Men's overall season champion: Pirmin Zurbriggen, Switzerland
American football
January 1 Sugar Bowl (1989 season)
The Miami Hurricanes won 33-25 over the Alabama Crimson Tide to win the national championship
January 28 - Super Bowl XXIV - San Francisco 49ers won 55-10 over the Denver Broncos
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 Championships in Athletics 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) d 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 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
Detroit Pistons win four games to one over the Portland Trail Blazers
National Basketball League (Australia) Finals
Perth Wildcats defeated the Brisbane Bullets 2-1 in the best-of-three final series.
Events
Erica Jiles AkA All-City of Indianapolis, Indiana
UNLV wins the NCAA Men's Division I championship
Yugoslavia wins the FIBA World Championship.
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 31 – 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, PR 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 World Cup held in Lahore won by the Netherlands
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 –
Golf
Men'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
Men's amateur
British Amateur - Rolf Muntz
U.S. Amateur - Phil Mickelson
European Amateur - Klas Erikson
Women's professional
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 -
Kentucky Futurity - Star Mystic
Australian Inter Dominion Harness Racing Championship –
Pacers: Thorate
Trotters: Real Force
Horse racing
Steeplechases
Cheltenham Gold Cup – Norton's Coin
Grand National – Mr Frisk
Flat races
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
Epsom 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 Memorial 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 Championship
Men's champion: Soviet Union defeated Sweden
Junior Men's champion: Canada defeated russia
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.
Motor racing
Stock car racing –
Derrike Cope won the Daytona 500
NASCAR Championship - Dale Earnhardt
CART Racing - Al Unser, Jr. won the season championship
Indianapolis 500 - Arie Luyendyk of the Netherlands
Formula One Championship - Ayrton Senna of Brazil
24 hours of Le Mans –
won by the team of John Nielsen / Price Cobb / Martin Brundle driving a Jaguar XJR-12.
Rally racing - Carlos Sainz in a Toyota won the World Rally Championship
the team of Didier Auriol/Bernard Occelli won the Monte Carlo Rally driving a Lancia Delta HF Integrale
Drag racing - Joe Amato won the NHRA "Top Fuel" championship.
Radiosport
The first World Radiosport Team Championship held in Seattle, Washington, US 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.
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
US 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
Commonwealth Games held in Auckland
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
