title: 1951 in sports
text: # 1951 in sports
  
  1951 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
  
  ## American football
  
  * NFL Championship: the Los Angeles Rams won 24–17 over the Cleveland Browns at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
  * January 14 – The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles).
  * 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.
  * Sugar Bowl (1950 season):
     * The Oklahoma Sooners lose 13–7 to the Kentucky Wildcats; still awarded the college football national championship by AP and Coaches Poll
  
  ## Association football
  
  England
  
  * First Division – Tottenham Hotspur win the 1950–51 title.
  * FA Cup – Newcastle United beat Blackpool 2–0.
  
  Spain
  
  * La Liga won by Atlético Madrid
  
  Italy
  
  * Serie A won by Milan.
  
  Germany
  
  * German football championship won by 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
  
  Portugal
  
  * Primeira Liga won by Sporting C.P.
  
  France
  
  * French Division 1 won by Nice.
  
  ## Athletics
  
  The athletics competition at the 1951 Pan American Games is held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mal Whitfield of the USA wins gold medals in three events: 400 m, 800 m and 4 × 400 m relay.
  
  ## Australian rules football
  
  Victorian Football League
  
  * 29 September − Geelong wins the 55th VFL Premiership defeating Essendon 11.15 (81) to 10.10 (70) in the 1951 VFL Grand Final.
  * Brownlow Medal is awarded to Bernie Smith (Geelong)
  
  South Australian National Football League
  
  * 29 September − Port Adelaide wins its fourteenth SANFL premiership, defeating North Adelaide 10.12 (72) to 9.7 (61) after the Magpies lost only one game for the season.
  * Magarey Medal awarded to John Marriott (Norwood)
  
  Western Australian National Football League
  
  * October 13 – West Perth wins its eleventh WANFL premiership, beating South Fremantle 13.10 (88) to 12.13 (85)
  * Sandover Medal awarded to Fred Buttsworth (West Perth)
  
  ## 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.
  
  NBA Finals
  
  * Rochester Royals over New York Knicks (4–3)
  
  Events
  
  * 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 91⁄2 to 21⁄2 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
  
  Hurdle races
  
  * Champion Hurdle – Hatton's Grace for the third successive year
  
  Flat races
  
  * Australia – Melbourne Cup is won by Delat
  * Canada – King'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:
     * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Ki Ming
     * The Derby – Arctic Prince
     * St. Leger Stakes – Talma
  * United States Triple Crown Races:
     * Kentucky Derby – Count Turf
     * Preakness Stakes – Bold
     * Belmont Stakes – Counterpoint
  
  ## Ice hockey
  
  * August 26 – Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs dies in an air crash
  * Art Ross 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.
  
  ## Rugby league
  
  * 1950–51 European Rugby League Championship / 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship
  * 1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand
  * 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 – Jaroslav Drobný (Egypt) defeats Eric Sturgess (South Africa) 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
  * French Women's Singles Championship – Shirley Fry Irvin (USA) defeats Doris Hart (USA) 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
  
  USA
  
  * American Men's Singles Championship – Frank Sedgman (Australia) defeats Vic Seixas (USA) 6–4, 6–1, 6–1
  * American Women's Singles Championship – Maureen Connolly (USA) defeats Shirley Fry Irvin (USA) 6–3, 1–6, 6–4
  
  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
  