- January 24
- First NFL team in Texas, Dallas Texans, formerly New York Yankees. [1]
- January 25
- Test debut of Richie Benaud, versus West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground. [1]
- January 31
- Harry Heilmann and Paul Waner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame. [1]
- February 13
- Rocky Marciano defeats Lee Savold for his 39th straight win. [1]
- February 14
- (to February 25) The VI Olympic Winter Games are held in Oslo, Norway. [1]
- February 16
- Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, age 77, retires; Pittsburgh Pirates retire his #33. [1]
- Ian Craig makes New South Wales cricket debut aged 16 years 249 days (New South Wales record). [1]
- February 21
- Dick Button performs first figure skating triple jump in competition. [1]
- February 24
- Betty MacKinnon and Sam Snead win LPGA Orlando Mixed Golf Tournament. [1]
- February 25
- VI Olympic Winter Games close at Oslo, Norway. [1]
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- February 29
- Ice Dance Championship at Paris France won by Westwood and Demmy (Great Britain). [1]
- Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Ria Falk and Paul Falk of Germany. [1]
- Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Jacqueline du Bief of France. [1]
- Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Richard Button (USA). [1]
- March 2
- Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Open. [1]
- March 9
- Heinz Neuhaus wins Europe Heavyweight Boxing title. [1]
- March 16
- Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. [1]
- March 23
- New York Rangers with less than 14 minutes to go blow a 6-2 lead, losing 7-6 to Chicago Black Hawks; Mosienko scores three times in 21 seconds. [1]
- March 26
- 14th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Saint Johns 80-63. [1]
- March 28
- US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Tenley Albright. [1]
- US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Richard Button. [1]
- March 30
- Patty Berg wins LPGA New Orleans Women's Golf Open. [1]
- April 5
- Henry Wittenberg wins his 8th Amateur Athletic Union wrestling title. [1]
- April 6
- 16th Golf Masters Championship: Sam Snead wins his second Masters golf tournament, shooting a 286. [1]
- April 12
- Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Houston Weathervane Golf Tournament. [1]
- April 15
- Stanley Cup: Detroit Red Wings sweep Montreal Canadiens in four games. [1]
- April 19
- 56th Boston Marathon won by Doroteo Flores of Guatemala in 2:31:53. [1]
- April 23
- Bob Cain of Saint Louis Browns and Bob Feller of Cleveland Indians each pitch a one-hitter. [1]
- New York Giants' Hoyt Wilhelm wins his first relief game and hits his only homerun. [1]
- April 25
- 6th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat New York Knicks, 4 games to 3. [1]
- American Bowling Congress approves use of an automatic pinsetter. [1]
- April 28
- Patty Berg wins LPGA Richmond Golf Open. [1]
- Saint Louis Browns lend two black minor league players to Hankyu Braves of Japan. [1]
- April 30
- Louise Suggs wins LPGA Stockton Golf Open. [1]
- May 3
- 78th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Hill Gail wins in 2:01.6. [1]
- May 4
- Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Fresno Golf Open. [1]
- May 5
- Ron Necciai of Pittsburgh Pirates' Bristol Twins Class D farm team, strikes out 27, as he no-hits the Welch Minors, four Minors do reach base. [1]
- May 13
- Minor-league Bristol pitcher Ron Necciai strikes out 27 in 9-innings. [1]
- May 15
- Detroit Tigers' pitcher Virgil Trucks no-hits Washington Senators, 1-0. [1]
- Johnny Longden becomes second jockey to ride 4,000 winners. [1]
- May 17
- 78th Preakness: Conn McCreary aboard Blue Man wins in 1:57.4. [1]
- May 21
- Brooklyn Dodgers score 15 runs in first inning and beat Cincinnati Reds, 19-1. [1]
