1920 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Contents 1 American football 2 Association football 3 Athletics 4 Australian rules football 5 Bandy 6 Baseball 7 Boxing 8 Canadian football 9 Cricket 10 Cycling 11 Field hockey 12 Figure skating 13 Golf 14 Horse racing 15 Ice hockey 16 Motor racing 17 Olympic Games 18 Rowing 19 Rugby league 20 Rugby union 21 Tennis 22 Yacht racing 23 References

[edit] American football

NFL championship

• 17 September — the National Football League (NFL) is founded as the American Professional Football Association at Canton, Ohio. Akron Pros finish undefeated in the inaugural season to win the first NFL championship. Of the teams in the current NFL, only the Bears (i.e., then called Decatur Staleys) and Cardinals (i.e., then called Chicago Cardinals) are left from the 1920 season. Another noted charter team is Canton Bulldogs, NFL champion in 1922 and 1923.
• NFL championship – Akron Pros

College championship

• College football national championship – California Golden Bears, Harvard Crimson, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Princeton Tigers (shared)

Events

• 14 December — death of Notre Dame player George Gipp (1895–1920), mainly remembered for his deathbed quote to coach Knute Rockne: "Win just one for the Gipper".

[edit] Association football

England

• The Football League – West Bromwich Albion 60 points, Burnley 51, Chelsea 49, Liverpool 48, Sunderland 48, Bolton Wanderers 47
• FA Cup final – Aston Villa 1–0 Huddersfield Town (after extra time) at Stamford Bridge, London
• The Football League is expanded by the formation of the original Third Division. New clubs admitted to the league include Leeds United and Cardiff City, who are both elected to the Second Division. New members in the Third Division are: Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace, Exeter City, Gillingham, Luton Town, Merthyr Town (1920 – 1930), Millwall, Newport County (1920 – 1988), Northampton Town, Norwich City, Plymouth Argyle, Portsmouth, Queen's Park Rangers (QPR), Reading, Southampton, Southend United, Swansea Town, Swindon Town and Watford.

[edit] Athletics

Men's 100 metres

• Jackson Scholz (USA) equals the world record of 10.6 seconds.

[edit] Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

• Richmond wins the 24th VFL Premiership: winner 7.10 (52) d Collingwood 5.5 (35) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

[edit] Bandy

Sweden

• Championship final – IFK Uppsala 3–2 IF Linnéa

[edit] Baseball

World Series

• Cleveland Indians (AL) defeats Brooklyn Dodgers (NL) by 5 games to 2

Major League Baseball

• The sale of Babe Ruth. Boston Red Sox transfers Babe Ruth to New York Yankees for $125,000 and a $350,000 loan. Ruth hits 54 home runs for the Yankees in 1920, nearly double the record of 29 he hit in the 1919 season.
• 16 August — Ray Chapman of Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball from Carl Mays of New York Yankees. He dies early next day, the second fatality of major league play.
• Chicago White Sox stars Eddie Cicotte and Shoeless Joe Jackson confess their roles in the Black Sox scandal

Negro League Baseball

• 13 February — the Negro National League is formed
• 2 May — the first game of the new league is played at Indianapolis with the Indianapolis ABCs defeating the Chicago Giants (not to be confused with the Chicago American Giants)
• Chicago American Giants wins the inaugural Negro National League pennant

[edit] Boxing

Events

• 6 May – Johnny Wilson wins the World Middleweight Championship by defeating Mike O'Dowd in 12 rounds at Boston.
• 12 October – Georges Carpentier wins the World Light Heavyweight Championship after he knocks out Battling Levinsky in the 4th round at Jersey City, his victory setting up the first "million dollar gate" when he fights Jack Dempsey in 1921.
• 22 December – Joe Lynch defeats Pete Herman in 15 rounds at New York to win the World Bantamweight Championship.

Lineal world champions^[1]

• World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Dempsey
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – Battling Levinsky → Georges Carpentier
• World Middleweight Championship – Mike O'Dowd → Johnny Wilson
• World Welterweight Championship – Jack Britton
• World Lightweight Championship – Benny Leonard
• World Featherweight Championship – Johnny Kilbane
• World Bantamweight Championship – Pete Herman → Joe Lynch
• World Flyweight Championship – Jimmy Wilde

[edit] Canadian football

Grey Cup

• 8th Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League – University of Toronto Varsity Blues 16–3 Toronto Argonauts

[edit] Cricket

Events

• Post-war recovery continues and an English team goes to Australia in November to commence the first Test series since the war.

