1956 in sports

Encyclopedia : 1 : 19 : 195 : 1956 in sports

Contents

NASCAR Championship - Buck Baker
The United States Auto Club (USAC) was founded to take over race sanctioning from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
USAC Racing:
Pat Flaherty won the Indianapolis 500
Jimmy Bryan won the season championship
Formula One Championship - Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina
24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Ron Flockhart / Ninian Sanderson won, driving a Jaguar D-Type
Rally racing:
the team of Ronnie Adams / Frank Biggar won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Jaguar Mk VII
Drag racing:
Art Arfons' Allison-powered "Green Monster #6" become the first member of Hot Rod Magazine's new 150-mph Club.
*Melvin Heath won the NHRA "Top Fuel" Championship at the Nationals

April 17: Luis Aparicio replaces fellow Venezuelan Chico Carrasquel as the White Sox' everyday shortstop. Aparicio, who played 10 seasons with the White Sox, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984 and had his #11 retired by the Sox in the same year.

July 14: Boston Red Sox lefty Mel Parnell pitches a no-hitter against the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park, winning 4-0. It is only Parnell's third win against two losses and is the sixth straight loss for second-place Chicago. The no-hitter is the first for the Red Sox since 1923. Parnell will go 4-4 before a torn muscle in his pitching arm ends his career as the Red Sox' winningest southpaw.

World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the Brooklyn Dodgers. Yankees pitcher Don Larsen, pitches the first and only perfect game in World Series history, earning himself MVP honors. It is also the only no-hitter thrown in any postseason game.

December 1: Cincinnati slugger Frank Robinson is unanimously voted the NL Rookie of the Year. White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio is voted AL Rookie of the Year with 22 points, beating out Baltimore's Tito Francona and Rocky Colavito of the Indians.

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
San Francisco wins 83-71 over Iowa

NBA Finals:
Philadelphia Warriors won 4 games to 1 over the Fort Wayne Pistons

March 19 - At age 48, Dutch boxer Bep van Klaveren contests his last match in Rotterdam.
April 27 - Rocky Marciano retires as the only undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the world with a perfect record (49-0).
November 30, in Chicago, Illinois - Floyd Patterson knocks out Archie Moore in the 5th round to win the vacant World Heavyweight title.

Giro d'Italia won by Charly Gaul of Luxembourg
Tour de France - Roger Walkowiak of France
World Cycling Championship: Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium

Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Melbourne, Australia
* Gold Medal: India
* Silver Medal: Pakistan
* Bronze Medal: West Germany

World Figure Skating Championships:
Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins, (United States)
Women's champion: Carol Heiss, (United States)
*Pairs champions: Sissy Schwarz & Kurt Oppelt, (Austria)

NFL Championship: New York Giants won 47-7 over the Chicago Bears
Oklahoma Sooners - college football championships.

Victorian Football League
* Melbourne wins the 60th VFL Premiership (Melbourne 17.19 (121) d Collingwood 6.12 (48))
* Brownlow Medal awarded to Peter Box (Footscray)

Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos win 50-27 over the Montreal Alouettes

Test Series: New Zealand All Blacks defeat South African Springboks 3-1.

European Cup - Real Madrid beat Stade de Reims 4-3 in the very first final.

England

First Division - Manchester United win the 1955-56 title.
FA Cup - Manchester City beat Birmingham City 3-1.

Men's Golf
Grand Slam of golf results:
#May - The Masters - Jack Burke, Jr.
#June - US Open - Cary Middlecoff
#July - British Open - Peter Thomson
#August - PGA Championship - Jack Burke

PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Ted Kroll - $72,836
Women's Golf
US Women's Open - Kathy Cornelius
LPGA Championship - Marlene Hagge
Marlene Hagge: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $20,235.

Australia - Melbourne Cup - Evening Peal
Canada - Queen's Plate - Canadian Champ
France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Ribot
Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Talgo

English Triple Crown Races:
#Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Gilles de Retz
#Epsom Derby - Lavandin
#St. Leger Stakes - Cambremer

United States Triple Crown Races:
#Kentucky Derby - Needles
#Preakness Stakes - Fabius
#Belmont Stakes - Needles

The United States Pacing Triple Crown races is created with the addition of the Messenger Stakes.
#Cane Pace - Noble Adios
#Little Brown Jug - Noble Adios
#Messenger Stakes - Belle Acton

United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
#Hambletonian - The Intruder
#Yonkers Trot
#Kentucky Futurity

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
*Pacers: Gentleman John

Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens

Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Jean Beliveau, Montreal Canadiens

Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 1 over the Detroit Red Wings

World Hockey Championship
* Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated the United States

Alpine Skiing
The men's Olympic Gold Medal:
Downhill: Toni Sailer, Austria
Slalom: Toni Sailer, Austria
Giant Slalom: Toni Sailer, Austria
The women's Olympic Gold Medal:
Downhill: Madeleine Berthod, Switzerland
Slalom: Renée Colliard, Switzerland
Giant Slalom: Ossi Reichert, West Germany

ISF World Championships:
Men's combined champion: Toni Sailer, Austria
Women's combined champion: Madeleine Berthod, Switzerland

World Snooker Championship: Fred Davis beats John Pulman 38-35

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
#Australian Open - Lew Hoad
#French Open - Lew Hoad
#Wimbledon championships - Lew Hoad
#US Open - Ken Rosewall

Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
#Australian Open - Mary Carter
#French Open - Althea Gibson
#Wimbledon championships - Shirley Fry
#US Open - Shirley Fry

Davis Cup Australia wins 5-0 over the United States in world tennis.

