1925 in sports

1925 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

• Chicago Cardinals win a controversial National Football League title.
• Five new teams join the NFL: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Providence Steam Roller, a new Canton Bulldogs team and the Pottsville Maroons.
• Rose Bowl (1924 season):
  • The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 27-10 over the Stanford Indians to win the college football national championship
• Dartmouth Big Green – college football national championship shared with Alabama Crimson Tide
• 3 October – Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech) plays its inaugural intercollegiate football game.

Association football

Events

• The IFAB reforms the offside law, reducing the number of opposing players required to be in front of the attacker for him to be onside from three to two.

England

• The Football League – Huddersfield Town 58 points, West Bromwich Albion 56, Bolton Wanderers 55, Liverpool 50, Bury 49, Newcastle United 48
• FA Cup final – Sheffield United 1–0 Cardiff City at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London

Germany

• National Championship – 1. FC Nürnberg (0–0) 1–0 FSV Frankfurt at Frankfurt

Russia

• FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, officially founded on May 30.(former Zenit Lenninglad in Soviet Union)

Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

• Geelong wins the 29th VFL Premiership: Geelong 10.19 (79) d Collingwood 9.15 (69) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Brownlow Medal

• The annual Brownlow Medal is awarded to Colin Watson (St Kilda)

Events

• Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne join the league from the VFA

Bandy

Sweden

• Championship final – IF Göta 7-5 Västerås SK

Baseball

World Series

• 7–15 October — Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeats Washington Senators (AL) to win the 1925 World Series by 4 games to 3. The Pirates are the first team to win a Series in a comeback down three games to one.

Negro League Baseball

• Hilldale (ECL) defeats Kansas City Monarchs (NNL) 5 games to 1 in the Negro League World Series

Mexico

• Mexican Baseball League, a first officially game held on June 28.

Basketball

Events

• The American Basketball League is formed as the first major league of professional basketball.

Boxing

Events

• 15 January — Benny Leonard, arguably the greatest-ever lightweight champion, retires from boxing to leave the World Lightweight Championship temporarily vacant
• 2 July — World Middleweight Champion Harry Greb outpoints World Welterweight Champion Mickey Walker over 15 rounds in one of the all-time great boxing matches at New York's Polo Grounds.^[1][2]
• 14 July — death of current World Flyweight Champion Pancho Villa from blood poisoning after a dental operation goes wrong.

Lineal world champions^[3]

• World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Dempsey
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – Mike McTigue → Paul Berlenbach
• World Middleweight Championship – Harry Greb
• World Welterweight Championship – Mickey Walker
• World Lightweight Championship – Benny Leonard → vacant → Jimmy Goodrich → Rocky Kansas
• World Featherweight Championship – vacant → Louis "Kid" Kaplan
• World Bantamweight Championship – Eddie "Cannonball" Martin → Charley Phil Rosenberg
• World Flyweight Championship – Pancho Villa → vacant

Canadian football

Grey Cup

• 13th Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League – Ottawa Senators defeat Winnipeg Tammany Tigers 24–1 at Lansdowne Park

Cricket

Events

• Marylebone Cricket Club organises an England tour of Australia in the 1924–25 season. Australia retains The Ashes by winning the five-match Test series 4–1.

England

• County Championship – Yorkshire
• Minor Counties Championship – Buckinghamshire
• Most runs – Jack Hobbs 3024 @ 70.32 (HS 266*)
• Most wickets – Maurice Tate 228 @ 14.97 (BB 8–91)
• Wisden Cricketer of the Year – Jack Hobbs

Australia

• Sheffield Shield – Victoria
• Most runs – Herbert Sutcliffe 1250 @ 69.44 (HS 188)
• Most wickets – Maurice Tate 77 @ 19.01 (BB 7–74)

India

• Bombay Quadrangular – Muslims

New Zealand

• Plunket Shield – Otago

South Africa

• Currie Cup – not contested

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago

Cycling

Tour de France

• Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) wins the 19th Tour de France

