Events in Sport
NHL Record
Jan 10 Maurice Richard scores his 16th career hat trick in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-0 win over NY Rangers to bring his career total to 274 goals; passes Howie Morenz as NHL's #2 all-time leading goal scorer
Maurice Richard
Boxing Title Fight
Jan 12 Ezzard Charles TKOs Lee Oma in 10 for heavyweight boxing title
Ezzard Charles
NFL Pro Bowl
Jan 14 1st NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American Conference beats National Conference, 28-27; MVP: Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, QB
Otto Graham
- Jan 18 NFL rules tackles, guards & centers ineligible for forward pass
- Jan 18 NFL takes control of failing Baltimore Colts
- Jan 18 1951 NFL Draft: Kyle Rote from SMU first pick by New York Giants
- Jan 26 Mel Ott & Jimmie Foxx elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
- Jan 31 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Nancye Wynne Bolton beats Thelma Coyne Long 6-1, 7-5 for her 6th and last Australian singles crown
- Jan 31 Australian Championships: American Dick Savitt wins his only Australian title; beats Ken McGregor of Australia 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
- Feb 3 Largest purse to date in horse racing, $144,323, won by Great Circle
- Feb 9 St Louis Browns sign pitcher Satchel Paige, 45
Event of Interest
Feb 14 Sugar Ray Robinson defeats Jake LaMotta & takes middleweight title
Sugar Ray Robinson
Event of Interest
Feb 17 Detroit right wing Gordie Howe scores his 100th career NHL goal and adds an assist in a 2-1 Red Wings' victory away to the Montreal Canadiens
Gordie Howe
- Feb 18 3 City College of NY basketball players admit to accepting bribes
- Mar 2 1st NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 111-94; MVP: Ed Macauley, Boston Celtics, G
- Mar 3 Bill Mikvy (Temple) scores NCAA basketball record 73 pts
- Mar 7 Ezzard Charles beats Jersey Joe Walcott in 15 for 2nd time to win National Boxing Association world heavyweight title
- Mar 10 Ireland clinches their 7th Five Nations Rugby Championship with a 3-3 draw against Wales at the National Stadium, Cardiff
- Mar 17 Test Cricket debut of Brian Statham, England v NZ at Christchurch
- Mar 18 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Pat O'Sullivan wins her only major title by 2 strokes from fellow amateur Beverly Hanson
- Mar 27 13th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Kansas, 68-58; Wildcats' 3rd title; 16-team field is introduced
US Masters Golf
Apr 7 15th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Ben Hogan wins the first of his 2 Masters titles, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Skee Riegel
Ben Hogan
Event of Interest
Apr 17 NY Yankee Mickey Mantle's 1st game, he goes 1 for 4
Mickey Mantle
- Apr 21 NBA Championship: Rochester Royals beat New York Knicks, 79-75 to take series 4 games to 3; first Finals appearance for both teams
- Apr 21 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 for a 4-1 series victory
- May 1 Future Baseball Hall of Fame slugger Mickey Mantle hits first career home run in 8-3 win v White Sox in Chicago; Minnie Minoso homers in Sox debut
- May 3 Gil McDougald ties major league record with 6 RBIs in 1 inning
- May 3 NY Yankee Gil McDougald is 5th to get 6 RBIs in an inning (9th)
- May 5 77th Kentucky Derby: Conn McCreary aboard Count Turf wins in 2:02.6
- May 6 Pitts Pirate Cliff Chambers no-hits Boston Brave, 3-0
- May 7 International Olympic committee allows Russia to participate in 1952 Olympics
- May 19 76th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold wins in 1:56.4
Event of Interest
May 25 NY Giant Willie Mays 1st major league game (goes 0 for 5)
Willie Mays
- May 28 After going 0-for-12, Willie Mays connects for his 1st major league home run
- May 30 Ezzard Charles beats Joey Maxim in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Lee Wallard wins in 3:57:38.103 (203.170 km/h)
- Jun 3 50th Men's French Championships: Jaroslav Drobny beats Eric Sturgess (6-3, 6-3, 6-3)
- Jun 3 50th French Championships Women's Tennis: Shirley Fry beats fellow American Doris Hart 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for her only French singles title
- Jun 4 Pirate's' Gus Bell hits for cycle helps beat Phillies 12-4
- Jun 16 US Open Men's Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Ben Hogan wins his second consecutive US Open title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Clayton Heafner.
