1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Regular season, Batting
Right fielder Hank Aaron won the National League batting championship with a career-high .355 batting average. He also led the league in hits with 223, total bases with 400—both also career highs—and slugging percentage at .636. Aaron finished third in the voting for the National League Most Valuable Player award. Aaron also led the Braves with 154 games played, 629 at bats, and 123 runs batted in.


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Regular season, Batting
Third baseman Eddie Mathews led the NL with 46 home runs and had a career-high 182 hits, and he led the National League. He also led the team with 118 runs scored, had 182 hits and drove in 114 runs. Mathews finished second to Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs in the voting for the league's Most Valuable Player, who hit 47 home runs and lead the league in runs batted in. The choice was controversial, as the Cubs finished in last place, but Aaron and Mathews split the voting among Braves players, allowing Banks to claim the award.


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Regular season, Pitching
Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette led the National League pitchers with 21 wins apiece, and they had identical 21–15 win-loss records in carrying the Braves on their backs for most of the season. Spahn, who was the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game, pitched 292 innings, and Burdette pitched 290. Third starter Bob Buhl returned from a season full of injuries to pitch 198 innings and finish with a good 15–9 record.


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Regular season, Pitching
The star of the bullpen was relief pitcher Don McMahon, who pitched in 60 games (finishing 49), had a 5–3 record, a 2.57 earned run average, and saved 15 games. McMahon was also chosen for the All-Star Game.


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Regular season, Season highlights
On May 26, Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitched a perfect game through 12 innings of a game against the Braves. Haddix retired the first 36 consecutive batters, but lost the game 1–0 in the 13th inning. Félix Mantilla broke up the perfect game in the 13th inning. Braves pitcher Lew Burdette also pitched a shutout for all thirteen innings, giving up 12 hits and no walks.


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1959 Milwaukee Braves season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1959 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
The 1959 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 1959 Big Ten Conference football season. In their sixth year under head coach Murray Warmath, the Golden Gophers compiled a 2–7 record and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 159 to 98.


1959 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
End Tom Moe received the team's Most Valuable Player award. Tackle Mike Wright was named an Academic All-American and Academic All-Big Ten. Offensive lineman Jerome Shetler was also named Academic All-Big Ten.


1959 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team
Total attendance at five home games was 263,983, an average of 52,796 per game. The largest crowd was against Michigan.


1959 Mississippi Southern Southerners football team
The 1959 Mississippi Southern Southerners football team was an American football team that represented Mississippi Southern College (now known as the University of Southern Mississippi) as an independent during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. In their eleventh year under head coach Thad Vann, the team compiled a 6–4 record.


1959 Mississippi State Maroons football team
The 1959 Mississippi State Maroons football team represented Mississippi State University during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season.


1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election
The 1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 1959, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Democrat James P. Coleman was term-limited, and could not run for reelection to a second term. As was common at the time, the Democratic candidate ran unopposed in the general election so therefore the Democratic primary was the real contest, and winning the primary was considered tantamount to election.


1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
After the Brown ruling about school desegregation and the 1957 Little Rock Crisis, the defense of segregation and white supremacy across the South became a paramount concern, and all candidates ran as segregationists.


1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
Ross Barnett, who already ran on 1951 and 1955, ran with the support of the Citizens' Councils, former Bilbo partisans and the covert help of Senator James Eastland as a "vigorous segregationist", as he told himself.


1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
Sullivan was relatively more moderate on the race subject; he also ran on a promise to end prohibition. He received covert help from Eastland, who wanted to hamstrung Gartin.


1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
Robert Mason was a perennial candidate who ran on a white supremacy platform, promising to have money printed to fund Mississippi budget: "They’re turning out the money on those free presses. And that’s good. Let’em keep turning some of that free press money to Mississippi". He opposed he end of prohibition. He said he saved money so that, every two or three years, he could either travel or run for governor, adding that he did so on the suggestion of his wife.


1959 Mississippi gubernatorial election, Democratic primary
No candidate received a majority in the Democratic primary, which featured 4 contenders, so a runoff was held between the top two candidates. The runoff election was won by trial lawyer Ross Barnett, who defeated Lieutenant Governor Carroll Gartin; both ran as rabid segregationists to the dismay of the relatively more moderate incumbent Coleman, each one trying to tar the other side with association with pro-integration forces.


1959 Missouri Tigers football team
The 1959 Missouri Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Missouri in the Big Seven Conference (Big 7) during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The team compiled a 6–5 record (4–2 against Big 7 opponents), finished in second place in the Big 7, lost to Georgia in the 1960 Orange Bowl, was ranked No. 17 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a combined total of 125 to 124. Dan Devine was the head coach for the second of 13 seasons. The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.


1959 Missouri Tigers football team
The team's statistical leaders included Mel West with 556 rushing yards and 556 yards of total offense, Phil Snowden with 415 passing yards, Russ Sloan with 128 receiving yards, and Donnie Smith with 24 point scored.


1959 Mitropa Cup
The 1959 Mitropa Cup was the 19th season of the Mitropa football club tournament. It was won by Honvéd who beat MTK in the two-legged final 6–5 on aggregate.


1959 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1959 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on 10 May 1959. It was race 1 of 9 in the 1959 World Championship of Drivers and race 1 of 8 in the 1959 International Cup for Formula One Manufacturers. It was also the 17th Monaco Grand Prix. The race was held over 100 laps of the three kilometre circuit for a race distance of 315 kilometres.


1959 Monaco Grand Prix
The race was won by Australian racer Jack Brabham driving a Cooper T51 for the factory Cooper Car Company team. It was the first win for Brabham, a future three-time world champion. It was the first World Championship Grand Prix victory by an Australian driver. It was also the first win for the factory Cooper team. Coopers had won races previously in the hands of Rob Walker Racing Team. Brabham finished 20 seconds ahead of British driver Tony Brooks driving a Ferrari 246. A lap down in third was the Cooper T51 of French driver and 1958 Monaco Grand Prix winner Maurice Trintignant of the Rob Walker Racing Team.


1959 Montana Grizzlies football team
The 1959 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana in the 1959 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Skyline Conference (Skyline). The Grizzlies were led by second-year head coach Ray Jenkins, played their home games at Dornblaser Field and finished the season with a record of one win and eight losses (1–8, 1–5 Skyline).


1959 Montana State Bobcats football team
The 1959 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State College (now known as Montana State University) as an independent during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. In its second season under head coach Herb Agocs, the team compiled a 6–3 record.


1959 Monte Carlo Rally
The 1959 Monte Carlo Rally was the 28th Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo. It was won by Paul Coltelloni.


1959 Mosul uprising
The 1959 Mosul Uprising was an attempted coup by Arab nationalists in Mosul who wished to depose the then Iraqi Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, and install an Arab nationalist government which would then join the Republic of Iraq with the United Arab Republic. Following the failure of the coup, law and order broke down in Mosul, which witnessed several days of violent street battles between various groups attempting to use the chaos to settle political and personal scores.


1959 Mosul uprising, Background
During Qasim's term, there was much debate over whether Iraq should join the United Arab Republic, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan had dissolved the Arab Federation after Qasim had the entire royal family in Iraq put to death, along with Prime Minister Nuri al-Said.


1959 Mosul uprising, Background
Qasim's growing ties with the Iraqi Communist Party provoked a rebellion in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul which was led by Arab nationalists in charge of military units. In an attempt to intimidate any individuals plotting a potential coup, Qasim had encouraged a Communist backed Peace Partisans rally in Mosul that was held on 6 March 1959. Some 250,000 Peace Partisans and Communists thronged Mosul's streets on 6 March, and although the rally passed peacefully, by 7 March, skirmishes had broken out between the Communists and the nationalists. This degenerated into a local civil war over the following days.


1959 Mosul uprising, Attempted coup
Qasim's attempt to stop dissent was successful to some extent, as Colonel Abdel Wahab Shawaf, the stocky 40-year-old Arab nationalist Commander of the Iraqi Army's Mosul Garrison, was discomforted by the Communists' show of force. Following clashes between the Communist Party's Popular Resistance Militia and local Nasserites which culminated in the burning down of a Nasserite restaurant, Shawaf phoned Baghdad to ask for permission to use the soldiers under his command to keep order.


1959 Mosul uprising, Attempted coup
Shawaf was given an ambiguous response by Baghdad. So Shawaf decided to try and carry out a coup d'état on 7 March. Shawaf was supported in this endeavour by other disgruntled Free Officers, who were primarily from prominent Arab Sunni families and who opposed Qasim's growing relationship with the Iraqi Communist Party. Shawaf ordered the fifth brigade, which was under his command, to round up 300 members of the Communist Peace Partisans, including their leader, Kamil Kazanchi, a well known Baghdad lawyer and politician, who was executed.


1959 Mosul uprising, Attempted coup
Shawaf sent word to other northern Iraqi Army commanders in an effort to convince them to join his attempted coup. He kidnapped a British technician and portable radio transmitter from the Iraq Petroleum Company and took over Radio Mosul, which he attempted to use to encourage Iraqis to rise up against Qasim. Shawaf also sent word to sympathetic local tribesmen, including the Shammar, of whom thousands then travelled to Mosul to show their support.


1959 Mosul uprising, Attempted coup
On the morning of 8 March, Shawaf sent two Furies to Baghdad on an aerial bombing raid. The crew of the aircraft had been ordered to bomb the headquarters of Radio Baghdad. The raid was a failure, with the planes doing little damage. In response, Qasim sent four Iraqi Air Force planes to attack Shawaf's headquarters, situated on a bluff above Mosul. The attack on the headquarters killed six or seven officers, and wounded Shawaf. Whilst Shawaf was bandaging himself, he was killed by one of his sergeants who believed the coup had failed.


