1990 in sports

1990 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

 * Alpine Skiing World Cup
 * Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland

American football

 * Super Bowl XXIV – the San Francisco 49ers (NFC) won 55–10 over the Denver Broncos (AFC)
 * Location: Superdome
 * Attendance: 72,919
 * MVP: Joe Montana, QB (San Francisco)
 * Sugar Bowl (1989 season):
 * The Miami Hurricanes won 33–25 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the national championship
 * November 11 – Derrick Thomas has 7 sacks for Kansas City Chiefs against Seattle Seahawks.

Association football

 * West Germany won the Football World Cup in Rome, Italy, defeating defending champion Argentina 1–0 in the final.
 * Ecuador – Ecuadorian Serie A Champions: Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito

Athletics

 * 1990 Commonwealth Games held in Auckland, New Zealand
 * 1990 European Athletics Championships held in Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia

Australian rules football

 * Australian Football League
 * The Victorian Football League is renamed the Australian Football League
 * Collingwood wins the 94th AFL premiership (Collingwood 13.11 (89) to Essendon 5.11 (41))
 * Brownlow Medal awarded to Tony Liberatore (Footscray)

Baseball

 * March 17 – Taiwan Professional Baseball League, a first official game held.
 * June 11 – Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitched a no-hitter, his 6th, against the Oakland Athletics.
 * The Cincinnati Reds sweep the Oakland A's in the World Series.
 * Ira Smith becomes the first player in NCAA history to win consecutive batting titles after hitting .519 with the Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks.

Basketball
NBA Finals National Basketball League (Australia) Finals Events
 * Detroit Pistons win four games to one over the Portland Trail Blazers
 * Perth Wildcats defeated the Brisbane Bullets 2–1 in the best-of-three final series.
 * UNLV wins the NCAA Division I Men's championship
 * Yugoslavia wins the FIBA World Championship.
 * March 4 – American player Hank Gathers died after collapsing during the semifinals of a West Coast Conference tournament game.

Boxing

 * February 11 – Buster Douglas defeated Mike Tyson by a knockout in round 10 to win the world's unified Heavyweight title, in what many consider boxing's biggest upset ever.
 * March 17 – Thunder Meets Lightning: Julio César Chávez defeated Meldrick Taylor to unify boxing's world junior welterweight title
 * September 22 to October 7 – Asian Games held in Beijing, China
 * November 24 to December 3 – Central American and Caribbean Games held in Mexico City

Canadian football

 * Grey Cup – Winnipeg Blue Bombers 50–11 over the Edmonton Eskimos
 * Vanier Cup – Saskatchewan Huskies win 24–21 over the St. Mary's Huskies

Cycling

 * Giro d'Italia won by Gianni Bugno of Italy
 * Tour de France – Greg LeMond of the United States
 * UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Rudy Dhaenens of Belgium

Dogsled racing

 * Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion –
 * Susan Butcher won with lead dogs: Sluggo & Lightning

Darts

 * Phil Taylor (darts player) wins his first world title

Field hockey

 * Men's Champions Trophy held in Melbourne won by Australia
 * Women's World Cup held in Sydney won by the Netherlands

Figure skating

 * World Figure Skating Championships –
 * Men's champion: Kurt Browning, Canada
 * Ladies' champion: Jill Trenary, United States
 * 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 0-11 died Meath 0-9
 * National Football League – Meath 2-7 died Down 0-11
 * Ladies' Gaelic football
 * All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
 * National Football League: Kerry
 * Hurling
 * All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Cork 5-15 died Galway 2-21
 * National Hurling League – Kilkenny 0–19 beat New York 0–9

Golf
Men's professional Men's amateur Women's professional
 * Masters tournament – Nick Faldo
 * U.S. Open – Hale Irwin
 * British Open – Nick Faldo
 * PGA Championship – Wayne Grady
 * PGA Tour money leader – Greg Norman – $1,165,477
 * Senior PGA Tour money leader – Lee Trevino – $1,190,518
 * British Amateur – Rolf Muntz
 * U.S. Amateur – Phil Mickelson
 * European Amateur – Klas Erikson
 * Nabisco Dinah Shore – Betsy King
 * U.S. Women's Open – Betsy King
 * LPGA Championship – Beth Daniel
 * Classique du Maurier – Cathy Johnston-Forbes
 * LPGA Tour money leader – Beth Daniel – $863,578
 * The inaugural Solheim Cup match was won by the United States who beat Europe 11½ – 4½

