1909 in sports
1909 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
American football
College championship
- College football national championship – Yale Bulldogs
Association football
International football
- West Auckland Town, an English amateur team, defeats FC Winterthur of Switzerland 2–0 to win the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, one of the earliest international club competitions
Brazil
- 4 April — Sport Club Internacional is founded in Porto Alegre
England
- The Football League – Newcastle United 53 points, Everton 46, Sunderland 44, Blackburn Rovers 41, The Wednesday 40, Woolwich Arsenal 38
- FA Cup final – Manchester United 1–0 Bristol City at Crystal Palace, London
Germany
- National Championship – Phönix Karlsruhe 4–2 Viktoria Berlin at Breslau
Romania
- Formation of the Romanian Football Federation (Federaţia Română de Fotbal or FRF)
Scotland
- Scottish Football League – Celtic
- Scottish Cup final – competition cancelled following a riot at a replay between Rangers and Celtic; the first match was drawn 2–2 and the replay ended 1–1
Spain
- Formation of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (Real Federación Española de Fútbol or RFEF). It is originally known as the Federación Española de Clubs de Football.
Athletics
- 23 August — Fred ‘Tenby’ Davies (Wales) defeats Bert Day (Ireland) at Pontypridd to become world champion over the half-mile distance run.
Australian rules football
VFL Premiership
- South Melbourne wins the 13th VFL Premiership: South Melbourne 4.14 (38) d Carlton 4.12 (36) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
Bandy
Sweden
Baseball
World Series
- 8–16 October — Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) defeats Detroit Tigers (AL) to win the 1909 World Series by 4 games to 3
Boxing
Events
- 19 June — Monte Attell wins the World Bantamweight Championship joining his brother Abe Attell, who holds the World Featherweight Championship, as the first pair of brothers to hold world titles simultaneously.
Lineal world champions[1]
- World Heavyweight Championship – Jack Johnson
- World Light Heavyweight Championship – vacant
- World Middleweight Championship – Stanley Ketchel
- World Welterweight Championship – vacant
- World Lightweight Championship – Battling Nelson
- World Featherweight Championship – Abe Attell
- World Bantamweight Championship – Jimmy Walsh → "Fighting" Jimmy Reagan → Monte Attell
Canadian football
Grey Cup
- 4 December — 1st Grey Cup – University of Toronto Varsity Blues 26–6 Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club.
Cricket
Events
- 15 June — representatives of England, Australia and South Africa meet at Lord's to form the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC)
England
- County Championship – Kent
- Minor Counties Championship – Wiltshire
- Most runs – Ernie Hayes 2105 @ 36.29 (HS 276)
- Most wickets – Colin Blythe 215 @ 14.54 (BB 9–42)
- Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Warren Bardsley, Sydney Barnes, Douglas Carr, Arthur Day, Vernon Ransford
Australia
- Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
- Most runs – Vernon Ransford 825 @ 103.12 (HS 182)
- Most wickets – Jack O'Connor 40 @ 23.00 (BB 7–36)
India
New Zealand
South Africa
- Currie Cup – Western Province
West Indies
- Inter-Colonial Tournament – Barbados
Cycling
Tour de France
- François Faber (Luxembourg) wins the 7th Tour de France
Giro d'Italia
- Luigi Ganna (Italy) wins the inaugural Giro d'Italia
Eton Wall Game
Events
- 30 November — a goal is scored in the St. Andrew's Day match at Eton College, the last time this has happened in the St. Andrew's Day game (the most important match of the year) though points have been scored by other methods
Figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships
- World Men's Champion – Ulrich Salchow (Sweden)
- World Women's Champion – Lily Kronberger (Hungary)
- World Pairs Champions – Phyllis Johnson and James H. Johnson (Great Britain)
Golf
Major tournaments
- British Open – John Henry Taylor
- US Open – George Sargent
Other tournaments
- British Amateur – Robert Maxwell
- US Amateur – Robert A. Gardner
Horse racing
England
- Grand National – Lutteur III
- 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Electra
- 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Minoru
- Epsom Derby – Minoru
- Epsom Oaks – Perola
- St. Leger Stakes – Bayardo
Australia
- Melbourne Cup – Prince Foote
Canada
- Queen's Plate – Shimonese
Ireland
- Irish Grand National – Little Hack II
- Irish Derby Stakes – Bachelor's Double
USA
- Kentucky Derby – Wintergreen
- Preakness Stakes – Effendi
- Belmont Stakes – Joe Madden
Ice hockey
Stanley Cup
- March — Ottawa Hockey Club wins the Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) championship and the Stanley Cup.
