1951 in sports
| Years in sports: | 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 |
| Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
| Decades: | 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s |
| Years: | 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 |
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).
- 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.
- Sugar Bowl (1950 season):
- The Oklahoma Sooners lose 13-7 to the Kentucky Wildcats; still awarded the college football national championship
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
Germany
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: 400m, 800m and 4 × 400 m relay.
Australian rules football
- 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.[1]
- 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 State University.
- NBA Finals –
- Rochester Royals win 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 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 9½ to 2½ over the British team.
Men's amateur
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 – Queen'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:
- United States Triple Crown Races:
Ice hockey
- August 26 – Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs dies 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, 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.
Motor racing
- 30 May – Lee Wallard wins the 35th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Kurtis Kraft–Offenhauser
- NASCAR Championship – Herb Thomas driving his own #92 Plymouth
- AAA Racing –
- Tony Bettenhausen wins the series championship
- Formula One – Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) is World Drivers' Champion in an Alfa Romeo
- 24 Hours of Le Mans – Louis Rosier / Jean-Louis Rosier win sharing a Talbot-Lago
- Rally racing –
- Marcel Becquart / H. Secret wins the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Hotchkiss
- Drag racing – NHRA is founded by Wally Parks
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
USA
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
References
{{Sports by year 1951 – 2000}}
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