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
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.
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)
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
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
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.
Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts win 21-11 over the Edmonton Eskimos
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
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
Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Helsinki, Finland
Gold Medal: India
Silver Medal: The Netherlands
Bronze Medal: Great Britain
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.
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
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
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:
- Kentucky Derby – Hill Gail
- Preakness Stakes – Blue Man
- Belmont Stakes – One Count
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.
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.
WWE is founded by Roderick James "Jess" McMahon and Joseph Raymond "Toots" Mondt.
1952–53 European Rugby League Championship / 1951–52 European Rugby League Championship
1952 New Zealand rugby league season
1952 NSWRFL season
1952–53 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1951–52 Northern Rugby Football League season
58th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales who complete the Grand Slam
Alpine skiing
Men's Olympic Gold Medals:
Downhill: Zeno Colò, Italy
Slalom: Othmar Schneider, Austria
Giant Slalom: Stein Eriksen, Norway
Women's Olympic Gold Medals:
Downhill: Trude Jochum-Beiser, Austria
Slalom: Andrea Mead Lawrence, United States
Giant Slalom: Andrea Mead Lawrence, United States
Schism in snooker means two world championships are held:
World Snooker Championship (World Professional Match-play Championship): Fred Davis beats Walter Donaldson 38–35
World Snooker Championship (BACC event): Horace Lindrum beats Clark McConachy 94–49
Speed Skating World Championships
Men's All-round Champion – Hjalmar Andersen (Norway)
Australia
Australian Men's Singles Championship – Ken McGregor (Australia) defeats Frank Sedgman (Australia) 7–5, 12–10, 2–6, 6–2
Australian Women's Singles Championship – Thelma Coyne Long (Australia) defeats Helen Angwin (Australia) 6–2, 6–3
England
Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Frank Sedgman (Australia) defeats Jaroslav Drobný (Egypt) 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Maureen Connolly Brinker (USA) defeats Louise Brough Clapp (USA) 6–4, 6–3
France
French Men's Singles Championship –
French Women's Singles Championship –
USA
American Men's Singles Championship –
American Women's Singles Championship –
Davis Cup
1952 Davis Cup – Australia 4–1 United States at Memorial Drive Tennis Centre (grass) Adelaide, Australia
Men's World Championship in Moscow, Soviet Union
Gold Medal: Soviet Union
Silver Medal: Czechoslovakia
Bronze Medal: Bulgaria
1952 Summer Olympics takes place in Helsinki, Finland
United States wins the most medals (76), and the most gold medals (40).
Emil Zátopek wins marathon.
1952 Winter Olympics takes place in Oslo, Norway
Norway wins the most medals (16), and the most gold medals (7).
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Bob Mathias, Track and field
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Maureen Connolly, Tennis
