1914 in sports
1914 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
[American football]
College championshipProfessional championships
Events
- 15 November — Harry Turner, of the Canton Professionals, becomes the first player to die from game-related injuries in the "Ohio League", the direct predecessor to the National Football League.
[Association football]
- Formation of the Brazilian Football Confederation
- Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras officially founded in São Paulo on August 26.
- The Football League – Blackburn Rovers 51 points, Aston Villa 44, Middlesbrough 43, Oldham Athletic 43, West Bromwich Albion 43, Bolton Wanderers 42
- FA Cup final – Burnley 1–0 Liverpool at Crystal Palace, London
- National Championship – SpVgg Fürth 3–2 VfB Leipzig at Magdeburg
- Formation in Lisbon of the Portuguese Football Federation
- Scottish Football League – Celtic
- Scottish Cup final – Celtic 4–1 Hibernian at Ibrox Park
[Australian rules football]
- 26 September – Carlton wins the 18th VFL Premiership, defeating South Melbourne 6.9 to 4.15 in the 1914 VFL Grand Final
- 19 September – Port Adelaide 13.15 defeats North Adelaide 1.8 for their second successive SAFL flag and eighth overall
- Magarey Medal won by Jack Ashley
- 10 October – East Fremantle 5.13 defeats South Fremantle 3.6 for its ninth WAFL premiership.
- University withdraws from the VFL at the end of the season
- Port Adelaide become the only SAFA/SAFL/SANFL team to finish with a perfect season, overall winning thirty consecutive matches including one against a combined team from the other six SAFL clubs and one against Carlton.
[Bandy]
World Series
- 9–13 October — Boston Braves defeats Philadelphia Athletics to win the 1914 World Series by 4 games to 0
- The "Federal League War" ensues when the Federal League leaves Minor League Baseball and competes with the two established major leagues. Retaining clubs in Kansas City, Indianapolis, St Louis, Chicago and Pittsburgh, the Federal League sets up additional clubs in Buffalo, Baltimore and Brooklyn.
- Baltimore Terrapins are a great popular success and drive the minor Orioles out of business, so creating the basis of the baseball anti–trust case
- 22 April — Babe Ruth pitches his first professional game for the Baltimore Orioles at age 19
[Boxing]
- Jack Johnson spends the year moving from one country to another but stages exhibition fights as far afield as Gothenburg and Buenos Aires. In June, he defends his world heavyweight title against Frank Moran in Paris and wins over 20 rounds.
- 1 to 24 January — Danish boxer Waldemar Holberg defeats Ray Bronson over 20 rounds in Melbourne and claims the vacant World Welterweight Championship. Just 23 days later, Holberg loses the title to Tom McCormick after a sixth round foul, also at Melbourne.
- 21 March — McCormick loses the welterweight title to Matt Wells over 20 rounds at Sydney.
- 30 March — a World Flyweight Championship is proposed for the first time after Jimmy Wilde defeats Eugene Husson in London. Wilde, subsequently ranked by most experts as the greatest-ever flyweight, holds the title until 1923.
- 7 April — Al McCoy defeats George Chip with a surprise first round knockout in Brooklyn, New York, to take the World Middleweight Championship. McCoy holds the title until 1917.
- With a series of wins from April to November, Jack Dillon resolves the long-standing issue of the vacant World Light Heavyweight Championship in his favour. He defeats Battling Levinsky, Bob Moha, Frank Mantell and Charley Weinert to claim the title, which he holds until 1916.
- 3 June — Kid Williams defeats Johnny Coulon by a third round knockout at Vernon, California, to win the World Bantamweight Championship. Williams holds the title until 1917.
- 7 July — Freddie Welsh defeats Willie Ritchie over 20 rounds in London to win the World Lightweight Championship. Welsh holds the title until 1917.
