TODAY'S EVENTS IN SPORTS HISTORY 2024

• JAN 1
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• 1838 1st official horse race in South Australia-Adelaide
• 1902 1st Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Michigan beats Stanford, 49-0; MVP: Neil Snow, Michigan, FB
• 1907 Joe Gans lands a devastating right to the head of Canadian challenger Kid Herman to retain his world lightweight boxing title with an 8th round knockout in Tonopah, Nevada

Jack Hobbs Debut

1908 Jack Hobbs makes his international debut in England's 2nd Test win over Australia at the MCG, scoring 83 and 28 in his two innings. Goes onto become the leading run scorer and century maker in 1st-class cricket history.


CricketerJack Hobbs

• 1909 American Robert Fowler runs then world record marathon (2:52:45.4) at Yonkers, NY
• 1910 England cricket underhand bowler George Simpson-Hayward takes 6-43 on debut with underarm lobs in 1st Test against South Africa in Johannesburg; SA wins by 19 runs
• 1913 Australasian Championships Men's Tennis, Hastings, NZ: Irishman James Cecil Parke beats Alfred Beamish of England 3-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5
• 1916 2nd Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Washington State beats Brown, 14-0; MVP: Carl Dietz, Washington State
• 1917 3rd Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Oregon beats Pennsylvania, 14-0; MVP: John Beckett, Oregon
• 1918 4th Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Mare Island, USMC beats Camp Lewis, US Army, 19-7; MVP: Hollis Huntington, USMC

US Navy Beats Mare Island
1919 5th Rose Bowl, Tournament Park, Pasadena, California: Great Lakes, US Navy beats Mare Island, USMC, 17-0; MVP: George Halas, US Navy


American Football Coach and Team OwnerGeorge Halas

• 1920 6th Rose Bowl: Harvard beats Oregon 7-6
• 1921 7th Rose Bowl: California beats Ohio State 28-0
• 1923 9th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats Penn State, 14-3
• 1924 10th Rose Bowl: Washington ties Navy, 14-14
• 1925 11th Rose Bowl: Notre Dame beats Stanford, 27-10

Ponsford 1st Double Test Century
1925 Australian cricketer Bill Ponsford becomes the first batsman to score a century in each of his first 2 Tests when he hits 128 against England in the 2nd Test in Melbourne; Australia wins by 81 runs


CricketerBill Ponsford

• 1926 12th Rose Bowl: Alabama beats Washington, 20-19
• 1927 13th Rose Bowl: Stanford ties Alabama, 7-7
• 1927 Brooklyn announces release of future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Zack Wheat after 18 consecutive seasons with Robins; Wheat hits .324 in final season with Philadelphia A's
• 1929 15th Rose Bowl: Georgia Tech beats California, 8-7 (Roy Riegels runs 60 yds the wrong way with fumble recovery)
• 1930 16th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats Pittsburgh, 47-11
• 1931 17th Rose Bowl: Alabama beats Washington State, 24-0
• 1932 18th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats Tulane, 21-12
• 1934 20th Rose Bowl: Columbia beats Stanford, 7-0
• 1935 1st Orange Bowl: Bucknell beats Miami (FL), 26-0
• 1935 1st Sugar Bowl: Tulane beats Temple, 20-14
• 1935 21st Rose Bowl: Alabama beats Stanford, 29-13
• 1936 22nd Rose Bowl: Stanford beats SMU, 7-0
• 1936 2nd Orange Bowl: Catholic University beats Mississippi, 20-19
• 1936 2nd Sugar Bowl: TCU beats LSU, 3-2
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• 1937 23rd Rose Bowl: #3 Pittsburgh beats #5 Washington, 21-0
• 1937 3rd Orange Bowl: #14 Duquesne beats Mississippi State, 13-12
• 1937 3rd Sugar Bowl: Santa Clara beats LSU, 21-14
• 1938 24th Rose Bowl: #2 California beats #4 Alabama, 13-0
• 1938 4th Orange Bowl: Auburn beats Michigan State, 6-0
• 1938 4th Sugar Bowl: Santa Clara beats LSU, 6-0
• 1939 25th Rose Bowl: #7 Southern California beats #3 Duke, 7-3
• 1940 26th Rose Bowl: #3 Southern California beats #2 Tennessee, 14-0
• 1940 6th Orange Bowl: #16 Georgia Tech beats #6 Missouri, 21-7
• 1940 6th Sugar Bowl: #1 Texas A&M beats #5 Tulane, 14-13
• 1941 27th Rose Bowl: #2 Stanford beats #7 Nebraska, 21-13
• 1941 7th Orange Bowl: #9 Mississippi State beats #13 Georgetown, 14-7
• 1941 7th Sugar Bowl: #4 Boston College beats #6 Tennessee, 19-13
• 1942 28th Rose Bowl: #12 Oregon State beats #2 Duke, 20-16 (played in North Carolina due to Japanese threat)
• 1942 8th Orange Bowl: #14 Georgia beats TCU, 40-26
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• 1942 8th Sugar Bowl: #6 Fordham beats #7 Missouri, 2-0
• 1943 29th Rose Bowl: #2 Georgia beats #13 UCLA, 9-0
• 1943 9th Orange Bowl: #10 Alabama beats #8 Boston College, 37-21
• 1943 9th Sugar Bowl: #7 Tennessee beats #4 Tulsa, 14-7
• 1943 Chicago Black Hawks field first trio of brothers to play together in an NHL game; Max, Doug and Reggie Bentley appear for the Hawks in a 6-5 win over the New York Rangers at Chicago Stadium

Josh Gibson Hospitalized
1943 Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown; admitted to hospital for rest and treatment; released in time for pre-season training


Negro League Baseball LegendJosh Gibson

• 1944 10th Orange Bowl: LSU beats Texas A&M, 19-14
• 1944 10th Sugar Bowl: Georgia Tech beats Tulsa, 20-18
• 1944 30th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats #12 Washington, 29-0
• 1945 11th Orange Bowl: Tulsa beats #13 Georgia Tech, 26-12
• 1945 11th Sugar Bowl: #11 Duke beats Alabama, 29-26
• 1945 31st Rose Bowl: #7 Southern California beats #12 Tennessee, 25-0
• 1946 12th Orange Bowl: Miami (FL) beats #16 Holy Cross, 13-6
• 1946 12th Sugar Bowl: #5 Oklahoma State beats #7 Saint Mary's (CA), 33-13
• 1946 32nd Rose Bowl: #2 Alabama beats #11 Southern California, 34-14
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• 1947 13th Orange Bowl: #10 Rice beats #7 Tennessee, 8-0
• 1947 13th Sugar Bowl: #3 Georgia beats #9 North Carolina, 20-10
• 1947 33rd Rose Bowl: #5 Illinois beats #4 UCLA, 45-14
• 1948 14th Orange Bowl: #10 Georgia Tech beats #12 Kansas, 20-14
• 1948 14th Sugar Bowl: #5 Texas beats #6 Alabama, 27-7
• 1948 34th Rose Bowl: #2 Michigan beats #8 Southern California, 49-0

Bradman Century Against India
1948 Australian cricket master batsman Don Bradman scores 132 on first day of 3rd Test v India; follows up with 127no in 2nd innings; Australia wins by 233


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1949 15th Orange Bowl: Texas beats #8 Georgia, 41-28
• 1949 15th Sugar Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #3 North Carolina, 14-6
• 1949 35th Rose Bowl: #7 Northwestern beats #4 California, 20-14
• 1949 Arguably cricket's greatest ever batsman, ex-Australian captain Don Bradman is knighted; first time a cricketer is bestowed with the honour solely for his contribution to the game
• 1951 17th Orange Bowl: #10 Clemson beats #15 Miami (FL), 15-14
• 1951 17th Sugar Bowl: #7 Kentucky beats #1 Oklahoma, 13-7
• 1951 37th Rose Bowl: #9 Michigan beats #5 California, 14-6
• 1952 18th Orange Bowl: #6 Georgia Tech beats #9 Baylor, 17-14
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• 1952 18th Sugar Bowl: #3 Maryland beats #1 Tennessee, 28-13
• 1952 38th Rose Bowl: #4 Illinois beats #7 Stanford, 40-7
• 1953 19th Orange Bowl: #9 Alabama beats #14 Syracuse, 61-6
• 1953 19th Sugar Bowl: #2 Georgia Tech beats #7 Mississippi, 24-7
• 1953 39th Rose Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #11 Wisconsin, 7-0
• 1954 20th Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma beats #1 Maryland, 7-0
• 1954 20th Sugar Bowl: #8 Georgia Tech beats #10 West Virginia, 42-19
• 1954 40th Rose Bowl: #3 Michigan State beats #5 UCLA, 28-20
• 1954 Rose & Cotton Bowl are 1st sport colorcasts
• 1955 21st Orange Bowl: #14 Duke beats Nebraska, 34-7
• 1955 21st Sugar Bowl: #5 Navy beats #6 Mississippi, 21-0
• 1955 41st Rose Bowl: #1 Ohio State beats #17 Southern California, 20-7
• 1957 23rd Orange Bowl: #20 Colorado beats #19 Clemson, 27-21
• 1957 23rd Sugar Bowl: #11 Baylor beats #2 Tennessee, 13-7
• 1957 43rd Rose Bowl: #3 Iowa beats #10 Oregon State, 35-19
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• 1958 24th Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma beats #16 Duke, 48-21
• 1958 24th Sugar Bowl: #7 Mississippi beats #11 Texas, 39-7
• 1958 44th Rose Bowl: #2 Ohio State beats Oregon, 10-7
• 1959 25th Orange Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #9 Syracuse, 21-6
• 1959 25th Sugar Bowl: #1 LSU beats #12 Clemson, 7-0
• 1959 45th Rose Bowl: #2 Iowa beats #16 California, 38-12
• 1960 26th Orange Bowl: #5 Georgia beats #18 Missouri, 14-0
• 1960 26th Sugar Bowl: #2 Mississippi beats #3 LSU, 21-0
• 1960 46th Rose Bowl: #8 Washington beats #6 Wisconsin, 44-8

Oilers Defeat Chargers
1961 1st AFL Championship, Jeppesen Stadium, Houston; Houston Oilers beat Los Angeles Chargers, 24-16; QB George Blanda 3 TD passes, 3 conversions and a field goal


NFL Quarterback and PlacekickerGeorge Blanda

• 1961 Briggs Stadium, home of baseball's Detroit Tigers is officially renamed Tigers Stadium
• 1962 28th Orange Bowl: #4 LSU beats #7 Colorado, 25-7
• 1962 28th Sugar Bowl: #1 Alabama beats #9 Arkansas, 10-3`
• 1962 48th Rose Bowl: #6 Minnesota beats #16 UCLA, 21-3
• 1963 29th Orange Bowl: #5 Alabama beats #8 Oklahoma, 17-0
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• 1963 29th Sugar Bowl: #3 Mississippi beats #6 Arkansas, 17-13
• 1963 49th Rose Bowl: #1 Southern California beats #2 Wisconsin, 42-37
• 1964 30th Orange Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #5 Auburn, 13-7
• 1964 30th Sugar Bowl: #8 Alabama beats #7 Mississippi, 12-7
• 1964 50th Rose Bowl: #3 Illinois beats Washington, 17-7
• 1965 31st Orange Bowl: #5 Texas beats #1 Alabama, 21-17
• 1965 31st Sugar Bowl: #7 LSU beats Syracuse, 13-10
• 1965 49 year old former England international soccer forward Stanley Matthews becomes only player to be awarded a knighthood while still playing (Stoke City)
• 1965 51st Rose Bowl: #4 Michigan beats #8 Oregon State, 34-7
• 1966 32nd Orange Bowl: #4 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 39-28
• 1966 32nd Sugar Bowl: #6 Missouri beats Florida, 20-18
• 1966 52nd Rose Bowl: #5 UCLA beats #1 Michigan State, 14-12
• 1967 AFL Championship, War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo: Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo Bills, 31-7; QB Len Dawson passes for 2 TDs, RB Mike Garrett runs for 2 TDs
• 1967 Canadian Amateur Football Association formally becomes successor to Canadian Rugby Football Union; turns over the Grey Cup trophy to the CFL
• 1967 NFL Championship, Cotton Bowl, Dallas: Green Bay Packers beat Dallas Cowboys, 34-27
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• 1967 Second day's play in Calcutta 2nd cricket Test, India v W Indies is cancelled by riots; ticket holders denied access starts trouble outside ground; escalates with fires in stands and pitch damage; WI win by 45
• 1968 34th Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #2 Tennessee, 26-24
• 1968 34th Sugar Bowl: LSU beats #5 Wyoming, 20-13
• 1968 54th Rose Bowl: #1 Southern California beats #4 Indiana, 14-3
• 1969 35th Orange Bowl: #3 Penn State beats #6 Kansas, 15-14
• 1969 35th Sugar Bowl: #9 Arkansas beats #4 Georgia, 16-2
• 1969 55th Rose Bowl: #1 Ohio State beats #2 Southern California, 27-16
• 1969 Jack Kent Cooke, owner of NHL's LA Kings, fines each player $100 for "NOT" arguing with the referee
• 1970 36th Orange Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #6 Missouri, 10-3
• 1970 36th Sugar Bowl: #13 Mississippi beats #3 Arkansas, 27-22
• 1970 56th Rose Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #7 Michigan, 10-3
• 1970 Charles "Chub" Feeney becomes president of baseball's National League
• 1971 37th Orange Bowl: #3 Nebraska beats #5 LSU, 17-12
• 1971 37th Sugar Bowl: #4 Tennessee beats #11 Air Force, 34-13
• 1971 57th Rose Bowl: #12 Stanford beats #2 Ohio State, 27-17
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• 1972 38th Orange Bowl: #1 Nebraska beats #2 Alabama, 38-6
• 1972 38th Sugar Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #5 Auburn, 40-22
• 1972 58th Rose Bowl: #16 Stanford beats #4 Michigan, 13-12
• 1973 39th Orange Bowl: #9 Nebraska beats #12 Notre Dame, 40-6
• 1973 59th Rose Bowl: #1 Southern California beats #3 Ohio State, 42-17

Newcombe Defeats Parun
1973 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Home favourite John Newcombe beats Onny Parun of New Zealand 6-3, 6-7, 7-5, 6-1 for his first Australian title


Tennis PlayerJohn Newcombe

• 1974 40th Orange Bowl: #6 Penn State beats #13 LSU, 16-9
• 1974 60th Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #7 Southern California, 42-21

Connors Wins Over Dent
1974 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Jimmy Connors wins his only Australian title; beats home favourite Phil Dent 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3


Tennis LegendJimmy Connors

• 1974 Ernie DiGregorio of Buffalo hands out 25 assists in the Braves' 120-119 win over Portland, establishing an NBA single-game record for assists by a rookie

Lee MacPhail
1974 Lee MacPhail takes over as AL president, succeeding Joe Cronin


Baseball Player and ManagerJoe Cronin

• 1975 41st Orange Bowl: #9 Notre Dame beats #2 Alabama, 13-11
• 1975 61st Rose Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #3 Ohio State, 18-17
• 1975 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Home favourite John Newcombe wins 7th and last career Grand Slam singles title; beats Jimmy Connors of the US 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6
• 1976 42nd Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #5 Michigan, 14-6

Paul Brown Retires
1976 After 45 years of coaching, Paul Brown (Cleveland Browns; Cincinnati Bengals) announces his retirement from the National Football League


American Football CoachPaul Brown

• 1977 43rd Orange Bowl: #11 Ohio State beats #12 Colorado, 27-10
• 1977 43rd Sugar Bowl: #1 Pittsburgh beats #4 Georgia, 27-3; Tony Dorsett runs for record 202 yards
• 1977 63rd Rose Bowl: #3 Southern California beats #2 Michigan, 14-6

Broncos Beat Raiders
1978 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Oakland Raiders, 20-17


NFL Coach and SportscasterJohn Madden

• 1978 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-6
• 1979 45th Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma beats #6 Nebraska, 31-24
• 1979 45th Sugar Bowl: #2 Alabama beats #1 Penn State, 14-7
• 1979 65th Rose Bowl: #3 Southern California beats #5 Michigan, 17-10
• 1979 John Y. Brown attends his first game as owner of the Boston Celtics NBA franchise after trading the Buffalo Braves to previous Celtics owner, Irving H. Levin
• 1980 46th Orange Bowl: #5 Oklahoma beats #4 Florida State, 24-7
• 1980 46th Sugar Bowl: #2 Alabama beats #6 Arkansas, 24-9
• 1980 66th Rose Bowl: #3 Southern California beats #1 Ohio State, 17-16
• 1980 Australian Open Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Barbara Jordan wins her first and only Grand Slam singles title; beats Sharon Walsh 6-3, 6-3
• 1981 47th Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma beats #2 Florida State, 18-17
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• 1981 47th Sugar Bowl: #1 Georgia beats #7 Notre Dame, 17-10
• 1981 67th Rose Bowl: #5 Michigan beats #16 Washington, 23-6
• 1982 11th Fiesta Bowl: #7 Penn State beats #8 Southern California, 26-10
• 1982 48th Orange Bowl: #1 Clemson beats #4 Nebraska, 22-15
• 1982 48th Sugar Bowl: #10 Pittsburgh beats #2 Georgia, 24-20
• 1982 68th Rose Bowl: #12 Washington beats #13 Iowa, 28-0
• 1983 12th Fiesta Bowl: #11 Arizona State beats #12 Oklahoma, 32-21
• 1983 49th Orange Bowl: #3 Nebraska beats #13 LSU, 21-20
• 1983 49th Sugar Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #1 Georgia, 27-23
• 1983 69th Rose Bowl: #5 UCLA beats #19 Michigan, 24-14
• 1983 PGA inaugurates all-exempt tour
• 1985 14th Fiesta Bowl: #14 UCLA beats #13 Miami, 39-37
• 1985 51st Orange Bowl: #4 Washington beats #2 Oklahoma, 28-17
• 1985 51st Sugar Bowl: #5 Nebraska beats #11 LSU, 28-10
• 1985 71st Rose Bowl: #18 Southern California beats #6 Ohio State, 20-17
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• 1986 15th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Michigan beats #7 Nebraska, 27-23
• 1986 52nd Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #1 Penn State, 25-10
• 1986 52nd Sugar Bowl: #8 Tennessee beats #2 Miami, 35-7
• 1986 72nd Rose Bowl: #13 UCLA beats #4 Iowa, 45-28; Iowa's All-American running back, Ronnie Harmon, fumbles the ball 4 times in his last game.
• 1987 53rd Orange Bowl: #3 Oklahoma beats #9 Arkansas, 42-8
• 1987 53rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Nebraska beats #5 LSU, 30-15
• 1987 73rd Rose Bowl: #7 Arizona State beats #4 Michigan, 22-15
• 1988 17th Fiesta Bowl: #3 Florida State beats #5 Nebraska, 31-28
• 1988 54th Orange Bowl: #2 Miami (FL) beats #1 Oklahoma, 20-14
• 1988 54th Sugar Bowl: #4 Syracuse ties #6 Auburn, 16-16
• 1988 74th Rose Bowl: #8 Michigan State beats #16 Southern California, 20-17
• 1988 Czech born tennis star Hana Mandikova becomes an Australian Citizen
• 1988 Miami beats Oklahoma for college football championship

