# 1937 in sports

1937 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

## Alpine skiing

FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 7th FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Chamonix, France. The events are a downhill, a slalom and a combined race in both the men's and women's categories. The winners are:
* Men's Downhill – Emile Allais (France)
* Men's Slalom – Emile Allais (France)
* Men's Combined – Emile Allais (France)
* Women's Downhill – Christl Cranz (Germany)
* Women's Slalom – Christl Cranz (Germany)
* Women's Combined – Christl Cranz (Germany)

## American football

* NFL Championship – the Washington Redskins won 28–21 over the Chicago Bears at Wrigley Field.
* First Cotton Bowl Classic is played in Dallas.
* Pittsburgh Panthers – college football national championship
* The Cleveland Rams join the National Football League.

## Association football

England
* First Division – Manchester City win the 1936–37 title.
* FA Cup – Sunderland beat Preston North End 3–1.
Spain
* La Liga – not contested due to the Spanish Civil War
Germany
* German football championship won by Schalke 04
Italy
* Serie A won by Bologna
Portugal
* Primeira Liga won by S.L. Benfica
France
* French Division 1 won by Olympique de Marseille
Sweden
* Allsvenskan 1936/1937: AIK

## Australian rules football

* Victorian Football League
** 25 September – Geelong wins the 41st VFL Premiership, defeating Collingwood 18.14 (122) to 12.18 (90) in the 1937 VFL Grand Final
** Brownlow Medal awarded to Dick Reynolds (Essendon)
* South Australian National Football League
** 2 October – Port Adelaide 13.16 (94) defeat South Adelaide 10.10 (70) to win their second consecutive SANFL premiership.
** Magarey Medal won by Harold Hawke (North Adelaide)
* Western Australian National Football League
** 9 October – East Fremantle 14.13 (97) defeat Claremont 13.9 (87) to win their eighteenth premiership.
** Sandover Medal won by "Scranno" Jenkins (South Fremantle).

## Baseball

* World Series – New York Yankees defeat New York Giants, 4–1.
* Hall of Fame election – Continuing toward the goal of 10 initial inductees from the 20th century, voters select Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker and Cy Young. A special committee selects managers Connie Mack and John McGraw, former league presidents Morgan Bulkeley and Ban Johnson, and pioneer shortstop/promoter George Wright. Selections of nineteenth-century players are postponed.
* Aguilas Cibaenas, a club of Dominican Republic, officially founded in Santiago de los Caballeros on January 28.

## Basketball

Events
* Major professional basketball returns with the formation of the National Basketball League.
* Eurobasket 1937 – Lithuania win the second European basketball championship.
* The fifth South American Basketball Championship in Valparaíso and Santiago is won by Chile.
* The first NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament played in Kansas City.

## Boxing

Events
* 22 June – Joe Louis defeats James J. Braddock at Chicago by an eighth-round knockout to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
* 30 August – in his first title defence, Louis defeats Tommy Farr at Bronx on a fifteen-round decision
Lineal world champions
* World Heavyweight Championship – James J. Braddock → Joe Louis
* World Light Heavyweight Championship – John Henry Lewis
* World Middleweight Championship – vacant
* World Welterweight Championship – Barney Ross
* World Lightweight Championship – Lou Ambers
* World Featherweight Championship – vacant → Henry Armstrong
* World Bantamweight Championship – Sixto Escobar → Harry Jeffra
* World Flyweight Championship – vacant → Benny Lynch

## Cricket

Events
* England tours Australia, losing the five-Test series two games to three, despite winning the first two games.
England
* County Championship – Yorkshire
* Minor Counties Championship – Lancashire Second Eleven
* Most runs – Wally Hammond 3,252 @ 65.04 (HS 217)
* Most wickets – Tom Goddard 248 @ 16.76 (BB 10–113)
* New Zealand play a three-test series against England, losing the series one Test to nil with two draws.
* Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Tom Goddard, Joe Hardstaff, Jr., Leonard Hutton, Jim Parks, Sr., Eddie Paynter
Australia
* Sheffield Shield – Victoria
* Most runs – Don Bradman 1,552 @ 86.22 (HS 270)
* Most wickets
** Chuck Fleetwood-Smith 53 @ 20.24 (BB 8–79)
** Frank Ward 53 @ 28.41 (BB 7–127)
India
* Ranji Trophy – Nawanagar beat Bengal by 256 runs
* Bombay Pentangular – Muslims
New Zealand
* Plunket Shield – Auckland
South Africa
* Currie Cup – not contested
West Indies
* Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad

## Cycling

Tour de France
* Roger Lapébie wins the Tour de France.
Giro d'Italia
* Gino Bartali of Legnano wins the 25th Giro d'Italia

## Field hockey

* July 14 – foundation of HC Den Bosch, a Dutch club based in 's-Hertogenbosch

## Figure skating

* World Figure Skating Championships –
** Men's champion: Felix Kaspar, Austria
** Ladies’ champion: Megan Taylor, Great Britain
** Pair skating champion: Maxi Herber & Ernst Baier, Germany

## Golf

Men's professional
* Masters Tournament – Byron Nelson
* PGA Championship – Denny Shute
* U.S. Open – Ralph Guldahl
* British Open – Henry Cotton
Men's amateur
* British Amateur – Robert Sweeny Jr.
* U.S. Amateur – Johnny Goodman
Women's professional
* Women's Western Open – Helen Hicks
* Titleholders Championship – Patty Berg

## Horse racing

Steeplechases
* Cheltenham Gold Cup – not held due to flooding of Cheltenham Racecourse
* Grand National – Royal Mail
Hurdle races
* Champion Hurdle – Free Fare
Flat races
* Australia – Melbourne Cup won by The Trump
* Canada – King's Plate won by Goldlure
* France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Corrida
* Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Phideas
* English Triple Crown Races:
** 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Le Ksar
** The Derby – Mid-day Sun
** St. Leger Stakes – Chulmleigh
* United States Triple Crown Races:
** Kentucky Derby – War Admiral
** Preakness Stakes – War Admiral
** Belmont Stakes – War Admiral

## Ice hockey

* April 15 – The Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers 3–0 to win the 1937 Stanley Cup Finals
* April 17 – The Winnipeg Monarchs defeat the Copper Cliff Redmen 7–0 to win the 1937 Memorial Cup

## Nordic skiing

FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
* 10th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1937 are held at Chamonix, France

## Rowing

The Boat Race
* 24 March — Oxford wins the 89th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

## Rugby league

* 1936–37 European Rugby League Championship
* 1937 New Zealand rugby league season
* 1937 NSWRFL season
* 1936–37 Northern Rugby Football League season / 1937–38 Northern Rugby Football League season

## Rugby union

* 50th Home Nations Championship series is won by England

## Snooker

* World Snooker Championship – Joe Davis beats Horace Lindrum 32–29

## Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships
* Men's All-round Champion – Michael Staksrud (Norway)
* Women's All-round Champion – Laila Schou Nilsen (Norway)

## Tennis

Australia
* Australian Men's Singles Championship – Vivian McGrath (Australia) defeats John Bromwich (Australia) 6–3, 1–6, 6–0, 2–6, 6–1
* Australian Women's Singles Championship – Nancye Wynne Bolton (Australia) defeats Emily Hood Westacott (Australia) 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
England
* Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Don Budge (USA) defeats Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
* Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Dorothy Round Little (Great Britain) defeats Jadwiga Jędrzejowska (Poland) 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
France
* French Men's Singles Championship – Henner Henkel (Germany) defeats Bunny Austin (Great Britain) 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
* French Women's Singles Championship – Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (Germany) defeats Simonne Mathieu (France) 6–2, 6–4
USA
* American Men's Singles Championship – Don Budge (USA) defeats Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) 6–1, 7–9, 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
* American Women's Singles Championship – Anita Lizana (Chile) defeats Jadwiga Jędrzejowska (Poland) 6–4, 6–2
Davis Cup
* 1937 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – United States 4–1 Great Britain at Centre Court, Wimbledon (grass) London, United Kingdom

## Yacht racing

* The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Ranger defeats British challenger Endeavour II, of the Royal Yacht Squadron, 4 races to 0

## Awards

* Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Don Budge, Tennis
* Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Katherine Rawls, Swimming