1885 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

College championship

• College football national championship Princeton Tigers

Association football

England

• FA Cup final Blackburn Rovers 2 0 Queen's Park (Glasgow) at The Oval
• 20 July the FA finally legitimises professionalism
• Millwall FC founded by workers on the Isle of Dogs as Millwall Rovers.
• Southampton FC founded as Southampton St Mary s by members of St Mary s Church YMCA.

Scotland

• Scottish Cup final Renton 3 1 Vale of Leven at Hampden Park (replay following 0 0 draw)

Baseball

National championship

• National League v. American Association Chicago NL ties St Louis A's, 3 games to 3 with one tie.

Events

• The Cuban Giants, composed mainly of African-American players from Philadelphia, is the first black professional baseball team on a reasonably permanent basis. It will sometimes join a league and use a regular home park but more often tour independently.

Boxing

Events

• 29 August John L. Sullivan's six round defeat of Dominick McCaffrey in Chester Park, Cincinnati, inaugurates the modern World heavyweight boxing championship under Queensberry Rules.^[1] The bout is described as being "to decide the Marquess of Queensberry glove contest for the championship of the world". Sullivan will hold the title until 1892.^[2]
• World Middleweight Champion Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey defeats 12 challengers during the year, most of them by knockouts.^[3]
• Future World Heavyweight Champion James J. Corbett is the most successful amateur boxer on America's Pacific Coast and takes part in an exhibition bout with Dempsey.^[4]

Lineal world champions^[5]

• World Heavyweight Championship John L. Sullivan
• World Middleweight Championship Jack Nonpareil Dempsey

Cricket

Events

• Nottinghamshire wins the county championship title for a third successive season

England

• Champion County^[6] Nottinghamshire
• Most runs Walter Read 1880 @ 44.76 (HS 163)
• Most wickets George Lohmann 142 @ 14.36 (BB 8 18)

Australia

• Most runs Billy Barnes 520 @ 43.33 (HS 134)
• Most wickets Bobby Peel 35 @ 19.22 (BB 7 27)

Golf

Events

• Inaugural British Amateur Championship held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Major tournaments

• British Open Bob Martin

Other tournaments

• British Amateur Allen MacFie

Horse racing

England

• Grand National Roquefort
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes Farewell
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes Paradox
• Epsom Derby Melton
• Epsom Oaks Lonely
• St. Leger Stakes Melton

Australia

• Melbourne Cup Sheet Anchor

Canada

• Queen's Plate Willie W.

Ireland

• Irish Grand National Billet Doux
• Irish Derby Stakes St. Kevin

USA

• Kentucky Derby Joe Cotton
• Preakness Stakes Tecumseh
• Belmont Stakes Tyrant

Ice hockey

Events

• January 31 - The Montreal Hockey Club defeats the McGill University 1 0 to win the 1885 Montreal Winter Carnival Ice Hockey Tournament.

Rowing

The Boat Race

• 28 March Oxford wins the 42nd Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby football

Home Nations Championship

• The 3rd series of the Home Nations Championship is not completed

Other events

• Establishment of London Welsh RFC and Connacht Rugby

Tennis

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship William Renshaw (GB) defeats Herbert Lawford (GB) 7 5 6 2 4 6 7 5
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship Maud Watson (GB) defeats Blanche Bingley (GB) 6 1 7 5

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship Richard D. Sears (USA) defeats Godfrey M. Brinley (USA) 6 3 4 6 6 0 6 3

Yacht racing

America's Cup

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Puritan defeats British challenger Genesta, of the Royal Yacht Squadron, 2 races to 0

References

fr:1885 en sport ja:1885 no:Sports ret 1885 pt:1885 no desporto sl:1885 v portu sv:Sport ret 1885