- January 19
- Canadian Football Council renamed Canadian Football League. [1]
- January 20
- Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open. [1]
- January 21
- Philadelphia Phillies agree to televise 78 games into New York City, New York (doesn't happen). [1]
- January 23
- Hanif Mohammad completes 337 in 970 minutes versus West Indies. [1]
- January 26
- Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Lake Worth Open Golf Invitational. [1]
- January 28
- Brooklyn Dodgers' catcher Roy Campanella is paralyzed in an automobile wreck. [1]
- January 30
- Baseball announces players and coaches rather than fans pick all stars. [1]
- February 2
- Fay Crocker win LPGA Havana Biltmore Golf Open. [1]
- February 4
- Baseball Hall of Fame fails to elect anyone for first time since 1950. [1]
- February 5
- Test Cricket debut of Lance Gibbs, West Indies versus Pakistan, Port-of-Spain. [1]
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- February 6
- Seven soccer players of Manchester United die in an air crash at Munich, Germany. [1]
- Ted Williams signs with Boston Red Sox for US$135,000, making him highest paid. [1]
- February 7
- Brooklyn Dodgers officially become the Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc. [1]
- February 12
- Boston Celtics' Bill Russell grabs 41 rebounds to beat Syracuse Nationals 119-101. [1]
- February 15
- Ice Dance Championship at Paris won by June Markham/Courtney Jones of Great Britain. [1]
- Ice Pairs Championship at Paris won by Barbara Wagner/Rob Paul of Canada. [1]
- Ladies Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by Carol Heiss of USA. [1]
- Men's Figure Skating Championship in Paris won by David Jenkins of USA. [1]
- February 16
- Betsy Rawls wins LPGA Saint Petersburg Golf Open. [1]
- February 20
- Jockey Eddie Arcaro rides his 4,000th winner. [1]
- Los Angeles Coliseum Committee approves two-year pact allowing Los Angeles Dodgers to use facility. [1]
- February 22
- Australian swimmer Jon Konrads sets six world records in two days. [1]
- February 23
- Five-time world driving champion Juan Fangio kidnapped by Cuban rebels. [1]
- February 28
- West Indies 1-504 in reply to Pakistan 328, day three of third Test Cricket. [1]
- March 1
- Gary Sobers 365 versus Pakistan, 614 minutes, 38 fours, best Cricket before Lara. [1]
- Sobers completes 446 stand for second wicket with Conrad Hunte, 260. [1]
- West Indies cricket declare at stumps score of 3-790 declare versus Pakistan. [1]
- March 2
- Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open. [1]
- March 8
- Silky Sullivan comes from 40 lengths back to win by three at Santa Anita. [1]
- March 9
- George Yardley (Detroit Pistons) is first NBA player to score 2,000 points in season. [1]
- March 11
- Starting this season, American League batters are required to wear batting helmets. [1]
- March 15
- Oscar Robertson of Cincinnati scores a NCAA midwest region-record 56 points. [1]
- Cincinnati Royals' basketball star Maurice Stokes collapses during a playoff game with encephalitis; he goes into a coma and is permanently disabled. [1]
- March 16
- Beverly Hanson wins LPGA Titleholders Golf Championship. [1]
- March 19
- Sobers completes a century in each inning versus Pakistan. [1]
- March 22
- 20th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Seattle 84-72. [1]
- March 25
- Sugar Ray Robinson is first boxing champion to win five times. [1]
- March 29
- US Ladies Figure Skating Championship won by Carol Heiss. [1]
- US Men's Figure Skating Championship won by David Jenkins. [1]
- April 6
- Arnold Palmer wins first major golf tournament-the Masters. [1]
- April 7
- Los Angeles Dodgers erect 42-foot screen in left field at Los Angeles Coliseum to cut down on home runs, since it is only 250 feet down the line. [1]
- April 12
- 12th NBA Championship: Saint Louis Hawks beat Boston Celtics, 4 games to 2. [1]
- April 15
