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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 was held in Buenos Aires. Mal Whitfield of the USA won 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 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.
• World Series – New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the New York Giants.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
  • Kentucky wins 68–58 over Kansas State University.
• NBA Finals –
  • Rochester Royals won 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 after 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 won 21–14 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia 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: Jeanette 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 1/2 to 2 1/2 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, 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

Horse racing

• July 14 – Citation won 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 won by Delat
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by Major Factor
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Tantieme
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Fraise du Bois
• 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 – death of Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey player 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, CO

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

• 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

Rugby union

• 57th Five Nations Championship series is won by Ireland

Snooker

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

Tennis

• 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 – Nancye 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.

Multi-sport events

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