Events in Sports History in 1926

Sports History

Feb 16 Suzanne Lenglen defeats US champion Helen Wills in influential tennis match in Cannes, France

Feb 20 Montreal and Ottawa battle out just the second 0-0 tie in NHL history; dominant goalies are Clint Benedict (Maroons) and Alex Connell (Senators)
Mar 26 85th Grand National: Billy Watkinson victorious aboard 25/1 bet Jack Horner; first Australian jockey to win the race
Apr 1 Montreal Maroons' Clint Benedict becomes first NHL goalie to record 3 straight playoff shutouts, in a 3-0 win against the visiting Victoria Cougars in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Championship series
Apr 6 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Montreal Maroons beat Victoria Cougars (WHL), 2-0 for a 3-1 series victory

Johnson's 7th Shutout

Apr 13 At 38, Walter Johnson pitches his 7th opening day shutout

Apr 13 Cyclists without bicycle-tax-stamp rounded up in Amsterdam
Apr 19 30th Boston Marathon won by Canadian Johnny Miles in 2:25:40.4

Ott's First Appearance

Apr 27 In the Giants' 9-8 win over Phillies, Mel Ott, 17, 1st appearance

Satchel Paige Debut

May 1 Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Satchel Paige (19) debuts in the Negro Southern League for Chattanooga

May 8 Fire breaks out in Fenway Park, home of Boston Red Sox baseball team
May 10 51st Preakness: John Maiben aboard Display wins in 1:59.8
May 15 52nd Kentucky Derby: Albert Johnson on Bubbling Over wins in 2:03.8
May 21 White Sox Earl Sheely hits a record 6th consecutive double

1st Wrigley Field Scoreboard HR

May 23 Chicago Cub's Hack Wilson is 1st to hit a home run off Wrigley Field scoreboard

Baseball Hall of Fame Outfielder Hack Wilson

Paavo Nurmi Sets Record

May 24 Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi sets world 3000m record (8:25.4) in Berlin, Germany

Runner nicknamed the Flying Finn Paavo Nurmi

May 31 Indianapolis 500: First rain-shortened race in "500" history; Frank Lockhart wins after 20 lap duel with Dave Lewis; race called after 400 miles (160 laps)
Jun 5 Clevelands Indians baseball team triple-play NY Yankees & win 15-3
Jun 10 MLB Philadelphia Phillies Russ Wrightstone hits for the cycle
Jun 12 58th Belmont: Albert Johnson aboard Crusader wins in 2:32.2

French Championships Men's Tennis

Jun 14 French Championships Men's Tennis: Henri Cochet wins 1st of 4 home titles; beats fellow Frenchman René Lacoste 6-2, 6-4, 6-3

Jun 14 French Women's Tennis Championships: Suzanne Lenglen beats Mary Kendall Browne 6-1, 6-0
Jun 22 Cardinals pick up 39-year-old Grover Alexander on waivers from Cubs

61st British Men's Open

Jun 25 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Lytham & St Annes GC: American amateur Bobby Jones wins the first of his 3 Claret Jugs, 2 strokes clear of runner-up Al Watrous; 5th victory by an American in 6 years

Wimbledon Men's Championship

Jul 2 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Frenchman Jean Borotra wins his second Wimbledon singles title 8-6, 6-1, 6-3 over American Howard Kinsey

Jul 3 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Briton Kitty Godfree wins her second Wimbledon singles title with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Spaniard Lilí Álvarez
Jul 10 US Open Men's Golf, Scioto CC: Amateur Bobby Jones, winner of the British Open 2 weeks earlier, claims the second of his 4 US Opens, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Joe Turnesa
Jul 12 Paavo Nurmi walks world record 4x1500m (16:26.2)
Jul 13 Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi sets world record 3000m (8:20.4) in Stockholm, Sweden
Jul 17 Paavo Nurmi walks world record 4x1500m (16:11.4)
Jul 18 20th Tour de France won by Lucien Buysse of Belgium
Jul 22 Cincinnati Reds right fielder Curt Walker ties National League record of 2 triples in an inning in a 13-1 rout of the Boston Braves

Sports History

Aug 11 Cleveland Indians future Baseball HOF outfielder Tris Speaker hits his 700th double in 7-2 loss to Chicago White Sox at Dunn Field, Cleveland

Aug 18 England regain Ashes with 5th Test Cricket win, to take series 1-0
Aug 21 Chicago White Sox pitcher Ted Lyons no hits Boston Red Sox, 6-0 in just 67 minutes at Fenway Park

