Events in Sport
Event of Interest
Jan 9 Marines give notice that they will recall Ted Williams to active duty
Ted Williams
- Jan 12 2nd NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: National Conference beats American Conference, 30-13; MVP: Dan Towler, LA Rams, FB
Event of Interest
Jan 16 US Standard Board clears Stan Musial to get an $85,000 salary
Stan Musial
Event of Interest
Jan 20 The NBA's first superstar George Mikan scores a career high 61 points leading the Minneapolis Lakers to a 91-81 double-overtime victory over the Rochester Royals
George Mikan
- Jan 24 1st NFL team in Texas, Dallas Texans formerly NY Yanks
Event of Interest
Jan 25 Test debut of Australian Richie Benaud, v West Indies at the SCG
Richie Benaud
- Jan 28 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Thelma Coyne Long beats Helen Angwin 6-2, 6-3 for 1st of her 2 Australian singles titles
- Jan 28 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Ken McGregor wins his first and only Grand Slam event; upsets fellow Australian Frank Sedgman 7-5, 12-10, 2-6, 6-2
- Jan 31 Harry Heilmann & Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Event of Interest
Feb 4 1st African American executive of a major TV station (Jackie Robinson-WNBC NY)
Jackie Robinson
- Feb 11 2nd NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 108-91; MVP: Paul Arizin, Philadelphia Warriors, F
Event of Interest
Feb 13 Future world champion Rocky Marciano knocks out Italian heavyweight boxer Gino Buonvino in the 2nd round at Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence for his 40th straight win
Rocky Marciano
- Feb 14 VI Winter Olympic Games open at Oslo, Norway
- Feb 14 Giant slalom event for women debuts at the Winter Olympics at Oslo Games; American skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence wins gold ahead of Dagmar Rom of Austria and German Annemarie Buchner
- Feb 15 Giant slalom event for men debuts at the Winter Olympics at Oslo Games; Stein Erikson of Norway wins gold ahead of Austrians Christian Pravda and Toni Spiß
- Feb 16 Ian Craig makes NSW cricket debut aged 16 years 249 days (NSW record)
- Feb 16 United States goes 1-2 in the 500m speed skating at the Olso Winter Olympics with Ken Henry taking gold ahead of team mate Don McDermott; Norwegian Hjalmar Anderson dominates remaining 3 speed skating events
- Feb 17 Montreal Canadiens center Elmer Lach picks up his 354th career assist in a 3-2 loss at the NY Rangers to become the NHL's all-time assists leader; passes Bill Cowley's mark
- Feb 17 Trude Jochum-Beiser of Austria wins the downhill gold medal at the Oslo Winter Olympics; second career gold medal after taking out the combined event at St. Moritz (1948)
- Feb 18 Norwegian speed skater Hjalmar Anderson wins his 3rd gold medal of the Oslo Winter Olympics when he claims the 10,000m in Olympic record 16:45.8; also wins gold in 1,500m and 5,000m
- Feb 19 American defending champion Dick Button becomes first figure-skater to land a triple jump in competition; performs a triple loop in the Olympic free skate in Oslo; wins gold medal ahead of Austria’s Helmut Seibt
- Feb 20 1st black umpire in organized baseball certified (Emmett Ashford)
- Feb 20 Britain's Jeannette Altwegg wins the Olympic women’s figure skating gold medal at the Olso Winter Games ahead of American Tenley Albright, who goes on to win in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1956)
- Feb 20 American alpine skier Andrea Mead-Lawrence is only multi-gold medallist at the Oslo Winter Olympics when she wins the slalom, after taking out the inaugural giant slalom
- Feb 22 Germany takes the Olympic bobsleigh double with gold in the 4-man event at the Oslo Winter Games; Adreas Ostler and Lorenz Niebert score their 2nd gold medals after winning the 2-man a week earlier
- Feb 22 German husband and wife team Ria and Paul Falk win the mixed pairs gold medal at the Oslo Winter Olympics; defeat American siblings, Karol and Peter Kennedy