England

• County Championship – Middlesex
• Minor Counties Championship – Staffordshire
• Most runs – Jack Hobbs 2827 @ 58.89 (HS 215)
• Most wickets – Frank Woolley 185 @ 14.23 (BB 7–59)
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year – Plum Warner

Australia

• Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
• Most runs – Roy Park 648 @ 72.00 (HS 228)
• Most wickets – Stork Hendry 29 @ 18.13 (BB 7–34)

India

• Bombay Quadrangular – Hindus

New Zealand

• Plunket Shield – Auckland

South Africa

• Currie Cup – not contested

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested

[edit] Cycling

Tour de France

• Philippe Thys (Belgium) wins the 14th Tour de France

[edit] Field hockey

Olympic Games (Men's Competition)

• Gold Medal – Great Britain
• Silver Medal – Denmark
• Bronze Medal – Belgium

[edit] Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

• The championships are not contested

[edit] Golf

Major tournaments

• British Open – George Duncan
• US Open – Ted Ray
• USPGA Championship – Jock Hutchison

Other tournaments

• British Amateur – Cyril Tolley
• US Amateur – Chick Evans

[edit] Horse racing

Events

• The inaugural Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is won by Comrade

England

• Grand National – Troytown
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Cinna
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Tetratema
• Epsom Derby – Spion Kop
• Epsom Oaks – Charlebelle
• St. Leger Stakes – Caligula

Australia

• Melbourne Cup – Poitrel

Canada

• Queen's Plate – St. Paul

France

• Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Comrade

Ireland

• Irish Grand National – Halston
• Irish Derby Stakes – He Goes

USA

• Kentucky Derby – Paul Jones
• Preakness Stakes – Man o' War
• Belmont Stakes – Man o' War

[edit] Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

• Ottawa Senators (NHL) defeats Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA) by three games to two

Events

• Allan Cup – Winnipeg Falcons
• Memorial Cup – Toronto Canoe Club Paddlers
• 22 December — Hamilton Tigers, the reconstituted Quebec Bulldogs franchise, wins its first-ever NHL game in Hamilton, defeating Montreal Canadiens 5–0

[edit] Motor racing

Grand Prix racing

• No Grand Prix races are held in Europe from 1915 to 1920 inclusive.

Indianapolis 500

• 31 May — 8th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is won by Gaston Chevrolet (USA) in a Monroe.

[edit] Olympic Games

1920 Summer Olympics

• The 1920 Summer Olympics takes place in Antwerp
• The 1916 Summer Olympics planned for Berlin having been cancelled due to World War I, the 1920 Games are awarded to Antwerp to "honour the suffering of the Belgian people"
• United States wins the most medals (95) and the most gold medals (41)

[edit] Rowing

The Boat Race

• 28 March — Cambridge wins the 72nd Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, contested for the first time since March 1914

[edit] Rugby league

England

• Championship – Hull FC
• Challenge Cup final – Huddersfield 21–10 Wigan at Headingley Stadium, Leeds
• Lancashire League Championship – Widnes
• Yorkshire League Championship – Huddersfield
• Lancashire Cup – Oldham 7–0 Rochdale Hornets
• Yorkshire Cup – Huddersfield 24–5 Leeds

[edit] Rugby union

Five Nations Championship

• 33rd Five Nations Championship series is shared by England, Scotland and Wales

[edit] Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Pat O'Hara Wood (Australia) defeats Ronald Thomas (Australia) 6–3 4–6 6–8 6–1 6–3

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Bill Tilden (USA) defeats Gerald Patterson (Australia) 2–6 6–3 6–2 6–4
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen (France) defeats Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers 6–3 6–0

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – André Gobert (France) defeats Max Decugis (France) 6–3 3–6 1–6 6–2 6–3
• French Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen defeats Marguerite Broquedis 6–1 7–5

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Bill Tilden (USA) defeats Bill Johnston (USA) 6–1 1–6 7–5 5–7 6–3
• American Women's Singles Championship – Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (Norway) defeats Marion Zinderstein (USA) 6–3 6–1

[edit] Yacht racing

America's Cup

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Resolute defeats British challenger Shamrock IV, of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, 3 races to 2

[edit] References

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