BASKETBALL—The BOSTON CELTICS returned to their home court after a 10-game road trip in which they won seven games, took on second-place Philadelphia, boat them in overtime on a basket by Bob Cousy. With a three-game lead over the Warriors, the Celtics then traveled to Philadelphia, found Wilt Chamberlain (44 points) too much for them, lost 116-113. In the Western Division ST. LOUIS lost to Syracuse and Philadelphia on the road but continued to dominate its division, was 10½ games ahead of second-place Cincinnati.
In the NIBL, Bartlesville took a half-game lead in the Western Division when they beat New York 92-90 in overtime, while Denver, with a four-game losing streak, dropped to second place. In the Eastern Division Cleveland continued to run away, with a five-game lead over New York.
BOXING—PAUL PENDER (recognized as middleweight champion in New York, Massachusetts and Europe) successfully defended his title in Boston against earnest Terry Downes of London, won on a 7-round TKO when the referee stopped the fight because of bleeding that was impairing Downes's vision and breathing (see page 16).
Davey Moore, world featherweight champion from Springfield, Ohio, pulled himself up from the canvas in the sixth round, outpointed European titleholder Gracieux Lamperti of France in nontitle bout in Paris.
FOOTBALL—After 72 seasons the UNIVERSITY OF DENVER, member of the Skyline Conference, announced it was dropping intercollegiate football because the sport had become prohibitively expensive, producing an annual deficit of $100,000. An aroused student body, showing a concern conspicuously lacking during the football season, burned the school chancellor in effigy and crashed the stadium to rip down the goalposts. After their first year of action the eight AMERICAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE owners met in Houston, released an estimate of their losses for the season: $3.5 million. Heaviest loser was Los Angeles, with a deficit of $900,000. At the same meeting the AFL challenged the National Football League to a championship game next season. Behind the cool command of Johnny Unitas, who hit fellow Colt Lennie Moore on two long, decisive plays, the WEST beat the East 35-31 in the Pro Bowl at Los Angeles. Jim Taylor, Green Bay Packer fullback, set a Pro Bowl record by scoring three touchdowns, while Philadelphia quarterback Norm Van Brocklin, for the East, tied a record by throwing three touchdown passes.
GOLF—BOB GOALBY of Crystal River, Fla., with a 72-hole total of 275, won the $45,000 Los Angeles Open by three strokes over Eric Brown of England and Art Wall Jr. of Pocono Manor, Pa. Arnold Palmer shot a 77 on the first round, failed to qualify for the final two rounds. Last year he finished 26th.
Arnold Palmer, in a sudden-death playoff, defeated Al Balding of Canada in the $20,000 San Diego Open, after both tied with 271 for 72 holes. On the first playoff hole Palmer sank a 4½ foot putt for a birdie 3, while Balding's putt, from the edge of the green 15 feet out, jumped in and out of the cup and stopped one inch away for par.
GYMNASTICS—RUSSIA'S women's team defeated a U.S. team 153.199 to 149.967 at West Chester, Pa., while the Russian men's team beat the U.S. 285.85 to 281.45 at University Park, Pa., in the only two competitive matches on Russia's scheduled U.S. tour.
HOCKEY—The MONTREAL CANADIENS, with a telling 6-2 victory, turned back a Toronto Maple Leaf bid to share first place in the NHL. Montreal continued four points ahead by shutting out the Boston Bruins, after the Maple Leafs stopped the Chicago Black Hawks' eight-game unbeaten streak with a 4-1 victory. It was Goalie Charlie Hodge's third shutout in 21 games since taking over from Jacques Plante. Meanwhile, Plante, at his own request, was shipped to Montreal's farm club, the Montreal Royals, in order to get back on the ice. "I feel like a kid starting over again," said Plante.
HORSE RACING—JIMMY KILROE, official handicapper for The Jockey Club, issued his 1961 Experimental Handicap weights for 3-year-olds. Leading his list of 128 Thoroughbreds was Patrice Jacobs' Hail to Reason, with 126 pounds. As the outstanding 2-year-old of 1960 the colt was rated first, although he has been retired with an injury. Mrs. Dodge Sloane's filly Bowl of Flowers (see page 5), at 120 pounds, rates in second place (with a five-pound sex allowance) over Carry Back and Pappa's All, both at 122 pounds. The only other horses rated at 120 pounds or more were Rex Ellsworth's Olden Times and Harbor View Farm's Garwol, both at 120.