1959 Mosul uprising, Ensuing violence
Although Shawaf was dead, the violence was not yet over. Mosul soon became a scene of score settling between rebel and loyalist soldiers, alongside Communists and Arab nationalists. Bedouin tribesmen who had been called on by Shawaf prior to his death to support the coup also engaged in pillaging, and the violence within Mosul was also used as a cover by some to settle private scores. Shawaf's body was beaten and dragged through the streets of Mosul before being thrown in a car and taken to Baghdad.


1959 Mosul uprising, Ensuing violence
Three pro-government Kurdish tribes moved into Mosul and fought the Arab Shammar tribesmen, their long time opponents who had rallied around Shawaf. Sheik Ahmed Ajil, the chief of the Shammars was spotted by Kurdish militiamen in his car and was killed, along with his driver, and both were later hung naked from a bridge over the Tigris.


1959 Mosul uprising, Ensuing violence
By the fourth day government troops had begun to impose order and began clearing the roads as well as removing naked and mutilated bodies which had been strung up from lamp posts. The total dead was estimated at approximately 500.


1959 Mosul uprising, Aftermath
Although the rebellion was crushed by the military, it had a number of adverse effects that was to affect Qasim's position. First, it increased the power of the communists. Second, it encouraged the ideas of the Ba’ath Party's (which had been steadily growing since the 14 July coup). The Ba’ath Party believed that the only way of halting the engulfing tide of communism was to assassinate Qasim.


1959 Mosul uprising, Aftermath
Of the 16 members of Qasim's cabinet, 12 of them were Ba'ath Party members. However, the party turned against Qasim due to his refusal to join Gamel Abdel Nasser's United Arab Republic. To strengthen his own position within the government, Qasim created an alliance with the Iraqi Communist Party, which was opposed to any notion of pan-Arabism. By later that year, the Ba'ath Party leadership was planning to assassinate Qasim. Saddam Hussein was a leading member of the operation. At the time, the Ba'ath Party was more of an ideological experiment then a strong anti-government fighting machine.


1959 Mosul uprising, Aftermath
The majority of its members were either educated professionals or students, and Saddam fitted in well. The choice of Saddam was, according to historian Con Coughlin, "hardly surprising". The idea of assassinating Qasim may have been Nasser's, and there is speculation that some of those who participated in the operation received training in Damascus, which was then part of the UAR. However, "no evidence has ever been produced to implicate Nasser directly in the plot."


1959 Mosul uprising, Aftermath
The assassins planned to ambush Qasim at Al-Rashid Street on 7 October 1959: one man was to kill those sitting at the back of  the car, the rest killing those in front. During the ambush it is claimed that Saddam began shooting prematurely, which disorganised the whole operation. Qasim's chauffeur was killed, and Qasim was hit in the arm and shoulder. The assassins believed they had killed him and quickly retreated to their headquarters, but Qasim survived.


1959 Mosul uprising, Aftermath
The growing influence of communism was felt throughout 1959. A communist-sponsored purge of the armed forces was carried out in the wake of the Mosul revolt. The Iraqi cabinet began to shift towards the radical-left as several communist sympathisers gained posts in the cabinet. Iraq's foreign policy began to reflect this communist influence, as Qasim removed Iraq from the Baghdad Pact on 24 March, and later fostered closer ties with the USSR, including extensive economic agreements. However communist successes encouraged attempts to expand on their position. The communists attempted to replicate their success at Mosul in similar fashion at Kirkuk. A rally was called for 14 July. This was intended to intimidate conservative elements. Instead, it resulted in widespread bloodshed. Qasim consequently cooled relations with the communists signalling a reduction (although by no means a cessation) of their influence in the Iraqi government.


1959 Mosul uprising, Aftermath
Qasim and his supporters accused the UAR of having supported the rebels, and the uprising resulted in an intensification of the ongoing Iraq-UAR propaganda war, with the UAR press accusing Qasim of having sold out the ideas of Arab nationalism. The disagreements between Qasim and Cairo also highlighted the fact that the UAR had failed to become the single voice of Arab nationalism, and the UAR had to recognize that many Iraqis were unwilling to recognise Cairo's leadership, thereby revealing the limits of Nasser's power to other Arab governments.


1959 Mosul uprising, Extent of UAR involvement
Although the attempted coup may have been driven in part by Arab nationalist sentiment and a desire to join the United Arab Republic, the exact extent of UAR involvement in the coup has largely been unclear. Shawaf kept in close contact with the UAR during the development of the attempted coup, with some claiming that the UAR ambassador in Baghdad acted as an intermediary between the UAR and the rebels. There is also evidence that suggests that Radio Mosul may have been transmitting from the Syrian side of the border.


1959 Motocross World Championship
The 1959 Motocross Worl Championship was the 3rd edition of the Motocross World Championship organized by the FIM and reserved for 500cc motorcycles.


1959 Motocross World Championship
After five editions of the European Championship, from 1952 to 1956, the championship from 1957 took the name of the World Championship, at least for the 500cc class. The 250cc class, introduced this season, will also dispute five running-in seasons, from 1957 to 1961, a period in which it will take on the name of the European Cup, to become World Championship as well starting from the 1962 season.


1959 Motocross World Championship, Final standings
From April to August the 500cc didputed 11 grand prix were held which awarded points to the first six classified, respectively: 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1. The score in the final classification of each rider was calculated on the best four results.


1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The 22nd annual NAIA basketball tournament featured 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. The 1959 Tournament is the first tournament to use the 16-seed system, which was used until the 2015.


1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament
The championship game again featured Tennessee State University. The Tigers defeated the Lutes of Pacific Lutheran University. It would be the first time any school would win three consecutive tournaments; a feat only repeated once, by Kentucky State, in 1970, 1971, and 1972. It was also the first tournament that didn't feature an upset in the championship game and first time a "true" number 1 seed won the tournament since seeding began in 1957.


1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament, Awards and honors
Many of the records set by the 1959 tournament have been broken, and many of the awards were established much later:


1959 NAIA Men's Basketball Tournament, 1959 NAIA bracket, 3rd place game
The third place game featured the losing teams from the national semifinalist to determine 3rd and 4th places in the tournament. This game was played until 1988.


1959 NAIA Soccer Championship
The 1959 NAIA Soccer Championship was the inaugural tournament held by the NAIA to determine the national champion of men's college soccer among its members in the United States.


1959 NAIA Soccer Championship
Pratt defeated Elizabethtown in the championship match, 4–3 (after two overtime periods), to win their first NAIA national title. The final was played at Slippery Rock State College in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.


1959 NAIA football season
The 1959 NAIA football season was the fourth season of college football sponsored by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The season was played from August to December 1959, culminating in the fourth annual NAIA Football National Championship, played this year again at Stewart Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. During its four years in St. Petersburg, the game was called the Holiday Bowl.


1959 NAIA football season
Texas A&I defeated Lenoir–Rhyne in the championship game, 20–7, to win their first NAIA national title.


1959 NASCAR Grand National Series
The 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series was the 11th season of professional stock car racing in the United States. The season, which began on November 9, 1958 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was contested over 44 races. The season ended at  Concord Speedway  in Concord, North Carolina, on October 25, 1959. Lee Petty was the drivers' champion, while his son, Richard Petty won the NASCAR Rookie of the Year award. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship. It was also the last season without NASCAR legend David Pearson until 1987.


1959 NBA All-Star Game
The 1959 NBA All Star Game was the ninth NBA All-Star Game.


1959 NBA Finals
The 1959 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1958–59 National Basketball Association season, and was the conclusion of the 1959 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers and the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics. It was Boston's third trip to the NBA Finals and Minneapolis's sixth. The Boston Celtics swept the Lakers 4–0. That was the start of the skein of the Celtics' eight consecutive championships, from 1959–1966. To date, this is the most recent time that an NBA team from Minnesota appeared in an NBA Finals, as well as the first of two times in NBA history that a team with a losing record made the NBA Finals (the other was in 1981).


1959 NBA draft
The 1959 NBA draft was the 13th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on March 31, 1959, before the 1959–60 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. The draft consisted of 14 rounds comprising 85 players selected.


1959 NBA draft, Draft selections and draftee career notes
Bob Boozer from Kansas State University was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Royals. Wilt Chamberlain and Bob Ferry were selected before the draft as Philadelphia Warriors' and St. Louis Hawks' territorial picks respectively. Although Chamberlain played at the University of Kansas, outside the territory of any NBA team, he was selected as the Warriors' territorial pick because the Warriors argued that Chamberlain had grown up in Philadelphia and played high school basketball at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. The NBA agreed with the argument, hence making him the first territorial pick based solely on his pre-college roots. Chamberlain went on to win the Rookie of the Year Award and the Most Valuable Player Award in his first season. Two players from this draft, Wilt Chamberlain and Bailey Howell, have been inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame.


1959 NBA draft, Notes
^ 1: Wilt Chamberlain was playing for the University of Kansas until May 1958, when he decided to leave college early to play professional basketball. However, the NBA rules prevented college players from playing in the league until their class graduated, therefore Chamberlain wasn't eligible to play in the 1958–59 season. He spent the 1958–59 season playing for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to the 1959 draft.


1959 NBA playoffs
The 1959 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1958-59 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Division champion Minneapolis Lakers 4 games to 0 in the NBA Finals. It was the Celtics' second NBA championship.


1959 NBA playoffs
This was the first NBA Finals matchup between the Lakers and Celtics; as of 2020, they have met in the Finals 12 times. Boston won the first eight NBA Finals series of the rivalry, spanning 3 decades – the 1950s, 1960s and 1980s – before the Lakers finally defeated Boston for the title in 1985 and again in 1987. Boston again topped the Lakers in 2008, but the Lakers gained revenge in 2010.