Czechs Defeat Australia
1989 1st Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Helena Suková & Miloslav Mečíř win inaugural event for Czechoslovakia; beat Australian pair Hana Mandlíková & Pat Cash 6-2, 6-4 for 2-0 victory


Tennis Player and Gold MedalistMiloslav Mečíř

Tennis Player and Four-Time Major ChampionHana Mandlikova

Tennis Player & Wimbledon ChampionPat Cash

• 1990 19th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Florida State beats #6 Nebraska, 41-17
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• 1990 56th Orange Bowl: #4 Notre Dame beats #1 Colorado, 21-6
• 1990 56th Sugar Bowl: #2 Miami beats #7 Alabama, 33-25
• 1990 76th Rose Bowl: #12 Southern California beats #3 Michigan, 17-10

Spain's First Win
1990 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario beats American Pam Shriver 6-3, 6-3 to clinch 2-1 win for Spain's first title


Tennis PlayerArantxa Sánchez Vicario

• 1990 Sports News Network begins operation on cable TV
• 1991 20th Fiesta Bowl: #18 Louisville beats #25 Alabama, 34-7
• 1991 57th Orange Bowl: #1 Colorado beats #5 Notre Dame, 10-9
• 1991 57th Sugar Bowl: #6 Tennessee beats Virginia, 23-22
• 1991 77th Rose Bowl: #8 Washington beats #17 Iowa, 46-34
• 1992 21st Fiesta Bowl: #6 Penn State beats #10 Tennessee, 42-17
• 1992 58th Orange Bowl: #1 Miami (FL) beats #11 Nebraska, 22-0
• 1992 58th Sugar Bowl: #18 Notre Dame beats #3 Florida, 39-28
• 1992 78th Rose Bowl: #2 Washington beats #4 Michigan, 34-14
• 1993 22nd Fiesta Bowl: #6 Syracuse beats #10 Colorado, 26-22
• 1993 59th Orange Bowl: #3 Florida State beats #11 Nebraska, 27-14
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• 1993 59th Sugar Bowl: #2 Alabama beats #1 Miami, 34-13
• 1993 79th Rose Bowl: #7 Michigan beats #9 Washington, 38-31
• 1993 Blockbuster Bowl 3: Stanford beats Penn State, 24-3
• 1994 23rd Fiesta Bowl: #16 Arizona beats #10 Miami, 29-0
• 1994 60th Orange Bowl: #1 Florida State beats #2 Nebraska, 18-16
• 1994 60th Sugar Bowl: #8 Florida beats #3 West Virginia, 41-7
• 1994 80th Rose Bowl: #9 Wisconsin beats #14 UCLA, 21-16
• 1994 Aleksandr Popov swims world record 100m free style (47.83)
• 1994 Carquest Bowl 4: Boston College beats Virginia, 32-13
• 1995 61st Orange Bowl: #1 Nebraska beats #3 Miami (FL), 24-17
• 1995 Raman Lamba (312) & Ravi Sehgal (216) put on an Indian 1st-class record opening partnership 464 in Delhi's innings & 310 run win over Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy cricket match in Delhi
• 1996 62nd Orange Bowl: #6 Florida State beats #8 Notre Dame, 31-26
• 1996 82nd Rose Bowl: #17 Southern California beats #3 Northwestern, 41-32
• 1997 26th Fiesta Bowl: #7 Penn State beats #20 Texas, 38-15
• 1997 83rd Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #2 Arizona State, 20-17
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• 1998 64th Sugar Bowl: #4 Florida State beats #9 Ohio State, 31-14
• 1998 84th Rose Bowl: #1 Michigan beats #8 Washington State, 21-16
• 1999 65th Sugar Bowl: #3 Ohio State beats #8 Texas A&M, 24-14
• 1999 85th Rose Bowl: #9 Wisconsin beats #6 UCLA, 38-31
• 2000 66th Orange Bowl: #8 Michigan beats #5 Alabama, 35-34
• 2000 86th Rose Bowl: #4 Wisconsin beats #22 Stanford, 17-9
• 2001 30th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Oregon State beats #10 Notre Dame, 41-9
• 2001 87th Rose Bowl: #4 Washington beats #14 Purdue, 34-24
• 2002 31st Fiesta Bowl: #2 Oregon beats #3 Colorado, 38-16
• 2002 68th Sugar Bowl: #12 LSU beats #7 Illinois, 47-34
• 2003 69th Sugar Bowl: #4 Georgia beats #16 Florida State, 26-13
• 2003 89th Rose Bowl: #8 Oklahoma beats #7 Washington State, 34-14
• 2004 70th Orange Bowl: #10 Miami (FL) beats #9 Florida State, 16-14
• 2004 90th Rose Bowl: #1 Southern California beats #4 Michigan, 28-14
• 2004 St. Louis head coach Joel Quenneville records his 300th NHL win with the Blues, a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Savvis Center, St. Louis; Quenneville is Blues coaching games and wins leader
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• 2005 34th Fiesta Bowl: #5 Utah beats #19 Pittsburgh, 35-7
• 2005 91st Rose Bowl: #6 Texas beats #13 Michigan, 38-37
• 2007 36th Fiesta Bowl: #9 Boise State beats #7 Oklahoma, 43-42 (OT)
• 2007 93rd Rose Bowl: #8 Southern California beats #3 Michigan, 32-18
• 2008 74th Sugar Bowl: #5 Georgia beats #10 Hawai'i, 41-10
• 2008 94th Rose Bowl: #6 Southern California beats #13 Illinois, 49-17
• 2009 75th Orange Bowl: #21 Virginia Tech beats #12 Cincinnati, 20-7
• 2009 95th Rose Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #6 Penn State, 38-24
• 2010 76th Sugar Bowl: #5 Florida beats #3 Cincinnati, 51-24
• 2010 96th Rose Bowl: #8 Ohio State beats #7 Oregon, 26-17
• 2010 Suicide car bomb detonates at a volleyball tournament in Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing 105 and injuring 100
• 2011 40th Fiesta Bowl: #9 Oklahoma beats #25 Connecticut, 48-20
• 2011 97th Rose Bowl: #3 TCU beats #4 Wisconsin, 21-19
• 2013 79th Orange Bowl: #13 Florida State beats #16 Northern Illinois, 31-10
• 2013 99th Rose Bowl: #8 Stanford beats Wisconsin, 20-14

Carlsen Breaks Kasparov Record
2013 Magnus Carlsen breaks Garry Kasparov's chess FIDE rating, reaching 2,861


Chess Grandmaster and Political ActivistGarry Kasparov

Chess GrandmasterMagnus Carlsen

• 2013 Phil Taylor claims his 16th and last PDC World Darts Championship title with a 7–4 victory over Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in the final in London
• 2014 100th Rose Bowl: #4 Michigan State beats #5 Stanford, 24-20
• 2014 43rd Fiesta Bowl: #15 UCF beats #6 Baylor, 52-42
• 2014 Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his first PDC World Darts Championship beating Peter Wright of Scotland, 7-4; first time no Englishman in the final
• 2014 New Zealand cricket batsman Corey Anderson smashes a record century off just 36 balls in the Black Caps' 159 run ODI win over the West Indies in Queenstown; finishes on 131 not out off 47 balls
• 2015 101st Rose Bowl: #2 Oregon beats #3 Florida State, 59-20 (National Championship Playoff Semi-Final)
• 2015 81st Sugar Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #1 Alabama, 42-35 (National Championship Playoff Semi-Final)
• 2017 Indian provincial cricket team Vidarbha wins first Ranji Trophy title in their first final appearance in 61 years beating Delhi by 9 wickets in Indore; medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani stars with the ball taking 6 wickets
• 2018 16-time world darts champion Phil Taylor loses, 7-2 to fellow Englishman Rob Cross in the final of his last World Championship in London
• 2018 World Darts Championship: Retiring 16-time title holder Phil Taylor loses 7-2 to fellow Englishman Rob Cross in the Final at the Alexandra Palace, London.
• 2019 105th Rose Bowl: #5 Ohio State beats #9 Washington, 28-23; MVPs: Dwayne Haskins (QB, Ohio State) and Brendon White (S, Ohio State)
• 2019 Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his 3rd PDC World Darts Championship; beats Englishman Michael Smith 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace in London

Swiss Victory Over US
2019 Level at 1-1 in Hopman Cup tennis tie, Roger Federer and Serena Williams (combined 43 major singles titles) matchup in deciding mixed doubles; with teammate Belinda Bencic, Federer wins 4-2, 4-3 for 2-1 Swiss victory over US


Tennis PlayerSerena Williams

Tennis ChampionRoger Federer

• 2020 106th Rose Bowl: #6 Oregon beats #8 Wisconsin, 28-27; MVPs: Justin Herbert (QB, Oregon) & Brady Breeze (S, Oregon)
• 2020 86th Sugar Bowl: #5 Georgia beats #7 Baylor, 26-14
• 2020 Scotland's Peter Wright beats Dutch defending champion Michael Van Gerwen, 7-3 with 102.79 average, 34 x 140s, 11 maximums and 53% on doubles to seal his first PDC World Darts Championship in London
• 2021 107th Rose Bowl: #1 Alabama beats #4 Notre Dame, 31-14; MVPs: DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama) & Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama)
• 2022 Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozen becomes first player in NBA history to hit buzzer-beaters on consecutive days; hits 3-pointers to beat Washington Wizards, 120-119 and previous night Indiana Pacers, 108-106

 

JAN 2

• 1832 1st Curling club in US (Orchard Lake Curling Club) opens
• 1865 Welterweight Con Orem & heavyweight Hugh O'Neill brawl for 185 rounds before darkness ends legendary bare knuckle boxing match in Virginia City, Montana

1st Test Hat-trick

1879 Australian fast bowler Fred Spofforth dismisses 3 English batsmen with consecutive deliveries during the 3rd Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Test cricket's first "hat-trick"


CricketerFred Spofforth

• 1912 Brookyln Superbas Baseball Club President Charles Ebbets announces purchase of 4.5 acres of land to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 23,000; Ebbets Field opens in 1913

Australasia Win
1912 International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Christchurch, NZ: Norman Brookes & Alfred Dunlop beat Americans Maurice McLoughlin & Beals Wright 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4; Australasia unassailable 3-0 lead; win 4-0


Tennis PlayerNorman Brookes

Tennis PlayerMaurice McLoughlin
Stengel to the Pirates
1918 After repeated clashes over pay with the Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel is traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates


Baseball Hall of Fame ManagerCasey Stengel

• 1918 Montreal Arena in Westmount, Quebec, the home rink of 4-time Stanley Cup winners the Montreal Wanderers burns down leading to the club disbanding
• 1922 8th Rose Bowl: California ties Washington & Jefferson, 0-0
• 1928 14th Rose Bowl: Stanford beats Pittsburgh, 7-6
• 1933 19th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats Pittsburgh, 35-0

Bradman's 'Bodyline' Century
1933 Don Bradman holds off England's hostile pace bowling to score an unbeaten 103 leading Australia to a 111 run victory in the 2nd 'Bodyline' Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1936 Australian master batsman Don Bradman scores 357 (424 minutes, 40 fours) for South Australia v Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match in Melbourne; his 5th 300+ score in first-class cricket
• 1939 5th Orange Bowl: #2 Tennessee beats #4 Oklahoma, 17-0
• 1939 5th Sugar Bowl: #1 TCU beats #6 Carnegie Tech, 15-7
• 1939 Master batsman Don Bradman scores 107 for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Victoria for his 4th consecutive century in first-class cricket
• 1943 University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team begins 129 home game winning streak that only ends in 1955; incorporates NCAA titles in 1948, 1949 and 1951
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• 1950 16th Orange Bowl: #15 Santa Clara beats #11 Kentucky, 21-13
• 1950 16th Sugar Bowl: #2 Oklahoma beats #9 LSU, 35-0
• 1950 36th Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State beats #3 California, 17-14
• 1953 NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a record 32 game road losing streak (12 games in 1952-53; 20 games in 1953-54) with a 73-66 defeat at the Indianapolis Olympians
• 1956 22nd Orange Bowl: #1 Oklahoma beats #3 Maryland, 20-6
• 1956 22nd Sugar Bowl: #7 Georgia Tech beats #11 Pittsburgh, 7-0
• 1956 42nd Rose Bowl: #2 Michigan State beats #4 UCLA, 17-14

Fullmer vs. Robinson
1957 In the first of 4 meetings between the fighters, Gene Fullmer wins the world middleweight boxing title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Sugar Ray Robinson at New York’s Madison Square Garden


Champion BoxerSugar Ray Robinson

• 1961 27th Orange Bowl: #5 Missouri beats #4 Navy, 21-14
• 1961 27th Sugar Bowl: #2 Mississippi beats Rice, 14-6
• 1961 47th Rose Bowl: #6 Washington beats #1 Minnesota, 17-7

Jets Sign Namath
1965 New York Jets sign future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath to a $427,000 contract over three years (pro football record at the time)


NFL QuarterbackJoe Namath

• 1966 National Football League Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns, 23-12; first NFL title game televised in colour; last one played before Super Bowl era
• 1967 33rd Orange Bowl: Florida beats #8 Georgia Tech, 27-12
• 1967 33rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 34-7
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• 1967 53rd Rose Bowl: #7 Purdue beats Southern California, 14-13

Zatopek "Public Enemy"
1969 Once influential daily sports newspaper, 'Soviet Sport' declares Czech super-star distance runner Emil Zatopek a "public enemy" after he supports democratic wing of the Communist Party at start of the Prague Spring


Distance RunnerEmil Zátopek

• 1971 Spectator crush at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland as Rangers supporters leave the ground with home team 0-1 behind to Old Firm rivals Celtic; 66 deaths and more than 200 injuries; Rangers score late for 1-1
• 1972 AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: Miami Dolphins beat Baltimore Colts, 21-0

Wade Defeats Goolaging
1972 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Virginia Wade of England wins her first Grand Slam title; beats home favourite Evonne Goolagong 6-4, 6-4


Tennis Player and Three-Time Major ChampionVirginia Wade

• 1972 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers, 14-3
• 1973 Japanese boxer Masao Ohba retains his WBA flyweight title with a 12th-round knockout of Chartchai Chionoi of Thailand in Tokyo; Ohba dies three weeks later in a car accident

Ted Turner Suspended
1977 MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing


Businessman and SailorTed Turner

MLB CommissionerBowie Kuhn

• 1978 44th Orange Bowl: #6 Arkansas beats #2 Oklahoma, 31-6
• 1978 44th Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama beats #9 Ohio State, 35-6
• 1978 64th Rose Bowl: #13 Washington beats #4 Michigan, 27-20
• 1979 Australian Open Women's Tennis: unseeded Australian Christine O'Neil wins her first and only Grand Slam event; beats American Betsy Nagelsen 6-3, 7-6

Vilas Retains Title
1980 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Guillermo Vilas retains title for 4th and last Grand Slam win; beats American John Sadri 7-6, 6-3, 6-2


Tennis Player and Four-Time Major ChampionGuillermo Vilas

• 1982 "The Epic in Miami", in 85 degree heat (Fahrenheit), the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, a game that set numerous playoff scoring records

Navratilova Wins
1982 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Martina Navratilova wins her 1st of 3 Australian singles crowns; beats Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-7, 6-4, 7-5


Tennis PlayerMartina Navratilova

Tennis LegendChris Evert

• 1982 New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to start 23 NHL game undefeated home streak (21-0-2), 14 straight wins
• 1983 In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completes 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage
• 1984 13th Fiesta Bowl: #14 Ohio State beats #15 Pittsburgh, 28-23
• 1984 16 year old future South African Test cricket batsman Darryl Cullinan scores his 1st first-class century (106 no) for Border against Natal B in East London
• 1984 50th Orange Bowl: #5 Miami (FL) beats #1 Nebraska, 31-30
• 1984 50th Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn beats #8 Michigan, 9-7
• 1984 70th Rose Bowl: UCLA beats #4 Illinois, 45-9
• 1985 Nevada Las Vegas basketball gives coach Jerry Tarkanian his 600th career victory with a 142-140 win over Utah State in triple overtime; total of 282 points breaks NCAA men's record of 275 set in 1976

