Events in Sports History in 1945

  • Jan 1 11th Orange Bowl: Tulsa beats #13 Georgia Tech, 26-12
  • Jan 1 11th Sugar Bowl: #11 Duke beats Alabama, 29-26
  • Jan 1 31st Rose Bowl: #7 Southern California beats #12 Tennessee, 25-0
  • Jan 8 University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team sets an NCAA record by holding Arkansas State to 6 points in a 75-6 win
  • Jan 10 No one is elected to baseball's Hall of Fame
  • Jan 25 NY Yankees sold by Ruppert estate to construction magnate Del Webb and partners Dan Topping and Larry MacPhail for $2.8 million
  • Feb 5 Big Racket becomes fastest race horse at 69t.6 kph (440 yd/20.8 s)

Brown to Coach Cleveland

Feb 8 Paul Brown agrees to coach the new American football expansion team in Cleveland, which would later be named the Cleveland Browns after their coach

Trampoline Patented

Mar 6 George Nissen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receives a patent for the first modern trampoline

  • Mar 15 As a symbol of wartime baseball, Bert Shepard (one-legged WWII veteran) begins a successful tryout as a pitcher for the Washington Senators

Richard 1st to Score 50

Mar 18 Montreal Canadien Maurice "Rocket" Richard becomes the 1st NHLer to score 50 goals

NIT Basketball Championship

Mar 26 De Paul wins NIT basketball championship, George Mikan scores 34

  • Mar 26 Venray soccer team forms
  • Mar 27 7th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Oklahoma State beats NYU, 49-44; Cowboys' center Bob Kurland is named tournament Most Outstanding Player
  • Apr 8 1945 NFL Draft: Charley Trippi from University of Georgia first pick by Chicago Cardinals
  • Apr 9 NFL requires players to wear long stockings
  • Apr 10 NFL's Boston Yanks & Brooklyn Tigers merge
  • Apr 16 49th Boston Marathon won by John A Kelley in 2:30:40.2; his second event victory
  • Apr 18 1 armed outfielder, St Louis Brown Pete Gray, 1st game he goes 1 for 4
  • Apr 20 Cleveland Browns organization formed by Arthur "Mickey" McBride
  • Apr 22 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 for a 4-3 series win; Leafs lead series 3-0 but Wings recover to 3-3 to force a decider
  • Apr 24 Albert B "Happy" Chandler is named 2nd baseball commissioner
  • Apr 25 British troops reach the Grebbe Line, a forward defensive line in the Netherlands

Negro Baseball League Forms

May 7 Branch Rickey announces formation of the US Negro Baseball League

  • May 9 New balata ball used in baseball, 50% livilier
  • May 18 MLB Detroit Tigers & Philadelphia A's both have 7 straight games postponed due to rain
  • May 19 Start of the 1st Victory Test Cricket between England & Aust Services
  • May 20 Keith Miller scores 105 in the 1st Victory Test Cricket at Lord's
  • May 21 Australian Services win 1st Victory Test Cricket at Lord's by 6 wickets

Kentucky Derby

Jun 9 71st Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Hoop Jr scores his third of record 5 Derby wins

Sports History

Jun 9 Following an 8-7 win over the Phils, Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher is arrested on a complaint by a fan that Durocher slugged him

  • Jun 13 Heerjansdam soccer team forms
  • Jun 16 70th Preakness: Wayne D Wright aboard Polynesian wins in 1:58.8
  • Jun 16 Boo Ferriss loses to Yanks 3-2 after starting his career with 8 wins
  • Jun 23 77th Belmont Stakes: Eddie Arcaro aboard Pavot wins in 2:30.2
  • Jun 26 England win the second Victory test cricket at Bramall Lane by 41 runs

Baseball Record

Jul 1 First MLB superstar to return from WW II, Hank Greenberg homers in his 1st game (Detroit beats Philadelphia A's 9-5)

Sports History

Jul 6 Washington Senator Rick Ferrell catches a record 1,722 games

  • Jul 12 Chicago Cubs beat Boston, 6-1 to halt Braves outfielder Tommy Holmes' modern-day record NL hitting streak at 37 games

PGA Championship

Jul 15 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Morraine CC: Byron Nelson wins 5th and final major title and 2nd PGA title; beats ex-MLB player Sam Byrd 4 & 3

  • Jul 16 Australian Services win 3rd Victory Test Cricket by 4 wickets
  • Jul 21 Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia A's play 24 inning 1-1 tie
  • Jul 27 Cubs purchase pitcher Hank Borowy from NY Yankees

Baseball Record

Aug 1 NY Giants outfielder Mel Ott hits historic 500th MLB home run off Braves Johnny Hutchings, joins Babe Ruth & Jimmy Foxx as only players to reach milestone