1959 NBA playoffs
This was the only Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals series that took place while the Lakers were based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They remained in Minneapolis one more year before moving to their current home of Los Angeles, California.


1959 NBA playoffs, Bracket
Bold Series winnerItalic Team with home-court advantage in NBA Finals


1959 NBA playoffs, Division Semifinals, Eastern Division Semifinals, (2) New York Knicks vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals
This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with both teams splitting the first four meetings.


1959 NBA playoffs, Division Semifinals, Western Division Semifinals, (2) Minneapolis Lakers vs. (3) Detroit Pistons
This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Lakers winning four of the first five meetings while the Pistons were based in Fort Wayne.


1959 NBA playoffs, Division Finals, Eastern Division Finals, (1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Syracuse Nationals
This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Nationals winning four of the first six meetings.


1959 NBA playoffs, Division Finals, Western Division Finals, (1) St. Louis Hawks vs. (2) Minneapolis Lakers
This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the Hawks winning the first two meetings.


1959 NBA playoffs, NBA Finals: (E1) Boston Celtics vs. (W2) Minneapolis Lakers
This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams.


1959 NC State Wolfpack football team
The 1959 NC State Wolfpack football team represented North Carolina State University during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The Wolfpack were led by sixth-year head coach Earle Edwards and played their home games at Riddick Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. They competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing in last with an 0–6 conference record.


1959 NCAA College Division Basketball Tournament
The 1959 NCAA College Division Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's basketball in the NCAA College Division, predecessor to today's NCAA Divisions II and III, as a culmination of the 1958–59 NCAA College Division men's basketball season. It was won by the University of Evansville, and Evansville's Hugh Ahlering was named Most Outstanding Player.


1959 NCAA College Division football rankings
The 1959 NCAA College Division football rankings are from the United Press International poll of College Division head coaches. The 1959 NCAA College Division football season was the second year UPI published a poll in what was termed the "Small College" division. The Associated Press did not start their version of the poll until 1960. The Top 10 included the team's record while the "Second 10" did not.


1959 NCAA College Division football season
The 1959 NCAA College Division football season was the fourth season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.


1959 NCAA College Division football season, Rankings, Small college poll
In 1959, United Press International (UPI) conducted its "small college" coaches' poll for the second time; they voted the Bowling Green Falcons, who had a 9–0 record and outscored their opponents 274–83, as the number one team.


1959 NCAA Golf Championship
The 1959 NCAA Golf Championship was the 21st annual NCAA-sanctioned golf tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate golf in the United States.


1959 NCAA Golf Championship
The tournament was held at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Oregon, hosted by the University of Oregon.


1959 NCAA Golf Championship
Three-time defending champions Houston won the team title, the Cougars' fourth NCAA team national title.


1959 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
The consensus 1959 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of five major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA).


1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1958–59 NCAA men's ice hockey season, the 12th such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 12 and 14, 1959, and concluded with North Dakota defeating Michigan State 4-3 in overtime. All games were played at the RPI Field House in Troy, New York.


1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
This was the last tournament to be won by an independent school. (as of 2016)


1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Qualifying teams
Four teams qualified for the tournament, two each from the eastern and western regions. The Big Ten and Tri-State League champions received bids into the tournament as did two independent schools.


1959 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The Tri-State League champion was seeded as the top eastern team while the Big Ten champion was given the top western seed. The second eastern seed was slotted to play the top western seed and vice versa. All games were played at the RPI Field House. All matches were Single-game eliminations with the semifinal winners advancing to the national championship game and the losers playing in a consolation game.


1959 NCAA Skiing Championships
The 1959 NCAA Skiing Championships were contested in Winter Park, Colorado at the sixth annual NCAA-sanctioned ski tournament to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate alpine, cross country skiing, and ski jumping in the United States.


1959 NCAA Skiing Championships
Colorado, coached by Bob Beattie, captured their first national championship, edging out rival Denver in the team standings.


1959 NCAA Skiing Championships
The sole repeat individual champion was Denver's Clarence Servold, in cross country.


1959 NCAA Skiing Championships, Venue
This year's championships were held March 27–29 in Colorado at Winter Park, west of Denver.


1959 NCAA Skiing Championships, Venue
These were the second NCAA championships at Winter Park (and in Colorado), which previously hosted in 1956.


1959 NCAA Soccer Tournament
The 1959 NCAA Soccer Tournament was the inaugural men's college soccer tournament organized by the NCAA to determine the top men's collegiate soccer team in the United States.


1959 NCAA Soccer Tournament
The inaugural championship was played on November 28, 1959 at Memorial Stadium at the University of Connecticut in Storrs.


1959 NCAA Soccer Tournament
Saint Louis defeated Bridgeport in the final, 2–0, to claim the inaugural title.


1959 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
The 1959 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships were contested on March 26−28, 1959 at Teagle Pool at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York at the 23rd annual officially NCAA-sanctioned swim meet to determine the team and individual national champions of men's collegiate swimming and diving in the United States. Including the championships held before NCAA sponsorship in 1937, this was the 36th collegiate championship overall.


1959 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
Michigan once again retained the national title, the Wolverines' ninth (and third consecutive), after finishing a record ninety-three points ahead of Ohio State in the team standings.


1959 NCAA Tennis Championships
The 1959 NCAA Tennis Championships were the 14th annual NCAA-sponsored tournaments to determine the national champions of men's singles, doubles, and team collegiate tennis in the United States.


1959 NCAA Tennis Championships
Notre Dame and Tulane shared the team championship, the first such title for both the Fighting Irish and the Green Wave. Both teams finished with 8 points in the final team standings.


1959 NCAA Tennis Championships, Host site
This year's tournaments were contested at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.


1959 NCAA Tennis Championships, Team scoring
Until 1977, the men's team championship was determined by points awarded based on individual performances in the singles and doubles events.


1959 NCAA Track and Field Championships
The 1959 NCAA Track and Field Championships were contested June 12−13 at the 38th annual NCAA-sanctioned track meet to determine the individual and team national champions of men's collegiate track and field events in the United States. This year's meet was hosted by the University of Nebraska at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln.


1959 NCAA Track and Field Championships
Kansas won the team national championship, the Jayhawks' first team title.


1959 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament
The 1959 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament was played at the end of the 1959 NCAA University Division baseball season to determine the national champion of college baseball. The tournament concluded with eight teams competing in the College World Series, a double-elimination tournament in its thirteenth year. Eight regional districts sent representatives to the College World Series with preliminary rounds within each district serving to determine each representative. These events would later become known as regionals.


1959 NCAA University Division Baseball Tournament
Each district had its own format for selecting teams, resulting in 22 teams participating in the tournament at the conclusion of their regular season, and in some cases, after a conference tournament. The College World Series was held in Omaha, NE from June 12 to June 18. The thirteenth tournament's champion was Oklahoma State, coached by Toby Greene. The Most Outstanding Player was Jim Dobson of Oklahoma State.


1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament
The 1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 7, 1959, and ended with the championship game on March 21 in Louisville, Kentucky. A total of 27 games were played, including a third place game in each region and a national third place game.


1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament
California, coached by Pete Newell, won the national title with a 71–70 victory in the final game over West Virginia, coached by Fred Schaus. Jerry West of West Virginia was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.


1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Locations
For the second straight year, Freedom Hall in Louisville hosted the Final Four. The tournament saw two new venues, both used in the first round. The city of Portland hosted the tournament for the first time, hosting at the Pacific International Livestock Exposition. It would be the only time the building would host, as the Memorial Coliseum would open the next year. The state of New Mexico hosted the tournament for the first time, with New Mexico A&M hosting games at its home arena at the time, the Las Cruces High School Arena.


1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Locations
This would mark the third time in three years a high school hosted the tournament, and the last time it would happen. The next time the Aggies would host the tournament would be at their own on-campus arena, the Pan American Center. All other venues, and all nine host cities, would host tournament games again in the future.


1959 NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament, Teams
Mississippi State qualified for the tournament but university president Benjamin F. Hilbun supported the social degradation of African-American citizens and would not permit the team to participate in the tournament where they would face African-American players.


1959 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships
The 1959 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships were the 21st annual cross country meet to determine the team and individual national champions of men's collegiate cross country running in the United States. Held on November 23, 1959, the meet was hosted by Michigan State University at the Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan. The distance for the race was 4 miles (6.4 kilometers).


1959 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships
All NCAA University Division members were eligible to qualify for the meet. In total, 13 teams and 113 individual runners contested this championship.


1959 NCAA University Division Cross Country Championships
The team national championship was won by the Michigan State Spartans, their eighth. The individual championship was won by Al Lawrence, from Houston, with a time of 20:35.94.


1959 NCAA University Division baseball rankings
The following poll makes up the 1959 NCAA University Division baseball rankings. Collegiate Baseball Newspaper published its first human poll of the top 20 teams in college baseball in 1957, however 1959 is the first season for which records are available.


1959 NCAA University Division baseball rankings, Collegiate Baseball
Currently, only the final poll from the 1959 season is available.


1959 NCAA University Division baseball season
The 1959 NCAA University Division baseball season, play of college baseball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in the spring of 1959. The season progressed through the regular season and concluded with the 1959 College World Series. The College World Series, held for the thirteenth time in 1959, consisted of one team from each of eight geographical districts and was held in Omaha, Nebraska at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium as a double-elimination tournament. Oklahoma State claimed the championship.


1959 NCAA University Division baseball season, Conference winners
This is a partial list of conference champions from the 1959 season. Each of the eight geographical districts chose, by various methods, the team that would represent them in the NCAA Tournament. 10 teams earned automatic bids by winning their conference championship while 12 teams earned at-large selections.


