1960–61 FIBA European Champions Cup

The 1960–61 FIBA European Champions Cup was the fourth season of the European top-tier level professional basketball club competition FIBA European Champions Cup (now called EuroLeague). It was won by CSKA Moscow, after they defeated Rīgas ASK, the reigning three-time defending champions, and the first major dynasty of European professional club basketball . CSKA lost the first game 66–61, but won the second 87–62, and thus became the fourth straight European champions from the Soviet Union League.

1960–61 FIBA European Champions Cup
LeagueFIBA European Champions Cup
SportBasketball
Finals
ChampionsSoviet Union CSKA Moscow
  Runners-upSoviet Union Rīgas ASK
FIBA European Champions Cup seasons

Competition system

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24 teams. European national domestic league champions, plus the then current FIBA European Champions Cup title holders only, playing in a tournament system. The Finals were a two-game home and away aggregate.

First round

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Urania Genève Sport   107–164   Idrolitina Bologna 62–68 45–96
Wissenschaft   110–171   Levski-Spartak 54–85 56–86
USC Heidelberg   125–180   Legia Warsaw 67-91 58-89
Galatasaray   137–96   Olympiacos 72-41 65-55
Sparta Bertrange   75–137   Engelmann Wien 27-53 48-84
Sporting   92–149   Antwerpse 51-62 41-87
KFUM Söder   98–142   OKK Beograd 50-53 48-89
The Wolves Amsterdam   106–153   Spartak Praha Sokolovo 52-57 54-96
Étoile Charleville-Mézières   110–100   Casablancais 55-47 55-53

Second round

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Galatasaray   79–93   Hapoel Tel Aviv 40–39 39–54
Étoile Charleville-Mézières   63–163   CSKA Moscow 28-68 35-95
Levski-Spartak   114–138   Legia Warsaw 67-62 47-76
Engelmann Wien   100–159   Real Madrid 53-85 47-74
Antwerpse   68–47   OKK Beograd 66-47 2-0*
Torpan Pojat   103–133   Spartak Praha Sokolovo 56-65 47-68
Idrolitina Bologna   124–126   CCA București 70–56 54–70

*The second leg was cancelled after the Yugoslavian police refused to guarantee the safety of the Belgian team, whose members received serious threats upon arrival to Belgrade, as a result of the mysterious death of Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of Congo, on February 11, 1961. The Soviet government, an ally to Lumumba, blamed the Belgian secret service as the instigator of his murder in the former Belgian colony, and this translated into several riots in the communist countries against the Belgian interests. Since the second leg could not be played, Antwerpse received a 2–0 w.o. in this game and qualified for the next round.[1]

Automatically qualified to the quarter-finals

Quarterfinals

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Rīgas ASK   162–134   Hapoel Tel Aviv 84–60 78–74
Spartak Praha Sokolovo   107–115   CCA București 60–50 47–65
Legia Warsaw   145–183   CSKA Moscow 72-98 73-85
Antwerpse   128–177   Real Madrid 62-89 66-88

Semifinals

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Real Madrid   123–141   Rīgas ASK 78-75 45-66
CSKA Moscow   171–115   CCA București 98–58 73–57

Finals

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Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
CSKA Moscow   148–128   Rīgas ASK 87-62 61-66

1st leg:Daugava Stadion, Rīga, 14 July 1961; Attendance:8,000[1]

2nd leg:Lenin Stadion, Moscow, 22 July 1961; Attendance:15,000[1]

1960–61 FIBA European Champions Cup
Champions
 
CSKA Moscow
1st Title

Awards

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References

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