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

• World Women's Champion – Herma Szabo (Austria)
• World Men's Champion – Willi Böckel (Austria)
• World Pairs Champions – Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede (Austria)

Golf

Major tournaments

• British Open – Jim Barnes
• US Open – Willie Macfarlane
• USPGA Championship – Walter Hagen

Other tournaments

• British Amateur – Robert Harris
• US Amateur – Bobby Jones

Horse racing

England

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Ballinode
• Grand National – Double Chance
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Saucy Sue
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Manna
• The Derby – Manna
• The Oaks – Saucy Sue
• St. Leger Stakes – Solario

Australia

• Melbourne Cup – Windbag

Canada

• Queen's Plate – Fairbank

France

• Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Priori

Ireland

• Irish Grand National – Dog Fox
• Irish Derby Stakes – Zionist

USA

• Kentucky Derby – Flying Ebony
• Preakness Stakes – Coventry
• Belmont Stakes – American Flag

Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

• 21–30 March — Victoria Cougars defeats Montreal Canadiens in the 1925 Stanley Cup Finals. The Cougars are the last non-NHL team to win the Cup.

Events

• The first-place Hamilton Tigers of the NHL go on strike for an increase in pay. The team is suspended and the players sold to become the New York Americans.
• 2 December — the expansion New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL play their first-ever game against each other at Pittsburgh. The Americans defeat the Pirates 2-1 in overtime.
• 15 December — the first NHL game is played at Madison Square Garden between the New York Americans and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens win the game 3-1 and are awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy.

Motorsport

Multi-sport events

Far Eastern Championship Games

• The 7th Far Eastern Championship Games are held at Manila, Philippine Islands

Nordic skiing

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

The inaugural world championships are held at Johannisbad in Czechoslovakia for men only. Winners are:

• Cross-country skiing (18 km) – Otakar Německý (Czechoslovakia)
• Cross-country skiing (50 km) – František Donth (Czechoslovakia)
• Nordic combined (individual) – Otakar Německý (Czechoslovakia)
• Ski jumping (individual large hill) – Willen Dick (Czechoslovakia)

Rowing

The Boat Race

• 28 March — Cambridge wins the 77th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league

England

• Championship – Hull Kingston Rovers
• Challenge Cup final – Oldham 16–3 Hull Kingston Rovers at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
• Lancashire League Championship – Swinton
• Yorkshire League Championship – Hull Kingston Rovers
• Lancashire County Cup – Oldham 10–0 St Helens Recs
• Yorkshire County Cup – Wakefield Trinity 9–8 Batley

Australia

• NSW Premiership – South Sydney (outright winner)

Rugby union

Five Nations Championship

• 38th Five Nations Championship series is won by Scotland who complete the Grand Slam

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

• Men's All-round Champion – Clas Thunberg (Finland)

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – James Anderson (Australia) defeats Gerald Patterson (Australia) 11–9 2–6 6–2 6–3
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Daphne Akhurst Cozens (Australia) defeats Esna Boyd Robertson (Australia) 1–6 8–6 6–4

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – René Lacoste (France) defeats Jean Borotra (France) 6–3 6–3 4–6 8–6
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen (France) defeats Joan Fry Lakeman (Great Britain) 6–2 6–0

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – René Lacoste (France) defeats Jean Borotra (France) 7–5 6–1 6–4
• French Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen (France) defeats Kitty McKane Godfree (Great Britain) 6–1 6–2

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Bill Tilden (USA) defeats Bill Johnston (USA) 4–6 11–9 6–3 4–6 6–3
• American Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Kitty McKane Godfree (Great Britain) 3–6 6–0 6–2

Davis Cup

• 1925 International Lawn Tennis Challenge –  United States 5–0  France at Germantown Cricket Club (grass) Philadelphia, United States

Gymnastic

The wheel was invented in 1925 by German Otto Feick in Schönau an der Brend.

References