- Feb 23 Following his Nordic combined gold medal in St. Moritz (1948), Heikki Hasu takes his 2nd Olympic gold as part of Finland’s 4 x 10k cross country relay team at the Olso Winter Games
- Feb 23 Lydia Wideman of Finland becomes first female Olympic cross-country skiing champion; wins inaugural 10k event in Olso; Finnish medal sweep with minors to Mirja Hietamies and Siiri Rantanen
- Feb 24 Canada wins 6th Olympic ice hockey title courtesy of a final round 3-3 tie with the US at the Oslo Winter Games; Canadian center Billy Gibson top scores with 19 points
- Feb 24 Norway goes 1-2 in the men’s ski jumping event at the Oslo Winter Olympics with Arnfinn Bergmann winning gold ahead of team mate Torbjørn Falkanger
- Feb 25 VI Winter Olympic Games close at Oslo, Norway
- Feb 29 Ice Dance Championship at Paris France won by Westwood & Demmy of Great Britain
- Mar 9 Heinz Neuhaus wins Europe Heavyweight Boxing title
Golf Tournament
Mar 16 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins her 3rd Titleholders title by 7 strokes from Betsy Rawls
Betsy Rawls
- Mar 22 Wales wins Five Nations Rugby Championship, Grand Slam & Triple Crown with a 9-5 win over France at St. Helen's Ground, Swansea
- Mar 23 NY Rangers blow 6-2 lead, lose 7-6 to Chicago Black Hawks; Bill Mosienko scores fastest hat trick in NHL history, 21 seconds
- Mar 26 14th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats St. Johns, 80-63; first tournament to have a true "Final Four" format
- Apr 5 106th Grand National: Jockey Arthur Thompson and trainer Neville Crump combine for their second GN with Teal winning at odds of 100/7
US Masters Golf
Apr 6 16th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Sam Snead wins his second green jacket by 4 strokes over Jack Burke Jr
Sam Snead
- Apr 15 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-0 for a 4-0 series sweep
- Apr 21 56th Boston Marathon won by Doroteo Flores of Guatemala in 2:31:53
- Apr 25 6th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat NY Knicks, 4 games to 3
- Apr 26 Patty Berg scores 64, best competitive round of golf by a woman
- Apr 28 St Louis Browns lend 2 black minor leaguers to Hankyu Braves of Japan
- May 3 78th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Hill Gail wins his record fifth Derby
- May 5 Ron Necciai of Pitts Pirate's Bristol Twins Class D farm team, strikes out 27, as he no-hits Welch Minors, 4 Minors do reach base
- May 13 Minor-league Bristol pitcher Ron Necciai strikes out 27 in 9-innings
- May 15 Johnny Longden becomes 2nd jockey to ride 4,000 winners
- May 17 77th Preakness: Conn McCreary aboard Blue Man wins in 1:57.4
- May 21 Booklyn Dodgers score 15 runs in their 1st inning to beat Cincinnati Reds 19-1
- May 30 Charlie Grimm succeeds Tommy Holmes as manager of Boston Braves
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Troy Ruttman wins in 3:52:41.930 (207.480 km/h)
- Jun 1 French Championships Men's Tennis: England based Czech Jaroslav Drobný wins his 2nd straight French title; beats Frank Sedgman of Australia 6-2, 6-0, 3-6, 6-4
- Jun 1 French Championships Women's Tennis: Doris Hart beats fellow American Shirley Fry 6-4, 6-4 for her 2nd French singles title
- Jun 5 1st sporting event televised nationally-Walcott vs Charles boxing
- Jun 5 Test Cricket debut of Freddie Trueman v India at Headingley
Boxing Title Fight
Jun 5 Jersey Joe Walcott beats Ezzard Charles in 15 for heavyweight boxing title
Jersey Joe
Ezzard Charles
- Jun 7 7th Curtis Cup: British Isles, 5-4
- Jun 7 84th Belmont: Eddie Arcaro aboard One Count wins in 2:30.2
- Jun 10 Chicago White Sox outfielder Sam Mele is only 6th MLB player to record 6 RBI's in an inning (4th) during a 15-4 win over the A's in Philadelphia
- Jun 14 US Open Men's Golf, Northwood GC: Julius Boros wins 1st of 3 majors by 4 shots from Ed Oliver
- Jun 14 Boston Brave Warren Spahn strikes out 18 Cubs in 15 innings
- Jun 14 Jim Peters runs world record marathon (2:20:42.2)
