The Highest-Paid Athletes of the 1960s Made Far Less Than Today’s Stars
The 1960s were a major turning point for professional sports. Television helped bring games into more American homes, leagues grew more popular, and star athletes began gaining more leverage. Salaries were still tiny compared with today’s blockbuster contracts, but the decade helped set the stage for the modern sports money era.
At the time, names like Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Namath, and other major stars were among the athletes pushing pay higher. Some landed eye-catching salaries that made headlines then, even if the numbers look surprisingly small next to what today’s top players earn in a single season.
My Investment News looks back at the highest-paid athletes of the 1960s, what they earned at the time, and how those salaries compare with the massive contracts that define professional sports today.
12. Hank Aaron
- Salary: $80,000 per year
Hank Aaron will forever be baseball royalty as the man who broke Babe Ruth's career home run record. A 25-time All-Star, Hank Aaron was well compensated during the 1960s.
11. Frank Robinson
- Salary: $85,000 per year
A 14-time All-Star, Frank Robinson was one of the biggest names in baseball during the 1960s. He more than earned his salary by taking the Baltimore Orioles to their first two World Series titles.
10. Bobby Hull
- Salary: $100,000 per year
Before signing a million-dollar contract in 1972, Bobby Hull, aka "The Golden Jet," signed a $100,000 annual contract with the World Hockey Association before the Winnipeg Jets merged with the NHL.
9. Oscar Robertson
- Salary: $100,000 per year
Oscar Robertson, who played in the NBA for 14 seasons, was the first player to average a triple-double for a whole season. While his true salary remains debatable, it's believed he earned six figures per season toward the end of the 1960s.
8. Bart Starr
- Salary: $100,000 per year
One of the most storied quarterbacks in Green Bay Packer history, Bart Starr, helped the team win the first two Super Bowls. This success helped him command his first six-figure salary.
7. Gordie Howe
- Salary: $100,000 per year
Gordie Howe played 26 seasons as a central figure in NHL history. His salary was increased to six figures for the 1969-1970 season while playing with the Detroit Red Wings.
6. Yogi Berra
- Salary: $100,000 per year
The catcher who became a staple figure in New York Yankee history, Yogi Berra's salary was a reward for his contributions to the team with which he won 13 World Series.
5. Mickey Mantle
- Salary: $100,000 per year
One of the biggest names in baseball history, Mickey Mantle, is a legend in every sense. A 20-time All-Star and 7-time World Series champion, Mantle earned his salary tenfold.
4. Bill Russell
- Salary: $100,101
After Wilt Chamberlain signed his first $100,000 contract in 1965, Bill Russell demanded that he be the highest-paid star in the NBA, earning one dollar more than Chamberlain.
3. Sandy Koufax
- Salary: $125,000
Sandy Koufax, the pitcher who helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win multiple World Series titles, deserved every cent of his historic baseball salary of $125,000 annually.
2. Joe Namath
- Salary: $427,000 for three years
Joe Namath's record-breaking contract in 1965 made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. At the time, he quickly became the face of a growing league.
1. Wilt Chamberlain
- Salary: ~$250,000 per year
One of the most dominant basketball players in history, Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to command a salary of over $250,000 per year in 1967, making him the highest-paid athlete of the decade.