On This Day

May 1949 in Sports History

Events in Sport

  • May 2 Don Newcombe, 1st start, shuts out Cincinnati on 5 hits to win 3-0
  • May 4 Plane carrying the entire Torino Serie A soccer squad crashes on the outskirts of Turin, Italy; 31 killed; Torino awarded League title at the request of their rivals
  • May 5 Detroit Tigers second baseman Charlie Gehringer is elected in the Baseball Hall of Fame
  • May 7 75th Kentucky Derby: Steve Brooks aboard Ponder wins in 2:04.2
  • May 14 74th Preakness: Ted Atkinson aboard Capot wins in 1:56

Sports History

May 27 Indians start 12-17, owner Bill Veeck arranges a "Second Opening Day"

Bill Veeck
MLB Team Owner and Promoter Bill Veeck
  • May 28 French Championships Men's Tennis: Frank Parker retains title; beats fellow American Budge Patty 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
  • May 28 French Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Osborne duPont wins her second French singles crown; beats Nelly Adamson Landry of France 7-5, 6-2
  • May 30 Indianapolis 500: After finishing runner-up the previous 2 years, Bill Holland finally wins giving car owner Lou Moore his 3rd consecutive Indy victory; 1947-48 winner Mauri Rose fired after the race for ignoring team orders

PGA Championship

May 31 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Hermitage CC: Sam Snead beats fellow American Johnny Palmer, 3 & 2; first time reigning Masters champion wins PGA Championship in the same calendar year.

Sam Snead
Golfer Sam Snead

Birthdays in Sport

  • May 3 Leopoldo Luque, Argentine soccer striker (43 caps; River Plate), born in Santa Fe, Argentina (d. 2021)
  • May 4 John Force, American drag racer (16 NHRA Championships), born in Bell Gardens, California
  • May 7 Kathy Ahern, American golfer (Women's PGA C'ship 1972), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 1996)
  • May 14 Klaus-Peter Thaler, German cyclist, born in Eckmannshausen, West Germany
  • May 15 Wendy Pritchard, Australian women's field hockey team manager (Olympic gold - 1996 & 2000), born in Busselton, Western Australia
  • May 16 Rick Reuschel, pitcher (NY Yankees)
  • May 25 Lalith Kaluperuma, Sri Lankan cricketer (two Tests for Sri Lanka 1982), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
  • May 26 Dan Pastorini, American football quarterback (Super Bowl 1980 Oakland Raiders; Pro Bowl 1975 Houston Oilers), born in Sonora, California
  • May 28 Shelley Hamlin, American golfer (US Open runner-up 1973), born in San Mateo, California (d. 2018)
  • May 29 Brian Kidd, English soccer forward, coach, manager (England 2 caps, Manchester City), born in Manchester, England
  • May 30 Bob Willis, English cricket fast bowler and captain (90 Tests, 325 wickets; 64 ODIs), born in Sunderland, County Durham, England (d. 2019)
  • May 30 P.J. Carlesimo, American basketball coach

Weddings in Sport

Rita Hayworth

May 27 American "Gilda" actress Rita Hayworth (31) weds Pakistani race horse owner Prince Aly Khan (37); separate in 1951, divorce finalized in 1953

Rita Hayworth
Actress Rita Hayworth

Deaths in Sport

  • May 6 Arthur Ochse, South African cricketer (10 wickets in 3 Tests for South Africa 1927-29), dies at 49


1949 in Sport History

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