1959 NCAA University Division baseball season, College World Series
The 1959 season marked the thirteenth NCAA Baseball Tournament, which culminated with the eight team College World Series. The College World Series was held in Omaha, Nebraska. The eight teams played a double-elimination format, with Oklahoma State claiming their second championship with a 5–3 win over Arizona in the final.


1959 NCAA University Division football rankings
Two human polls comprised the 1959 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches' Poll.


1959 NCAA University Division football rankings, AP Poll
The final AP Poll was released on December 7, at the end of the 1959 regular season, weeks before the major bowls.


1959 NCAA University Division football rankings, Final Coaches' poll
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 8. Syracuse received 31 of the 35 first-place votes; Mississippi received three and Washington one.


1959 NCAA University Division football season
The 1959 NCAA University Division football season saw Syracuse University crowned as the national champion by both final polls, the AP writers poll and the UPI coaches polls.


1959 NCAA University Division football season
A major rule change widened the goal posts from 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) to 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m). This width remained in effect for 32 seasons, until the 1991 season, when it was returned to 18½ feet. During the 20th century, the NCAA had no playoff for the major college football teams in the University Division, later known as Division I-A. The NCAA did recognize a national champion based upon the final results of "wire service" (AP and UPI) polls.


1959 NCAA University Division football season
The extent of that recognition came in the form of acknowledgment in the annual NCAA Football Guide of the "unofficial" national champions. The AP poll in 1959 consisted of the votes of as many as 201 sportswriters. Though not all writers voted in every poll, each would give their opinion of the twenty best teams. Under a point system of 20 points for first place, 19 for second, etc., the "overall" ranking was determined.


1959 NCAA University Division football season
Although the rankings were based on the collective opinion of the representative sportswriters, the teams that remained "unbeaten and untied" were generally ranked higher than those that had not. A defeat, even against a strong opponent, tended to cause a team to drop in the rankings, and a team with two or more defeats was unlikely to remain in the Top 20. The top teams played on New Year's Day in the four major postseason bowl games: the Rose Bowl (near Los Angeles at Pasadena), the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans), the Orange Bowl (Miami), and the Cotton Bowl (Dallas).


1959 NCAA University Division football season, September
In the preseason poll released on September 14, the defending champion LSU Tigers were ranked first, followed by Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army. With more than 100 sportswriters weighing in, eighteen different schools received first place votes. Syracuse was ranked No. 20 overall. As the regular season progressed, a new poll would be issued on the Monday following the weekend's games.


1959 NCAA University Division football season, September
On September 19, No. 1 LSU beat Rice at home, 26–3. Oklahoma, Auburn, SMU, and Army had not yet opened their seasons; SMU and Army fell to No. 6 and No. 7 . No. 8 Mississippi, which won 16–0 at Houston and rose to 4th in the poll. No. 18 Clemson moved up 5th after its 20–18 win at North Carolina. Three of the Top Five schools were from the SEC: 1.LSU 2.Oklahoma 3.Auburn 4.Mississippi 5.Clemson


1959 NCAA University Division football season, September
September 26 No. 1 LSU beat TCU at home, 10–0. No. 2 Oklahoma lost its opener, falling 45–13 at No. 10 Northwestern, and dropped out of the Top 20 entirely, while Northwestern took its place. No. 3 Auburn lost at Tennessee 3–0 and fell to 17th place in the next poll. No. 4 Mississippi recorded another 16–0 win, this time at Kentucky, and rose to third. No. 5 Clemson won at 47–0 at Virginia, but fell to 6th. No. 7 Army returned to the Top 5 after its 44–8 win over Boston College. No. 13 Iowa, which had won at California 42–12, rose to fifth. The poll was 1.LSU 2.Northwestern 3.Mississippi 4.Army 5.Iowa


1959 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 3 No. 1 LSU and Baylor met at a game in Shreveport, with LSU winning 22–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at No. 5 Iowa, 14–10. No. 3 Mississippi registered a third shutout, beating Memphis State 43–0, but fell to fifth. No. 4 Army lost at Illinois, 20–14, and fell out of the Top 20 completely. No. 7 Georgia Tech which went to 3–0 after a 16–6 win over No. 6 Clemson, rose to 3rd in the poll. No. 10 Texas rose to fourth after its third shutout in a row, a 33–0 walloping of California. The poll was: 1.LSU 2.Northwestern 3.Georgia Tech 4.Texas 5.Mississippi


1959 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 10 No. 1 LSU beat the visiting Miami Hurricanes 27–3. No. 2 Northwestern beat Minnesota 6–0. No. 3 Georgia Tech won at Tennessee, 14–7. In Dallas, No. 4 Texas defeated Oklahoma 19–12. No. 5 Mississippi won at Vanderbilt, 33–0. In four games, Ole Miss was 4–0 and had outscored its opponents 108–0. The next poll was: 1.LSU 2.Northwestern 3.Texas 4.Georgia Tech 5.Mississippi


1959 NCAA University Division football season, October
On October 17, No. 1 LSU won at Kentucky, 9–0. No. 2 Northwestern won at Michigan 20–7. No. 3 Texas narrowly beat Arkansas 13–12 in Little Rock. No. 4 Georgia Tech lost to Auburn, 7–6. No. 5 Mississippi yielded some points for the first time in the season, but beat Tulane 53–7. The No. 7 USC Trojans rose to 5th after beating Washington in Seattle, 22–15. The poll was: 1.LSU 2.Northwestern 3.Texas 4.Mississippi 5.USC


1959 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 24 No. 1 LSU recorded its fourth shutout, winning 9–0 in Florida. No. 2 Northwestern killed another giant on the road, beating Notre Dame 30–24. No. 3 Texas defeated Rice 28–6. No. 4 Mississippi shut out Arkansas 28–0 at Memphis. No. 5 USC Trojans got past Stanford 30–28 and fell to 6th. Taking USC's place was No. 6 Syracuse, which had beaten West Virginia 44–0 to reach the 5–0 mark. The next poll was:  1.LSU 2.Northwestern 3.Mississippi 4.Texas 5.Syracuse


1959 NCAA University Division football season, October
October 31 No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Mississippi, both 6–0, met in Baton Rouge and both schools had great defenses. LSU had outscored its opposition 103–6, while Ole Miss had a 189–7 point differential over all comers. Someone had to lose, and Ole Miss fell to LSU 7–3. Billy Cannon returned a Jake Gibbs punt 89 yards for the game's only touchdown, but the Rebels had a chance to win the game when it drove to the LSU 1–yard line in the closing seconds, only to see third-string quarterback Doug Elmore stopped cold on fourth and goal by Cannon. No. 2 Northwestern beat visiting Indiana 30–13. No. 4 Texas beat SMU in Dallas, 21–0. No. 5 Syracuse won at Pittsburgh, 35–0, and rose to fourth. The next poll was: 1.LSU 2.Northwestern 3.Texas 4.Syracuse 5.Mississippi


1959 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 7  No. 1 LSU traveled to Knoxville to face Tennessee, and gave up a touchdown for the first time in the season. The Vols made it to the end zone twice, winning 14–13 over the Tigers. Losing also was No. 2 Northwestern, which fell to the visiting Wisconsin, 24–19, and dropped to 6th. No. 3 Texas won a close one over Baylor, 13–12, and rose to 2nd. No. 4 Syracuse, which had won at Penn State 20–18, was catapulted to the No. 1 spot. No. 5 Mississippi crushed UT-Chattanooga 58–0. No. 6 USC returned to the Top Five after a 36–0 win over West Virginia. The next poll was 1.Syracuse 2.Texas 3.LSU 4.USC 5.Mississippi


1959 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 14 No. 1 Syracuse exercised its top status, brushing off overmatched Colgate 71–0. No. 2 Texas lost to TCU, 14–9, and No. 3 LSU returned to its winning ways, beating Mississippi State at home, 27–0. No. 4 USC beat Baylor 17–8. No. 5 Mississippi beat Tennessee in Memphis, 37–7. The poll changed slightly: 1.Syracuse 2.Mississippi 3.LSU 4.USC 5.Texas


1959 NCAA University Division football season, November
November 21 No. 1 Syracuse won at Boston University, 46–0, for its fifth shutout as it reached the 9–0 mark. No. 3 LSU beat Tulane 14–6, then accepted an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl. No. 4 USC lost to rival UCLA, 10–3 and fell to 7th. No. 9 Wisconsin, which closed its season with an 11–7 win at Minnesota, rose to 5th. No. 2 Mississippi and No. 5 Texas were idle, but stayed at the same place in the polls: 1.Syracuse 2.Mississippi 3.LSU 4.Texas 5.Wisconsin


1959 NCAA University Division football season, November
On Thanksgiving Day, No. 4 Texas won 20–17 at Texas A&M. No . 1 Syracuse was idle as it prepared for its December 5 trip to Los Angeles to play UCLA. On Saturday, November 28, No. 2 Mississippi played its season ender against Mississippi State, in Starkville, and won 42–0. Both LSU and Ole Miss were invited to a rematch in New Orleans at the Sugar Bowl. A third SEC team, the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs, beat Georgia Tech 21–14 in Atlanta and accepted a spot in the Orange Bowl. Because Oklahoma had played in the Orange Bowl the year before, a "no repeat" rule gave the Big 7 (Oklahoma State would join later) berth to 6–4 Missouri. The Rose Bowl matched No. 6 Wisconsin against No. 8 Washington. The penultimate poll was 1.Syracuse 2.Mississippi 3.LSU 4.Texas 5.Georgia.


