| 1961 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final | |
| Event: | 1961 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship |
| Team1score: | 3-6 (15) |
| Team2score: | 2-8 (14) |
| Date: | 24 September 1961 |
| Stadium: | Croke Park |
| City: | Dublin |
| Referee: | L Maguire (Cavan) |
| Attendance: | 90,556 |
| Previous: | 1960 |
| Next: | 1962 |
The 1961 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was the 74th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1961 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. A crowd of 90,556 (a record at the old Croke Park) watched the match between Down and Offaly.[1]
The biggest crowd ever to attend Croke Park saw an explosive opening to the match - Offaly's Mick Casey and Peter Daly got goals to put them six points ahead with the match barely begun. Down recovered with three goals by half-time, and led by two points with minutes to go. Har Donnelly had a 21-yard free for Offaly, and took a point when a goal was really needed.[2]
This was Down's second appearance in an All-Ireland final, and their second win from two.[3] It was the second of three All-Ireland football titles won by Down in the 1960s, which made them joint "team of the decade" with Galway who also won three.[4]