Events in Sports History in 1946

  • Jan 1 12th Orange Bowl: Miami (FL) beats #16 Holy Cross, 13-6
  • Jan 1 12th Sugar Bowl: #5 Oklahoma State beats #7 Saint Mary's (CA), 33-13
  • Jan 1 32nd Rose Bowl: #2 Alabama beats #11 Southern California, 34-14
  • Jan 11 Bert Bell becomes second NFL commissioner, moves Chicago headquarters to Philadelphia
  • Jan 12 NFL champs Cleveland Rams owner Daniel Reeves announces plans to move team to Los Angeles, to avoid having to compete with the incoming AAFC Browns team
  • Jan 14 1946 NFL Draft: Frank Dancewicz from University of Notre Dame first pick by Boston Yanks

Bromwich Defeats Pails

Jan 29 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: John Bromwich wins his 2nd Australian title; beats fellow Australian Dinny Pails 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2

  • Jan 29 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Nancye Wynne Bolton beats Joyce Fitch 6-4, 6-4 for her 3rd Australian singles crown
  • Feb 19 New York Giants outfielder Danny Gardella is 1st major leaguer to announce he is jumping to the "outlaw" Mexican Baseball League for a fee of $10,000

Williams' Mexican League Offer

Mar 9 Ted Williams is offered $500,000 to play in Mexican Baseball League, he refuses

  • Mar 21 Kenny Washington signs with Rams, 1st black NFLer since 1933
  • Mar 23 8th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Oklahoma State beats North Carolina, 43-40; Cowboys' back-to-back titles and center Bob Kurland MOP for 2nd straight year
  • Mar 29 1st Test Cricket between Australia & NZ
  • Mar 29 Australian cricket bowlers Bill O'Reilly (5/14) and Ernie Toshack (4/12) rout NZ for 42 in one-off Test in Wellington; Test debuts of greats Ray Lindwall, Keith Miller & Don Tallon
  • Mar 30 Australia beats NZ in cricket at 3 30pm on 2nd day
  • Mar 30 Last Test Cricket appearance of Bill O'Reilly (5-14 & 3-19)
  • Apr 5 100th Grand National: Capt. Robert Petre wins aboard 25/1 shot Lovely Cottage; first true GN since 1940 due to World War II; last on a Friday

10th US Masters

Apr 7 10th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: American Herman Keiser wins his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of tour money-leader Ben Hogan; first Masters in 4 years because of World War II

  • Apr 9 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 6-3 for a 4-1 series victory

LPGA Titleholders

Apr 12 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Louise Suggs wins her first major title by 2 strokes from Eileen Stulb

  • Apr 13 Eddie Klepp, a white pitcher signed by defending Negro League champ Cleveland Buckeyes, is barred from field in Birmingham, Alabama [1]
  • Apr 15 50th Boston Marathon won by Stylianos Kyriakides of Greece in 2:29:27; first and only Cypriot athlete to win the event

Ott's Final MLB HR

Apr 16 Mel Ott playing in right field for NY Giants hits his 511th and final MLB home run in 8-4 Opening Day win over Philadelphia Phillies

Robinson 2nd Baseman

Apr 18 Jackie Robinson debuts as 2nd baseman for the Montreal Royals

  • Apr 19 Yankees switch from 3rd base to 1st base dug out
  • Apr 20 1st baseball broadcast in Chicago, Cards vs Cubs
  • Apr 23 Brooklyn Dodger Ed Head no-hits Boston Braves, 5-0

Baseball Hall of Fame

Apr 24 11 players named to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Tinker, Evers, Chance, Burkett, McCarthy, Waddell, Plank, Walsh, Jack Chesbro, Griffith and McGinnity

Feller's 2nd MLB No-Hitter

Apr 30 Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller's 2nd career MLB no-hitter; beats New York Yankees, 1-0