1959 NCAA University Division football season, November
On December 5, No. 1 Syracuse closed its season with trip to the Los Angeles Coliseum to face the upset-minded (but 5–3–1) UCLA Bruins   In a nationally televised game, the Orangemen took a 14–0 lead and went on to win 36–8 to finish the season with a perfect 10–0 record. As the only unbeaten team among universities, the Syracuse Orangemen were voted No. 1 in the AP Poll (with 134 of 201 first-place votes) and in the UPI Coaches Poll, with 31 of the 35 first-place votes.


1959 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
Behind future Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, the Orangemen proved the voters' decision to name them national champions in the final polls was a wise one. It was the first Cotton Bowl for the Longhorns under coach Darrell Royal, who guided Texas to national championships in 1963, 1969, and 1970, and compiled a career record of 167–47–5 (.774) in Austin from 1957 through 1976.


1959 NCAA University Division football season, Bowl games, Major bowls
Ole Miss systematically demolished LSU in the Sugar Bowl. LSU was Ole Miss's sole loss of the regular season. The Rebels outgained the Bayou Bengals and Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon 373–74 in front of a largely pro-LSU crowd of over 83,000 at Tulane Stadium. Immediately following the game, Cannon signed a contract with the Houston Oilers of the fledgling American Football League, spurning the Los Angeles Rams and general manager Pete Rozelle.


1959 NCAA soccer season
The 1959 NCAA soccer season was the inaugural season of college soccer sanctioned by the NCAA. Including the history of the ISFA, this was the 56th season of organized men's collegiate soccer in the United States.


1959 NCAA soccer season
The season culminated with the 1959 NCAA Soccer Tournament, the first of the modern NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. The tournament was won by the Saint Louis Billikens, who defeated Bridgeport Purple Knights in the final, 5–2.


1959 NCAA soccer season, Awards, All-Americans
The following players were named All-Americans following the 1959 season.


1959 NFL Championship Game
The 1959 National Football League Championship Game was the 27th NFL championship game, played on December 27 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.


1959 NFL Championship Game
It was a rematch of the 1958 championship game that went into overtime. The defending champion Baltimore Colts (9–3) again won the Western Conference, while the New York Giants (10–2) repeated as Eastern Conference champions. The Colts were favored to repeat as champions by 3½ points.


1959 NFL Championship Game
This game also went down to the last quarter, but the Colts did not need any heroics in overtime. Trailing 9–7 at the start of the fourth quarter, Baltimore scored 24 straight points and won, 31–16.


1959 NFL Championship Game
This was the only NFL championship game played in Baltimore.


1959 NFL Championship Game, Officials
The NFL had five game officials in 1959; the line judge was added in 1965 and the side judge in 1978.


1959 NFL Championship Game, Players' shares
The gross receipts for the game, including radio and television rights, were just over $666,000, slightly below the previous year. Each player on the winning Colts team received $4,674, while Giants players made $3,083 each.


1959 NFL Draft
The 1959 National Football League draft had its first four rounds held on December 1, 1958, and its final twenty-six rounds on January 21, 1959. Both sessions were held at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia.


1959 NFL season
The 1959 NFL season was the 40th regular season of the National Football League.


1959 NFL season
Tragedy struck on October 11 as NFL Commissioner Bert Bell suffered a fatal heart attack at Philadelphia's Franklin Field while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers play. He died at age 65 at the nearby university hospital. League Treasurer Austin Gunsel was named interim commissioner for the rest of the season.


1959 NFL season
The Chicago Cardinals played their final season in the Windy City before relocating to St. Louis for the following season.


1959 NFL season
In the NFL Championship Game on December 27, the Baltimore Colts defeated the New York Giants for the second year in a row.


1959 NFL season, Draft
The 1959 NFL Draft was held on December 1, 1958, and January 21, 1959 at Philadelphia's Warwick Hotel. With the first pick, the Green Bay Packers selected quarterback Randy Duncan from the University of Iowa.


1959 NFL season, Conference races
The NFL had six teams in each conference; each played a home-and-away game against the other five conference teams, and two games outside the conference. The Bears and Cardinals, and the Redskins and Colts, faced each other in an interconference game each year, as they were close geographic rivals.


1959 NFL season, Conference races
After the second week, when the 1–1–0 Giants had to share the Eastern Conference lead with all five of the other clubs, the Giants won seven of the next eight games to clinch the title in Week Ten. In the Western Conference, the San Francisco 49ers, who had come close (1952, 1953, 1954, and 1957) several times since joining the NFL, were 6–1 and had a two-game lead over their closest rival, the 4–3 Colts. In Week Nine, though, the 49ers lost in Baltimore, 45–14 (November 22) and they shared the lead at 6–3–0. Two weeks later, San Francisco had the home field advantage when they faced the Colts for a rematch. Baltimore won again, 34–14, and clinched the title the following week.


1959 NFL season, Final standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1959 NFL season, NFL Championship Game
Baltimore 31, NY Giants 16 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on December 27.


1959 NSWRFL season
1959's New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership was the 52nd season of the rugby league competition based in Sydney. Ten teams from across the city competed for the J. J. Giltinan Shield during the season, which culminated in a grand final between St. George and Manly-Warringah.


1959 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The St. George team went through the 1959 season undefeated – a feat achieved by five teams prior to 1959 but by none since. The club won nineteen of their twenty matches and played a draw against Balmain. They were able to score more than forty points on six occasions. After eighteen premiership rounds St. George had scored an average of over thirty points per match and conceded an average of ten points.


1959 NSWRFL season, Season summary
Future Immortals Reg Gasnier and Johnny Raper both debuted for St. George in first grade in 1959 and both made the Australian side, aged just 19. Seven St. George players made that year's Kangaroo Tour.


1959 NSWRFL season, Season summary
The 1959 season also saw the retirement from the League of future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee, Harry Bath.


1959 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
In the lead up to the Grand Final, rumours were circulating that Manly-Warringah's Rex Mossop was carrying a broken cheekbone. From the kick off, Saints' forwards took turns at testing Mossop's injury with Harry Bath giving him particular attention. For most of the match the Manly forward copped a hammering until in frustration, Mossop retaliated by standing on Bath's head. A brawl broke out between the two and the referee Lawler sent both off.


1959 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
In the meantime, St. George's forwards were steamrolling Manly-Warringah and the red and white backs were cutting loose. Winger Eddie Lumsden had a magnificent match, scoring a hat trick of tries. Lumsden beat Ron Willey cold for his first try and then was on the end of later backline passing bursts for two more.


1959 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
As the Manly-Warringah pack tired in the second half, experienced St. George second rower Norm Provan began to easily break their defence out wide, linking with his backs and being rewarded himself with a try. Reserve grade centre Geoff Weekes had been promoted when Gasnier and Johnny Riley were both injured in the major semi final. He scored a try as did St. George's steady and safe custodian Brian Graham.


1959 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
St. George outclassed Manly-Warringah 20–0 in a ruthless display of speed and strength. The match was future Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee Harry Bath's last game.


1959 NSWRFL season, Finals, Grand Final
St. George 20 (Tries: Lumsden 3, Graham, Weekes, N Provan. Goals: Bath 1.)


1959 National Challenge Cup
The 1959 National Challenge Cup was the 46th edition of the United States Soccer Football Association's annual open soccer championship.


1959 National Challenge Cup, Overview
The McIlvaine Canvasbacks of San Pedro, California defeated Fall River SC in a contentious final. McIlvaine scored three unanswered goals in the first half, but Fall River came back, tying the score in the 88th minute. A minute later, Al Herman scored the winning goal for the Canvasbacks. Fall River disputed the goal and the team's trainer, Abel Botelho attacked Herman, leading to Botelho's ejection.


1959 National Invitation Tournament
The 1959 National Invitation Tournament was the 1959 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.


1959 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.


1959 National League tie-breaker series
The 1959 National League tie-breaker series was a best-of-three playoff series at the conclusion of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1959 regular season to decide the winner of the National League (NL) pennant. The playoff series was necessary after Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Braves finished the season with identical win–loss records of 86–68 (.558) on Sunday, September 27, three games ahead of the San Francisco Giants. It was the first tie-breaker in the majors in eight years, also in the National League.


1959 National League tie-breaker series
The tie-breaker games were played on September 28 and 29. All the games were scheduled as day games, the opener on Monday was at Milwaukee County Stadium and the second on Tuesday at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dodgers won a coin flip late in the season that gave them home field advantage for the series (games two and three). If needed, the third game was scheduled for Wednesday, September 30. The Dodgers had hoped for night games in Los Angeles to take advantage of the Coliseum's seating capacity; the series was nationally televised by ABC.


1959 National League tie-breaker series
Following a rain-delayed start in Milwaukee, the Dodgers won the first game 3–2, with a solo home run in the sixth by John Roseboro breaking a 2–2 tie and providing the margin of victory. The next day in Los Angeles, the Dodgers took the series and the pennant with another one-run win; they rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie and prevailed 6–5 in extra innings. This victory advanced the Dodgers to the World Series, in which they defeated the Chicago White Sox in six games.