Bossy's Record Game
1986 NHL New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins; 11th player in NHL history to score 500 goals


Ice Hockey GreatMike Bossy

• 1987 16th Fiesta Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #1 Miami, 14-10
• 1987 Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone
• 1989 18th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Notre Dame beats #3 West Virginia, 34-21 for the national title
• 1989 55th Orange Bowl: #2 Miami (FL) beats #6 Nebraska, 23-3
• 1989 55th Sugar Bowl: #4 Florida State beats #7 Auburn, 13-7
• 1989 75th Rose Bowl: #11 Michigan beats #5 Southern California, 22-14

Shane Warne Debut
1992 Australian cricket spin bowling great Shane Warne (145 Tests, 708 wickets; 194 ODIs) makes Test debut v India in 3rd Test at Sydney Cricket Ground


Cricketer and BroadcasterShane Warne

• 1995 24th Fiesta Bowl: #4 Colorado beats Notre Dame, 41-24
• 1995 61st Sugar Bowl: #7 Florida State beats #5 Florida, 23-17
• 1995 81st Rose Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #12 Oregon, 38-20
• 1995 Carquest Bowl 5: South Carolina beats West Virginia, 24-21
• 1996 25th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Nebraska beats #2 Florida, 62-24
• 1997 63rd Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida beats #1 Florida State, 52-20
• 1998 64th Orange Bowl: #2 Nebraska beats #3 Tennessee, 42-17
• 1999 65th Orange Bowl: #7 Florida beats #18 Syracuse, 31-10
• 2000 19,600 fans watch the Miami Heat beat the Orlando Magic, 111-103 in the first NBA game at the Heat's new American Airlines Arena in Miami
• 2000 29th Fiesta Bowl: #3 Nebraska beats #6 Tennessee, 31-21
• 2001 67th Sugar Bowl: #3 Miami beats #7 Florida, 37-20
• 2002 68th Orange Bowl: #5 Florida beats #6 Maryland, 56-23
• 2003 69th Orange Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #3 Iowa, 38-17
• 2004 33rd Fiesta Bowl: #7 Ohio State beats #8 Kansas State, 35-28
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• 2006 35th Fiesta Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #5 Notre Dame, 34-20
• 2006 72nd Sugar Bowl: #11 West Virginia beats #7 Georgia, 38-35
• 2007 73rd Orange Bowl: #5 Louisville beats #15 Wake Forest, 24-13
• 2008 37th Fiesta Bowl: #11 West Virginia beats #3 Oklahoma, 48-28
• 2009 75th Sugar Bowl: #6 Utah beats #4 Alabama, 31-17
• 2012 41st Fiesta Bowl: #3 Oklahoma State beats #4 Stanford, 41-38 (OT)
• 2012 98th Rose Bowl: #6 Oregon beats #9 Wisconsin, 45-38
• 2012 Englishman Adrian Lewis retains his PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-3 win over Andy Hamilton at the Alexandra Palace, London
• 2013 79th Sugar Bowl: #21 Louisville beats #3 Florida, 33-23
• 2014 80th Sugar Bowl: #11 Oklahoma beats #3 Alabama, 45-31
• 2017 Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands wins his 2nd PDC World Darts Championship beating defending champion Gary Anderson, 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace, London
• 2019 United States international Christian Pulisic becomes the most expensive American soccer player when he moves from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea for £57.6M ($73M); remains at Dortmund on loan until the end of the season
• 2023 Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati

 

JAN 3

"Curse of the Bambino"

1920 Boston Red Sox baseball club owner Harry Frazee announces agreement to sell slugger Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 in cash and a $350,000 loan; start of the 84 year "Curse of the Bambino"


Baseball LegendBabe Ruth

Bradman's 1st Test Century
1929 Australian cricket icon Don Bradman follows up a 1st innings of 79 to score 112 in 3rd Test v England in Melbourne; his 1st of 29 Test centuries


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1931 Montreal Maroons centre Nels Stewart scores fastest 2 goals in NHL history with a pair 4 seconds apart in a 5-3 win over Boston Bruins at Montreal Arena
• 1943 Max and Doug Bentley assist on brother Reg's only NHL goal in Chicago Blackhawks' 3-3 tie with the Rangers in NYC; only time in NHL history trio of family members score and assist on a scoring play
• 1948 Australian cricket batting maestro Don Bradman completes dual Test centuries (132 & 127* [26th Test 100]) in 3rd Test v India in Melbourne

Weekes Record Century
1949 West Indian cricket batsman Everton Weekes scores 101 in 3rd Test against India in Calcutta; his world record fifth consecutive Test century


West Indian CricketerEverton Weekes

• 1958 Australian cricket fast bowler Lindsay Kline takes a hat-trick (Eddie Fuller, Hugh Tayfield, Neil Adcock) as South Africa dismissed for 99 in follow-on 2nd Test at Cape Town

Colts Defeat Raiders
1971 1st AFC Championship, Memorial Stadium, Baltimore: Baltimore Colts beat Oakland Raiders, 27-17


NFL Coach and SportscasterJohn Madden

• 1971 1st NFC Championship, Kezar Stadium, SF: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers, 17-10

Rosewell Retains Title
1972 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Ken Rosewall retains title for his 4th overall Australian crown; beats fellow Australian Mal Anderson 7-6, 6-3, 7-5


Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionKen Rosewall
NY Yankees Bought
1973 A 12-man syndicate led by Michael Burke and George Steinbrenner III buys MLB's New York Yankees from CBS for US$10 million


New York Yankees OwnerGeorge Steinbrenner
Goolagong's 3rd Win
1976 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley beats Renata Tomanova of Czechoslovakia 6-2, 6-2 for her 3rd straight home singles title


Tennis PlayerEvonne Goolagong Cawley

• 1978 Indian cricket spin bowler B. S. Chandrasekhar becomes first in Test history to register identical figures in both innings (6 for 52) in Indian innings win over Australia in 3rd Test in Melbourne

Vilas Defeats Marks
1979 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Guillermo Vilas of Argentina wins 3rd Grand Slam title; beats Australian John Marks 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3


Tennis Player and Four-Time Major ChampionGuillermo Vilas
Million Dollar World Challenge
1981 American golfer Johnny Miller wins the sport's first $1 million tournament when he beats Seve Ballesteros of Spain in a playoff in the inaugural Million Dollar World Challenge at Sun City, South Africa


Golfer and Five-Time Major WinnerSeve Ballesteros
Chappell Scores 204
1981 Australian cricket captain Greg Chappell scores a masterly 204 v India in the 1st Test in Sydney; home side wins by an innings and 4 runs


CricketerGreg Chappell

Mandlíková's 1st Grand Slam
1981 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Czech teenager Hana Mandlíková wins her 1st of 4 career Grand Slam singles titles; beats home favourite Wendy Turnbull 6-0, 7-5


Tennis Player and Four-Time Major ChampionHana Mandlikova

• 1981 NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers retire jersey # 34, Austin Carr
• 1982 Australian Open Men's Tennis: South African Johan Kriek wins first career Grand Slam title; beats American Steve Denton 6-2, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4
• 1983 Dallas running back Tony Dorsett sets NFL record with 99-yard rush in the Cowboys' 31-27 defeat at Minnesota Vikings
• 1985 Future Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin scores 110 on debut in drawn 3rd Test against England in Kolkata

Gretsky Youngest to 700
1991 Wayne Gretzky becomes fastest and youngest player in NHL history to score 700 goals (886 games at age 29 years, 342 days) in LA Kings’ 6-3 win over the NY Islanders at the Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum


Ice Hockey GreatWayne Gretzky
Boon's Unbeaten 129
1992 Australian cricket batsman David Boon scores an unbeaten 129 in drawn 3rd Test against India in Sydney; his 11th Test century


Cricket BatsmanDavid Boon

• 1992 English club Wigan pays Widnes a world record rugby league transfer fee of £440,000 for Great Britain international winger Martin Offiah
• 1992 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Jakob Hlasek beats Karel Nováček of Czechoslovakia 6-4, 6-4 for a 2-0 lead (ends 2-1) and Switzerland's first title
• 1993 "The Comeback", QB Frank Reich leads Buffalo Bills back from a 32-point deficit, to defeat the Houston Oilers 41-38 in overtime in a wild card playoff game, the greatest comeback ever in NFL history

Young's Record 3rd Passing Title
1994 Steve Young of the San Francisco 49ers becomes first quarterback to win 3 straight NFL passing titles despite a 37-34 OT loss to the Philadelphia Eagles; first to lodge 3 consecutive passer ratings of 100+


NFL QuarterbackSteve Young

• 1997 Texas-El Paso head basketball coach Don Haskins becomes 10th coach in NCAA Division I history to record 700 career wins when the Miners edge SMU, 66-64
• 1997 Zimbabwe cricket fast bowler Eddo Brandes takes ODI hat-trick as home team scores another upset against England, winning by 131 runs and sweeping series, 3-0 in Harare
• 1998 Los Angeles Clippers Bill Fitch coaches his 2,000th NBA game, a 97-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks at the LA Memorial Sports Arena
• 2001 College Football, 3rd BCS National Championship, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens: #1 Oklahoma beats #2 Florida State, 13-2, at 67th Orange Bowl
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• 2002 College Football, 4th BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Pasadena: #1 Miami beats #2 Nebraska, 37-14, at 88th Rose Bowl
• 2003 College Football, 5th BCS National Championship, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ: #2 Ohio State beats #1 Miami, 31-24, at 32nd Fiesta Bowl
• 2004 Panthers kicker John Kasay ties NFL-playoff record with 5 field goals to lead Carolina to a 29-10 win over Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round of playoffs in Charlotte, North Carolina
• 2005 71st Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn beats #9 Virginia Tech, 16-13; first perfect season in school history
• 2006 72nd Orange Bowl: #3 Penn State beats #22 Florida State, 26-23 in 3OT
• 2007 73rd Sugar Bowl: #4 LSU beats #11 Notre Dame, 41-14
• 2007 High profile Miami Dolphins NFL head coach Nick Saban resigns after agreeing to return to college football and take head coaching job at Alabama
• 2008 74th Orange Bowl: #8 Kansas beats #5 Virginia Tech, 24-21
• 2010 Phil Taylor successfully defends his PDC World Darts title with a 7–3 victory over Simon Whitlock of Australia in the final in London; Taylor's 13th PDC and 15th overall world championship
• 2011 77th Orange Bowl: #5 Stanford beats #12 Virginia Tech, 40-12
• 2011 Adrian Lewis of England wins his first PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-5 win over Scotsman Gary Anderson at the Alexandra Palace, London
• 2012 78th Sugar Bowl: #13 Michigan beats #11 Virginia Tech, 23-20
• 2013 42nd Fiesta Bowl: #5 Oregon beats #7 Kansas State, 35-17
• 2014 80th Orange Bowl: #12 Clemson beats #7 Ohio State, 40-35
• 2016 Jimmy Butler breaks Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls record for points in an NBA half, scoring 40 of his 42 points in the second half to lead the Bulls in a 115-113 victory over the Toronto Raptors
• 2016 Scotsman Gary Anderson retains his PDC World Darts Championship beating Adrian Lewis of England, 7-5 at the Alexandra Palace, London
• 2021 Welshman Gerwyn Price wins his first PDC World Darts Championship; beats Gary Anderson of Scotland, 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace in London
• 2022 Scotsman Peter Wright wins his second PDC World Darts Championship; beats Michael Smith of England, 7-5 at the Alexandra Palace in London

Ronaldo's Record Salary
2023 Cristiano Ronaldo joins Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr for the “biggest salary ever in football”, leaving Manchester United after criticizing it publicly [1]


Football StarCristiano Ronaldo

• 2023 England's Michael Smith hits a nine-dart finish on the way to his first PDC world darts title, beating Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, 7-4 at the Alexandra Palace, London

 

JAN 4

• 1883 Ontario Rugby Football Union (forerunner of CFL) forms
• 1887 Thomas Stevens is 1st man to bicycle around the world (San Francisco to San Francisco)
• 1902 Australian cricket spin bowler Hugh Trumble dismisses England batsmen Arthur Jones, John Gunn and Sydney Barnes in successive balls to complete 2nd Test rout by 229 runs in Melbourne; Trumble's first of 2 Test hat-tricks

• 1904 Stanley Cup, Aberdeen Pavilion, Ottawa, ON: Ottawa HC beats Winnipeg Rowing Club, 2-0 for 2-1 challenge series victory
• 1942 4th NFL All Star Game, Polo Grounds, NYC: Chicago Bears beat NFL All-Stars, 35-24

Rogers Hornsby

1942 7 x NL batting champion Rogers Hornsby is 14th player selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB Hall of Fame 2nd Baseman and ManagerRogers Hornsby

• 1957 Dodgers buy 44 passenger twin-engine airplane for $775,000
• 1966 Doug Walters scores second Test century in his second Test

Chiefs Defeat Raiders
1970 AFL Championship, Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland: Kansas City Chiefs beat Oakland Raiders, 17-7; Chiefs defense forces 4 interceptions


NFL Coach and SportscasterJohn Madden

• 1970 NFL Championship, Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington: Minnesota Vikings beat Cleveland Browns, 27-7
• 1975 Montreal Canadiens shutout Washington Capitals 10-0
• 1975 New Orleans Jazz set a then NBA record (with 24-second shot clock) by scoring only 20 points in the first half of a 111-89 loss in Seattle; unwanted record stands for nearly 25 years
• 1975 NHL Boston Bruins Dave Forbes becomes 1st athlete indicted for criminal assault for excessive violence during play; stick butt-end the face of Minnesota North Star Henry Boucha caused permanent vision damage; court case ends in hung jury, and a civil settlement is eventually reached
• 1976 AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Oakland Raiders, 16-10

Edmondson Defeats Newcombe
1976 Australian Open Men's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Mark Edmondson upsets John Newcombe 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1 for his first and only Grand Slam title


Tennis PlayerJohn Newcombe

• 1976 NFC Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Dallas Cowboys beat Los Angeles Rams, 37-7
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• 1977 Mary Shane hired by Chicago White Sox as 1st woman TV play-by-play announcer
• 1981 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Brian Teacher wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats home favourite Kim Warwick 7-5, 7-6, 6-3
• 1984 Adrian Dantley ties Wilt Chamberlain's NBA record for most free throws made in a game by converting 28 of 29 free throws in Utah's 116-111 win over Houston at Las Vegas
• 1984 Edmonton beats Minnesota 12-8 highest-scoring modern NHL game

Boon's 2nd Test Century
1986 David Boon's second Test century, 131 v India at Adelaide


Cricket BatsmanDavid Boon
Dickerson's Postseason Record
1986 Los Angeles Rams running back Eric Dickerson scores twice as he rushes for an NFL postseason record 248 yards in 20-0 victory over Dallas Cowboys in NFC divisional playoff in Anaheim, California


NFL Running BackEric Dickerson
Robinson's Record Blocks
1986 NCAA basketball's David Robinson blocks a record 14 shots


NBA CenterDavid Robinson

• 1991 12 year old Chinese diver Fu Mingxia wins 10m platform gold medal at World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia; youngest world champion in the history of any aquatic event
• 1991 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Goran Prpić beats American David Wheaton 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, (ends 2-1) and Yugoslavia's first title

Parish's Block Record
1992 Boston's Robert Parish becomes 5th player in NBA history to register 2,000 career blocks during Celtics' 100-96 loss at Minnesota - others Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton, Wayne Rollins and George Johnson


Basketball PlayerRobert Parish

NBA LegendKareem Abdul-Jabbar

• 1997 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Justin Gimelstob & Chanda Rubin clinch first title for the US; beat South African pair Wayne Ferreira & Amanda Coetzer 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 for a 2-1 victory
• 1999 College Football, 1st BCS National Championship, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ: #1 Tennessee beats #2 Florida State, 23-16, at 28th Fiesta Bowl

Belichick Rejects NY Jets
2000 A day after accepting the head coaching position at the New York Jets, Bill Belichick resigns and moves to the New England Patriots


NFL CoachBill Belichick

• 2000 American businessman and investor Mark Cuban purchases a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise for $285m from H. Ross Perot, Jr.
• 2000 College Football, 2nd BCS National Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #1 Florida State beats #2 Virginia Tech, 46-29, at 66th Sugar Bowl

Jordan Scores 30,000 Points
2001 Washington Wizards forward Michael Jordan becomes 4th player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points; hits a free throw in 2nd quarter of an 89-83 win against his old team, the Chicago Bulls


Basketball SuperstarMichael Jordan
America Wins Title
2003 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Serena Williams & James Blake beat Australian pair Alicia Molik & Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 6-2 for a 3-0 win, and 2nd American title


Tennis PlayerSerena Williams

Tennis PlayerJames Blake

• 2004 College Football, 6th BCS National Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #2 LSU beats #1 Oklahoma, 21-14 at 70th Sugar Bowl
• 2005 Adam Gilchrist of Australia becomes the most prolific century scoring wicket keeper in cricket history when he smashes 113 from just 120 balls in the 3rd Test against Pakistan in Sydney
• 2005 College Football, 7th BCS National Championship, Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens: #1 Southern California beats #2 Oklahoma, 55-19, at 71st Orange Bowl (USC later vacates Championship)
• 2006 College Football, 8th BCS National Championship: #2 Texas beats #1 Southern California, 41-38, at 92nd Rose Bowl
• 2008 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Americans Serena Williams & Mardy Fish beat Serbian pair Novak Đoković & Jelena Janković 7-6, 6-2 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and the 5th US title
• 2009 Phil Taylor, with a 7–1 victory in the final over Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld wins his 12th PDC World Darts title, his 14th in all; his 110.94 average remains a record for the PDC World Darts Championship final
• 2010 39th Fiesta Bowl: #6 Boise State beats #3 TCU, 17-10
• 2011 77th Sugar Bowl: #6 Ohio State beats #8 Arkansas, 31-26
• 2012 78th Orange Bowl: #23 West Virginia beats #14 Clemson, 70-33
• 2014 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: France wins first title; Alizé Cornet & Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Poland's Agnieszka Radwańska & Grzegorz Panfil 6-0, 6-2 to clinch 2-1 victory
• 2015 Gary Anderson of Scotland beats 16-time world champion Phil Taylor, 7-6 to win his first PDC World Darts Championship at the Alexandra Palace, London