- World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Johnson
- World Light Heavyweight Championship – vacant → Jack Dillon
- World Middleweight Championship – George Chip → Al McCoy
- World Welterweight Championship – vacant → Waldemar Holberg → Tom McCormick → Matt Wells
- World Lightweight Championship – Willie Ritchie → Freddie Welsh
- World Featherweight Championship – Johnny Kilbane
- World Bantamweight Championship – Johnny Coulon → Kid Williams
- World Flyweight Championship – Jimmy Wilde
[Canadian football]
Events
- The 1914 English cricket season is cancelled at the end of August because of the outbreak of the First World War. The last four matches to be played all finish on 2 September and the remaining five scheduled fixtures are cancelled.
- County Championship – Surrey
- Minor Counties Championship – undecided
- Most runs – Jack Hobbs 2697 @ 58.63
- Most wickets – Colin Blythe 170 @ 15.19
- Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Johnny Douglas, Percy Fender, Wally Hardinge, Donald Knight, Sydney Smith
- Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
- Most runs – Charlie Macartney 892 @ 111.50
- Most wickets – Charles Kelleway 45 @ 12.68
- Bombay Quadrangular – Hindus shared with Muslims
South Africa
- Currie Cup – not contested
- Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested
[Cycling]
- Philippe Thys wins the 12th Tour de France
[Figure skating]
- World Men's Champion – Gosta Sandahl
- World Women's Champion – Opika von Méray Horváth
- World Pairs Champions – Ludowika Jakobsson-Eilers / Walter Jakobsson
[Golf]
Other tournaments
- British Amateur – J L C Jenkins
- US Amateur – Francis Ouimet
[Horse racing]
- Grand National – Sunloch
- 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Princess Dorrie
- 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Kennymore
- The Derby – Durbar
- The Oaks – Princess Dorrie
- St. Leger Stakes – Black Jester
- Melbourne Cup – Kingsburgh
- Queen's Plate – Beehive
- Irish Grand National – Civil War
- Irish Derby Stakes – Land of Song
- Kentucky Derby – Old Rosebud
- Preakness Stakes – Holiday
- Belmont Stakes – Luke McLuke
[Ice hockey]
- Toronto Blueshirts wins the National Hockey Association championship and their first Stanley Cup.
- Victoria Aristocrats wins the Pacific Coast Hockey Association championship
- Blueshirts play Aristocrats in a challenge series with Blueshirts winning by three games to nil. The NHA and PCHA agree to start an annual playoff in 1915 to decide the Stanley Cup winner.
- Regina Victorias wins the Allan Cup
[Motorsport]
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The Boat Race- 28 March — Cambridge wins the 71st Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
[Rugby league]
- 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand
- Championship – Salford
- Challenge Cup final – Hull F.C. 6–0 Wakefield Trinity at Thrum Hall, Halifax
- Lancashire League Championship – Wigan
- Yorkshire League Championship – Huddersfield
- Lancashire County Cup – Oldham 5–0 Wigan
- Yorkshire County Cup – Huddersfield 19–3 Bradford Northern
New Zealand
- 1914 New Zealand rugby league season
[Rugby union]
- 32nd Five Nations Championship series is won by England who complete the Grand Slam
[Speed skating]
Australia
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – Arthur O'Hara Wood defeats Gerald Patterson 6–4 6–3 5–7 6–1
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Norman Brookes defeats Anthony Wilding 6–4 6–4 7–5
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers defeats Ethel Thomson Larcombe 7–5 6–4
- French Men's Singles Championship – Max Decugis defeats Jean Samazeuilh 3–6 6–1 6–4 6–4
- French Women's Singles Championship – Marguerite Broquedis defeats Suzanne Lenglen 5–7 6–4 6–3
- American Men's Singles Championship – Richard Norris Williams defeats Maurice McLoughlin 6–3 8–6 10–8
- American Women's Singles Championship – Mary Browne defeats Marie Wagner 6–2 1–6 6–1
- 1914 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – 3–2 at West Side Tennis Club New York City, United States
[Yacht racing]
- 1914 America's Cup – Resolute competes against the Vanitie but the race is cancelled due to the onset of World War I.