1925 in sports

1925 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football[edit]

NFL championship – Chicago Cardinals (11–2–1)
- Chicago was awarded the championship controversially because the Maroons had been suspended from the NFL for playing an exhibition game against a group of Notre Dame All-Stars.
Five new teams join the NFL: New York Giants, Detroit Panthers, Providence Steam Roller, a new Canton Bulldogs team and the Pottsville Maroons.
Rose Bowl (1924 season):
- The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 27–10 over the Stanford Indians to win the college football national championship
Dartmouth Big Green – college football national championship shared with Alabama Crimson Tide
3 October – Texas Technological College (now Texas Tech) plays its inaugural intercollegiate football game.

Association football[edit]

Events

The IFAB reforms the offside law, reducing the number of opposing players required to be in front of the attacker for him to be onside from three to two.

England

The Football League – Huddersfield Town 58 points, West Bromwich Albion 56, Bolton Wanderers 55, Liverpool 50, Bury 49, Newcastle United 48
FA Cup final – Sheffield United 1–0 Cardiff City at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London

Germany

National Championship – 1. FC Nürnberg (0–0) 1–0 FSV Frankfurt at Frankfurt

Greece

Olympiacos F.C., officially founded in Athens.^{[citation needed]}

Russia

FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, officially founded on May 30.(former Zenit Lenninglad in Soviet Union)^{[citation needed]}

Australian rules football[edit]

VFL Premiership

Geelong wins the 29th VFL Premiership: Geelong 10.19 (79) d Collingwood 9.15 (69) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

Brownlow Medal

The annual Brownlow Medal is awarded to Colin Watson (St Kilda)

Events

Footscray, Hawthorn and North Melbourne join the league from the VFA

Bandy[edit]

Sweden

Championship final – IF Göta 7-5 Västerås SK

Baseball[edit]

World Series

7–15 October — Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeats Washington Senators (AL) to win the 1925 World Series by 4 games to 3. The Pirates are the first team to win a Series in a comeback down three games to one.

Negro leagues

Hilldale (ECL) defeats Kansas City Monarchs (NNL) 5 games to 1 in the 1925 Colored World Series

Mexico

Mexican Baseball League, a first officially game held on June 28.^{[citation needed]}

Basketball[edit]

Events

The American Basketball League is formed as the first major league of professional basketball.

Boxing[edit]

Events

15 January — Benny Leonard, arguably the greatest-ever lightweight champion, retires from boxing to leave the World Lightweight Championship temporarily vacant
2 July — World Middleweight Champion Harry Greb outpoints World Welterweight Champion Mickey Walker over 15 rounds in one of the all-time great boxing matches at New York's Polo Grounds.^[1]^[2]
14 July — death of current World Flyweight Champion Pancho Villa from blood poisoning after a dental operation goes wrong.

Lineal world champions^[3]

World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Dempsey
World Light Heavyweight Championship – Mike McTigue → Paul Berlenbach
World Middleweight Championship – Harry Greb
World Welterweight Championship – Mickey Walker
World Lightweight Championship – Benny Leonard → vacant → Jimmy Goodrich → Rocky Kansas
World Featherweight Championship – vacant → Louis "Kid" Kaplan
World Bantamweight Championship – Eddie "Cannonball" Martin → Charley Phil Rosenberg
World Flyweight Championship – Pancho Villa → vacant

Canadian football[edit]

Grey Cup

13th Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League – Ottawa Senators defeat Winnipeg Tammany Tigers 24–1 at Lansdowne Park

Cricket[edit]

Events

Marylebone Cricket Club organises an England tour of Australia in the 1924–25 season. Australia retains The Ashes by winning the five-match Test series 4–1.

England

County Championship – Yorkshire
Minor Counties Championship – Buckinghamshire
Most runs – Jack Hobbs 3024 @ 70.32 (HS 266*)
Most wickets – Maurice Tate 228 @ 14.97 (BB 8–91)
Wisden Cricketer of the Year – Jack Hobbs

Australia

Sheffield Shield – Victoria
Most runs – Herbert Sutcliffe 1250 @ 69.44 (HS 188)
Most wickets – Maurice Tate 77 @ 19.01 (BB 7–74)

India

Bombay Quadrangular – Muslims

New Zealand

Plunket Shield – Otago

South Africa

Currie Cup – Western Province

West Indies

Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad and Tobago

Cycling[edit]

Tour de France

Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) wins the 19th Tour de France^[4]

Figure skating[edit]

World Figure Skating Championships

World Women's Champion – Herma Szabo (Austria)
World Men's Champion – Willi Böckel (Austria)
World Pairs Champions – Herma Szabo and Ludwig Wrede (Austria)

Golf[edit]

Major tournaments

Other tournaments

British Amateur – Robert Harris
US Amateur – Bobby Jones

Horse racing[edit]

England

Australia

Melbourne Cup – Windbag

Canada

King's Plate – Fairbank

France

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Priori

Ireland

Irish Grand National – Dog Fox
Irish Derby Stakes – Zionist

USA

Kentucky Derby – Flying Ebony
Preakness Stakes – Coventry
Belmont Stakes – American Flag

Ice hockey[edit]

Stanley Cup

21–30 March — Victoria Cougars defeats Montreal Canadiens in the 1925 Stanley Cup Finals. The Cougars are the last non-NHL team to win the Cup.

Events

The first-place Hamilton Tigers of the NHL go on strike for an increase in pay. The team is suspended and the players sold to become the New York Americans.
2 December — the expansion New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL play their first-ever game against each other at Pittsburgh. The Americans defeat the Pirates 2–1 in overtime.
15 December — the first NHL game is played at Madison Square Garden between the New York Americans and the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens win the game 3-1 and are awarded the Prince of Wales Trophy.