African Player of the Year
2018 Liverpool and Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah is named African Football Player of the Year


Soccer StarMohamed Salah

• 2019 Indian cricket batsmen Cheteshwar Pujara scores 193 and Rishabh Pant 159no as the tourists declare at 622/7 on Day 2 of 4th Test against Australia in Sydney; Pant, first Indian wicketkeeper to hit a century in Australia

 

JAN 5

• 1859 1st steamboat the North Star sails up the northern Red River, America

Victor Trumper

1895 Victor Trumper makes first-class debut for NSW 17 yrs 64 days


CricketerVictor Trumper

English Defeat
1925 England cricket openers Herbert Sutcliffe (176) and Jack Hobbs (154) display heroics in their 1st innings but the tourists sink to an 81 run defeat in the 2nd Test against Australia in Melbourne; Sutcliffe also adds 127 in the England 2nd innings


CricketerJack Hobbs

• 1925 French Baseball Federation awards silver medals to John McGraw, Charlie Comiskey, & Hugh Jennings

Public Hearing Begins
1927 MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis begins 3-day public hearing on charges that 4 games played between Chicago & Detroit in 1917 had been thrown to White Sox


1st MLB CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis

• 1931 First woman to purchase a baseball team, Lucille Thomas buys Topeka Senators franchise in the Western League
• 1934 National & American baseball leagues select a uniform ball

Record 6th Wicket Stand
1937 Australian cricket batsmen Jack Fingleton (136) and Don Bradman (out 270 the following day) make then record stand of 346 for 6th wicket in 3rd Test vs England in Melbourne


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman
Jackie Robinson Retires
1957 Dodgers' Jackie Robinson announces his retirement rather than be traded to the NY Giants


Baseball PlayerJackie Robinson

• 1960 Continental League, a proposed third baseball major league, gets an assurance of congressional support from NY Senator Kenneth Keating
• 1964 AFL Championship, Balboa Stadium, San Diego: San Diego Chargers beat Boston Patriots, 51-10; Chargers RB Keith Lincoln rushes for 206 yards, 2 TDs

Liston Found Dead
1971 Body of former world heavyweight boxing champion Charles "Sonny" Liston (40) is found by his wife Geraldine at their Las Vegas home; he had been dead for an estimated 6 days; foul play suspected


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionSonny Liston

• 1971 Globetrotters lose 100-99 to NJ Reds, ending 2,495-game winning streak

Chappell's 182 Not Out
1976 Greg Chappell scores 182* for Australia at SCG against West Indies


CricketerGreg Chappell
Sittler Leaves Maple Leafs
1982 Star center Darryl Sittler leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs on medical advice because of mental depression; trade request was taking too long


NHL LegendDarryl Sittler

• 1984 Greg Chappell scores 182* for Australia in his last Test innings

Trottier's Penalty Fail
1985 Bryan Trottier failed on 9th Islander penalty shot


NHL StarBryan Trottier

• 1989 Baseball signs $400M with ESPN, showing 175 games in 1990
• 1990 J Donald Crump appointed 8th Commissioner of CFL
• 1991 Kevin Bradshaw of US Intl scores NCAA Div 1 record 72 pts

Shastri Scores 206
1992 Indian cricket all-rounder Ravi Shastri scores 206 in 3rd Test in Sydney before being Shane Warne's first Test wicket, the first of 708 for Australia


Cricketer and BroadcasterShane Warne
Lara's Maiden Test Century
1993 Brian Lara scores his maiden Test century with 277 for the West Indies v Australia in drawn 3rd Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground


CricketerBrian Lara
Reggie Jackson Elected
1993 Former MLB player Reggie Jackson elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB Right FielderReggie Jackson

• 1994 Aleksandr Popov swims world record 100m free style (47.82)
• 1995 Bill Fitch becomes the 5th coach in NBA history to register 850 career victories with the LA Clippers' 95-93 home win over Philadelphia 76'ers at the LA Memorial Sports Arena

Don Shula Retires
1996 Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announces his retirement


NFL Head CoachDon Shula
Spain Second Title
2002 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Spain wins 2nd title; Arantxa Sánchez Vicario & Tommy Robredo beat American pair Monica Seles & Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-2 for a 2-1 victory


Tennis Player and Nine-Time Major ChampionMonica Seles

Tennis PlayerArantxa Sánchez Vicario
Coach Cowher Resigns
2007 Bill Cowher resigns as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers


NFL Head CoachBill Cowher

• 2007 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dmitry Tursunov beats Spaniard Tommy Robredo 6-4, 7-5 to give Russia an unassailable 2-0 lead, and first title
• 2009 38th Fiesta Bowl: #3 Texas beats #10 Ohio State, 24-21
• 2010 76th Orange Bowl: #10 Iowa beats #9 Georgia Tech, 24-14

Shanahan Introduced as Coach
2010 Mike Shanahan is formally introduced as head coach of the Washington Redskins


NFL Head CoachMike Shanahan
Spain's Fourth Title
2013 25th Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Spain wins 4th title; Anabel Medina Garrigues & Fernando Verdasco beat high profile Serbian pair Ana Ivanović & Novak Đoković 6-4, 7-5 to clinch 2-1 victory


Tennis ChampionNovak Đoković

Tennis PlayerAna Ivanović

• 2016 First batsman to ever score 1000 runs in a single innings in cricket - 15 year-old Mumbai schoolboy Pranav Dhanawade is 1009 not out

Warriors, Sacramento's Record Game
2019 Golden State and Sacramento combine for 41 3-pointers in Warriors' 127-123 win; set new NBA record for 3s in a game; Stephen Curry hits 10 triples while Buddy Hield leads Kings with 8, Justin Jackson adds 5


Basketball SuperstarStephen Curry
Swiss Clinch Win
2019 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Swiss pair Roger Federer & Belinda Bencic clinch 2-1 win over Germany; beat Angelique Kerber & Alexander Zverev 4-0, 1-4, 4-3; Switzerland's 4th event success


Tennis ChampionRoger Federer

Tennis PlayerAngelique Kerber

Tennis PlayerAlexander Zverev

• 2021 86th Heisman Trophy Award: DeVonta Smith, Alabama (WR)

 

JAN 6

• 1681 First recorded boxing match is engineered by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle; his butler vs his butcher
• 1883 Ontario Rugby Football Union forms
• 1896 1st US women's 6-day bicycle race starts, Madison Square Garden

Nurmi's Indoor Record

1925 Paavo Nurmi, sets indoor record, 4:13.6 mile & 14:44.6 5,000m


Runner nicknamed the Flying FinnPaavo Nurmi
Bradman's World Record Score
1930 Australian cricket icon Don Bradman scores 452 not out for New South Wales v Queensland in Sydney; then world record individual score in a first-class match; runs scored in 415 minutes


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1937 Bradman scores 270 Aust v England at the MCG, incl 110 singles

Bob Feller Enters Navy
1942 MLB pitcher Bob Feller reports for duty with the US Navy in Norfolk, Virginia after enlisting


Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherBob Feller

• 1951 Indianapolis Olympians beat Rochester Royals, 75-73 in NBA-record 6 overtimes; also the longest game in NBA history
• 1970 Australian boxer Johnny Famechon retains his WBC featherweight title with a 14th-round knockout of Fighting Harada in Tokyo; re-match of questionable 15-round decision in 1969 in his first title defense

Turner Buys Atlanta Braves
1976 Ted Turner purchases Atlanta Braves for reported $12 million


Businessman and SailorTed Turner

• 1980 AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Houston Oilers, 27-13
• 1980 NFC Championship, Tampa Stadium: Los Angeles Rams beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 9-0
• 1980 Phil Flyers set NHL record of 35 straight games without a defeat
• 1984 Last day of Test cricket for Chappell, Marsh & Lillee
• 1985 AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: Miami Dolphins beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 45-28
• 1985 NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: San Francisco 49ers beat Chicago Bears, 23-0
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• 1986 Last day in Test cricket for Bob Holland
• 1991 Portland Trail Blazers beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 114-111 before a sellout crowd at the Portland Memorial Coliseum; marks the Blazers' 600th consecutive sellout at home
• 1992 NY Yankees sign free agent Danny Tartabul

Tendulkar's 148*
1992 Sachin Tendulkar completes 148* v Australia at the SCG


CricketerSachin Tendulkar
Nancy Kerrigan Attacked
1994 US figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan is attacked by Tonya Harding's bodyguard at the US Championships in Detroit


Figure SkaterTonya Harding

Figure SkaterNancy Kerrigan
Wilkens Sets New Win Record
1995 Atlanta Hawks' coach Lenny Wilkens passes the legendary Red Auerbach to become the NBA's all-time winningest coach, with 939 career victories; Hawks beat Washington, 112-90 at the Omni


NBA Point Guard and CoachLenny Wilkens
Croatia Win 1st Title
1996 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Goran Ivanišević & Iva Majoli win Croatia's first title; at 1 rubber apiece Switzerland's Marc Rosset & Martina Hingis forced to retire at 3-6, 7-6, 4-5 in the deciding doubles rubber


Tennis Player and French Open ChampionIva Majoli

Tennis PlayerMartina Hingis

Tennis PlayerGoran Ivanišević
Don Sutton Selected
1998 Don Sutton selected to Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherDon Sutton

• 1999 An agreement is reached by the NBA and the players union to end a 204-day lockout which shortened the season by 50 games

Switzerland Clinch Title
2001 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Roger Federer beats American Jan-Michael Gambill 6-4, 6-3 to clinch Switzerland's unassailable 2-0 lead, (ends 2-1)


Tennis ChampionRoger Federer

• 2006 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Lisa Raymond & Taylor Dent beat Dutch pair Michaëlla Krajicek & Peter Wessels 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 for a 2-1 win and 4th American title
• 2013 The NHL reaches an agreement to end a 113 day lockout
• 2014 College Football, 16th BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Pasadena: #1 Florida State beats #2 Auburn, 34-31
• 2015 Randy Johnson, Pedro Martínez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
• 2018 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Swiss pair Roger Federer & Belinda Bencic clinch 2-1 win over Germany; beat Angelique Kerber & Alexander Zverev 4-3, 4-2; Switzerland's 3rd event success
• 2018 Jon Gruden returns to the NFL as Oakland Raiders head coach after nearly a decade of broadcasting (ESPN Monday Night Football 2009-17)
• 2018 Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota scores a touchdown off own pass in 22-21 victory over Kansas City Chiefs, second NFL quarterback to do so

Đoković's Visa Cancelled
2022 Tennis world No. 1 Novak Đoković's visa into Australia cancelled after uproar over his COVID-19 vaccination exemption


Tennis ChampionNovak Đoković

 

JAN 7

• 1899 Walter Camp publishes his 1st All-American football team in Collier's
• 1910 Stanley Cup, Dey's Arena, Ottawa, ON: Ottawa Senators beat Galt (ON), 3-1 for a 2-0 sweep of challenge series
• 1927 Harlem Globetrotters play their 1st game in Hinckley, Illinois

• 1932 1st game played at Orchard Lake Curling Club, Mich
• 1936 Tennis champs Helen Moody & Howard Kinsley volley 2,001 times (1h18m)
• 1947 Australia v England at MCG drawn in 6 days, 1st cricket draw in Australia since 1882

Patterson vs. Troy

1955 20 year-old future world heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson scores a 5th-round TKO of Willie Troy in a non-title super middleweight bout at New York’s Madison Square Garden


Boxing ChampionFloyd Patterson

• 1961 1st NFL Playoff Bowl (runner-up bowl)-Detroit beats Cleveland 17-16
• 1962 1st AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 47-27; MVP Cotton Davidson, Dallas Texans, QB

Model, Brown Rift Boils Over
1963 The rift between Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell and head coach Paul Brown reaches a boiling point, and Brown is fired


American Football CoachPaul Brown

BusinessmanArt Modell

• 1972 Los Angeles Lakers defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 134-90 for their 33rd straight win, the longest winning streak in major professional sports
• 1973 British Darts Organisation founded in North London
• 1979 AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Houston Oilers, 34-5
• 1979 NFC Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum Dallas Cowboys beat Los Angeles Rams, 28-0
• 1980 Minnesota ends Philadelphia Flyers' NHL record 35 game unbeaten streak ends

Trottier's 10th Hat Trick
1982 Islander's Bryan Trottier's 10th career hat trick


NHL StarBryan Trottier

• 1983 Australia regain the Ashes with a 2-1 series win v England

Baseball's Brock and Wilhelm
1985 Lou Brock & Hoyt Wilhelm are elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame


Baseball Hall of Fame OutfielderLou Brock

Baseball Player and Knuckleball PitcherHoyt Wilhelm
Dev's 300th Test Wicket
1987 Indian bowler Kapil Dev takes his 300th Test wicket, at 28 the youngest


CricketerKapil Dev

• 1989 Cleveland Cavaliers block 21 NY Knicks shots tying NBA regulation game record
• 1989 NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers then longest winning streak (11 games)

Imran Khan's Last Test Day
1992 Last day of Test cricket for Pakistan's Imran Khan


Cricketer and Prime Minister of PakistanImran Khan
Baseball's Seaver and Fingers
1992 Tom Seaver & Rollie Fingers elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame


Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherTom Seaver

• 1994 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Petr Korda defeats Bernd Karbacher of Germany 6-3, 6-3 for an unassailable 2-0 lead (ends 2-1) and the Czech Republic's first title

Harding US Champion
1994 US female Figure Skating championship won by Tonya Harding


Figure SkaterTonya Harding
Germany Wins Second Title
1995 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Boris Becker beats Andrei Medvedev of the Ukraine 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 for a 2-0 win, and Germany's second title


Tennis LegendBoris Becker

• 1995 Larry Brown posts his 500th career NBA coaching victory, following the Indiana Pacers' 88-83 road win at the Houston Rockets

Shaq's New Block Total
1998 Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal blocks 3 shots in a 114-102 win over Milwaukee to bring his career total to 1,002


Basketball PlayerShaquille O'Neal

• 1999 NBA Board of Governors unanimously ratifies a new 6-year collective bargaining agreement between the league and the National Basketball Players Association

Phil Jackson Wins #900
2007 Phil Jackson wins his 900th game as a head coach, becoming the fastest coach to reach 900 career wins


NBA CoachPhil Jackson

• 2008 College Football, 10th BCS National Championship Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #2 LSU beats #1 Ohio State, 38-24
• 2010 College Football, 12th BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl, Pasadena: #1 Alabama beats #2 Texas, 37-21
• 2012 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Tomáš Berdych beats Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6, 6-4 for an unassailable 2-0 lead; 2nd title for Czech Republic
• 2013 College Football, 15th BCS National Championship, Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens: #2 Alabama beats #1 Notre Dame, 42-14

Messi Wins Record Fourth
2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wins award for a record 4th consecutive year; US forward Abby Wambach wins women's award


Football StarLionel Messi

Soccer PlayerAbby Wambach

• 2017 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: French pair Kristina Mladenovic & Richard Gasquet beat Americans Coco Vandeweghe & Jack Sock 4-1, 4-3 to clinch 2-1 win; 2nd French title
• 2019 College Football, National Championship, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara: #2 Clemson beats #1 Alabama, 44-16
• 2019 Rain ruins last 2 days of 4th cricket Test in Sydney as India wins series 2-1; become first Asian side to win a Test series in Australia, 71 years after the first Indian touring team in 1947-48

 

JAN 8

Chance Yankees Manager

1913 Frank Chance becomes NY Yankees manager


Baseball HOF First BasemanFrank Chance

• 1925 England cricket opening batsman Herbert Sutcliffe follows his 1st innings 176 with 127 in the 2nd innings but his team cannot avoid an 81 run defeat to Australia in the 2nd Test in Melbourne
• 1945 University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team sets an NCAA record by holding Arkansas State to 6 points in a 75-6 win
• 1947 Toronto Maple Leaf rookie Howie Meeker scores 5 goals in a game
• 1955 Furman sets NCAA basketball single-game scoring record with 154 pt
• 1955 Georgia Tech ends Kentucky's 130-game home basketball win streak

Nicklaus Turns Professional
1962 21 year old future Hall of Fame golfer Jack Nicklaus makes his first professional appearance; tied 50th in Los Angeles Open


GolferJack Nicklaus

• 1972 NCAA announces freshman can play on teams starting in fall

Chappell's Best Test Bowling
1973 Greg Chappell's best Test bowling, 5-61 v Pakistan at SCG


CricketerGreg Chappell

• 1977 Australian Open Women's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Kerry Melville Reid wins her first and only Grand Slam singles title; beats Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat 7-5, 6-2

Connor's ATP Title
1978 American Jimmy Connors beats Björn Borg of Sweden 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 to win his first and only season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis LegendJimmy Connors

