1989 in sports

1989 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

 * Alpine Skiing World Cup
 * Men's overall season champion: Marc Girardelli, Luxembourg
 * Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland

American football

 * Super Bowl XXIII – the San Francisco 49ers (NFC) won 20–16 over the Cincinnati Bengals (AFC)
 * Location: Joe Robbie Stadium
 * Attendance: 75,129
 * MVP: Jerry Rice, WR (San Francisco)
 * January 2 - Fiesta Bowl (1988 season):
 * The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 34-21 over the West Virginia Mountaineers to win the national championship

Artistic gymnastics

 * World Artistic Gymnastics Championships –
 * Men's all-around champion: Igor Korobchinsky, USSR
 * Women's all-around champion: Svetlana Boginskaya, USSR
 * Men's team competition champion: USSR
 * Women's team competition champion: USSR

Australian rules football

 * Victorian Football League
 * May 6 – Geelong kicks the highest losing score in VFL/AFL history, kicking 25.13 (163) to Hawthorn’s 26.15 (171)
 * June 24 – Essendon kicks the lowest winning score since the 1927 Grand Final, beating Footscray 3.10 (28) to 3.5 (23).
 * Hawthorn wins the 93rd VFL Premiership beating Geelong 21.18 (144) d 21.12 (138)
 * Brownlow Medal awarded to Paul Couch (Geelong)

Baseball

 * April 8 – One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes his major-league debut with the California Angels, without spending a single day in the minor leagues. He went on to a 12–12 record for the season.
 * August 10 – Ten months after undergoing surgery for cancer in his pitching arm, San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky returns to the major leagues, winning his comeback 4–3.
 * August 15 – Dave Dravecky's comeback bid ends when his pitching arm breaks in the sixth inning of his second start. Two years later, the cancer-stricken arm would be amputated.
 * August 24 – Following an investigation that he gambled on baseball, superstar player Pete Rose is banned from baseball for life.
 * World Series – Oakland Athletics won 4 games to 0 over the San Francisco Giants in a series that was delayed because of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Series MVP was Dave Stewart, Oakland.
 * Taiwan Professional Baseball League, officially founded on October 23.

Basketball

 * NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
 * Michigan wins 80–79 over Seton Hall in overtime
 * NBA Finals –
 * The Detroit Pistons win 4 games to 0 over the Los Angeles Lakers to win the franchise's first championship.
 * National Basketball League (Australia) Finals:
 * North Melbourne Giants defeated the Canberra Cannons 2–1 in the best-of-three final series.

Boxing

 * February 11 – In Grenoble, France, Rene Jacquot won a 12-round decision over Donald Curry to win the World Welterweight Championship
 * May 29 to June 3 – 28th European Amateur Boxing Championships held in Athens, Greece

Canadian football

 * Grey Cup – Saskatchewan Roughriders won 43–40 over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
 * Vanier Cup – Western Ontario Mustangs won 35–10 over the Saskatchewan Huskies

Cycling

 * Giro d'Italia won by Laurent Fignon of France
 * Tour de France – Greg LeMond of the United States
 * UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Greg LeMond of the United States

Dogsled racing

 * Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
 * Joe Runyan won with lead dogs: Rambo & Ferlin the Husky

Field hockey

 * Men's Champions Trophy: Australia
 * Women's Champions Trophy: South Korea

Figure skating

 * World Figure Skating Championships –
 * Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
 * Ladies’ champion: Midori Ito, Japan
 * 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 0–17 died Mayo 1–11
 * National Football League – Cork 0–15 died Dublin 0–12
 * Ladies' Gaelic football
 * All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
 * National Football League: Kerry
 * Hurling
 * All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Tipperary 4–24 died Antrim 3–9
 * National Hurling League – Galway 2–16 beat Tipperary 4–8

Golf
Men's professional Men's amateur Women's professional
 * Masters Tournament – Nick Faldo
 * U.S. Open – Curtis Strange
 * British Open – Mark Calcavecchia
 * PGA Championship – Payne Stewart
 * PGA Tour money leader – Tom Kite – $1,395,278
 * Senior PGA Tour money leader – Bob Charles – $725,887
 * Ryder Cup – Europe and the United States teams tied 14–14 in team golf.
 * British Amateur – Stephen Dodd
 * U.S. Amateur – Chris Patton
 * European Amateur – David Ecob
 * Nabisco Dinah Shore – Juli Inkster
 * LPGA Championship – Nancy Lopez
 * U.S. Women's Open – Betsy King
 * Classique du Maurier – Tammie Green
 * LPGA Tour money leader – Betsy King – $654,132

