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1991 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

• Alpine Skiing World Cup
  • Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg
  • Women's overall season champion: Petra Kronberger, Austria

American football

• Super Bowl XXV – New York Giants won 20-19 over the Buffalo Bills
• NCAA Football Championship: Washington Huskies 12-0 (CNN/USA Today Coaches Poll) and Miami Hurricanes 12-0 (Associated Press Poll)
• World Bowl '91: London Monarchs won 21-0 over the Barcelona Dragons in the inaugural World Bowl.
• Desmond Howard, University of Michigan Wide Receiver seals the Heisman Trophy with a 93-yard punt return in Michigan's 31-3 hammering of Ohio State.

Artistic gymnastics

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships –
  • Men's all-around champion: Grigory Misutin, USSR
  • Women's all-around champion: Kim Zmeskal, USA
  • Men's team competition champion: USSR
  • Women's team competition champion: USSR

Association football

• European Cup - FK Red Star beat Olympique de Marseille 5-3 on penalties (0-0 aet)
• FIFA Women's World Cup - United States won 2-1 over Norway

Athletics

• 1991 World Championships in Athletics held in Tokyo

Australian rules football

• Australian Football League
  • The Adelaide Crows join the league
  • Hawthorn wins the 95th AFL premiership (Hawthorn 20.19 (139) d West Coast Eagles 13.8 (86))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Jim Stynes (Melbourne)
• October 7 – death of Darren Millane, who played from 1984 to 1991

Baseball

• Dave Righetti breaks Sparky Lyle's major league record for left-handers of 238 career saves.
• July 28 - Dennis Martinez of the Montreal Expos pitches the 13th perfect game in major league history, beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0.
• World Series – The Minnesota Twins win 4 games to 3 over the Atlanta Braves. The series MVP is Jack Morris of Atlanta.

Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship – Duke wins 72-65 over Kansas
• June 12 - NBA Finals – Chicago Bulls win 4 games to 1 over the Los Angeles Lakers to earn the franchise's first championship.
• November 7 - Basketball player Magic Johnson announces he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, thus ending his career in the NBA.
• National Basketball League (Australia) Finals: Perth Wildcats defeated the Eastside Melbourne Spectres 2-1 in the best-of-three final series.
• December 17 - The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 148 to 80, the largest margin of victory in any NBA game.

Boxing

• May 7 to 12 – 29th European Amateur Boxing Championships held in Gothenburg, Sweden
• June 1 at Palm Springs, California – Terry Norris knocked out Donald Curry in the 8th Round to win the WBC Super Welterweight Championship.
• August 2 to 18 – Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba.

Canadian football

• Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts win 36-21 over the Calgary Stampeders
• Vanier Cup – Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks win 25-18 over the Mount Allison Mounties

Cricket

• South Africa readmitted to the International Cricket Council following the abolition of apartheid, and play their first international game since 1970.

Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Franco Chiocciolo of Italy
• Tour de France - Miguel Indurain of Spain
• World Cycling Championship – Gianni Bugno of Italy

Dogsled racing

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
  • Rick Swenson won with lead dog: Goose

Field hockey

• Men's Champions Trophy: Germany
• Women's Champions Trophy: Australia

Figure skating

• World Figure Skating Championships –
  • Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
  • Ladies' champion: Kristi Yamaguchi, United States
  • Pair skating champions: Natalia Mishkutenok & Artur Dmitriev, Soviet Union
  • Ice dancing champions: Isabelle Duchesnay & Paul Duchesnay, France

Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament - Ian Woosnam
• U.S. Open - Payne Stewart
• British Open - Ian Baker-Finch
• PGA Championship - John Daly
• PGA Tour money leader - Corey Pavin - $979,430
• Senior PGA Tour money leader - Mike Hill - $1,065,657
• Ryder Cup - United States team won 14½ - 13½ over the Europe in team golf.

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Gary Wolstenholme
• U.S. Amateur - Mitch Voges
• European Amateur - Jim Payne
• Tiger Woods, at age 15, won his first USGA title, the U.S. Junior Amateur.

Women's professional

• Nabisco Dinah Shore - Amy Alcott
• LPGA Championship - Meg Mallon
• U.S. Women's Open - Meg Mallon
• Classique du Maurier - Nancy Scranton
• LPGA Tour money leader - Pat Bradley - $763,118

Harness racing

• North America Cup - Precious Bunny
• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
  1. Cane Pace - Silky Stallone
  2. Little Brown Jug - Precious Bunny
  3. Messenger Stakes - Die Laughing
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
  1. Hambletonian - Giant Victory
  2. Yonkers Trot -
  3. Kentucky Futurity - Whiteland Janice
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
  • Pacers: Mark Ranover
  • Trotters: Fraggle Rock

Horse racing

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Garrison Savannah
• Grand National – Seagram