  • Aug 4 American golfer Byron Nelson wins Canadian Open at Uplands & Thornhill CC for a record 11th consecutive PGA victory, on way to record season tally of 18
  • Aug 4 Red Sox outfielder Tom McBride drives in MLB record tying 6 runs in an inning (4th) during 15-4 win v Washington
  • Aug 6 Australian Test cricket all-rounder Keith Miller scores 110 not out for Australian Services on Day 1 of drawn 4th Victory Test against England at Lord's
  • Aug 15 Chandler sells World Series radio rights for $150,000 to Gillette, Ford had been World Series sponsor since 1934, pay $100,000 annually
  • Aug 18 Scheduled demonstrations at Polo Grounds & Ebbets Field to end segregation in organized baseball are called off

Sports History

Aug 19 Phillies Jimmie Foxx, 37, pitches 1st 7 innings vs Reds & wins

  • Aug 20 17-year-old Dodgers utility Tommy Brown becomes youngest player to hit a MLB home run in Brooklyn's 11-1 rout of Pittsburgh Pirates at Ebbets Field

Baseball History

Aug 24 MLB Cleveland Indians ace Bob Feller returns from serving in the US Navy and strikes out 12

  • Aug 30 12th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Green Bay 19, All-Stars 7 (92,753)
  • Sep 1 Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Vince DiMaggio smashes his 4th grand slam of season, tying NL record, in an 8-3 win v Boston Braves
  • Sep 3 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills: American Frank Parker successfully defends title; beats William Talbert 14-12, 6-1, 6-2
  • Sep 3 US Women's National Tennis Championship, Forest Hills: Sarah Palfrey Cooke wins second US title; beats Pauline Betz Addie 3-6, 8-6, 6-4
  • Sep 4 American chess grandmaster Reuben Fine wins 4 simultaneous rapid (10 seconds per move) games blindfolded in New York City
  • Sep 6 A's catcher Greek George punches umpire Joe Rue gets suspended
  • Sep 9 Jimmie Foxx hits his 534th & final HR
  • Sep 29 Chicago Cubs clinch NL pennant with record of 98–56
  • Sep 30 Detroit's future Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman Hank Greenberg smacks an AL pennant-winning grand slam on the final day of the season as the Tigers beat St. Louis Browns, 6-3

Sports History

Oct 1 World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis is discharged from US army after being awarded the Legion of Merit

  • Oct 3 Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs meet in Baseball World Series for the 4th time; Hank Borowy pitches a 6-hit shutout as Cubs win Game 1, 9-0 at Briggs Stadium; Detroit wins series, 4-3
  • Oct 6 Tavern owner "Billy Goat" Sianis buys seat for his goat for Game 4 of Baseball World Series, is escorted out and casts goat curse on Chicago Cubs
  • Oct 10 Baseball World Series: Detroit Tigers beat Chicago Cubs, 9-8 at Wrigley Field to clinch series, 4 games to 3; Tigers second championship
  • Oct 15 Baseball Attendance hits record 10.28 million (Tigers 1.28 is highest)

Contract of Interest

Oct 23 American baseball player Jackie Robinson signs contract with Montreal Royals, minor league farm team of Brooklyn Dodgers

  • Oct 29 Happy Chandler resigns as US Senator, remains as baseball commissioner
  • Oct 30 Branch Rickey signs Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Montreal Royals, the top minor league affiliate of the Brooklyn Dodgers
  • Nov 3 Australian Test cricket batsman Lindsay Hassett is 124 not out as Australian Services draws with Prince's XI at Delhi; follows his 187 in 1st innings
  • Nov 10 College football's #1 Army beats #2 Notre Dame 48-0
  • Nov 15 Rules revised for election of modern players to the Baseball Hall of Fame
  • Nov 22 Cleveland Rams end Jim Benton gains 303 yards in 28-21 win over Detroit Lions; NFL single game rushing record - stands for 40+ years
  • Nov 28 Australian Services draw second Victory Test Cricket v India at Calcutta
  • Dec 1 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts win their 6th title with a 35-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
  • Dec 4 11th Heisman Trophy Award: Doc Blanchard, Army (FB)
  • Dec 10 Aust Services lose 3rd Victory Test Cricket to India by 6 wkts
  • Dec 16 National Football League Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Cleveland Rams beat Washington Redskins, 15-14; last game before Rams move west to Los Angeles
  • Dec 29 Montreal right wing Maurice Richard scores twice in Canadiens' 5-4 loss to Chicago Black Hawks to record his 100th NHL career goal; reaches mark in 145 games, then fastest in history; since broken by Mike Bossy, 100 goals in 129 games

Bradman's 1st Post-war Century

Dec 31 Before the biggest Adelaide Oval crowd of the season, batting maestro Don Bradman scores his first post-WWII century; 112 for South Australia v Australian Services