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 9 to 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.

Motorsport

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