1950s Sports – 1953

by Candace RichComment — Updated August 3, 2023

1950s sports

FOOTBALL

  • NFL Championship:
    Detroit Lions (17) over the Cleveland Browns (16)
  • This is the second consecutive win for the Lions
  • The team that started in Baltimore (1950), moved to NY (1951) then to Dallas (1952) is finally back in Baltimore and renamed the Colts
  • the NFL announced that the former American and National Conferences were renamed the Eastern and Western Conferences
  • The Cleveland Browns had a shot at the perfect season winning (11) straight but lost the final game to the Philadelphia Eagles

1950s BaseballBASEBALL

  • World Series:
    (in 6 games)New York Yankees (4 games), Brooklyn Dodgers (2 games)
  • This is the Yankees fifth consecutive World Championship win bringing their total World Series wins to sixteen
  • The Boston Braves are sold and moved becoming the Milwaukee Braves
  • Historians finally agree on who invented baseball
    Alexander Cartwright is now officially the father of baseball not Abner Doubleday
  • All Star Game: The National League (5), American League (1)

1950s Basketball

BASKETBALL

  • NBA Championship:
  • (in 7 games) Minneapolis Lakers (4 games), Syracuse Nationals (3 games)
  • This is the fifth Championship in six years – (the dynasty continues)
  • All Star Game:  (in overtime) East (98) beats the West (93)
  • Neil Johnston was player of the year with most shots, field goals, points and free throws
  • The League shrinks by one team when the Indianapolis Olympians fold prior to the start of the season

1950s Tennis

Tennis

  • Wimbleton: Men’s Singles
    (American) Vic Seixas defeated (Denmark)Kurt Nielsen (9-7, 6-3, 6-4)
  • Wimbleton: Women’s Singles
    Maureen Connolly Brinker defeated Doris Hart (8-6, 7-5)
  • US (Open) National Championship: Tony Trabert trounced Vic Seixas (6-3, 6-2, 6-3)
  • Davis Cup:
  • (an exact duplicate of last year) United States won the Americas Zone but lost to Australia in the Challenge Round

1950s Golf

GOLF

  • The Masters:  Ben Hogan (broke the club record with a 14 under par 274) at Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA
  • U.S. Open :  Ben Hogan (283), Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa
  • British Open :  Ben Hogan (282), Carnoustie, Scotland
  • PGA Championship :  Walter Burkemo (match-play), Birmingham Country Club
  • Hogan entered only six PGA tournaments, but he won five of them –
    including all three majors he entered: The Masters, U.S. Open and British giving him the Triple Crown
  • U.S. Women’s Open :  Betsy Rawls (302), Country Club of Rochester, Rochester, NY

1950s Hockey

HOCKEY

  • Stanley Cup:  (in five games) Montreal Canadiens (4 games) over the Boston Bruins (1 game)
  • Gordie Howe is again the league MVP as well as the scored points champ (third consecutive time)
  • World Ice Hockey Championships:  Sweden won and was undefeated during the tournament, this was their first win
  • Only European teams competed in this Championship which called the legitimacy of the title in to question,
    the Canadian team and the Russian team decided not to send their players

1950S Boxing

BOXING

  • World Heavyweight Championship:  Jersey Joe Walcott tries for a come back to regain his Title but gets knocked out by Rocky Marciano in the first round
  • Marciano, two months later, then defends his title with an 11th round KO of Roland LaStarza at the Polo Grounds in NY
  • Marciano has now won 45 bouts with 40 of them by knockout
  • Sugar Ray Robinson retired from boxing which left the Middleweight Belt up for grabs
    after a series of elimination rounds Carl (Bobo) Olson of Hawaii won a split decision against Randolph Turpin of England to gain the Title

1950s Nascar

CAR RACING

  • Indianapolis 500:  Bill Vukovich speed 138.39mph
  • Vukovich had the pole position, the fastest lap and led for 195 of the 200 laps of the race
  • Driver Chet Miller died in a practice round wreck two weeks before the race
  • Driver Carl Scarborough exited the race because he felt overcome by heat, he died later at the track hospital of heat exhaustion
  • The race track was so hot that eleven drivers had to request replacement drivers to finish the race
  • In Nascar news: Herb Thomas won the Grand National Champion points competition, he also won in 1951 and came in second place in 1952

1950s Horse Racing

HORSE RACING

  • Kentucky Derby:  Dark Star, Jockey – Henry Moreno
  • Dark star was a 24-1 long shot when he defeated the heavily favored Native Dancer
    who had not lost a race and was thought to be the next Triple Crown Winner
  • Belmont Stakes:  Native Dancer, Jockey – Eric Guerin
  • Preakness Stakes:  Native Dancer, Jockey – Eric Guerin

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