On This Day

September 1949 in Sports History

Events in Sport

  • Sep 1 Finnish long distance runner Viljo Heino runs 10,000m world record 29:27.2 in Kouvola, Finland
  • Sep 5 US National Championship Men's Tennis: Pancho Gonzales beats fellow American Ted Schroeder 16-18, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4; longest singles final match by games (67), before tiebreaker introduction
  • Sep 5 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Defending champion Margaret Osborne duPont beats fellow American Doris Hart 6-4, 6-1
  • Sep 13 Ladies Pro Golf Association of America formed in NYC
  • Sep 17 Ryder Cup Golf, Ganton GC: US beats Great Britain, 7-5; Americans win 6 of 8 singles matches to claim victory
  • Sep 18 Baseball major league record 4 grand slams hit
  • Sep 20 Top American tennis player Pancho Gonzales turns professional

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Sep 23 Indian owner Bill Veeck holds funeral services to bury 1948 pennant

MLB Team Owner and Promoter Bill Veeck
MLB Team Owner and Promoter
Bill Veeck

Sport awardUS Women's Golf Open

Sep 25 US Open Women's Golf, Prince George's CC: Louise Suggs leads wire-to-wire to win by 14 strokes ahead of runner-up and defending champion Babe Zaharias

Golfer and Co-Founder of the LPGA Louise Suggs
Golfer and Co-Founder of the LPGA
Louise Suggs
  • Sep 25 Despite 71 injuries, Yankees have been in 1st place all season until Red Sox move into a tie for 1st place
  • Sep 30 Pirates Ralph Kiner hits his 54th HR & NL record 16th in September

Birthdays in Sport

  • Sep 3 José Pékerman, Argentine football manager (Columbia 2012-18), born in Villa Domínguez, Argentina

Person of interestTom Watson

Sep 4 Tom Watson, American golfer (8-time major winner; British Open 1975, 77, 80, 82, 83), born in Kansas City, Missouri

Golfer Tom Watson
Golfer
Tom Watson
  • Sep 4 Dean Pees, American football coach, born in Dunkirk, Ohio
  • Sep 9 Joe Theismann, NFL quarterback (Redskins)/sportscaster
  • Sep 9 John Curry OBE, British figure skater (Olympic gold, World C'ship gold, European C'ship gold 1976), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1994)
  • Sep 11 Marty Liquori, American runner (AAU 3 mile-1979 (13:14.7)), born in Montclair, New Jersey
  • Sep 11 Roger Uttley, English rugby union player, born in Blackpool, England
  • Sep 11 Bill Whittington, American race car driver, born in Lubbock, Texas
  • Sep 12 Irina Rodnina, Russian pairs figure skater (Olympic gold 1972, 76, 80), born in Moscow, Soviet Union
  • Sep 18 Peter Shilton, English football goalkeeper, born in Leicester, England
  • Sep 20 John W. Henry, American businessman and owner of sports teams (Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club), born in Quincy, Illinois
  • Sep 21 Peter Cronjé, South African rugby union center (7 caps; Transvaal, Natal), born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 2020)
  • Sep 22 Harold Carmichael, NFL wide receiver (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • Sep 25 Inshan Ali, West Indian cricketer (big-spinning WI chinaman bowler 1971-77), born in Preysal, Trinidad and Tobago (d. 1995)

Person of interestMike Schmidt

Sep 27 Mike Schmidt, American Baseball Hall of Fame 3rd baseman (NL MVP 1980-81, 86; 12-time MLB All Star), born in Dayton, Ohio

MLB Third Baseman Mike Schmidt
MLB Third Baseman
Mike Schmidt
  • Sep 29 Steve Busby, footballer

Weddings in Sport

Deaths in Sport

  • Sep 1 Bobby Walthour Sr., American cyclist (motor-pacing World Championships gold 1904-05; Madison Square Garden 6-Day Race 1901, 03), dies at 71


1949 in Sport History