Harness racing

 * North America Cup – Apaches Fame
 * United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
 * Cane Pace – Jake And Elwood
 * Little Brown Jug – Beach Towel
 * Messenger Stakes – Jake And Elwood
 * United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
 * Hambletonian – Harmonious
 * Yonkers Trot - Royal Troubador
 * Kentucky Futurity – Star Mystic
 * Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
 * Pacers: Thorate
 * Trotters: Real Force

Horse racing
Steeplechases Flat races
 * Cheltenham Gold Cup – Norton's Coin
 * Grand National – Mr Frisk
 * Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Kingston Rule
 * Canadian Triple Crown Races:
 * Queen's Plate – Izvestia
 * Prince of Wales Stakes – Izvestia
 * Breeders' Stakes – Izvestia
 * For the second straight year, a horse sweeps the series.
 * France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Saumarez
 * Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Salsabil
 * Japan – Japan Cup won by Better Loosen Up
 * English Triple Crown Races:
 * 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Tirol
 * The Derby – Quest for Fame
 * St. Leger Stakes – Snurge
 * United States Triple Crown Races:
 * Kentucky Derby – Unbridled
 * Preakness Stakes – Summer Squall
 * Belmont Stakes – Go and Go
 * Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
 * Breeders' Cup Classic – Unbridled
 * Breeders' Cup Distaff – Bayakoa
 * Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Fly So Free
 * Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Meadow Star
 * Breeders' Cup Mile – Royal Academy
 * Breeders' Cup Sprint – Safely Kept
 * Breeders' Cup Turf – In the Wings

Ice hockey

 * Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles Kings
 * Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Mark Messier, Edmonton Oilers
 * Stanley Cup – Edmonton Oilers won 4 games to 1 over the Boston Bruins
 * World Hockey Championships
 * Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
 * Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated Soviet Union
 * Women's champion: in the inaugural event, Canada defeated United States

Lacrosse

 * The 6th World Lacrosse Championship is held in Perth, Australia. The United States win, and Canada is the runner-up.
 * The Philadelphia Wings beat the New England Blazers 17–7 in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League Championship.
 * The Brooklin Redmen win the Mann Cup.
 * Orangeville wins the Founders Cup.
 * The St. Catharines Athletics win the Minto Cup.

Radiosport

 * The first World Radiosport Team Championship held in Seattle, United States Gold medals won by John Dorr K1AR and Doug Grant K1DG of the United States.
 * Fifth Amateur Radio Direction Finding World Championship held in Štrbské Pleso, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

Rugby league

 * 1990–91 French Championship season
 * 1990 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France
 * 1990 New Zealand rugby league season
 * 1990 NSWRL season
 * 1990 Pacific Cup
 * 1989–90 Rugby Football League season / 1990–91 Rugby Football League season
 * 1990 State of Origin series
 * 1989–1992 Rugby League World Cup

Rugby union

 * 96th Five Nations Championship series is won by Scotland who complete the Grand Slam

Snooker

 * World Snooker Championship – Stephen Hendry beats Jimmy White 18-12
 * World rankings – Stephen Hendry becomes world number one for 1990/91

Swimming

 * March 24 – Tom Jager betters his own world record (22.12) in the 50m freestyle (long course) twice at a swimming meet in Nashville, Tennessee, swimming 21.98 in the heats and 21.81 in the final.

Tennis

 * Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
 * Australian Open – Ivan Lendl
 * French Open – Andrés Gómez
 * Wimbledon championships – Stefan Edberg
 * US Open – Pete Sampras
 * Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
 * Australian Open – Steffi Graf
 * French Open – Monica Seles
 * Wimbledon championships – Martina Navratilova
 * U.S. Open – Gabriela Sabatini
 * Davis Cup – United States won 3–2 over Australia in world tennis.

Triathlon

 * ITU World Championships held in Orlando, United States
 * ETU European Championships held in Linz, Austria

Volleyball

 * FIVB World League 1990 held in Osaka, Japan won by Italy
 * 1990 FIVB Men's World Championship held in Rio de Janeiro won by Italy
 * 1990 FIVB Women's World Championship held in Beijing won by USSR

Multi-sport events

 * Asian Games held in Beijing, China
 * Winter Asian Games held in Sapporo, Japan
 * Central American and Caribbean Games held in Mexico City, Mexico
 * 1990 Commonwealth Games held in Auckland, New Zealand
 * Summer Goodwill Games held in Seattle, United States

Awards

 * Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year – Joe Montana, National Football League
 * Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year – Beth Daniel, LPGA golf
 * BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year – Mal Meninga, Australian rugby league footballer
 * Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year - Joe Montana, National Football League