1951 in sports

1951 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

• January 14 – The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles, California).
• September 28 – Norm Van Brocklin sets NFL single game record for most passing yards (554) helping Los Angeles Rams beat New York Yanks 48–21.
• NFL Championship – Los Angeles Rams won 24–17 over the Cleveland Browns

Association football

England

• First Division – Tottenham Hotspur win the 1950–51 title.
• FA Cup – Newcastle United beat Blackpool 2–0.

Athletics

The athletics vompetition at the 1951 Pan American Games is held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mal Whitfield of the USA wins gold medals in three events: 400m, 800m and 4x400m relay.

Australian rules football

• Victorian Football League
  • Geelong wins the 55th VFL Premiership (Geelong 11.15 (81) d Essendon 10.10 (70))
  • Brownlow Medal is awarded to Bernie Smith (Geelong)

Baseball

• January 29 – baseball signs a six-year All-Star game deal for TV and radio rights for $6 million
• September 30 – Joe DiMaggio plays in his final career regular season game.
• October 3 – In one of the most famous finishes in baseball history, Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hits a three-run walk-off home run, immortalized as the Shot Heard 'Round the World, to give the Giants a 5–4 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League title.
• World Series – The New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the New York Giants.
• Japan Series – The Yomiuri Giants win 4 games to 2 over the Nankai Hawks.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
  • Kentucky wins 68–58 over Kansas State University.
• NBA Finals –
  • Rochester Royals win 4 games to 3 over the New York Knicks
• The seventh European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1951, is won by the Soviet Union.

Boxing

• July 10 – Randy Turpin becomes the middleweight boxing champion by defeating Sugar Ray Robinson.
• July 18 – Jersey Joe Walcott knocks out Ezzard Charles in round 7 during their bout in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders wins 21–14 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia is won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy
• Tour de France – Hugo Koblet of Switzerland

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Dick Button, United States
  • Ladies' champion: Jeannette Altwegg, Great Britain
  • Pair skating champions: Ria Baran & Paul Falk, Germany

Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament – Ben Hogan
• U.S. Open – Ben Hogan
• PGA Championship – Sam Snead
• British Open – Max Faulkner
• PGA Tour money leader – Lloyd Mangrum – $26,089
• Ryder Cup – United States team wins 9½ to 2½ over the British team.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Dick Chapman
• U.S. Amateur – Billy Maxwell

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open – Patty Berg
• U.S. Women's Open – Betsy Rawls
• Titleholders Championship – Pat O'Sullivan
• LPGA Tour money leader – Babe Zaharias – $15,087

Harness racing

• Tar Heel, a standardbred horse driven by Del Cameron, runs the first two–minute mile in harness racing history.
• Little Brown Jug for pacers is won by Tar Heel
• Hambletonian for trotters is won by Mainliner
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers: Vedette
  • Trotters: Gay Belwin

Horse racing

• July 14 – Citation winds his 32nd race, the Hollywood Gold Cup, becoming the first equine millionaire.

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Silver Fame
• Grand National – Nickel Coin

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup is won by Delat
• Canada – Queen's Plate is won by Major Factor
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is won by Tantieme
• Ireland – Irish Derby is won by Fraise du Bois II
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Ki Ming
  2. Epsom Derby – Arctic Prince
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Talma
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Count Turf
  2. Preakness Stakes – Bold
  3. Belmont Stakes – Counterpoint

Ice hockey

• August 26 – Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs dies in an air crash
• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings
• Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins
• Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs win 4 games to 1 over the Montreal Canadiens
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Canada's Lethbridge Maple Leafs
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Michigan Wolverines defeat Brown University Bruins 7–1 in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Lacrosse

• The 50th anniversaries of the donations of both the Mann Cup and the Minto Cup.
• The Peterborough Timbermen win the 50th Mann Cup.
• The Mimico Mountaineers win the 50th Minto Cup.

Motor racing

• 30 May – Lee Wallard wins the 35th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser
• NASCAR Championship – Herb Thomas driving his own #92 Plymouth
• AAA Racing –
  • Tony Bettenhausen wins the series championship
• Formula One – Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) is World Drivers' Champion in an Alfa Romeo
• 24 hours of Le Mans – Louis Rosier / Jean-Louis Rosier win sharing a Talbot-Lago
• Rally racing –
  • Marcel Becquart / H. Secret wins the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Hotchkiss
• Drag racing – NHRA is founded by Wally Parks

Rugby league

• 1950–51 European Rugby League Championship / 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship
• 1951 French Rugby League tour of Australia
• 1951 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1951 NSWRFL season
• 1950–51 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1951–52 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

• 57th Five Nations Championship series is won by Ireland

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – Fred Davis beats Walter Donaldson 58–39.

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

• Men's All-round Champion – Hjalmar Andersen (Norway)

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Dick Savitt (USA) defeats Ken McGregor (Australia) 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 6–1
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Nancye Wynne Bolton (Australia) defeats Thelma Coyne Long (Australia) 6–1, 7–5

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Dick Savitt (USA) defeats Ken McGregor (Australia) 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Doris Hart (USA) defeats Shirley Fry Irvin (USA) 6–1, 6–0

France

• French Men's Singles Championship –
• French Women's Singles Championship –

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship –
• American Women's Singles Championship –

Davis Cup

• 1951 Davis Cup –  Australia 3–2  United States at White City Stadium (grass) Sydney, Australia

Multi-sport events

• First Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Asian Games are held in New Delhi, India
• First Mediterranean Games are held in Alexandria, Egypt

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Dick Kazmaier, College football
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Maureen Connolly, Tennis

References