1955 in sports

American football

NFL Championship – Cleveland Browns win 38-14 over the Los Angeles Rams

Rose Bowl (1954 season):

The Ohio State Buckeyes win 20-7 over the Southern California Trojans to win the AP Poll national championship

England

First Division - Chelsea win the 1954-55 title

FA Cup - Newcastle United beat Manchester City 3-1

Athletics

March 12 to 16 – Athletics at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League

Melbourne wins the 59th VFL Premiership, defeating Collingwood 8.16 (64) to 5.6 (36) in the Grand Final.

Brownlow Medal awarded to Fred Goldsmith (South Melbourne)

South Australian National Football League

April 30: West Torrens 9.12 (66) draws Norwood 8.18 (66) at Thebarton Oval. It is the first senior SANFL drawn match since West Adelaide 15.14 (104) drew with Port Adelaide 16.8 (104) on 24 May 1941. The intervening 788-game gap constitutes easily the longest non-occurrence of draws in SANFL history and is twice as long as the V/AFL or VFA record, but has been bettered twice in the WAFL.

October 1: Port Adelaide 15.11 (101) defeats Norwood 5.8 (38) for their second consecutive premiership

West Australian Football League

October 8: Perth 11.11 (77) defeat East Fremantle 11.9 (75) for their first premiership since 1907 in champion ruckman Merv McIntosh’s final match.

Bandy

Federation of International Bandy inaugurated at Stockholm by Finland, Norway, Sweden and the USSR. The Soviet Union now adopts the international rules of the game developed in England in the 19th century.

Baseball

April 23 – The White Sox tally a franchise record 29 runs at Kansas City. Sherm Lollar is 5-for-6 with a pair of home runs and five RBI, while reserve outfielder Bob Nieman and infielder Walt Dropo drive in seven runs apiece, and Chico Carrasquel hits 5-for-6 with five runs in the 29-6 victory over the Athletics

World Series – October 4 - The Brooklyn Dodgers win 4 games to 3 over the New York Yankees; Series MVP is pitcher Johnny Podres, Brooklyn

Basketball

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

NBA Finals – The Syracuse Nationals beat the Fort Wayne Pistons 4 games to 3 to win the NBA title

Eurobasket 1955, the ninth European basketball championship, is won by Hungary

March 1 – Allen Fieldhouse opens at the University of Kansas as the Jayhawks defeat Kansas State

Bayi Basketball Club, officially founded in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.(as predecessor for Bayi Rockets, as known well for professional basketball club in China)

Boxing

March 12 to 16 – Boxing at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City

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 belt

Canadian football

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

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy

Tour de France - Louison Bobet of France

UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Stan Ockers of Belgium

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships –

Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins, United States

Ladies' champion: Tenley Albright, United States

Pair skating champions: Frances Dafoe & Norris Bowden, Canada

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

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament - Cary Middlecoff

U.S. Open - Jack Fleck

British Open - Peter Thomson

PGA Championship - Doug Ford

PGA Tour money leader - Julius Boros - $63,122

Ryder Cup - United States team wins 8-4 over the British team.

Men's amateur

British Amateur - Joe Conrad

U.S. Amateur - Harvie Ward

Women's professional

The LPGA launches the new LPGA Championship annual tournament.

Women's Western Open - Patty Berg

LPGA Championship - Beverly Hanson

U.S. Women's Open - Fay Crocker

Titleholders Championship - Patty Berg

LPGA Tour money leader - Patty Berg - $16,492

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

Horse racing

August 31 – In one of the most famous match races in thoroughbred racing history, Nashua beats Swaps at Washington Park racetrack, Swaps only loss in nine starts as a three-year-old. Nashua's owner-breeder, William Woodward, Jr., dreams of owning an Epsom Derby winner, and plans to send Nashua to England to train toward that goal but is shot dead by his wife on October 31 before he can proceed.

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Gay Donald

Grand National – Quare Times

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Toparoa

Canada – Queen's Plate won by Ace Marine

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

Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Panaslipper

English Triple Crown Races:

1. 2,000 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

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

NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship - University of Michigan Wolverines defeat Colorado College Tigers 5-3 in Colorado Springs

Motor racing

May 26 – Death during sports car testing of Alberto Ascari at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza

May 30 – Bob Sweikert wins the 39th running of the Indianapolis 500 in the John Zink Special Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser, also winning the season championship; Bill Vukovich dies during the race

NASCAR Championship - Tim Flock in the #91 Hudson Hornet

AAA Racing –

Formula One – Juan Manuel Fangio (Argentina) is World Drivers' Champion, driving for Mercedes, the first driver to win the championship three times

24 hours of Le Mans –

Pierre Levegh killed along with more than 80 spectators in the worst auto racing accident in history

Mike Hawthorn and Ivor Bueb win, sharing a Jaguar D-type

Rally racing – The team of Per Malling / Gunnar Fadum win the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Sunbeam-Talbot

Drag racing - The NHRA stages its first "Nationals" in Great Bend, Kansas. Calvin Rice wins the inaugural "Top Fuel" championship

Rugby league

1955–56 European Rugby League Championship

1955 New Zealand rugby league season

1955 NSWRFL season

1954–55 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1955–56 Northern Rugby Football League season

Rugby union

61st Five Nations Championship series is shared by France and Wales

Snooker

World Snooker Championship – Fred Davis beats John Pulman 37-34

Tennis

Australia

Australian Men's Singles Championship – Ken Rosewall (Australia) defeats Lew Hoad (Australia) 9–7, 6–4, 6–4

Australian Women's Singles Championship – Beryl Penrose Collier (Australia) defeats Thelma Coyne Long (Australia) 6–4, 6–3

England

Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Tony Trabert (USA) defeats Kurt Nielsen (Denmark) 6–3, 7–5, 6–1

Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Louise Brough Clapp (USA) defeats Beverly Baker Fleitz (USA) 7–5, 8–6

France

French Men's Singles Championship –

French Women's Singles Championship –

USA

American Men's Singles Championship –

American Women's Singles Championship –

Davis Cup

1955 Davis Cup –  Australia 5–0  United States at West Side Tennis Club (grass) New York City, United States

Volleyball

March 16 to 20 – Volleyball at the 1955 Pan American Games in Mexico City

Men's Tournament

Gold Medal: USA

Silver Medal: Mexico

Bronze Medal: Brazil

Women's Tournament

Gold Medal: Mexico

Silver Medal: USA

Bronze Medal: Brazil

Multi-sport events

March 12 to 16 – Second Pan American Games held in Mexico City, Mexico

Second Mediterranean Games held in Barcelona, Spain

Awards

Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, College football

Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Patty Berg, LPGA golf