  • May 4 72nd Kentucky Derby: Warren Mehrtens aboard Assault wins in 2:06.6
  • May 8 MLB Boston Red Sox shortstop Johnny Pesky scores 6 runs in 14-10 win over visiting Chicago White Sox
  • May 10 Red Sox win 15th straight beat Yanks 5-4, DiMaggio hits Grand Slam
  • May 11 1st night game at Boston Braves Field (Giants 5, Braves 1)
  • May 11 71st Preakness: Warren Mehrtens aboard Assault wins in 2:01.4
  • May 20 Cubs Claude Passeau makes his 1st error since September 21, 1941, ending pitcher's fielding record of 273 consecutive errorless chances
  • May 22 Yankees turn triple-play & defeat Tigers 5-3

Bill Dickey for the Yankees

May 24 Bill Dickey replaces Joe McCarthy as New York Yankees manager

  • May 26 NY Yankee Mel Ott retires from playing to be a manager only with 2-for-42 & hitting .048
  • May 28 1st night game at Yankee stadium (Senators 2, Yanks 1)
  • May 30 Bama Rowell hits a home run in a baseball match - the ball shatters Bulova Clock in Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York
  • May 30 Indianapolis 500: Resumes after WWII; George Robson wins by 44 seconds ahead of rookie Jimmy Jackson
  • Jun 1 78th Belmont Stakes: Warren Mehrtens aboard Assault wins in 2:30.8; 7th horse to win the Triple Crown
  • Jun 6 The Basketball Association of America is formed in New York City
  • Jun 7 MLB Pittsburgh Pirates players attempt to unionize and vote 20-16 to go on strike rather than play the New York Giants; vote fell short of required 2/3 majority and union fizzles, and Pirates win 10-5 at Forbes Field, Pittsburghn
  • Jun 9 66,545 fans help Yanks break million attendance mark, the earliest

Boxing Title Fight

Jun 9 Joe Louis KOs Billy Conn in 8 for heavyweight boxing title

  • Jun 9 New York Giant Mel Ott becomes first manager in MLB history to be ejected from both games of a doubleheader; Giants lose both games to Pittsburgh Pirates

US Golf Open

Jun 16 US Open Men's Golf, Canterbury GC: World War II veteran Lloyd Mangrum defeats Byron Nelson and Vic Ghezzi in 36 playoff holes to win his only major title

Sports History

Jun 21 Bill Veeck buys MLB baseball team Cleveland Indians for $2.2 million

Cricket History

Jun 22 Alec Bedser takes 7-49 v India on 1st day of his 1st Test cricket

  • Jun 28 Permanent radio play-by-play of Cleveland Indians games begins

British Golf Open

Jul 5 British Open Men's Golf, St Andrews: In first post-WWII Championship, Sam Snead wins his only Open title, 4 strokes clear of runners-up Johnny Bulla & Bobby Locke

  • Jul 5 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Frenchman Yvon Petra beats Australian Geoff Brown 6-2, 6-4, 7-9, 5-7, 6-4 for his only Wimbledon title

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 6 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: In an all-American matchup Pauline Betz beats Louise Brough 6-2, 6-4 for her only Wimbledon crown

  • Jul 8 Baseball grants $5,000 minimum salary
  • Jul 9 13th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 12-0 at Fenway Park, Boston
  • Jul 12 Vance Dinges hits only Phillie pinch hit inside-the-park HR
  • Jul 14 Cleveland's Lou Boudreau hits 4 doubles & HR, but Red Sox win 11-10 on Ted Williams 3 HR with 8 RBIs
  • Jul 24 9 Spokane baseball players (Western League) die in a bus crash
  • Jul 27 45th Women's French Championships: Margaret Osborne beats Pauline Betz (1-6, 8-6, 7-5)
  • Jul 27 Boston Red Sox Rudy York hits 2 grand slams in 1 game, gets 10 RBIs

French Open Men's Tennis

Jul 27 French Championships Men's Tennis: Marcel Bernard beats Jaroslav Drobný 3-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3

  • Aug 8 Dreyfuss family, owners of Pittsburgh Pirates since 1900, sells club to Frank McKinney & John Galbreath for $25 million
  • Aug 9 1st time all major-league baseball games (8) are played at night
  • Aug 18 Golf Writers Association of America forms
  • Aug 22 Baseball approves a 168-game schedule, but later rescinds it
  • Aug 22 Mikko Hietanen wins Oslo marathon (2:24:55)
  • Aug 23 13th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 16, Los Angeles 0 (97,380)
  • Aug 25 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Portland GC: Ben Hogan beats Ed Oliver, 6 & 4 for first of his 9 major titles