- May 30
- Charlie Grimm succeeds Tommy Holmes as manager of Boston Braves. [1]
- June 5
- Jersey Joe Walcott beats Ezzard Charles for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- June 10
- Chicago White Sox player Sam Mele is 6th to get six RBIs in an inning (4th). [1]
- June 19
- Brooklyn Dodgers' Carl Erskine no-hits Chicago Cubs, 5-0. [1]
- July 8
- National League beats American League 3-2 (5 innings) in 19th All Star Game (Shibe Park Philadelphia). [1]
- July 19
- (to August 3) The Games of the XV Olympiad are held in Helsinki, Finland. [7] [392.12]
- July 25
- CBC/Radio Canada TV covers a Montreal Royals baseball game, the first experimental Canadian telecast. [457]
- July 26
- Mickey Mantle hits his first grand-slammer. [1]
- August 3
- Games of the XV Olympiad close in Helsinki, Finland. [1]
- August 25
- Detroit Tigers' Virgil Trucks second no-hitter of year, beats New York Yankees, 1-0. [1]
- September 7
- Outfielder Don Grate throws a baseball a record 434 feet 1 inch (Tennessee). [1]
- Whitey Ford becomes the fifth pitcher to hurl consecutive one hitters. [1]
- September 23
- First US closed circuit pay-TV telecast of a sports event: the Rocky Marciano versus Jersey Joe Walcott fight, in 49 theaters in 31 cities. Rocky Marciano knocks out the heavyweight champion in the 13th round. [1] [457] [1302.169]
- September 26
- New York Yankees clinch pennant #19. [1]
- October 7
- New York Yankees beat Brooklyn Dodgers 4 games to 3 in 49th World Series; New York Yankees tie their own record of four consecutive World Series wins. [1]
- October 11
- First ever hockey telecast in Canada, as CBFT Television in Montreal carries the Montreal Canadiens versus Detroit Red Wings game, in French. [457]
- November 25
- Only win ever for NFL's Dallas Texans (1-11 record), 27-23 against Chicago Bears. [1]
- November 26
- The 40th Grey Cup game becomes Canada's first televised football game as CBLT-TV shows hometown Toronto Argonauts beating Edmonton Eskimos 21-11. [457]
- December 2
- 18th Heisman Trophy Award: Billy Vessels, Oklahoma (Half Back). [1]
- December 12
- Dallas Texans (former Boston Yankees) play last game, last original team. [1]
- December 14
- R H Shodhan scores 110 on Test Cricket debut versus Pakistan, Calcutta. [1]
- December 18
- Ellis W Ryan resigns as Cleveland Indians president. [1]
- December 28
- Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-7 in NFL championship game. [1]
1953
- January 8
- Cleveland Indians bar night games with Cleveland Browns (who refuse to share TV receipts). [1]
- January 9
- Bevo Francis, Rio Grande College, scores 116 points in basketball game. [1]
- January 10
- NFL Pro Bowl: National Conference beats American Conference 27-7. [1]
- January 11
- J Edgar Hoover declines six-figure offer to become president of the International Boxing Club. [1]
- January 16
- 27th Australian Womens Tennis: Maureen Connolly beat J Sampson (6-3, 6-2). [1]
- 41st Australian Mens Tennis: Ken Rosewall beats Mervyn Rose (6-0, 6-3, 6-4). [1]
- January 18
- Louise Suggs wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open. [1]
- January 19
- Jesse Owens named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary. [1]
- January 23
- Bobby Simpson makes first-class debut for New South Wales at age 16 years 357 days. [1]
- NFL Dallas Texans become Baltimore Colts (later Indianapolis Colts). [1]
- NFL's National and American conferences become Eastern and Western conferences. [1]
- January 25
- Yuri Sergejev skates world record 500m in 40.9 seconds. [1]
- January 31
- New York, Cleveland and Boston retaliate against Bill Veeck, forcing the Cleveland Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues. [1]
- February 6
- Ian Craig makes Test Cricket debut at age 17 years 239 days, youngest Aussie. [1]
- February 8
- Betty Jameson wins LPGA Serbin Golf Open. [1]
- February 10
- Ice Dance Championship at Davos won by Jean Westwood and Lawrence Demmy of Great Britain. [1]
- Ice Pairs Championship at Davos won by Jennifer and John Nicks of Great Britain. [1]
- Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Davos won by Tenley Albright (USA). [1]
- Men's Figure Skating Champion in Davos won by Hayes Alan Jenkins (USA). [1]
- February 13
- Philadelphia Athletics change name of Shibe Park to Connie Mack Stadium. [1]
- February 20
- August A Busch buys the Saint Louis Cardinals for US$3.75 million. [1]
- US Court of Appeals rules that Organized Baseball is a sport and not a business, affirming the 25-year-old Supreme Court ruling. [1]
- February 21
- Longest collegiate basketball game (six overtimes); Niagara beats Siena 88-81. [1]
- March 1
- Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Sarasota Golf Open. [1]
- March 3
- Boston Braves, who own Milwaukee minor league franchise, block Saint Louis Browns' attempt to shift their franchise to Milwaukee. [1]
- March 7
- Jackie McGlew scores 255 versus New Zealand at Wellington. [1]
- March 8
- Patty Berg wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open. [1]
- March 15
- Patty Berg wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. [1]
- Federal Republic of Germany loses in soccer to Netherlands, 2-1. [1]
- March 16
- American League rejects Bill Veeck's request to move Saint Louis Browns to Baltimore. [1]
- March 17
- Bill Veeck says he will sell his 80 percent of Saint Louis Browns for US$2.475 million. [1]
- March 18
- 15th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Indiana beats Kansas 69-68. [1]
- National League approves Boston Braves' move to Milwaukee (first shift since 1903). [1]
- March 20
- US Senator Edwin C Johnson offers a bill to give clubs the sole right to ban radio-TV broadcasts of major league games in their own territory. [1]
- March 21
- NBA record 106 fouls and 12 players foul out (Boston Celtics - Syracuse Nationals). [1]
- March 22
- Louise Suggs wins LPGA Betsy Rawls Golf Open. [1]
- March 28
- US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Tenley Albright. [1]
- US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by Hayes A Jenkins. [1]
- March 29
- Patty Berg wins LPGA New Orleans Women's Golf Open. [1]
- April 1
- Walcott Worrell and Weekes all make centuries in innings versus India. [1]
- April 5
- Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Golf Open. [1]
- April 10
- 7th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat New York Knicks, 4 games to 1. [1]
- April 12
- 17th Golf Masters Championship: Ben Hogan wins, shooting a 274. [1]
- Keizo Yamada runs fastest marathon to date, at Boston, Massachusetts. [1]
- April 13
- First game of Milwaukee Braves, they beat Cincinnati Reds 2-0. [1]
- April 16
- Jackie Pung wins LPGA Palm Springs Golf Open. [1]
- Philadelphia Phillie's Connie Ryan gets six hits in a game. [1]
- Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 1. [1]
- April 17
- Mickey Mantle hits a 565-foot (172-metre) homerun in Washington DC's Griffith Stadium. [1]
- April 19
- Louise Suggs wins LPGA San Diego Golf Open. [1]
- April 20
- 57th Boston Marathon won by Keizo Yamada of Japan in 2:18:51. [1]
- April 27
- Wrestler Freddie Blassie coins the term "Pencil neck geek". [1]
- April 29
- Joe Adcock is first to homer into Polo Grounds' center field bleachers. [1]
- April 30
- Little-Bigger League changes its name to Babe Ruth League. [1]
- May 2
- 79th Kentucky Derby: Hank Moreno aboard Dark Star wins in 2:02. [1]
- May 6
- Cleveland Browns' pitcher Bobo Holloman makes his first major league start, no-hits Philadelphia Athletics, 6-0. [1]
- May 10
- Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Sacramento Golf Open. [1]
- May 13
- New York Giants' Willie Mays and Darryl Spencer each hit two homeruns and a triple. [1]
- May 15
- Heavyweight Rocky Marciano knocks out Joe Walcott in Chicago, Illinois for heavyweight boxing title. [1]
- May 16
- Philadelphia Phillies' pitcher Curt Simmons gives up a single, then retires next 27 in a row. [1]
- May 17
- Patty Berg wins LPGA Reno Golf Open. [1]
- New York Yankees and Cleveland Browns use record 41 players in a game. [1]
- May 22
- New York Yankees' player Irv Noren hits into a triple-play, New York Yankees beat Washington Senators 12-4. [1]
- May 23
- 79th Preakness: Eric Guerin aboard Native Dancer wins in 1:57.8. [1]
- May 25
- Milwaukee Braves' pitcher Max Surkont strikes out record eight Cincinnati Reds' players in a row. [1]
- May 30
- First Major League Baseball TV network baseball game: ABC debuts Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons. Cleveland Indians 7, Chicago White Sox 2. [1] [457] [1302.174]
- 23rd French Men's Tennis: Ken Rosewall beats Vic Seixas (6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2). [1]
- 23rd French Women's Tennis: Maureen Connolly beats Doris Hart (6-2, 6-4). [1]
- June 14
- New York Yankees sweep Cleveland Indians 6-2, 3-0 before 74,708; win streak at 18 straight. [1]
- June 16
- Despite Johnny Mize's 2,000th hit, New York Yankees lose, ending 18-game win streak. [1]
- June 18
- Eugene Stephens gets three hits and Boston Red Sox score 17 runs in one inning (7th). [1]
- July 9
- Philadelphia Phillies' Robin Roberts ends streak of 28 consecutive complete games. [1]
- July 14
- National League beats American League 5-1 in 20th All Star Game (Crosley Field, Cincinnati, Ohio). [1]
- August 4
- Vic Raschi sets pitcher record by driving in seven runs and wins 15-0. [1]
- August 23
- Phil Grate sets record for throwing a baseball (443 feet, 3.5 inches). [1]
- September 4
- New York Yankees become first team to win five consecutive championships. [1]
- September 15
- Boxing's NBA adopts 10-point-must-scoring-system (10 points to round winner). [1]
- September 16
- American League approves Saint Louis Browns' move to become Baltimore Orioles. [1]
- September 27
- Bert Bechichar, Baltimore Colts, kicks a 56-yard field goal. [1]
- September 29
- American League approves Baltimore group purchase of Saint Louis Browns for US$2,475,000. [1]
- October 2
- Brooklyn Dodgers' Carl Erskine strikes out 14 New York Yankees in the 50th World Series. [1]
- October 5
- New York Yankees break own record with 5th consecutive World Series win - Billy Martin's 12 hits set record (World Series #50). [1]
- October 28
- Bud Grant of Winnipeg Blue Bombers intercepts five passes (record). [1]
- November 3
- "Sacrifice fly" reactivated in baseball (dropped in 1939). [1]
- November 9
- US Supreme Court rules Major League Baseball exempt from anti-trust laws. [1]
- November 12
- US district Judge Grim rules NFL can black out TV home games. [1]
- December 1
- Boston Red Sox trade M McDermott and Tom Umphlett for Washington Redskins' Jackie Jensen. [1]
- Walter Alston is named Brooklyn Dodgers' manager. [1]
- December 6
- Cleveland Browns' Lou "Toe" Groza kicks 8 PATs, beating New York Giants 62-14. [1]
- December 8
- 19th Heisman Trophy Award: John Lattner, Notre Dame (Half Back). [1]
- December 9
- Montreal Canadiens (106) and Toronto Maple Leafs (98) get 204 penalty minutes. [1]
- December 14
- Brooklyn Dodgers signs pitcher Sandy Koufax. [1]
- December 22
- Jack Dunn III, owner of Baltimore Orioles in International League, turns name over to newly relocated Saint Louis Browns. [1]
- December 23
- Brooklyn Dodgers; second baseman Jim "Junior" Gilliam wins National League Rookie of Year. [1]
- December 27
- Detroit Lions beat Cleveland Browns 17-16 in NFL championship game. [1]
- Year
- Willie Shoemaker shatters record, riding 485 winners in a year. [1]
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