tour money leader - Carol Mann - $49,152

Harness racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace - Kat Byrd
  2. Little Brown Jug - Laverne Hanover
  3. Messenger Stakes - Bye Bye Sam
• Lindy's Pride won the United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian - Lindy's Pride
  2. Yonkers Trot - Lindy's Pride
  3. 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:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Right Tack
  2. Epsom Derby – Blakeney
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Intermezzo
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Majestic Prince
  2. Preakness Stakes – Majestic Prince
  3. Belmont Stakes – Arts and Letters

Ice hockey

• Art Ross Memorial 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^[2] to become the first woman to play professional hockey in North America, if not the world.^[3]

Motor racing

• July 27 – death of Moisés Solana, Mexican race car driver in a racing accident
• Stock car racing –
• NASCAR Championship
  • February 23 – LeeRoy Yarbrough wins the Daytona 500 in the #98 Mercury
  • May 25 – LeeRoy Yarbrough wins the World 600 in the #98 Mercury
  • David Pearson (#17) wins the driving championship. It is Pearson's third and final title, tied with Lee Petty.
• USAC Racing
  • 30 May – Mario Andretti wins the 54th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the STP Oil Treatment Special Hawk–Cosworth
  • Mario Andretti wins the season championship
• Formula One – Jackie Stewart (Scotland) wins World Drivers' Champion, driving a Matra MS10–Cosworth for Ken Tyrrell.
• 24 hours of Le Mans – Jacky Ickx / Jackie Oliver win, sharing a Ford GT-40
• Rally racing - the team of Björn Waldegård / Lars Helmer win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Porsche 911S
• Drag racing –
  • Don Prudhomme wins the NHRA's Top Fuel Funny Car championship
  • Steve Carbone wins Top Fuel^{[clarification needed]} at the NHRA World Finals

Rugby league

• 1969–70 European Rugby League Championship
• 1969 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1969 NSWRFL season
• 1968–69 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1969–70 Northern Rugby Football League season

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 (34), 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:
  1. Australian Open - Rod Laver (Australia)
  2. French Open - Rod Laver
  3. Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
  4. US Open - Rod Laver
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Margaret Court
  2. French Open - Margaret Court
  3. Wimbledon championships - Ann Haydon Jones
  4. US 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

Further reading

• 1969: The Year Everything Changed by Rob Kirkpatrick. Skyhorse Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-1-60239-366-0.

References