1908 in sports

23 September — the Merkle incident, which finally costs New York Giants the NL pennant
Major League Baseball's lowest scoring season including the current record for fewest runs scored in a season by one team: 372 by St. Louis Cardinals
Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) founded

Boxing

Events

4 July — Battling Nelson recovers his World Lightweight Championship from Joe Gans with a 17th round knockout at Colma, California
World Middleweight Champion Stanley Ketchel loses his title on 7 September to Billy Papke by a 12th round technical knockout at Vernon, California, but regains it on 26 November at Colma, California, where he knocks out Papke in the 11th round
October – Mike "Twin" Sullivan vacates the World Welterweight Championship which remains unresolved until 1914
26 December — Jack Johnson becomes the first African American World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Tommy Burns at Sydney, Australia. Johnson holds the title until 1915.

Lineal world champions^[1]

World Heavyweight Championship – Tommy Burns → Jack Johnson
World Light Heavyweight Championship – vacant
World Middleweight Championship – Stanley Ketchel → Billy Papke → Stanley Ketchel
World Welterweight Championship – Mike "Twin" Sullivan → vacant
World Lightweight Championship – Joe Gans → Battling Nelson
World Featherweight Championship – Abe Attell
World Bantamweight Championship – Jimmy Walsh

Cricket

England

County Championship – Yorkshire
Minor Counties Championship – Staffordshire
Most runs – Tom Hayward 2337 @ 45.82 (HS 175)
Most wickets – Colin Blythe 197 @ 16.88 (BB 8–83)
Wisden Cricketers of the Year^[2] – Walter Brearley, Lord Hawke, Jack Hobbs, Alan Marshal, John Newstead

Australia

Sheffield Shield – Victoria
Most runs – Joe Hardstaff senior 1360 @ 52.30 (HS 135)
Most wickets – Jack Saunders and Jack Crawford 66 apiece

India

Bombay Triangular – Parsees

New Zealand

Plunket Shield – Auckland

South Africa

Currie Cup – not contested

West Indies

Inter-Colonial Tournament – not contested

Cycling

Tour de France

Lucien Petit-Breton (France) wins the 6th Tour de France

Field hockey

Olympic Games (Men's Competition)

Gold Medal – England
Silver Medal – Ireland
Bronze Medals – Scotland & Wales

Figure skating

Events

Inaugural International Skating Union (ISU) Championships for pair skating is held at Saint Petersburg
Figure skating is held at the 1908 Summer Olympics and is the first winter sport to feature at the Olympics — 16 years before the inaugural Winter Games is held

World Figure Skating Championships

World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)
World Women's Champion – Lily Kronberger (Hungary)
World Pairs Champions – Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger (Germany)

1908 Summer Olympics

Men's individual – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)
Men's special figures – Nikolai Panin (Russia)
Women's individual – Madge Syers (Great Britain)
Pairs – Anna Hübler and Heinrich Burger (Germany)

Golf

Major tournaments

British Open – James Braid
US Open – Fred McLeod

Other tournaments

British Amateur – E.A. Lassen
US Amateur – Jerome Travers

Horse racing

England

Grand National – Rubio
1,000 Guineas Stakes – Rhodora
2,000 Guineas Stakes – Norman III
Epsom Derby – Signorinetta
Epsom Oaks – Signorinetta
St. Leger Stakes – Your Majesty

Australia

Melbourne Cup – Lord Nolan

Canada

Queen's Plate – Seismic

Ireland

Irish Grand National – Lord Rivers
Irish Derby Stakes – Wild Bouquet

USA

Kentucky Derby – Stone Street
Preakness Stakes – Royal Tourist
Belmont Stakes – Colin

Ice hockey

Events

2 January — the first All-Star game in ice hockey history is held at Montreal to benefit the widow of Hod Stuart, killed in an off-season swimming accident

Stanley Cup

March — Montreal Wanderers wins the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) championship for the third year in a row and successfully defends the Stanley Cup. Montreal Wanderers later defeats Ottawa Victorias, Winnipeg Maple Leafs and Toronto Professionals in Stanley Cup challenges.

