Events in Sport
- Dec 3 12th Heisman Trophy Award: Glenn Davis, Army (HB)
- Dec 15 National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Chicago Bears beat New York Giants, 24-14; record attendance 58,346 at final NFL title game played at Polo Grounds
- Dec 15 Giants Filchock & Hapes suspended by NFL, didn't report bribe attempt
- Dec 16 1947 NFL Draft: Bob Fenimore from University of Oklahoma A&M first pick by Chicago Bears
- Dec 17 Bradman & Barnes complete 405 run 5th wicket stand, score 234 each
- Dec 22 Cleveland Browns beat NY Yankees 14-9 in AAFC championship game
- Dec 28 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Melbourne, Australia: Jack Kramer & Ted Schroeder give US unassailable 3-0 lead; beat Australians John Bromwich & Adrian Quist 6-2, 7-5, 6-4; ends 5-0
Birthdays in Sport
- Dec 1 Ho-Jun Li, North Korean shooter (Olympic gold 50m rifle 1972; DPR Korea first Olympic gold), born in North Korea
- Dec 2 Pedro Borbón, Dominican baseball pitcher (World Series 1975, 76; Cincinnati Reds), born in Santa Cruz de Mao, Dominican Republic (d. 2012)
- Dec 3 Joop Zoetemelk, Dutch road cyclist (Vuelta a España 1979, Tour de France 1980; World Professional Road champion 1985), born in The Hague, Netherlands
- Dec 6 Frank Hayes, English cricket batsman (9 Tests, HS 106no England v WI on debut 1973), born in Preston, Lancashire
- Dec 6 Willy van der Kuijlen, Dutch soccer forward (22 caps; PSV 528 games), born in Helmond, Netherlands (d. 2021)
- Dec 11 Rick McCosker, Australian cricketer (fine Australian opener 1975-80), born in Inverell, New South Wales, Australia
- Dec 12 Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian auto racer (World F1 Champion 1972, 74, Indy 500 1989, 93), born in São Paulo, Brazil
- Dec 13 Pierino Prati, Italian soccer forward (14 caps; 3 goals in European Cup Final 1969, AC Milan; Roma, Savona), born in Cinisello Balsamo, Italy (d. 2020)
- Dec 14 Ruth Fuchs, German javelin thrower (Olympic 2 gold-72, 76), born in Egeln, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
- Dec 14 Stan Smith, American tennis player (US Open 1971, Wimbledon 1972), born in Pasadena, California
- Dec 14 Peter Lorimer, Scottish soccer midfielder (21 caps; Leeds United 526 games), born in Dundee, Scotland (d. 2021)
- Dec 15 Art Howe, American baseball infielder (Houston Astros) and manager (Houston Astros, Oakland A's, NY Mets), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Dec 16 Eduard Krieger, Austrian soccer defensive midfielder (25 caps; Austria Wien, Club Brugge K.V., LASK Linz), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 2019)
- Dec 16 Goolam Rajah, South African cricket administrator (manager RSA national team 1991-2011), born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 2021)
- Dec 17 Albert Padmore, cricketer (WI off-spinner mid-70s)
- Dec 18 Hubert Green, American golfer (US Open 1977, PGA C'ship 1985), born in Birmingham, Alabama (d. 2018)
- Dec 25 Larry Csonka, American College/Pro Football HOF running back (Super Bowl 1972, 73 [MVP]; First-team All-Pro 1971, 73; 5 × Pro Bowl; Miami Dolphins; Syracuse Uni), born in Stow, Ohio
- Dec 25 Gene Lamont, American baseball catcher (Detroit Tigers) and manager (Manager of the Year 1993 Chicago WS; Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Rockford, Illinois
- Dec 28 Jorge Velásquez, Panamanian Hall of Fame jockey (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes 1981; 6,795 career wins), born in Chepo, Panama
- Dec 29 Laffit Pincay Jr., Panamanian jockey (Ky Derby 1984, Belmont 1982-84, Swale), born in Panama City, Panama
- Dec 31 Cliff Richey, American tennis player (World #6 1970; Davis Cup 1969-70), born in San Angelo, Texas
Deaths in Sport
Walter Johnson
Dec 10 Walter Johnson, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (3 x Triple Crown of Pitching; World Series 1924; AL MVP 1913, 24; Washington Senators), dies from a brain tumour at 59
