September 1956 in Sports History

Events in Sport

F1 World Champion

Sep 2 British Ferrari driver Peter Collins sportingly hands over his car to retired teammate Juan Manuel Fangio during season ending Italian Grand Prix at Monza; Fangio finishes 2nd to win F1 World Drivers Championship

Sep 2 Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina finishes 2nd in Italian GP at Monza to win his 3rd straight F1 World Drivers Championship by 3 points from Englishman Stirling Moss
Sep 3 American Johnny Longden becomes thoroughbred racing's winningest rider, breaking the record of 4,870 wins by British jockey Sir Gordon Richards; rides Arrogate to victory in the Del Mar Handicap

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 9 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-Australian final Ken Rosewall wins his first US singles title, beating Lew Hoad 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3

Tennis Player and Four-Time Major Champion Lew Hoad

US Open Women's Tennis

Sep 9 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-American final Shirley Fry Irvin beats Althea Gibson 6-3, 6-4 for her only US singles crown

Sports History

Sep 11 Cincinnati Reds outfielder Frank Robinson ties rookie record with his 38th HR

Baseball Record

Sep 11 New York Yankees Yogi Berra ties career record for HRs (236) by a catcher

Sep 17 Yanks clinch pennant #22 on Mantle's 50th homer of year

Baseball Record

Sep 18 Mickey Mantle is 8th to hit 50 HRs in a season

Sep 21 New York Yankees set dubious MLB record, stranding 20 on base; Mickey Mantle hits a 500' plus homer but rival Boston Red Sox win 13-9 at Fenway Park
Sep 25 Brooklyn Dodger Sal Maglie no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0
Sep 29 "I Love Mickey" by Mickey Mantle & Teresa Brewer peaks at #87
Sep 29 Yanks Mickey Mantle hits his 52nd HR of season
Sep 30 Phillies Robin Roberts gives up a major league record 46th HR
Sep 30 White Sox Jim Derrington, 16, is youngest to start a game (he loses)

Birthdays in Sport

Sep 2 Mario Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Montreal Canadiens 852 games) and coach (Montreal Canadiens 1985-87), born in Alma, Quebec
Sep 3 Hans-Georg Beyer, East German team handball player (Olympic gold 1980), born in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany
Sep 5 Steve Denton, American tennis player (world's fastest tennis serve-138 mph), born in Kingsville, Texas
Sep 7 Byron Stevenson, British footballer (Leeds United), born in Llanelli, Wales (d. 2007)
Sep 8 Maurice Cheeks, American NBA guard (NY Knicks, Philadelphia '76ers), born in Chicago, Illinois
Sep 12 Chip Beck, American golfer (US Open 1986, 89, Masters 1993 runner-up; shot 59 in 1991), born in Fayetteville, North Carolina
Sep 12 Ricky Rudd, American auto racer (NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year 1977; IROC Champion 1992; Brickyard 400 1997, born in Norfolk County, Virginia
Sep 14 Ray Wilkins, English soccer midfielder (84 caps; Chelsea, Manchester Utd, AC Milan, Rangers, QPR) and manager (QPR, Fulham, Jordan), born in Hillingdon, England (d. 2018)
Sep 16 Anatoly Beloglazov, Russian 52 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1980), born in Kaliningrad, Russia
Sep 16 Marcelo Campo, Argentine rugby union winger (20 Tests Argentina, 6 South America; Pueyrredón SC), born in Quilmes, Argentina (d. 2021)
Sep 16 Sergei Beloglazov, Russian 57 kg freestyle wrestler (Olympic gold 1980, 88), born in Kaliningrad, Russia
Sep 17 Thad Bosley. American major league baseball player, born in Oceanside, California

Peter Šťastný (66 years old)

Sep 18 Slovak-Canadian Hockey HOF center (2nd-highest NHL scorer 1980s, after Wayne Gretzky; World C'ship gold 1976, 77; Canada Cup gold 1984; Quebec Nordiques, NJ Devils, St. Louis Blues), born in Bratislava, Slovakia

Sep 19 Juan Manuel Fangio II, Argentine racing driver, born in Balcarce, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Sep 21 Jack Givens, American basketball player
Sep 23 Paolo Rossi, Italian soccer striker (48 caps; FIFA World Cup 1982 [Golden Boot, Golden Ball]; L.R. Vicenza, Juventus), born in Prato, Italy (d. 2020)
Sep 24 Ilona Slupianek, German shot-putter (Olympic gold 1980), born in Demmin, East Germany
Sep 26 Steve Butler, American auto racer (USAC Silver Crown Champion 1988, 92; USAC Sprint Car Champion 1986, 87, 88, 90), born in Amarillo, Texas
Sep 28 Bob Miller, American ice hockey center (47 games USA; Boston Bruins, Colorado Rockies, LA Kings), born in Medford, Massachusetts (d. 2020)

Sebastian Coe (66 years old)

Sep 29 British 1500m runner (Olympic gold 1980, 84), born in London, England

Deaths in Sport

Sep 7 C. B. Fry, English cricket batsman (26 Tests, 2 x 100s; Sussex, Hampshire), dies at 84
Sep 16 Shorty Ray, American football player and supervisor of NFL officials, dies at 71