Tennis PlayerBjörn Borg

• 1980 Islander Glenn Resch's 20th shut-out opponent-Canucks 3-0
• 1980 NCAA decides to sponsor women's championships in 5 sports
• 1984 AFC Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Raiders beat Seattle Seahawks, 30-14
• 1984 NCAA announces that basketball tournament will have 64 teams
• 1984 NFC Championship, RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins beat San Francisco 49ers, 24-21
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• 1984 Washington Capitals Bengt Gustafsson scores 5 goals to beat Philadelphia 7-1

Willie McCovey Elected
1986 San Francisco Giants Willie McCovey is 16th elected to MLB Hall of Fame in his 1st year of eligibility


Baseball Hall of Fame 1st BasemanWillie McCovey

• 1987 Jack Sikma (Milwaukee) begins NBA free throw streak of 51 games
• 1988 9th largest NBA crowd 38,873-Chicago at Detroit
• 1989 AFC Championship, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati: Cincinnati Bengals beat Buffalo Bills, 21-10
• 1989 NFC Championship, Soldier Field, Chicago: San Francisco 49ers beat Chicago Bears, 28-3

Perry, Jenkins and Carew Elected
1991 Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins & Rod Carew elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball Hall of Fame InfielderRod Carew

Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher and CoachFerguson Jenkins

Baseball PitcherGaylord Perry

• 1991 Tamas Darnyi swims world record 400m medley (4:12.36)
• 1993 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Michael Stich beats Emilio Sánchez of Spain 7-5, 6-3 for a 2-0 win, and Germany's first title

Jordan Makes 20,000 Points
1993 Michael Jordan's game-high 35 points leads Chicago to 120-95 win over Milwaukee; gives him exactly 20,000 points in 620th game of his NBA career; 2nd-fastest to reach milestone after Wilt Chamberlain (499)


Basketball SuperstarMichael Jordan
Mike Schmidt Elected
1995 Philadelphia Phillies 12-time All Star third baseman Mike Schmidt is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB Third BasemanMike Schmidt

• 1996 For 1st time in 25 years no one is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1998 NY Giant GM George Young resigns to accept NFL position
• 2000 "Music City Miracle", in AFC Wild Card Playoff, Tennessee Titans defeat Buffalo Bills 22-16 in last 16 seconds with Kevin Dyson, running length of the field for a game-winning touchdown
• 2000 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Amanda Coetzer & Wayne Ferreira wrap up South Africa's first title (3-0) with an abbreviated 8-1 mixed doubles win over Tamarine Tanasugarn & Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand
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• 2005 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Guillermo Coria of Argentina 6-4, 6-1 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and 2nd Slovakian title
• 2007 9th BCS National Championship: #2 Florida beats #1 Ohio State, 41-14

Redskins Coach Retires Again
2008 Joe Gibbs retires, for the second time, as head coach of the Washington Redskins


NFL Head Coach and NASCAR Team OwnerJoe Gibbs

• 2009 College Football, 11th BCS National Championship, Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens: #2 Florida beats #1 Oklahoma, 24-14

US Clinch Victory
2011 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands & John Isner beat Belgian pair Justine Henin & Ruben Bemelmans 6-1, 6-3 to clinch a 2-1 victory; 6th title for the United States


Tennis PlayerJustine Henin

Tennis PlayerJohn Isner

• 2012 "The 3:16 Game" AFC Wild Card Playof, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first scrimmage play of overtime

Nash 5th to 10,000 Assists
2013 Steve Nash becomes 5th NBA player to record 10,000th career assists, playing for the LA Lakers against Houston - Lakers still lose 125–112


Basketball PlayerSteve Nash

• 2018 College Football National Championship, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta: #4 Alabama beats #3 Georgia, 26-23
• 2023 United Cup Tennis, Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney, Australia: US wins inaugural event, 4-0 over Italy

 

JAN 9

• 1811 1st Women's Golf Tournament held
• 1903 Baseball's National & American Leagues make peace
• 1903 Frank Farrell and Bill Devery purchase the American League's Baltimore baseball franchise for $18,000 and move it to NYC (later the NY Yankees)

• 1930 Boston Bruins wins then NHL record 14th straight game

Louis vs. Baer

1942 In his 20th title defense, Joe Louis KOs Buddy Baer in the 1st round of their rematch to retain his world heavyweight boxing title at New York’s Madison Square Garden


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionJoe Louis

• 1947 Providence Steamrollers guard Dino Martin becomes the first NBA player to ever score 40 points in a game, in a 91-68 win over Cleveland Rebels at Rhode Island Auditorium
• 1951 Washington Capitals NBA team folds
• 1952 Karel Sys wins European heavyweight boxing title

Marines to Recall Williams
1952 Marines give notice that they will recall Ted Williams to active duty


Baseball PlayerTed Williams

• 1954 Bert Olmstead of the Montreal Canadiens, ties NHL record of 8 points in game

Robertson Scores 56
1958 In basketball Oscar Robertson (Cin) scores 56, Seton Hall team 54


NBA PlayerOscar Robertson

• 1962 NFL prohibits grabbing of face masks
• 1967 NFL New Orleans' franchise takes name "Saints"

Laker's Streak Ends
1972 Led by future Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee Bucks beat LA Lakers, 120-104, ending LA's consecutive win streak at 33, the longest winning streak in major league sports history


NBA LegendKareem Abdul-Jabbar

• 1975 Australia beat England by 171 runs in 4th Test to regain Ashes

Trottier's Penalty Fail
1976 Bryan Trottier failed in 4th Islander penalty shot


NHL StarBryan Trottier

Tanner Defeats Vilas
1977 Australian Open Men's Tennis: American Roscoe Tanner wins his first and only Grand Slam event; beats Guillermo Vilas of Argentina 6-3, 6-3, 6-3


Tennis PlayerRoscoe Tanner

Tennis Player and Four-Time Major ChampionGuillermo Vilas
Raider Win Over Vikings
1977 Super Bowl XI, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA: Oakland Raiders beat Minnesota Vikings, 32-14; MVP: Fred Biletnikoff, Oakland, WR


NFL Coach and SportscasterJohn Madden
Orr's Jersey retired
1979 Bobby Orr's #4 jersey is retired by the Boston Bruins


Ice Hockey LegendBobby Orr

• 1984 Braves pitcher Pascual Perez is arrested for cocaine possession
• 1985 Flames set NHL record 264th regular season game without being shut-out
• 1986 NY Islanders repeat their greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Boitano US Champion
1988 US male Figure Skating championship won by Brian Boitano


Figure SkaterBrian Boitano
Bench and Yastrzemski Elected
1989 Johnny Bench & Carl Yastrzemski elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB CatcherJohnny Bench

MLB OutfielderCarl Yastrzemski

• 1990 Boston Celtics worst ever (6 pts in 2nd vs NJ Nets) & lose 87-78

Palmer and Morgan Elected
1990 Jim Palmer & Joe Morgan elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB Hall of Fame Infielder and BroadcasterJoe Morgan

Baseball PlayerJim Palmer
Pete Rose Banned
1991 Baseball officially bans Pete Rose from being elected to Hall of Fame for betting on baseball


MLB Player and ManagerPete Rose
Jordan Reaches 15,000 Points
1991 Chicago's Michael Jordan scores a game-high 40 points to lead the Bulls to a 107-99 win over Philadelphia at the Spectrum; reaches the 15,000 point mark of his career


Basketball SuperstarMichael Jordan

• 1991 Dean Smith of NC is 6th to win 700 career coaching basketball games
• 1993 Franziska van Almsick swims world record 100m free style (53.33)

Karpov vs. Viswanathan
1998 Anatoly Karpov defeats Viswanathan Anand to retain chess title


Chess GrandmasterAnatoly Karpov

• 1998 Boston Red Sox Mo Vaughn pleads not guilty to drunken driving

Gretsky Best Player Ever
1998 Hockey News selects Wayne Gretzky as the best NHL player ever


Ice Hockey GreatWayne Gretzky

• 1999 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Mark Philippoussis clinches Australia's unassailable 2-0 lead, (ends 2-1), with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Sweden's Jonas Björkman; Australia's first title

Marino's Last Game
2000 Miami Dolphin QB Dan Marino wins his last career NFL game (20-17 vs Seattle)


Hall of Fame NFL QuarterbackDan Marino

• 2009 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Dominik Hrbatý beats Russia's Marat Safin 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 for an unassailable 2-0 lead, and Slovakia's 3rd title

3rd Spanish Title
2010 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: María José Martínez Sánchez & Tommy Robredo of Spain beat British pair Laura Robson & Andy Murray 7-6, 7-5 to clinch a 2-1 win; Spain's 3rd title


Tennis ChampionAndy Murray

• 2012 College Football, 14th BCS National Championship, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans: #2 Alabama beats #1 LSU, 21-0

Messi, Sawa Awarded
2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wins award for a record 3rd consecutive year; Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa wins women's award


Football StarLionel Messi

• 2014 Yaya Toure wins African Footballer of the Year
• 2016 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Australian Nick Kyrgios beats Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-3, 6-4 for an unassailable 2-0 lead and the home nation's second title
• 2017 College Football National Championship, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa: #2 Clemson beats #1 Alabama, 35-31
• 2023 College Football, National Championship, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California: #1 Georgia beats #3 TCU, 65-7; 58-point victory most lopsided win Championship Game history

 

JAN 10

• 1911 Trumper scored double cricket ton v South Africa, goes on to get 214
• 1914 Norwegian speed skater Oscar Mathisen skates world 500m record in 43.7s in Oslo, Norway
• 1920 Montreal's Newsy Lalonde scores 6 goals as Canadiens beat Toronto St. Patricks, 14-7 at Mount Royal Arena, Montreal; combined 21 goals an NHL record

• 1930 New Zealand's 1st game of Test cricket is held in Christchurch, NZ. Englishman Maurice Allom takes a Test hat-trick.
• 1945 No one is elected to baseball's Hall of Fame

Richards #2 Goal Scorer

1951 Maurice Richard scores his 16th career hat trick in the Montreal Canadiens' 3-0 win over NY Rangers to bring his career total to 274 goals; passes Howie Morenz as NHL's #2 all-time leading goal scorer


Ice Hockey PlayerMaurice Richard

• 1953 3rd NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: National Conference beats American Conference, 27-7; MVP: Don Doll, Detroit Lions, DB

Commissioner's Bing Crosby Decision
1957 Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick rules Bing Crosby can keep token stock in Detroit Tigers, even though he owns part of Pittsburgh Pirates


Singer and ActorBing Crosby
15th NFL Pro Bowl
1965 15th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 34-14; MVPs: Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings, QB; Terry Barr, Detroit Lions, DB


NFL QuarterbackFran Tarkenton
17th NBA All-Star Game
1967 17th NBA All-Star Game, Cow Palace, San Francisco, Ca: West beats East, 135-120; MVP: Rick Barry, SF Warriors, SF


NBA Small ForwardRick Barry

• 1982 AFC Championship, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati: Cincinnati Bengals beat San Diego Chargers, 27-7 in the "Freezer Bowl"

The Catch
1982 NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: San Francisco 49ers beat Dallas Cowboys, 28-27; "The Catch" - iconic moment in NFL history - Dwight Clark makes fingertip catch for a TD from Joe Montana with 58" remaining; SF goes on to win Super Bowl


NFL QuarterbackJoe Montana

• 1982 Petra Schneider swims world record 1500 m freestyle (15:43.31)
• 1983 NY Supreme Court issues a preliminary injunction barring NY Yankees from playing season-opening series against Tigers in Denver

Baseball Hall of Fame
1984 Luis Aparicio, Harmon Killebrew and Don Drysdale elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame


Baseball PlayerHarmon Killebrew

MLB PlayerDon Drysdale
Wilkens first to 1,000 Games
1985 Lenny Wilkens becomes first to coach in 1,000 NBA games when his Seattle SuperSonics defeat the Golden State Warriors, 89-86


NBA Point Guard and CoachLenny Wilkens

Abdul-Jabbar's 34,000th Point
1986 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers scores his 34,000th career point during 124-102 win over Indiana Pacers; only NBA player to reach the milestone at that time, holds career record until 2023


NBA LegendKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Gretzky Leading Scorer
1989 LA Kings center Wayne Gretzky becomes NHL’s all-time leading scorer in combined regular season & playoff points; 4 assists in 5-4 home win over Edmonton brings his total to 2,011, 1 more than Gordie Howe


Ice Hockey GreatWayne Gretzky

• 1990 NCAA approves random drug testing for college football players
• 1996 Boston guard Dana Barros sinks a 3-point field goal in his 89th straight game, during the Celtics' 113-104 win over Sacramento Kings; NBA record streak ends in next game when he goes 0 from 9

Coach Johnson
1996 Jimmy Johnson announced as new coach of Miami Dolphins


NFL Head CoachJimmy Johnson
Hopman Cup
1998 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Karina Habšudová & Karol Kučera beat French pair Mary Pierce & Cédric Pioline 6-3, 6-4 for a 2-1 win, and Slovakia's first title


Tennis PlayerMary Pierce

Tennis PlayerCedric Pioline

• 1998 Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan wins his 600th NBA game with a 111-84 victory at the Houston Rockets

1,000 Assists for Messier
1998 Vancouver Canucks veteran center Mark Messier becomes the 6th player in NHL history to record 1,000 assists in a 2-2 tie against the Florida Panthers at General Motors Place


NHL LegendMark Messier

• 2003 NBA announces Charlotte, N.C. is awarded an NBA expansion franchise to be known as the Charlotte Bobcats and start play in 2004-05; eventually changes to the Charlotte Hornets for the 2014-15 season

Hopman Cup
2004 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Lindsay Davenport & James Blake beat Slovakian pair Daniela Hantuchová & Karol Kučera 6-2, 6-3 for a 2-1 win, and 3rd American title


Tennis PlayerLindsay Davenport

Tennis PlayerJames Blake

• 2011 College Football, 13th BCS National Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: #1 Auburn beats #2 Oregon, 22-19

Ballon d'Or
2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wins 2nd straight award from teammates Andrés Iniesta & Xavi; Brazilian forward Marta wins women's award for 5th consecutive year


Football StarLionel Messi

FootballerXavi
Hopman Cup
2015 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Poland's Agnieszka Radwańska & Jerzy Janowicz beat American pair Serena Williams & John Isner 7-5, 6-3 to clinch a 2-1 win; earlier Radwańska defeats Williams 6-4, 6-7, 6-1


Tennis PlayerSerena Williams

Tennis PlayerJohn Isner

Tennis PlayerAgnieszka Radwański

• 2022 College Football, National Championship, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana: #3 Georgia beats #1 Alabama, 33-18

 

JAN 11

Eden's 1500m Skate Record

1893 Jaap Eden skates world record 1500m (2:35)


Cyclist and Speed SkaterJaap Eden

• 1915 Jacob Ruppert and Colonel Tillinghast Huston purchase the New York Yankees for $460,000, Ruppert pays his portion in cash

Bradman Scores 113
1938 Don Bradman scores a second innings 113 vs Qld after a ton in the 1st innings


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1946 Bert Bell becomes second NFL commissioner, moves Chicago headquarters to Philadelphia

Hoover Declines Offer
1953 J. Edgar Hoover declines 6 figure offer to become president of International Boxing Club


First Director of the FBIJ. Edgar Hoover

• 1959 9th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 28-21; MVPs: Frank Gifford, NY Giants, HB; Doug Atkins, Chicago Bears, DE

Mohammad Smashes 499
1959 Pakistani cricket batsman Hanif Mohammad smashes 499 for Karachi v Bahawalpur, then 1st class world record


CricketerHanif Mohammad

• 1960 LaMar Clark sets pro boxing record of 44 consecutive knockouts

Chamberlain Scores 67
1963 SF Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scores 67 points in 134-129 defeat to LA Lakers at Cow Palace


NBA LegendWilt Chamberlain

• 1966 16th NBA All-Star Game, Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH: East beats West, 137-94; MVP: Adrian Smith, Cincinnati Royals, PG
• 1967 San Diego is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Rockets; franchise moves to Houston for the 1971-72 season
• 1970 Super Bowl IV, Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA: KC Chiefs beat Minnesota Vikings, 23-7; MVP: Len Dawson, Kansas City, QB
• 1973 American League adopts designated hitter rule

Hamill's 3rd Championship
1976 Dorothy Hamill wins her 3rd consecutive national figure skating championship


Figure SkaterDorothy Hamill

• 1977 Cubs trade outfielder Rick Monday to Dodgers for Bill Buckner
• 1977 France releases Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in massacre of Israeli athletes at 1972 Munich Olympics
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• 1981 AFC Championship, Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego: Oakland Raiders beat San Diego Chargers, 34-27
• 1981 NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Philadelphia Eagles beat Dallas Cowboys, 20-7

Martin Yankee Manager
1983 Billy Martin named NY Yankee manager for 3rd time


Baseball Player and ManagerBilly Martin

• 1983 Edmonton’s Pat Hughes sets NHL record for the fastest 2 shorthanded goals by one player at just 25 seconds apart in a 7-5 win at St. Louis; first player to break a Wayne Gretzky record

Dione Scores Hat-trick
1983 LA Kings' center Marcel Dionne picks up his 24th NHL career hat-trick and adds 3 assists for 6 points in a 9-7 win at Washington; Kings' first road win after 8 straight losses


NHL StarMarcel Dionne

• 1984 Denver Nuggets 163, San Antonio Spurs 155-highest-scoring NBA game

AFC Championship
1987 AFC Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 23-20 (OT)