Lacrosse

Events

Lacrosse is played as an Olympic sport for the second and last time (the first having been in 1904). Canada defeats Great Britain: they are the only two teams to compete.

Motor racing

French Grand Prix

7 July — the third French Grand Prix, organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), is run at Dieppe over 477.48 miles (47.74 miles x 10 laps). The winner is Christian Lautenschlager of Germany driving a Mercedes GP in 6:46:33.0 at an average speed of 69.05 mph. The race is retrospectively referred to as the XI Grand Prix de l'A.C.F.

Vanderbilt Cup

Not having been contested in 1907, the Vanderbilt Cup is revived for its 4th running at Long Island over 258.06 miles (23.460 miles x 11 laps). The winner is George Robertson (USA) driving a Locomobile in 4:00:48.2.

American Grand Prize

Billed as the I Grand Prize Race of the Automobile Club of America, the inaugural American Grand Prize takes place at Savannah, Georgia over 402.080 miles (25.130 miles x 16 laps) and is won by Louis Wagner driving a FIAT in 6:10:31.4 at an average speed of 65.111 mph.

Olympic Games

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics takes place in London
Great Britain wins the most medals (145) and the most gold medals (56)

Rowing

The Boat Race

4 April — Cambridge wins the 65th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby league

Events

Hunslet becomes the first team to achieve the celebrated "All Four Cups" feat

England

Championship – Hunslet
Challenge Cup final – Hunslet 14–0 Hull at Fartown Ground, Huddersfield
Lancashire League Championship – Oldham
Yorkshire League Championship – Hunslet
Lancashire Cup – Oldham 16–9 Broughton Rangers
Yorkshire Cup – Hunslet 17–0 Halifax

Australia

Professional rugby league begins in Australia with the formation of the New South Wales Rugby League
South Sydney wins the first Australian championship, defeating Eastern Suburbs 14–12 in the final
First Australian national rugby league team embarks on the inaugural 1908-09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain

Rugby union

Home Nations Championship

26th Home Nations Championship series is won by Wales
As Wales also defeats France in a 1908 non-championship match, its team is retrospectively regarded as a Grand Slam winner

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

Men's All-round Champion – Oscar Mathisen (Norway)

Tennis

Australia

Australian Men's Singles Championship – Fred Alexander (USA) defeats Alfred Dunlop (Australia) 3–6 3–6 6–0 6–2 6–3

England

Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Gore (GB) defeats Herbert Barrett (GB) 6–3 6–2 4–6 3–6 6–4
Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Charlotte Cooper Sterry defeats Agnes Morton 6–4 6–4

France

French Men's Singles Championship – Max Decugis defeats Maurice Germot: details unknown
French Women's Singles Championship – Kate Gillou-Fenwick defeats Pean: details unknown

USA

American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned defeats Beals Wright 6–1 6–2 8–6
American Women's Singles Championship – Maud Barger-Wallach defeats Evelyn Sears 6–3 1–6 6–3

Davis Cup

1908 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – Australasia 3–2 United States at Albert Ground (grass) Melbourne, Australia

References

^ Cyber Boxing Zone
^ This award was subtitled Lord Hawke and Four Cricketers of the Year.

Sports by year 1901 – 1950

1901 \| 1902 \| 1903 \| 1904 \| 1905 \| 1906 \| 1907 \| 1908 \| 1909 \| 1910 1911 \| 1912 \| 1913 \| 1914 \| 1915 \| 1916 \| 1917 \| 1918 \| 1919 \| 1920 \| 1921 \| 1922 \| 1923 \| 1924 \| 1925 \| 1926 \| 1927 \| 1928 \| 1929 \| 1930 1931 \| 1932 \| 1933 \| 1934 \| 1935 \| 1936 \| 1937 \| 1938 \| 1939 \| 1940 \| 1941 \| 1942 \| 1943 \| 1944 \| 1945 \| 1946 \| 1947 \| 1948 \| 1949 \| 1950

to 1850 • 1851 – 1900 • 1901 – 1950 • 1951 – 2000 • from 2001

1908 in sports

Contents

References