1956 in sports

Auto Racing

• NASCAR Championship - Buck Baker[?]
• The United States Auto Club (USAC) was founded to take over race sanctioning from the American Automobile Association (AAA).
• USAC Racing:
  • Pat Flaherty[?] won the Indianapolis 500
  • Jimmy Bryan[?] won the season championship
• Formula One Championship - Juan Manuel Fangio of Argentina
• 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Ron Flockhart[?] / Ninian Sanderson[?] won, driving a Jaguar D-Type
• Rally racing:
  • the team of Ronnie Adams[?] / Frank Biggar[?] won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Jaguar Mk VII
• Drag racing:
  • Art Arfons[?]' Allison-powered "Green Monster #6" become the first member of Hot Rod Magazine[?]'s new 150-mph Club.
  • Melvin Heath[?] won the NHRA "Top Fuel" Championship at the Nationals

Baseball

• World Series: New York Yankees win 4 games to 3 over the Brooklyn Dodgers Yankees pitcher Don Larsen[?], pitches the first and only "perfect game" in World Series history, earning himself MVP honors.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship:
  • San Francisco wins 83-71 over Iowa

• NBA Finals:
  • Philadelphia Warriors won 4 games to 1 over the Fort Wayne Pistons

Boxing

• April 27 - Rocky Marciano retires as the only undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the world with a perfect record (49-0).

• November 30 , in Chicago, Illinois - Floyd Patterson knocks out Archie Moore in the 5th round to win the vacant World Heavyweight title.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Charly Gaul[?] of Luxembourg
• Tour de France - Roger Walkowiak[?] of France
• World Cycling Championship: Rik Van Steenbergen of Belgium

Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Hayes Alan Jenkins[?], (United States)
  • Women's champion: Carol Heiss[?], (United States)
  • Pairs champions: Sissy Schwarz[?] & Kurt Oppelt[?], (Austria)

Football (Soccer)

• England - FA Cup: Manchester City won 3-1 over Birmingham City

Football (American)

• NFL Championship: New York Giants won 47-7 over the Chicago Bears

Canadian Football League

• Grey Cup: Edmonton Eskimos win 50-27 over the Montreal Alouettes

Golf

Men's Golf

• Grand Slam of golf results:
  1. May - The Masters - Jack Burke, Jr.[?]
  2. June - US Open - Cary Middlecoff[?]
  3. July - British Open - Peter Thomson[?]
  4. August - PGA Championship - Jack Burke[?]

• PGA tour's leading money winner for the year: Ted Kroll[?] - $72,836

Women's Golf

• US Women's Open - Kathy Cornelius[?]
• LPGA Championship - Marlene Hagge[?]
• Marlene Hagge[?]: leading money winner on the LPGA tour, earning $20,235.

Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - Evening Peal[?]
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Canadian Champ[?]
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Ribot
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Talgo[?]

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. Two Thousand Guineas Stakes - Gilles de Retz[?]
  2. Epsom Derby - Lavandin[?]
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Cambremer[?]

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby - Needles[?]
  2. Preakness Stakes - Fabius[?]
  3. Belmont Stakes - Needles[?]

Harness Racing

• TheUnited States Pacing Triple Crown races is created with the addition of the Messenger Stakes.
  1. Cane Pace - Noble Adios[?]
  2. Little Brown Jug - Noble Adios[?]
  3. Messenger Stakes - Belle Acton[?]

• United States Trotting Triple Crown races:
  1. Hambletonian - The Intruder[?]
  2. Yonkers Trot
  3. Kentucky Futurity

• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship:
  • Pacers: Gentleman John[?]

Ice Hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Jean Beliveau[?], Montreal Canadiens

• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Jean Beliveau[?], Montreal Canadiens

• Stanley Cup: Montreal Canadiens win 4 games to 1 over the Detroit Red Wings

• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated the United States

Skiing

• Alpine Skiing
• The men's Olympic Gold Medal:
  • Downhill: Anton Sailer[?], Austria
  • Slalom: Anton Sailer[?], Austria
  • Giant Slalom: Anton Sailer[?], Austria

• • The women's Olympic Gold Medal:
  • Downhill: Madeleine Berthod[?], Switzerland
  • Slalom: Renee Colliard[?], Switzerland
  • Giant Slalom: Ossi Reichert[?], West Germany

• ISF World Championships[?]:
  • Men's combined champion: Anton Sailer[?], Austria
  • Women's combined champion: Madeleine Berthod[?], Switzerland

Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Lew Hoad[?]
  2. French Open - Lew Hoad[?]
  3. Wimbledon championships - Lew Hoad[?]
  4. US Open - Ken Rosewall[?]

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Mary Carter[?]
  2. French Open - Althea Gibson[?]
  3. Wimbledon championships - Shirley Fry[?]
  4. US Open - Shirley Fry[?]

• Davis Cup Australia wins 5-0 over the United States in world tennis.

General sporting events

• January 26 - Winter Olympics open in Cortina d'Ampezzo[?], Italy
• Fred Davis[?] retained the World Professional Snooker Championship
• January 26 - 1956 Winter Olympic Games[?] open in Cortina d'Ampezzo[?], Italy
• Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia

Births

• March 29 - Kurt Thomas[?], gymnast

Deaths

• March 2 - Fred Merkle[?], Major League Baseball player (1907-1926)
• May 26 - Al Simmons[?], Major League Baseball player (1924-1944)
• September 22 - Jesse Tannehill[?], Major League Baseball pitcher (1894-1911)
• October 16 - Jules Rimet, a founding father of the Football World Cup
• November 27 - Charlie Peete[?] 27, MLB baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals, plane crash