1959 National League tie-breaker series
In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker series counted as the 155th and 156th regular season games for both teams.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
A year earlier in 1958, their first in Los Angeles, the Dodgers posted a 71–83 (.461) win-loss record for seventh place in the eight-team NL, and never held a lead. By contrast, the Braves repeated as NL champions that year with a 92–62 (.597) record and returned to the World Series, where the New York Yankees turned the tables and defeated them in seven games. Despite their success, the Braves made several changes leading into the 1959 season.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
First, they selected Jim Pisoni in the Rule 5 draft from the Yankees in December 1958, although he returned to the Yankees by May 1959. The Braves then traded with the Philadelphia Phillies for Ted Kazanski, Stan Lopata, and Johnny O'Brien just prior to the season. Finally, the Braves traded for Mickey Vernon from the Cleveland Indians and selected Bobby Ávila, Ray Boone, and Enos Slaughter off of waivers during the 1959 season. The Dodgers traded for Rip Repulski and Wally Moon during the offseason and then acquired Chuck Churn, Solly Drake, and Chuck Essegian during the year.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
The NL race was tight throughout the 1959 season between the Braves, Dodgers, and Giants. Neither the Giants nor the Braves ever fell five or more games back of the league leader, and the Dodgers never faced a deficit of six or more. The Dodgers had the best record in games played amongst the three, posting a combined 26–18 record against the other two before the tie-breaker. However, the Dodgers spent just 21 days with at least a share of the lead while the Braves and Giants each led the league for 86 days.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
With eight games remaining on Friday morning, September 18, the Giants were at 82–64 (.562) with a  two-game lead over the Dodgers and Braves. However, the visiting Dodgers swept the next three games at Seals Stadium, including a Saturday doubleheader which the Los Angeles Times described as a "breeze" for Los Angeles. Giants' starting pitcher Sam Jones threw a no-hitter on Saturday, September 26, which was cut short by rain in the eighth inning for his 21st win of the season. The Giants had considered pitching Jack Sanford in that game due to Jones' recent heavy pitching workload.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
Because the game was shortened to less than nine innings it is no longer considered an official no-hitter. The rain also forced the second game of the Giants' scheduled doubleheader that day to be moved, leaving them with two games to play on the final day of the season. The Giants needed to win both games and have the Braves and Dodgers both lose to tie for the lead, but the Giants lost both.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
Jones' no-hitter was the Giants' only win for the season after September 17 as the team went 1–7 in their final eight games, going from a two-game lead to a three-game deficit. The Braves and Dodgers both went 6–2 in that span to maintain their tie. This included a five-hit complete game by Warren Spahn to win the Braves' final game of the season 3–2. This was Spahn's 21st win of the season and 267th of his career, breaking Eppa Rixey's record for most wins by a left-handed pitcher.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
Both the Dodgers and Braves finished the regularly scheduled 154-game season tied with records of 86–68, forcing a tie-breaker to decide the pennant winner. The two teams' managers flipped a coin to decide home field advantage and Dodgers' manager Walt Alston won. The Dodgers opted to play the second and third (if necessary) games at home, choosing to play Game 1 in Milwaukee. The tie-breaker was scheduled for the 28th, 29th, and the 30th if necessary, which required moving the start of the World Series from September 30 to October 1.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
The Giants' falling out of the pennant race avoided a potentially disruptive situation involving their home field. Candlestick Park was under construction during the 1959 season and the Giants did not play there until 1960. However, Giants vice president Chub Feeney had said earlier in the season that if the Giants won the pennant they would play their World Series home games in Candlestick. Several potential problems were suggested with this move including a lack of seating, lack of toilet facilities, and insufficient access roads to the stadium.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Background
The Dodgers were 12–10 against the Braves overall for the season, though the Braves outscored them by a single run (96–95) in those games. The Braves were a 5–8 betting favorite in Las Vegas on September 25 to win the pennant while the Dodgers had 6–5 odds. The World Series odds were evenly split, with 11–10 odds available at that time for either the Chicago White Sox (the American League champion) or the eventual NL pennant winner.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 1
Chicago White Sox manager Al López watched the game along with his pitching coach to scout their potential NL opponents for the World Series. The start was delayed 45 minutes due to rain, leaving only 18,297 fans in the stadium once the game was underway. The Dodgers opened the game quickly as Charlie Neal singled with one out, advanced to second base on a ground out, and scored on a single by Norm Larker to give the Dodgers an early 1–0 lead.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 1
Dodgers starter Danny McDevitt held the Braves scoreless in the first inning, but was driven from the game in the second. After a line out to open the inning Johnny Logan walked, Del Crandall singled, and Bill Bruton singled to bring home Logan and tie the game at 1. Larry Sherry entered in relief of McDevitt, who pitched just 1⅓ innings. Carl Willey, the Braves' pitcher, reached base on an error to load the bases. Crandall then scored on a ground out by Bobby Ávila to give the Braves a 2–1 lead before Sherry finished out the second.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 1
The Dodgers re-tied the game the next inning, however. Neal singled with one out and Wally Moon grounded into a force out at second base. Moon then advanced to second on a Larker single and scored on a Gil Hodges single to tie it at 2. Don Demeter hit a single, the third consecutive and fourth of the inning, to load the bases but John Roseboro flew out to end the inning without further scoring.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 1
Sherry held the Braves scoreless in the bottom of the third, opening the inning with a walk but then inducing a double play and a foul out to quickly close it. Sherry and Willey traded scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth although the Braves threatened against Sherry in both innings, allowing two base-runners each time but escaping with no runs. Roseboro led off the top of the sixth inning with a home run to give the Dodgers a 3–2 lead. Roseboro had also hit a home run the day before against the Chicago Cubs, a game the Dodgers won to force the tie-breaker. Willey put out the next three batters to quickly end the inning, but the damage had been done.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 1
Sherry pitched a perfect top of the sixth and Don McMahon relieved Willey in the bottom of the frame. The Dodgers could not add to their lead in facing McMahon, he held their run total at three. Sherry, however, was nearly perfect for the remainder of the game, allowing just one single to the Braves over the final three innings. The Los Angeles Times labeled Sherry and Roseboro the "heroes" of the game. Sherry's only "horrible moment", according to the Times, was a long fly ball by Bill Bruton to the deepest part of center field which Demeter managed to haul in for the first out of the bottom of the ninth.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The Dodgers had proposed playing Game 2 at night to allow a longer rest period following the travel from Milwaukee to southern California. The Braves took issue with this prior to the start of the series, however, and NL president Warren Giles insisted that all the games were to be played during the day. The afternoon crowd was 36,528, well below the seating capacity of the Coliseum, which exceeded 90,000.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The Braves opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Eddie Mathews drew a one out walk and Hank Aaron followed that with a double. Aaron's double drew some argument, however, as outfielder Duke Snider recovered Aaron's ball quickly and threw to second. Dodgers' second baseman Charlie Neal believed he had easily tagged out Aaron, but umpire Augie Donatelli said Neal had missed the tag entirely. Frank Torre then singled to score the two runners and give the Braves the early 2–0 lead. The Dodgers responded in their half of the inning, however.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
Neal hit a deep fly ball to right center field with one out, reaching third base "easily" for a triple as outfielder Bill Bruton missed catching the ball on a difficult play. Wally Moon then singled to score Neal, but was caught stealing for the second out and Snider struck out to end the first inning. Johnny Logan led off the second for the Braves with a single. Then, after two outs, Logan scored on an odd error charged to Snider in center field.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The Braves' starting pitcher Lew Burdette hit a single up the middle and Logan had attempted to advance from first to third base on the play. Snider threw the ball in from center to third baseman Jim Gilliam, but Gilliam's vision was "obstructed" and the throw "escaped" him, allowing Logan to score and Burdette to advance to third. Bruton grounded out to end the inning with the Braves in a 3–1 lead.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The game went scoreless in the third inning, but Neal led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run to make it 3–2. The Dodgers threatened further that inning, getting runners on first and second base, though did not score additional runs. Dodgers' starter Don Drysdale recorded the first out of the top of the fifth but then gave up a home run to Mathews and walked Aaron before being relieved by Johnny Podres. Podres escaped without further scoring, putting out Torre and Andy Pafko who pinch hit for Lee Maye.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The sixth inning was uneventful, though the Braves then threatened in the top of the seventh. After the first out Mathews singled to start the offense. Aaron followed that with a single, Mathews was put out trying to advance to third base on a "brilliant throw" by Moon, and Aaron moved to second on the throw. Then Podres threw a wild pitch as Torre batted, allowing Aaron to move to third. Finally, Podres walked Torre and was replaced by Chuck Churn. Enos Slaughter pinch hit for Pafko but hit a flyout to end the threat and the inning.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
John DeMerit then replaced Slaughter defensively in the bottom of the seventh and Norm Larker singled leading off. However, John Roseboro hit into a ground ball double play to end that threat. Roseboro crashed into Logan, the Braves' shortstop, trying to break up the double play and Logan had to be carried from the field on a stretcher. Félix Mantilla, the second baseman, moved to play shortstop and Red Schoendienst entered to play second. Finally Churn struck out Burdette to end the seventh.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The Braves scored their fifth run in the eighth as Del Crandall hit a one-out triple and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Mantilla. Don Demeter pinch hit for Churn, the pitcher, in the bottom half of the inning but the Dodgers were put out in order. Sandy Koufax pitched the top of the ninth for the Dodgers and though he loaded the bases with three successive walks to Aaron, Torre, and DeMerit he did not allow any runs. Moon and Snider led off the bottom of the frame with successive singles.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
Bob Lillis pinch ran for Snider and Gil Hodges hit another single to load the bases. Don McMahon relieved Burdette, but allowed a fourth consecutive single to Norm Larker which scored Moon, Lillis, and advanced Hodges to third leaving it 5–4. Warren Spahn relieved McMahon, Carl Furillo pinch hit for Roseboro, and Joe Pignatano pinch ran for Larker. Furillo tied the game, hitting a sacrifice fly which scored Hodges. Spahn allowed a single to Wills and was pulled in favor of Joey Jay. Ron Fairly grounded out as a pinch hitter and Gilliam flew out, leaving the game tied at five runs apiece and forcing extra innings.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
Following the heavy substitutions in the bottom of the ninth the Dodgers made several defensive moves in the top of the tenth. Stan Williams entered as the pitcher, Pignatano came in as the catcher, Moon moved from right to left field, and Fairly and Furillo took over center and right field respectively. The tenth went by quickly with only a single baserunner, but both teams threatened in the eleventh. Mathews was walked with one out in the top half. Aaron grounded into a force out at second, then advanced to second on a passed ball to Torre.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The Dodgers intentionally walked Torre. Al Spangler then drew a pinch hit walk to load the bases, but Joe Adcock ground out to end the half-inning. Pignatano was hit by a pitch and Furillo walked to open the bottom half. After two flyball outs Joey Jay walked Gilliam, loading the bases, but Bob Rush relieved him and got Neal to ground out ending the inning. The Braves went quickly again in the twelfth, retired in order. Rush recorded the first two outs of the twelfth, but then walked Hodges. Hodges then advanced to second on a Pignatano single. Finally, he scored on a single by Furillo followed by a throwing error by the shortstop Mantilla to give the Dodgers a 6–5 walk-off victory and the National League pennant.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Series summary, Game 2
The miscue was Mantilla's second since he had replaced shortstop Johnny Logan, who was shaken up on a double play  in the seventh inning. The Chicago Tribune noted the impact of Logan's injury as it was his replacement who made the costly final error. Mantilla was "close to tears" after the game, saying the ball "took a crazy bounce... before I got it." However, Braves' manager Fred Haney insisted Mantilla "didn't make a bad play," that he was "lucky to stop the ball at all," and that the run would have scored even if Mantilla had delivered a perfect throw.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Aftermath
The Dodgers' win earned the franchise its 10th playoff berth, the first since the team moved to Los Angeles the previous year. In the playoffs they faced the Chicago White Sox in the 1959 World Series which they won in six games. The Dodgers faced another tie-breaker in 1962, but lost to the Giants, who would lose to the New York Yankees in the 1962 World Series in seven games. The Dodgers have appeared in six of the ten NL tie-breakers, more tie-breaker appearances than any franchise in either league.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Aftermath
The Braves' high-water mark while in Milwaukee had been their World Series win in 1957. They had also appeared in the 1958 Series, losing to the Yankees. After failing to win the pennant in 1959, the Braves would not play for a championship again until they moved to Atlanta. They next returned to post-season play in 1969, their fourth season in Atlanta, where they were swept in the League Championship Series. The Braves returned to the World Series again in the 1990s, losing the 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1999 World Series but winning in 1995.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Aftermath
In baseball statistics tie-breakers count as regular season games, with all events in them added to regular season statistics. For example, Eddie Mathews overtook Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs for the league lead in home runs, hitting his 46th of the season in Game 2. Banks won the NL Most Valuable Player Award but Mathews, Hank Aaron, and Wally Moon finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively in the voting. Aaron, Del Crandall, Gil Hodges, and Charlie Neal all won Gold Gloves for their fielding ability. MLB played two All-Star Games in 1959.


