1931 in sports

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Years in sports:	1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
Centuries:	19th century · 20th century · 21st century
Decades:	1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
Years:	1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934

Contents 1 Athletics 2 Auto Racing 3 Baseball (Major League) 4 Baseball (Negro League) 5 Basketball 6 Boxing 7 Cycling 8 Figure Skating 9 Football (American) 10 Football (Australian rules football) 11 Football (Canadian) 12 Football (soccer) 12.1 Brazil 12.2 England 13 Golf 14 Thoroughbred Horse Racing 15 Harness Racing 16 Ice Hockey 17 Rugby union 18 Snooker 19 Tennis 20 Awards 21 Births 22 Deaths

[edit] Athletics

• September 6 — Czechoslovakia's Antonie Briksová sets a new world record in the women's 20 km walk in Prague: 2:24:00.
• September 14 — Czechoslovakia's Antonie Odvárková breaks the world record in the women's 20 km walk in Prague, clocking 2:14:07.

[edit] Auto Racing

• Grand Prix racing - Main article: 1931 Grand Prix season. European Champion: Ferdinando Minoia
• 24 hours of Le Mans: Earl Howe and Tim Birkin, driving an Alfa Romeo 8C.
• Louis Schneider wins the Indy 500.

[edit] Baseball (Major League)

• World Series: The St. Louis Cardinals (101-53, NL) defeated the Philadelphia Athletics (107-45, AL) four games to three.
• MVP Awards: NL: Frankie Frisch; AL: Lefty Grove
• Debutes: Billy Herman (August 29), Ernie Lombardi (April 15), Red Rolfe (June 29), Dixie Walker (April 28), Paul Derringer (April 16).
• Major trades:
  • December: The St. Louis Cardinals traded Burleigh Grimes to the Chicago Cubs for Bud Teachout and Hack Wilson.

[edit] Baseball (Negro League)

• The Negro National League disbands. The St. Louis Stars win the league's last championship.

[edit] Basketball

• Northwestern University wins the College Basketball Title.

[edit] Boxing

• Heavyweight Champion: Undisputed Max Schmeling

[edit] Cycling

• Giro d'Italia won by Francesco Camusso of Italy
• Tour de France - Antonin Magne of France
• World Cycling Championship: Learco Guerra of Italy

[edit] Figure Skating

• World Figure Skating Championships:
  • Men's champion: Karl Schäfer, Austria
  • Women's champion: Sonja Henie, Norway
  • Pairs champions: Emilia Rotter & László Szollás, Hungary

[edit] Football (American)

• Green Bay Packers win the NFL title with a 13-2 record.
• USC wins the College Football Title.

[edit] Football (Australian rules football)

• Victorian Football League
  • Geelong wins the 35th VFL Premiership (Geelong 9.14 (68) d Richmond 7.6 (48))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Haydn Bunton, Sr (Fitzroy)

[edit] Football (Canadian)

• Grey Cup: Montreal AAA win 22-0 over the Regina Roughriders

[edit] Football (soccer)

[edit] Brazil

• Founding of Botafogo Futebol Clube (PB)
• Founding of Esporte Clube Bahia

[edit] England

• First Division - Arsenal win the 1930-31 title, becoming the first Southern club to do so.
• FA Cup - West Bromwich Albion beat Birmingham City 2-1.

[edit] Golf

Men's professional

• June 2-5 - British Open - Tommy Armour
• July 3-6 - U.S. Open - Billy Burke
• September 14 - PGA Championship - Tom Creavy

Men's amateur

• British Amateur - Eric Martin-Smith
• U.S. Amateur - Francis Ouimet

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open - June Beebe

[edit] Thoroughbred Horse Racing

• Australia - Melbourne Cup - White Nose
• Canada - Queen's Plate - Froth Blower
• France - Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - Pearl Cap
• Ireland - Irish Derby Stakes - Sea Serpent

• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes - Cameronian
  2. Epsom Derby - Cameronian
  3. St. Leger Stakes - Sandwich

• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. May 16 - Kentucky Derby - Twenty Grand
  2. Preakness Stakes - Mate
  3. Belmont Stakes - Twenty Grand

[edit] Harness Racing

• Hambletonian - Calumet Butler
• Kentucky Futurity - The Protector

[edit] Ice Hockey

• Stanley Cup: The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Chicago Black Hawks three games to two.

