1955 in sports
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
1955 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.[1]
Years in sports: | 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 |
Centuries: | 19th century · 20th century · 21st century |
Decades: | 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s |
Years: | 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 |
Contents
- 1 American football
- 2 Association football
- 3 Athletics
- 4 Australian rules football
- 5 Bandy
- 6 Baseball
- 7 Basketball
- 8 Boxing
- 9 Canadian football
- 10 Cycling
- 11 Figure skating
- 12 Golf
- 13 Harness racing
- 14 Horse racing
- 15 Ice hockey
- 16 Motor racing
- 17 Rugby league
- 18 Rugby union
- 19 Snooker
- 20 Tennis
- 21 Volleyball
- 22 Multi-sport events
- 23 Awards
- 24 References
American football
- NFL Championship – Cleveland Browns win 38-14 over the Los Angeles Rams
- Rose Bowl Game – The Ohio State Buckeyes win 20-7 over the USC Trojans to win the Associated Press Poll national championship
Association football
England
- First Division - Chelsea win the 1954-55 title
- FA Cup - Newcastle United beat Manchester City 3-1
Athletics
- March 12 to 16 – Athletics at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City
Australian rules football
- Victorian Football League
- Melbourne wins the 59th VFL Premiership, defeating Collingwood 8.16 (64) to 5.6 (36) in the Grand Final.
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Fred Goldsmith (South Melbourne)
- South Australian National Football League
- April 30: West Torrens 9.12 (66) draws Norwood 8.18 (66) at Thebarton Oval. It is the first senior SANFL drawn match since West Adelaide 15.14 (104) drew with Port Adelaide 16.8 (104) on 24 May of 1941.[2] The intervening 788-game gap[3] constitutes easily the longest non-occurrence of draws in SANFL history and is twice as long as the V/AFL or VFA record, but has been bettered twice in the WAFL.
- October 1: Port Adelaide 15.11 (101) defeats Norwood 5.8 (38) for their second consecutive premiership
- West Australian Football League
- October 8: Perth 11.11 (77) defeat East Fremantle 11.9 (75) for their first premiership since 1907 in champion ruckman Merv McIntosh’s final match.
Bandy
- Federation of International Bandy inaugurated at Stockholm by Finland, Norway, Sweden and the USSR. The Soviet Union now adopts the international rules of the game developed in England in the 19th century.
Baseball
- April 23 – The White Sox tally a franchise record 29 runs at Kansas City. Sherm Lollar is 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs and five RBI, while reserve outfielder Bob Nieman and infielder Walt Dropo drive in seven runs apiece, and Chico Carrasquel hits 5-for-6 with five runs in the 29-6 victory over the Athletics
- World Series – October 4 - The Brooklyn Dodgers win 4 games to 3 over the New York Yankees; Series MVP is pitcher Johnny Podres, Brooklyn
Basketball
- NCAA Men's Basketball Championship – San Francisco wins 76-73 over La Salle
- NBA Finals – The Syracuse Nationals beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 to win the NBA title
- Eurobasket 1955, the ninth European basketball championship, is won by Hungary
- March 1 – Allen Fieldhouse opens at the University of Kansas as the Jayhawks defeat Kansas State
Boxing
- March 12 to 16 – Boxing at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City
- September 21 – In New York City, Rocky Marciano knocks out the light-heavyweight champion Archie Moore in the 9th round to retain his World Heavyweight Championship belt
Canadian football
- Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos won 34-19 over the Montreal Alouettes
Cycling
- Giro d'Italia won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy
- Tour de France - Louison Bobet of France
- UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Stan Ockers of Belgium
Figure skating
- World Figure Skating Championships –
- Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins, United States
- Ladies' champion: Tenley Albright, United States
- Pair skating champions: Frances Dafoe & Norris Bowden, Canada
- Ice dancing champions: Jean Westwood & Lawrence Demmy, Great Britain
Golf
Men's professional
- Masters Tournament - Cary Middlecoff
- U.S. Open - Jack Fleck
- British Open - Peter Thomson
- PGA Championship - Doug Ford
- PGA Tour money leader - Julius Boros - $63,122
- Ryder Cup - United States team wins 8-4 over the British team.
