1939 in sports

1939 in sports

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1939 in sports

Many sporting events did not take place because of World War II.

Athletics
Auto racing
Baseball
Basketball
Chess
Figure skating
Football (American)
Football (Australian)
Football (soccer)

England

Golf
Horse Racing
Snooker
Tennis
Awards
Births
Deaths

Athletics

September 17 - Taisto Mäki breaks the 10,000 m world record, becoming the first man to run the distance inside half an hour.

Auto racing

Grand Prix racing - Main article: 1939 Grand Prix season. No European champion officially declared due to war breaking out.
August 11 - Jean Bugatti, automobile designer and the 30-year-old son of Ettore Bugatti, died in a crash on the Molsheim-Strasbourg highway.

Baseball

January 24: Hall of Fame election: The goal of 10 initial inductees from the 20th century is finally met as voters select George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Willie Keeler.
April 23: Pitcher Alejandro "Alex" Carrasquel made his major league debut with the Washington Senators. He became the first baseball player from Venezuela to play Major League Baseball.
May 2: Cap Anson, Buck Ewing, Charles "Hoss" Radbourn, Albert Spalding, Charles Comiskey, and Candy Cummings are named to the Hall of Fame by a special committee, just weeks before the Hall opens. Along with the previous selections of Cy Young and Keeler in the writers' elections, Anson, Ewing and Radbourn arguably complete the 5 initial inductees from the 19th century which were promised but long delayed; Spalding, Comiskey and Cummings were largely elected as pioneers and contributors.
May 2: Lou Gehrig's streak of 2130 consecutive Major League Baseball games played comes to an end. The record will stand for 56 years before Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks it.
June 12: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is dedicated in Cooperstown, New York.
July 4: Lou Gehrig announces his retirement from the game at Yankee Stadium.
August 26: The first televised major-league baseball game is Brooklyn's 6-1 victory over Cincinnati at Ebbets Field.
World Series: New York Yankees defeat Cincinnati Reds, 4-0.
The Winnipeg Maroons win the Northern League championship.
Little League Baseball is formed in Williamsport, Pennsylvania as a three-team league.
December: A special election results in Lou Gehrig being selected to the Hall of Fame; he had announced his retirement after the Hall's June opening.

Basketball

The third European basketball championship, Eurobasket 1939, is won by Lithuania.
The seventh South American Basketball Championship in Rio de Janeiro is won by Brazil.

Chess

See, 1939 in chess

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships:
- Men's champion: Graham Sharp, Great Britain
- Ladies' champion: Megan Taylor, Great Britain
- Pair skating champion: Maxi Herber & Ernst Baier, Germany

Football (American)

Green Bay Packers defeat the New York Giants 27-0 for the NFL title. It was the first shutout in a championship game. The game was played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (now Texas A&M University) defeats Tulane University 14?13 in the 1940 Sugar Bowl for the NCAA football national championship.

Football (Australian)

Victorian Football League
- Melbourne wins the 43rd VFL Premiership (Melbourne 21.22 (148) d Collingwood 14.11 (95))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Marcus Whelan (Collingwood)

Football (soccer)

England

First Division - Everton win the 1938-39 title.
FA Cup - Portsmouth beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1.
The outbreak of World War II means all competitive football in England is suspended in September, and the 1939-40 season cancelled. Various regional leagues and cups are set up in place of normal Football League and FA Cup competition.