US Women's Golf Open

Sep 1 1st US Open Women's Golf, Spokane CC: Patty Berg wins inaugural Open and only one played in match play format; takes 36-hole final 5 & 4 over Betty Jameson

  • Sep 2 American golfer Ben Hogan wins the Golden State Open at California CC in Los Angeles; his 3rd consecutive PGA event and 11th title of the season; 2nd time that year he wins 3 straight tournaments
  • Sep 5 Joe Garagiola plays his 1st major league baseball game, in his hometown of St. Louis; 2 RBI's in Cardinals' win over Chicago Cubs
  • Sep 6 All-America Football Conference begins regular season play as the Cleveland Browns beat the Miami Seahawks 44-0 before 60,135 at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium
  • Sep 8 San Francisco 49ers play 1st AAFC game, lose to NY Yankees 21-7

US Men's Tennis Open

Sep 8 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Jack Kramer beats fellow American Tom Brown Jr. 9-7, 6-3, 6-0 for his first of 2 straight US singles crowns

  • Sep 8 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-American final Pauline Betz Addie beats Patricia Canning Todd 11-9, 6-3 for her 4th and last US singles title
  • Sep 13 Boston Red Sox clinch AL pennant
  • Sep 15 Dodgers beat Cubs 2-0 in 5 inns, games called because of gnats
  • Sep 18 Joe Louis KOs Tami Mauriello in 1st round for heavyweight boxing title
  • Sep 24 Yanks set season attendance record of 2,309,029 besting 1929 Cubs
  • Sep 29 1st time NL pennant ends in a tie (Cards & Dodgers)
  • Sep 29 Los Angeles (previously Cleveland) Rams play 1st NFL game in LA
  • Oct 1 Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller claims his MLB record 348th strikeout of season in a 4-1 win over Detroit; record stands for 19 years
  • Oct 1 St. Louis Cardinals beats Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2 in first MLB play-off game for a league championship (NL); St Louis wins series, 2-0

Baseball Trade

Oct 11 New York Yankees trade infielder Joe Gordon to Cleveland Indians for pitcher Allie Reynolds

  • Oct 15 Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals beat Boston Red Sox, 4-3 at Sportsman's Park to clinch series, 4 games to 3; Cards 6th championship
  • Oct 20 Frank Seno returns kickoff 105 yd, Chicago Cards vs NY Giants
  • Nov 1 First Basketball Association of America game; New York Knicks beat Toronto Huskies, 68-66 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
  • Nov 11 New York Knicks play their first Basketball Association of American (BAA) home game at Madison Square Garden; lose, 78-68 to Chicago Stags in overtime

Bradman Century

Nov 13 Bradman scores 106 for an Australian XI v the MCC

  • Nov 15 Ted Williams is picked as AL MVP
  • Nov 27 English soccer team beats Netherlands, 8-2
  • Nov 30 Bradman scores 187 on first day of the Ashes 1st Test Australia v England at the Gabba, Brisbane
  • Nov 30 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts claim 7th Championship and retain title with 28-6 win over Winnipeg Blue Bombers
  • Dec 3 12th Heisman Trophy Award: Glenn Davis, Army (HB)
  • Dec 15 Giants Filchock & Hapes suspended by NFL, didn't report bribe attempt
  • Dec 15 National Football League Championship, Polo Grounds, NYC: Chicago Bears beat New York Giants, 24-14; record attendance 58,346 at final NFL title game played at Polo Grounds
  • Dec 16 1947 NFL Draft: Bob Fenimore from University of Oklahoma A&M first pick by Chicago Bears
  • Dec 17 Bradman & Barnes complete record 405 run 5th wicket stand, score 234 each in 2nd Cricket Test Australia vs. England in Sydney
  • Dec 22 Cleveland Browns beat NY Yankees 14-9 in AAFC championship game
  • Dec 28 Davis Cup Men's Tennis, Melbourne, Australia: Jack Kramer & Ted Schroeder give US unassailable 3-0 lead; beat Australians John Bromwich & Adrian Quist 6-2, 7-5, 6-4; ends 5-0