US Open Women's Tennis

Aug 23 US National Championship Women's Tennis, Forest Hills, NY: Molla Bjurstedt Mallory beats Elizabeth Ryan 4-6, 6-4, 9-7 for her 8th and final US singles title

Aug 27 2nd Women's World Games (track & field competition for women) is conducted over 3-days at the Slottsskogsvallen Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden
Aug 28 Indian Emil Levsen pitches complete doubleheader victory (Red Sox)

Hobbs Scores 316

Aug 30 Jack Hobbs scores 316 not out at Lord's (Surrey v Middlesex)

International Lawn Tennis Challenge

Sep 10 International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Philadelphia, PA: Vincent Richards & R. Norris Williams clinch US 7th straight title; beat Jacques Brugnon & Henri Cochet of France 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 for 3-0 lead; ends 4-1

Sep 11 21st Davis Cup: USA beats France in Philadelphia (4-1), for their 7th straight championship
Sep 11 Yanks' Bob Meusel ties record with 3 sacrifice flies
Sep 16 St Louis Cards beat Phillies 23-3
Sep 18 US National Championship Men's Tennis: Frenchman René Lacoste wins first of 2 straight US titles; beats countryman Jean Borotra 6-4, 6-0, 6-4

Upset of the Decade

Sep 23 "Upset of the Decade" - Gene Tunney beats defending champion Jack Dempsey by 10-round unanimous decision at Sesquicentennial Stadium (later known as JFK Stadium), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for world heavyweight boxing title

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey

Sep 25 NHL grants franchises to Chicago Black Hawks & Detroit Red Wings

PGA Championship

Sep 25 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Salisbury GC: Walter Hagen defeats Leo Diegel, 5 & 3 in the final to win his 3rd consecutive PGA C'ship title

Golfer and Two-Time PGA Champion Leo Diegel

Sep 25 Yankees take a doubleheader from Browns to clinch AL pennant
Sep 26 Shortest double header, Yanks lose 6-1 in 72 minutes & lose again 6-2 in 55 minutes to Browns. Yanks had already clinched pennant
Oct 2 Bert Gibb kicks 9 singles as Hamilton Tigers beat Montreal AAA Winged Wheelers 12-10 in Montreal in Canadian Inter-provincial Rugby Football Union opening round
Oct 3 English long distance runner Violet Piercy sets first recognised female marathon record in 3:40:22 on the Polytechnic Marathon course between Windsor and London

Babe Ruth Hits 3 HRs

Oct 6 Babe Ruth becomes first MLB player to hit 3 home runs in a World Series game as NY Yankees beat St. Louis Cardinals, 10-5 in Game 4 at Sportsman's Park, St. Louis

Oct 10 Baseball World Series: St Louis Cardinals beat New York Yankees, 3-2 at Sportsman's Park for 4 games to 3 series victory
Oct 14 Walter Johnson retires, signs 2-year contract to manage Newark
Oct 25 Lester Patrick becomes 1st coach & gm of NY Rangers

Ty Cobb Resigns as Manager

Nov 3 Legendary baseball figure Ty Cobb resigns as Detroit Tigers manager; replaced by George Moriarty, first man to hold MLB's 4 principal jobs: player, umpire, scout and manager

Eddie Collins Released

Nov 11 Future Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman Eddie Collins is released as Chicago White Sox player/manager; replaced by another future HOF'er catcher Ray Schalk

Nov 16 New York Rangers ice hockey club first game; beat Montreal Maroons, 1-0 at Madison Square Garden, NYC
Nov 17 NHL's Chicago Black Hawks play their 1st game, beat Tor St Pats 4-1
Nov 29 Tris Speaker resigns as manager of the Cleveland Indians while facing game-fixing allegations
Dec 4 CFL Grey Cup: Ottawa Senators retain Championship with 10-7 win over U of Toronto Blues
Dec 9 USGA legalizes steel shaft golf clubs
Dec 11 Leo O'Connor is unbeaten on 143 as Queensland wins their first Sheffield Shield match by 5 wickets vs NSW at the Sydney Cricket Ground

Landis MLB Contract Renewed

Dec 16 MLB owners renew contract with Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis for a second 7-years term

1st MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Dec 19 National Football League Championship: Frankford Yellow Jackets (14-1-2) win first past the post title

Cardinals Trade Hornsby

Dec 20 St. Louis Cardinals trade future Baseball Hall of Fame infielder Rogers Hornsby to NY Giants for Frankie Frisch & Jimmy Ring; concerns over Hornsby's gambling