St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-01-05

oscar MORRISON ana Jerry w eS
Ralph Boston and Frank Budd, in
track and field; Jim Brown and
Ernie Davis, in football, and FL
ston Howard, Mickey Mantle and
Roger Maris of the world cham
pions New York Yankees, in base
ball. All except Mantle, Maris, and
West are Negroes.
Floyd Patterson, continuing to
battle comparatively easy oppon-
ents, defended his title twice.
After stopping Ingemar Johansson
of Sweden in their championship
rubber match at Miami Beach, Fla,
March IS, Floyd proceeded to give
ambitious, but out-classed Tom
McNeeIey of Boston a boxing les
son before stopping him in four
rounds at Toronto, Canada. AS a
part of the same close-circuit tele-
vision deal, Sonny Liston, Patter-
sons persistent challenger, flat
tened Albert Westphal of Germany
in one round in Philadelphia.
Miss Rudolph got into the news
on and off the track, including a
trip to the altar to become the
bride of William Ward, an athlete
from New Jersey. Before saying
II do" however, Wilma had estab-
ished a new women's world re-
cord for the 100 meters, with a
clocking of 11.2 seconds. And at
years end, she was named the
Athlete of the Year for the second
straight year by both the Associ-
ated Press and United Press In
ternational.
Chamberlain, Baylor Top MIA
Chamberlain and Baylor contin-
ued as the top scorers and most
feared players in the National Bas-
ketball Assn, with the talented
Robertson a close third.
Unstoppable Jim Brown of the
pro Cleveland Browns and SYRIA
cuse's Ernie Davis were the most
talked about players in football
Brown won the National Football
Leagues rushing title for the fifth
straight year, and Davis compiled
a sensational record at Syracuse
and was on everybody's All-Amer-
lea team until he was signed by
Cleveland recently. He became the
first Negro to be selected for the
Heisman Award.
Howard, Mantle and Maris d.
Well, you know the story of their
exploits.
Following is a month-by-month
breakdown of the years sports de-
velopments:
January - Washington upset
Minnesota, the Big Ten representa-
tive in the first major sports event
of the year in the Rose Bowl game,
17-7, despite the presence on the
Gophers team of standout quarter
back Sandy Stephens. George
Fleming of Washington was one of
the big stars of the game Min
nesota also represented the Big
Ten in the 1862 Tournament of
Roses game In hockey, Willie
Rec of Fredericton, New Bruins
wick, Canada, became the first Ne
gro full fledge player in the Ma
tional Hockey League when he
made his debut with the Boston
Bruins Individually, Rafer
johnson, the former world decath-
Ion champion established a new
world record in a track meet at
Eugene, Ore, in July, 1860, and
then was named Southern Calf
ornias Athlete of the year by the
Helm Athletic Foundation.
February - Playing his rookie
season in the MIA, Robertson,
starring with the Cincinnati Roy
ais, not only was selected a men,
Der of the West team, but he en-
erged from the 18th annual league
all-star game at Syracuse, N. Y,
as the games most valuable play
er. The honor was especially spec
tacular, because Robertson was
pitted against such stars as Cham
berlain, Bob Cousey, and BIN Rus
sell, in the game /, In golf, hard
swinging Charlie sifford Of Los
Angeles shattered a, race barrier
by becoming the first Negro to
play in the 100000 Palm Springs
Golf Classic. - q. : .
March - Patterson knocked out
Johansson in six rounds Form
er middleweight champion, Sugar
Ray Robinson dropped a decision
to rough, tough Gene Fullmer in
Rays fifth bid to regain the title