NFL QuarterbackJohn Elway

• 1987 Largest crowd (76,633) at NFL NY Giant Stadium (beat Wash 17-0)
• 1987 NFC Championship, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford: New York Giants beat Washington Redskins, 17-0
• 1988 USSR announces it will participate in Seoul Summer Olympics
• 1989 Denver Nuggets' rookie Jerome Lane misses 7 free throws in a game against Milwaukee, one missed by 2 feet
• 1990 Bob Knight becomes college basketball's Big 10 winningest coach with his 229th victory

Lafontaine's Sets Record
1990 NHL New York Islander Pat LaFontaine sets team record by scoring goals in 11 straight games


NHL StarPat LaFontaine

• 1991 Ben Johnson's 1st race after being stripped of his 1988 Olympic Gold medal for steroid use, he finishes 2nd

Yamaguchi US Champion
1992 US female Figure Skating championship won by Kristi Yamaguchi


Figure SkaterKristi Yamaguchi

• 1995 Birmingham Barracudas (based in Alabama) granted CFL franchise, experiment only lasts one season
• 1995 NHLPA & owners agree to end NHL strike
• 1998 AFC Championship Game: Denver Broncos beat Pittsburgh Steelers 24-21
• 1998 NFC Championship, 3Com Park, SF: Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49ers, 23-10
• 1998 US Ladies Figure Skating championship won by Michelle Kwan

Eldredge US Champion
1998 US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge


Figure SkaterTodd Eldredge
Schottenheimer Resigns
1999 Marty Schottenheimer resigns as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs


NFL CoachMarty Schottenheimer

• 2001 New York Knicks hold an opponent under 100 points for NBA-record 29th straight game in a 76-75 loss to the Houston Rockets; streak snaps 46-year-old NBA record of 28 straight set by the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1954-55

1,200 Points for Jágr
2003 Washington right wing Jaromír Jágr scores his 10th career hat-trick and adds 4 assists for 7 points and his 1,200th NHL point in a 12-2 win against Florida; Jágr has 20+ goals in each of his 13 NHL seasons


Ice Hockey PlayerJaromír Jágr

• 2004 "4th and 26", trailing Green Bay Packers by 3 in NFC Divisional Playoff Game, Philadelphia Eagles face 4th and 26 on their final drive, Donovan McNabb hits Freddie Mitchell for 29 yards. Eagles tie the game and go on to win in overtime
• 2004 Washington Capitals' German goaltender Olaf Kölzig records his 32nd NHL career shutout in a 1-0 win against the visiting Edmonton Oilers
• 2016 College Football National Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: #2 Alabama beats #1 Clemson, 45-40

Ballon d'Or
2016 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wins his record 5th award with 41.33% of the votes; American midfielder Carli Lloyd is Women's World Player of the Year


Football StarLionel Messi

• 2021 College Football, National Championship, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida: #1 Alabama beats #3 Ohio State, 52-24

 

JAN 12

Malone 1st to 20 Goals

1918 Montreal Canadien's center Joe Malone scores 5 goals in a 9-4 win over Ottawa to become the first 20 goal scorer in NHL history; goes on to score 44 regular season goals


Ice Hockey PlayerJoe Malone

• 1920 Annual drafting of baseball players from minor leagues to be done in inverse order of the final standings, agreed to
• 1946 NFL champs Cleveland Rams given permission to move to LA

Charles vs. Oma
1951 Ezzard Charles TKOs Lee Oma in 10 for heavyweight boxing title


Boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionEzzard Charles

• 1952 2nd NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: National Conference beats American Conference, 30-13; MVP: Dan Towler, LA Rams, FB
• 1958 8th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 26-7; MVPs: Hugh McElhenny, SF 49ers, HB; Gene Brito, Washington Redskins, DE
• 1958 NCAA adds 2 point conversion to football scoring

Schayes Sets Record
1958 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes sets NBA record at 11,770 points


NBA Power Forward and CoachDolph Schayes
West Indies 399 stand
1960 Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell complete 399 stand for 4th wkt WI v England


CricketerGarfield Sobers

• 1960 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes is 1st NBA'er to score 15,000 points

Western Defeats Eastern Conference
1964 14th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 31-17; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Gino Marchetti, Baltimore Colts, DE


NFL QuarterbackJohnny Unitas
Auerbach's 1,000th Win
1966 Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach records his 1,000th NBA career victory (regular season and playoffs), 114-102 over the Los Angeles Lakers in Boston


NBA Head CoachRed Auerbach
Darft Board Refuses Ali Exemption
1967 Louisville, Kentucky draft board refuses exemption for boxer Muhammad Ali [1]


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionMuhammad Ali
Jets Defeat Colts
1969 Super Bowl III, Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: New York Jets beat Baltimore Colts, 16-7; MVP: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB


NFL QuarterbackJoe Namath
Wilkens Oldest MVP
1971 21st NBA All-Star Game, San Diego Sports Arena: West beats East, 108-107; MVP: Lenny Wilkens, Seattle SuperSonics, PG; oldest MVP in All-Star history (33); scores 21 points


NBA Point Guard and CoachLenny Wilkens

• 1975 Super Bowl IX, Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Minnesota Vikings, 16-6; MVP: Franco Harris, Pittsburgh, RB

Borg Wins ATP
1980 Björn Borg of Sweden wins his first of 2 season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles outclassing American Vitas Gerulaitis 6–2, 6–2 at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis PlayerBjörn Borg

Tennis PlayerVitas Gerulaitis

• 1980 Phoenix point guard Mike Bratz begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games during a 107-96 loss at the Golden State Warriors
• 1981 MLB Cincinnati Reds become last team to sign a free agent, outfielder Larry Biitner

Robinson, Marichal Elected
1983 Brooks Robinson and Juan Marichal elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball Hall of Fame Third BasemanBrooks Robinson

Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherJuan Marichal

• 1983 NCAA creates football Kickoff Classic to begin in August
• 1983 Quebec Nordiques play 230th NHL game without being shut out
• 1986 AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: New England Patriots beat Miami Dolphins, 31-14
• 1986 Chicago Blackhawk centre Denis Savard scores at 4 seconds of 3rd period
• 1986 NFC Championship, Soldier Field, Chicago: Chicago Bears beat Los Angeles Rams, 24-0

Stargell Elected
1988 Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder/first baseman Willie Stargell elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball PlayerWillie Stargell

• 1991 Largest crowd to watch Atlantic Coast Women's Basketball game (11,520)
• 1991 Melvin Stewart swims world record 200 m butterfly (1:55.69)

Bills Defeat Broncos
1992 AFC Championship, Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, NY: Buffalo Bills beat Denver Broncos, 10-7


NFL QuarterbackJohn Elway

• 1992 Highest scoring NCAA basketball game; Troy State Trojans defeat DeVry Hoyas 258-149 in Troy, Alabama
• 1992 NFC Championship, RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins beat Detroit Lions, 41-10

Lemieux's Diagnosis
1993 NHL great Mario Lemieux announces that he has been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma


NHL Legend and OwnerMario Lemieux
Carlton Elected
1994 Lefthanded pitcher Steve Carlton (Philadelphia Phillies) elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball PitcherSteve Carlton
10th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
1995 10th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: The Allman Brothers Band; Al Green; Janis Joplin; Led Zeppelin; Martha and the Vandellas; Neil Young; Frank Zappa; The Orioles; Paul Ackerman


Singer-SongwriterJanis Joplin

Singer-songwriterNeil Young
OJ Simpson Trial
1995 Murder trial against O.J. Simpson, begins in LA


NFL Running Back and Convicted CriminalO.J. Simpson

• 1997 AFC Championship, Foxborough Stadium: New England Patriots beat Jacksonville Jaguars, 20-6
• 1997 Ladies' figure skating star Oksana Baiul injured slightly while driving intoxicated in Bloomfield, Connecticut
• 1997 NFC Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Carolina Panthers, 30-13

Messier Jersey Retired
2006 During an emotional ceremony, Mark Messier's #11 jersey is retired by the New York Rangers


NHL LegendMark Messier
Ronaldo Player of the Year
2009 Cristiano Ronaldo is awarded 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year for the first time at a ceremony in Zurich


Football StarCristiano Ronaldo

• 2013 "Mile High Miracle", In AFC Divisional Playoff Game Denver Broncos ahead of Baltimore Ravens 35-28 with 1:09 remaining, quarterback Joe Flacco heaves 70 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jacoby Jones to tie the game. Ravens win in overtime.
• 2014 Stephen Bunting and Lisa Ashton win the 2014 BDO World Darts Championship
• 2015 College Football National Championship, AT&T Stadium, Arlington: #4 Ohio State beats #2 Oregon, 42-20
• 2015 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid & Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins for a 2nd consecutive time; his 3rd award overall; VfL Wolfsburg midfielder Nadine Keßler is women's award winner
• 2017 Justin Thomas (23) becomes the youngest player to shoot a sub-60 round of 59 in the opening round of the Sony Open at Waialae CC in Hawaii; he also wins the tournament

Serbia Pair Defeat Spanish
2020 1st ATP Cup Men's Tennis, Sydney: Novak Đoković & Viktor Troicki beat Spanish pair Pablo Carreño Busta & Feliciano López 6-3, 6-4 to clinch inaugural title for Serbia, 2-1; Đoković beats Rafael Nadal 6-2, 7-6


Tennis ChampionNovak Đoković

Tennis ChampionRafael Nadal

• 2020 Argentine striker Sergio Agüero becomes top-scoring overseas player in English Premier League football history with a hat-trick in Manchester City's 6-1 rout of Aston Villa; total 177 takes him past Thierry Henry

 

JAN 13

• 1908 Stanley Cup, Montreal Arena, Westmount, Quebec: Montreal Wanderers rout Ottawa Victorias, 13-1 for 2-0 sweep of challenge series
• 1919 Dutch Soccer team OSV forms

3rd NBA All-Star Game

1953 3rd NBA All-Star Game, Allen County Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana: West beats East, 79-75; MVP: George Mikan, Minneapolis Lakers, C


NBA CenterGeorge Mikan

• 1957 7th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 19-10; MVPs: Bert Rechichar, Baltimore Colts, K; Ernie Stautner, Pittsburgh Steelers, DT

Chamberlain Scores 73 Points
1962 Philadelphia center Wilt Chamberlain scores 73 points in Warriors' 135-117 win over Chicago Packers; at the time, most points scored in NBA regulation game, and remains tied for 3rd-highest total


NBA LegendWilt Chamberlain
13th NFL Pro Bowl
1963 13th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 30-20; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Eugene Lipscomb, Pittsburgh Steelers, DT


NFL Legend and Civil Rights ActivistJim Brown

• 1963 2nd AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 21-14; MVPs: Curtis McClinton, Dallas Texans, RB; Earl Faison, LA Chargers, DE

Emerson Retains Title
1964 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson retains title; beats fellow Australian Fred Stolle 6-3, 6-4, 6-2


Tennis PlayerRoy Emerson

Tennis Player and BroadcasterFred Stolle

• 1964 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Australian Margaret Smith beats doubles partner Lesley Turner 6-3, 6-2 for her 5th Australian singles crown

15th NBA All-Star Game
1965 15th NBA All-Star Game, St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Mo: East beats West, 124-123; MVP: Jerry Lucas, Cincinnati Royals, F


NBA ForwardJerry Lucas

• 1968 Minnesota North Stars NHL player Bill Masterson, suffers head injuries during a game and dies two days later, becoming the 1st player to die as result of a game

Canadiens Obtain Mahovlich
1971 In a high profile NHL trade, the Montreal Canadiens obtain future Hockey Hall of Fame left wing Frank Mahovlich from Detroit, in exchange for Bill Collins, Guy Charron and Mickey Redmond


NHL LegendFrank Mahovlich

• 1972 Bernice Gera wins anti-discrimination case against the National Baseball Congressl, initiated March 15, 1971 to be allowed to umpire
• 1974 Super Bowl VIII, Rice Stadium, Houston, TX: Miami Dolphins beat Minnesota Vikings, 24-7; MVP: Larry Csonka, Miami, RB
• 1976 Future undisputed world middleweight boxing champion Marvin Hagler suffers his first career loss in a controversial 10-round majority decision to Bobby Watts at the Philadelphia Spectrum

Bossy's 15th Hat Trick
1981 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy's 15th career hat trick among his 4 goals, in 6-3 win over visiting Pittsburgh Penquins


Ice Hockey GreatMike Bossy

Baseball Hall of Fame
1982 Hank Aaron and Frank Robinson elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball PlayerHank Aaron

Baseball Outfielder and ManagerFrank Robinson
AMA Urges Boxing Ban
1983 AMA urges ban on boxing, cites Muhammad Ali's deteriorating condition


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionMuhammad Ali

• 1985 23rd Tennis Fed Cup: Czech beats USA in Nagoya Japan (2-1)
• 1985 99-year-old Otto Bucher from Switzerland becomes the oldest man to record a hole-in-one at Spanish GC La Manga's 130-yard 12th hole
• 1985 Blackhawk Doug Wilson failed on 12th penalty shot against Islanders

McEnroe Retains ATP Title
1985 John McEnroe repeats previous year's result with a 7–5, 6–0, 6–4 win over Ivan Lendl to claim back-to-back season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis PlayerJohn McEnroe

Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionIvan Lendl
Gretzky Makes 400
1985 Playing in his 436th career game, Edmonton center Wayne Gretzky scores his 400th career NHL goal and adds 2 assists in a 5-4 Oilers' win over the Sabres in Buffalo


Ice Hockey GreatWayne Gretzky
Garvey Retires
1988 MLB Los Angeles Dodger/San Diego Padre Steve Garvey retires


Baseball PlayerSteve Garvey

• 1989 Jerry Parks, Oklahoma defensive back, charged with shooting a teammate
• 1991 Football fans of the Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates clash in Orkney, South Africa leading to a riot and 42 deaths in the Oppenheimer Stadium disaster

Harding's Bodyguard Arrested
1994 Tonya Harding's bodyguard, Shawn Eric Eckardt & Derrick Brian Smith arrested & charged with conspiracy in attack of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan


Figure SkaterTonya Harding

Figure SkaterNancy Kerrigan

• 1995 26 HNL teams unanimously ratify agreement to end NHL strike
• 1995 America3 becomes 1st all-female crew to win an America's Cup race

Jordan's Second Retirement
1999 Basketball superstar Michael Jordan announces his second retirement just prior to start of lockout-shortened 1998-99 NBA season; returns in 2001 with Washington


Basketball SuperstarMichael Jordan

• 2001 Atlanta Hawks retire Dominique Wilkins' No. 21 in pre-game ceremonies at Philips Arena; joins Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson as the only Hawks to have their numbers retired

Redskins' Schottenheimer Fired
2002 In a controversial move, Marty Schottenheimer is fired as head coach of the Washington Redskins after just one season


NFL CoachMarty Schottenheimer

• 2004 Toronto's Tom Fitzgerald and Gary Roberts become first teammates in NHL history to play their 1,000th NHL game on the same night as the Maple Leafs beat the visiting Calgary Flames, 4-1
• 2008 Orlando Magic knock down a then NBA-record 23 3-pointers in 37 attempts (62.2%); Jameer Nelson goes 5-for-5 from beyond the arc as Magic beat the Sacramento Kings, 139-107

Ronaldo, Angerer Award
2014 FIFA Ballon d'Or: Real Madrid & Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo ends Lionel Messi's domination of award; FFC Frankfurt goalkeeper Nadine Angerer takes women's award


Football StarCristiano Ronaldo

Football StarLionel Messi

• 2017 Cricket all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan scores Bangladesh's top Test score ever (217) during the 1st Test v New Zealand in Wellington
• 2019 Houston guard James Harden scores 38 points in Rockets' 116-108 loss to Orlando; 16th straight game with 30+ points matching Kobe Bryant's NBA record streak; also goes 1 for 17 from 3-point arc, tying record for most misses

Messi Scores 400 Goals
2019 Lionel Messi scores for FC Barcelona in 3-0 win over Eibar, his 400th goal in La Liga; becomes first player to reach mark in just one of Europe's top 5 leagues; Cristiano Ronaldo had 409 in Spain, England & Italy


Football StarLionel Messi

• 2020 College Football, National Championship, Superdome, New Orleans: #1 LSU beats #3 Clemson, 42-15
• 2020 Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow are fired by team owner Jim Crane for their roles in the sign-stealing scandal after MLB suspends both for one year

 

JAN 14

• 1898 Australian cricketer Joe Darling hits the 1st six in Tests (out of the ground)
• 1919 John McGraw, Charles A. Stoneham and Francis Xavier McQuade buy NY Giants
• 1927 Toronto Maple Leafs 1st hat trick (Hap Day) vs NY Rangers

Jockey Arcaro Wins 1st Race

1932 Racing Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro wins his 1st race at Agua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana, Mexico - aged 16 years


Racing Hall of Fame JockeyEddie Arcaro
Crawford Defeats Perry
1935 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Home favourite Jack Crawford wins his 4th Australian title; beats Fred Perry of England 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4


Tennis Player and BroadcasterFred Perry

• 1935 Australian Championships Women's Tennis, Melbourne: In an all-British final Dorothy Round Little defeats Nancy Lyle 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
• 1940 2nd NFL All Star Game, Gilmore Stadium, LA, CA: Green Bay Packers beat NFL All-Stars, 16-7

Free Agency to Tigers Players
1940 MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gives free agency to 91 Detroit Tigers minor league players


1st MLB CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis

• 1943 Montreal Canadiens' left wing Alex Smart becomes the first NHL rookie to score a hat trick in his first NHL game, a 5-1 win at home over the Chicago Black Hawks
• 1946 1946 NFL Draft: Frank Dancewicz from University of Notre Dame first pick by Boston Yanks

American Conference Prevails
1951 1st NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: American Conference beats National Conference, 28-27; MVP: Otto Graham, Cleveland Browns, QB


