December 1948 in Sports History
All Types Events Birthdays Deaths Weddings & Divorces
Baseball Record
Dec 2 After one of the best seasons in baseball history, St Louis Cardinals utility Stan Musial is named NL MVP; leads NL in batting average (.365), runs (135), RBI (131), hits (230), doubles (46), triples (18) & slugging (.702), with 39 HRs
MLB Legend
Dec 3 Australian cricket icon Don Bradman scores 123 for the Bradman XI in his own testimonial match against the Lindsay Hassett's XI in front of 52,360 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Donald Bradman
Dec 4 13th Iron Bowl (first since 1907): Alabama beats Auburn 55-0 in Birmingham
Dec 5 NY Giant Charley Conerly sets NFL record of 36 pass completions
Dec 8 14th Heisman Trophy Award: Doak Walker, SMU (HB)
Dec 19 Cleveland Browns beats Buffalo Bills 49-7 in AAFC championship game
Dec 19 National Football League Championship, Shribe Park, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles shutout Chicago Cardinals, 7-0 in a snowstorm, 'the Philly Blizzard'
Dec 21 1949 NFL Draft: University of Pennsylvania linebacker/center Chuck Bednarik is selected first by Philadelphia Eagles
Dec 1 Sarfraz Nawaz, Pakistani cricket fast bowler (55 Tests, 177 wickets; 45 ODIs), born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Dec 1 George Foster, American baseball left fielder (MLB All Star 1976-79, 81; NL MVP 1977; Cincinnati Reds), born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Dec 1 Neil Warnock, English soccer winger and manager (Crystal Palace, Leeds, QPR, Cardiff City), born in Sheffield, England
Dec 2 Antonín Panenka, Czech soccer midfielder (59 caps; Bohemians Praha, Rapid Vienna), born in Prague, Czech Republic
Dec 6 Keke Rosberg, Finnish auto racer (World F1 Champion 1982), born in Solna, Sweden
Dec 6 Eigil Nielsen, Danish soccer midfielder (10 caps; Basel), born in Tårs, Denmark (d. 2019)
Dec 13 Lillian Board, British 400m athlete (Olympic silver 1968), born in Durban, South Africa (d. 1970)
Dec 18 Adam Musiał, Polish soccer defender (34 caps; Wisła Kraków) and manager (Wisła Kraków, Lechia Gdańsk, Stal Stalowa Wola), born in Wieliczka, Poland (d. 2020)
Dec 19 Ken Brown, Canadian ice hockey player
Dec 21 Dave Kingman, American baseball player (Mets, NY Yankees, Giants), born in Pendleton, Oregon
Dec 22 Chris Old, English cricketer (England medium-pacer of 70's), born in Middlesborough, United Kingdom
Steve Garvey
Dec 22 Steve Garvey, American baseball player (LA Dodgers, San Diego Padres), born in Tampa, Florida
Dec 23 Jack Ham, American football player (Steelers), born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Dec 26 Chris Chambliss, 1st baseman (NY Yankee)
Dec 30 Surinder Amarnath, cricketer (son of Lala 124 on debut v NZ 1976)
Dec 31 René Robert, Canadian NHL player, born in Trois-Rivières, Canada
Wedding of Interest
Dec 26 MLB player Gil Hodges (24) weds Joan Lombardi
MLB First Baseman
Gil Hodges
Dec 9 Sir Timothy O'Brien, cricketer (Bart 5 Tests England 1884-96), dies
Dec 20 Ladha Ramji, cricketer (bro of Amar Singh, Test Ind 1933-34), dies
Dec 31 Malcolm Campbell, British motor racer (world land and water speed record holder), dies of a stroke at 63