1956 Summer Olympics takes place in Melbourne, Australia
Equestrian events take place in Stockholm, Sweden, due to Australian quarantine laws.
USSR wins the most medals (98), and the most gold medals (37).

1956 Winter Olympics takes place in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
*USSR wins the most medals (16), and the most gold medals (7).

Fred Davis retained the World Professional Snooker Championship

Births

January

January 1 — Vivien Mitchell, Irish field hockey goalkeeper
January 4 — Helen Cadman, English netballer
January 20 — John Naber, American swimmer
January 21 — Rafael Garralda, Spanish field hockey player
January 24 — Hans Smits, Dutch water polo player
January 30 — Hipólito Ramos, Cuban boxer

February

February 2 — Jean-François Lamour, French fencer and politician
February 9 — Hans Gildemeister, Chilean tennis player
February 14 — Dave Dravecky, American baseball player

March

March 3 — Zbigniew Boniek, Polish soccer player
March 12 — Pim Verbeek, Dutch football (soccer) player and manager
March 13 — Christian Bassemir, German field hockey goalkeeper
March 18 — Lesley Murdoch, New Zealand field hockey player
March 18 — Ingemar Stenmark, Swedish alpine skiier
March 20 — Sandra Neilson, American freestyle swimmer
March 29 — Kurt Thomas, American gymnast

April

April 2 — Josien Elzerman, Dutch freestyle and breaststroke swimmer
April 11 — Gene Mayer, American tennis player
April 19 — Sue Barker, British television presenter and tennis player

May

May 3 — Gillian Rolton, Australian equestrian
May 9 — Frank Andersson, Swedish wrestler
May 17 — Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
May 20 — Tomáš Šmíd, Czech tennis player

June

June 5 — Nick Saviano, American tennis player
June 6 — Björn Borg, Swedish tennis player
June 11 — Joe Montana, American football player
June 27 — Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player

July

July 15 — Alex Boegschoten, Dutch water polo player
July 15 — Patricia McKillop, Zimbabwean field hockey player
July 20 — Mima Jaušovec, Slovenian tennis player
July 24 — Cees Jan Diepeveen, Dutch field hockey player
July 25 — Santiago Malgosa, Spanish field hockey player

August

August 5 — Ewout van Asbeck, Dutch field hockey player
August 22 — Paul Molitor, American baseball Hall of Famer
August 23 — Anke Rijnders, Dutch freestyle swimmer

September

September 7 — Jaime Zumalacárregui, Spanish field hockey player
September 11 — Brent Miskimmin, New Zealand field hockey player
September 14 — Ray Wilkins, English football player
September 16 — Sergei Belaglazov, Russian wrestler
September 19 — John Sadri, American tennis player
September 20 — Elisabeth Theurer, Austrian horse rider

October

October 16 — Melissa Belote, American backstroke swimmer
October 17 — Leslie Milne, American field hockey player
October 18 — Martina Navratilova, Czech-born tennis player
October 23 — Darrell Pace, American archer
October 31 — Thomas Rongen, Dutch soccer coach

November

November 13 — Bill Scanlon, American tennis player
November 18 — Warren Moon, American football player

December

December 5 — Patricia Davies, Zimbabwean field hockey player
December 7 — Larry Bird, US basketball player
December 14 — Hanni Wenzel, Liechtenstein alpine skier
December 26 — Susan Butcher, American sled dog racer
December 27 — Doina Melinte, Romanian athlete
December 31 — Ahmed Salah, Djiboutian long-distance runner

Deaths

February 8 — Connie Mack, American baseball manager
March 2 — Fred Merkle, American MLB player (1907-1926)
May 12 — Edgar Page, British field hockey player (b. 1884)
May 13 — Frank Beaurepaire (65), Australian freestyle swimmer (b. 1891)
May 20 — Zoltán Halmay (74), Hungarian Olympic swimmer (b. 1881)
May 26 — Al Simmons, American MLB player (1924-1944)
September 7 — C. B. Fry, England international cricketer and rugby player, long jump champion
September 22 — Jesse Tannehill, American MLB pitcher (1894-1911)
October 16 — Jules Rimet, Frenc founding father of the Football World Cup
November 27 — Charlie Peete (27), American MLB baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals, plane crash

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.