NFL QuarterbackOtto Graham

• 1961 Chicago Bear Willard Dewveall becomes 1st NFLer to join AFL

12th NFL Pro Bowl
1962 12th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 31-30; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Henry Jordan, Green Bay Packers, DT


NFL Legend and Civil Rights ActivistJim Brown
14th NBA All-Star Game
1964 14th NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 111-107; MVP: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals, PG


NBA PlayerOscar Robertson
Super Bowl II
1968 Super Bowl II, Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: Green Bay Packers beat Oakland Raiders, 33-14; MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay, QB


NFL Coach and SportscasterJohn Madden

• 1969 19th NBA All-Star Game, Baltimore Civic Centre: East beats West, 123-112; MVP: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals, PG
• 
  
• 1969 Matt Busby retires from Manchester United
• 1971 Cricketer John Snow takes 7-40 for England to beat Australia by 299 runs
• 1973 Super Bowl VII, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: Miami Dolphins beat Washington Redskins, 14-7; MVP: Jake Scott, Miami, S

25th NBA All-Star Game
1975 25th NBA All-Star Game, Arizona Vets Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Az: East beats West, 108-102; MVP: Walt Frazier, NY Knicks, PG


Basketball PlayerWalt Frazier

• 1975 Anita Wold (Norway) sets women's ski jump distance record-98 m

Turner Braves CEO
1976 Ted Turner becomes CEO of Atlanta Braves


Businessman and SailorTed Turner
McEnroe's 1st ATP
1979 John McEnroe wins his first of 3 season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles 6–7, 6–3, 7–5 against fellow American Arthur Ashe at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis PlayerJohn McEnroe

Tennis PlayerArthur Ashe
Benitez vs. Palomino
1979 Puerto Rican boxer Wilfred Benitez beats WBC welterweight champion Carlos Palomino of Mexico in a 15-round split decision in San Juan, Puerto Rico; becomes two-division champion at the age of 20


BoxerWilfred Benítez
Mancini vs. Chacon
1984 Ray Mancini scores a 3rd-round TKO of Bobby Chacon to retain his WBA lightweight title in Reno, Nevada; Chacon so severely battered he thanks referee Richard Steele for stopping the fight


BoxerRay Mancini
Navratilova Wins 100
1985 Martina Navratilova is 3rd to win 100 tennis tournaments (Connors & Evert)


Tennis PlayerMartina Navratilova

• 1987 Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams are elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Broncos Defeat Browns
1990 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns 37-21


NFL QuarterbackJohn Elway

• 1990 NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: San Francisco 49ers beat Los Angeles Rams, 30-3

Eaton's Record Career Blocks
1993 Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton blocks 2 shots in a 96-89 win over Seattle SuperSonics; becomes only 2nd player in NBA history (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) to record 3,000 career blocks


NBA LegendKareem Abdul-Jabbar

• 1994 Inna Lassovskaya triple-jumps ladies world record (14.61m)

Pazienza vs. Durán
1995 Vinny Pazienza beats Panamanian boxing legend Roberto Durán in a 12-round unanimous decision in a super middleweight bout in Atlantic City; 2nd time in 6 months Pazienza wears down 43-year-old Duran in a high profile pay-pay-view bout


BoxerRoberto Durán

• 1996 AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Indianapolis Colts, 20-16
• 1996 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium: Dallas Cowboys beat Green Bay Packers, 38-27

Barkley Pleads Not Guilty
1998 Charles Barkley pleads not guilty to an assault charge


NBA Power ForwardCharles Barkley

• 2001 AFC Championship, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland: Baltimore Ravens beat Oakland Raiders, 16-3
• 2001 NFC Championship, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford: New York Giants beat Minnesota Vikings, 41-0
• 2020 Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is fired amid Major League Baseball's investigation into sign-stealing by the Houston Astros; Cora was the Astros' bench coach before moving to Boston

 

JAN 15

Basketball Rules Published

1892 Basketball rules first published in Triangle Magazine, written by James Naismith


Basketball InventorJames Naismith

• 1895 Australian cricket spin bowler Albert Trott takes 8-43 on debut to end England's 2nd innings at 143 in 3rd Test in Adelaide; Australia wins by 382 in 4 days

Headley Scores 157
1930 Brilliant West Indian cricket batsman George Headley scores 157 of 176 on debut on the 4th day of the drawn 1st Test against England in Bridgetown, Barbados


West Indian CricketerGeorge Headley
Babe Ruth's Pay Cut
1934 New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth, nearing end of illustrious career, signs a 1-year contract worth $35,000; represents a pay cut of $17,000 for "The Babe"


Baseball LegendBabe Ruth

• 1936 Horace Stoneham is elected president of New York Giants MLB franchise; succeeds late father, Charles; remains president for next 40 years, presiding over move to SF, before selling team in 1976

1st NFL All-Star Game
1939 1st NFL All-star Game, Wrigley Field, Chicago: New York Giants beat All America All-Stars, 13-10


American Football PlayerMel Hein

• 1942 Chicago Cubs drop plans to install lights at Wrigley Field because of military's need for materials; takes 35 years before lights finally installed at the venerable ballpark

The "Green Light Letter"
1942 US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt sends his famed "Green Light Letter" to MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, encouraging baseball to continue playing during World War II


32nd US PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt

1st MLB CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis
Sawchuk's 1st Shutout
1950 Red Wings' rookie goalie Terry Sawchuk records his first of 115 career NHL shutouts, as Detroit beats the New York Rangers, 1-0 at Madison Square Garden


NHL LegendTerry Sawchuk
6th NFL Pro Bowl
1956 6th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 31-30; MVP: Ollie Matson, Baltimore Colts, RB


American Football PlayerOllie Matson
7th NBA All-Star Game
1957 7th NBA All-Star Game, Boston Garden: East beats West, 109-97; MVP: Bob Cousy, Boston Celtics, PG


NBA Point GuardBob Cousy

• 1957 Brooklyn Dodgers extend their 5-year lease on Ebbets Field by signing a new 3-year lease with real estate developer Marvin Kratter; club moves to Los Angeles the next year
• 1958 New York Yankees announce that 140 MLB games to be televised on WPIX TV this season in a deal worth over $1 million dollars

11th NFL Pro Bowl
1961 11th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 35-31; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Sam Huff, NY Giants, LB


NFL QuarterbackJohnny Unitas
1st Leg of Laver Grand Slam
1962 50th Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Rod Laver takes the 1st leg of his 1st Grand Slam; beats fellow Queenslander Roy Emerson 8-6, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4


Tennis PlayerRod Laver

Tennis PlayerRoy Emerson

• 1962 50th Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Smith beats Jan Lehane O'Neill in the final for 3rd straight year 6-0, 6-2
• 
  
• 1964 MLB executives vote to hold a free agent amateur draft, officially known as Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in NYC

Willie Mays Highest Paid
1964 San Francisco Giants make champion outfielder Willie Mays the highest-paid player in baseball when they sign him to a new $105,000 per season contract


MLB LegendWillie Mays
Warriors Trade Chamberlain
1965 One of the biggest trades in NBA history; San Francisco Warriors send Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers for Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann and cash


NBA LegendWilt Chamberlain
5th AFL All Star Game
1966 5th AFL All Star Game, Rice Stadium, Houston: All-Stars beat Buffalo Bills, 30-19: MVPs: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB; Frank Buncom, LA Chargers, LB


NFL QuarterbackJoe Namath

• 1967 Super Bowl I, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: Green Bay Packers beat KC Chiefs, 35-10; MVP: Bart Starr, Green Bay, QB
• 1968 Minnesota North Stars forward Bill Masterton dies 2 days after suffering a head injury in a game against the Oakland Seals; the only death as a result of a game injury in NHL history

Frazier vs. Daniels
1972 World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier stops Terry Daniels in 4 rounds in New Orleans to retain his WBC and WBA titles


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionJoe Frazier

• 1974 24th NBA All-Star Game, Seattle Center Coliseum: West beats East, 134-123; MVP: Bob Lanier, Detroit Pistons
• 1978 Super Bowl XII, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Denver Broncos, 27-10; MVP: Harvey Martin, Dallas, DE & Randy White, Dallas, DT
• 1981 Pitcher Bob Gibson is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America
• 1983 Javed Miandad & Mudassar Nazar make 451 stand v India

McEnroe's 2nd ATP
1984 John McEnroe reverses previous year's result with a 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 win over Ivan Lendl to claim his second season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis PlayerJohn McEnroe

Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionIvan Lendl
Navratilova’s Winning Streak Ends
1984 Martina Navratilova’s 54-match winning streak ends when beaten by Hana Mandlíková 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 in the final of the Virginia Slims of California tennis event in Oakland; after loss Navratilova wins next 74 matches for new record


Tennis Player and Four-Time Major ChampionHana Mandlikova

Tennis PlayerMartina Navratilova

• 1985 Mike Gatting (207) and Graeme Fowler (201) become first pair of England batsmen to complete double centuries in the same innings during 9-wicket 4th cricket Test win against India at Madras

Roy's 1st Shutout
1986 Montreal's rookie goaltender Patrick Roy records his first of 66 career NHL shutouts, in the Canadiens' 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets at the Forum


NHL Goalie and CoachPatrick Roy

Larry Bird's Double Accolade
1987 Champion Boston Celtics NBA forward Larry Bird is named Man of the Year by 'The Sporting News' and Athlete of the Year by 'Associated Press'; first time one athlete gains both distinctions


NBA LegendLarry Bird

• 1988 19-year-old Indian cricket leg-spinner Narenda Hirwani records best bowling figures on debut in Test history; captures 16-136 in 255 run 4th Test win v West Indies in Madras; Hirwani takes 8 wickets in each innings
• 1988 Indian cricket wicketkeeper Kiran More stumps 5 West Indian batsman in 4th Test at Madras; world Test record
• 1988 NFL analyst Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder makes several questionable comments about African Americans during a lunchtime interview on CBS' NFL Today; fired the next day

Forman vs. Cooney
1990 42-year-old former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman stops Gerry Cooney in 2 rounds in Atlantic City in a non-title bout; Cooney's last fight


Boxing ChampionGeorge Foreman

• 1990 Golden State coach Don Nelson becomes 2nd man in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games both as a player and coach (joining Lenny Wilkens) as the Warriors lose to the Indiana Pacers, 144-105
• 1990 In a bizarre twist in the NHL, Washington Capitals fire coach Brian Murray, who had been head coach since 1981; replace him with his brother Terry, who had been coaching in the minors
• 1990 In a shrewd move, Detroit Tigers sign 1st baseman Cecil Fielder who spent previous season in Japan; hits 51 homers this MLB season and becomes a premier power hitter for most of the 1990s
• 1991 Dean Jones (76) and Mark Taylor (71) lead Australia to 7 wicket win over New Zealand in cricket's World Series Cup 2nd Final in Melbourne; win series, 2-0
• 1994 Dallas Mavericks drop a 104-87 decision to the San Antonio Spurs at Reunion Arena to set an unwanted NBA record with their 17th consecutive home defeat; break mark of 16 set by Orlando in 1990

Lawrence Taylor Retires
1994 Lawrence Taylor announces his retirement from the NFL


Hall of Fame American Football PlayerLawrence Taylor

• 1995 AFC Championship, Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh: San Diego Chargers beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-13
• 1995 NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: San Francisco 49ers beat Dallas Cowboys, 38-28

Rodman Kicks Cameraman
1997 Controversial Chicago Bulls' forward Dennis Rodman kicks cameraman Eugene Amos in the groin during a game against Minnesota Timberwolves; ultimately pays Amos $200,000 settlement, and is suspended for 11 games without pay


Basketball PlayerDennis Rodman

• 1997 San Francisco head coach George Seifert announces his resignation after 8 highly-successful NFL seasons with the 49ers: winningest coach in team history at 108-35; 2 Super Bowl titles
• 1997 Seattle's Sam Perkins ties Jeff Hornacek's NBA single-game record by connecting on 8 straight 3-point field goals during Sonics' 122-78 win over visiting Toronto; Seattle also sets an NBA steals record with 27
• 1998 Australian schoolboy Ian Thorpe becomes youngest ever male to become a world swimming champion when he wins 400m freestyle aged 15 years, 3 months in Perth; also wins event at 2001 & 2003 World Championships

Ciccarelli to the Panthers
1998 Future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Dino Ciccarelli finds his 5th NHL club; traded from Tampa Bay Lightning to Florida Panthers


NHL StarDino Ciccarelli

• 2000 Utah's Jerry Sloan becomes 12th coach in NBA history to reach the 700-victory plateau when the Jazz defeat the LA Clippers, 112-75 at the Delta Center, Salt Lake City
• 2014 LA Dodgers sign pitcher Clayton Kershaw to the biggest deal in baseball history, a 7-year, $215 million package averaging $30.7 million per season

Biles Says She Too Abused
2018 US Olympic gold medal winning gymnast Simone Biles says she is one of more than 130 women sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nassar

LeBron James Passes 38,000 Points
2023 Lakers LeBron James surpasses 38,000 NBA career points, joining only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in 113-112 loss to Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California

 

JAN 16

• 1883 Quebec Rugby Football Union forms
• 1905 Baseball outfielder Frank Huelsman completes eighth transaction in 8 months
• 1905 Stanley Cup, Dey's Arena, Ottawa, ON: Ottawa Senators rout Dawson City (Yukon), 23-2 for 2-0 series sweep; most lopsided challenge playoff game in history; Frank McGee 14 goals

Bradman's One Day Test Record

1931 Australian cricket batting prodigy Don Bradman scores 223 v West Indies in 3rd Test in Brisbane; most runs scored by a player in a Test match in Australia in one day


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

• 1933 Cricket's Bodyline Tour: Australian batsman Bert Oldfield's skull fractured by delivery bowled by Englishman Harold Larwood during the third test in Adelaide

Berg retains Title
1938 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg retains title by a massive 14 strokes ahead of Jane Cothran


GolferPatty Berg
Stan Musial's Salary
1952 US Standard Board clears Stan Musial to get an $85,000 salary


MLB LegendStan Musial

• 1955 5th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 26-19; MVP: Billy Wilson, SF 49ers, WR

Howe Leading Scorer
1960 Detroit right wing Gordie Howe scores a goal and assist in his 888th career game, a 3-1 win at home over Chicago; becomes NHL's all-time leading scorer, with 947 points passing Montreal's Maurice Richard


Ice Hockey LegendGordie Howe
12th NBA All-Star Game
1962 12th NBA All-Star Game, St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Mo: West beats East, 150-130; MVP: Bob Pettit, St. Louis Hawks, C; All-Star record 27 rebounds


NBA ForwardBob Pettit
13th NBA All-Star Game
1963 13th NBA All-Star Game, LA Memorial Sports Arena: East beats West, 115-108; MVP: Bill Russell, Boston Celtics, C


Basketball PlayerBill Russell

• 1965 4th AFL All Star Game, Jeppeson Stadium, Houston: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 38-14; MVPs: Keith Lincoln, LA Chargers, RB; Willie Brown, Denver Broncos, DB

16th NFL Pro Bowl
1966 16th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: East beats West, 36-7; MVPs: Jim Brown, Cleveland Browns, RB; Dale Meinert, St. Louis Cardinals, LB


NFL Legend and Civil Rights ActivistJim Brown
Bobby Hull's Record 300
1966 Chicago Black Hawks' right wing Bobby Hull scores 4 goals (his 17th career hat trick) in a 6-5 loss to NY Rangers; becomes the first player in team history to score 300 goals


NHL LegendBobby Hull

• 1966 Chicago is granted an NBA franchise to be called the Bulls; become the 3rd NBA franchise in the city, after the Chicago Stags (1946–50) and Chicago Packers/Zephyrs (now Washington Wizards)
• 1968 21st NHL All-Star Game, Maple Leaf Gardens: Toronto Maple Leafs beat All-Stars 4-3; MVP: Bruce Gamble, Toronto, G

Flood Files Lawsuit
1970 Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause [1]


Baseball PlayerCurt Flood

• 1970 Inaugural Buffalo Sabres owners Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup Knox hire former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and head coach Punch Imlach in the same capacities for their new NHL franchise
• 1970 NFL realigns into 3 divisions (down from 4)

Schenk Sets World Record
1971 Dutch speed skater Ard Schenk skates world record 1500m (1:58.7)


Speed SkaterArd Schenk

• 1972 Dutch speed skater Atje Keulen-Deelstra becomes European Allround ladies champion, for the first of three consecutive years
• 1972 Super Bowl VI, Tulane Stadium, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Miami Dolphins, 24-3; MVP: Roger Staubach, Dallas, QB
• 1977 Cap's H Monahan scored on 2nd penalty shot against Islanders

Spinks Mugged
1981 Boxer Leon Spinks is mugged, his assailants even take his gold teeth


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionLeon Spinks
Fuhr's Unbeaten Streak Ends
1982 Edmonton's rookie goaltender Grant Fuhr has his 23-game unbeaten streak end with a 7-1 Oilers' defeat in Toronto


NHL GoalieGrant Fuhr

• 1988 NFL St Louis Cardinals announce move to Phoenix

Curry Sets Record
2019 Golden State guard Stephen Curry first player in NBA history to hit 8+ three-point FGs in 3 consecutive games; goes 9-of- 17 three's in Warriors' 147-140 win over New Orleans; teams combine for NBA record 43 3-pointers


