1989 in sports

[Alpine skiing]

• Alpine Skiing World Cup
• * Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg
• * Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland

  [American football]

• Super Bowl XXIII – San Francisco 49ers won 20–16 over the Cincinnati Bengals
• January 2 - Fiesta Bowl :
• * The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 34-21 over the West Virginia Mountaineers to win the national championship

  [Artistic gymnastics]

• World Artistic Gymnastics Championships –
• * Men's all-around champion: Igor Korobchinsky, USSR
• * Women's all-around champion: Svetlana Boginskaya, USSR
• * Men's team competition champion: USSR
• * Women's team competition champion: USSR

  Association football

[Australian rules football]

• Victorian Football League
• * May 6 – Geelong kicks the highest losing score in VFL/AFL history, kicking 25.13 to Hawthorn’s 26.15
• * June 24 – Essendon kicks the lowest winning score since the 1927 Grand Final, beating Footscray 3.10 to 3.5.
• * Hawthorn wins the 93rd VFL Premiership beating Geelong 21.18 d 21.12
• * Brownlow Medal awarded to Paul Couch

  Baseball

• April 8 – One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his major-league debut with the California Angels, without spending a single day in the minor leagues. He went on to a 12–12 record for the season.
• August 10 – Ten months after undergoing surgery for cancer in his pitching arm, San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky returns to the major leagues, winning his comeback 4–3.
• August 15 – Dave Dravecky's comeback bid ends when his pitching arm breaks in the sixth inning of his second start. Two years later, the cancer-stricken arm would be amputated.
• August 24 – Following an investigation that he gambled on baseball, superstar player Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life.
• World Series – Oakland Athletics won 4 games to 0 over the San Francisco Giants in a series that was delayed because of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Series MVP was Dave Stewart, Oakland.
• Taiwan Professional Baseball League, officially founded on October 23.

  Basketball

• NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
• * Michigan wins 80–79 over Seton Hall in overtime
• NBA Finals –
• * The Detroit Pistons win 4 games to 0 over the Los Angeles Lakers to win the franchise's first championship.
• National Basketball League Finals:
• * North Melbourne Giants defeated the Canberra Cannons 2–1 in the best-of-three final series.

  [Boxing]

• February 11 – In Grenoble, France, Rene Jacquot won a 12-round decision over Donald Curry to win the World Welterweight Championship
• May 29 to June 3 – 28th European Amateur Boxing Championships held in Athens, Greece

  [Canadian football]

• Grey Cup – Saskatchewan Roughriders won 43–40 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Vanier Cup – Western Ontario Mustangs won 35–10 over the Saskatchewan Huskies

  Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Laurent Fignon of France
• Tour de France – Greg LeMond of the United States
• UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Greg LeMond of the United States

  [Dogsled racing]

• Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
• * Joe Runyan won with lead dogs: Rambo & Ferlin the Husky

  [Field hockey]

• Men's Champions Trophy: Australia
• Women's Champions Trophy: South Korea

  [Figure skating]

• World Figure Skating Championships –
• * Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
• * Ladies’ champion: Midori Ito, Japan
• * Pair skating champions: Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov, Soviet Union
• * Ice dancing champions: Marina Klimova / Sergei Ponomarenko, Soviet Union

  [Gaelic Athletic Association]

• Camogie
• * All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Kilkenny
• * National Camogie League: Kilkenny
• Gaelic football
• * All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Cork 0–17 died Mayo 1–11
• * National Football League – Cork 0–15 died Dublin 0–12
• Ladies' Gaelic football
• * All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
• * National Football League: Kerry
• Hurling
• * All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Tipperary 4–24 died Antrim 3–9
• * National Hurling League –

  Golf

• Masters Tournament – Nick Faldo
• U.S. Open – Curtis Strange
• British Open – Mark Calcavecchia
• PGA Championship – Payne Stewart
• PGA Tour money leader – Tom Kite – $1,395,278
• Senior PGA Tour money leader – Bob Charles – $725,887
• Ryder Cup – Europe and the United States teams tied 14–14 in team golf.

