# 1925 in sports

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

## American football

* 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

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.
Russia
* FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, officially founded on May 30.(former Zenit Lenninglad in Soviet Union)

## Australian rules football

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

Sweden
* Championship final – IF Göta 7-5 Västerås SK

## Baseball

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.

## Basketball

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

## Boxing

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.
* 14 July — death of current World Flyweight Champion Pancho Villa from blood poisoning after a dental operation goes wrong.
Lineal world champions
* 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

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

## Cricket

Events
* Marylebone Cricket Club organises an England tour of Australia in the 1924–25 season. Australia retain 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

Tour de France
* Ottavio Bottecchia (Italy) wins the 19th Tour de France

## Figure skating

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

Major tournaments
* British Open – Jim Barnes
* US Open – Willie Macfarlane
* USPGA Championship – Walter Hagen
Other tournaments
* British Amateur – Robert Harris
* US Amateur – Bobby Jones

## Horse racing

England
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – Ballinode
* Grand National – Double Chance
* 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Saucy Sue
* 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Manna
* The Derby – Manna
* The Oaks – Saucy Sue
* St. Leger Stakes – Solario
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

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.

## Multi-sport events

Far Eastern Championship Games
* The 7th Far Eastern Championship Games are held at Manila, Philippine Islands

## Nordic skiing

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
The inaugural world championships are held at Johannisbad in Czechoslovakia for men only. Winners are:
* Cross-country skiing (18 km) – Otakar Německý (Czechoslovakia)
* Cross-country skiing (50 km) – František Donth (Czechoslovakia)
* Nordic combined (individual) – Otakar Německý (Czechoslovakia)
* Ski jumping (individual large hill) – Willen Dick (Czechoslovakia)

## Rowing

The Boat Race
* 28 March — Cambridge win the 77th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

## Rugby league

England
* Championship – Hull Kingston Rovers
* Challenge Cup final – Oldham 16–3 Hull Kingston Rovers at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds
* Lancashire League Championship – Swinton
* Yorkshire League Championship – Hull Kingston Rovers
* Lancashire County Cup – Oldham 10–0 St Helens Recs
* Yorkshire County Cup – Wakefield Trinity 9–8 Batley
Australia
* NSW Premiership – South Sydney (outright winner)

## Rugby union

Five Nations Championship
* 38th Five Nations Championship series is won by Scotland who complete the Grand Slam

## Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships
* Men's All-round Champion – Clas Thunberg (Finland)

## Tennis

Australia
* Australian Men's Singles Championship – James Anderson (Australia) defeats Gerald Patterson (Australia) 11–9 2–6 6–2 6–3
* Australian Women's Singles Championship – Daphne Akhurst Cozens (Australia) defeats Esna Boyd Robertson (Australia) 1–6 8–6 6–4
England
* Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – René Lacoste (France) defeats Jean Borotra (France) 6–3 6–3 4–6 8–6
* Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen (France) defeats Joan Fry Lakeman (Great Britain) 6–2 6–0
France
* French Men's Singles Championship – René Lacoste (France) defeats Jean Borotra (France) 7–5 6–1 6–4
* French Women's Singles Championship – Suzanne Lenglen (France) defeats Kitty McKane Godfree (Great Britain) 6–1 6–2
USA
* American Men's Singles Championship – Bill Tilden (USA) defeats Bill Johnston (USA) 4–6 11–9 6–3 4–6 6–3
* American Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Kitty McKane Godfree (Great Britain) 3–6 6–0 6–2
Davis Cup
* 1925 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – United States 5–0 France at Germantown Cricket Club (grass) Philadelphia, United States

## Gymnastics

The wheel was invented in 1925 by German Otto Feick in Schönau an der Brend.