- Jun 14 Braves Warren Spahn ties NL record of Jim Whitney with 18 strikeouts against the Cubs in 15-inning, 3-1 loss
- Jun 19 Bkln Dodger Carl Erskine no-hits Chicago Cubs, 5-0
- Jun 21 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Skokie CC: Betsy Rawls defeats Betty Jameson, 1 up in the final
- Jun 25 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Big Spring CC: Jim Turnesa wins 1-up over Chick Harbert in the Wednesday final
US Women's Golf Open
Jun 29 US Open Women's Golf, Bala GC: 1949 champion Louise Suggs wins, 7 strokes ahead of runners-up Marlene Bauer and Betty Jameson
Louise Suggs
- Jul 1 The first NASCAR Grand National event is run outside of the US with Buddy Shuman winning the 200-lap race at Stamford Park, Ontario, Canada
- Jul 4 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Australian Frank Sedgman wins his only Wimbledon singles title beating Czech Jaroslav Drobný 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
- Jul 5 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Maureen Connolly beats Louise Brough 7-5, 6-3 for the first of 3 straight Wimbledon crowns
- Jul 8 19th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 3-2 in 5 at Shibe Park, Phila
- Jul 11 British Golf Men's Open, Royal Lytham & St Annes GC: 3 titles in 4 years for Bobby Locke of South Africa beating Australian Peter Thomson by a stroke
- Jul 19 XV Summer Olympic Games open in Helsinki, Finland
- Jul 19 39th Tour de France won by Fausto Coppi of Italy
- Jul 20 Emile Zatopek runs Olympic Record 10K (29:17.0)
- Jul 24 Emile Zatopek runs Olympic record 5K (14:06.6)
Event of Interest
Jul 26 Mickey Mantle hits his 1st grand-slammer
Mickey Mantle
- Jul 27 Emile Zatopek runs Olympic record marathon (2:23:03.2)
- Jul 27 Swedish race walker John Mikaelsson makes it back-to-back gold medals in the 10k event at the Helsinki Olympics, having won the corresponding race in London in 1948
- Jul 28 Rogers Hornsby replaces Luke Sewell as Cincinnati Reds manager
Olympic Gold
Aug 2 17 year-old future world champion Floyd Patterson wins the gold medal in the middleweight division at the Helsinki Olympic Games with a 1st round KO of Romanian Vasile Tita
Floyd Patterson
- Aug 3 Italian Ferrari driver Alberto Ascari clinches Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by winning German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring
- Aug 3 XV Summer Olympic Games close in Helsinki, Finland
- Aug 6 St. Louis Browns veteran pitcher Satchel Paige, 46, becomes oldest pitcher to win a complete shutout, 1-0 v Detroit Tigers in 12 innings
- Aug 15 19th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Los Angeles 10, All-Stars 7 (88,316)
- Aug 27 Emil Zatopek wins 12th olympics marathon (2:23:03.2)
- Sep 7 Outfielder Don Grate throws a baseball a record 434'1" (Tenn)
Event of Interest
Sep 7 Whitey Ford becomes 5th pitcher to hurl consecutive 1 hitters
Whitey Ford
- Sep 7 NY Yankees Johnny Mize's pinch-hit grand slam gives Yanks a 5-1 win at Washington, giving him a HR in all 15 major league parks
- Sep 7 Alberto Ascari of Italy in a Ferrari wins Formula 1 World Drivers Championship with victory in season ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza; wins title by 12 points from countryman Giuseppe Farina
- Sep 8 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Australian Frank Sedgman wins his second straight US title; beats American Gardnar Mulloy 6-1, 6-2, 6-3; last amateur major before turning pro in 1953
- Sep 8 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Defending champion Maureen Connolly beats fellow American Doris Hart 6-3, 7-5
Birthdays in Sport
- Jan 11 Ben Crenshaw, American golfer (US Masters 1984, 95), born in Austin, Texas
- Jan 17 Darrell Porter, American baseball catcher (MLB All Star 1974, 78-80; World Series MVP 1982), born in Joplin, Missouri (d. 2002)
