1951 in sports

Table of contents

1 Events 1.1 Auto Racing 1.2 Baseball 1.3 Basketball 1.4 Boxing 1.5 Cycling 1.6 Figure Skating 1.7 Football (Soccer) 1.8 Football (American) 1.9 Canadian Football League 1.10 Golf 1.11 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 1.12 Harness Racing 1.13 Ice Hockey 1.14 Tennis 1.15 General sporting events 2 Births 3 Deaths

Events

• NASCAR Championship - Herb Thomas
• AAA Racing:
  • Tony Bettenhausen won the series championship
  • Lee Wallard won the Indianapolis 500
• Formula One Championship - Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina
• 24 hours of Le Mans:
  • Louis Rosier / Jean-Louis Rosier won driving a Talbot-Lago
• Rally racing:
  • Marcel Becquart / H. Secret won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Hotchkiss
• Drag racing - NHRA founded by Wally Parks

• World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the New York Giants

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • Kentucky wins 68-58 over Kansas St.

• NBA Finals:
  • Rochester Royals won 4 games to 3 over the New York Knicks

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

• Giro d'Italia won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy
• Tour de France - Hugo Koblet of Switzerland
• World Cycling Championship: Ferdi Kubler of Switzerland

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Dick Button, United States
  • Women's champion: Jeanette Altwegg, Great Britain
  • Pairs champions: Ria Baran & Paul Falk, Germany

• England - FA Cup: Newcastle United won 2-0 over Blackpool

• January 14 - The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles, California).
• NFL Championship: Los Angeles Rams won 24-17 over the Cleveland Browns

• Grey Cup: Ottawa Rough Riders won 21-14 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Ben Hogan
  2. June - US Open - Ben Hogan
  3. July - British Open - Max Faulkner
  4. August - PGA Championship - Sam Snead

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Lloyd Mangrum - $26,089
• Ryder Cup: United States team wins 9 1/2 to 2 1/2 over the British team in world golf.

• US Women's Open - Betsy Rawls

• July 14 - Citation won his 32nd race, the Hollywood Gold Cup, becoming the first equine millionaire.
• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Delat
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Major Factor
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Tantième
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Fraise du Bois
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand 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

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

• 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

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Dick Savitt
  2. French Open - Jaroslav Drobny
  3. Wimbledon championships - Dick Savitt
  4. US Open - Frank Sedgman

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Nancy Wynne Bolton
  2. French Open - Shirley Fry
  3. Wimbledon championships - Doris Hart
  4. US Open - Maureen Connolly

• Davis Cup: Australia wins 3-2 over the United States in world tennis.

• February 25 - The first Pan American Games are held, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Fred Davis won the World Professional Snooker Championship

• March 4 - Kenny Dalglish footballer and football manager
• April 29 - Dale Earnhardt, stock car racer (+ 2001)
• June 2 - Larry Robinson, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman
• October 6 - Manfred Winkelhock, auto racing driver

• February 25 - Smokey Joe Williams, baseball star
• March 25 - Eddie Collins, Major League Baseball player (106-1930)
• July 9 - Harry Heilmann, Major League Baseball player (1914-1932)
• August 26 - Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey player, plane crash
• December 5 - "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Major League Baseball player (1908-1920)