1873 in sports
Encyclopedia
American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
College championship
- College football national championshipNCAA Division I FBS National Football ChampionshipA college football national championship in the highest level of collegiate play in the United States, currently the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , is a designation awarded annually by various third-party organizations to their selection of the best...
– Princeton TigersPrinceton Tigers footballThe Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
Events
- 19 October — representatives of Yale BulldogsYale Bulldogs footballThe Yale Bulldogs football program represents Yale University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision . Yale's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun competing in the sport in 1872...
, Columbia Lions, Princeton TigersPrinceton Tigers footballThe Princeton Tigers football program represents Princeton University college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
and Rutgers Scarlet KnightsRutgers Scarlet Knights footballThe Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play...
meet at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules.
Association football
England- FA Cup finalFA Cup FinalThe FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
– The WanderersWanderers F.C.Wanderers Football Club is an English amateur football club, based in London, that plays in the Surrey South Eastern Combination. Founded as Forest Football Club in 1859, the club changed its name to Wanderers in 1864....
2–0 Oxford UniversityOxford University A.F.C.Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
at Lillie Bridge in London
Scotland
- 13 March — formation of the Scottish Football AssociationScottish Football AssociationThe Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
(SFA). Queen’s Park and Third Lanark are among the original members. - The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
, is launched by the Scottish Football AssociationScottish Football AssociationThe Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
as a knockout cup competition ahead of the 1873–74 season.
BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
National championship
- National Association of Professional Base Ball PlayersNational Association of Professional Base Ball PlayersThe National Association of Professional Base Ball Players , or simply the National Association , was founded in 1871 and continued through the 1875 season...
champion – Boston Red StockingsBoston Red StockingsThe color red has been used in the names and commonly in the uniforms of several professional baseball teams in Boston, Massachusetts.* Boston's first professional baseball club was established 1871 by Boston businessman Ivers Whitney Adams, and was nicknamed the Boston Red Stockings....
(second consecutive season)
BoxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Events
- 23 September — Tom AllenTom Allen (boxer)Tom Allen was a boxing champion who claimed the Heavyweight Championship from 1873, when he defeated Mike McCoole, until 1876, when he lost to Joe Goss.-External links:*...
becomes the undisputed Heavyweight Champion of America when he defeats Mike McCooleMike McCooleMike McCoole was a boxing champion.He claimed the Heavyweight Championship in 1866 after Joe Coburn retired. He lost the title to Tom Allen in 1873.-External links:*...
in the 7th round at "Chateau Island" near St. Louis, Missouri. - 29 October — McCoole is arrested and later convicted for shooting another pugilist called Patsy Mavery at St. Louis. This ends his career.
- 18 November — Allen defends his title against Ben Hogan at Pacific City, Iowa. In the third round, Hogan claims a foul but is refused by the referee. A riot erupts and the bout is forced to end, being declared a draw. Allen retains the American Championship but does not fight again until 1876.
CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
Events
- Player qualification rules are introduced with players having to decide at the start of a season whether they will play for their county of birth or their county of residence. Until now, it has been quite common for a player to play for two counties during the course of a single season.
England
- Champion County – Gloucestershire shares the title with Nottinghamshire
- Most runs – W G Grace 1805 @ 72.20 (HS 192*)
- Most wickets – James SouthertonJames SouthertonJames Southerton was a professional cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1854 and 1879....
148 @ 13.96 (BB 8–113)
GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
Major tournaments
- British OpenThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
– Tom KiddTom Kidd (golfer)Tom Kidd was a Scottish golfer. He was a caddie from St Andrews and won the 1873 Open Championship over his home links. That was the first time the Open was played at what was to become the most famous Open Championship course. Conditions were wet and Kidd's winning score of 179 was the highest in...
Horse racingHorse racingHorse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
Events
- Inaugural running of the Preakness StakesPreakness StakesThe Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
is won by SurvivorSurvivor (horse)Survivor was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in Kentucky in 1870 and is best known as the winner of the first running of the Preakness Stakes in 1873 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Survivor's record winning margin of 10 lengths lasted for 132 years until Smarty...
England
- Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
– Disturbance - 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Cecilia
- 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Gang Forward
- Epsom DerbyEpsom DerbyThe Derby Stakes, popularly known as The Derby, internationally as the Epsom Derby, and under its present sponsor as the Investec Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies...
– DoncasterDoncaster (horse)Doncaster was an English Thoroughbred racehorse, winner of the Epsom Derby and sire of the great stallion Bend Or.-Breeding:... - Epsom OaksEpsom OaksThe Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in early June....
– Marie Stuart - St. Leger StakesSt. Leger StakesThe St. Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain which is open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a distance of 1 mile, 6 furlongs and 132 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in September.Established in 1776, the St. Leger...