Harness racing

 * North America Cup – Goalie Jeff
 * United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
 * Cane Pace – Dancing Master
 * Little Brown Jug – Goalie Jeff
 * Messenger Stakes – Sandman Hanover
 * United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
 * Hambletonian – Park Ave Joe & Probe (dead heat)
 * Yonkers Trot – Valley Victory
 * Kentucky Futurity – Peace Corps
 * Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
 * Pacers: Jodie's Babe
 * Trotters: Yankee Loch

Horse racing
Steeplechases Flat races
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Desert Orchid
 * Grand National – Little Polveir
 * Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Tawrrific
 * Canadian Triple Crown Races:
 * Queen's Plate – With Approval
 * Prince of Wales Stakes – With Approval
 * Breeders' Stakes – With Approval
 * With Approval becomes the first horse to win the Canadian Triple Crown since 1963.
 * France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Carroll House
 * Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Old Vic
 * Japan – Japan Cup won by Horlicks
 * English Triple Crown Races:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Nashwan
 * The Derby – Nashwan
 * St. Leger Stakes – Michelozzo
 * United States Triple Crown Races:
 * May 6 – Kentucky Derby – Sunday Silence
 * Preakness Stakes – Sunday Silence
 * Belmont Stakes – Easy Goer
 * Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
 * Breeders' Cup Classic – Sunday Silence
 * Breeders' Cup Distaff – Bayakoa
 * Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Rhythm
 * Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Go for Wand
 * Breeders' Cup Mile – Steinlen
 * Breeders' Cup Sprint – Dancing Spree
 * Breeders' Cup Turf – Prized

Ice hockey

 * Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins
 * March 22 – St. Louis Blues’ Steve Tuttle slits the jugular vein of Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender Clint Malarchuk, with a total of 300 stitches needed to close the wound thanks to trainer Jim Pizzutelli.
 * Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL’s Most Valuable Player: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
 * Stanley Cup – The Calgary Flames won 4 games to 2 over the Montreal Canadiens. This constitutes the only time that the visiting team won the cup at the Montreal Forum against the Canadiens.
 * World Hockey Championship
 * Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Canada
 * Junior Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden

Lacrosse

 * The Philadelphia Wings defeat the New York Saints to win the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship

Radiosport

 * Second European High Speed Telegraphy Championship held in Hanover, Germany.

Rugby league

 * June 7 – 1989 Panasonic Cup tournament final: Brisbane Broncos 22–20 Illawarra Steelers at Parramatta Stadium
 * June 14 – 1989 State of Origin title is wrapped up by Queensland in Game Two of the three-match series against New South Wales at the Sydney Football Stadium before 40,000.
 * July 23 – first of the 1989–1992 World Cup's twenty tournament matches is won by Australia 22–14 over New Zealand at Mount Smart Stadium before 15,000
 * September 24 – 1989 NSWRL season Grand Final: Canberra Raiders 19–14 Balmain Tigers at Sydney Football Stadium before 40,500.
 * October 4 – 1989 World Club Challenge match is won by Widnes who defeats Canberra Raiders 30–18 at Old Trafford before 30,768

Rugby union

 * 95th Five Nations Championship series is won by France

Snooker

 * World Snooker Championship – Steve Davis beats John Parrott 18–3
 * World rankings – Steve Davis remains world number one for 1989/90

Swimming

 * Third Pan Pacific Championships, held in Tokyo, Japan (August 17 – 20)
 * August 20 – Tom Jager once again regains the world record (22.14) in the 50m freestyle (long course) during 1989 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, with a time of 22.12.

Taekwondo

 * World Championships held in Seoul, South Korea

Tennis

 * Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
 * Australian Open – Ivan Lendl
 * French Open – Michael Chang
 * Wimbledon championships – Boris Becker
 * U.S. Open – Boris Becker
 * Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
 * Australian Open – Steffi Graf
 * French Open – Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
 * Wimbledon championships – Steffi Graf
 * U.S. Open – Steffi Graf
 * Davis Cup – Germany F.R. won 3–2 over Sweden in world tennis.

Triathlon

 * 1989 ITU Triathlon World Championships held in Avignon, France
 * ETU European Championships held in Cascais, Portugal

Volleyball

 * 1989 FIVB Men's World Cup won by Cuba
 * 1989 FIVB Women's World Cup won by Cuba
 * 1989 Men's European Volleyball Championship won by Italy
 * 1989 Women's European Volleyball Championship won by USSR

Water polo

 * Men's Water Polo World Cup won by Yugoslavia
 * Men's European Water Polo Championship won by West Germany
 * Women's European Water Polo Championship won by the Netherlands

Multi-sport events

 * Third World Games held in Karlsruhe, West Germany
 * 15th Summer Universiade held in Duisburg, West Germany
 * Fourteenth Winter Universiade held in Sofia, Bulgaria

Awards

 * Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Joe Montana, National Football League
 * Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Steffi Graf, Tennis
 * Associated Press Male Athlete of the Decade: Wayne Gretzky, National Hockey League