1957 in sports

1957 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

• NFL Championship – Detroit Lions won 59-14 over the Cleveland Browns.
• College football champions Auburn University

Association football

• European Cup - Real Madrid beat Fiorentina 2-0.

England

• First Division - Manchester United win the 1956-57 title.
• FA Cup - Aston Villa beat Manchester United 2-1.
• May 15 - Stanley Matthews makes his last England appearance.

Other events

• February 8 - The Confederation of African Football is founded in Khartoum.

Baseball

• January 5 - Jackie Robinson retires rather than move across town from the Dodgers to the Giants, to whom he had been traded in December.
• Roy Sievers lead American league with 42 home runs and 114 RBIs, for the last place Washington Senators.
• Cy Young Award – Warren Spahn, Milwaukee Braves
• World Series – Milwaukee Braves defeat New York Yankees four games to three.
• May 3 - Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, California.
• August 19- Horace Stoneham announces that the Giants are moving from New York to San Francisco, California.
• October 8 - Walter O'Malley announces that the Dodgers are going to move from Brooklyn, New York to Los Angeles, California.
• The Winnipeg Goldeyes win the Northern League championship.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship:
  • North Carolina wins 54-53 over Kansas
• NBA Finals:
  • Boston Celtics won 4 games to 3 over the St. Louis Hawks
• The tenth European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1957, is won by the Soviet Union.

Boxing

• September 23 - Carmen Basilio won the World Middleweight Championship by a 15 round decision over Sugar Ray Robinson.

Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Hamilton Tiger-Cats won 32-7 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Gastone Nencini of Italy
• Tour de France - Jacques Anquetil of France
• World Cycling Championship – Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: David Jenkins, United States
  • Ladies' champion: Carol Heiss, United States
  • Pair skating champions: Barbara Wagner & Robert Paul, Canada
  • Ice dancing champions: June Markham & Courtney Jones, Great Britain

Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament - Doug Ford
• U.S. Open - Dick Mayer
• British Open - Bobby Locke
• PGA Championship - Lionel Hebert
• PGA Tour money leader - Dick Mayer - $65,835
• Ryder Cup - Britain wins 7½ to 4½ over the United States in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Reid Jack
• U.S. Amateur - Hillman Robbins

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open - Patty Berg
• LPGA Championship - Louise Suggs
• U.S. Women's Open - Betsy Rawls
• Titleholders Championship - Patty Berg
• LPGA Tour money leader - Patty Berg - $16,272

Harness racing

• United States Pacing Triple Crown races:
  1. Cane Pace - Torpid
  2. Little Brown Jug - Torpid
  3. Messenger Stakes - Meadow Lands
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - Hickory Smoke
  2. Yonkers Trot
  3. Kentucky Futurity
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Radiant Venture

Horse racing

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Linwell
• Grand National – Sundew

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Straight Draw
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by Lyford Cay
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Oroso
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Ballymoss
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Crepello
  2. Epsom Derby – Crepello
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Ballymoss
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. May 4 – Kentucky Derby – Iron Liege
  2. Preakness Stakes – Bold Ruler
  3. Belmont Stakes – Gallant Man

Ice hockey

• 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: Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings
• Stanley Cup – Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 1 over the Boston Bruins
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Sweden defeated the Soviet Union
• NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - Colorado College Tigers defeat University of Michigan Wolverines 13-6 in Colorado Springs, CO

Motor racing

• NASCAR Championship - Buck Baker in a Chrysler
  • 30 May – Sam Hanks wins the 41st running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Belond Exhaust Special Salih-Offenhauser
• USAC Racing - Jimmy Bryan wins the season championship
• Formula One – Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) is five-time World Drivers' Champion, driving for Maserati. He is the first driver to win the championship five times. It will be 2002 before the feat is repeated.
• 24 hours of Le Mans:
  • Ron Flockhart / Ivor Bueb win, sharing a Jaguar D-Type
• Rally racing:
  • the team of Erik Carlsson (driver)/ Mario Pavoni (navigator) win the Finland Car Rally in a Saab 93
• Drag racing - George Dahir won the AHRA Top Fuel^{[clarification needed]} title at the Nationals^{[clarification needed]}

Rugby league

• 1957 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1957 NSWRFL season
• 1956–57 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1957–58 Northern Rugby Football League season
• 1957 Rugby League World Cup

Rugby union

• 63rd Five Nations Championship series is won by England who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – John Pulman beats Jackie Rea 39-34

Swimming

• January 31 – death in a road accident of John Marshall (26), Australian Olympic freestyle swimmer

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Ashley Cooper (Australia) defeats Neale Fraser (Australia) 6–3, 9–11, 6–4, 6–2
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Shirley Fry Irvin (USA) defeats Althea Gibson (USA) 6–3, 6–4

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Lew Hoad (Australia) defeats Ashley Cooper (Australia) 6–2, 6–1, 6–2
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Althea Gibson (USA) defeats Darlene Hard (USA) 6–3, 6–2

France

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

USA

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

Events

• Althea Gibson becomes the first black player to win a Wimbledon singles championship

Davis Cup

• 1957 Davis Cup –  Australia 3–2  United States at Kooyong Stadium (grass) Melbourne, Australia

Multi-sport events

• Pan Arab Games held in Beirut, Lebanon

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Ted Williams, Major League Baseball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Althea Gibson, Tennis

References