# 1989 in sports

1989 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: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland

## American football

* Super Bowl XXIII – the San Francisco 49ers (NFC) won 20–16 over the Cincinnati Bengals (AFC)
** Location: Joe Robbie Stadium
** Attendance: 75,129
** MVP: Jerry Rice, WR (San Francisco)
* January 2 - Fiesta Bowl (1988 season):
** 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

## Australian rules football

* Victorian Football League
** May 6 – Geelong kicks the highest losing score in VFL/AFL history, kicking 25.13 (163) to Hawthorn’s 26.15 (171)
** June 24 – Essendon kicks the lowest winning score since the 1927 Grand Final, beating Footscray 3.10 (28) to 3.5 (23).
** Hawthorn wins the 93rd VFL Premiership beating Geelong 21.18 (144) d 21.12 (138)
** Brownlow Medal awarded to Paul Couch (Geelong)

## 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 (Australia) 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 – Galway 2–16 beat Tipperary 4–8

## Golf

Men's professional
* 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.
Men's amateur
* British Amateur – Stephen Dodd
* U.S. Amateur – Chris Patton
* European Amateur – David Ecob
Women's professional
* 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 (dead heat)
** Yonkers Trot – Valley Victory
** Kentucky Futurity – Peace Corps
* Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
** Pacers: Jodie's Babe
** Trotters: Yankee Loch

## Horse racing

Steeplechases
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – Desert Orchid
* Grand National – Little Polveir
Flat races
* 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

## 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 17 – 20)
* August 20 – Tom Jager once again regains the world record (22.14) in the 50m freestyle (long course) 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
** U.S. Open – Boris Becker
* Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
** Australian Open – Steffi Graf
** French Open – Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
** Wimbledon championships – Steffi Graf
** U.S. 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 events

* 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
* Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade: Wayne Gretzky, National Hockey League