1932 in sports
1932 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
Alpine skiing
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
2nd FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The events are a downhill, a slalom and a combined race in both the men's and women's categories. The winners are:
- Men's Downhill – Gustav Lantschner (Austria)
- Men's Slalom – Friedl Däuber (Germany)
- Men's Combined – Otto Furrer (Switzerland)
- Women's Downhill – Paula Wiesinger (Italy)
- Women's Slalom – Rösli Streiff (Switzerland)
- Women's Combined – Rösli Streiff (Switzerland)
American football
- Chicago Bears defeats Portsmouth Spartans 9–0 in the 1932 NFL Playoff Game. This is the first National Football League championship game.
- Rose Bowl (1931 season):
- The USC Trojans won 21-12 over the Tulane Green Wave to win the college football national championship
- Michigan Wolverines – college football national championship shared with USC Trojans
- Washington Redskins founded in Boston; start off as the Boston Braves
Association football
England
- The Football League – Everton 56 points, Arsenal 54, Sheffield Wednesday 50, Huddersfield Town 48, Aston Villa 46, West Bromwich Albion 46
- FA Cup final – Newcastle United 2–1 Arsenal at Empire Stadium, Wembley, London
Germany
- National Championship – Bayern Munich 2–0 Eintracht Frankfurt at Nuremberg
Spain
- La Liga won by Real Madrid
Italy
Athletics
Men's 100 metres
- Eddie Tolan (USA) breaks the world record by running a time of 10.3 seconds
Australian rules football
- Richmond wins the 36th VFL Premiership, defeating Carlton 13.14 (92) to 12.11 (83) in the 1932 VFL Grand Final
Brownlow Medal
- The annual Brownlow Medal is awarded to Haydn Bunton senior (Fitzroy)
South Australian National Football League
- 1 October: Sturt won its fourth SA(N)FL premiership, beating North Adelaide 16.14 (110) to 10.9 (69)
- Magarey Medal won by Max Pontifex (West Torrens)
Western Australian National Football League
- 8 October: West Perth win their fifth WA(N)FL premiership but first since 1905, beating East Perth 18.9 (117) to 10.14 (74)
- Sandover Medal won by Keith Hough (Claremont-Cottesloe)
Bandy
Sweden
- Championship final – IF Karlstad-Göta 3–2 Västerås SK
Baseball
World Series
- 28 September to 2 October — New York Yankees defeats Chicago Cubs to win the 1932 World Series by 4 games to 0. In Game 3, Babe Ruth hits his famous "called shot" home run, which is followed immediately by a Lou Gehrig solo home run.
Events
- Brooklyn's major league baseball team, known informally until now as the “Superbas”, the “Robins”, or the “Trolley Dodgers”, officially selects the name Brooklyn Dodgers
Basketball
Events
- The South American Basketball Championship 1932 in Santiago, Chile, is won by Uruguay.
Bobsleigh
Olympic Games (Men's Competition)
Two bobsleigh events are held at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid :
- 2-man bob – gold: USA I; silver: Switzerland II; bronze: USA II
- 4-man bob – gold: USA I; silver: USA II; bronze: Germany I
Boxing
Events
- Jack Sharkey wins the World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Max Schmeling on points over 15 rounds.
Lineal world champions[1]
- World Heavyweight Championship – Max Schmeling → Jack Sharkey
- World Light Heavyweight Championship – Maxie Rosenbloom
- World Middleweight Championship – vacant
- World Welterweight Championship – Lou Brouillard → Jackie Fields
- World Lightweight Championship – Tony Canzoneri
- World Featherweight Championship – Bat Battalino → vacant
- World Bantamweight Championship – Panama Al Brown
- World Flyweight Championship – vacant
Canadian football
Grey Cup
- 20th Grey Cup in the Canadian Football League – Hamilton Tigers 25–6 Regina Roughriders
Cricket
Events
- India plays its first Test match, against England. England wins by 159 runs.
England
- County Championship – Yorkshire
- Minor Counties Championship – Buckinghamshire
- Most runs – Herbert Sutcliffe 3,336 @ 74.13 (HS 313)
- Most wickets – Tich Freeman 253 @ 16.39 (BB 9–61)
- Wisden Cricketers of the Year – Ewart Astill, Freddie Brown, Alec Kennedy, C. K. Nayudu, Bill Voce
Australia
- Sheffield Shield – New South Wales
- Most runs – Don Bradman 1,403 @ 116.91 (HS 299*)
- Most wickets – Clarrie Grimmett 77 @ 19.93 (BB 7–83)
India
- Bombay Quadrangular – not contested
New Zealand
South Africa
West Indies
Curling
1932 Winter Olympics
- Curling is a demonstration event at the 1932 Winter Olympic Games between four teams from Canada and four from the United States, Canada winning by 12 games to 4
Cycling
Tour de France
- André Leducq wins the 26th Tour de France
Events
- Antonio Pesenti wins the 1932 Giro d'Italia
Field hockey
1932 Summer Olympics (Men)
- Gold Medal – India
- Silver Medal – Japan
- Bronze Medal – USA
Figure skating
World Figure Skating Championships
- World Men's Champion – Karl Schäfer (Austria)
- World Women's Champion – Sonja Henie (Norway)
- World Pairs Champions – Andreé Joly-Brunet and Pierre Brunet (France)
1932 Winter Olympics
- Men's individual – Karl Schäfer (Austria)
- Women's individual – Sonja Henie (Norway)
- Pairs – Andreé Joly-Brunet and Pierre Brunet (France)
Golf
Major tournaments
Other tournaments
- British Amateur – John de Forest
- U.S. Amateur – Ross Somerville
- Women's Western Open – Jane Weiller
Harness racing
USA
- Hambletonian – The Marchioness
- Kentucky Futurity – The Marchioness
Horse racing
England
- Champion Hurdle – Insurance
- Cheltenham Gold Cup – Golden Miller (first of five successive wins)
- Grand National – Forbra
- 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Kandy
- 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Orwell
- Epsom Derby – April the Fifth
- Epsom Oaks – Udaipur
- St. Leger Stakes – Firdaussi
Australia
Canada
- Queen's Plate – Queensway
France
Ireland
- Irish Grand National – Copper Court
- Irish Derby Stakes – Dastur
USA
Ice hockey
Stanley Cup
- 5–9 April — Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the New York Rangers in the 1932 Stanley Cup Finals by 3 games to 0
Ice Hockey World Championships
- Gold Medal – Canada
- Silver Medal – USA
- Bronze Medal – Germany
1932 Winter Olympics
- Gold Medal – Canada
- Silver Medal – USA
- Bronze Medal – Germany
Motor racing
Grand Prix racing
- 17 April — the 4th Monaco Grand Prix is run at Monte Carlo over 318 km (198 mi) (100 laps). The winner is Tazio Nuvolari (Italy) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Monza in 3:32:25.3.