- Jun 16 83rd Belmont: David Gorman aboard Counterpoint wins in 2:29
- Jun 20 Cleveland Indian Bobby Avila hits 3 HRs, double & single vs Red Sox
- Jun 21 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Whitemarsh Valley CC: Patty Berg defeats Pat O'Sullivan, 2-up in the final
- Jul 1 Cleveland Indians veteran hurler Bob Feller pitches his 3rd career no-hitter beating Detroit Tigers, 2-1
- Jul 2 Bill Veeck buys St Louis Browns from Bill & Charlie DeWitt; after 1953 season sells franchise to Clarence Miles, team moves to Baltimore (Orioles)
- Jul 2 Worcestershire cricket wicket-keeper Hugo Yarnold makes a record 6 stumpings in an innings in a 1st-class match vs Scotland at Dundee
PGA Championship
Jul 3 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Oakmont GC: Sam Snead beats Walter Burkemo, 7 & 6 for his 3rd PGA C'ship title
Sam Snead
- Jul 6 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: American Dick Savitt wins his only Wimbledon title beating Ken McGregor of Australia 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
- Jul 6 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Portrush GC: Englishman Max Faulkner wins by 2 strokes from Antonio Cerdá of Argentina
- Jul 7 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Doris Hart outclasses fellow American Shirley Fry 6-1, 6-0 for her only Wimbledon singles title
Event of Interest
Jul 8 Yankee Joe DiMaggio and manager Casey Stengel feud
Joe DiMaggio
- Jul 10 18th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 8-3 at Briggs Stadium, Detroit
- Jul 12 NY Yankees Allie Reynolds no-hits Cleveland Indians, 8-0
- Jul 14 1st color telecast of a sporting event (CBS-horse race)
- Jul 14 In his last race, 1948 Triple Crown champion Citation wins the Hollywood Gold Cup by 4 lengths, to become American racing's first millionaire horse.
Historic Publication
Jul 16 Novel "Catcher in Rye" by J. D. Salinger published by Little Brown and Company
J. D. Salinger
Event of Interest
Jul 18 Jersey Joe Walcott at 37 becomes oldest to win heavyweight champion
Jersey Joe
- Jul 29 38th Tour de France won by Hugo Koblet of Switzerland
- Aug 11 1st televised baseball game in color, on WCBS in New York City (Boston Braves beat the Brooklyn Dodgers 8-1)
- Aug 11 NY Giants (NFL) beat Ottawa Roughriders (CFL) 38-6 in Ottawa
- Aug 11 NY Giants lose to go 13½ games behind Bkln Dodgers, later win the pennant
- Aug 17 18th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Cleveland 33, All-Stars 0 (92,180)
- Aug 18 Cricket 1st-class debut of Raymond Illingworth
- Aug 19 Bill Veeck (Cleveland Indians) sends Eddie Gaedel, a 3'7" little person, to pinch-hit
- Aug 22 Harlem Globetrotters play in Olympic Stadium, Berlin before 75,052
- Aug 25 Cleveland Indians win 16th straight home game
- Aug 28 Braves sell pitcher Johnny Sain to the Yankees for $50,000
- Aug 28 Pirates snap NY Giants 16 game winning streak
US Men's Tennis Open
Sep 5 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Frank Sedgman of Australia beats American Vic Seixas 6-4, 6-1, 6-1 for his first of 2 straight US singles crowns
Vic Seixas
US Women's Golf Open
Sep 16 US Open Women's Golf, Druid Hills GC: Betsy Rawls wins first of her 8 major titles, 5 strokes ahead of runner-up Louise Suggs
Betsy Rawls
Louise Suggs
- Sep 16 US National League umpire Frank Dascoli clears the Dodgers bench, ejecting 15 players
- Sep 28 Norm Van Brocklin of Rams passes for NFL record 554 yards
- Oct 3 Shot Heard 'Round the World': Bobby Thomson hits 3-run homer off Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers, bottom 9th inning, 1 out, to give New York Giants dramatic 5-4 playoff win and NL pennant
- Oct 3 CBS-TV airs the first coast-to-coast telecast of a prize fight; Australian light-heavyweight Dave Sands outpoints Carl 'Bobo' Olson in 10 rounds at Chicago Stadium
- Oct 8 Ford C Frick replaces Happy Chandler as 3rd commissioner of baseball Warren C Giles becomes president of baseball's National League
- Oct 9 5th NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto: 1st Team ties 2nd Team, 2-2; first year format - 1st v 2nd All-Star Teams, with additional players
- Oct 9 Gil McDougald's World Series grand slam helps Yanks beat Giants 13-1
- Oct 10 Yanks beat Giants 4 games to 2 in World Series, DiMaggio's final game
