Events in Sport in 1959

Jan 23 9th NBA All-Star Game, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Mi: West beats East, 124-108; MVPs: Elgin Baylor, Minneapolis Lakers, F; Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks, C; first co-winners of MVP award

Jan 31 Joe Cronin signs 7 year pact to become head of AL

Feb 1 Senior PGA Championship Men's Golf, PGA National GC: Willie Goggin, using a borrowed set of woods, wins by 1 stroke ahead of Leland Gibson, Paul Runyan and Denny Shute

Feb 2 Vince Lombardi signs a 5 year contract to coach Green Bay Packers

Feb 7 Dorothy Rigney sells White Sox to Bill Veeck for a reported $27M

Feb 27 Boston Celtic Bob Cousy sets NBA record with 28 assists Boston Celtics score 173 points against Minneapolis Lakers

Mar 15 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Louise Suggs wins her 4th Titleholders title by 1 stroke from Betsy Rawls

Mar 18 Boston Celtic's Bill Sharman begins record of 56 straight free-throws

Mar 21 21st NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: California beats West Virginia, 71-70; WV future Hall of Fame point guard Jerry West is named MOP

Apr 22 Yankee Whitey Ford strikes out 15, beating Senators, 1-0 in 14 innings

May 1 Floyd Patterson scores 11th round KO of Englishman Brian London in Indianapolis; his 4th World Heavyweight Boxing title defence

May 7 "Roy Campanella Night" Largest baseball crowd at 93,103 at the LA Coliseum see Yankees beat Dodgers 6-2 in exhibition game

May 9 Dorothy Rigney, husband John, and Hank Greenberg resign from White Sox

May 11 Yankee catcher Yogi Berra's errorless streak of 148 games ends

May 17 Sam Snead sets PGA record for 36 holes at 122

Jun 11 Charlie Sifford becomes the 1st African American to play in a US Golf Open

Jun 22 Most Phillies strike out in a game (16 by Sandy Koufax)

Jun 27 US Open Women's Golf, Churchill Valley CC: Mickey Wright successfully defends her Open title by 2 strokes from Louise Suggs

Jul 3 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: American-based Peruvian Alex Olmedo wins his only Wimbledon title beating Rod Laver of Australia 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Jul 3 British Open Men's Golf, Muirfield: 23 year old South African Gary Player wins the first of his 9 major titles, 2 strokes clear of runners-up Fred Bullock and Flory Van Donck

Jul 4 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Maria Bueno of Brazil wins her first of 3 Wimbledon singles titles beating Darlene Hard 6-4, 6-3

Jul 6 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Sheraton Hotel CC: Betsy Rawls wins her second title in the event by 1 stroke from Patty Berg

Jul 7 26th MLB All Star Game, Forbes Field, Pittsburgh: Willy Mays triples to score Hank Aaron as NL wins 5-4

Jul 30 In his MLB debut, SF Giants future Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Willie McCovey goes 4-for-4 in a 7-2 win over Philadelphia Phillies at Seal Stadium

Aug 18 Branch Rickey resigns as Pirates' CEO to be President of Continental League

Aug 22 Cincinnati Reds future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson hits 3 consecutive HRs (6 RBIs) in 11-4 win over St. Louis Cardinals at Crosley Field

Sep 17 59th US Golf Amateur Championship won by Jack Nicklaus

Oct 3 13th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC: Montreal Canadiens beat All-Stars, 6-1

Oct 4 Future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown makes club record 37 rushing attempts in Cleveland Browns, 34-7 win at Chicago Cardinals

Nov 1 Montreal Canadiens’ goal tender Jacques Plante becomes first NHL net-minder to wear a fibreglass protective face mask

Nov 4 Ernie Banks, Cubs shortstop, wins 2nd consecutive NL MVP

Dec 8 President Eisenhower watches Pakistan v Aust Test Cricket at Karachi

Dec 11 NY Yankees trade Marv Thronberry, Don Larsen, Hank Bauer and Norm Seibern for Roger Maris, Kent Hadley and Joe Deaestri

Dec 18 Sammy Baugh named 1st coach of NY Titans (AFL)

Dec 21 Tom Landry accepts coaching job with Dallas Cowboys (stays until 1988)