• World Hockey Championship
  • Men's: Gold: Canada, Silver: U.S., Bronze: Austria

• Hockey Night in Canada, now the oldest sports-related television program still on the air, debuts as a radio program known as the General Motors Hockey Broadcast. (The TV series would begin in 1952.)

[edit] Rugby union

• Five Nations Championship - Wales
  • Shortly after this year's Five Nations, France is banned from the competition due to allegations of professionalism and administrative deficiencies. France would be readmitted after the 1939 competition, but would not be able to play until 1947 as international rugby was suspended due to World War II.

[edit] Snooker

• World Snooker Championship: Joe Davis beats Tom Dennis 25-21

[edit] Tennis

• Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
  1. Australian Open - Jack Crawford
  2. French Open - Jean Borotra
  3. Wimbledon championships - Sidney Wood
  4. US Open - H. Ellsworth Vines

• Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
  1. Australian Open - Coral Buttsworth
  2. French Open - Cilly Aussem
  3. Wimbledon championships - Cilly Aussem
  4. US Open - Helen Wills Moody

• Davis Cup - France wins 3-2 over Great Britain

[edit] Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year: Pepper Martin, Major League Baseball
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year: Helene Madison, Swimming

[edit] Births

• January 4 — Guido Messina, Italian road bicycle and track cyclist
• January 17 — Don Zimmer, American baseball coach
• January 31 — Ernie Banks, American baseball player
• February 1 — Marino Morettini, Italian road bicycle and track cyclist (d. 1990)
• February 15 — Adrie Voorting, Dutch road bicycle and track cyclist (d. 1961)
• February 24 — Maria Piątkowska, Polish athlete
• March 14 — Frank Sando, British long-distance runner
• March 17 — Alejandro Ortuoste, Filipino boxer
• March 19 — Alan Newton, British track cyclist
• March 23 — Yevgeny Grishin, Soviet-Russian speedskater (d. 2005)
• April 3 — Ricardo Senn, Argentine cyclist
• April 7 — Jeff Elliott, British decathlete and pole vaulter
• April 9 — Ken Wilmshurst, English triple jumper (d. 1992)
• April 17 — Howard Payne, English hammer thrower (d. 1992)
• May 6 — Willie Mays, American baseball hall of famer
• May 8 — Bob Clotworthy, American diver
• May 21 — Mino de Rossi, Italian road bicycle and track cyclist
• June 11 — Moos Linneman, Dutch boxer
• June 24 — Billy Casper, American golfer
• July 10 — Phil Coleman, American middle- and long-distance runner
• September 15 — Lincoln Hurring, New Zealand swimmer
• September 16 — Werner Lueg, German middle distance runner
• October 11 — Tadeusz Rut, Polish hammer thrower (d. 2002)
• October 12 — Thomas Nicholls, British boxer
• October 13 — Eddie Mathews, American baseball player (d. 2001)
• October 21 — Mickey Mantle, American baseball player (d. 1995)
• November 9 — Eric Sandstrom, British track and field sprinter
• November 29 — André Noyelle, Belgian road cyclist (d. 2003)
• November 30 — Bill Walsh, American football head coach (d. 2007)
• December 8 — Bob Arum, American boxing promoter

• Ken Boyer
• Jim Bunning
• Bill Virdon

[edit] Deaths

• September 17 — Marvin Hart, former heavyweight boxing champion
• October 7 — Eugen Schmidt (57), Danish shooter and athlete (b. 1874)

• Jack Chesbro
• Charles Comiskey
• Roger Connor
• Knute Rockne