1916 in sports

Years in sports

← 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 →

1916 in sports

American football Aquatic sports Association football Athletics Badminton Baseball Basketball Chess Climbing Combat sports Sumo Cricket 1915–16 1916 1916–17 Cycling Equestrianism Esports Golf Gymnastics Ice sports Modern pentathlon Motorsport Racquetball Sailing Skiing Rugby league‎ Rugby union Snooker 1915–16 1916–17 Squash Table tennis Tennis Triathlon Volleyball Weightlifting

Note — many sporting events did not take place because of World War I

1916 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

Final score of the 1916 Cumberland vs. Georgia Tech football game

College championship

• College football national championship – Pittsburgh Panthers

Events

• 7 October — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeats the Cumberland University Bulldogs by a score of 222–0, the most one-sided game in college football history. ^[1]

Association football

Europe

• There is no major football in Europe due to World War I

South America

• 9 July — CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, is founded

Australian rules football

VFL Premiership

• 2 September: Fitzroy wins the 20th VFL Premiership: Fitzroy 12.13 (85) d Carlton 8.8 (56) at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Fitzroy wins the title despite having finished last in the regular season.

South Australian Football League :

• not contested due to World War I

West Australian Football League :

• 9 September: South Fremantle 7.12 (54) defeat East Fremantle 5.5 (35) for their first WAFL premiership.

Bandy

Sweden

• Championship final – IFK Uppsala 3–2 Djurgårdens IF

Baseball

World Series

• 7–12 October — Boston Red Sox defeats the Brooklyn Robins by 4 games to 1 to win the 1916 World Series.

Events

• The Philadelphia Athletics finish the season with a record of 36–117 or a .235 winning percentage, the worst Major League Baseball record since 1900.
• Winnipeg Maroons wins the Northern League Championship
• The Federal League goes out of business in a settlement with organised baseball that leaves out one club; the Baltimore Terrapins pursue a legal remedy

Boxing

Events

• Having already lost to him earlier in the year, Battling Levinsky defeats Jack Dillon in 12 rounds at Boston to claim the World Light Heavyweight Championship.
• The series of fights between Ted "Kid" Lewis and Jack Britton continues with Britton taking the World Welterweight Championship into 1917.

Lineal world champions ^[2]

• World Heavyweight Championship – Jess Willard
• World Light Heavyweight Championship – Jack Dillon → Battling Levinsky
• World Middleweight Championship – Al McCoy
• World Welterweight Championship – Ted "Kid" Lewis → Jack Britton
• World Lightweight Championship – Freddie Welsh
• World Featherweight Championship – Johnny Kilbane
• World Bantamweight Championship – Kid Williams
• World Flyweight Championship – Jimmy Wilde

Canadian football

Grey Cup

• not contested due to World War I

Cricket

Events

• There is no first-class cricket in England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or the West Indies due to World War I

India

• Bombay Quadrangular – Europeans

Cycling

Tour de France

• not contested due to World War I ^[3]

Giro d'Italia

• not contested due to World War I

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships

• not contested due to World War I

Golf

Events

• The inaugural USPGA Championship is held as a matchplay tournament

Major tournaments

• British Open – not contested due to World War I
• June 29–30 — US Open – Chick Evans
• October 10–14 — USPGA Championship – Jim Barnes

Other tournaments

• British Amateur – not contested due to World War I
• US Amateur – Chick Evans

Horse racing

England

• Grand National – not held due to World War I
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Canyon
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Clarissimus
• The Derby – Fifinella ^[4]
• The Oaks – Fifinella
• St. Leger Stakes – Hurry On

Australia

• Melbourne Cup – Sasanof

Canada

• King's Plate - Mandarin

Ireland

• Irish Grand National – All Sorts
• Irish Derby Stakes – Furore

USA

• May 13 — Kentucky Derby – George Smith
• Preakness Stakes – Damrosch
• Belmont Stakes – Friar Rock

Ice hockey

Stanley Cup

• Montreal Canadiens wins the National Hockey Association (NHA) championship
• Portland Rosebuds wins the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) championship, the first United States team to do so
• 20–30 March — Montreal Canadiens defeats Portland Rosebuds in the 1916 Stanley Cup Finals by 3 games to 2

Events

• Winnipeg 61st Battalion wins the Allan Cup

Motor racing

Main articles: 1916 in motorsport and List of 1916 motorsport champions

Olympic Games

1916 Summer Olympics

• The 1916 Summer Olympics, due to take place in Berlin, are cancelled due to World War I

Rowing

The Boat Race

• Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race – not contested due to World War I ^[5]

Rugby league

England

• All first-class competitions are cancelled due to World War I

Australia

• NSW Premiership – Balmain 5–3 South Sydney (grand final)

New Zealand

• 1916 New Zealand rugby league season

Rugby union

Five Nations Championship

• Five Nations Championship series is not contested due to World War I

Speed skating

Speed Skating World Championships

• not contested due to World War I

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men’s Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

France

• French Men’s Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I
• French Women’s Singles Championship – not contested due to World War I

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Richard Norris Williams (USA) defeats Bill Johnston (USA) 4–6 6–4 0–6 6–2 6–4
• American Women’s Singles Championship – Molla Bjurstedt Mallory (Norway) defeats Louise Hammond Raymond (USA) 6–0 6–1

Davis Cup

• 1916 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – not contested

References

1. Litsky, Frank (2006-10-07). "In 1916, a Blowout for the Ages". The New York Times . Retrieved 2008-02-09.
2. Cyber Boxing Zone
3. "Cycling-Tour de France list of winners". Eurosport UK. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
4. "Epsom Derby | History, Winners, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
5. "WW1 boat race medal sold at auction". BBC News. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2021.