May 1951 in Sports History

Events in Sport

Baseball Record

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 Miñoso 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

Sports History

May 19 76th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold wins in 1:56.4

Sports History

May 25 NY Giant Willie Mays 1st major league game (goes 0 for 5)

May 28 After going 0-for-12, Willie Mays connects for his 1st major league home run

Boxing Title Fight

May 30 Ezzard Charles beats Joey Maxim in 15 for heavyweight boxing title

May 30 Indianapolis 500: Lee Wallard wins in a Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser that loses its brakes, suffers damaged exhaust pipe and broken shock absorber mounting

Birthdays in Sport

May 1 Gordon Greenidge, West Indies Cricket Batsman (108 Tests, 7,558 runs @ 44.72; 19 x 100s), born in St. Peter, Barbados
May 6 Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov, Kazakh Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold, light-flyweight 1980; World C'ship gold 1981), born in Tegistik, Kazakhstan (d. 2020)
May 8 Mike D'Antoni, American basketball coach (NBA Coach of the Year 2005, 17; Houston Rockets; LA Lakers, NY Knicks, Phoenix Suns), born in Mullens, West Virginia
May 11 Mike Sleman, English rugby union winger (32 caps; British and Irish Lions 1980; Liverpool RUFC), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2020)
May 12 Gunnar Larrson, Swedish 200m/400m swimmer (Olympic gold 1972)
May 13 Guy Morriss, American football coach (Kentucky, Baylor, Texas A&M–Commerce) and guard (Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots), born in Colorado City, Texas (d. 2022)
May 18 Angela Voigt, East German long jumper (Olympic gold 1976), born in Weferlingen, East Germany (d. 2013)
May 18 Jim Sundberg, American baseball player (Kansas City Royals), born in Galesburg, Illinois
May 18 Rodger Davis, Australian golfer (British Open runner-up 1997), born in Sydney, New South Wales