- Jan 1 23rd Orange Bowl: #20 Colorado beats #19 Clemson, 27-21
- Jan 1 23rd Sugar Bowl: #11 Baylor beats #2 Tennessee, 13-7
- Jan 1 43rd Rose Bowl: #3 Iowa beats #10 Oregon State, 35-19
Fullmer vs. Robinson
Jan 2 In the first of 4 meetings between the fighters, Gene Fullmer wins the world middleweight boxing title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Sugar Ray Robinson at New York’s Madison Square Garden
- Jan 4 MLB Los Angeles Dodgers buy 44 passenger twin-engine airplane for $775,000
Jackie Robinson Retires
Jan 5 Dodgers' Jackie Robinson announces his retirement rather than be traded to the NY Giants
Commissioner's Bing Crosby Decision
Jan 10 Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick rules Bing Crosby can keep token stock in Detroit Tigers, even though he owns part of Pittsburgh Pirates
- Jan 13 7th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 19-10; MVPs: Bert Rechichar, Baltimore Colts, K; Ernie Stautner, Pittsburgh Steelers, DT
7th NBA All-Star Game
Jan 15 7th NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 109-97; MVP: Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics, PG
- Jan 15 Brooklyn Dodgers extend their 5-year lease on Ebbets Field by signing a new 3-year lease with real estate developer Marvin Kratter; club moves to Los Angeles the next year
- Jan 26 Joseph F Cairnes succeeds Lou Perini as President of Milwaukee Braves
Cooper Beats Fraser
Jan 28 Australian Championship Men's Tennis: Ashley Cooper wins 1st of 2 straight Australian titles; beats fellow Australian Neale Fraser 6-3, 9-11, 6-4, 6-2
All-American Final
Jan 28 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Shirley Fry wins all-American final; beats Althea Gibson 6-3, 6-4 for her only Australian singles title
Election of Interest
Feb 11 NHL Players Association forms (NYC), Red Wings' Ted Lindsay elected president
- Feb 14 Georgia Senate unanimously approves Sen Leon Butts' bill barring blacks from playing baseball with whites
- Feb 21 Dodgers (Fort Worth) & Cubs (LA) "trade" minor league franchises
- Feb 22 Jockey Ted Atkinson, 3,500th win
- Feb 22 Walter O'Malley says Dodgers may play 10 exhibitions in California in 1958
- Feb 25 US Supreme Court decides 6-3, baseball is only antitrust exempt pro sport
Sports History
Feb 28 Jockey Johnny Longden's 5,000th career victory
- Mar 3 Ice Dance Championship at Colorado Springs won by Markham & Jones of Great Britain
- Mar 9 4th ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: North Carolina beats South Carolina, 95-75
- Mar 10 Thousands of soccer fans riot in Italy
- Mar 16 England clinches its 15th Five Nations Rugby Championship, the Grand Slam, Triple Crown and Calcutta Cup with a 16-3 win over Scotland at Twickenham, London
Golf Tournament
Mar 16 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg wins her 7th Titleholders title by 3 strokes from amateur Anne Quast
- Mar 16 Toronto Maple Leafs tie NHL record 37 points beating NY Rangers 14-1
- Mar 19 Indians reject Boston's offer of $1 million for Herb Score
Sports History
Mar 23 19th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina beats Kansas, 54-53 (3 OT); Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas 4th player to be named tournament MOP despite not playing for the championship team
US Masters Golf
Apr 7 21st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Doug Ford wins his only Masters, 3 strokes ahead of 3-time champion Sam Snead
- Apr 13 11th NBA Championship: Bost Celtics beat St Louis Hawks, 4 games to 3
- Apr 15 61st Boston Marathon won by John J Kelley in 2:20:05; course length changed
- Apr 16 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Dickie Moore has a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 5-1 for a 4-1 series victory