- Jan 23 Omar Henry, South African cricketer (1st colored player for South Africa 1992), born in Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Jan 26 Thomas Edward Henderson, American basketball player (Olympic silver 1972), born in Newberry, South Carolina,
- Jan 27 Brian Gottfried, American tennis player (Wimbledon doubles 1976, French Open doubles 1975, 77), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Jan 27 "White Shoes" Johnson, American football player
- Jan 30 Doug Falconer, Canadian football player, born in Calgary, Canada
- Feb 3 Fred Lynn, American baseball outfielder (Boston, California, Baltimore), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Feb 6 Richard Charsworth, Australian women field hockey head coach (Olympics 1996), born in Subiaco, Australia
- Feb 6 Ric Charlesworth, Australian cricketer (WA opener, Aust hockey capt) and politician (Labour), born in Subiaco, Australia
- Feb 9 Danny White, quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
- Feb 9 Mookie Wilson, American baseball player
- Feb 10 Mike Varty, American NFL player, born in Detroit, Michigan
- Feb 13 Freddy Maertens, Belgian cyclist, born in Nieuwpoort, Belgium
- Feb 16 Barry Foote, Major League Baseball player
- Feb 17 Insook Bhushan, Seoul Korea, US table tennis player (Olympic-92)
- Feb 17 Karin Janz, East German gymnast
- Feb 22 Wayne Levi, American golfer (12 PGA Tour titles), born in Little Falls, New York
- Feb 24 Simon Weinstock, businessman/racehorse owner
- Feb 24 Tom Burleson, USA, basketball (Olympic silver 1972) tallest Olympian-7'4"
- Feb 25 Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (d. 2000)
- Feb 25 Elizabeth "Libby" Callahan, American sport shooter and four-time Olympian, born in Columbia, South Carolina
- Feb 28 Melissa Babish, SC, swimmer (Olympic)
- Feb 29 Raisa Smetanina, Soviet cross country skier (Olympic gold 10k & 4x5k relay 1976; 10k 1980; 4x5k relay 1992), born in Mokhcha, Russia
- Feb 29 Raúl González, Mexican racewalker (Olympic gold 50k 1984; WR 1978 3:45:52 & 3:41:20), born in China, Nuevo León, Mexico
- Mar 1 Dave Barr, Canadian golfer (US Open 1985 runner-up), born in Kelowna, British Columbia
- Mar 1 Martin O'Neill, Northern Irish soccer midfielder (64 caps; Nottingham Forest) and manager (Rep of Ireland; Leicester City, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sunderland), born in Kilrea, Northern Ireland
- Mar 1 Brian Winters, American basketball guard (NBA All Star 1976, 78; Milwaukee Bucks) and coach (Vancouver Grizzlies, GS Warriors), born in Rockaway, New York
- Mar 7 Lynn Swann, NFL receiver (Pittsburgh Steelers)/sportscaster
- Mar 9 Uljana Semjonova, Soviet-Latvian basketball player (Olympic gold 1976), born in Zarasai, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
- Mar 18 Mike Webster, American football player (d. 2002)
- Mar 18 Pat Eddery, Irish jockey (won Epsom Derby 3x), born in Newbridge, County Kildare (d. 2015)
- Mar 19 Warren Lees, NZ cricket wicket-keeper (late 70's)
- Mar 20 Anand Armitraj, India, tennis player (Brother of ViJay)
- Mar 20 Geoff Brabham, Australian auto racer (IMSA GT Championship 1988-91), born in Sydney, NSW
- Mar 22 Bob Costas, sportscaster/talk show host (Later), born in Queens, New York
- Mar 26 Didier Pironi, French Formula One driver (d. 1987)
- Mar 28 Tony Brise, English racing driver, born in Erith, Kent (d. 1975)
- Mar 29 Teofilo Stevenson, Cuban heavyweight boxer (Olympic gold 1972, 76, 80), born in Puerto Padre, Cuba (d. 2012)
- Mar 30 Peter Knights, Australian footballer and coach
- Mar 31 Mike Rafter, England Rugby Union flanker (England 17 caps), born in Bristol, England
- Apr 2 Will Hoy, English auto racer (British Touring Car C'ship 1991), born in Melbourn, England (d. 2002)
- Apr 4 Rosemarie Ackermann, German high jumper (Olympic gold 1976), born in Lohsa, Sachsen, Germany
- Apr 4 Gregg Hansford, Australian motorcycle and touring car racer, born in Australia (d. 1995)
- Apr 7 Jane Frederick, US pentathlete (Olympic 7th 1976)
- Apr 11 Peter Windsor, English motor racing journalist and reporter, born in Reigate, Surrey, England