1959 National League tie-breaker series, Aftermath
Five Braves and two Dodgers were named to the first while six Braves and four Dodgers played in the second. Five future Hall of Famers were on the Braves roster in 1959 (Aaron, Mathews, Schoendienst, Slaughter, Spahn) while the Dodgers had three (Drysdale, Koufax, Snider). Dodgers' manager Walt Alston was also inducted to the Hall as a manager in 1983.


1959 Nauruan Local Government Council election
Elections for the Local Government Council were held in Nauru in late 1959. Seven of the nine incumbent councillors were re-elected  and Hammer DeRoburt was re-elected as Head Chief by the Council.


1959 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1959 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by first-year head coach Wayne Hardin.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska and member of the Big 7 Conference in the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. The team was coached by Bill Jennings and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Before the season
Coach Jennings oversaw some minor changes to his assistant coaches, the most noteworthy being the replacement of longtime assistant L. F. Klien. The one new member of the staff, Russ Faulkinberry, would eventually go on to lead the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, and was the one who renamed them as the Ragin' Cajuns during his tenure. With the new staff in place, Jennings was charged with proving that the two non-conference upset victories during the previous season were not flukes, and that he could do better than 6th place in the Big 7.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Before the season
This would not be an easy task to fulfill, as yet another difficult non-conference schedule loomed, with visits by Texas, Oregon State and Indiana, as well as a road trip to rival Minnesota. The stakes for this year's homecoming game were also increased, as perennial Big 7 champion Oklahoma moved up from the usual season-ending spot to appear in Lincoln for that game.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Texas
The bright spot on this day for the Cornhusker faithful was when HB Pat Fischer ran 92 yards to score in a repeat performance of the same feat accomplished in last year's surprise defeat of Penn State. However, a clipping penalty resulted in the score being called back. Nothing else went right for Nebraska in game as #17 Texas rolled off 20 points and started Nebraska's season off with a 0–20 shutout loss. This was only the second time the teams had met, and they were now even at 1–1 after Nebraska's 1933 win.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Minnesota
At first it seemed like it was going to be another dark day for Nebraska in Minneapolis, the site of so many severe drubbings, as Minnesota took the early lead. As the clock wore on, however, the Golden Gophers began to stall, and the Cornhuskers capitalized to go up 13–12 by the half. Minnesota came out flat after the break and never scored again, as Nebraska punched in another 19 points to secure an unexpected and long-sought victory over their main northern rival. It was only the 6th win that the Cornhuskers had earned over Minnesota in 36 attempts dating back to 1900.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oregon State
Nebraska's defense answered the call on this day as the Beavers repeatedly approached the goal line and were turned away time and time again. The day was a defensive affair on both sides, and despite the hard work of both teams that netted only one touchdown each, the outcome was ultimately decided by Nebraska's successful extra point, kicked through the uprights by PK Harry Tolly. The Cornhuskers improved to 7–2 over Oregon State all-time.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
The Cornhuskers were hard-pressed to bring a full-strength team out to face Kansas, as numerous injuries had hobbled starters during the nonconference matchups. The Jayhawks fought Nebraska close, the teams combining to forge a mere 3–3 score by the half. Then, disaster struck the Cornhuskers when starting QB Tom Kramer was injured and came out of the game, severely hampering Nebraska's ability to score. The Jayhawks did put in another touchdown to take the win, moving to 16–46–3 in the series. Kramer's injury turned out to be severe enough that he was lost for the season, which considerably darkened the outlook for a successful Nebraska season.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Indiana
Barely two minutes into the game, the Cornhuskers gave up a fumble which was quickly converted into points by the Hoosiers. Indiana then held the lead for the rest of the day, helped along by Cornhusker blunders and inexperience. A lone Nebraska touchdown avoided the shutout as Indiana enjoyed their 10th straight undefeated game against the Cornhuskers and improved to 9–3–3 in the series.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
With the season's momentum waning, the Cornhuskers traveled to Columbia and were wholly ineffective at making any offensive production. The game had opened with an early Missouri field goal that was made possible by a disputed call. Any question that the game was thrown by the call was set aside when the Tigers scored again in the second half with no attached controversy. Missouri improved to 21–28–3 in the series and kept the Missouri-Nebraska bell for the third year in a row. The scoreless Nebraska squad returned to Lincoln with the season's second shutout loss and carrying a 2–4 record so far, with conference champion powerhouse Oklahoma next on the slate.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Reigning 12-year league champion Oklahoma arrived in Lincoln favored by two touchdowns, and there was little reason to expect anything else. Throughout the first half, the Cornhuskers bravely fought to keep up, matching each of the two Sooner touchdowns but missing the extra points. Coming out after the break behind 12–14, it only remained to see how much longer the Nebraska squad could keep up before running out of steam and becoming the latest team defeated by Oklahoma.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Nebraska opened the second half with a field goal to go ahead for the first time, and to everyone's surprise, kept the Sooners off the scoreboard for the rest of the quarter. Suddenly, the game was in reach, and the emboldened Cornhuskers added another touchdown with help from a lost Sooner fumble, and a field goal, to go ahead 25–14 before the stunned crowd. Oklahoma came to life and responded to move within four points, and then quickly forced a Nebraska punt to get the ball again.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
Marching down the field for 67 yards in just nine plays, the Sooners were set to take back the game when Cornhusker QB Ron Meade, on the field assisting the defense, picked off an Oklahoma pass in the end zone with less than a minute remaining to seal the upset victory. The Oklahoma loss was the first conference defeat in Sooner Head Coach Bud Wilkinson's 13-year career, snapped Oklahoma's remarkable 74-game league winning streak, and snapped Nebraska's 16-game losing streak to the Sooners in what was arguably the greatest triumph in Coach Jennings' career. Nebraska made a bid to take back the series with Oklahoma, moving to 17–18–3.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Riding high on the upset defeat of Oklahoma the week prior, Nebraska now had an outside shot at the conference championship and a trip to the Orange Bowl for the first time since 1954, if the now-vulnerable Sooners would lose another game or two. Iowa State was unimpressed with the Cornhuskers, however, and held them off of the scoreboard for nearly the entire game. Nebraska avoided the shutout on the road with just a single fourth-quarter touchdown. It was a very abrupt reversal of fortunes for a Nebraska team that had seen great success and dismal defeat just weeks apart. The Cyclone win was their 10th in all 53 attempts.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
The last home game of 1959 was on a very cold day, and Colorado arrived enjoying a three-game winning streak over the Cornhuskers. The matchup was a fairly evenly played affair, with the outcome decided by the abilities of the kickers. Nebraska QB Ron Meade's two kicks after touchdowns were good, while the two Buffalo kicks were not. Nebraska's 1959 seniors left Memorial Stadium for the last time, with a win, the program's 150th conference victory all-time. Colorado slipped to 8–10–0 in the series.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
The Cornhuskers were heavily favored to beat the weakened Wildcats despite the two-game winning streak that Kansas State had in the series. A season defined by the dramatic upset over Oklahoma was destined to end with an embarrassing 14–29 defeat at the hands of the undermanned and outgunned Kansas State squad. The Wildcats took their third straight game against Nebraska to try to close the gap in the series, moving to 9–32–2.


