1990 in sports

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1990 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup
- Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland

American football

Super Bowl XXIV – the San Francisco 49ers (NFC) won 55–10 over the Denver Broncos (AFC)
- Location: Superdome
- Attendance: 72,919
- MVP: Joe Montana, QB (San Francisco)
Sugar Bowl (1989 season):
- The Miami Hurricanes won 33–25 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the national championship
November 11 – Derrick Thomas has 7 sacks for Kansas City Chiefs against Seattle Seahawks.

Association football

West Germany won the Football World Cup in Rome, Italy, defeating defending champion Argentina 1–0 in the final.
Ecuador – Ecuadorian Serie A Champions: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito

Athletics

1990 Commonwealth Games held in Auckland, New Zealand
1990 European Athletics Championships held in Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia

Australian rules football

Australian Football League
- The Victorian Football League is renamed the Australian Football League
- Collingwood wins the 94th AFL premiership (Collingwood 13.11 (89) to Essendon 5.11 (41))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Tony Liberatore (Footscray)

Baseball

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March 17 – Taiwan Professional Baseball League, a first official game held.Template:Citation needed
June 11 – Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitched a no-hitter, his 6th, against the Oakland Athletics.
The Cincinnati Reds sweep the Oakland A's in the World Series.
Ira Smith becomes the first player in NCAA history to win consecutive batting titles after hitting .519 with the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks.

Basketball

NBA Finals

Detroit Pistons win four games to one over the Portland Trail Blazers

National Basketball League (Australia) Finals

Perth Wildcats defeated the Brisbane Bullets 2–1 in the best-of-three final series.

Events

UNLV wins the NCAA Division I Men's championship
Yugoslavia wins the FIBA World Championship.
March 4 – American player Hank Gathers died after collapsing during the semifinals of a West Coast Conference tournament game.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Boxing

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February 11 – Buster Douglas defeated Mike Tyson by a knockout in round 10 to win the world's unified Heavyweight title, in what many consider boxing's biggest upset ever.
March 17 – Thunder Meets Lightning: Julio César Chávez defeated Meldrick Taylor to unify boxing's world junior welterweight title
September 22 to October 7 – Asian Games held in Beijing, China
November 24 to December 3 – Central American and Caribbean Games held in Mexico City

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Winnipeg Blue Bombers 50–11 over the Edmonton Eskimos
Vanier Cup – Saskatchewan Huskies win 24–21 over the St. Mary's Huskies

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Gianni Bugno of Italy
Tour de France – Greg LeMond of the United States
UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Rudy Dhaenens of Belgium

Dogsled racing

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion –
- Susan Butcher won with lead dogs: Sluggo & Lightning

Darts

Phil Taylor (darts player) wins his first world title

Field hockey

Men's Champions Trophy held in Melbourne won by Australia
Women's World Cup held in Sydney won by the Netherlands

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championships –
- Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
- Ladies' champion: Jill Trenary, United States
- Pair skating champions: Ekaterina Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov, Soviet Union
- Ice dancing champions: Marina Klimova / Sergei Ponomarenko, Soviet Union

Gaelic Athletic Association

Camogie
- All-Ireland Camogie champion: Kilkenny
- National Camogie League: Kilkenny
Gaelic football
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Cork 0-11 died Meath 0-9
- National Football League – Meath 2-7 died Down 0-11
Ladies' Gaelic football
- All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
- National Football League: Kerry
Hurling
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Cork 5-15 died Galway 2-21
- National Hurling League – Kilkenny 0–19 beat New York 0–9

Golf

Men's professional

Masters tournament – Nick Faldo
U.S. Open – Hale Irwin
British Open – Nick Faldo
PGA Championship – Wayne Grady
PGA Tour money leader – Greg Norman – $1,165,477
Senior PGA Tour money leader – Lee Trevino – $1,190,518

Men's amateur

Women's professional

Nabisco Dinah Shore – Betsy King
U.S. Women's Open – Betsy King
LPGA Championship – Beth Daniel
Classique du Maurier – Cathy Johnston-Forbes
LPGA Tour money leader – Beth Daniel – $863,578
The inaugural Solheim Cup match was won by the United States who beat Europe 11½ – 4½

Harness racing

North America Cup – Apaches Fame
United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
1. Cane Pace – Jake And Elwood
2. Little Brown Jug – Beach Towel
3. Messenger Stakes – Jake And Elwood
United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
1. Hambletonian – Harmonious
2. Yonkers Trot - Royal Troubador
3. Kentucky Futurity – Star Mystic
Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Thorate
- Trotters: Real Force

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – Norton's Coin
Grand National – Mr Frisk

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Kingston Rule
Canadian Triple Crown Races:
1. Queen's Plate – Izvestia
2. Prince of Wales Stakes – Izvestia
3. Breeders' Stakes – Izvestia
- For the second straight year, a horse sweeps the series.
France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Saumarez
Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Salsabil
Japan – Japan Cup won by Better Loosen Up
English Triple Crown Races:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Tirol
2. The Derby – Quest for Fame<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
3. St. Leger Stakes – Snurge
United States Triple Crown Races:
1. Kentucky Derby – Unbridled
2. Preakness Stakes – Summer Squall
3. Belmont Stakes – Go and Go
Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
1. Breeders' Cup Classic – Unbridled
2. Breeders' Cup Distaff – Bayakoa
3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Fly So Free
4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Meadow Star
5. Breeders' Cup Mile – Royal Academy
6. Breeders' Cup Sprint – Safely Kept
7. Breeders' Cup Turf – In the Wings

Ice hockey

Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup – Edmonton Oilers won 4 games to 1 over the Boston Bruins
World Hockey Championships
- Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
- Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated Soviet Union
- Women's champion: in the inaugural event, Canada defeated United States

Lacrosse

The 6th World Lacrosse Championship is held in Perth, Australia. The United States win, and Canada is the runner-up.
The Philadelphia Wings beat the New England Blazers 17–7 in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League Championship.
The Brooklin Redmen win the Mann Cup.
Orangeville wins the Founders Cup.
The St. Catharines Athletics win the Minto Cup.

Motorsport

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Radiosport

The first World Radiosport Team Championship held in Seattle, United States Gold medals won by John Dorr K1AR and Doug Grant K1DG of the United States.
Fifth Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championship held in Štrbské Pleso, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

Rugby league

Rugby union

96th Five Nations Championship series is won by Scotland who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker

World Snooker Championship – Stephen Hendry beats Jimmy White 18-12
World rankings – Stephen Hendry becomes world number one for 1990/91

Swimming

March 24 – Tom Jager betters his own world record (22.12) in the 50m freestyle (long course) twice at a swimming meet in Nashville, Tennessee, swimming 21.98 in the heats and 21.81 in the final.