1968 in sports

Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 196 : 1968 in sports

Contents

Stock car racing:
Cale Yarborough won the Daytona 500
NASCAR Championship - David Pearson
Indianapolis 500 - Bobby Unser
USAC Racing - Bobby Unser won the season championship
Formula One Champion: Graham Hill of Great Britain
24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Pedro Rodriguez / Lucien Bianchi won driving a Ford GT-40
Rally racing - Vic Elford / David Stone won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Porsche 911T
Drag racing - Don Garlits won the NHRA, "Top Fuel" Championship

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 becomes 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.

World Series: Detroit Tigers won 4 games to 3 over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Series MVP was Mickey Lolich, Detroit.

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

May 24 - Bob Foster knocked out Dick Tiger in the fourth round to win the World Light Heavyweight Championship.

Giro d'Italia won by Eddy Merckx of Belgium
Tour de France - Jan Janssen of the Netherlands
World Cycling Championship: Vittorio Adorni of Italy

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.

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

January 14 Super Bowl II: Green Bay Packers won 33-14 over the Oakland Raiders

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".

Baltimore Colts 34-0 Cleveland Browns in 1968 NFL championship game.

New York Jets 27-23 Oakland Raiders in the 1968 AFL championship game.

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)

Grey Cup: Ottawa Rough Riders won 24-21 over the Calgary Stampeders
Vanier Cup: Queen's Golden Gaels won 42-14 over the Waterloo Lutheran Golden Hawks

England - First Division Champions: Manchester City F.C.
England - FA Cup: WBA (defeated Everton 1-0)
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.

Men's Golf
Grand Slam of golf results:
#May - The Masters - Bob Goalby
#June - US Open - Lee Trevino
#July - British Open - Gary Player
#August - PGA Championship - Julius Boros

PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Billy Casper - $205,169
Women's Golf
Canadian rookie Sandra Post became the youngest golfer, male or female, to ever win a PGA TOUR major tournament by capturing the LPGA Championship.

US Women's Open - Susie Berning
LPGA Championship: Sandra Post
Kathy Whitworth: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $48,379

Australia - Melbourne Cup - Royal Parma
Canada - Queen's Plate - Merger
France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Vaguely Noble
Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Ribero

English Triple Crown Races:
#Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Sir Ivor
#Epsom Derby - Sir Ivor
#St. Leger Stakes - Ribero

United States Triple Crown Races:
#Kentucky Derby - Forward Pass
#Preakness Stakes - Forward Pass
#Belmont Stakes - Stage Door Johnny

Rum Customer won the United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
#Cane Pace - Rum Customer
#Little Brown Jug - Rum Customer
#Messenger Stakes - Rum Customer

Nevele Pride won the United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
#Hambletonian - Nevele Pride
#Yonkers Trot - Nevele Pride
#Kentucky Futurity - Nevele Pride

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
Pacers: First Lee
Trotters: Stylish Major

Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Stan Mikita, Chicago Blackhawks

Hart Memorial Trophy: for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Stan Mikita, Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 0 over the St. Louis Blues

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

Alpine Skiing
The men's overall season champion: Jean-Claude Killy, France
The women's overall season champion: Nancy Greene, Canada

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

The Open Era in tennis begins, as all the Grand Slam events open to professionals for the first time.

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
#Australian Open - Bill Bowrey
#French Open - Ken Rosewall
#Wimbledon championships - Rod Laver
#US Open - Arthur Ashe

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
#Australian Open - Billie Jean King
#French Open - Nancy Richey
#Wimbledon championships - Billie Jean King
#US Open - Virginia Wade

Davis Cup of world tennis: United States defeated Australia 4-1

1968 Summer Olympics takes place in Mexico City, Mexico
United States wins the most medals (107), and the most gold medals (45)

1968 Winter Olympics takes place in Grenoble, France
Norway wins the most medals (14), and the most gold medals (6)

Fifth Winter Universiade held in Innsbruck, Austria

Trivia

Ultimate invented in Maplewood, New Jersey, initially as a joke
February 11 - Madison Square Garden III closes, Madison Square Garden IV opens in New York.
February 17 - In Springfield, Massachusetts the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.
National Christian College Athletic Association formed

Births

January

January 1 — Davor Suker, Croatian football (soccer) player
January 2 — Anky van Grunsven, Dutch dressage champion
January 3 — Kent Carlsson, Swedish tennis player
January 10 — Luca Sacchi, Italian medley swimmer
January 14 — Michael Meldrum, Canadian medley swimmer
January 17 — Stella de Heij, Dutch field hockey goalkeeper
January 24 — Mary Lou Retton, American gymnast
January 25 — Pauline Buck, tenpin bowling player
January 26 — George Cosac, Romanian tennis player

February

February 2 — Espen Bredesen, Norwegian ski jumper
February 3 — Mark Koevermans, Dutch tennis player
February 3 — Mary Onyali-Omagbemi, Nigerian sprinter
February 5 — Regina Rajchrtova, Czech tennis player
February 7 — Mark Tewksbury, Canadian swimmer
February 20 — Ted Hankey, English darts player
February 22 — Erica Alfridi, Italian race walker
February 27 — Matt Stairs, Major League Baseball player