- Apr 22 All NL baseball teams integrate, John Irwin Kennedy becomes the 1st Black player for the Philadelphia Phillies
- Apr 24 Chicago Cub pitchers walk NL record 9 Reds in 5th inning
- Apr 28 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Montgomery CC: Patty Berg wins her 6th WO by 1 stroke from Wiffi Smith
- May 1 Flevo Boys Football Club is established in Emmeloord, the Netherlands
- May 4 83rd Kentucky Derby: Bill Hartack aboard Iron Liege wins in 2:02.2
- May 7 Indians' pitcher Herb Score is hit by a line drive off Gil McDougald
Copacabana Incident
May 16 NY Yankee players including Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Hank Bauer are involved in a brawl at the Copacabana nightclub while watching Sammy Davis Jr. perform, leads to Billy Martin trade
Preakness Stakes
May 18 82nd Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold Ruler wins in 1:56.2
- May 22 Red Sox set AL record by smashing 4 HRs in 6th inning in 11-0 win
Sports History
May 25 Legendary rugby player Colin Meads makes his All Black debut against Australia - New Zealand win 25-11 in Sydney
European Cup Final
May 30 European Cup Final, Madrid: Alfredo Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento score as defending champions Real Madrid beats Fiorentina, 2-0
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Sam Hanks wins in his thirteenth attempt; first driver to win a $100,000 single-race payday
- May 30 Test Cricket debut for Rohan Kanhai v England at Edgbaston
- Jun 1 French Championships Men's Tennis: Sven Davidson becomes first Swede to win a Grand Slam title; beats American Herbert Flam 6-3, 6-4, 6-4
- Jun 1 French Championships Women's Tennis: England's Shirley Bloomer wins her lone Grand Slam singles title; beats American Dorothy Knode 6-1, 6-3
Cricket History
Jun 4 England cricket batsmen Peter May (285no) & Colin Cowdrey (154) make 411 stand in drawn 1st Test v West Indies in Birmingham; WI spinner Sonny Ramadhin bowls mammoth 98 overs
LPGA Championship
Jun 10 LPGA Championship, Churchill Valley CC: Louise Suggs wins her 10th major tile by 3 strokes from Wiffi Smith
Baseball Record
Jun 12 Stan Musial plays in 823rd game (new NL consecutive-game streak)
Baseball Record
Jun 13 Ted Williams becomes 1st ALer to have 2, 3-HR games in a season
Belmont Stakes
Jun 15 89th Belmont: Bill Shoemaker aboard Gallant Man wins in 2:26.6
US Golf Open
Jun 15 US Open Men's Golf, Inverness Club: Dick Mayer defeats defending champion Cary Middlecoff by 7 strokes in an 18-hole playoff to win his only major title
- Jun 15 Yanks trade Billy Martin & Ralph Terry for Ryne Duran
- Jun 16 White Sox reliever Dixie Howell hits 2 HRs to beat Washington Senators 8-6
- Jun 25 2nd Rugby League World Cup: New Zealand beats Great Britain 29-21
- Jun 28 Frick overrules and names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, & Hank Aaron to team
US Women's Golf Open
Jun 29 US Open Women's Golf, Winged Foot GC: Betsy Rawls wins when apparent champion, Jackie Pung at 298 (+6) is disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard kept by playing partner Betty Jameson
British Golf Open
Jul 5 British Open Men's Golf, St Andrews: South African Bobby Locke wins his 4th Open by 3 strokes from defending champion Peter Thomson of Australia
- Jul 5 England cricket batsman Tom Graveney scores a brilliant 258 in the drawn 3rd Test v West Indies at Trent Bridge
Wimbledon Men's Tennis
Jul 5 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Lew Hoad successfully defends in crown beating fellow Australian Ashley Cooper 6-2, 6-1, 6-2
Wimbledon Women's Tennis