- Oct 14 Det Lion Jack Christiansen returns 2 punts for touchdowns vs LA Rams
Event of Interest
Oct 26 Future world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano defeats former champion Joe Louis by TKO in the 8th round at Madison Square Garden
Rocky Marciano
Joe Louis
- Oct 28 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina wins Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Spanish Grand Prix at Pedralbes in an Alpha Romeo; wins by 6 points from Alberto Ascari of Italy
Event of Interest
Nov 1 Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella wins first of his 3 National League MVP awards
Roy Campanella
Event of Interest
Nov 8 NY Yankee Catcher Yogi Berra wins 1st of his 3 MVP awards
Yogi Berra
- Nov 13 Lefty O'Doul's all-stars, including Joe DiMaggio and Billy Martin, lose 3-1 to Pacific League all-star team (Japan)
- Nov 15 Cricket 1st-class debut of Hanif Mohammad, Pakistan XI v MCC, Lahore
- Nov 15 NY Yankee Gil McDougald wins AL Rookie of Year
Birthdays in Sport
- Jan 1 Hans-Joachim Stuck, German auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1986-87, 96; 24 Hours of Nürburgring 1970, 98, 2004; World Sportscar C'ship 1985), born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
- Jan 4 Barbara Ann Cochran, Claremont NH, slalom skier (Olympic gold 1972)
- Jan 5 Steve Arnold, English footballer, born in Willesden, London
- Jan 6 Don Gullett, American baseball player, born in Lynn, Kentucky
- Jan 11 Willie Maddren, English former footballer (d. 2000)
- Jan 12 Bill Madlock, American MLB player (Chicago Cubs), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- Jan 12 Drew Pearson, American NFL wide receiver, born in South River, New Jersey
- Jan 14 Gil Pak Jong, North Korean judoka (Olympic-1976)
- Jan 17 Rolando Thoeni, Italian slalom (Olympic bronze 1972), born in Trafoi
- Jan 18 Bob Latchford, English footballer, born in Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Jan 22 Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater (d. 1989)
- Jan 23 Margaret Johnson Bailes, American 4x100 runner (Olympic gold 1968), born in The Bronx, New York
- Jan 23 Michael R. Matz, American horse trainer & equestrian (Olympic silver 1996), born in Collegeville, Pennsylvania
- Jan 25 Steve Prefontaine, American runner (5K 1972 Olympic 4th), born in Coos Bay, Oregon (d. 1975)
- Jan 26 Jarmila Kratochvilova, Czech 400m/800m runner (Olympic silver 1980), born in Golčův Jeníkov, Czechia
- Jan 29 Andy Roberts, cricketer (brilliant WI quickie with 202 wickets 74-84)
- Jan 30 Bobby Stokes, English football player, born in Portsmouth, United Kingdom (d 1995)
- Jan 30 Trevor Laughlin, Australian cricketer (Australian all-rounder 1978-79), born in Nyah West, Australia
- Jan 31 Juan de Dios Castillo, Mexican soccer coach (Honduras, Copa Centroamericana 2011), born in Mexico City, Mexico (d. 2014)
- Feb 3 Felipe Munoz, Mexican 200m backstroke swimmer (Olympic gold 1968)
- Feb 3 Eugenijus Riabovas, Lithuanian football manager
- Feb 4 Stan Papi, American baseball player
- Feb 6 Marco Antônio, Brazilian footballer, born in Santos, Brazil
- Feb 7 Benny Ayala, baseball player
- Feb 7 Manfred Schumann, German FR, bobsled (Olympic-silver/bronze-1976)
- Feb 8 Camille LaPierre, NHLer
- Feb 14 Kevin Keegan, English soccer forward, manager (England 63 caps, Liverpool, Newcastle United), born in Armthorpe, Doncaster
- Feb 14 JoJo Starbuck, American ice skater, born in Birmingham, Alabama
- Feb 16 Larry Finch, American college basketball coach (University of Memphis 1986-97), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2011)
- Feb 20 Phil Neal, English soccer player
- Feb 21 John Parker, New Zealand cricketer (NZ batsman of 70s), born in Dannevirke, New Zealand
- Feb 22 Elaine Tanner, Canadian swimmer (1966 Commonwealth Games, 1968 Olympics), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Feb 23 Ed "Too Tall" Jones, American NFL defensive end (Pro Bowl, All Pro 1981-83; Super Bowl 1977; Dallas Cowboys), born in Jackson, Tennessee
- Feb 24 Derek Randall, cricketer (England batsman & animated cover fieldsman)
- Feb 25 Don Quarrie, Jamaican runner
- Feb 25 James Brown, American sportscaster (CBS News, The NFL Today), born in Washington, D.C.
