Events in Sports History in September 1961

US Open Women's Tennis

Sep 10 75th US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Defending champion Darlene Hard beats England's Ann Jones 6-3, 6-4

Sep 10 American Ferrari driver Phil Hill wins Italian Grand Prix at Monza to clinch F1 World Drivers Championship; first American F1 world champion
Sep 10 Italian F1 Grand Prix, Monza: a crash causes the death of German driver Wolfgang von Trips and 15 spectators hit by his Ferrari

Sports History

Sep 10 Mickey Mantle becomes 7th to hit HR # 400

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 10 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-Australian final Roy Emerson beats Rod Laver 7-5, 6-3, 6-2; Emerson's second Grand Slam title

U.S. Amateur Championship

Sep 15 61st US Golf Amateur Championship won by Jack Nicklaus aged 21

Sports History

Sep 17 Fran Tarkenton plays his first NFL Game against the Chicago Bears, coming off the bench to lead the Vikings to a 37-13 victory, also becoming the only QB to throw four touchdown passes in his first career game

Sep 17 Minnesota Vikings' 1st NFL game (beat Chicago Bears 37-13)

Baseball Record

Sep 20 Roger Maris hits home run # 59 & barely misses # 60 in game 154 of the season. Yanks clinch pennant #26

Sep 22 MLB Baltimore Orioles Jim Gentile ties record of 5 grand slams in a single season
Sep 26 Roger Maris hits HR #60 off Jack Fisher, tying Babe Ruth's record