1888 in Sport

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Events in Sport

  • Feb 22 John Reid of Scotland demonstrates golf to Americans (Yonkers NY)
  • Feb 22 “Father of American Golf” John Reid 1st demonstrates golf on a Yonkers cow pasture to friends
  • Mar 10 Heavyweight Boxing champ John L Sullivan draws Charlie Mitchell in 30 rounds
  • Mar 23 50th Grand National: George Mawson aboard Playfair wins
  • Apr 1 Soccer team Sparta forms in Rotterdam
  • May 11 16th Preakness: F Littlefield aboard Refund wins in 2:49
  • May 14 14th Kentucky Derby: George Covington aboard MacBeth II wins in 2:38.00
  • Jun 9 22nd Belmont: Jim McLaughlin aboard Sir Dixon wins in 2:40.25
  • Jun 15 2nd U.S. Women's National Championship: Bertha Townsend beats Ellen Hansell (6-3, 6-5)
  • Jul 16 5th Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Lottie Dod beats Blanche Bingley (6-3 6-3)
  • Jul 16 12th Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Ernest Renshaw beats H Lawford (6-3 7-5 6-0)

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Aug 10 NY Giant pitcher Tim Keefe sets a 19 game win streak record

Major League Baseball Pitcher Tim Keefe
Major League Baseball Pitcher
Tim Keefe
  • Aug 20 Longest US men's single tennis tournament match Palmer Presbrey defeats T S Tailer, 19-21, 8-6, 6-1, 6-4, an 80 game 1st-round contest
  • Aug 28 8th U.S. Men's National Championship: Henry Slocum beats Howard Taylor (6-4, 6-1, 6-0)
  • Oct 3 New Zealand Natives, a privately organised and mainly Māori rugby team, plays first game in UK; the first national rugby team to wear the silver fern
  • Oct 8 28th British Golf Open: Jack Burns shoots a 171 at St Andrews
  • Oct 20 Chicago & All America baseball teams play exhibition in Auckland, NZ
  • Oct 31 Scottish vet John Boyd Dunlop patents pneumatic bicycle tyre
  • Nov 14 St Andrews Golf Club, Yonkers NY, opens with just 6 holes
  • Dec 22 Heavyweight boxing champ John L Sullivan challenges Jake Kilrain
  • Dec 25 1st indoor baseball game played at fairgrounds in Philadelphia

Birthdays in Sport

  • Jan 4 Arthur Berry, England, soccer player (Olympic gold 1908, 12)
  • Feb 2 Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
  • Mar 1 Ewart Astill, English cricketer (d. 1948)
  • Mar 4 Knute Rockne, Norwegian/US football player/coach (Notre Dame)
  • Mar 4 Jeff Pfeffer, American professional baseball pitcher (d. 1972)
  • Mar 19 Léon Scieur, Belgian cyclist (d. 1969)
  • Apr 3 Neville Cardus, English writer and cricketer, born in Rusholme, Manchester, England (d. 1975)
  • Apr 4 Tris Speaker, American baseball player, hit more doubles than Pete Rose, born in Hubbard, Texas (d. 1958)
  • Apr 18 Duffy Lewis, American baseball player (d. 1979)
  • May 17 A P "Tich" Freeman, cricket leg-spinner (legend for Kent & England)
  • May 23 Zack Wheat, American baseball player (d. 1972)

Person of interestJim Thorpe

May 28 Jim Thorpe, versatile American athlete (Olympic gold-1912), born in Prague, Oklahoma (d. 1953)

Versatile Athlete Jim Thorpe
Versatile Athlete
Jim Thorpe
  • Jun 28 George Challenor, cricketer (pioneering West Indian batsman)
  • Jul 6 Annette Kellerman, Australian swimmer (Million Dollar Mermaid), born in Sydney, New South Wales
  • Jul 10 Graham McNamee, early sportscaster (1st Rose Bowl), born in Washington D. C. (d. 1942)
  • Jul 24 Arthur Richardson, Australian cricket batsman (20's)
  • Jul 28 Sidney Pegler, South African cricket leg spinner (16 Tests), (d. 1972)
  • Sep 15 Antonio Ascari, Italian racing driver (d. 1925)
  • Oct 4 Oscar Mathisen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 1954)
  • Oct 30 Konstantinos Tsiklitiras, Greek Olympic champion (d. 1913)
  • Dec 20 Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (d. 1958)