Jul 6 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Althea Gibson becomes the first black female athlete to win Wimbledon beating Darlene Hard 6-3, 6-2
44th Tour de France
Jul 20 44th Tour de France: French cyclist Jacques Anquetil wins first of 5 general classification titles
- Jul 21 1st black to win a major US tennis tournament (Althea Gibson)
- Jul 21 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Miami Valley GC: Lionel Hebert wins 2 & 1 from Dow Finsterwald; last time event played under match-play format
- Jul 25 Peter Loader takes a cricket hat-trick for England v WI at Headingley
Sports History
Jul 26 Mickey Mantle hits career HR # 200
- Jul 28 MLB Chicago White Sox outfielder Jim Landis strikes out 5 times in a loss to the Orioles in Baltimore
Boxing Title Fight
Jul 29 Floyd Patterson TKOs Tommy Jackson in 10 for heavyweight boxing title
- Aug 1 Ex MLB outfielder Glen Gorbous throws a regulation baseball a record 136m (445' 10") in a game promotion
Baseball Record
Aug 1 Gil Hodges hits his 13th MLB career grand slam, a NL record and the last ever by a Brooklyn Dodgers player
F1 World Champion
Aug 4 Argentine Maserati driver Juan Manuel Fangio clinches his record 5th F1 World Drivers Championship (4th consecutive) in winning the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring
- Aug 9 24th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: NY Giants 22, All-Stars 12 (75,000)
Baseball History
Aug 17 Baseball player Richie Ashburn fouls and hits fan Alice Roth twice in the same game at bat playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, 1st hit breaks her nose, 2nd one hits her while she is on the stretcher
- Aug 18 Amelia Wershoven sets record of female throwing a baseball (252'4½")
- Aug 19 NY Giants board of directors vote 8-1 to move their baseball franchise to San Francisco in 1958 [1]
- Aug 20 Chicago White Sox Bob Keegan no-hits Washington Senators, 6-0
- Aug 22 Olympic heavyweight boxing champion Pete Rademacher becomes first to contest the world title in his first professional bout; knocked out by Floyd Patterson in 6th round at Sicks' Stadium, Seattle
- Aug 24 At age 17 future England soccer striker Jimmy Greaves scores on his First Division debut for Chelsea against Tottenham Hotspur in a 1–1 draw at White Hart Lane
- Sep 2 Milwaukee 1st baseman Frank Torre scores 6 runs to tie the MLB record; Braves rout Chicago Cubs 23-10
- Sep 3 Brooklyn Dodgers play their final game in Jersey City, a 3-2 loss v Philadelphia Phillies; 11-4 record in New Jersey
Baseball Record
Sep 3 Milwaukee Braves pitcher Warren Spahn sets an NL record for a left-hander with 41st shut-out; beats Cubs, 8-0
- Sep 8 Juan Manuel Fangio confirms his F1 World Drivers Championship, finishing 2nd in the season ending Italian GP at Monza; takes record 5th title by 15 points from Stirling Moss
- Sep 8 US National Championship Men's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: In an all-Australian final Mal Anderson wins his only Grand Slam event; beats Ashley Cooper 10-8, 7-5, 6-4
US Open Women's Tennis
Sep 8 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Althea Gibson beats Louise Brough Clapp 6-3, 6-2 for the first of her 2 home singles crowns
Baseball Record
Sep 22 Duke Snider's 39th & 40th home runs are last hit at Ebbets Field
- Sep 23 Milwaukee Braves clinch NL pennant by beating Cards 4-2
- Sep 24 Brooklyn Dodgers play last game at Ebbets Field, defeat Pirates 2-0
- Sep 27 American MLB San Francisco Giants rent Pacific Coast League San Francisco Seals Stadium until Candlestick Park is built in 1960
- Sep 29 NFL NY Giants play their last game at Polo Grounds, 9-1 loss to Pittsburgh
