# 1950 in sports

1950 in Sports describes the year's events in world sport. Popular sports during the 1950s were badminton and soccer. Also, 1950 was a huge year for horse racing – horse racing tripled in spectators and prize pools increased.

## American football

* NFL Championship: the Cleveland Browns won 30–28 over the Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland Stadium
* Coaches Poll established to rank top 20 American college football teams..

## Association football

FIFA World Cup
* 1950 World Cup held in Brazil. Uruguay are the winners after beating Brazil in the final group decider.
* United States defeats England 1–0 in one of the great upsets in sports history
England
* First Division – Portsmouth win the 1949–50 title.
* FA Cup – Arsenal beat Liverpool 2–0.
France
* Olympique Lyonnais, officially rename from Lyon Olympique on August 3.

## Athletics

The 4th European Athletics Championships were held from 23 August to 27 August at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels.

## Australian rules football

* The Victorian Football Association began playing as an affiliated member of the Australian National Football Council and playing under the same rules as the rest of the country. This ended a decade-long schism which had begun in 1938, during which the VFA had played under its own rival set of rules under which throwing the football in general play was legalised.
* Victorian Football League
** Essendon wins the 54th VFL Premiership (Essendon 13.14 (92) d North Melbourne 7.12 (54))
** Brownlow Medal awarded to Allan Ruthven (Fitzroy)

## Baseball

* The Japanese Baseball League is reorganized, creating the modern Nippon Professional Baseball.
* World Series – The New York Yankees sweep the Philadelphia Phillies four games to none.
* Japan Series – In the inaugural Japan Series, the Mainichi Orions defeat the Shochiku Robins 4 games to 2.

## Basketball

NBA Finals
* Minneapolis Lakers over Syracuse Nationals (4–2)

## Boxing

* January – Joey Maxim wins the light-heavyweight world title, stopping champion Freddie Mills in 10 rounds.
* September 27 – Ezzard Charles retains his World Heavyweight Championship with a 15-round unanimous decision over Joe Louis in New York City.

## Canadian football

* Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts win 13–0 over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

## Cycling

* Giro d'Italia – Hugo Koblet of Switzerland
* Tour de France – Ferdinand Kubler of Switzerland
* Vuelta a España – Emilio Rodriguez of Spain
* UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Briek Schotte of Belgium

## Figure skating

* World Figure Skating Championships –
** Men's champion: Dick Button, United States
** Ladies' champion: Aja Zanova, Czechoslovakia
** Pairs skating champions: Karol Kennedy & Michael Kennedy, United States

## Golf

Men's professional
* Masters Tournament – Jimmy Demaret
* U.S. Open – Ben Hogan
* PGA Championship – Chandler Harper
* British Open – Bobby Locke
* PGA Tour money leader – Sam Snead – $35,759
Men's amateur
* British Amateur – Frank Stranahan
* U.S. Amateur – Sam Urzetta
Women's professional
* Thirteen women golfers found the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
* Women's Western Open – Babe Zaharias
* U.S. Women's Open – Babe Zaharias
* Titleholders Championship – Babe Zaharias
* Babe Zaharias named Woman Athlete of the Half–Century by the Associated Press.
* LPGA Tour money leader – Babe Zaharias – $14,800

## Harness racing

* Little Brown Jug for pacers – Dudley Hanover
* Hambletonian for trotters – Lusty Song
* Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship for pacers – Captain Sandy

## Horse racing

* The United States National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame is founded in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Steeplechases
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – Cottage Rake for the third successive year
* Grand National – Freebooter
Hurdle races
* Champion Hurdle – Hatton's Grace
Flat races
* Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Comic Court
* Canada – King's Plate won by McGill
* France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Tantieme
* Ireland – Irish Derby won by Dark Warrior
* English Triple Crown Races:
** 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Palestine
** The Derby – Galcador
** St. Leger Stakes – Scratch
* United States Triple Crown Races:
** Kentucky Derby – Middleground
** Preakness Stakes – Hill Prince
** Belmont Stakes – Middleground

## Ice hockey

* Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Ted Lindsay, Detroit Red Wings
* Hart Memorial Trophy – for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Charlie Rayner, New York Rangers
* Stanley Cup – Detroit Red Wings win 4 games to 3 over the New York Rangers
* World Hockey Championship
** Men's champion: Canada's Edmonton Mercurys
* NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship – Colorado College Tigers defeat Boston University Terriers 13–4 in Colorado Springs, Colorado

## Nordic skiing

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
* 13th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1950 are held in the United States at Lake Placid (ski jumping) and Rumford, Maine (cross-country skiing). These are the first world championships since 1939.

## Rowing

The Boat Race
* 1 April — Cambridge wins the 96th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

## Rugby league

Australia
* 1950 NSWRFL season
England
* 1949–50 Northern Rugby Football League season/1950–51 Northern Rugby Football League season

## Rugby union

Five Nations Championship
* 56th Five Nations Championship series is won by Wales who complete the Grand Slam

## Snooker

* World Snooker Championship – Walter Donaldson beats Fred Davis 51–46.

## Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships
* Men's All-round Champion – Hjalmar Andersen (Norway)
* Women's All-round Champion – Maria Isakova (USSR)

## Tennis

Australia
* Australian Men's Singles Championship – Frank Sedgman (Australia) defeats Ken McGregor (Australia) 6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–1
* Australian Women's Singles Championship – Louise Brough (USA) defeats Doris Hart (USA) 6–4, 3–6, 6–4
England
* Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Budge Patty (USA) defeats Frank Sedgman (Australia) 6–1, 8–10, 6–2, 6–3
* Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Louise Brough Clapp (USA) defeats Margaret Osborne duPont (USA) 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
France
* French Men's Singles Championship – Budge Patty
* French Women's Singles Championship – Doris Hart
USA
* American Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Larsen
* American Women's Singles Championship – Margaret Osborne duPont
Davis Cup
* 1950 Davis Cup – Australia 4–1 United States at West Side Tennis Club (grass) New York City, United States

## Multi-sport events

* 4th British Empire Games held in Auckland, New Zealand