- Feb 25 César Cedeño, Dominican baseball player
- Feb 28 Gustavo Thoeni, Italian giant slalom (Olympic gold 1972)
- Feb 28 Karsan Ghavri, cricketer (Indian lefty medium pacer early 80s)
- Mar 1 Jocelyn Guevremont, Canadian ice hockey defenceman (NHL All Star 1974; Vancouver Canucks, Buffalo Sabres), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Mar 4 Kenny Dalglish, Scottish football player (100+ goals) and manager
- Mar 5 Rodney Hogg, cricketer (prolific Australian wicket-taker 1978-84)
- Mar 6 Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch road cyclist (World Road Race Champion 1978; Amstel Gold Race 1974, 85), born in Amsterdam, New Holland (d. 2004)
- Mar 8 Philippe Henri Edmonds, cricketer (in Zambia England slow left-arm)
- Mar 20 Madan Lal, cricketer (Indian medium pacer in the 70's)
- Mar 24 Earl Williams, American-Israeli NBA player, born in Levittown, Pennsylvania
Pat Bradley
Mar 24 Pat Bradley, American golfer (6 LPGA major titles; US Open 1981), born in Westford, Massachusetts
Pat Bradley
- Mar 27 Bobby Lalonde, NHLer (Boston Bruins), born in Montreal
- Mar 29 Geoff Howarth, New Zealand cricket batsman (47 Tests, 30 as NZ captain), born in Auckland, NZ
- Apr 2 Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer (US Open 1987 runner-up, 17 LPGA Tour titles), born in Hiroshima, Japan
- Apr 6 Bert Blyleven, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (2-time WS champion Twins 1979, 87), born in Zeist, Netherlands
- Apr 11 Jim Holton, Scottish soccer defender (15 caps; Manchester United, Coventry City), born in Lesmahagow, Scotland (d. 1993)
- Apr 13 Beatrix "Trixie" Schuba, Austrian figure skater considered to be one of the best compulsory figure skaters ever (Olympic gold 1972), born in Vienna, Austria
- Apr 13 Joachim Streich, East German footballer, born in Wismar, East Germany
- Apr 18 Ricardo Fortaleza, Australian-Filipino boxer, born in Malate, Manila, Philippines
- Apr 29 Dale Earnhardt, American auto racer (7 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championships), born in Kannapolis, North Carolina (d. 2001)
- Apr 30 Danuta Rosani, Polish discus thrower (Olympic 1976) disqualified for drugs
- May 1 Gordon Greenidge, West Indies cricket batsman (108 Tests, 7,558 runs @ 44.72; 19 x 100s), born in St. Peter, Barbados
- May 8 Mike D'Antoni, American-Italian basketball guard and head coach (NBA Coach of the Year 2005, 17; Houston Rockets 2016-19; LA Lakers, NY Knicks, Phoenix), born in Mullens, West Virginia
- May 11 Mike Sleman, rugby player
- May 12 Gunnar Larrson, Swedish 200m/400m swimmer (Olympic gold 1972)
- May 18 Angela Voigt, German DR, long jumper (Olympic gold 1976)
- May 18 Rodger Davis, Australian golfer (British Open runner-up 1997), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- May 18 Jim Sundberg, American baseball player
- May 23 Anatoly Karpov, Russian chess player (world champion 1975-85, 93-99), born in Zlatoust, Russia
- May 27 John Conteh, British boxer, WBC Light Heavyweight crown (1974-77), born in Liverpool
- Jun 2 Larry Clark Robinson, NHL defenseman (Montreal Canadiens, Norris-77, 80)
- Jun 3 David Ogilvie, cricketer (5 Tests for Australia 1977-78)
- Jun 4 Charles Dickinson, American author (Waltz in Marathon), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Jun 6 Noritake Takahara, Japanese racing driver
- Jun 9 Dave Parker, baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, NL MVP 1978)
- Jun 10 Burglinde Pollak, German DR, pentathlete (Olympic bronze 1972)
- Jun 10 Dan Fouts, NFL quarterback (San Diego Chargers)
- Jun 10 Vicky Latta, equestrian 3 day event (Olympics 1996), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- Jun 11 Collis King, West Indian cricketer (WI all-rounder late 70s), born in Christ Church, Barbados
- Jun 11 Maren Seidler, American shot putter (Olympic 11th 1968), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Jun 11 Mithra Wettimuny, Sri Lankan cricketer (brother of Sidath 2 Tests for SL v NZ 1983), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Mike Weaver