- First Major League baseball game in California, San Francisco Giants beat Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-0. [1]
- April 16
- 22nd Golf Masters Championship: Arnold Palmer wins, shooting a 284. [1]
- April 18
- National League single-game attendance record of 78,682, San Francisco Giants lose to Los Angeles Dodgers 6-5, in Los Angeles, California. [1]
- April 19
- 62nd Boston Marathon won by Franjo Mihalic of Yugoslavia in 2:25:54. [1]
- April 20
- Louise Suggs wins LPGA Babe Didrikson-Zaharias Golf Open. [1]
- Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins 4 games to two for the Stanley Cup. [1]
- April 23
- Gil Hodges hits his 300th homerun and Pee Wee Reese plays in 2,000th game. [1]
- April 24
- Lee Walls hits three homeruns, as Chicago Cubs beat Los Angeles Dodgers 15-2. [1]
- April 30
- Ted Williams is 10th major league player to get 1,000 extra-base hits. [1]
- May 2
- New York Yankees threaten to broadcast games nationwide if National League goes ahead with plans to broadcast games into New York City. [1]
- May 3
- At Churchill Downs racecourse near Louisville, Kentucky, the 84th Kentucky Derby race is held. Ismael Valenzuela aboard Tim Tam wins in 2:05. Total gambling bets on the race: US$1,635,500. [1] [80.185]
- May 11
- Beverly Hanson wins LPGA Lawton Golf Open. [1]
- May 13
- Stan Musial is 8th Major League Baseball batter to get 3,000 hits. [1]
- May 17
- 84th Preakness: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Tim Tam wins in 1:57.2. [1]
- May 18
- Wiffi Smith wins LPGA Peach Blossom Golf Open. [1]
- May 28
- Marlene Hagge wins LPGA Land of Sky Golf Open. [1]
- May 29
- Real Madrid wins third Europe Cup 1 in Brussels, Belgium. [1]
- June 22
- Game in Kansas City between Kansas City Athletics and Boston Red Sox delayed 29 minutes due to tornado. [1]
- June 27
- Billy Pierce's perfect game bid broken with two outs in 9th. [1]
- June 29
- Brazil beats Sweden 5-2 in soccer's 6th World Cup at Stockholm, Sweden. [1]
- July 8
- American League beats National League 4-3 in 25th All Star Game (Memorial Stadium, Baltimore). [1]
- August 6
- Glenn Davis sets record of 49.2s in 400-metre hurdles. [1]
- August 14
- Canadian Football League plays first game (Winnipeg Blue Bombers 29, Edmonton Eskimos 21). [1]
- Cleveland Indians' Vic Power steals home twice in one game. [1]
- August 20
- Dale Long becomes first major league lefty catcher in 52 years. [1]
- Detroit Tigers' Jim Bunning no-hits Boston Red Sox, 3-0. [1]
- August 22
- Toronto Argonauts' Boyd Carter and Dave Mann combine for record 131-yard punt return. [1]
- September 1
- Saint Louis Cardinals' pitcher Vinegar Bend Mizell walks a record nine men in a shutout. [1]
- September 9
- Pittsburgh Pirates' player Roberto Clemente ties record of three triples in a game. [1]
- September 20
- Baltimore Orioles' knuckler Hoyt Wilhelm no-hits New York Yankees 1-0. [1]
- September 26
- Columbia (US) beats Sceptre (England) in 18th America's Cup. [1]
- October 9
- New York Yankees beat Milwaukee Braves 4 games to 3 in 55th World Series - Yankees appear in 9 and win 7 of last ten World Series. [1]
- November 28
- George "Punch" Imlach becomes coach of NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. [1]
- December 2
- 24th Heisman Trophy Award: Pete Dawkins, Army (Half Back). [1]
- December 5
- Philadelphia Phillies drop plans for New York sportcast as New York Yankees threat to do same in Philadelphia. [1]
- December 10
- University of Pittsburgh agrees to buy Forbes Field from the Pittsburgh Pirates. [1]
- December 12
- Fergie Gupte takes 9-102 with leggies versus West Indies at Kanpur. [1]
- December 29
- Baltimore Colts beat New York Giants 23-17 in NFL championship game broadcast to live TV audience of 40 million. [1] [1302.155]
- December 31
- 47th Davis Cup: USA beats Australia in Brisbane (3-2). [1]
- Willie Shoemaker becomes first jockey to win national riding championship four times. [1]
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