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Let's Elope
• Canadian Triple Crown Races:
  1. Queen's Plate – Dance Smartly
  2. Prince of Wales Stakes – Dance Smartly
  3. Breeders' Stakes – Dance Smartly
  • Dance Smartly becomes the country's third consecutive Triple Crown winner.
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Suave Dancer
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Generous
• Japan – Japan Cup won by Golden Pheasant
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Mystiko
  2. Epsom Derby – Generous
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Toulon
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Strike the Gold
  2. Preakness Stakes – Hansel
  3. Belmont Stakes – Hansel
• Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
  1. Breeders' Cup Classic – Black Tie Affair
  2. Breeders' Cup Distaff – Dance Smartly
  3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Arazi
  4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Pleasant Stage
  5. Breeders' Cup Mile – Opening Verse
  6. Breeders' Cup Sprint – Sheikh Albadou
  7. Breeders' Cup Turf – Miss Alleged

Ice hockey

• Art Ross Memorial Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Brett Hull, St. Louis Blues
• Stanley Cup –
  • Pittsburgh Penguins win 4 games to 2 over the Minnesota North Stars
• Conn Smythe Trophy – Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's champion: Sweden defeated Canada
  • Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated the USSR
• Sheffield Steelers formed
• San Jose Sharks formed

Lacrosse

• The Detroit Turbos defeat the Baltimore Thunder to win the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship

Motor racing

• Stock car racing –
  • Ernie Irvan won the Daytona 500
  • NASCAR Championship - Dale Earnhardt
• CART Racing - Michael Andretti won the season championship
  • Indianapolis 500 - Rick Mears
• Formula One Championship - Ayrton Senna of Brazil
• 24 hours of Le Mans – won by Volker Weidler / Johnny Herbert / Bertrand Gachot driving a Mazda 787
• Rally racing - Juha Kankkunen in a Lancia won the World Rally Championship
  • the team of Carlos Sainz / Luis Moya won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Toyota Celica GT4
• Drag racing - Joe Amato won the NHRA "Top Fuel" championship.

Radiosport

• The Friendship Radiosport Games held in Portland, Oregon, USA was the first international Amateur Radio Direction Finding competition held in the Americas.
• Third European High Speed Telegraphy Championship held in Neerpelt, Belgium.

==Rugby League

• Penrith Panthers defeat two-time defending premiers Canberra Raiders in the NSWRL Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium. It is Penrith's first premiership since their admission in 1967.
• Wigan retained their title in the English Rugby League competition, with Oldham, Sheffield Eagles and Rochdale Hornets being relegated. To date this is Rochdale's last appearance in the top flight.

Rugby Union

• 97th Five Nations Championship series is won by England who complete the Grand Slam
• Australia wins the 1991 Rugby World Cup

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – John Parrott beats Jimmy White 18-11
• World rankings – Stephen Hendry remains world number one for 1991/92

Swimming

• The sixth FINA World Championships, held in Perth, Australia (January 3 – 13)
• Eleventh Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba (August 12 – 18)
• 20th European LC Championships, held in Athens, Greece (August 18 – 25)
• Fourth Pan Pacific Championships, held in Edmonton, Canada (August 22 – 25)
• First European Sprint Championships, held in Gelsenkirchen, Germany (December 6 – 8)
• December 13 – Steve Crocker sets the first official world record in the men's 50m freestyle (short course) in Sheffield, United Kingdom, clocking 25.64.

Taekwondo

• World Championships held in Athens, Greece

Tennis

• June 20 – death of Michael Westphal (26), German player
• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Boris Becker
  2. French Open - Jim Courier
  3. Wimbledon championships - Michael Stich
  4. US Open - Stefan Edberg
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Monica Seles
  2. French Open - Monica Seles
  3. Wimbledon championships - Steffi Graf
  4. US Open - Monica Seles
• Davis Cup – France won 3-1 over the United States in world tennis.

Triathlon

• ITU World Championships held in Gold Coast, Australia
• ITU World Cup (eleven races) started in the United States Virgin Islands and ended in Mexico
• ETU European Championships held in Geneva, Switzerland

Volleyball

Men's competition

• FIVB World League: Italy
• Asia Volleyball Championship: Japan
• Men's European Volleyball Championship: USSR
• Pan American Games: Cuba

Women's competition

• Asia Volleyball Championship: China
• Women's European Volleyball Championship: USSR
• Pan American Games: Cuba

Water Polo

• FINA Men's World Water Polo Championship: Yugoslavia
• FINA Women's World Water Polo Championship: Netherlands

Multi-sport events

• Eleventh Pan American Games held in Havana, Cuba
• Fifth All-Africa Games held in Cairo, Egypt
• Eleventh Mediterranean Games held in Athens, Greece
• Sixteenth Summer Universiade held in Sheffield, United Kingdom
• Fifteenth Winter Universiade held in Sapporo, Japan

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Michael Jordan, NBA basketball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Monica Seles, Tennis

References