- Apr 12 Alexis Argüello, Nicaraguan boxer (3-weight world champion), born in Managua, Nicaragua (d. 2009)
- Apr 12 Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist and writer (Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Page 2), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2004)
- Apr 12 Reuben Gant, American professional football player (Buffalo Bills), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Apr 13 Jonjo O'Neill, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Cork, Ireland
- Apr 14 Mickey O'Sullivan, Irish Gaelic football manager and player, born in Kenmare, Ireland
- Apr 15 Bengt Gingsjö, Swedish swimmer, born in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland
- Apr 16 Peter Westbrook, American fencer (Olympic bronze 1988, 92, 96), born in St Louis, Missouri
Bill Belichick
Apr 16 Bill Belichick, American NFL coach (Super Bowl 2002, 04, 05, 14, 17, 18; most SB wins; NFL Coach of the Year 2003, 07, 10; New England Patriots), born in Nashville, Tennessee
Bill Belichick
- Apr 20 Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball coach and president of the Olympic Committee of Serbia, born in Otočac, Croatia
- Apr 23 Terry Moor, American tennis star, born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Apr 25 Vladislav Tretiak, Russian hockey player (Olympic gold 1972, 76), born in Dmitrovsky District, Russia
- Apr 27 Ari Vatanen, Finnish rally driver, born in Tuupovaara, Finland
George Gervin
Apr 27 George Gervin, American basketball player, born in Detroit, Michigan
George Gervin
- Apr 29 Bob McClure, American baseball player
- May 3 Allen Wells, Scottish athlete (Olympic 100m gold 1980), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- May 11 Mike Lupica, American sports journalist and newspaper columnist (New York Daily News, ESPN), born in Oneida, New York
- May 13 Sew Shivnarine, cricketer (3 Tests for WI 1978, later USA captain)
- May 15 Rick Waits, baseball pitcher (Rangers, Indians, Twins)
- May 19 Bert van Marwijk, Dutch football manager
- May 20 Roger Milla, Cameroonian footballer
- May 23 'Marvelous' Marvin Hagler, American boxer (undisputed World Middleweight champion 1980-87; second-longest unified C'ship reign in history ), born in Newark, New Jersey
- Jun 3 David Richards, CBE, British motor racing entrepreneur
- Jun 12 Siegfried Brietzke, German coxless rower (Olympic gold 1972, 76, 80), born in Rostock, Germany
- Jun 14 Pat Summitt, American basketball coach (University of Tennessee), born in Clarksville, Tennessee (d. 2016)
- Jun 16 Aleksandr Zaitsev, USSR, pairs figure skating (Olympic gold 1976, 80)
- Jun 17 Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach and executive, born in Brighton, Massachusetts
- Jun 26 Gordon McQueen, Scottish soccer player (Manchester United), born in Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire, Scotland
- Jun 28 Pietro Mennea, Italian runner (200m world record), born in Barletta, Apulia, Italy (d. 2013)
- Jun 29 Joe Johnson, English snooker player, born in Bradford, West Yorkshire
- Jul 1 Steve Shutt, Canadian NHL left wing (5-time Stanley Cup winner), born in Willowdale, Canada
- Jul 3 Wasim Raja, British-Pakistani cricketer (bro of Rameez, Pakistani lefty bat & leggie), born in Multan, Punjab, Dominion of Pakistan
- Jul 3 Peter Mathebula, South African boxer (WBA flyweight title 1980-81), born in Mohlakeng, South Africa (d. 2020)
- Jul 8 Ulrich Wehling, German cross country skier (3 Olympic gold 1972, 76, 80), born in Halle an der Saale, Germany
- Jul 8 Jack Lambert, American football player
- Jul 9 Rod Boll, Canadian trap shooter (Olympics 1996), born in Fillmore, Saskatchwan
- Jul 10 Ludmilla Tourischeva, Russian gymnast (nine-time Olympic medalist for the Soviet Union), born in Grozny, Russia
- Jul 16 Phil Carrick, English cricketer (Yorkshire County Cricket Club), born in Armley, Yorkshire, England (d. 2000)
- Jul 18 James Forbes, American basketball player (Olympic silver 1972), born in Fort Rucker, Alabama
