1950s Sports – 1950

by Candace RichComment — Updated August 3, 2023

1950s sports

FOOTBALL

  • NFL CHAMPIONSHIP:
    (in an upset)  Cleveland Browns (30), Los Angeles Rams (28)
  • The NFL and the AAFC merged adding 3 teams to the league including the Cleveland Browns
  • The Browns victory over the rams was a huge upset, the financially impoverished AAFC teams were thought to be inferior
  • Football games are televised for the first time

1950s BaseballBASEBALL

  • WORLD SERIES:
    (in a sweep)  New York Yankee’s (4), Philadelphia Phillies (0)
  • This win gives the Yankee’s their 13th world championship
  • Whitey Ford has his first World Series appearance and win for the Yankee’s
  • Joe Dimaggio gets his 2,000th hit

1950s Basketball

BASKETBALL

  • NBA CHAMPIONSHIP:
    (series went 6 games)  Minneapolis Lakers (4) games, Syracuse Nationals (2) Games
  • This would be the second NBA Championship in a basketball dynasty that lasted 5 years
  • George Mikan would again be named MVP, the press called him “The greatest basketball player ever”

1950s Tennis

Tennis

  • WIMBLETON:
    Men’s Singles
    (American) Budge Patty defeated (Australian) Frank Sedgman (6-1 8-10 6-2 6-3)
  • Women’s Singles
    (both Americans) Louise Brough Clapp defeated Margaret Osborne DuPont (6-1, 3-6, 6-1)
  • Australia wins the Davis Cup Challenge tournament

1950s Golf

GOLF

  • PGA CHAMPIONSHIP:  Sam Snead
  • Snead wins 11 major tournaments this year
  • The MASTERS:  Jimmy Demaret
  • Demaret becomes the first player to win the Masters three times
  • Bing Crosby enters the British Amateur Championship but gets bumped in the first round
  • US WOMEN’S OPEN:  Babe Didrikson Zaharias who also wins the other two LPGA major tournaments

1950s Hockey

HOCKEY

  • STANLEY CUP:
    (in 7 games) Detroit Red Wings (4) games, New York Rangers (3) games
  • The seventh game was decided in double overtime, a Stanley Cup first
  • Gordie Howe the league’s preeminent player was sidelined with a life and career threatening skull fracture
    prior to the Cup series

1950S Boxing

BOXING

  • WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:
    (15 round unanimous decision) Ezzard Charles defeats Joe Louis to retain his title in Yankee stadium
  • Sugar Ray Robinson knocks out Jose Basora to win MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
  • Sandy Saddler lifted the world FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP from Willie Pep in a seventh round knockout

1950s Nascar

CAR RACING

  • INDIANAPOLIS 500:   Johnny Parson
    the race was called after 345 miles (138 laps) due to rain
  • NASCAR Grand National Champion:   Bill Rexford with 1,959.0 accumulated points
  • SEBRING:   although actually a 1951 competition the first ever Sebring endurance race was run on 12/31/1950

1950s Horse Racing

HORSE RACING

  • KENTUCKY DERBY
    Middleground, ridden by William Boland
  • BELMONT STAKES:
    Middleground, jockey William Boland
  • PREAKNESS STAKES:
    Hill Prince, jockey Eddie Arcaro

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