View source for 1903 in sports

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{{Year nav sports topic5|1903|sports}}
'''1903 in sports''' describes the year's events in world sport.

==[[American football]]==
'''[[1903 college football season|College championship]]'''
* [[NCAA Division I FBS National Football Championship|College football national championship]] – [[Princeton Tigers]]

'''Professional championships'''
* [[Ohio League|Ohio League championship]] – [[Massillon Tigers]]
* "US Pro Football Title" – [[Franklin Athletic Club]]
* [[Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit|Western Pennsylvania Championship]] – [[Latrobe Athletic Association]]
* [[World Series of Football (1902–1903)|1902–03 World Series of Football champion]] – [[Syracuse Athletic Club]]
* [[World Series of Football (1902–1903)|1903 World Series of Football champion]] – Franklin Athletic Club

'''Events'''
* 1 January – the [[Syracuse Athletic Club]] defeated the [[Orange Athletic Club]], 36–0, to win the [[World Series of Football (1902–1903)|1902–03 World Series of Football]], held at [[Madison Square Garden (1890)|Madison Square Garden]].
* 3 September – the Massillon Tigers of the "[[Ohio League]]" are established in [[Massillon, Ohio|Massillon]], [[Ohio]].
* 17 December – the Franklin Athletic Club defeated the [[Watertown Red & Black]], 12–0, to win the [[World Series of Football (1902–1903)|1903 World Series of Football]], held at Madison Square Garden.

==[[Association football]]==
'''Argentina'''
* [[Racing Club de Avellaneda|Racing Club]], officially founded in [[Avellaneda]], suburb of [[Buenos Aires]] on March 25.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
'''Brazil'''
* [[Gremio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense|Gremio of Porto Alegre]], officially founded on September 15.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} 
'''England'''
* [[1902-03 Football League|The Football League]] – [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|The Wednesday]] 42 points, [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] 41, [[Sunderland F.C.|Sunderland]] 41, [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] 39, [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] 38, [[Stoke City|Stoke]] 37
* [[1903 FA Cup Final|FA Cup final]] – [[Bury F.C.|Bury]] 6–0 [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] at [[Crystal Palace National Sports Centre|Crystal Palace]], London.  This remains the record scoreline in an FA Cup final.
'''Germany'''
* [[1903 German football championship|National Championship]] – [[1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig|VfB Leipzig]] 7—2 [[DFC Prag]] at Hamburg-Altona (after extra time)
* The [[1903 German football championship]] is the first to be sanctioned by the [[German Football Association|Deutscher Fußballbund]] (DFB). Until the formation of the [[Bundesliga]] in 1963, the championship format is based on a knockout competition, contested between the winners of each of the country's top regional leagues.
'''Scotland'''
* [[1902–03 in Scottish football|Scottish Football League]] – [[Hibernian F.C.|Hibernian]]
* [[1903 Scottish Cup Final|1903 Scottish Cup final]] – [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] 2–0 [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Hearts]] at [[Celtic Park]] (second replay after 1–1 and 0–0 draws previously)<ref>{{cite web |title=Scottish Cup Past Winners {{!}} Scottish Cup {{!}} Scottish FA |url=https://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish-cup/archive/scottish-cup-history/scottish-cup-winners/ |website=www.scottishfa.co.uk |access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref>
'''Turkey'''
* [[Besiktas J.K.|Besiktas]], officially founded in [[Istanbul]] on March 19.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

==[[Sport of athletics|Athletics]]==
* [[John Lorden]] wins the seventh running of the [[Boston Marathon]].<ref name="BAA 1901-1905">{{cite web|url=http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history/race-summaries/1901-1905.aspx|title=Boston Marathon History: 1901-1905|author=Boston Athletic Association|authorlink=Boston Athletic Association|year=2011|work=www.baa.org|publisher=Boston Athletic Association|location=Boston|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221123355/http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history/race-summaries/1901-1905.aspx|archivedate=2011-02-21|accessdate=March 2, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==[[Australian rules football]]==
'''VFL Premiership'''
* [[Collingwood Football Club|Collingwood]] wins the 7th [[Australian Football League|VFL]] [[1903 VFL season|Premiership]]: Collingwood 4.7 (31) d [[Fitzroy Football Club|Fitzroy]] 3.11 (29) at [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] (MCG)

==[[Baseball]]==
'''World Series'''
* 1–13 October — [[1903 World Series|inaugural World Series]] is played between the winners of the National and American Leagues.  [[Boston Red Sox|Boston Americans]] (AL) defeats [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] (NL) by 5 games to 3.
'''Events'''
* [[New York Yankees]] founded.
* [[Northern League (baseball, 1902-71)|Northern League]] championship – [[Winnipeg Maroons]] win a second consecutive minor leagues title.

