Events in Sport
- Dec 1 Four sets of brothers play in one NHL game when Chicago Blackhawks beat NY Rangers, 4-1; Lynn & Muzz Patrick and Neil & Mac Colville (Rangers); Max & Doug Bentley and Bob & Bill Carse (Chicago)
- Dec 7 CFL Grey Cup (Game 2), Lansdowne Park, Ottawa: Ottawa beats Toronto Balmy Beach, 12-5
- Dec 8 National Football League Championship, Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Chicago Bears beat Washington Redskins, 73-0; most one-sided victory in NFL history; first NFL title game broadcast on national radio
Sports History
Dec 10 1941 NFL Draft: Tom Harmon from University of Michigan first pick by Chicago Bears
Sports History
Dec 20 Connie Mack acquires controlling interest in the Athletics for $42,000
Cricket History
Dec 25 Cricket master batsman Don Bradman is dismissed for a Xmas Day first ball duck (0) for South Australia v Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match at the Adelaide Oval
Birthdays in Sport
- Dec 1 Mike Denness, English cricket batsman and captain (28 Tests, top score 188), born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland (d. 2013)
- Dec 1 Ron Finn, Canadian NHL linesman (2,373 regular season games, 2 x All-Star games, Rendez-vous '87 and 4 x Canada Cups), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Dec 2 Gerry Cheevers, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame goalie and broadcaster (longest undefeated streak-32 games 1972; Boston Bruins), born in St. Catharines, Ontario
- Dec 2 Willie Brown, American Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, coach and executive (Super Bowl 1976, 80, 84; Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders), born in Yazoo City, Mississippi (d. 2019)
- Dec 8 Brant Alyea, American baseball player
- Dec 12 Shirley Englehorn, American golfer (Women's PGA C'ship 1970), born in Caldwell, Idaho (d. 2022)
- Dec 14 Lex Gold, Scottish footballer, born in Lanark, Scotland
- Dec 15 Nick Buoniconti, American NFL linebacker (Miami Dolphins) and sportscaster (NBC), born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 2019)
- Dec 21 Kálmán Sóvári, Hungarian soccer defender (17 caps; Újpesti Dózsa, VM Egyetértés), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2020)
- Dec 24 Paul Tagliabue, NFL commissioner (1989- ), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- Dec 26 Ray Sadecki, American MLB player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Kansas City, KS, (d. 2014)
- Dec 27 David Shepherd, English cricket umpire (92 Tests 1985–2005; 172 ODIs 1983–2005), born in Bideford, England (d. 2009)
- Dec 27 Jerry Lambert, jockey (rode Native Diver)
- Dec 30 Fred Hansen, American pole vaulter (Olympic gold 1964), born in Cuero, Texas
Deaths in Sport
- Dec 6 Charlie Hime, cricketer (one Test for South Africa 1895), dies
- Dec 13 Dusty Tapscott, cricket (bro of Doodles, 4&1 in only S Af Test), dies
- Dec 13 George Macaulay, cricketer (took 24 wkts in 8 Tests, Eng 22-33), dies
- Dec 16 Billy Hamilton, American Baseball HOF outfielder (NL batting champion 1891, 93; 5 × NL stolen base leader; KC Cowboys, Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 74