See also: 1948 in sports, other events of 1949, 1950 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Contents

1 Auto racing 2 Baseball 3 Football (soccer) 4 Football (rugby) 5 Snooker 6 Births 7 Deaths

Auto racing

• The first 24 hours of Le Mans is held since the beginning of World War II. Luigi Chinetti and Lord Seldson win the race in a Ferrari 166M.

Baseball

• January 28: The New York Giants sign their first black players: Negro Leaguers outfielder Monte Irvin and pitcher Ford Smith . Both men are assigned to Jersey City. Irvin will star for the Giants, but Smith is not destined to reach the major leagues.
• May 5: Hall of Fame election: After a runoff election was necessary, Charlie Gehringer is selected for induction; on May 9, the Old-Timers Committee elects Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown and Kid Nichols as its first selections in 3 years.
• June 5: MLB Commissioner Happy Chandler lifts the ban on all players who jumped to the Mexican League, starting in 1946.
• June 15: Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Eddie Waitkus is shot in Chicago by deranged fan Ruth Ann Steinhagen.

Football (soccer)

• England - FA Cup: Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Leicester City 3–1

Football (rugby)

• New Zealand - September 3, blackest day in All Blacks history when they lost two test matches, 6-11 to the Wallabies in Wellington, and 3-9 to the Springboks in South Africa.

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Fred Davis beats Walter Donaldson 80-65.

Births

• February 5 - Manuel Orantes, Spanish tennis player
• April 16 - Sandy Hawley, Canadian jockey

Deaths