1959 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, After the season
Head Coach Jennings's third campaign left the fans unsure of what to expect going forward. Flashes of brilliance with underdog defeats of Minnesota and Oklahoma this year, preceded by upsets of Pittsburgh and Penn State in 1958, were offset by unexplained losses to weak teams and the third overall losing season in a row, with Big 7 finishes of 7th, 6th, and 6th over his tenure. The university opted to continue with their current football coach, and Jennings hoped to move forward and improve on his career record of 8–22–0 (.267), and especially his conference record of 4–14–0 (.222). Nebraska's overall program total slipped for the ninth straight year, tying the nine-year percentage slide record set from 1941 to 1949, as it fell to 359–211–34 (.623). The conference record also dropped further as well, to 150–72–12 (.667).


1959 Nepalese general election
General elections were held in Nepal from 18 February to 3 April 1959 to elect the 109 members of the first House of Representatives, the lower house of the Parliament of Nepal. They were held under the provisions of the 1959 constitution, which had been adopted on 12 February. More than 4.25 million people out of an overall population of about 8.55 million (1954) were eligible to vote. Voter turnout was 42.18%.


1959 Nepalese general election
The result was a victory for the Nepali Congress, winning 74 of the 109 seats with 38% of the vote. B. P. Koirala became the first democratically elected and 22nd Prime Minister of Nepal.


1959 Nepalese general election, Campaign
786 candidates competed for 109 seats in the House of Representatives; 268 ran as independents, with the others representing nine parties. The Nepali Congress contested 108 constituencies, the Gorkha Parishad contested in 86 seats and the Communist Party of Nepal contested 47 seat.


1959 Nepalese general election, Campaign
The CIA covertly assisted Koirala and the Nepali Congress in winning the election.


1959 Nepalese general election, Results
Only four parties secured the designation of 'National party' in accordance with the Election Act of Nepal 1959. The party presidents of eight of the nine parties failed to win a seat, with Nepali Congress Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala the only party president to be elected, winning in constituency No. 32 (Morang South Biratnagar West). Nepali Congress leader Subarna Shamsher Rana contested three constituencies (No. 52 (Bara Parsa, Central North), constituency No. 53 (Bara, East Parsa) and constituency No. 91 (Gulmi, South-West)) and won them all. Another Nepal Congress leader Surya Prasad Upadhyaya contested two constituencies (constituency No. 5 (Kathmandu Valley) and constituency No. 14 (Ramechhap, South)) but was defeated in both.


1959 Nepalese general election, Results
Gorkha Parishad president Randhir Subba was defeated in constituency No. 26 Dhankuta. Tarai Congress president Vedananda Jha lost in constituency No. 39 Siraha. Communist Party of Nepal General Secretary Keshar Jung Rayamajhi was defeated in Palpa Constituency No. 93. Democratic General Assembly president Ranganath Sharma was also defeated in Kathmandu Constituency No. 5. Dilliraman Regmi of the Nepali Rastriya Congress and Bhadrakali Mishra of Nepal Praja Parishad (Mishra) were also defeated. Tanka Prasad Acharya was defeated in from Kathmandu Constituency No. 5.


1959 Nepalese general election, Aftermath
The speaker of the first House of Representatives was Krishna Prasad Bhattarai from Nepali Congress. The term of the parliament started from 27 May 1959 and it was dissolved on 15 December 1960.


1959 Netherlands Antilles island council elections
Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles in 1959. They were the third elections for the Island Council.


1959 Netherlands Antilles island council elections, Aruba
Four parties participated, three of which had participated in 1955; the Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Aruban People's Party and the Aruba National Union. The Christian Democratic Party, a breakaway from the PPA, also contested the elections and won a single seat.


1959 Netherlands Antilles island council elections, Sint Maarten
General elections were held in Sint Maarten on 25 May 1959. The result was a victory for the Democratic Party, which won four of the five Island Council seats.


1959 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1959 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Far Western Conference (FWC). The Wolf Pack were led by first-year head coach Dick Trachok and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1959 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 1958 season 3–3 and 2–3 in FWC play to finish tied in third place. Head coach Gordon McEachron resigned and was replaced by Dick Trachok.


1959 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 1959 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1959 NCAA College Division football season. In its eleventh year under head coach Chief Boston, the team compiled a 3–3–2 record (1–2–1 against conference opponents) and tied for fourth place out of six teams in the Yankee Conference.


1959 New Jersey State Senate election
The 1959 New Jersey State Senate elections were held on November 3.


1959 New Jersey State Senate election
The elections took place midway through the second term of Governor Robert Meyner. Eleven of New Jersey's 21 counties held regular elections for Senator; Cumberland County also held a special election to complete the unexpired term of W. Howard Sharp, who died in December 1958.


1959 New Jersey State Senate election
Democrats gained three seats (including the vacant seat in Cumberland) and nearly won control of the New Jersey Senate for the first time since 1915; only 567 votes separated victorious Republican Robert C. Crane and Democrat H. Roy Wheeler in Union County.


1959 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 1959 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the Skyline Conference during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their second and final season under head coach Marv Levy, the Lobos compiled a 7–3 record (4–2 against Skyline opponents), finished third in the conference, and outscored all opponents by a total of 260 to 135.


1959 New Mexico Lobos football team
The team's statistical leaders included George Friberg with 361 passing yards and Don Perkins with 636 rushing yards, 226 receiving yards and 66 points scored. Perkins went on to play eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and played in six Pro Bowls.


1959 New Mexico Lobos football team
In February 1960, New Mexico head coach Marv Levy was hired as the head football coach at the University of California. Levy compiled a 14–6 record in two seasons at New Mexico.


1959 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 1959 New Mexico A&M Aggies football team represented New Mexico State University in the Border Conference during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their second year under head coach Warren B. Woodson, the Aggies compiled an 8–3 record (2–2 against conference opponents), finished in third place in the conference, and defeated North Texas State in the 1959 Sun Bowl.


1959 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The team's statistical leaders included Charley Johnson with 1,449 passing yards, Pervis Atkins with 971 rushing yards, and R. Cassell with 519 receiving yards. For the first time in what proved to be four consecutive years, a New Mexico State back won the NCAA rushing title, Pervis Atkins in 1959, Bob Gaiters in 1960, and Preacher Pilot in 1961 and 1962.


1959 New Mexico State Aggies football team
Head coach Warren Woodson was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.


1959 New South Wales state election
The 1959  New South Wales  state election  was held on 21 March 1959. It  was conducted in single member constituencies with compulsory preferential voting and  was held on boundaries created at a 1957 redistribution. The election was for all of the 94 seats in the  Legislative Assembly.


1959 New South Wales state election, Redistribution
A redistribution of electoral boundaries was undertaken in 1957 based on the 1954 Australian Census. Reflecting population shifts from the eastern and inner western suburbs of Sydney to western Sydney, two safe Liberal seats, Ashfield and Croydon were combined into the seat of Ashfield-Croydon and two safe Labor seats, Paddington and Waverley were combined into Paddington-Waverley. Merrylands was created in Western Sydney and was a notional Labor seat. In addition, the marginal seat of Parramatta became a safe Labor seat. In southern Sydney, the marginal seat of Sutherland became a safe Labor seat by the creation of Cronulla which had a notional Liberal majority. The  effect of the redistribution was to increase Labor's numbers by 1.


1959 New South Wales state election, Issues
In March 1959, Labor had been in power for 18 years and Joseph Cahill  had been premier for 7 years. Cahill, who was commonly known as "old smoothie" continued to be a popular premier but the opposition campaign argued that his cabinet consisted of "tired old men". While nationally the Labor party remained divided on sectarian and ideological grounds, in New South Wales much of the split between Labor and the DLP had been avoided.


1959 New South Wales state election, Issues
Clive Evatt, the brother of H V Evatt, who had been the major left-wing agitator within the caucus was expelled from the party after he voted against a government move to increase tram fares. As a result, party unity was significantly improved. However, a small branch of the DLP under the leadership of Jake Kane had organised in NSW and  nominated candidates at this election for the first time.


1959 New South Wales state election, Issues
Cahill attacked the opposition for its "reckless election promises" which were "worth no more than a handful of Bondi sand" . Labor promised, that if re-elected, it would form a Commonwealth- State Housing Corporation to lend up to 95% of housing costs on a 45-year basis. It would attempt to reduce road taxes for haulage companies and promised a vigorous program of road development including the possible use of privately constructed toll roads. Cahill announced plans to build Housing Commission towers in Surry Hills and promised a referendum on the abolition of the New South Wales Legislative Council.


1959 New South Wales state election, Issues
The coalition of the Liberal Party and the Country Party coalition had been led by Pat Morton since September 1955. However,  Morton remained a somewhat aloof figure, with a public presence more typical of pre-war conservative politicians,  and found it difficult to connect with the public. Davis Hughes, who had led the Country Party since September 1958 was forced to resign the leadership at the start of the campaign when it was revealed that he had falsely claimed to have a university degree. He was replaced by Charles Cutler.


1959 New South Wales state election, Issues
The opposition campaigned on the government's broken promises and its continuing record of over-budget and uncompleted public works. In addition it promised to abolish several taxes including; land tax and the road maintenance tax. School transport would be free and the number of high school bursaries increased. Sewering the outer western suburbs, with a deep sea discharge, and completing the  Sandy Hollow railway line were the opposition's public works priorities. The housing crisis was to be resolved by the government construction of 100,000 houses in 3 years  .