- Jan 2 16th Orange Bowl: #15 Santa Clara beats #11 Kentucky, 21-13
- Jan 2 16th Sugar Bowl: #2 Oklahoma beats #9 LSU, 35-0
- Jan 2 36th Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State beats #3 California, 17-14
Sawchuk's 1st Shutout
Jan 15 Red Wings' rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk records his first of 115 career NHL shutouts, as Detroit beats the New York Rangers, 1-0 at Madison Square Garden
Feller Takes Pay Cut
Jan 18 Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller, after 15-14 season, takes $20,000 salary cut to $45,000; pay cut is Feller's own suggestion
Robinson's Record Contract
Jan 24 Jackie Robinson signs highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history
Sedgman Beats McGregor
Jan 30 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Frank Sedgman retains title; beats fellow Australian Ken McGregor 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Brough Defeats Hart
Jan 30 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Louise Brough beats Doris Hart 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for her only Australian singles title
Curly Lambeau Resigns
Feb 1 Green Bay Packers founder, player and coach Curly Lambeau resigns after 31 seasons and 6 NFL titles to his credit
- Feb 11 Englishman Jack Holden wins Empire Games marathon in Auckland, New Zealand in 2:32:57; runs last 9 miles barefoot after his shoes fell apart during the race
- Feb 14 Moroney scores cricket twin centuries for Australia at Johannesburg
- Feb 16 Writers fail to elect anyone to Baseball's Hall of Fame
- Mar 3 National-American Football League reverts to calling itself the NFL after 3 months
- Mar 7 Men's Figure Skating World Championship in London won by Dick Button (USA)
Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Win
Mar 19 US Open Women's Golf, Rolling Hills CC: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins by 9 strokes from amateur Betsy Rawls
- Mar 24 US Mens Figure Skating Championship won by Dick Button
- Mar 25 104th Grand National: Jimmy Power wins aboard 10/1 Irish co-favourite Freebooter; estimated 500,00 in attendance including Royal Family
- Mar 25 Wales outclasses France, 21-0 at the National Stadium, Cardiff to clinch the Five Nations Rugby Championship, Grand Slam and Triple Crown
- Mar 28 12th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: CCNY beats Bradley, 71-68; City College of NY first to win NCAA & National Invitational Basketball in same year
14th US Masters
Apr 9 14th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jimmy Demaret becomes the first 3-time Masters champion by 2 strokes ahead of Australian Jim Ferrier
- Apr 17 54th Boston Marathon won by Kee Yong Ham of South Korea in 2:32:39
- Apr 18 Sam Jethroe is 1st African American to play for Boston Braves
- Apr 18 Yankees win 15-10 after trailing Red Sox 9-0 in 6th
- Apr 20 Baltimore, Maryland's Memorial Stadium opens - Orioles of International League
- Apr 23 1st major league day game completed under lights (Phils 6, Braves 5)
- Apr 23 NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat Syracuse Nationals, 110-95 to take series, 4 games to 2
- Apr 23 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Pete Babando scores Cup-winning goal in double overtime of Game 7 as Detroit Red Wings beat NY Rangers, 4-3 for a 4-3 series win
- Apr 25 Chuck Cooper becomes the 1st African American to be drafted into the NBA (for Boston Celtics)
- Apr 26 Last horse race at Havre de Grace Track in Md, is run
- Apr 26 U of Miami ends William & Mary straight tennis match victories at 82
- May 6 76th Kentucky Derby: William Boland on Middleground wins in 2:01.6
- May 13 First ever race of the Formula 1 World Drivers Championship is run at Silverstone, England and won by Giuseppe Farina of italy in an Alfa Romeo
- May 18 MLB St. Louis Cardinals baseman Tommy Glaviano makes 3 consecutive errors on grounders
75th Preakness
May 20 75th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Hill Prince wins in 1:59.2
Patty French Men's Champion
Jun 3 French Championships Men's Tennis: Budge Patty wins first of 2 Grand Sam titles that year; beats Jaroslav Drobný 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 7-5
Hart French Women's Champion
Jun 3 French Championships Women's Tennis: Doris Hart beats fellow American Patricia Todd 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 for her 1st of 2 French singles titles
Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin Debut
Jun 8 Test Cricket debut of famous West Indian spin twins Alf Valentine and Sonny Ramadhin in 1st Test v England at Manchester; Valentine takes 8-104 on Day 1 but WI lose by 202 runs
- Jun 10 82nd Belmont: William Boland aboard Middleground wins in 2:28.6
50th US Men's Open
Jun 11 50th US Open Men's Golf, Merion GC: 16 months after being severely injured in an auto accident, Ben Hogan beats Lloyd Mangrum by 4 shots and George Fazio by 6 in an 18-hole playoff; the "Miracle at Merion"
