1881 in sports

1881 in sports describes the year's events in world sports. Athletics USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships American football College championship College football national championship – Yale Bulldogs Events Michigan Wolverines is the first "western" team to travel east and play against the established teams at Harvard Crimson, Yale Bulldogs and Princeton Tigers. Association football England FA Cup final – Old Carthusians 3–0 Old Etonians at The Oval in the last final to be played between two southern amateur sides. Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers both change their venues to enclosed grounds where gate money can be charged, an increasing practice among clubs that are openly (or otherwise) professional. Preston North End is founded and plays from the start at Deepdale, which holds the world record for the length of time a venue has been in continuous use by one major league club. Burnley FC founded as Burnley Rovers RUFC which decides in May 1882 to switch codes. The Rovers suffix is dropped two years later and the club renamed as Burnley AFC. Newcastle United, which has a complicated early history, is founded as Stanley FC by a cricket club in the Byker area of Newcastle. France Foundation of FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Ireland Moyola Park F.C. wins the inaugural Irish Cup final Scotland 12 March — Andrew Watson makes his Scotland debut, becoming the world's first black international football player Scottish Cup final – Queen's Park 3–1 Dumbarton at Hampden Park (replay after Dumbarton protests about the original match which Queen's Park has won 2–1)