- Oct 2 New York Yankees appear in their 25th Baseball World Series; beat Milwaukee Braves, 3-1 in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium; lose series, 4-3
- Oct 5 11th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC: All-Stars beat Montreal Canadiens, 5-3
- Oct 5 Ryder Cup Golf, Lindrick GC: Great Britain-Ireland win, 7½-4½; Dai Rees captains home team to first Cup victory since 1933
- Oct 8 Brooklyn Dodgers announce move to Los Angeles
- Oct 10 Baseball World Series: Milwaukee Braves beat NY Yankees, 5-0 at Yankee Stadium to clinch 4 games to 3 series victory; MVP: Braves pitcher Lew Burdette (3-0)
- Oct 15 Giants trade Minneapolis franchise to Red Sox for SF Seals-franchises only, not the players
Sports History
Oct 19 Montreal Canadien Maurice "Rocket" Richard, becomes the 1st NHLer to score 500 goals
- Oct 24 Cincinnati Redlegs decline to move to Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City
- Nov 5 Mrs Nellie McGrail wins $574,658 on a 2½ cent soccer pool ticket
- Nov 7 Phillies pitcher Jack Sanford wins NL Rookie of Year
- Nov 10 NFL Cleveland Browns' Don Paul sets club record for longest fumble return with a 89-yard run (and TD), beating Pittsburgh Steelers 24-0
- Nov 10 NFL record crowd (102,368), '49ers vs Rams in LA
Aaron NLMVP
Nov 14 Milwaukee Brave Hank Aaron wins NL MVP
Russell's Rebounds
Nov 16 Boson Celtics' center Bill Russell sets NBA record of 49 rebounds as Boston beats Philadelphia Warriors, 111-89 at Boston Gardens
- Nov 16 University of Oklahoma Football NCAA win streak ends at 47 after losing 7-0 to Notre Dame at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
- Nov 22 Mickey Mantle wins AL MVP for the 2nd time
- Nov 28 Milwaukee Braves' future HOF pitcher Warren Spahn wins Cy Young Award
- Nov 29 NY Mayor Robert Wagner forms a committee to replace Dodgers & Giants
- Nov 30 22nd Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 40-0 in Birmingham
- Nov 30 CFL Grey Cup, Varsity Stadium, Toronto: Hamilton Tiger-Cats take out their 2nd title; beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 32-7
- Dec 2 NFL Draft: Rice quarterback King Hill #1 pick by Chicago Cardinals
- Dec 2 Pacific Coast League franchises forced to relocate when Dodgers and Giants confirm their move to California for 1958 MLB season; Hollywood Stars move from LA to Salt Lake City; LA Angels move to Spokane, and San Francisco Seals transfer to Phoenix
- Dec 3 23rd Heisman Trophy Award: John Crow, Texas A&M (HB)
US vs. Philippines
Dec 6 Gardnar Mulloy becomes oldest American to win a Davis Cup tennis match at age 44 years, 14 days; teams with Vic Seixas to give US a match-clinching, 3-0 lead over the Philippines in the Inter Zone 1st round in Adelaide, Australia
- Dec 7 Tony Kubek of the Yanks selected as AL Rookie of the Year
- Dec 17 Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid forward Alfredo Di Stéfano wins award for best football player in Europe ahead of Englishmen Billy Wright and Duncan Edwards
- Dec 17 The largest trade in NHL history at the time in terms of quantity; Chicago Black Hawks move Nick Mickoski, Jack McIntyre, Bob Bailey & Hec Lalonde to Detroit Red Wings for Earl Reibel, Billy Dea, Bill Dineen & Lorne Ferguson
- Dec 23 Test cricket debut for all-time great Australian wicketkeeper Wally Grout and future captain and coach Bobby Simpson, 1st Test v South Africa in Johannesburg
- Dec 28 46th Davis Cup: Australia beats USA in Melbourne (3-2)
- Dec 28 CBS states it won't broadcast baseball where minor league games are on
- Dec 29 National Football League Championship, Briggs Stadium, Detroit: Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns, 50-14; Lions score 2 touchdowns in each quarter
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions