1951 in sports
See also: 1950 in sports, other events of 1951, 1952 in sports and the list of 'years in sports'.
Events
Auto Racing
- NASCAR Championship - Herb Thomas
- AAA Racing:
- Tony Bettenhausen won the series championship
- Lee Wallard won the Indianapolis 500
- Formula One Championship - Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina
- 24 hours of Le Mans:
- Louis Rosier / Jean-Louis Rosier won driving a Talbot-Lago
- Rally racing:
- Marcel Becquart / H. Secret won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Hotchkiss
- Drag racing - NHRA founded by Wally Parks
Baseball
- World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 2 over the New York Giants
Basketball
- NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
- Kentucky wins 68-58 over Kansas St.
- Kentucky wins 68-58 over Kansas St.
- NBA Finals:
- Rochester Royals won 4 games to 3 over the New York Knicks
- Rochester Royals won 4 games to 3 over the New York Knicks
Boxing
- July 10 - Randy Turpin becomes the middleweight boxing champion after defeating Sugar Ray Robinson.
- July 18, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Jersey Joe Walcott knocks out Ezzard Charles in round 7.
Cycling
- Giro d'Italia won by Fiorenzo Magni of Italy
- Tour de France - Hugo Koblet of Switzerland
- World Cycling Championship: Ferdi Kubler of Switzerland
Figure Skating
- World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Dick Button, United States
- Women's champion: Jeanette Altwegg, Great Britain
- Pairs champions: Ria Baran & Paul Falk, Germany
Football (Soccer)
- England - FA Cup: Newcastle United won 2-0 over Blackpool
Football (American)
- January 14 - The National Football League has its first Pro Bowl Game (Los Angeles, California).
- NFL Championship: Los Angeles Rams won 24-17 over the Cleveland Browns
Canadian Football League
- Grey Cup: Ottawa Rough Riders won 21-14 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Golf
Men's Golf- Grand Slam of golf results:
- May - The Masters - Ben Hogan
- June - US Open - Ben Hogan
- July - British Open - Max Faulkner
- August - PGA Championship - Sam Snead
- PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Lloyd Mangrum - $26,089
- Ryder Cup: United States team wins 9 1/2 to 2 1/2 over the British team in world golf.
- US Women's Open - Betsy Rawls
Thoroughbred Horse Racing
- July 14 - Citation won his 32nd race, the Hollywood Gold Cup, becoming the first equine millionaire.
- Australia - Melbourne Cup - Delat
- Canada - Queen's Plate - Major Factor
- France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Tantième
- Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Fraise du Bois
- English Triple Crown Races:
- Two Thousand 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
Harness Racing
- Tar Heel, a standardbred horse driven by Del Cameron, produced the first two-minute mile in harness racing history.
- Little Brown Jug for pacers won by Tar Heel
- Hambletonian for trotters won by Mainliner
- Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
- Pacers: Vedette
- Trotters: Gay Belwin
Ice Hockey
- 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
- Men's champion: Canada's Lethbridge Maple Leafs
Tennis
- Grand Slam in tennis mens results:
- Australian Open - Dick Savitt
- French Open - Jaroslav Drobny
- Wimbledon championships - Dick Savitt
- US Open - Frank Sedgman
- Grand Slam in tennis womens results:
- Australian Open - Nancy Wynne Bolton
- French Open - Shirley Fry
- Wimbledon championships - Doris Hart
- US Open - Maureen Connolly
- Davis Cup: Australia wins 3-2 over the United States in world tennis.
General sporting events
- February 25 - The first Pan American Games are held, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Fred Davis won the World Professional Snooker Championship
Births
- March 4 - Kenny Dalglish footballer and football manager
- April 29 - Dale Earnhardt, stock car racer (+ 2001)
- October 6 - Manfred Winkelhock, auto racing driver
Deaths
- February 25 - Smokey Joe Williams, baseball star
- March 25 - Eddie Collins, Major League Baseball player (106-1930)
- July 9 - Harry Heilmann, Major League Baseball player (1914-1932)
- August 26 - Bill Barilko, Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey player, plane crash
- December 5 - "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Major League Baseball player (1908-1920)