1952 in sports

Updated on Dec 07, 2024

Edit

Comment


Years in sports 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955

1952 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

NFL Championship – Detroit Lions win 17–7 over the Cleveland Browns

Sugar Bowl (1951 season):

The Tennessee Volunteers lose 28-13 to the Maryland Terrapins; still awarded the national championship

1952 college football season

The Michigan State Spartans win the college football national championship; don't play in a bowl game the following January

Association football

England

First Division – Manchester United win the 1951–52 title.

FA Cup – Newcastle United beat Arsenal 1–0.

Spain

La Liga won by Barcelona.

Italy

Serie A won by Juventus.

Germany

German football championship won by VfB Stuttgart.

France

French Division 1 won by OGC Nice.

Portugal

Primeira Liga won by Sporting C.P.

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League

June 14: In an effort to promote the code outside its traditional strongholds in the southern and western states, the League holds a “National Day Round” of matches in selected interstate and country venues: Albury, Euroa, Yallourn, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart. Despite flooding rains, attendances were high enough to deem the venture a success though it was never repeated.

Geelong wins the 56th VFL Premiership by defeating Collingwood 13.8 (86) to 5.10 (40) in the 1952 VFL Grand Final

Brownlow Medal awarded to Roy Wright (Richmond) and Bill Hutchison (Essendon)

South Australian National Football League

October 4: North Adelaide beat Norwood 23.15 (153) to 6.9 (45) in the most one-sided SANFL Grand Final until 2004.

Magarey Medal awarded to Len Fitzgerald (Sturt)

Western Australian National Football League

October 11: South Fremantle win their sixth premiership beating West Perth 12.19 (91) to 10.10 (70)

Sandover Medal awarded to Steve Marsh (South Fremantle)

Baseball

January 31 – The Hall of Fame elects two new members – Harry Heilmann, with 203 votes, and Paul Waner with 195. Waner, a .333 career hitter, rapped out 3,152 hits and struck out just 376 times in 9,459 career at–bats. Heilmann was similarly skilled with the bat, winning four batting titles with the Tigers and finishing his career with a .342 average

World Series – New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the Brooklyn Dodgers

Basketball

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –

Kansas wins 80–63 over St. John’s

NBA Finals

Minneapolis Lakers win four games to three over the New York Knicks

Boxing

June 25 at Yankee Stadium, Joey Maxim defeats Sugar Ray Robinson by knockout to retain his world light heavyweight title. This is the only knockout Robinson would ever suffer.

August 11 – death in a road accident of Dave Sands (26), Australian Aborigine middleweight rated third in the world at the time

September 23 at Philadelphia, Rocky Marciano knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott in the 13th round to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts win 21-11 over the Edmonton Eskimos

Cricket

Events

16 October–18 October, Delhi – Pakistan plays its first Test match, against India. India won by an innings and 70 runs.

England

County Championship – Surrey

Minor Counties Championship – Buckinghamshire

Most runs – Len Hutton 2567 @ 61.11 (HS 189)

Most wickets – Johnny Wardle 172 @ 19.27 (BB 7–49)

Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Fred Trueman, Harold Gimblett, Tom Graveney, David Sheppard, Stuart Surridge

India make a fourth tour of England, and lose the four-Test series three games to nil

Australia

Sheffield Shield – New South Wales

Most runs – Lindsay Hassett 855 @ 61.07 (HS 229)

Most wickets – Bill Johnston 54 @ 20.62 (BB 7–114)

The West Indies make a second tour of Australia, losing as in the first four Tests to one

India

Ranji Trophy – Bombay

England make a second tour of India, drawing the five-test series with one victory each and three draws

New Zealand

Plunket Shield – Canterbury

South Africa

Currie Cup – Natal

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Fausto Coppi of Italy

Tour de France – Fausto Coppi of Italy

UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Heinz Müller of Germany

Field hockey

Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Helsinki, Finland

Gold Medal: India

Silver Medal: The Netherlands

Bronze Medal: Great Britain

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships –

Men’s champion: Dick Button, United States

Ladies’ champion: Jacqueline du Bief, France

Pair skating champions: Ria Falk & Paul Falk, Germany

Ice dancing champions: Jean Westwood & Lawrence Demmy, Great Britain

In this year, ice dancing introduced as part of the World Figure Skating Championships.

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – Sam Snead

U.S. Open – Julius Boros

PGA Championship – Jim Turnesa

British Open – Bobby Locke

PGA Tour money leader – Julius Boros – $37,033

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Harvie Ward

U.S. Amateur – Jack Westland

Women's professional

Women's Western Open – Betsy Rawls

U.S. Women's Open – Louise Suggs

Titleholders Championship – Babe Zaharias

LPGA Tour money leader – Betsy Rawls – $14,505

Harness racing

Little Brown Jug for pacers won by Meadow Rice

Hambletonian for trotters won by Sharp Note

Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –

Pacers: Avian Derby

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Mont Tremblant

Grand National – Teal

Hurdle races

Champion Hurdle – Sir Ken

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Dalray

Canada – Queen's Plate won by Epigram

France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Nuccio

Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Thirteen of Diamonds

English Triple Crown Races:

2000 Guineas Stakes – Thunderhead
Epsom Derby – Tulyar
St. Leger Stakes – Tulyar

United States Triple Crown Races:

Ice hockey

World Hockey Championship

Men's champion: Canada defeated the United States

Stanley Cup – Detroit Red Wings win 4 games to 0 over the Montreal Canadiens

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: Gordie Howe, Detroit Red Wings

NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Michigan Wolverines defeat Colorado College Tigers 4–1 in Colorado Springs, Colorado

November 1 – Hockey Night in Canada makes its television debut on CBC. It is the oldest sports-related TV program still airing.

Motor racing

NASCAR Championship – Tim Flock in a Hudson Hornet

AAA Racing –

30 May – Troy Ruttman wins the 36th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the Agajanian Special Kuzma-Offenhauser

Chuck Stevenson wins the season championship

Formula One – Alberto Ascari (Italy) is World Drivers' Champion, driving for Ferrari

June 14–15 – Hermann Lang / Fritz Riess share a Mercedes-Benz 300SL to win the 20th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Rally racing –

Sydney Allard / Guy Warburton wins the Monte Carlo Rally driving an Allard J2

Drag racing – In cities and towns across North America, drag racing begins to move from the streets to organized events usually at abandoned airport strips.