- 5 June — the 10th Italian Grand Prix is run at Autodromo Nazionale Monza over 837.592 km (520.456 mi) (83 laps): i.e., as a 5-hour race. The winner is Tazio Nuvolari (Italy) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2600 Tipo B. The race is officially titled the X Gran Premio d'Italia.
- 3 July — the 18th French Grand Prix, organised by the Automobile Club de France (ACF), is run at Reims-Gueux over 719.992 km (447.382 mi) (92 laps): i.e., as a 5-hour race. The winner is Tazio Nuvolari (Italy) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2600 Tipo B. The race is retrospectively referred to as the XXVI Grand Prix de l'ACF.
- 17 July — the 6th German Grand Prix is run at the Nürburgring over 570.270 km (22.811 km x 25 laps). The winner is Rudolf Caracciola (Italy) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2600 Tipo B in 4:47:22.8. The race is officially titled the VI Großer Preis von Deutschland.
- European Championship – Tazio Nuvolari (Italy) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2600 Tipo B.
Indianapolis 500
- 30 May — 20th running of the Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is won by Fred Frame in the Hartz Special Wetteroth-Miller in 4:48:03.79.[2]
Le Mans 24 hours
- The 10th Le Mans 24 hours race is won by Raymond Sommer (France) and Luigi Chinetti (Italy) driving an Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Monza over 218 laps (2,954.038 km (1,835.554 mi)).
Nordic skiing
Olympic Games (Men's Competition)
- Cross-country skiing (18 km) – gold medal: Sven Utterström (Sweden)
- Cross-country skiing (50 km) – gold medal: Veli Saarinen (Finland)
- Ski jumping – gold medal: Birger Ruud (Norway)
- Nordic combined – gold medal: Johan Grøttumsbråten (Norway)
Olympic Games
1932 Winter Olympics
- The 1932 Winter Olympics takes place at Lake Placid
- United States team wins the most medals (12) and the most gold medals (6)
1932 Summer Olympics
- The 1932 Summer Olympics takes place at Los Angeles
- United States team wins the most medals (103) and the most gold medals (41)
Rowing
The Boat Race
- 19 March — Cambridge wins the 84th Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
Rugby league
England
- Championship – St Helens
- Challenge Cup final – Leeds 11–8 Swinton at Central Park, Wigan
- Lancashire League Championship – St Helens
- Yorkshire League Championship – Hunslet
- Lancashire Cup – Salford 10–8 Swinton
- Yorkshire Cup – Huddersfield 4–2 Hunslet
Australia
- NSW Premiership – South Sydney 19–12 Western Suburbs (Grand Final)
Rugby union
Home Nations Championship
- 45th Home Nations Championship series is shared by England, Ireland and Wales
Snooker
World Championship
- 6th World Snooker Championship is won by Joe Davis who defeats Clark McConachy 30–19
Speed skating
Speed Skating World Championships
- Men's All-round Champion – Ivar Ballangrud (Norway)
1932 Winter Olympics (Men)
- 500m – gold medal: Jack Shea (USA)
- 1500m – gold medal: Jack Shea (USA)
- 5000m – gold medal: Irving Jaffee (USA)
- 10000m – gold medal: Irving Jaffee (USA)
1932 Winter Olympics (Women)
- Women's speed skating is held as a demonstration event only with competitions over 500m, 1000m and 1500m.
Tennis
Australia
- Australian Men's Singles Championship – Jack Crawford (Australia) defeats Harry Hopman (Australia) 4–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1
- Australian Women's Singles Championship – Coral Buttsworth (Australia) defeats Kathleen Le Messurier (Australia) 9–7, 6–4
England
- Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – Ellsworth Vines (USA) defeats Bunny Austin (Great Britain) 6–2, 6–2, 6–0
- Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Helen Jacobs (USA) 6–3, 6–1
France
- French Men's Singles Championship – Henri Cochet (France) defeats Giorgio de Stefani (Italy) 6–0, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
- French Women's Singles Championship – Helen Wills Moody (USA) defeats Simonne Mathieu (France) 7–5, 6–1
USA
- American Men's Singles Championship – Ellsworth Vines (USA) defeats Henri Cochet (France) 6–4, 6–4, 6–4
- American Women's Singles Championship – Helen Jacobs (USA) defeats Carolin Babcock Stark (USA) 6–2, 6–2
Davis Cup
- 1932 International Lawn Tennis Challenge – France 3–2 United States at Stade Roland Garros (clay) Paris, France
Awards
Associated Press Athlete of the Year
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Gene Sarazen (golf)
- Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Babe Didrikson (athletics)