| Club: | Hawthorn Football Club |
| Season: | 1961 |
| President: | Dr. A.S. Ferguson |
| Coach: | John Kennedy Sr. |
| Captain: | Graham Arthur |
| Home Ground: | Glenferrie Oval |
| Regularseason Comp: | VFL season |
| Regularseason Result: | 14–4 (1st) |
| Finals Series: | Finals series |
| Finals Result: | Premiers (Defeated 94–51) |
| Club B&Amp;F: | Best and fairest |
| Best And Fairest: | Ian Law |
| Leading Goalscorer: | John Peck (49) |
| Highest Attendance: | 107,935 (Grand Final vs.) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 14,000 (Round 15 vs.) |
| Average Attendance: | 37,471 |
| Prevseason: | 1960 |
| Nextseason: | 1962 |
The 1961 season was the Hawthorn Football Club's 37th season in the Victorian Football League and 60th overall. The season was a historic one for Hawthorn finishing top of the ladder and claiming the McClelland Trophy for the first time in their history, reaching the Grand Final for the first time in their history, and winning the Premiership for the first time in their history.
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | Record | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | |||||||
| 1 | Saturday, 15 April (2:20 pm) | 7.14 (56) | 11.15 (81) | Lost by 25 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 20,000 | 0–1 | ||
| 2 | Saturday, 22 April (2:20 pm) | 5.14 (44) | 11.10 (76) | Won by 32 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (A) | 34,640 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Saturday, 29 April (2:20 pm) | 13.17 (95) | 10.9 (69) | Won by 26 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 21,500 | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Saturday, 6 May (2:20 pm) | 8.7 (55) | 12.13 (85) | Won by 30 points | Arden Street Oval (A) | 13,500 | 3–1 | ||
| 5 | Saturday, 13 May (2:20 pm) | 9.21 (75) | 12.4 (76) | Lost by 1 point | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 31,000 | 3–2 | ||
| 6 | Saturday, 21 May (2:20 pm) | 14.16 (100) | 12.9 (81) | Lost by 19 points | Junction Oval (A) | 32,900 | 3–3 | ||
| 7 | Saturday, 3 June (2:20 pm) | 10.13 (73) | 8.12 (60) | Won by 13 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 15,000 | 4–3 | ||
| 8 | Monday, 12 June (2:20 pm) | 14.19 (103) | 13.13 (91) | Lost by 12 points | Western Oval (A) | 24,132 | 4–4 | ||
| 9 | Saturday, 17 June (2:20 pm) | 9.7 (61) | 10.10 (70) | Won by 9 points | Kardinia Park (A) | 14,197 | 5–4 | ||
| 10 | Saturday, 24 June (2:20 pm) | 12.6 (78) | 6.10 (46) | Won by 32 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 21,500 | 6–4 | ||
| 11 | Saturday, 1 July (2:20 pm) | 13.12 (90) | 4.12 (36) | Won by 54 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 31,500 | 7–4 | ||
| 12 | Saturday, 8 July (2:20 pm) | 7.7 (49) | 9.11 (65) | Won by 16 points | Lake Oval (A) | 13,860 | 8–4 | ||
| 13 | Saturday, 15 July (2:20 pm) | 8.10 (58) | 5.10 (40) | Won by 18 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 27,500 | 9–4 | ||
| 14 | Saturday, 29 July (2:20 pm) | 12.15 (87) | 13.16 (94) | Won by 7 points | Brunswick Street Oval (A) | 23,012 | 10–4 | ||
| 15 | Saturday, 5 August (2:20 pm) | 15.10 (100) | 6.11 (47) | Won by 53 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 14,000 | 11–4 | ||
| 16 | Saturday, 12 August (2:45 pm) | 10.12 (72) | 11.13 (79) | Won by 7 points | Windy Hill (A) | 27,200 | 12–4 | ||
| 17 | Saturday, 19 August (2:20 pm) | 19.6 (120) | 14.7 (91) | Won by 29 points | Glenferrie Oval (H) | 34,500 | 13–4 | ||
| 18 | Saturday, 26 August (2:20 pm) | 8.8 (56) | 11.15 (81) | Won by 25 points | Punt Road Oval (A) | 15,177 | 14–4 | ||
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| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Away | Result | ||||||
| Second Semi-Final | Saturday, 9 September (2:30 pm) | 12.8 (80) | 11.7 (73) | Won by 7 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 87,744 | ||
| Grand Final | Saturday, 23 September (2:50 pm) | 13.16 (94) | 7.9 (51) | Won by 43 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground (H) | 107,935 | ||