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World heavyweight boxing champion Jack Dempsey

1919 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

College championship

• College football national championship – Centre Praying Colonels, Harvard Crimson, Illinois Fighting Illini, Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Texas A&M Aggies (shared). Notre Dame is coached by Knute Rockne.

Events

• Green Bay Packers established at Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Decatur Staleys established at Decatur, Illinois; the club will relocate to Chicago in 1921 and rename itself Chicago Bears

Association football

England

• Competitive football resumes after the end of World War I in the 1919–20 season
• The First Division is expanded from 20 to 22 teams; Chelsea is spared relegation, while Arsenal controversially win promotion from the Second Division, despite only finishing fifth in 1915, at the expense of rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Derby County and Preston North End are also promoted.
• The Second Division is expanded from 20 teams to 22, bringing the total number of League clubs to 44. Glossop is expelled from the league and five clubs are elected. Stoke FC is restored to the league while Coventry City, South Shields (membership until 1930), Rotherham United and West Ham United all join the league for the first time.
• Leeds City is expelled from the Football League due to financial irregularities after the 1919–20 season has begun; Port Vale is elected as a late entrant and takes over Leeds City’s playing record to date.

Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

• Collingwood wins the 23rd VFL Premiership: Collingwood 11.12 (78) d Richmond 7.1 (53) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Bandy

Sweden

• Championship final – IFK Uppsala 8–2 IF Göta

Baseball

World Series

• 1919 World SeriesCincinnati Reds (NL) defeats Chicago White Sox (AL) by 5 games to 3.()

Events

• Even before game one of this World Series, there are rumours that some White Sox players have agreed to throw the series to the Reds for payment from gamblers. This will explode a year later in the Black Sox Scandal.
• Babe Ruth hits 29 home runs for the Boston Red Sox, breaking the single season record of 27 set by Ned Williamson in 1884

Minor leagues

• The Florida State League is founded with teams in Bartow, Bradenton, Lakeland, Orlando, Sandford and Tampa
• The Intercounty Baseball League is formed in Ontario, Canada with teams in Stratford, Guelph, Kitchener and Galt

Boxing

Events

• 4 July — Jack Dempsey becomes World Heavyweight Champion by knocking out Jess Willard, the defending champion, in four rounds. Dempsey becomes one of the greatest-ever boxing champions, his charisma and punching power enabling promoters to stage the first "million dollar gates".
• Jack Britton regains the World Welterweight Championship from Ted "Kid" Lewis for the second time, this time retaining it until his defeat by Mickey Walker in 1922.

Lineal world champions^[1]

• World Heavyweight Championship – Jess Willard → Jack Dempsey
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – Battling Levinsky
• World Middleweight Championship – Mike O'Dowd
• World Welterweight Championship – Ted "Kid" Lewis → Jack Britton
• World Lightweight Championship – Benny Leonard
• World Featherweight Championship – Johnny Kilbane
• World Bantamweight Championship – Pete Herman
• World Flyweight Championship – Jimmy Wilde

Canadian football

Grey Cup

• not contested

Cricket

Events

• Very few first-class matches are played worldwide during the 1918–19 season but the County Championship is reintroduced in the 1919 English season to progress the game's post-war recovery.

England

• County Championship – Yorkshire
• Minor Counties Championship – not contested
• Most runs – Jack Hobbs 2594 @ 60.32 (HS 205*)
• Most wickets – Wilfred Rhodes 164 @ 14.42 (BB 8–44)
• Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Andy Ducat, Patsy Hendren, Percy Holmes, Herbert Sutcliffe, Ernest Tyldesley

Australia

• Sheffield Shield – not contested
• Most runs – Warwick Armstrong 249 @ 83.00 (HS 162*)
• Most wickets – Ted McDonald 25 @ 15.72 (BB 8–42)

India

• Bombay Quadrangular – Europeans

New Zealand

• Plunket Shield – Wellington (Dec 1918 to Jan 1919) and Canterbury (from Jan 1919)

South Africa

• Currie Cup – not contested

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested

Cycling

Tour de France

• Firmin Lambot (Belgium) wins the 13th Tour de France

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

• The championships are not contested

Golf

Major tournaments

• British Open – not contested due to World War I
• US Open – Walter Hagen
• USPGA Championship – Jim Barnes

Other tournaments

• British Amateur – not contested due to World War I
• US Amateur – S. Davidson Herron

Horse racing

Events

• Sir Barton is the first horse to win the United States Triple Crown

England

• Grand National – Poethlyn
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Roseway
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – The Panther
• Epsom Derby – Grand Parade
• Epsom Oaks – Bayuda
• St. Leger Stakes – Keysoe

Australia

• Melbourne Cup – Artilleryman

Canada

• Queen's Plate – Ladder of Light

Ireland

• Irish Grand National – not contested
• Irish Derby Stakes – Loch Lomond

USA

• Kentucky Derby – Sir Barton
• Preakness Stakes – Sir Barton
• Belmont Stakes – Sir Barton

Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

• 1919 Stanley Cup Finals - Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans win two games each before the series, held at Seattle, is cancelled after all of the Montreal players contract Spanish flu

Events

• Allan Cup – Hamilton Tigers
• 1919 Memorial Cup - University of Toronto Schools wins the inaugural Memorial Cup for the Canadian national junior championship

Motor racing

Grand Prix racing

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

Indianapolis 500

• 31 May — 7th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is won by Howdy Wilcox (USA) in a Peugeot L45.

Multi-sport events

Far Eastern Championship Games

• Fourth Far Eastern Championship Games held in Manila, Philippine Islands

Rowing

The Boat Race

• Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race – not contested due to World War I

Rugby league

England

• It is not possible to resume national competitions in the 1918–19 season but county leagues and cups are arranged.
• Lancashire League Championship – Rochdale Hornets
• Yorkshire League Championship – Hull FC
• Lancashire Cup – Rochdale Hornets 22–0 Oldham
• Yorkshire Cup – Huddersfield 14–8 Dewsbury

Rugby union

Five Nations Championship

• Five Nations Championship series is not contested due to World War I

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Algernon Kingscote (GB) defeats Eric Pockley (Australia) 6–4 6–0 6–3

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Gerald Patterson (Australia) defeats Norman Brookes (Australia) 6–3 7–5 6–2
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen defeats Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers 10–8 4–6 9–7

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I
• French Women's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Bill Johnston (USA) defeats Bill Tilden (USA) 6–4 6–4 6–3
• American Women's Singles Championship – Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (USA) defeats Marion Zinderstein (USA) 6–1 6–2

References