March

March 1 — Kunjarani Devi, Indian weightlifter
March 3 — Vichairachanon Khadpo, Thai boxer
March 5 — Marq Mellor, American field hockey forward
March 11 — Sapphire Cooper, New Zealand field hockey player
March 11 — Salvador Gómez, Spanish water polo player
March 21 — Blagovest Stoyanov, Bulgarian canoer

April

April 2 — Alfredo Duvergel, Cuban boxer
April 4 — Bert Brinkman, Dutch water polo player
April 4 — Jesús Miguel Rollán, Spanish water polo player
April 7 — Duncan Armstrong, Australian freestyle swimmer
April 17 — Jim Bilba, French basketball player
April 20 — Arkadiusz Skrzypaszek, Polish pentathelete
April 21 — Richard Igbineghu, Nigerian boxer
April 23 — Wouter van Pelt, Dutch field hockey player
April 26 — Ahmed Elmaghraby, Egypt-born field hockey forward from the United States
April 27 — Mandy Nicholson, English field hockey player
April 29 — Mariusz Podkoscielny, Polish freestyle swimmer and swimming coach

May

May 5 — Jane Kerr, Canadian butterfly and freestyle swimmer
May 9 — Masahiko Harada, Japanese ski jumper
May 9 — Marie-José Perec, French athlete
May 12 — Tony Hawk, American skateboarder
May 14 — Richard Tapper, Canada-born freestyle swimmer from New Zealand
May 20 — Artur Wojdat, Polish swimmer
May 27 — Jeff Bagwell, American Major League Baseball player
May 27 — Frank Thomas, American Major League Baseball player

June

June 5 — Hans Nieuwenburg, Dutch water polo defender
June 5 — Gonnelien Rothenberger, Dutch equestrian
June 8 — Torsten Gutsche, German flatwater canoer
June 15 — Károly Güttler, Hungarian breaststroker swimmer
June 24 — Boris Gelfand, Israeli chess grandmaster

July

July 8 — Christian Saceanu, Romanian-born tennis player from Germany
July 9 — Elin Kristiansen, Norwegian biathlete
July 12 — Catherine Plewinski, French swimmer
July 16 — Barry Sanders, Pro Football Hall of Famer
July 17 — Davis Kamoga, Ugandan athlete
July 22 — Harry Taylor, Canadian freestyle swimmer
July 23 — Tammy van Wisse, Australian marathon swimmer
July 27 — Samuel Matete, Zambian athlete
July 27 — Adewale Olukoju, Nigerian discus thrower
July 28 — Eoin Collins, Irish tennis player
July 28 — Marianne and Mildred Muis, Dutch swimmers and twin sisters
July 30 — Robert Korzeniowski, Polish racewalker
July 30 — Deane Pieters, Australian freestyle swimmer

August

August 7 — Leslie Lyness, American field hockey midfielder
August 9 — Jay Stacy, Australian field hockey player
August 15 — Sergio López, Spanish swimmer
August 20 — Nuria Olivé, Spanish field hockey player
August 22 — Henrik Holm, Swedish tennis player

September

September 7 — Marcel Desailly, French football (soccer) player
September 13 — Phajol Moolsan, Thai boxer
September 23 — Daniel Dumitrescu, Romanian boxer
September 23 — Donna McGinnis, Canadian swimmer
September 30 — Simone Osygus, German freestyle swimmer

October

October 1 — Erik Hochstein, German swimmer
October 2 — Sandy Goss, Canadian swimmer
October 2 — Jana Novotná, Czech tennis player
October 10 — Bart Brentjens, Dutch mountainbiker
October 24 — Ross Anderson, New Zealand swimmer
October 24 — Francisco Clavet, Spanish tennis player
October 27 — Antoinette Lucas, US field hockey midfielder
October 29 — Johann Olav Koss, Norwegian speed skater

November

November 1 — Gisele Miro, Brazilian tennis player
November 1 — Andrea Nugent, Canadian butterfly and freestyle swimmer
November 12 — Sammy Sosa, Major League Baseball player

December

December 1 — Anders Holmertz, Swedish swimmer
December 2 — Darren Ward, US-born swimmer from Canada
December 3 — Toni Jeffs, New Zealand swimmer
December 4 — Mike Barrowman, American swimmer
December 23 — Olga Shishigina, Kazakhstani athlete
December 24 — Xavier Daufresne, Belgian tennis player

Deaths

January 15 — Bill Masterton, Canadian ice hockey player, from head injury sustained in on-ice incident.
January 22 — Duke Kahanamoku (77), American swimmer and surfer (b. 1890)
April 7 — Jimmy Clark, Formula One racing driver
April 25 — John Tewksbury (92), American track and field athlete (b. 1876)
June 17 — José Nasazzi, Uruguayan football (soccer) player (b. 1901)
July 7 — Ugo Frigerio (66), Italian athlete (b. 1901)
August 14 — Marcel Thil, French world champion boxer
October 5 — Harry Freeman, British field hockey player
November 15 — Charles Bacon (85), American athlete (b. 1883)
December 15 — Jess Willard, American heavyweight boxing champion

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