1936 in sports

1936 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

American football

• Minnesota Golden Gophers are the National college football champions
• Green Bay Packers defeated Boston Redskins 21–6 for the NFL championship. The game was moved from Boston to New York's Polo Grounds
• First NFL Draft held
• Second American Football League founded
• Cleveland Rams founded by Homer Marsh as part of AFL II

Association football

England

• First Division – Sunderland win the 1935–36 title.
• FA Cup – Arsenal beat Sheffield United 1–0, thanks to a Ted Drake goal.

Australian rules football

• Victorian Football League
  • Collingwood wins the 40th VFL Premiership (Collingwood 11.23 (89) d South Melbourne 10.18 (78))
  • Brownlow Medal awarded to Dinny Ryan (Fitzroy)

Baseball

• Plans are announced for a Baseball Hall of Fame to be established in 1939, the game's supposed centennial, in Cooperstown, New York. In the first elections to select 15 initial inductees (5 from the 19th century and 10 from the 20th), Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson are selected from the 20th century; the election for 19th century players is plagued by problems and results in no selections. See: Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 1936
• World Series – New York Yankees defeat the New York Giants, 4–2.

Boxing

• June 19 – in one of boxing's all–time biggest upsets, Max Schmeling knocked out Joe Louis at 2:29 of round 12 at New York's Yankee Stadium.

Field Hockey

• Olympic Games (Men's Competition) in Berlin won by India

Golf

Men's professional

• Masters Tournament – Horton Smith
• U.S. Open – Tony Manero
• British Open – Alf Padgham
• PGA Championship – Denny Shute

Men's amateur

• British Amateur – Hector Thomson
• U.S. Amateur – John Fischer

Women's professional

• Women's Western Open – Opal Hill

Horse racing

• May 8 – jockey Ralph Neves was involved in a racing accident at Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo, California and mistakenly pronounced dead. A while later, he woke up in the morgue and promptly returned to the racetrack but was not allowed to compete in any of the remaining races because of his "death".

Steeplechases

• Cheltenham Gold Cup –
• Grand National –

Flat races

• Australia – Melbourne Cup won by
• Canada – Queen's Plate won by
• France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by
• Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by
• English Triple Crown Races:
  1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes –
  2. Epsom Derby –
  3. St. Leger Stakes –
• United States Triple Crown Races:
  1. Kentucky Derby – Bold Venture
  2. Preakness Stakes –
  3. Belmont Stakes –

Ice hockey

• The Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup Championship in the National Hockey League. Combining this with the Detroit Tigers World Series win and the Detroit Lions NFL Championship, in 1935, Detroit played home to the Championship teams in the MLB, NFL, and NHL in one 12 month period. This feat has yet to be duplicated by any other city.

Motor racing

• June 21 – first Hungarian Grand Prix held in Budapest
• European Grand Prix champion – Bernd Rosemeyer

Olympic Games

• The infamous 1936 Summer Olympics take place in Berlin
  • Germany wins the most medals (89) and the most gold medals (33)
  • Jesse Owens wins four athletics gold medals
  • The first torch relay takes place from Olympia, Greece
• 1936 Winter Olympics takes place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
  • Norway wins the most medals (15) and the most gold medals (7)

Rowing

The Boat Race

• 4 April — Cambridge wins the 88th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Rugby union

• 49th Home Nations Championship series is won by Wales

Snooker

• World Snooker Championship – Joe Davis beats Horace Lindrum 34–27

Speed skating

Events

• Inaugural World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women is held in Stockholm

Speed Skating World Championships

• Men's All-round Champion – Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)
• Women's All-round Champion – Kit Klein (USA)

1936 Winter Olympics (Men)

• 500m – gold medal: Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)
• 1500m – gold medal: Charles Mathiesen (Norway)
• 5000m – gold medal: Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)
• 10000m – gold medal: Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)

1936 Winter Olympics (Women)

• not contested

Tennis

Australia

• Australian Men's Singles Championship – Adrian Quist (Australia) defeats Jack Crawford (Australia) 6–2, 6–3, 4–6, 3–6, 9–7
• Australian Women's Singles Championship – Joan Hartigan Bathurst (Australia) defeats Nancye Wynne Bolton (Australia) 6–4, 6–4

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Fred Perry (Great Britain) defeats Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) 6–1, 6–1, 6–0
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Helen Jacobs (USA) defeats Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (Denmark) 6–2, 4–6, 7–5

France

• French Men's Singles Championship – Gottfried von Cramm (Germany) defeats Fred Perry (Great Britain) 6–0, 2–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–0
• French Women's Singles Championship – Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling (Germany) defeats Simone Mathieu (France) 6–3, 6–4

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Fred Perry (Great Britain) defeats Don Budge (USA) 2–6, 6–2, 8–6, 1–6, 10–8
• American Women's Singles Championship – Alice Marble (USA) defeats Helen Jacobs (USA) 4–6, 6–3, 6–2

Davis Cup

• 1936 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – Great Britain at 3–2 Australia at Centre Court, Wimbledon (grass) London, United Kingdom

Awards

• Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Jesse Owens, Track and field
• Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Helen Stephens, Track and field