January 14 – The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles).
September 28 – Norm Van Brocklin sets NFL single game record for most passing yards (554) helping Los Angeles Rams beat New York Yanks 48–21.
NFL Championship – Los Angeles Rams won 24–17 over the Cleveland Browns.
Sugar Bowl (1950 season):
The Oklahoma Sooners lose 13-7 to the Kentucky Wildcats; still awarded the college football national championship
England
First Division – Tottenham Hotspur win the 1950–51 title.
FA Cup – Newcastle United beat Blackpool 2–0.
Spain
La Liga won by Atlético Madrid
Italy
Serie A won by Milan.
Germany
German football championship won by 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Portugal
Primeira Liga won by Sporting C.P..
France
French Division 1 won by Nice.
The athletics competition at the 1951 Pan American Games is held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mal Whitfield of the USA wins gold medals in three events: 400m, 800m and 4 × 400 m relay.
Victorian Football League
29 September − Geelong wins the 55th VFL Premiership defeating Essendon 11.15 (81) to 10.10 (70) in the 1951 VFL Grand Final.
Brownlow Medal is awarded to Bernie Smith (Geelong)
South Australian National Football League
29 September − Port Adelaide wins its fourteenth SANFL premiership, defeating North Adelaide 10.12 (72) to 9.7 (61) after the Magpies lost only one game for the season.
Magarey Medal awarded to John Marriott (Norwood)
Western Australian National Football League
October 13 – West Perth wins its eleventh WANFL premiership, beating South Fremantle 13.10 (88) to 12.13 (85)
Sandover Medal awarded to Fred Buttsworth (West Perth)
January 29 – baseball signs a six-year All-Star game deal for TV and radio rights for $6 million
September 30 – Joe DiMaggio plays in his final career regular season game.
October 3 – In one of the most famous finishes in baseball history, Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants hits a three-run walk-off home run, immortalized as the Shot Heard 'Round the World, to give the Giants a 5–4 win over the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League title.
World Series – The New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the New York Giants.
Japan Series – The Yomiuri Giants win 4 games to 2 over the Nankai Hawks.
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
Kentucky wins 68–58 over Kansas State University.
NBA Finals –
Rochester Royals win 4 games to 3 over the New York Knicks
The seventh European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1951, is won by the Soviet Union.
July 10 – Randy Turpin becomes the middleweight boxing champion by defeating Sugar Ray Robinson.
July 18 – Jersey Joe Walcott knocks out Ezzard Charles in round 7 during their bout in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Grey Cup – Ottawa Rough Riders wins 21–14 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Giro d'Italia is won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy
Tour de France – Hugo Koblet of Switzerland
World Figure Skating Championships –
Men's champion: Dick Button, United States
Ladies' champion: Jeannette Altwegg, Great Britain
Pair skating champions: Ria Baran & Paul Falk, Germany
Men's professional
Masters Tournament – Ben Hogan
U.S. Open – Ben Hogan
PGA Championship – Sam Snead
British Open – Max Faulkner
PGA Tour money leader – Lloyd Mangrum – $26,089
Ryder Cup – United States team wins 9½ to 2½ over the British team.
Men's amateur
British Amateur – Dick Chapman
U.S. Amateur – Billy Maxwell
Women's professional
Women's Western Open – Patty Berg
U.S. Women's Open – Betsy Rawls
Titleholders Championship – Pat O'Sullivan
LPGA Tour money leader – Babe Zaharias – $15,087
Tar Heel, a standardbred horse driven by Del Cameron, runs the first two–minute mile in harness racing history.
Little Brown Jug for pacers is won by Tar Heel
Hambletonian for trotters is won by Mainliner
Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
Pacers: Vedette
Trotters: Gay Belwin
July 14 – Citation winds his 32nd race, the Hollywood Gold Cup, becoming the first equine millionaire.
Steeplechases
Cheltenham Gold Cup – Silver Fame
Grand National – Nickel Coin
Hurdle races
Champion Hurdle – Hatton's Grace for the third successive year
Flat races
Australia – Melbourne Cup is won by Delat
Canada – Queen's Plate is won by Major Factor
France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is won by Tantieme
Ireland – Irish Derby is won by Fraise du Bois II
English Triple Crown Races:
- 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Ki Ming
- Epsom Derby – Arctic Prince
- St. Leger Stakes – Talma
United States Triple Crown Races:
- Kentucky Derby – Count Turf
- Preakness Stakes – Bold
- Belmont Stakes – Counterpoint
August 26 – Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs dies in an air crash
Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Milt Schmidt, Boston Bruins
Stanley Cup – Toronto Maple Leafs win 4 games to 1 over the Montreal Canadiens
World Hockey Championship
Men's champion: Canada's Lethbridge Maple Leafs
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – University of Michigan Wolverines defeat Brown University Bruins 7–1 in Colorado Springs, Colorado
The 50th anniversaries of the donations of both the Mann Cup and the Minto Cup.
The Peterborough Timbermen win the 50th Mann Cup.
The Mimico Mountaineers win the 50th Minto Cup.
30 May – Lee Wallard wins the 35th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Kurtis Kraft–Offenhauser
NASCAR Championship – Herb Thomas driving his own #92 Plymouth
AAA Racing –
Tony Bettenhausen wins the series championship
Formula One – Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) is World Drivers' Champion in an Alfa Romeo
24 Hours of Le Mans – Louis Rosier / Jean-Louis Rosier win sharing a Talbot-Lago
Rally racing –
Marcel Becquart / H. Secret wins the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Hotchkiss
Drag racing – NHRA is founded by Wally Parks
1950–51 European Rugby League Championship / 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship
1951 French rugby league tour of Australia and New Zealand
1951 New Zealand rugby league season
1951 NSWRFL season
1950–51 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1951–52 Northern Rugby Football League season
57th Five Nations Championship series is won by Ireland
World Snooker Championship – Fred Davis beats Walter Donaldson 58–39.
Speed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Hjalmar Andersen (Norway)
Australia
Australian Men's Singles Championship – Dick Savitt (USA) defeats Ken McGregor (Australia) 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 6–1
Australian Women's Singles Championship – Nancye Wynne Bolton (Australia) defeats Thelma Coyne Long (Australia) 6–1, 7–5
England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Dick Savitt (USA) defeats Ken McGregor (Australia) 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Doris Hart (USA) defeats Shirley Fry Irvin (USA) 6–1, 6–0
France
French Men's Singles Championship –
French Women's Singles Championship –
USA
American Men's Singles Championship –
American Women's Singles Championship –
Davis Cup
1951 Davis Cup – Australia 3–2 United States at White City Stadium (grass) Sydney, Australia
First Pan American Games are held in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Asian Games are held in New Delhi, India
First Mediterranean Games are held in Alexandria, Egypt
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Dick Kazmaier, College football
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Maureen Connolly, Tennis