Basketball SuperstarStephen Curry

• 2019 Golden State Warriors break 2 franchise records in 142-111 win over Denver Nuggets; in 1st quarter, record 10 three-point field goals on way to franchise best 51 points in the period
• 2019 Houston guard James Harden becomes first player to score 55+ points in back-to-back NBA games since Wilt Chamberlain (1962); scores 58 in 145-142 OT loss to Brooklyn; 18 straight games with 30+ points
• 2020 Former Sacramento State softball player Alyssa Nakken becomes first woman to hold a coaching position on a MLB staff when named an assistant by the San Francisco Giants
• 2020 Newly appointed manager Carlos Beltran and New York Mets mutually agree to part ways because of his role in Houston Astros sign stealing scandal; third manager forced out of a job as a result of the allegations

Đoković Deported
2022 Unvaccinated World #1 tennis player Novak Đoković is deported by the Australian government on "health and good order" grounds, without playing in the Australian Open


Tennis ChampionNovak Đoković

 

JAN 17

• 1916 Rodman Wanamaker organises a lunch to discuss forming a golfers association (later the PGA) at the Taplow Club, Martinique Hotel, New York City

Bradman Takes a Wicket

1933 Australian cricket batting champion Don Bradman takes only his 2nd Test wicket; bowls England's Walter Hammond for 85 during 338-run 3rd Test defeat in Adelaide


Cricket LegendDonald Bradman

Carl Hubbell's $18,000 Contract
1934 NY Giants reward NL MVP pitcher Carl Hubbell with a huge $18,000 contract


Baseball PitcherCarl Hubbell
Berg Wins Inaugural Event
1937 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Patty Berg wins inaugural event by 3 strokes ahead of Dorothy Kirby


GolferPatty Berg

• 1939 Ed Barrow is elected Yankee president succeeding deceased J Ruppert
• 1952 1952 NFL Draft: Bill Wade QB University of Vanderbilt #1 pick by Los Angeles Rams

Rosewall Defeats Rose
1953 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: In an all-Australian final Ken Rosewall wins his first Grand Slam title; beats Mervyn Rose 6-0, 6-3, 6-4


Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionKen Rosewall
Connolly Defeats Sampson
1953 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: In an all-American final Maureen Connolly wins 1st leg of her Grand Slam; beats Julia Sampson 6-3, 6-2


Tennis playerMaureen Connolly
4th NFL Pro Bowl
1954 4th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 20-9; MVP: Chuck Bednarik, Philadelphia Eagles, LB


NFL Player and SportscasterTom Brookshier
10th NFL Pro Bowl
1960 10th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 38-21; MVPs: Johnny Unitas, Baltimore Colts, QB; Eugene Lipscomb, Baltimore Colts, DL


NFL QuarterbackJohnny Unitas
Robertson Youngest All-Star
1961 11th NBA All-Star Game, Onondaga County Coliseum, Syracuse, NY: West beats East, 153-131; MVP: Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati Royals, PG; at 22, youngest player to receive All-Star MVP honours, 23 points & 14 assists


NBA PlayerOscar Robertson

• 1970 357 baseball players are available in the free-agent draft
• 1970 9th AFL All Star Game, Astrodome, Houston: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 26-3; MVP: John Hadl, LA Chargers, QB

Mays Player of the Decade
1970 Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s


MLB LegendWillie Mays

• 1971 Super Bowl V, Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: Baltimore Colts beat Dallas Cowboys, 16-13; MVP: Chuck Howley, Dallas, LB
• 1977 NFL Pro Bowl, Seattle Kingdome: AFC beats NFC, 24-14; MVP: Mel Blount, Pittsburgh Steelers, CB

Lendl's 1st ATP
1982 Czech tennis star Ivan Lendl scores a 6–7, 2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–4 win over American Vitas Gerulaitis to claim his first of 5 ATP Masters Grand Prix titles at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionIvan Lendl

Tennis PlayerVitas Gerulaitis

• 1986 Tim Witherspoon beats defending champion Tony Tubbs by majority decision in 15 rounds at The Omni, Atlanta for WBA heavyweight boxing title

"The Fumble" as Broncos Beat Browns
1988 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat Cleveland Browns, 38-33; features infamous "The Fumble", Browns' Earnest Byner at Denver 3-yard line with 1:12 remaining


NFL QuarterbackJohn Elway

• 1988 NFC Championship, RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.: Washington Redskins beat Minnesota Vikings, 17-10

Arbour's 600th Win
1989 Al Arbour wins his 600th NHL game as coach


Ice Hockey Player and CoachAl Arbour

• 1989 Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
• 1990 MLB pitcher Dave Stewart signs record $3,500,000 per year Oakland A's contract
• 1991 Andy Van Hellemond sets NHL record for most games worked by a referee when he appears in his 1,173rd regular season encounter as the St. Louis Blues host the Montreal Canadiens
• 1993 AFC Championship, Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami: Buffalo Bills beat Miami Dolphins, 29-10
• 1993 NFC Championship, Candlestick Park, SF: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers, 30-20

Ewing's 15,000 Points
1994 Patrick Ewing becomes first New York player to reach the 15,000-point mark in his NBA career; scores a game-high 34 points in the Knicks' 106-94 win over visiting Minnesota


Hall of Fame NBA CentrePatrick Ewing

• 1995 Australia beat Australia A 2-0 to win cricket's World Series Cup
• 1995 LA Rams announce that they are moving to St Louis

Yzerman Scores 500
1996 Detroit center Steve Yzerman scores his 500th career NHL goal as the Red Wings beat Colorado, 3-2 at Joe Louis Arena and joins Gordie Howe as the only players to score 500 goals for Detroit


NHL LegendSteve Yzerman
Rodman Suspended
1997 NBA suspends Dennis Rodman indefinitely for kicking cameraman


Basketball PlayerDennis Rodman

• 1999 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat New York Jets, 23-10; features infamous "The Miss", Vikings' PK Gary Anderson misses field goal late 4th quarter
• 1999 NFC Championship, Metrodome, Minneapolis: Atlanta Falcons beat Minnesota Vikings, 30-27 (OT)

Youngest Player to Score 20,000 Points
2012 LeBron James becomes youngest player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points during the Miami Heat's 92-75 victory over Golden State; James, 28 years, 17 days, passes Kobe Bryant, 29 years, 122 days


Basketball PlayerLeBron James

• 2015 American boxer Deontay Wilder wins the WBC heavyweight championship by unanimous decision over Bermane Stiverne at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas; Wilder first American to hold a heavyweight title since Shannon Briggs in 2007

 

JAN 18

• 1886 Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England
• 1896 First college basketball game with 5 players on each side is conducted by the University of Iowa; invites student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game; Chicago beats Iowa 15-12
• 1938 Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Greenberg to the Pirates

1947 Detroit Tigers sell Hank Greenberg to Pirates (for $25-35,000)


Baseball PlayerHank Greenberg
Feller Takes Pay Cut
1950 Cleveland Indians pitcher Bob Feller, after 15-14 season, takes $20,000 salary cut to $45,000; pay cut is Feller's own suggestion


Baseball Hall of Fame PitcherBob Feller

• 1951 1951 NFL Draft: Kyle Rote from SMU first pick by New York Giants
• 1951 NFL rules tackles, guards & centers ineligible for forward pass
• 1951 NFL takes control of failing Baltimore Colts

5th NBA All-Star Game
1955 5th NBA All-Star Game, Madison Square Garden NYC: East beats West, 100-91; MVP: Bill Sharman, Boston Celtics, G


NBA GuardBill Sharman

• 1958 Willie O’Ree is the 1st African-American to appear in the NHL, making his debut for the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 victory in Montreal

Davis Coaches Oakland Raiders
1963 Al Davis becomes the head coach and general manager of the Oakland Raiders


American Football Coach and ExecutiveAl Davis
20th NHL All-Star Game
1967 20th NHL All-Star Game, Montreal Forum, Montreal, QC: Montreal Canadiens beat All-Stars, 3-0; MVP: Henri Richard, Montreal, C


Ice Hockey GreatHenri Richard
20th NFL Pro Bowl
1970 20th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: West beats East, 16-13; MVPs: Gale Sayers, Chicago Bears, HB; George Andrie, Dallas Cowboys, DE


NFL Running BackGale Sayers
West's Game-winning Jumper
1972 22nd NBA All-Star Game, The Forum, Inglewood, Ca: West beats East, 112-110: MVP: Jerry West, LA Lakers, G, hits a last-second, 20-foot game-winning jumper


NBA GuardJerry West

• 1973 Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as 1st player signed as a DH
• 1973 Islanders break 12 game losing streak, 20 game road winless streak
• 
  
• 1976 Super Bowl X, Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, FL: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas Cowboys, 21-17; MVP: Lynn Swann, Pittsburgh, WR

Pakistan Defeats Australia
1977 Pakistan cricket all-rounder Imran Khan takes 6 for 63 in the Australian 2nd innings for a match total of 12 to lead his side to an easy 8 wicket 3rd Test win in Sydney


Cricketer and Prime Minister of PakistanImran Khan
Borg's Second Title
1981 Swedish tennis star Björn Borg claims his second straight ATP Masters Grand Prix title with a 6–4, 6–2, 6–2 win over Ivan Lendl at Madison Square Garden, NYC


Tennis PlayerBjörn Borg

Tennis Player and Eight-Time Major ChampionIvan Lendl

• 1983 Dick Motta becomes the 5th NBA coach to record 600 wins as his Dallas Mavericks defeat the Golden State Warriors, 112-102 in Oakland, California

Thorpe's Olympic Medals Restored
1983 IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals (Pentathlon & Decathlon victories) 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semi-pro baseball


Versatile AthleteJim Thorpe

• 1989 West Indies beat Australia in a rain-affected 3rd final in Sydney to win cricket's World Series Cup Tri-Series, 2-1; match reduced to 18 overs

The Longest Match
1991 Longest tennis match at the Australian Open, Boris Becker beats Italy's Omar Camporese in 5 hours & 11 mins


Tennis LegendBoris Becker

Tennis PlayerOmar Camporese

• 1991 WLAF's NY Knights become NY-NJ Knights

Campbell Defeat Wales Conference
1992 43rd NHL All-Star Game, Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Campbell beats Wales, 10-6; MVP: Brett Hull, St. Louis, RW


NHL LegendBrett Hull

• 1993 West Indies beat Australia 2-0 win cricket's World Series Cup
• 1996 Baseball owners unanimously approve interleague play in 1997
• 1997 47th NHL All-Star Game, San Jose Arena, San Jose, CA: East beats West, 11-7; Mark Recchi, Montreal, RW
• 1998 48th NHL All-Star Game, General Motors Place, Vancouver, BC: North America beats World, 8-7; MVP: Teemu Selänne, Anaheim, RW
• 1998 Boston Celtics retire Robert Parrish's #00

Bird's Return, Parish Honored
1998 Larry Bird returns to Boston as head coach of the Indiana Pacers for the first time, as former Celtics center Robert Parish is honoured by having his No. 00 raised to the Fleet Center rafters


NBA LegendLarry Bird

Basketball PlayerRobert Parish

• 2001 New York's Mike Richter picks up his 267th career NHL win to become the winningest goaltender in team history; passes Ed Giacomin; Rangers beat the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 in overtime
• 2004 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Indianapolis Colts, 24-14
• 2004 NFC Championship, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: Carolina Panthers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3
• 2009 AFC Championship, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Baltimore Ravens, 23-14
• 2009 NFC Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: Arizona Cardinals beat Philadelphia Eagles, 32-25
• 2015 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Indianapolis Colts, 45-7

Seahawks Defeat Packers
2015 NFC Championship, CenturyLink Field, Seattle: Seattle Seahawks beat Green Bay Packers, 28-22 (OT)


NFL PlayerRichard Sherman

• 2015 South African batsman AB de Villiers makes fastest century in ODI cricket history from 31 balls during an innings of 149 against the West Indies in Johannesburg

Bagwell, Raines, Rodriguez Added
2017 Baseball Hall of Fame adds Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez


MLB OutfielderTim Raines

• 2018 Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira rides the largest-ever wave by a female surfer at 20.72 m (68 ft) at Praia do Norte in Nazaréin, Portugal
• 2020 Premiership Rugby announces reigning European and English champions Saracens to be relegated for exceeding salary cap the previous 3 seasons; club fined £5.3m and docked 35 Premiership points
• 2022 Boston Bruins retire Willie O'Ree's #22 jersey, on the 64th anniversary of his becoming the NHL's first Black player [1]

 

JAN 19

• 1903 French newspaper L'Auto announces new 5-stage, long distance bicycle race, "Tour de France"

World 500m Skating Record

1929 Finnish speed skater Clas Thunberg sets new world 500m record in 42.8 seconds in Davos, Switzerland


Speed SkaterClas Thunberg

• 1932 Charlie Conacher becomes first Toronto player to score 5 goals in an NHL game as Maple Leafs rout the NY Americans, 11-3 at Maple Leaf Gardens

Jackson's Appeal Denied
1934 MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement into baseball; Jackson was banned after 1919 "Black Sox" World Series


1st MLB CommissionerKenesaw Mountain Landis
Young ,Speaker, Lajorie Elected
1937 Cy Young, Tris Speaker & Nap Lajorie elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB PitcherCy Young

Baseball PlayerTris Speaker

• 1940 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Helen Hicks wins by 1 stroke ahead of Helen Dettweiler
• 1952 NFL purchases struggling football franchise, New York Yanks from owner Ted Collins; moves club to Dallas, Texas
• 1952 PGA approves allowing black participants

Owens Athletic Commission Secretary
1953 American track and field olympian Jesse Owens named Illinois Athletic Commission secretary


Track and Field AthleteJesse Owens
Alexander Cartwright Honored
1956 City of Hoboken, New Jersey dedicates a plaque honoring achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Field


Inventor of Modern BaseballAlexander Cartwright
Emerson's 1st of Five Titles
1963 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson wins 1st of 5 straight Australian titles; beats countryman Ken Fletcher 6-3, 6-3, 6-1


Tennis PlayerRoy Emerson

• 1963 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Margaret Court beats Jan Lehane O'Neill for 4th consecutive year 6-2, 6-2
• 1964 3rd AFL All Star Game, Balboa Stadium, SD: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 27-24; MVPs: Keith Lincoln, LA Chargers, RB; Archie Matsos, Oakland Raiders, LB
• 1969 19th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: West beats East, 10-7; MVPs: Roman Gabriel, Los Angeles Rams, QB; Merlin Olsen, Los Angeles Rams, DT
• 1969 8th AFL All Star Game, Gator Bowl, Jacksonville: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 38-25; MVPs: Len Dawson, KC Chiefs, QB; George Webster, Houston Oilers, LB

24th NHL All-Star Game
1971 24th NHL All-Star Game, Boston Garden: Western Division beats Eastern Division, 2-1; MVP: Bobby Hull, Chicago, LW


NHL LegendBobby Hull

• 1971 NHL Writers' Association renamed Professional Hockey Writers' Association

Koufax, Berra, Wynn Elected
1972 Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, & Early Wynn elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB Catcher and ManagerYogi Berra

Baseball PitcherSandy Koufax

• 1974 Notre Dame beats UCLA, 71-70 in South Bend, Indiana to end Bruins' NCAA-record 88-game basketball win streak

Banks Elected
1977 Ernie Banks elected to Baseball Hall of Fame


MLB shortstopErnie Banks

• 1978 Eddie Mathews elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

First Concorde Agreement
1981 Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) led by Bernie Ecclestone, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile led by Jean Marie Balestre and the Formula One teams agree to the First Concorde Agreement granting FOCA the right to televise Formula One races and requiring all teams to compete in every race under fixed rules


Business Magnate and Formula 1 SupremoBernie Ecclestone
Ali Prevents Suicide
1981 Muhammad Ali talks a despondent 21-year-old out of committing suicide


Heavyweight Boxing ChampionMuhammad Ali

• 1984 Francesco Moser bicycles world record time: 50,808 km

Reagan Pardons Steinbrenner
1989 US President Ronald Reagan pardons NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for supplying illegal funds for Nixon's re-election campaign


New York Yankees OwnerGeorge Steinbrenner

US President & ActorRonald Reagan

• 1990 Police break up protests in Johannesburg against the cricket players defying a boycott on playing in apartheid South Africa
• 1991 42nd NHL All-Star Game, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Campbell beats Wales, 11-5; Vincent Damphousse, Toronto Maple Leafs, C
• 1996 NHL Board of Governors approves sale of Winnipeg Jets, officially clearing the way for the team to move to Phoenix, Arizona in time for 1996-97 season

Jordan Wizard's Part Owner
2000 Michael Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships as a player, returns to the NBA, joining the Washington Wizards as part owner and President of Basketball Operations


Basketball SuperstarMichael Jordan

• 2002 "Tuck Rule Game" AFC Divisional Playoff Game; with under 2 minutes to play New England Patriots trail Oakland Raiders, 13-10 in a driving snowstorm, when a Tom Brady fumble ruled an incomplete pass. Patriots win 16-13 in overtime
• 2003 AFC Championship, Network Associates Coliseum, Oakland: Oakland Raiders beat Tennessee Titans, 41-24
• 2003 NFC Championship, Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia: Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10

Armstrong's Doping Downfall
2013 Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all seven of his Tour de France victories


Cyclist and Drug CheatLance Armstrong

• 2013 The 2012-2013 NHL season begins after a 119-day lockout
• 2014 AFC Championship, Mile High Stadium, Denver: Denver Broncos beat New England Patriots, 26-16

Seahawks Defeat 49ers
2014 NFC Championship, CenturyLink Field, Seattle: Seattle Seahawks beat San Francisco 49ers, 23-17


NFL PlayerRichard Sherman

• 2020 AFC Championship, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri: Kansas City Chiefs beat Tennessee Titans, 35-24
• 2020 NFC Championship, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California: San Francisco 49ers beat Green Bay Packers, 37-20