==[[Boxing]]==
'''Events'''
* Having previously held the [[World Middleweight Champion]]ship and the [[World Heavyweight Champion]]ship, [[Bob Fitzsimmons]] wins his third world title when he captures the [[World Light Heavyweight Champion]]ship.
* The inaugural [[World Light Heavyweight Champion]] is [[Jack Root]] of Bohemia following his ten-round victory over [[Charles "Kid" McCoy]] at Detroit on 22 April.  Root's title is short-lived as he loses on 4 July to [[George Gardiner (boxer)|George Gardiner]] at Fort Erie, Ontario.  Gardner wins by a technical knockout after 12 rounds.  On 25 November, Gardner loses the title to Fitzsimmons after 20 rounds at San Francisco.  Fitzsimmons retains the title until 1905.
* [[Young Corbett II]] vacates the [[World Featherweight Champion]]ship.  The vacant title is won by [[Abe Attell]] who defeats Johnny Reagan at St Louis in the 20th round.  Attell is one of the great champions and holds the title until 1912.
* [[Frankie Neil]] defeats [[Harry Forbes (boxer)|Harry Forbes]] in San Francisco by a second-round knockout to take the [[World Bantamweight Champion]]ship, which he holds for one year. 
'''Lineal world champions'''<ref>[http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/pastchp.htm Cyber Boxing Zone]</ref>
* [[World Heavyweight Champion]]ship – [[James J. Jeffries]]
* [[World Light Heavyweight Champion]]ship – new title → [[Jack Root]] → [[George Gardiner (boxer)|George Gardiner]] → [[Bob Fitzsimmons]]
* [[World Middleweight Champion]]ship – [[Tommy Ryan]]
* [[World Welterweight Champion]]ship – [[Barbados Joe Walcott]]
* [[World Lightweight Champion]]ship – [[Joe Gans]]
* [[World Featherweight Champion]]ship – [[Young Corbett II]] → vacant → [[Abe Attell]]
* [[World Bantamweight Champion]]ship – [[Harry Forbes (boxer)|Harry Forbes]] → [[Frankie Neil]]

== [[Canadian football|Canadian Football]] ==

* The [[Ontario Rugby Football Union|ORFU]] adopts the [[Burnside rules|Burnside Rules]]. The CRU, along with the [[Quebec Rugby Football Union|Quebec]] and [[U Sports football|College]] leagues, refuse to adopt the revised rules. Due to this disagreement, no [[Canadian Dominion Football Championship|Dominion Championship]] is played.
* Manitoba moves its competition to a fall schedule.
* Ontario Rugby Football Union - [[Hamilton Tigers (football)|Hamilton Tigers]]
* Quebec Rugby Football Union - [[Ottawa Rough Riders]]
* [[Manitoba Rugby Football Union]] - Winnipeg Shamrocks
* Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union - [[University of Toronto]]

==[[Cricket]]==
'''Events'''
* Following the conclusion of the [[Boer War]], [[first-class cricket]] resumes in South Africa.
'''England'''
* [[1903 County Championship|County Championship]] – [[Middlesex CCC|Middlesex]]
* [[Minor Counties Championship]] – [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire]]
* Most runs – [[C B Fry]] 2683 @ 81.30 (HS 234)
* Most wickets – [[Wilfred Rhodes]] 193 @ 14.57 (BB 8–61)
* [[Wisden Cricketers of the Year]] – [[Colin Blythe]], [[John Gunn (cricketer)|John Gunn]], [[Albert Knight (cricketer)|Albert Knight]], [[Walter Mead (cricketer)|Walter Mead]], [[Plum Warner]]
'''Australia'''
* [[1902-03 Sheffield Shield season|Sheffield Shield]] – [[New South Wales cricket team|New South Wales]] 
* Most runs – [[Reggie Duff]] 786 @ 87.33 (HS 194)
* Most wickets – [[Jack Saunders (cricketer, born 1876)|Jack Saunders]] 32 @ 20.81 (BB 8–106)
'''India'''
* [[Bombay Quadrangular|Bombay Presidency]] – [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] shared with [[Parsees cricket team|Parsees]]
'''West Indies'''
* [[Inter-Colonial Tournament]] – not contested