- March — Renfrew Creamery Kings win the Federal Hockey League championship and challenge for the Stanley Cup, but cannot play because the Stanley Cup trustees rule their players are ineligible.
Amateur hockey
- February — the Allan Cup is donated to be the amateur championship hockey trophy of Canada
- March — Ottawa Cliffsides win the Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union (IPAHU) and the Allan Cup. The Cliffsides then lose a challenge to Queen's College of Kingston, Ontario.
Professional hockey
- 25 November — Eastern Canada Hockey Association (ECHA) disbands over the plans of the Montreal Wanderers to change rinks. The Wanderers are shut out and the new Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) is formed with the remainder of the ECHA teams. The CHA will disband in January 1910.
- 2 December — The Montreal Wanderers form the National Hockey Association (NHA) with the Renfrew Creamery Kings, Cobalt Silver Kings and Haileybury Comets of the Temiscaming league. The NHA owners also organize a new team Les Canadiens which is the basis of today's Montreal Canadiens. The NHA will absorb Ottawa and the Montreal Shamrocks of the CHA in January 1910.
Motor racing
Grand Prix racing
- There is no Grand Prix racing from 1909 to 1911
Vanderbilt Cup
- The 5th running of the Vanderbilt Cup is the only major race in 1909. It is again run at Long Island over 258.06 miles (23.460 miles x 11 laps). The winner is Harry Grant (USA) driving an ALCO-Berliet.
Events
- 12 August — the first event is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rowing
The Boat Race
- 3 April — Oxford wins the 66th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
Rugby league
International
- 10 February — Great Britain defeats Australia to claim the first ever Ashes series in the final match of the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain
England
- Championship – Wigan
- Challenge Cup final – Wakefield Trinity 17–0 Hull at Headingley Stadium, Leeds
- Lancashire League Championship – Wigan
- Yorkshire League Championship – Halifax
- Lancashire Cup – Wigan 10–9 Oldham
- Yorkshire Cup – Halifax 9–5 Hunslet
Australia
- 14 September — NSW Premiership is won by minor premiers South Sydney on a forfeit after Balmain withdraws from the grand final
Rugby union
Home Nations Championship
- 27th Home Nations Championship series is won by Wales
- Wales defeats France in a 1909 non-championship match. It is later retrospectively regarded as a Grand Slam winner.
- October 8 – The first rugby football match to be played at Twickenham Stadium is won by the Harlequins when they defeat Richmond at the brand new ground.
Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
- Men's All-round Champion – Oscar Mathisen (Norway)
Tennis
Australia
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – Anthony Wilding (NZ) defeats Ernie Parker (Australia) 6–1 7–5 6–2
England
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Arthur Gore (GB) defeats Josiah Ritchie (GB) 6–8 1–6 6–2 6–2 6–2
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Dora Boothby defeats Agnes Morton 6–4 4–6 8–6
France
- French Men's Singles Championship – Max Decugis defeats Maurice Germot: details unknown
- French Women's Singles Championship – Jeanne Matthey defeats Gallay: details unknown
USA
- American Men's Singles Championship – William Larned defeats William Clothier 6–1 6–2 5–7 1–6 6–1
- American Women's Singles Championship – Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman defeats Maud Barger-Wallach 6–0 6–1
Davis Cup
- 1909 International Lawn Tennis Challenge –
Australasia 5–0 
United States at Double Bay Grounds (grass) Sydney, Australia
References
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