1950s Sports – 1950

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

BASEBALL

• 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

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”

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

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

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

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

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

HORSE RACING

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