- Jul 22 Herbert Chang, West Indian cricket batsman (1979)
- Jul 23 Paul Hibbert, Australian cricketer (one Test Aust v India 1977, scored 13 & 2), born in Brunswick, Australia (d. 2008)
- Jul 26 Lyudmila Maslakova, Soviet relay runner (Olympic silver 1980), born in Astrakhan
- Jul 27 Hannu-Pekka Hänninen, Finnish sports commentator, born in Helsinki, Finland
- Jul 31 Alan Autry, American NFLer (Green Bay Packers), actor (In the Heat of the Night) and politician (23rd Mayor of Fresno), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
- Jul 31 Helmuts Balderis, Latvian International Hockey Hall of Fame right wing, coach (Latvia, Soviet Union, Minnesota North Stars), born in Riga, Latvia
- Aug 1 C. L. Whittington, American football defensive coach (Frankfurt Galaxy), born in Beaumont, Texas
- Aug 1 Yajurvindra Singh, Indian cricketer (Indian batsman late 70's), born in Rajkot, Gujarat
- Aug 2 Angel Herrera, Cuban FW/LW boxer (Olympic gold 1976, 80), born in Guantánamo, Cuba
- Aug 3 Osvaldo Ardiles, Argentine soccer player, born in Córdoba, Argentina
- Aug 4 Daniel Bautista, Mexican race walker (Olympic gold 20k 1976; 3 x 20k WR holder), born in El Salado, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Aug 6 Wojiech Fortuna, Polish ski jumper (Olympic gold 1972)
- Aug 8 Sudhakar Rao, Indian cricketer
- Aug 9 John Cappelletti, American College Football Hall of Fame running back (Heisman Trophy 1973, Penn State; NFL: LA Rams, SD Chargers), born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania
- Aug 12 Charles Whiting, English Formula 1 Race Director (Safety Delegate, Starter, head F1 Technical Dep't), born in Sevenoaks, Kent (d. 2019)
- Aug 14 Debbie Meyer, American 200m/400m/800m swimmer (Olympic 3 gold-68), born in Annapolis, Maryland
Deaths in Sport
- Jan 5 Nawab of Pataudi, cricket (play polo 3 Tests for Eng 3 for Ind), dies
- Jan 17 Walter O Briggs, American entrepreneur and sports team owner (Detroit Tigers 1935-52), dies at 74
- Jan 28 Thomas Hicks, English athlete (Olympic gold marathon 1904), dies at 76
- Feb 5 Reginald Allen, cricketer (uncle of Gubby, Test Aust v Eng 1887), dies
- Feb 7 Pete Henry, American NFL tackle (Canton, NY Giants, Pottsville), dies at 54
- Feb 14 Maurice De Waele, Belgian cyclist (b. 1896)
- May 16 Alec Hearne, cricketer (scored 9 in Test for Eng v South Africa 1892), dies
- Jun 18 Efim Bogoljubov, Russian-German chess player, dies at 63
- Jun 20 Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (b. 1898)
- Jun 25 Alec Ross, Scottish golfer (US Open 1907), dies at 72
- Jul 21 Silvio Cator, Haitian athlete long jumper (Olympic silver 1928), dies at 51
- Jul 27 Roland Pope, cricketer (Test for Australia 1885), dies
- Jul 31 N B F "Tufty" Mann, cricketer (South African slow lefty 1947-51), dies
- Aug 30 Arky Vaughn, American Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (MLB All-Star 1934–42; NL batting champion 1935; NL stolen base leader 1943), drowns whilst fishing at 40
- Sep 19 Hugo Bezdek, Czech American College Football Hall of Fame coach (University of Oregon, University of Arkansas, Penn State; NFL: Cleveland Browns; MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates), dies at 68
- Sep 29 John Cobb, British speed record holder (World Land Speed Record 1938-39, 47), dies attempting to break world Water Speed Record at Loch Ness, Scotland, at 52
- Oct 5 Joe Jagersberger, Austrian-American racing driver, dies at 68
- Oct 8 Joe Adams, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals), dies at 74
- Oct 26 Myrtle McAteer, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1900), dies at 74
- Nov 8 Claude Carter, South African cricketer (took 28 wkts 10 Tests for South Africa), dies at 71
- Dec 4 James E. Norris, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame team owner (Detroit Red Wings), dies at 72
- Dec 19 Harry Makepeace, English cricketer (4 Tests for England v Australia 1920-21), dies at 71