Men's amateur
Women's professional
- The LPGA launches the new LPGA Championship annual tournament.
- Women's Western Open - Patty Berg
- LPGA Championship - Beverly Hanson
- U.S. Women's Open - Fay Crocker
- Titleholders Championship - Patty Berg
- LPGA Tour money leader - Patty Berg - $16,492
Harness racing
- The first Cane Pace is held at Yonkers Raceway.
- Little Brown Jug for pacers won by Quick Chief
- Cane Pace won by Quick Chief
- The United States Trotting Triple Crown races are established. Scott Frost will win the first ever crown.
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Tactician
- Trotters: Battle Cry
Horse racing
- August 31 – In one of the most famous match races in thoroughbred racing history, Nashua beats Swaps at Washington Park racetrack, Swaps only loss in nine starts as a three-year-old. Nashua's owner-breeder, William Woodward, Jr., dreams of owning an Epsom Derby winner, and plans to send Nashua to England to train toward that goal but is shot dead by his wife on October 31 before he can proceed.
Steeplechases
Flat races
- Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Toparoa
- Canada – Queen's Plate won by Ace Marine
- France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Ribot
- Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Panaslipper
- English Triple Crown Races:
- United States Triple Crown Races:
Ice hockey
- Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, Montreal Canadiens
- Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Ted Kennedy, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Stanley Cup – Detroit Red Wings win 4 games to 3 over the Montreal Canadiens
- World Hockey Championship – Men's champion: Canada's Penticton Vees win 5-0 over the USSR
- NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - University of Michigan Wolverines defeat Colorado College Tigers 5-3 in Colorado Springs
Motor racing
- May 26 – Death during sports car testing of Alberto Ascari at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza
- May 30 – Bob Sweikert wins the 39th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the John Zink Special Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser, also winning the season championship; Bill Vukovich dies during the race
- NASCAR Championship - Tim Flock in the #91 Hudson Hornet
- AAA Racing –
- Formula One – Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) is World Drivers' Champion, driving for Mercedes, the first driver to win the championship three times
- 24 hours of Le Mans –
- Pierre Levegh killed along with more than 80 spectators in the worst auto racing accident in history
- Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb win, sharing a Jaguar D-type
- Rally racing – The team of Per Malling / Gunnar Fadum win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Sunbeam-Talbot
- Drag racing - The NHRA stages its first "Nationals" in Great Bend, Kansas. Calvin Rice wins the inaugural "Top Fuel" championship
Rugby league
- 1955–56 European Rugby League Championship
- 1955 New Zealand rugby league season
- 1955 NSWRFL season
- 1954–55 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1955–56 Northern Rugby Football League season
Rugby union
- 61st Five Nations Championship series is shared by France and Wales
Snooker
- World Snooker Championship – Fred Davis beats John Pulman 37-34
Tennis
Australia
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – Ken Rosewall (Australia) defeats Lew Hoad (Australia) 9–7, 6–4, 6–4
- Australian Women's Singles Championship – Beryl Penrose Collier (Australia) defeats Thelma Coyne Long (Australia) 6–4, 6–3
England
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Tony Trabert (USA) defeats Kurt Nielsen (Denmark) 6–3, 7–5, 6–1
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Louise Brough Clapp (USA) defeats Beverly Baker Fleitz (USA) 7–5, 8–6
France
USA
Davis Cup
- 1955 Davis Cup – Australia 5–0 United States at West Side Tennis Club (grass) New York City, United States
Volleyball
- March 16 to 20 – Volleyball at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City
- Men's Tournament
- Gold Medal: USA
- Silver Medal: Mexico
- Bronze Medal: Brazil
- Women's Tournament
- Gold Medal: Mexico
- Silver Medal: USA
- Bronze Medal: Brazil
- Men's Tournament
Multi-sport events
- March 12 to 16 – Second Pan American Games held in Mexico City, Mexico
- Second Mediterranean Games held in Barcelona, Spain
Awards
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, College football
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Patty Berg, LPGA golf