1987_in_sports References

1987 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Alpine skiing

Alpine Skiing World Cup
- Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland
- Women's overall season champion: Maria Walliser, Switzerland

American football

Super Bowl XXI – the New York Giants (NFC) won 39–20 over the Denver Broncos (AFC)
- Location: Rose Bowl
- Attendance: 101,063
- MVP: Phil Simms, QB (New York)
January 2 – Fiesta Bowl (1986 season):
- The Penn State Nittany Lions won 14–10 over the Miami Hurricanes to win the national championship
Arena football has its demonstration season—its first season— played with four teams.
February 25 – The Southern Methodist University Mustangs football team becomes the first college football program to be given the death penalty by the NCAA Committee on Rules Infractions

Artistic gymnastics

World Artistic Gymnastics Championships –
- Men's all-around champion: Dmitry Bilozerchev, USSR
- Women's all-around champion: Aurelia Dobre, Romania
- Men's team competition champion: USSR
- Women's team competition champion: Romania

Association football

FA Cup final – Coventry City defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3–2
Automatic relegation is introduced from the Football League, with Lincoln City F.C. relegated

Australian rules football

Victorian Football League
- The West Coast Eagles and the Brisbane Bears join the league.
- Carlton wins the 91st VFL Premiership (Carlton 15.14 (104) d Hawthorn 9.17 (71))
- Brownlow Medal awarded to Tony Lockett ( St Kilda) and John Platten (Hawthorn)

Athletics

August–September – 1987 World Championships in Athletics held in Rome

Baseball

January 14 – Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Hunter made his name as the ace of the Oakland A's staff in their championship years and made his fortune as one of the first free agents. Williams set a National League record by playing in 1,117 consecutive games and accumulating 426 home runs and a batting title.
August 3 – Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Niekro is suspended for 10 days for possessing a nail file on the pitcher's mound. Niekro claimed he had been filing his nails in the dugout and put the file in his back pocket when the inning started.
World Series – Minnesota Twins won 4 games to 3 over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Series MVP was Frank Viola, Minnesota
- Lowest regular-season record of any World Series champion (85–77, .525) until 2006 (Cardinals 83–78, .516)
- First World Series game played indoors (Game 1 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome)
- First World Series where the home team won every game

Basketball

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship –
- Indiana won 74–73 over Syracuse
NBA Finals –
- Los Angeles Lakers won 4 games to 2 over the Boston Celtics
National Basketball League (Australia) Finals:
- Brisbane Bullets defeated the Perth Wildcats 2–0 in the best-of-three final series.

Boxing

March 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mike Tyson adds the WBA heavyweight title to his WBC belt when he beats James Smith in a 12-round decision.
April 6 – Sugar Ray Leonard beats Marvin Hagler for boxing's world Middleweight championship.

Canadian football

Grey Cup – Edmonton Eskimos won 38–36 over the Toronto Argonauts
Vanier Cup – McGill Redmen won 47–11 over the UBC Thunderbirds

Cricket

1987 Cricket World Cup – Final: Australia beat England by 7 runs

Cycling

Giro d'Italia won by Stephen Roche of Ireland
Tour de France – Stephen Roche of Ireland
UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race – Stephen Roche of Ireland

Dogsled racing

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion –
- Susan Butcher won with lead dogs: Granite & Mattie

Field hockey

Men's Champions Trophy won by West Germany
Women's Champions Trophy won by the Netherlands
Men's European Nations Cup won by the Netherlands
Women's European Nations Cup won by the Netherlands

Figure skating

World Figure Skating Championship –
- Men's champion: Brian Orser, Canada
- Ladies' champion: Katarina Witt, Germany
- Pair skating champions: Ekaterina Gordeeva / Sergei Grinkov, Soviet Union
- Ice dancing champions: Natalia Bestemianova / Andrei Bukin, Soviet Union

Gaelic Athletic Association

Camogie
- All-Ireland Camogie Champion: Kilkenny
- National Camogie League: Kilkenny
Gaelic football
- All-Ireland Senior Football Championship – Meath 1–14 died Cork 0–11
- National Football League – Dublin 1–11 died Kerry 0–11
Ladies' Gaelic football
- All-Ireland Senior Football Champion: Kerry
- National Football League: Kerry
Hurling
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship – Galway 1–12 died Kilkenny 0–9
- National Hurling League – Galway 3–12 beat Clare 3–10

Golf

Men's professional

Masters Tournament – Larry Mize
U.S. Open – Scott Simpson
British Open – Nick Faldo
PGA Championship – Larry Nelson
PGA Tour money leader – Curtis Strange – $925,941
Senior PGA Tour money leader – Chi Chi Rodriguez – $509,145
Ryder Cup – Europe won 15–13 over the United States in team golf.

Men's amateur

British Amateur – Paul Mayo
U.S. Amateur – Billy Mayfair

Women's professional

Nabisco Dinah Shore – Betsy King
LPGA Championship – Jane Geddes
U.S. Women's Open – Laura Davies
Classique du Maurier Classic – Jody Rosenthal
LPGA Tour money leader – Ayako Okamoto – $466,034

Harness racing

The North America Cup – Runnymede Lobell
United States Pacing Triple Crown races –
- – Cane Pace – Righteous Bucks
- – Little Brown Jug – Jaguar Spur
- – Messenger Stakes – Redskin
United States Trotting Triple Crown races –
- – Hambletonian – Mack Lobell
- – Yonkers Trot – Mack Lobell
- – Kentucky Futurity – Napoletano
Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
- Pacers: Lightning Blue
- Trotters: Tussle

Horse racing

Steeplechases

Cheltenham Gold Cup – The Thinker
Grand National – Maori Venture

Flat races

Australia – Melbourne Cup won by Kensei
Canada – Queen's Plate won by Market Control
France – Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won by Trempolino
Ireland – Irish Derby Stakes won by Sir Harry Lewis
Japan – Japan Cup won by Le Glorieux
English Triple Crown Races:
1. 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Don't Forget Me
2. The Derby – Reference Point^[1]
3. St. Leger Stakes – Reference Point
United States Triple Crown Races:
1. Kentucky Derby – Alysheba
2. Preakness Stakes – Alysheba
3. Belmont Stakes – Bet Twice
Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships:
1. Breeders' Cup Classic – Ferdinand
2. Breeders' Cup Distaff – Sacahuista
3. Breeders' Cup Juvenile – Success Express
4. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies – Epitome
5. Breeders' Cup Mile – Miesque
6. Breeders' Cup Sprint – Very Subtle
7. Breeders' Cup Turf – Theatrical

Ice hockey

Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer during the regular season: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Hart Memorial Trophy for the NHL's Most Valuable Player: Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers
Stanley Cup – Edmonton Oilers won 4 games to 3 over the Philadelphia Flyers
World Hockey Championship –
- Men's champion: Sweden defeated the Soviet Union
- Junior Men's champion: Finland defeated Czechoslovakia after a bench clearing brawl occurred between Canada and the Soviet Union

Lacrosse

Inaugural season of the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (later the National Lacrosse League)
- Championship won by the Baltimore Thunder

Motorsport

Rugby league

Rugby union

93rd Five Nations Championship series is won by France who complete the Grand Slam
Inaugural Rugby Union World Cup is held in Australia and New Zealand. The winners are New Zealand.

Snooker

World Snooker Championship – Steve Davis beats Joe Johnson 18–14
World rankings – Steve Davis remains world number one for 1987/88

Swimming

Tenth Pan American Games held in Indianapolis, United States (August 9 – August 15)
Second Pan Pacific Championships held in Brisbane, Australia (August 13 – August 16)
August 13 – Tom Jager regains the world record from fellow American Matt Biondi (22.33) in the 50m freestyle (long course) at the 1987 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Brisbane, Australia, clocking 22.32.

Taekwondo

World Championships held in Barcelona, Spain

Tennis

Grand Slam in tennis men's results:
- – Australian Open – Stefan Edberg
- – French Open – Ivan Lendl
- – Wimbledon championships – Pat Cash
- – U.S. Open – Ivan Lendl
Grand Slam in tennis women's results:
- – Australian Open – Hana Mandlíková
- – French Open – Steffi Graf
- – Wimbledon championships – Martina Navratilova
- – U.S. Open – Martina Navratilova
Davis Cup
- Sweden defeats India (5–0) in the final

Volleyball

Asia Volleyball Championships won by Japan ( men) and China ( women)
European Volleyball Championships in Ghent, Belgium won by USSR ( men) and DDR ( women)
Pan American Games Volleyball in Indianapolis won by USA (men) and Cuba (women)