==[[Cycle sport|Cycling]]==
'''Tour de France'''
* Inaugural [[1903 Tour de France|Tour de France]] is won by [[Maurice Garin]] (France)<ref>{{cite web |title=Cycling-Tour de France list of winners |url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/cycling-tour-de-france-list-of-winners_sto7851605/story.shtml |website=Eurosport UK |access-date=18 February 2021 |language=en |date=26 August 2020}}</ref>

==[[Figure skating]]==
'''World Figure Skating Championships'''
* [[1903 World Figure Skating Championships|World Men's Champion]] – [[Ulrich Salchow]] (Sweden)

==[[Golf]]==
'''Major tournaments'''
* [[1903 Open Championship|British Open]] – [[Harry Vardon]]
* [[1903 U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]] – [[Willie Anderson (golfer)|Willie Anderson]]
'''Other tournaments'''
* [[The Amateur Championship|British Amateur]] – [[Robert Maxwell (golfer)|Robert Maxwell]]
* [[United States Amateur Championship (men's golf)|US Amateur]] – [[Walter Travis]]

==[[Horse racing]]==
'''England'''
* [[1903 Grand National|Grand National]] – Drumcree
* [[1,000 Guineas Stakes]] – [[Quintessence (horse)|Quintessence]]
* [[2,000 Guineas Stakes]] – [[Rock Sand]]
* [[Epsom Derby|The Derby]] – Rock Sand<ref>{{cite web |title=Epsom Derby {{!}} History, Winners, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/Derby-horse-race |website=www.britannica.com |access-date=30 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Epsom Oaks|The Oaks]] – [[Our Lassie]]
* [[St. Leger Stakes]] – Rock Sand
'''Australia'''
* [[Melbourne Cup]] – Lord Cardigan
'''Canada''' 
* [[King's Plate]] – Thessalon
'''Ireland''' 
* [[Irish Grand National]] – Kirko
* [[Irish Derby Stakes]] – Lord Rossmore
'''USA'''
* [[1903 Kentucky Derby|Kentucky Derby]] – Judge Himes
* [[Preakness Stakes]] – Flocarline
* [[Belmont Stakes]] – Africander

==[[Ice hockey]]==
'''Stanley Cup'''
* [[Montreal Hockey Club|Montreal HC]] defeats [[Winnipeg Victorias]] three games to one in a cup challenge.
* Montreal HC and [[Ottawa Hockey Club|Ottawa HC]] tie for first place in the [[Canadian Amateur Hockey League]] (CAHL) [[1903 CAHL season|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.
* Ottawa HC defeats [[Rat Portage Thistles]] two games to nil in another cup challenge.
* [[Ottawa Senators (original)|Ottawa Silver 7]] sweep Montréal AAA in 2 games
'''Events'''
* First ice hockey league in Europe begins, contested by five teams from [[Princes Skating Club]] and [[Hengler's Ice Rink]], both in [[London]].

