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

• First Cotton Bowl Classic is played in Dallas.
• Pittsburgh Panthers – college football national championship
• Washington Redskins win the NFL title in their first year at Washington after moving from Boston. They defeat the Chicago Bears 28–21 in Chicago.
• 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.

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 Men's Division I 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 – Natal

West Indies

• Inter-Colonial Tournament – Trinidad

Cycling

Tour de France

• Roger Lapébie wins the 37th 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 – Queen'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:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Le Ksar
  2. Epsom Derby – Mid-day Sun
  3. St. Leger Stakes – Chumleigh
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – War Admiral
  2. Preakness Stakes – War Admiral
  3. 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 Final
• April 17 - The Winnipeg Monarchs defeat the Copper Cliff Redmen 7–0 to win the 1937 Memorial Cup

Motor racing

• European Grand Prix Champion – Rudolf Caracciola
• Wally Parks founds the Road Runners Club, considered to be the start of organised drag racing

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 Jedrzejowska (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 (Germaany) 6–1, 7–9, 6–1, 3–6, 6–1
• American Women's Singles Championship – Anita Lizana (Chile) defeats Jadwiga Jedrzejowska (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