May 6, 1961: Tottenham Hotspur, of Middlesex, defeat Leicester City, of the East Midlands, 2-0 in the FA Cup Final at the original Wembley Stadium in West London. "Spurs" had already won the Football League Division One title, so this meant that they had won "The Double" -- or "done The Double."
It was the 1st time it had been done in the 20th Century. The only previous Double winners were Preston North End of Lancashire, in the 1st Football League season of 1888-89; and Birmingham side Aston Villa, in 1897.
It was Spurs' 2nd League title. The 1st came in 1951, with 2 of their players going on to become legendary managers. One was Alf Ramsey, who led Ipswich Town of Suffolk to the League title in 1962, and the England national team to win the World Cup on home soil. The other was Bill Nicholson, who managed this '61 Spurs team, captained by Northern Ireland's Danny Blanchflower, playing a style that became known as "champagne football."
The game was scoreless at the half, thanks in part to the skill of Leicester goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who would be the starting goalie on that 1966 England team. But Bobby Smith scored in the 66th minute, and Terry Dyson iced it in the 75th. Blanchflower received the Cup from Katharine, Duchess of Kent, substituting for her husband Edward's 1st cousin, Queen Elizabeth II.
This would be the 1st soccer game shown on ABC Wide World of Sports -- but it would be broadcast 2 weeks later, on May 20. Soccer was never truly a priority for American TV networks, until the 21st Century, when they began to see how much money they could make on it.
Early the next season, Tottenham acquired perhaps their greatest player ever, forward Jimmy Greaves, and finished 2nd in the League, and successfully defended the Cup, They won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963, becoming the 1st team from anywhere in the British Isles to win a European trophy. (Such competitions had only begun in 1955.) They won another FA Cup in 1967. By that point, the Double team had already begun to break up, including through tragedy: Midfielder John White was struck by lightning on a golf course in 1964, dying at age 27.
Spurs fans like to say that they were the 1st London team to win the Double. This is not true: It would take the London Government Act 1963, taking effect on January 1, 1965, for Tottenham, both the neighborhood and the team, to be brought within the city limits of London.
In 1971, the team that had been in North London since 1913, Arsenal, would win both the League and the Cup, with their Captain, Frank McLintock, having played on the '61 Leicester team that lost this Final. For Arsenal, it was the 1st of, now, 3 "Doubles," the others coming in 1998 and 2002.
Because of their relationship with Arsenal, 4.7 miles away, Spurs fans have both a superiority complex (the "real" team in North London, the "champagne football" tag, '61 coming before '71) and an inferiority complex (no League titles since '61, to Arsenal's 6, including 2 clinched at White Hart Lane; no FA Cup wins since '91, to Arsenal's 9; no trophies at all since the 2008 League Cup, to Arsenal's 4; and Arsenal being far more popular, not just in London, but worldwide).
Since then, the Double has also been won by Liverpool in 1986; Manchester United in 1994, 1996 and 1999, with the UEFA Champions League added in 1999, making it England's only "European Treble"); West London team Chelsea in 2010; and Manchester City in 2019, with the League Cup added, making it England's only "Domestic Treble."
Tottenham fans also have a "The year ends in one" complex: 1901, FA Cup; 1921, FA Cup; 1951, League title; 1961, The Double; 1971, League Cup; 1981, FA Cup, 1991, FA Cup. Well, it doesn't always work out: Domestic football was put on hold during World War II, including 1941; and they won nothing in 1911, 1931, 2001 (including a loss to Arsenal in an FA Cup Semifinal), 2011 (including a late-season collapse that dropped them to 5th, out of the Champions League places) and 2021 (losing the League Cup Final).
UPDATE: In 2023, Manchester City won England's 2nd European Treble.
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May 6, 1961 was a Saturday. Actor George Clooney was born.
American-style football was out of season. Basketball and hockey had ended their seasons the previous month. These baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Angels, 5-3 at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles. You read that right: The American League's Angels were named for a team of the same name in the Pacific Coast League, a Cubs farm team from 1925 to 1957. Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr. built them a ballpark that resembled Cubs Park in Chicago, and named both of them Wrigley Field.
Roger Maris hit his 3rd home run of the year, but Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra both went 0-for-3. Leon Wagner hit 2 homers for the Halos, Albie Pearson 1, as Art Ditmar started and didn't have it.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-5 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Roberto Clemente reached base 5 times: 4-for-4 with a walk, and an RBI.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 11-8 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Al Kaline went 2-for-6 with an RBI.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 6-1 at Busch Stadium (formerly Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis. Ernie Banks went 2-for-4 for the Cubs, and Stan Musial did not play for the Cards.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Athletics, 6-0 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Brooks Robinson went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple, and Jackie Brandt hit a home run, in support of Steve Barber, who pitched a 5-hit shutout, striking out 10. That day, his arm was neither sore nor a little stiff. (Ball Four reference.)
* The Milwaukee Braves and the Cincinnati Reds got rained out at Milwaukee County Stadium. It was made up as part of a doubleheader the next day. The Braves led the opener 4-0 going into the 8th inning, but the Reds scored 3 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th to win it, 5-4. Frank Robinson hit a home run off Warren Spahn. The Reds then won the nightcap, 4-0, as Jim O'Toole pitched a 5-hit shutout. Hank Aaron went 0-for-7 with a walk in the twinbill.
* The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins got rained out at Fenway Park in Boston. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 27. The Twins swept, 6-5 and 6-3. Harmon Killebrew went 3-for-7 in the 2 games, while rookie Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-9. Yaz sure didn't look like a future Hall-of-Famer that night.
* The Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators got rained out at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 28. The Indians won the 1st game, 3-2; and the Senators won the 2nd game, 5-2.
* The Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants got rained out at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. It was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 29. The Giants won the 1st game, 8-7, on a home run in the top of the 10th by Willie Mays, his 3rd homer of the game. The Giants completed the sweep, 4-1.
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