1914 in sports

1914 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

College championship

College football national championship – Army Cadets

Professional championships

Ohio League champions – Akron Parratt's Indians

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

Brazil

Formation of the Brazilian Football Confederation (Confederação Brasileira de Futebol or CBF)
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras officially founded in São Paulo on August 26.^{[citation needed]}

England

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

Germany

National Championship – SpVgg Fürth (2–2) 3–2 VfB Leipzig at Magdeburg

Portugal

Formation in Lisbon of the Portuguese Football Federation (Federação Portuguesa de Futebol or FPF)

Scotland

Scottish Football League – Celtic
Scottish Cup final – Celtic 4–1 Hibernian at Ibrox Park (replay following 0–0 draw)^[1]

Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

26 September – Carlton wins the 18th VFL Premiership, defeating South Melbourne 6.9 (45) to 4.15 (39) in the 1914 VFL Grand Final

South Australian Football League

19 September – Port Adelaide 13.15 (93) defeats North Adelaide 1.8 (14) for their second successive SAFL flag and eighth overall
Magarey Medal won by Jack Ashley (Port Adelaide)

West Australian Football League

10 October – East Fremantle 5.13 (43) defeats South Fremantle 3.6 (24) for its ninth WAFL premiership.

Events

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.^[2]

Bandy

Sweden

Championship final – AIK 4–2 Djurgårdens IF

Baseball

World Series

9–13 October — Boston Braves (NL) defeats Philadelphia Athletics (AL) to win the 1914 World Series by 4 games to 0

Events

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

Events

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 (108 lb to 112 lb) 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.

Lineal world champions^[3]

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

The Hamilton Alerts operate independently of a union for several years
Interprovincial Rugby Football Union - Toronto Argonauts
Ontario Rugby Football Union - Hamilton Rowing Club
Western Canada Rugby Football Union - Regina
Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union - University of Toronto
6th Grey Cup – Toronto Argonauts defeat University of Toronto 14-2

Cricket

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.

England

County Championship – Surrey
Minor Counties Championship – undecided
Most runs – Jack Hobbs 2697 @ 58.63 (HS 226)
Most wickets – Colin Blythe 170 @ 15.19 (BB 9–97)
Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Johnny Douglas, Percy Fender, Wally Hardinge, Donald Knight, Sydney Smith

Australia

Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
Most runs – Charlie Macartney 892 @ 111.50 (HS 201)
Most wickets – Charles Kelleway 45 @ 12.68 (BB 7–35)

India

Bombay Quadrangular – Hindus shared with Muslims

New Zealand

Plunket Shield – Canterbury

South Africa

Currie Cup – Western Province

West Indies

Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested

Cycling

Tour de France

Philippe Thys (Belgium) wins the 12th Tour de France^[4]

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

World Men's Champion – Gosta Sandahl (Sweden)
World Women's Champion – Opika von Méray Horváth (Hungary)
World Pairs Champions – Ludowika Jakobsson-Eilers / Walter Jakobsson (Finland)

Golf

Major tournaments

British Open – Harry Vardon
US Open – Walter Hagen

Other tournaments

British Amateur – J L C Jenkins
US Amateur – Francis Ouimet

Horse racing

England

Australia

Melbourne Cup – Kingsburgh

Canada

King's Plate – Beehive

Ireland

Irish Grand National – Civil War
Irish Derby Stakes – Land of Song

USA

Kentucky Derby – Old Rosebud
Preakness Stakes – Holiday
Belmont Stakes – Luke McLuke

Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

Toronto Blueshirts wins the National Hockey Association (NHA) championship and their first Stanley Cup.

Events

Victoria Aristocrats wins the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) 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