1937 in sports

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 7th FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Chamonix, France. The events are a downhill, a slalom and a combined race in both the men's and women's categories. The winners are:

• Men's Downhill – Emile Allais (France)
• Men's Slalom – Emile Allais (France)
• Men's Combined – Emile Allais (France)
• Women's Downhill – Christl Cranz (Germany)
• Women's Slalom – Christl Cranz (Germany)
• Women's Combined – Christl Cranz (Germany)

• First Cotton Bowl Classic is played in Dallas.
• Pittsburgh Panthers – college football national championship
• Washington Redskins win the NFL title in their first year at Washington after moving from Boston. They defeat the Chicago Bears 28–21 in Chicago.
• The Cleveland Rams join the National Football League.

England

• First Division – Manchester City win the 1936–37 title.
• FA Cup – Sunderland beat Preston North End 3–1.

Spain

• La Liga – not contested due to the Spanish Civil War

Germany

• German football championship won by Schalke 04

Italy

• Serie A won by Bologna

Portugal

• Primeira Liga won by S.L. Benfica

France

• French Division 1 won by Olympique de Marseille

Sweden

• Allsvenskan 1936/1937: AIK

• Victorian Football League
  • 25 September – Geelong wins the 41st VFL Premiership, defeating Collingwood 18.14 (122) to 12.18 (90) in the 1937 VFL Grand Final
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Dick Reynolds (Essendon)
• South Australian National Football League
  • 2 October – Port Adelaide 13.16 (94) defeat South Adelaide 10.10 (70) to win their second consecutive SANFL premiership.
  • Magarey Medal won by Harold Hawke (North Adelaide)
• Western Australian National Football League
  • 9 October – East Fremantle 14.13 (97) defeat Claremont 13.9 (87) to win their eighteenth premiership.
  • Sandover Medal won by "Scranno" Jenkins (South Fremantle).

• World Series – New York Yankees defeat New York Giants, 4–1.
• Hall of Fame election – Continuing toward the goal of 10 initial inductees from the 20th century, voters select Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker and Cy Young. A special committee selects managers Connie Mack and John McGraw, former league presidents Morgan Bulkeley and Ban Johnson, and pioneer shortstop/promoter George Wright. Selections of nineteenth-century players are postponed.
• Aguilas Cibaenas, a club of Dominican Republic, officially founded in Santiago de los Caballeros on January 28.

Events

• Major professional basketball returns with the formation of the National Basketball League.
• Eurobasket 1937 – Lithuania win the second European basketball championship.
• The fifth South American Basketball Championship in Valparaíso and Santiago is won by Chile.
• The first NAIA Men's Division I basketball tournament played in Kansas City.

Events

• 22 June – Joe Louis defeats James J. Braddock at Chicago by an eighth round knockout to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
• 30 August – in his first title defence, Louis defeats Tommy Farr at Bronx on a fifteen round decision

Lineal world champions[1]

• World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Braddock → Joe Louis
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – John Henry Lewis
• World Middleweight Championship – vacant
• World Welterweight Championship – Barney Ross
• World Lightweight Championship – Lou Ambers
• World Featherweight Championship – vacant → Henry Armstrong
• World Bantamweight Championship – Sixto Escobar → Harry Jeffra
• World Flyweight Championship – vacant → Benny Lynch

Events

• England tours Australia, losing the five-Test series two games to three, despite winning the first two games.

England

• County Championship – Yorkshire
• Minor Counties Championship – Lancashire Second Eleven
• Most runs – Wally Hammond 3,252 @ 65.04 (HS 217)
• Most wickets – Tom Goddard 248 @ 16.76 (BB 10–113)
• New Zealand play a three-test series against England, losing the series one Test to nil with two draws.
• Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Tom Goddard, Joe Hardstaff, Jr., Leonard Hutton, Jim Parks, Sr., Eddie Paynter

Australia

• Sheffield Shield – Victoria
• Most runs – Don Bradman 1,552 @ 86.22 (HS 270)
• Most wickets
  • Chuck Fleetwood-Smith 53 @ 20.24 (BB 8–79)
  • Frank Ward 53 @ 28.41 (BB 7–127)

India

• Ranji Trophy – Nawanagar beat Bengal by 256 runs
• Bombay Pentangular – Muslims

New Zealand

• Plunket Shield – Auckland

South Africa

• Currie Cup – Natal

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad

Tour de France

• Roger Lapébie wins the 37th Tour de France.

Giro d'Italia

• Gino Bartali of Legnano wins the 25th Giro d'Italia

• July 14 – foundation of HC Den Bosch, a Dutch club based in 's-Hertogenbosch

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Felix Kaspar, Austria
  • Ladies’ champion: Megan Taylor, Great Britain
  • Pair skating champion: Maxi Herber & Ernst Baier, Germany

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament – Byron Nelson
• PGA Championship – Denny Shute
• U.S. Open – Ralph Guldahl
• British Open – Henry Cotton

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Robert Sweeny Jr.
• U.S. Amateur – Johnny Goodman

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open – Helen Hicks
• Titleholders Championship – Patty Berg

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – not held due to flooding of Cheltenham Racecourse
• Grand National – Royal Mail

Hurdle races

• Champion Hurdle – Free Fare

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by The Trump
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by Goldlure
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Corrida
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Phideas
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Le Ksar
  2. The Derby – Mid-day Sun
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Chulmleigh
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – War Admiral
  2. Preakness Stakes – War Admiral
  3. Belmont Stakes – War Admiral

• April 15 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 3–0 to win the 1937 Stanley Cup Final
• April 17 – The Winnipeg Monarchs defeat the Copper Cliff Redmen 7–0 to win the 1937 Memorial Cup

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships

• 10th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1937 are held at Chamonix, France

The Boat Race

• 24 March — Oxford wins the 89th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

• 1936–37 European Rugby League Championship
• 1937 New Zealand rugby league season
• 1937 NSWRFL season
• 1936–37 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1937–38 Northern Rugby Football League season

• 50th Home Nations Championship series is won by England

• World Snooker Championship – Joe Davis beats Horace Lindrum 32–29

Speed Skating World Championships

• Men's All-round Champion – Michael Staksrud (Norway)
• Women's All-round Champion – Laila Schou Nilsen (Norway)

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Vivian McGrath (Australia) defeats John Bromwich (Australia) 6–3, 1–6, 6–0, 2–6, 6–1
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Nancye Wynne Bolton (Australia) defeats Emily Hood Westacott (Australia) 6–3, 5–7, 6–4

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Don Budge (USA) defeats Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Dorothy Round Little (Great Britain) defeats Jadwiga Jędrzejowska (Poland) 6–2, 2–6, 7–5

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – Henner Henkel (Germany) defeats Bunny Austin (Great Britain) 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
• French Women's Singles Championship – Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (Germany) defeats Simonne Mathieu (France) 6–2, 6–4

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Don Budge (USA) defeats Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) 6–1, 7–9, 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
• American Women's Singles Championship – Anita Lizana (Chile) defeats Jadwiga Jędrzejowska (Poland) 6–4, 6–2

Davis Cup

• 1937 International Lawn Tennis Challenge –  United States 4–1  Great Britain at Centre Court, Wimbledon (grass) London, United Kingdom

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Ranger defeats British challenger Endeavour II, of the Royal Yacht Squadron, 4 races to 0

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Don Budge, Tennis
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Katherine Rawls, Swimming