See also: 1954 in sports, other events of 1955, 1956 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.

Contents

1 Auto Racing 2 Baseball 3 Basketball 4 Boxing 5 Cycling 6 Figure Skating 7 Football (Soccer) 8 Football (American) 9 Canadian Football League 10 Golf 11 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 12 Harness Racing 13 Ice Hockey 14 Snooker 15 Tennis 16 General sporting events 17 Births 18 Deaths

Auto Racing

• NASCAR Championship - Tim Flock
• AAA Racing:
  • Bob Sweikert won the Indianapolis 500
  • Bob Sweikert won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Mike Hawthorn / Ivor Bueb won, driving a Jaguar D-type
• Rally racing:
  • the team of Per Malling / Gunnar Fadum won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Sunbeam Talbot
• Drag racing - The NHRA staged its first "Nationals" in Great Bend, Kansas. Calvin Rice won the inaugural "Top Fuel" championship.

Baseball

• April 23: The White Sox tallied a franchise record 29 runs at Kansas City. Sherm Lollar was 5-to-6 with a pair of home runs and five RBI, while reserve outfielder Bob Nieman and infielder Walt Dropo drove in seven runs a piece, and Chico Carrasquel hit 5-for-6 with five runs, in the 29-6 victory over the Athletics.

• World Series: Brooklyn Dodgers win 4 games to 3 over the New York Yankees. The Series MVP is pitcher Johnny Podres, Brooklyn.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • San Francisco wins 76-73 over La Salle

• NBA Finals:
  • Syracuse Nationals win 4-3 over the Fort Wayne Pistons

Boxing

• 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.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy
• Tour de France - Louison Bobet of France
• World Cycling Championship: Stan Ockers of Belgium

Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins , United States
  • Women's champion: Tenley Albright , United States
  • Pairs champions: Frances Dafoe & Norris Bowden , Canada

Football (Soccer)

• England - FA Cup: Newcastle United won 3-1 over Manchester City

Football (American)

• NFL Championship: Cleveland Browns won 38-14 over the Los Angeles Rams

Canadian Football League

• Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos won 34-19 over the Montreal Alouettes

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Cary Middlecoff
  2. June - US Open - Jack Fleck
  3. July - British Open - Peter Thomson
  4. August - PGA Championship - Doug Ford

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Julius Boros - $63,122

• Ryder Cup the United States team wins 8-4 over the British team in world golf.

Women's Golf

• The LPGA launches the new LPGA Championship annual tournament.
• US Women's Open - Fay Crocker
• LPGA Championship - Beverly Hanson
• Patty Berg: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $16,492.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Toparoa
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Ace Marine
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Ribot
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Panaslipper

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Our Babu
  2. Epsom Derby - Phil Drake
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Meld

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Swaps
  2. Preakness Stakes - Nashua
  3. Belmont Stakes - Nashua

• August 31 - In one of the most famous match races in thoroughbred racing history, Nashua beat Swaps at Washington Park racetrack. It was Swaps only loss in nine starts as a three-year old. Nashua's owner-breeder, William Woodward, Sr. , dreamed of owning an Epsom Derby winner, and he planned to send Nashua to England to train toward that goal. However, Woodward was shot to death by his wife before he could proceed.

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.
  1. Hambletonian - Scott Frost
  2. Yonkers Trot - Scott Frost
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Scott Frost

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Tactician
  • Trotters: Battle Cry

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

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Fred Davis beats John Pulman 37-34

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Ken Rosewall
  2. French Open - Tony Trabert
  3. Wimbledon championships - Tony Trabert
  4. US Open - Tony Trabert

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Beryl Penrose
  2. French Open - Angela Mortimer
  3. Wimbledon championships - Louise Brough
  4. US Open - Doris Hart

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

General sporting events

Births

• January 2 - Jinty Stewart,British field hockey goalkeeper
• January 3 - Frances Edmonds ,British sports writer
• February 10 - Greg Norman, golfer
• February 24 - Alain Prost, Formula One driver
• March 16 - Jiro Watanabe, Japanese boxing world champion
• June 21 - Michel Platini, French soccer star

Deaths

• May 10 - Tommy Burns, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
• May 26 - Alberto Ascari, F1 race car champion
• September 4 - Gus Weyhing , Major League Baseball pitcher (1887-1901)
• October 27 - Clark Griffith, Major League Baseball pitcher (1891-1914)
• November 4 - Cy Young, American baseball player
• December 6 - Honus Wagner, Major League Baseball player (1897-1917)