TODAY'S EVENTS IN SPORTS HISTORY 2025

JANUARY 1

• 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 MLB Brooklyn Robins announce release of future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Zack Wheat after 18 consecutive seasons with the team; 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 and 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

Sports History
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


Darts PlayerMichael van Gerwen

• 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, Jr (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

 

JANUARY 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

Tennis PlayerBeals Wright
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
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
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• 1982 The "Epic in Miami," in 85°F heat, the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, a game that sets numerous playoff scoring records
• 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

Sports History
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


Darts PlayerMichael van Gerwen

• 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

 

JANUARY 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

MLB Team OwnerHarry Frazee

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

Sports History
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


Darts PlayerMichael van Gerwen

• 2024 In an all-English final, Luke Humphries claims his first PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-4 win over 16-year-old prodigy Luke Littler at the Alexandra Palace, London

 

JANUARY 4

• 1883 Ontario Rugby Football Union (forerunner of CFL) forms
• 1887 Thomas Stevens completes the first bicycle trip around the world, arriving back in San Francisco after 2 years and 9 months
• 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, Ontario: 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 MLB Los Angeles Dodgers buy 44 passenger twin-engine airplane for $775,000

Hillary Reaches the South Pole
1958 NZ team led by Edmund Hillary reaches the South Pole, the 1st to reach the Pole overland using motor vehicles and the 1st since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912


Mountaineer and ExplorerEdmund Hillary

Polar ExplorerRoald Amundsen

• 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
• 1971 Philadelphia's multi-purpose Veterans Stadium is dedicated; it becomes home to the MLB Phillies and NFL Eagles
• 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
• 1975 NHL Montreal Canadiens shutout Washington Capitals 10-0
• 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
• 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 the fourth player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points when he hits a free throw in the second 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

Sports History
2021 Duhan van der Merwe signs for Worcester Warriors in the Premiership Rugby competition for the 2021-22 season


Rugby Union PlayerDuhan van der Merwe

 

JANUARY 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)

 

JANUARY 6

• 1681 First recorded boxing match is organized by Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle, between his butler and 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 in Norfolk, Virginia, after enlisting in the US Navy


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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• 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

Sports History
2012 Thierry Henry re-signs for Arsenal on a two-month loan deal


Footballer and ManagerThierry Henry

• 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

Baseball Hall of Fame
2015 Randy Johnson, Pedro Martínez, John Smoltz and Craig Biggio are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame


Baseball PitcherPedro Martínez

• 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