Jun 13 Mike Weaver, American WBA World Heavyweight Champion, born in Gatesville, Texas
Mike Weaver
- Jun 15 Tom Forzani, CFL wide receiver (Calgary Stampeders)
- Jun 16 Roberto Durán, Panamanian boxer (4-weight world champion), born in El Chorrillo. Panama
- Jun 19 Francesco Moser, Italian cyclist
- Jun 23 Michèle Mouton, French race car driver
- Jun 24 Ivar Formo, Norwegian 50K cross country skier (Olympic gold 1976)
- Jun 24 Raelene Boyle, Australia, sprinter (Olympic silver 1972)
- Jun 26 Gary Gilmour, Australian cricket all-rounder (15 Tests, 54 wickets, top score 101), born in Waratah, Australia (d. 2014)
- Jun 27 Ulf Andersson, Swedish International Chess Grandmaster (1972), born in Västerås, Sweden
Richard Hadlee
Jul 3 Sir Richard Hadlee, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (NZ 86 Tests, 3,124 runs, 431 wickets), born in Christchurch, Canterbury
Richard Hadlee
- Jul 4 John Alexander, Australian tennis player, politician (Australian Open doubles 1975, 82), born in Sydney, NSW
- Jul 5 Rich "Goose" Gossage, American Baseball Hall of Fame relief pitcher (9-time All Star), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Jul 5 Johnny Rodgers, American College Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Heisman Trophy 1972, U of Nebraska–Lincoln; Grey Cup C'ship 1974, Montreal Alouettes), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Jul 11 Sridharan Jeganathan, cricketer (two Tests for Sri Lanka v NZ 1983)
- Jul 14 Judi Brown, American 400m hurdler (Olympic silver 1984), born in East Lansing, Michigan
- Jul 18 Bruce Lietzke, American golfer (13 PGA Tour wins; US Senior Open 2003), born in Kansas City, Missouri (d. 2018)
- Jul 19 Jayson Stark, American sportswriter (The Athletic), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Jul 20 Larry Black, 4x100 runner (Olympic gold 1972), born in Miami, Florida
- Jul 21 Doug Collins, American basketball player (Olympic silver 1972)
- Jul 21 Slick Watts, NBA (Seattle SuperSonic)
- Jul 26 Bobby Wadkins, American golfer (Senior Players C'ship 2006), born in Richmond, Virginia
- Jul 29 Dan Driessen, American baseball player
- Jul 31 Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Australian tennis player (7 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Barellan, NSW
Weddings in Sport
Wedding of Interest
Dec 23 MLB centerfielder Mickey Mantle (20) weds author Merlyn Mantle (19) in Commerce, Oklahoma
Mickey Mantle
Deaths in Sport
Eddie Collins
Mar 25 Eddie Collins, Hall of Fame baseball infielder (White Sox, A's) and manager, dies of heart problems at 63
Eddie Collins
Leo Diegel
May 5 Leo Diegel, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1928-29), dies of throat and lung cancer at 52
Leo Diegel
- Jun 6 Lionel Hallam, British cricketer (England capt 1921), dies at 61
- Jun 11 Montagu Odd, cricket bat-maker (W. G. Grace), dies
- Jul 9 Harry Heilmann, American baseball hall of famer outfielder (Detroit), dies at 56
- Jul 14 Sammy Jones, Australian cricket batsman (12 Tests; NSW, Queensland, Auckland), dies at 89
- Aug 3 Neville Tufnell, cricket wicket-keeper (Test for England 1910), dies
- Aug 22 J. P. Bickell, Canadian businessman and sports team owner (Toronto Maple Leafs), dies at 66
- Sep 3 Arnold Warren, cricketer (only Test for England), dies
- Sep 29 Thomas Cahill, American soccer coach and administrator (first coach US men's national team), dies at 86
- Oct 13 W G (Billy) Quaife, cricketer (7 Tests for England, 228 runs), dies
- Nov 5 Reggie Walker, South African athlete (Olympic gold 100m 1908), dies at 62
- Dec 5 "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, American professional baseball player (Black Sox Scandal), dies of a heart attack at 64
- Dec 8 Bobby Lowe, American baseball second baseman (first player to hit 4 HRs in one MLB game, 1894), dies at 86
- Dec 31 H. Guy Bedwell, American thoroughbred trainer (North American champion in wins x 7; earnings 1918-19; first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton), dies at 76