- Oct 1 Corrie van Zyl, South African cricket all-rounder, coach, administrator (RSA coach 2010-11), born in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State
- Oct 4 Mike Sharperson, American baseball infielder (MLB All Star 1992; World Series 1988, 95), born in Orangeburg, South Carolina (d. 1996)
- Oct 5 David Kirk, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- Oct 5 Derek Stirling, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (6 Tests, 13 wickets; Central Districts, Wellington), born in Upper Hutt, New Zealand (d. 2023)
- Oct 6 Kathrin Dörre, East German marathoner (Olympic bronze 1988)
- Oct 7 Tony Sparano, American football coach (Miami Dolphins 2008-11; Oakland Raiders 2014), born in West Haven, Connecticut (d. 2018)
- Oct 9 Arlene Boxall, Zimbabwean field hockey player (Olympic gold 1980)
- Oct 9 Trevor Matich, American NFL center, 1985-96 (New England Patriots, Washington Redskins, and 3 other teams), born in Washington, D.C.
- Oct 10 Brian Lee Diemer, American steeplechase athlete (Olympic bronze 1984), born in Grand Rapids Michigan
- Oct 10 Henrik Jørgensen, Danish marathon runner, born in Copenhagen
Steve Young (62 years old)
Oct 11 American NFL quarterback (Super Bowl 1988-89, 94 [MVP]; Pro Bowl 1992–98; NFL passing TD leader 1992–94, 98; SF 49ers), born in Salt Lake City, Utah
- Oct 13 Doc Rivers, American NBA guard, 1983-96 (Atlanta Hawks and 3 other teams), and head coach, 1999-present (Orlando Magic (NBA Coach of the Year, 2000); Boston Celtics; LA Clippers; Philadelphia 76ers), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Oct 16 Billy Taylor, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1994-2001 (Oakland A's, and 3 other teams), born in Monticello, Florida
- Oct 16 Chris Doleman, American Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (8 × Pro Bowl; 3 × First-team All-Pro; Minnesota Vikings), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2020)
- Oct 17 Mike De Palmer, American tennis player and coach (coach Boris Becker), born in Tampa, Florida (d. 2021)
- Oct 18 Eric Jespersen, Port Alberni BC, star sailor (Olympic bronze 1992, 96)
- Oct 18 Gladstone Small, English cricketer, born in St. George, Barbados
- Oct 19 David Egerton, English rugby union #8 (7 caps; Bath Rugby) and broadcaster (BBC), born in Pinner, England (d. 2021)
- Oct 19 Tim Belcher, Sparta Ohio, baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers, KC Royals)
- Oct 20 Ian Rush, Welsh footballer (Liverpool), born in St Asaph, Wales
- Oct 22 Barbara Potter, American tennis player (6 x WTA singles, 19 x WTA doubles titles), born in Waterbury, Connecticut
- Oct 22 Leonard Marshall, American football defensive end (Pro Bowl 1985, 86; Super Bowl 1986, 90; NY Giants), born in Franklin, Louisiana
- Oct 22 Sanath Kaluperuma, Sri Lankan cricket all-rounder (4 Tests; 2 ODIs; Bloomfield CC), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Oct 23 Andoni Zubizarreta, Spanish soccer goalkeeper (126 caps Spain, 4 Basque Country; FC Barcelona 301 games, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia), born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
- Oct 24 Rafael Belliard, MLB infielder (Atlanta Braves), born in Pueblo Nuevo, Dominican Republic
- Oct 29 Cornelia Oschkenat, German hurdler, born in Neubrandenburg, East Germany
- Oct 29 Joel Otto, American NHL center (Philadelphia Flyers, Team USA Olympics 1998), born in Elk River, Minnesota
- Oct 30 Hans Segers, Dutch soccer goalkeeper and coach (Wimbledon), born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Oct 30 Scott Garrelts, American baseball player (San Francisco Giants), born in Urbana, Illinois
- Oct 31 Alonzo Babers, American track and field athlete, 400m/4X400m relay (Olympic gold 1984), born in Montgomery, Alabama
- Oct 31 Sterling Hinds, Canadian 4X100m relayer (Olympic bronze 1984), born in Toronto, Ontario
About October 1961
How Old? 62 years old
Generation: Baby Boomer
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions