1885 in sports

• USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

College championship

• College football national championship – Princeton Tigers

England

• FA Cup final – Blackburn Rovers 2–0 Queen's Park (Glasgow) at The Oval
• 20 July — the Football Association legitimises professionalism
• Millwall FC founded by workers on the Isle of Dogs as Millwall Rovers.
• Southampton FC founded as Southampton St Mary's by members of St Mary's Church YMCA.

Scotland

• Scottish Cup final – Renton 3–1 Vale of Leven at Hampden Park (replay following 0–0 draw)[1]

National championship

• National League v. American Association – Chicago NL ties St Louis A's, 3 games to 3 with one tie.

Events

• The Cuban Giants, composed mainly of African-American players from Philadelphia, is the first black professional baseball team on a reasonably permanent basis. It will sometimes join a league and use a regular home park but more often tour independently.

Events

• 29 August — John L. Sullivan's six round defeat of Dominick McCaffrey in Chester Park, Cincinnati, inaugurates the modern World heavyweight boxing championship under Queensberry Rules.[2] The bout is described as being "to decide the Marquess of Queensberry glove contest for the championship of the world". Sullivan will hold the title until 1892.[3]
• World Middleweight Champion Jack (Nonpareil) Dempsey defeats 12 challengers during the year, most of them by knockouts.[4]
• Future World Heavyweight Champion James J. Corbett is the most successful amateur boxer on America's Pacific Coast and takes part in an exhibition bout with Dempsey.[5]

Lineal world champions[6]

• World Heavyweight Championship – John L. Sullivan
• World Middleweight Championship – Jack Nonpareil Dempsey

Events

• Nottinghamshire wins the county championship title for a third successive season

England

• Champion County[7] – Nottinghamshire
• Most runs – Walter Read 1,880 @ 44.76 (HS 163)
• Most wickets – George Lohmann 142 @ 14.36 (BB 8–18)

Australia

• Most runs – Billy Barnes 520 @ 43.33 (HS 134)
• Most wickets – Bobby Peel 35 @ 19.22 (BB 7–27)

Events

• Inaugural British Amateur Championship held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club

Major tournaments

• British Open – Bob Martin

Other tournaments

• British Amateur – Allen MacFie

England

• Grand National – Roquefort
• 1,000 Guineas Stakes – Farewell
• 2,000 Guineas Stakes – Paradox
• The Derby – Melton
• The Oaks – Lonely
• St. Leger Stakes – Melton

Australia

• Melbourne Cup – Sheet Anchor

Canada

• Queen's Plate – Willie W.

Ireland

• Irish Grand National – Billet Doux
• Irish Derby Stakes – St. Kevin

USA

• Kentucky Derby – Joe Cotton
• Preakness Stakes – Tecumseh
• Belmont Stakes – Tyrant

Events

• 31 January — the Montreal Hockey Club defeats the McGill University 1–0 to win the 1885 Montreal Winter Carnival Ice Hockey Tournament

The Boat Race

• 28 March — Oxford wins the 42nd Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

Home Nations Championship

• The 3rd series of the Home Nations Championship is not completed

Other events

• Establishment of London Welsh RFC and Connacht Rugby

Norway

• 1885 speed skating race at Frognerkilen

England

• Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship – William Renshaw (GB) defeats Herbert Lawford (GB) 7–5 6–2 4–6 7–5
• Wimbledon Women's Singles Championship – Maud Watson (GB) defeats Blanche Bingley (GB) 6–1 7–5

USA

• American Men's Singles Championship – Richard D. Sears (USA) defeats Godfrey M. Brinley (USA) 6–3 4–6 6–0 6–3
• The 9th pre-open era Men's Tennis tour gets underway 54 tournaments are staged this year the tour runs from 2 April to 12 October 1885.

America's Cup

• The New York Yacht Club retains the America's Cup as Puritan defeats British challenger Genesta, of the Royal Yacht Squadron, 2 races to 0