• British Amateur – Stephen Dodd
• U.S. Amateur – Chris Patton
• European Amateur – David Ecob

• Nabisco Dinah Shore – Juli Inkster
• LPGA Championship – Nancy Lopez
• U.S. Women's Open – Betsy King
• Classique du Maurier – Tammie Green
• LPGA Tour money leader – Betsy King – $654,132

  [Harness racing]

• North America Cup – Goalie Jeff
• United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
• # Cane Pace – Dancing Master
• # Little Brown Jug – Goalie Jeff
• # Messenger Stakes – Sandman Hanover
• United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
• # Hambletonian – Park Ave Joe & Probe
• # Yonkers Trot – Valley Victory
• # Kentucky Futurity – Peace Corps
• Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
• * Pacers: Jodie's Babe
• * Trotters: Yankee Loch

  [Horse racing]

• Cheltenham Gold Cup – Desert Orchid
• Grand National – Little Polveir

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Tawrrific
• Canadian Triple Crown Races:
• # Queen's Plate – With Approval
• # Prince of Wales Stakes – With Approval
• # Breeders' Stakes – With Approval
• * With Approval becomes the first horse to win the Canadian Triple Crown since 1963.
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Carroll House
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Old Vic
• Japan – Japan Cup won by Horlicks
• English Triple Crown Races:
• # 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Nashwan
• # The Derby – Nashwan
• # St. Leger Stakes – Michelozzo
• United States Triple Crown Races:
• # May 6 – Kentucky Derby – Sunday Silence
• # Preakness Stakes – Sunday Silence
• # Belmont Stakes – Easy Goer
• Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
• # Breeders' Cup Classic – Sunday Silence
• # Breeders' Cup Distaff – Bayakoa
• # Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Rhythm
• # Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Go for Wand
• # Breeders' Cup Mile – Steinlen
• # Breeders' Cup Sprint – Dancing Spree
• # Breeders' Cup Turf – Prized

  [Ice hockey]

• Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
• March 22 – St. Louis Blues’ Steve Tuttle slits the jugular vein of Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender Clint Malarchuk, with a total of 300 stitches needed to close the wound thanks to trainer Jim Pizzutelli.
• Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
• Stanley Cup – The Calgary Flames won 4 games to 2 over the Montreal Canadiens. This constitutes the only time that the visiting team won the cup at the Montreal Forum against the Canadiens.
• World Hockey Championship
• * Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Canada
• * Junior Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden

  [Lacrosse]

• The Philadelphia Wings defeat the New York Saints to win the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship

  [Motorsport]

[Radiosport]

• Second European High Speed Telegraphy Championship held in Hanover, Germany.

  [Rugby league]

• June 7 – 1989 Panasonic Cup tournament final: Brisbane Broncos 22–20 Illawarra Steelers at Parramatta Stadium
• June 14 – 1989 State of Origin title is wrapped up by Queensland in Game Two of the three-match series against New South Wales at the Sydney Football Stadium before 40,000.
• July 23 – first of the 1989–1992 World Cup's twenty tournament matches is won by Australia 22–14 over New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium before 15,000
• September 24 – 1989 NSWRL season Grand Final: Canberra Raiders 19–14 Balmain Tigers at Sydney Football Stadium before 40,500.
• October 4 – 1989 World Club Challenge match is won by Widnes who defeats Canberra Raiders 30–18 at Old Trafford before 30,768

  [Rugby union]

• 95th Five Nations Championship series is won by France

  [Snooker]

• World Snooker Championship – Steve Davis beats John Parrott 18–3
• World rankings – Steve Davis remains world number one for 1989/90

  Swimming

• Third Pan Pacific Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan
• August 20 – Tom Jager once again regains the world record in the 50m freestyle during 1989 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, with a time of 22.12.

  [Taekwondo]

• World Championships held in Seoul, South Korea

  Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
• # Australian Open – Ivan Lendl
• # French Open – Michael Chang
• # Wimbledon championships – Boris Becker
• # US Open – Boris Becker
• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
• # Australian Open – Steffi Graf
• # French Open – Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
• # Wimbledon championships – Steffi Graf
• # US Open – Steffi Graf
• Davis Cup – Germany F.R. won 3–2 over Sweden in world tennis.

  [Triathlon]

• 1989 ITU Triathlon World Championships held in Avignon, France
• ETU European Championships held in Cascais, Portugal

  Volleyball

• 1989 FIVB Men's World Cup won by Cuba
• 1989 FIVB Women's World Cup won by Cuba
• 1989 Men's European Volleyball Championship won by Italy
• 1989 Women's European Volleyball Championship won by USSR

  [Water polo]

• Men's Water Polo World Cup won by Yugoslavia
• Men's European Water Polo Championship won by West Germany
• Women's European Water Polo Championship won by the Netherlands

  [Multi-sport event]s

• Third World Games held in Karlsruhe, West Germany
• 15th Summer Universiade held in Duisburg, West Germany
• Fourteenth Winter Universiade held in Sofia, Bulgaria

  Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Joe Montana, National Football League
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Steffi Graf, Tennis