Prove it ($5) won his first stakes victory by outrunning Tompion half a length in the $54,000 San Fernando at Santa Anita. Under Willie Shoemaker the colt ran the 1‚⅛ mile in 1:47⅗ just 1[1/5] of a second slower than the world record.
Willie Shoemaker took both sections of the Santa Monica Handicap at Arcadia, won the $17,875 first division by 1½ lengths over Sue III, aboard Taboo ($14.80), the $17,675 second division by 4½ lengths over Wiggle II, aboard C. V. Whitney's Swiss Roll ($8.20).
Kings Song ($9.40) survived a foul claim to win his fourth straight race at Tropical, beat out Shavetail by half length in the $17,200 Broward Handicap. Kings Song ran the 1 1/16 mile in 1:42, fastest time at Tropical this season. John Rotz up.
SKATING—EDITH ANNE JOHNSON of Buffalo (SI, Jan. 9), national women's bicycling champion, won the intermediate girls' 220 title in the Eastern States Outdoor Speed Skating championship at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
SKIING—In the first important women's meet of the season, the International Ladies Ski championship at Grindelwald, Switzerland, Olympic champion HEIDI BIEBL of West Germany won the downhill and combined title. GIULIANA CHENAL-MINUZZO, an Italian housewife, won the special slalom (54 gates over a 46-foot descent).
Mirja Lehtonen, 18-year-old Finnish farmer's daughter, took the 10-kilometer cross-country. In the first important men's meet of the season, the Lauberhorn at Wengen, Switzerland, PEPI STIEGLER of Austria won the slalom in 2:00.7 seconds for two runs down a tricky, 64-gate course. GUY PERILLAT of France won the downhill race and combined title.
SWIMMING—NEVILLE HAYES, 16-year-old Australian, set a world record in the 220-yard butterfly with a clocking of 2:17.3, at Sydney.
Johnnie Day, an Oklahoma University swimmer, broke the American record for the 200-yard backstroke in a Big Eight meet at Manhattan, Kans. Day swam the distance in 2:08.6, cutting nearly three seconds off the recognized American record of 2:11.5.
TRACK & FIELD—At the Oregon Invitational meet at Portland (see page 9) Olympic champion MURRAY HALBERG of New Zealand clipped 11.7 seconds off the world indoor two-mile record with a time of 8:34.3. Oregon's Roscoe Cook tied the world record of 6.0 in the 60-yard dash, while Oregon junior Sig Ohlemann took the 1,000-yard run in 2:11.4. Washington's Rick Harder won the 500-yard run in 59.5. Ron Morriss beat Don Bragg in the pole vault by soaring an even 15 feet, and Parry O'Brien output Dallas Long with a toss of 61 feet 11¾ inches.
Big surprise of the K. of C. meet at Boston (see page 11) was BRUCE KIDD, 17-year-old high school runner from Toronto, who won the two-mile event in 8:49.2. Bill Johnson of Maryland won the 45-yard high hurdles in 5.7. In the high jump John Thomas reached 7 feet, and in the broad jump Mike Herman of New York leaped 23 feet 1¼ inches. The 16-pound shot was won by Gary Gubner of New York University with a toss of 56 feet 10½ inches, a meet record.
MILEPOSTS—NAMED: MURRAY WARMATH and WARREN WOODSON, as major and minor college football coaches of the year, by the American Football Coaches Association, sponsored by Eastman Kodak Company. Warmath's Minnesota team had a Big Ten record of 8-1, lost to Washington 17-7 in the Rose Bowl; Woodson's New Mexico State team had a 10-0 record, beat Utah State 21-14 in the Sun Bowl.
PROMOTED: ALLIE SHERMAN, 38, from New York Giant offensive football coach to head coach, succeeding Jim Lee Howell.
RESIGNED: BOBBY DOBBS, head football coach at the University of Tulsa, to take a similar job with the professional Calgary Stampeders of Canada's Western Interprovincial Football Union.
HIRED: LEO DUROCHER, as third-base coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DIED: TUDOR ERA, 8, one of the top U.S. Thoroughbreds from 1956 until retired to stud last year; at Lexington, Ky.