==[[Motor racing]]==
'''Paris-Madrid Trail'''
* The Paris-Madrid Trail is run on 24 May with a scheduled distance of 1014&nbsp;km.  It is a disastrous event which causes at least eight deaths including those of drivers [[Marcel Renault]] and Claude Barrow.  The race is stopped by the authorities at Bordeaux.  It is in retrospect sometimes referred to as the ''VIII Grand Prix de l'ACF''.<ref>[http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/upto1903/1903.html 1903 Grand Prix and Paris Races] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514080138/http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/upto1903/1903.html |date=2013-05-14 }}.  Retrieved on 12 September 2009.</ref>  Fernand Gabriel (France) is the first to reach Bordeaux in his [[Mors (automobile)|Mors]].
* Road racing is banned as a result and the legacy of the event is the introduction of circuits, the first being opened at [[Le Mans]] in 1906 for the inaugural [[French Grand Prix]], organised by the [[Automobile Club de France]] (ACF).
'''Gordon Bennett Cup'''
* Fourth running of the [[1903 Gordon Bennett Cup|Gordon Bennett Cup]] takes place in Ireland due to road racing being illegal in Great Britain, the scheduled host.  The location is the roads around [[Athy]], [[County Kildare]], and the winner is [[Camille Jenatzy]] (Belgium) driving a [[Mercedes (car)|Mercedes]]
* It is at the 1903 Gordon Bennett cup that international racing colours are formally adopted with Italy taking red, Germany white, France blue and Great Britain taking its [[British racing green]] (BRG) for the first time.  The British choice of green is partly due to the event being held in Ireland, which at the time is part of the UK, and to precedent as the winning Napier of 1902 had been painted olive green.
'''Ardennes Circuit'''
* Second running of the [[Ardennes]] Circuit race around [[Bastogne]] is won by Pierre de Crawhez driving a [[Panhard-Levassor]] 70&nbsp;hp in a time of 5:52:07.  The total distance is 512.05&nbsp;km (85.34&nbsp;km x 6 laps).

==[[Rowing (sport)|Rowing]]==
'''The Boat Race'''
* 1 April — [[Cambridge University Boat Club|Cambridge]] wins the 60th [[The Boat Race 1903|Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race]]

==[[Rugby league]]==
'''England'''
* [[1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season|Championship]] – [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]]
* [[1902–03 Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup final]] – [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]] 7–0 [[Salford Red Devils|Salford]] at [[Headingley Rugby Stadium]], [[Leeds]]
* [[Rugby league county leagues|Lancashire League Championship]] – ''not contested''
* [[Rugby league county leagues|Yorkshire League Championship]] – ''not contested''

==[[Rugby union]]==
'''Home Nations Championship'''
* 21st [[1903 Home Nations Championship|Home Nations Championship]] series is won by [[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]

==[[Speed skating]]==
'''Speed Skating World Championships'''
* [[1903 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|Men's All-round Champion]] – ''none declared''

==[[Tennis]]==
'''England'''
* [[1903 Wimbledon Championships – Men's singles|Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship]] – [[Laurence Doherty]] (GB) defeats [[Frank Riseley]] (GB) 7–5 6–3 6–0
* [[1903 Wimbledon Championships – Women's singles|Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship]] – [[Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers]] (GB) defeats [[Ethel Thomson Larcombe]] (GB) 4–6 6–4 6–2
'''France'''
* [[List of French Open Men's Singles champions and finalists|French Men's Singles Championship]] – [[Max Decugis]] (France) defeats [[André Vacherot]] (France): details unknown
* [[List of French Open Women's Singles champions|French Women's Singles Championship]] – [[Françoise Masson]] (France) defeats [[Kate Gillou]] (France) 6–0 6–8 6–0 
'''USA'''
* [[1903 U.S. National Championships – Men's singles|American Men's Singles Championship]] – [[Laurence Doherty]] (GB) defeats [[William Larned]] (USA) 6–0 6–3 10–8
* [[1903 U.S. National Championships – Women's singles|American Women's Singles Championship]] – [[Elisabeth Moore]] (USA) defeats [[Marion Jones (tennis)|Marion Jones]] (USA) 7–5 8–6
'''Davis Cup'''
* [[1903 International Lawn Tennis Challenge]] – {{davis|GBR|name=British Isles}} 4–1 {{davis|USA|1896}} at [[Longwood Cricket Club]] (grass) [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], [[United States]]

==[[Yacht racing]]==
'''[[1903 America's Cup|America's Cup]]'''
* The [[New York Yacht Club]] retains the [[America's Cup]] as ''[[Reliance (yacht)|Reliance]]'' defeats British challenger ''Shamrock III'', of the [[Royal Ulster Yacht Club]], 3 races to 0 (''Shamrock III'' abandoned the third race)<ref>[http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84020274/1903-09-04/ed-1/seq-1/;words=Shamrock+RELIANCE+Reliance The St. Louis Republic September 04 1903 ''Reliance Alone Finishes Last Race For Cup'']</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Sports by year 1901 – 1950}}

[[Category:1903 in sports| ]]
[[Category:Sports by year]]