Connie Mack Honored
Jun 12 Following his retirement announcement after 49 years as Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack is named Honorary Manager of the MLB All-Star Game
- Jun 18 Cleveland Indians score an American League record 14 runs in 1st inning; beat Philadelphia A's, 21-2 at Cleveland Stadium
DiMaggio's 2,000th Hit
Jun 21 Joe DiMaggio gets his 2,000th hit, a 7th-inning single off Chick Pieretti, in a 8-2 victory over Cleveland
- Jun 23 New York Yankees (6) & Detroit Tigers (5) hit record 11 HRs at Briggs Stadium; Tigers win, 10-9
LPGA Western Open
Jun 24 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Cherry Hills CC: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins her 4th Western Open; beats Peggy Kirk, 5 & 3
- Jun 24 New York Giants outfielder Wes Westrum hits 3 HRs & a triple in a 12-2 rout of the Cincinnati Reds at the Polo Grounds V
- Jun 27 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Scioto CC: American Chandler Harper wins his only major title; beats Harry Williams Jr., 4 & 3 in the final
- Jun 29 Striker Joe Gaetjens heads US to an upset, 1-0 win over England in a FIFA World Cup group match in Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Americans next win over England: 1994
- Jun 29 West Indies dismiss England for 274 to win 2nd cricket Test at Lord's by 326 runs thanks to rookie spinners Sonny Ramadhin (6/86) & Alf Valentine (3/79)
- Jul 2 Cleveland Indians' pitcher Bob Feller wins his 200th MLB game, 5-3 over Detroit Tigers
- Jul 4 Boston Braves slugger Sid Gordon ties MLB season grand slam record (4) with a bases loaded hit vs Phillies
British Golf Open
Jul 7 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Troon: Bobby Locke of South Africa retains title by 2 strokes from Roberto De Vicenzo of Argentina
- Jul 7 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: American Budge Patty wins his only Wimbledon singles title 6-1, 8-10, 6-2, 6-3 over Australian Frank Sedgman
- Jul 8 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Louise Brough beats fellow American Margaret Osborne duPont 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 for her third straight Wimbledon singles title
Sports History
Jul 11 17th All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 4-3 in 14 at Comiskey Park, Chic Ted Williams breaks his elbow; 1st extra inning All Star Game
- Jul 12 ILTF re-admit Germany and Japan in Davis Cup, Poland & Hungary withdraws
- Jul 13 Doctors remove 7 bone fragments from Ted Williams' elbow
- Jul 16 FIFA World Cup Final, Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Alcides Ghiggia scores a 79th minute winner as Uruguay beats Brazil, 2-1
Sports History
Jul 19 NY Yankees sign their 1st Black players, Elston Howard and Frank Baines
Chadwick Breaks Channel Record
Aug 8 Florence Chadwick swims the English Channel in a record time of 13 hours and 23 minutes [1]
- Aug 11 17th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: All-Stars 17, Philadelphia 7 (88,885)
- Aug 11 Boston Braves pitcher Vern Bickford no-hits Brooklyn Dodgers, 7-0 at Braves Field
- Aug 11 In a 4 for 38 slump, New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio is benched for first time; replacement Cliff Mapes hits a HR in 7-6 win over Philadelphia Athletics
- Aug 12 First international game by an NFL team, New York Giants beat CFL's Ottawa Roughriders, 20-6 at Ottawa's Lansdowne Stadium
Boxing Title Fight
Aug 15 Ezzard Charles TKOs Freddie Beshore in 14 to retain heavyweight boxing title
- Aug 17 Pee Wee Reese (Dodgers) & Sam Calderone (Giants) hit inside park HRs
Sports History
Aug 22 Althea Gibson becomes 1st black competitor in a US national tennis competition
Boxing Title Fight
Aug 25 Sugar Ray Robinson KOs Jose Basora to win middleweight boxing title
Baseball History
Aug 31 Dodger Gil Hodges hits 4 HRs & a single in a game vs Braves
F1 World Champion
Sep 3 Giuseppe "Nino" Farina wins inaugural Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by taking out the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in an Alfa Romeo; wins by 3 points from Juan Manuel Fangio
- Sep 4 NASCAR’s first paved super speedway, Darlington Raceway hosts Southern 500, first 500-mile event in NASCAR history; winner Johnny Mantz in a Plymouth
- Sep 5 38.7 inches (98.3 cm) rainfall - over several days - at Yankeetown, Florida (state record)
- Sep 5 US National Championship Men's Tennis: American Art Larsen beats countryman Herb Flam 6-3, 4-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 for his only Grand Slam title
- Sep 5 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-American final Margaret Osborne duPont beats Doris Hart 6-3, 6-3 for her third consecutive US singles crown
- Sep 10 Joe DiMaggio becomes 1st to hit 3 HR in a game at Griffith Stadium
- Sep 15 For a record 6th time, NY Yankees' first baseman Johnny Mize hits 3 HRs in one game
- Sep 16 Cleveland Browns (formerly AAFC) play 1st NFL game, beat Philadelphia 35-10)
