1955 In Sport: A Year Like None Other - Introduction by Dave Anderson

It is widely remembered as the year the Brooklyn Dodgers finally defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, but 1955 was so much more than that. It was a watershed 12 months in the history of sports: a year the world was introduced to high school senior Wilt Chamberlain, All American Bill Russell and PGA rookie Arnold Palmer; a year Mickey Mantle was booed by Yankee fans, while, across town, Willie Mays solidified his superstar status and Duke Snider became a champion; a year heavyweight champ Rocky Marciano stepped proudly into retirement and Sugar Ray Robinson stormed gallantly out of it; a year Doak Walker won another NFL scoring title-and quit; a year Maurice "Rocket" Richard lost an NHL scoring title-and ignited a riot; a year the world's top tennis player, Pancho Gonzalez, couldn't find a match; and a year Bill Vukovich set out to win an unprecedented third consecutive Indianapolis 500 but lost his life instead. Half a century later, 1955 in Sport: A Year Like None Other celebrates the people and events of that remarkable year in an anthology of outstanding writing and photographs that originally appeared in SPORT magazine. Each story stands independently as a portrait of a champion and collectively as a snapshot of a remarkable year in sports-and SPORT.-