1903 in sports.html



Baseball

• In the winter Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase the defunct Baltimore franchise of the American League for $18,000 and open for business in New York City, the birth of the New York Yankees.
• World Series - Boston AL beats Pittsburgh NL, 5 games to 3

The two pennant winners resume the World Series Championship, sometimes called the first or first modern World Series. Bill Dineen of Boston (later the "Red Sox") and Deacon Phillippe of the Pirates win three games each, Cy Young winning the other two.

Minor leagues

• The Winnipeg Maroons win the second Northern League championship, two in a row

Cycling

• First Tour de France won by Maurice Garin

Football (Australian rules football)

• Victorian Football League
  • Collingwood wins the 7th VFL Premiership (Collingwood 4.7 (31) d Fitzroy 3.11 (29))
  • See also Victorian Football League season 1903

Football (soccer)

England

• First Division - The Wednesday win the 1902-03 title.
• FA Cup - Bury beat Derby County 6-0, a record scoreline for an FA Cup final.

The Aberdeen soccer club is created.

Golf

• June 8-11 - British Open - Harry Vardon
• June 26-29 - U.S. Open - Willie Anderson becomes the first golfer to win the U.S. Open twice in playoffs, beating David Brown in this year's edition.
• British Amateur - Robert Maxwell
• U.S. Amateur - Walter Travis

Horse racing

• May 2 - Judge Himes wins the Kentucky Derby

Ice hockey

• January - The first ice hockey league in Europe begins, contested by five teams from Princes Skating Club and Hengler's Ice Rink, both in London.
• January 29–February 4 - The Montreal HC defeats the Winnipeg Victorias three games to one in a Stanley Cup challenge.
• March - Montreal Victorias and Ottawa Hockey Club tie for first place in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) regular season with 6–2 records. The teams play off for the CAHL championship and Stanley Cup. Ottawa defeats Montreal 9–1 in a two-game, total-goals series to win its first Stanley Cup title.
• March - In a Cup challenge, Ottawa defeats the Rat Portage Thistles two games to none.

Yacht racing

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Reliance defeats British challenger Shamrock III, of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club, 3 races to 0 (Shamrock III abandoned the third race)

Births

• February 9 — Teofilo Yldefonso, Filipino swimmer (d. ??)
• April 22 — Daphne Akhurst, Australian tennis player (d. 1933)
• June 19 — Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (d. 1941)
• September 6 — Maxie Rosenbloom, American boxing champion and film actor (d. 1976)
• September 17 — Karel Miljon, Dutch boxer (d. 1984)
• October 18 — Lina Radke, German athlete (d. 1983)
• November 23 — Kornelia Bouman, Dutch female tennis player (d. 1998)

Deaths