- Sep 17 San Francisco 49ers (formerly AAFC) play 1st NFL game, lose 21-17
- Sep 26 Phils pitcher Jim Konstanty makes record 71st appearance of year
- Sep 27 Heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles defeats Joe Louis in 15 in Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
Baseball History
Sep 29 Yanks clinch 2nd consecutive pennant under Casey Stengel
- Oct 1 Connie Mack's last game as Philadelphia Athletics manager (1901-50); longest serving manager in MLB history; beat Washington Senators, 5-3 at Shribe Park
- Oct 1 New York Giants beat Cleveland Browns, 6-0 at Cleveland Stadium; sets Browns club record for fewest points scored by both teams; Browns go on to win NFL Championship
- Oct 1 Philadelphia Phillies clinch NL pennant on Dick Sisler's 3-run home run in a season ending 4-1 win v Brooklyn Dodgers; Phillies first pennant since 1913
- Oct 1 US Open Women's Golf, Rolling Hills CC: Babe Zaharias ties Open scoring record, -9 291 to beat amateur Betsy Rawls by 9 strokes
- Oct 2 Bob Shaw of Chicago Cardinals sets NFL record with 5 TD receptions in 55-13 win against Baltimore Colts; Cardinals quarterback Jim Hardy tosses 6 touchdown passes
- Oct 3 Philadelphia Phillies choose not to request MLB rule on eligibility of star left-hander Curt Simmons to play in World Series despite being on furlough from Army; Phillies swept, 4-0 by NY Yankees
Knicks Draft Cousy
Oct 5 Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown & coach Red Auerbach draw lots out of hat for 3 members of defunct Chicago Stags franchise; hit jackpot with future 6-time NBA champion, Bob Cousy
- Oct 7 Baseball World Series: New York Yankees beat Philadelphia Phillies, 5-2 at Yankee Stadium to sweep series, 4-0 for 13th WS title in team history; MVP: NY 2B Jerry Coleman
- Oct 8 4th NHL All-Star Game, Detroit Olympia, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat All-Stars, 7-1
- Oct 8 Cleveland Browns play Pittsburgh for 1st time, beat Steelers 30-17
- Oct 22 LA Rams beat Baltimore Colts 70-27
Sports History
Oct 26 Branch Rickey resigns as Brooklyn Dodgers president
- Oct 29 Bill Rexford in an Oldsmobile finishes 26th in the season finale at Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, North Carolina to win the NASCAR Grand National Series Championship
- Oct 29 Cleveland Browns' Marion Motley sets record for highest avg gain in a game with 17.1 (10 attempts), Cleveland 45, Pittsburgh 7
- Oct 29 Detroit Lions Wally Triplett achieves a kickoff return yardage of 294 yards against the LA Rams, the second highest in a single-game in NFL history
Sports History
Oct 31 The Big Cat, Earl Lloyd becomes the first African-American to play a game in the NBA, scoring 6 points on debut for the Washington Capitols
- Nov 1 Celtics' forward Chuck Cooper becomes first African American to play in the NBA in Boston's 107-84 loss at Fort Wayne Pistons; future Hall of Famer Bob Cousy also debuts for Celtics
- Nov 3 Branch Rickey signs 5-year contract as Vice-President and General Manager of MLB Pittsburgh Pirates
- Nov 5 Cleveland Browns' Tommy James intercepts 3 passes, club record
- Nov 8 Walt Dropo, first baseman of Boston Red Sox selected AL Rookie of Year
- Nov 9 Phillies skipper Eddie Sawyer selected as Manager of Year
- Nov 9 White Sox release Luke Appling, who had been a Sox since 1930
- Nov 10 After 9 years, Cleveland Indians fire manager Lou Boudreau
- Nov 12 Gene Roberts sets NFL NY Giant rushing record (218 yds) vs Chic Cards
- Nov 22 7,021 see Fort Wayne Pistons edge Minneapolis Lakers, 19-18 at Minneapolis Auditorium; lowest ever NBA score of 37 combined points
- Nov 25 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Toronto Argonauts claim 9th title; shutout Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 13-0
- Nov 27 Red Sox sign shortstop Lou Boudreau as a player to 2-year contract
- Nov 28 Walter O'Malley fires Burt Shotton as Dodgers manager
- Dec 2 15th Iron Bowl: Alabama beats Auburn 34-0 in Birmingham
- Dec 2 South African world bantamweight boxing champion Vic Toweel sets a record for knockdowns in a title fight against Englishman Danny Sullivan in Johannesburg; Sullivan floored 14 times in 10 rounds before fight stopped
- Dec 3 Cleveland Browns last NFL team with no-pass game (beat Philadelphia 13-7)
- Dec 5 Ezzard Charles KOs Nick Barone in 11 for heavyweight boxing title
- Dec 12 16th Heisman Trophy Award: Vic Janowicz, Ohio State (HB)
- Dec 14 Baseball owners choose Lou Perini (Braves), Phil Wrigley (Cubs), Del Webb (Yankees), & Ellis Ryan (Indians) to select new commissioner
- Dec 24 National Football League Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Cleveland Browns beat LA Rams, 30-28; Cleveland has 5 interceptions, Rams 1
- Dec 26 Gillette & Mutual buy All Star & World Series rights ($6M for 6 yrs)
Shoemaker and Culmone Tied
Dec 31 American thoroughbred jockeys Bill Shoemaker and Joe Culmone end the year tied, leading the nation with record 388 wins
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions