1986 in football

American football

 * Super Bowl XX – the Chicago Bears win 46–10 over the New England Patriots
 * Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants is named NFL Most Valuable Player Award
 * January 1 – Orange Bowl (1985 season):
 * The Oklahoma Sooners won 25-10 over the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the national championship
 * Quarterback Vinny Testaverde of the Miami Hurricanes is awarded the Heisman Trophy