– Marie Stuart
Australia
- Melbourne CupMelbourne CupThe Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
– Don Juan
Canada
- Queen's PlateQueen's PlateThe Queen's Plate is Canada's oldest thoroughbred horse race. It is run at a distance of 1¼ miles for 3-year-old thoroughbred horses foaled in Canada. The race takes place each summer in June or July at Woodbine Racetrack, Etobicoke , Ontario...
– Mignonette
Ireland
- Irish Grand NationalIrish Grand NationalThe Irish Grand National is a National Hunt chase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-four fences to be jumped...
– Torrent - Irish Derby StakesIrish Derby StakesThe Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.It is Ireland's equivalent of the Epsom Derby,...
– Kyrle Daly
USA
- Preakness StakesPreakness StakesThe Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
– SurvivorSurvivor (horse)Survivor was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that was foaled in Kentucky in 1870 and is best known as the winner of the first running of the Preakness Stakes in 1873 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. Survivor's record winning margin of 10 lengths lasted for 132 years until Smarty... - Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
– SpringbokSpringbok (horse)Springbok was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the seventh Belmont Stakes in 1873. Foaled in 1870, he was sired by the imported stallion Australian, his dam was a daughter of Lexington. During his racing career he started 25 races, winning 17 of them...
RowingRowing (sport)Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
The Boat Race
- 29 March — CambridgeCambridge University Boat ClubThe Cambridge University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Cambridge, England, located on the River Cam at Cambridge, although training primarily takes place on the River Great Ouse at Ely. The club was founded in 1828...
wins the 30th Oxford and Cambridge Boat RaceThe Boat RaceThe event generally known as "The Boat Race" is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights each spring on the River Thames in London. It takes place generally on the last Saturday of March or the first...
Rugby footballRugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
Events
- 3 March — formation of the Scottish Rugby Football Union in a meeting held at Glasgow Academy, Elmbank Street, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Eight clubs are represented at the foundation: Glasgow AcademicalsGlasgow Academicals RFCThe Glasgow Academical Football Club is one of the oldest rugby football clubs in Scotland. This history is notable for a number of reasons, including the clubs longevity, its early foundation in the timeline of rugby, and the fact that the club produced many internationals...
; Edinburgh Academical Football Club; West of Scotland F.C.; University of St Andrews Rugby Football ClubUniversity of St Andrews Rugby Football ClubThe University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club is an affiliated member of the University of St Andrews Athletic Union in Fife, Scotland. It was founded in 1858, making it one of the oldest football clubs in the world. In 2008, the club celebrated its sesquicentennial year, marking its 150th...
; Royal High School FP; MerchistoniansMerchiston Castle SchoolMerchiston Castle School is an independent school for boys in the village of Colinton in Edinburgh, Scotland. It has about 480 pupils and is open to boys between the ages of 8 and 18 as either boarders or day pupils; day pupils make up 35% of the school....
; Edinburgh UniversityEdinburgh University RFCEdinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the top Scottish National League and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union...
and Glasgow UniversityGlasgow University Rugby Football ClubGlasgow University Rugby Football Club is a rugby team at the University of Glasgow in Scotland.GURFC was formed in 1869 and is one of the University's oldest student groups, predating the Glasgow University Sports Association, to which it is now affiliated. The Club is a founding member of the...
. - Gloucester RFC, Halifax RLFCHalifax RLFCHalifax RLFC is one of the most historic rugby league clubs in the game, formed over a century ago, in 1873 in the Yorkshire town of Halifax. Known as 'Fax', the official club colours are blue and white hoops, blue shorts and blue socks . They share The Shay stadium with football club FC Halifax Town...
, Hawick RFCHawick RFCHawick Rugby Football Club is a semi-professional rugby union side, currently playing in the Premiership Division One and Border League. The team are based at Mansfield Park at Hawick in the Scottish Borders....
, Salford RLFCSalford City RedsSalford City Reds are an English rugby league club based in Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1873, they currently play in the Super League. They have won six Rugby Football League Championships and one Challenge Cup...
, St Helens RLFC, Wakefield Trinity RLFCWakefield Trinity WildcatsWakefield Trinity Wildcats are a professional rugby league club that plays in the European Super League and is based in Wakefield. They achieved promotion in 1999 and have remained in the League since. They are known to their fans as Wakey, Trinity, Wildcats, or historically The Dreadnoughts...
and Widnes RLFCWidnes VikingsWidnes Vikings RLFC are an English professional rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire. They currently play in the Engage Super League, the top tier of European rugby league, after being awarded a license to compete in the top-flight Super League from 2012 onward...
all established in 1873.