- Jan 1 Calum MacKay, Canadian NHL ice hockey player, 1947-55 (Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2001)
- Jan 1 Carl Scheib, American baseball pitcher (at the time [1943] youngest player in MLB history at 16; Philadelphia A’s), born in Gratz, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)
- Jan 1 Doak Walker, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame halfback (Heisman Trophy 1948; Pro Bowl 1950-51, 53–55; First-team All-Pro 1950–51, 53–54; Detroit Lions), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 1998)
- Jan 11 John Hayes, New Zealand cricket fast bowler (15 Tests, 30 wickets; Auckland CA), born in Auckland, New Zealand (d. 2007)
- Jan 14 Ivan Kalita, Soviet equestrian dressage (Olympic silver 1968), born in Tambov Governorate (d. 1996)
- Jan 21 Clive Churchill, Australian rugby league fullback (37 Tests; NSW 27 games; South Sydney; RL "Immortal") and coach (Australia 29 Tests, South Sydney), born in Newcastle, Australia (d. 1985)
- Jan 22 (Fletcher) Joe Perry, American AAFC/NFL Hall of Fame fullback, 1948-63, 3X Pro Bowl (San Francisco 49ers; Baltimore Colts), and US Navy veteran, born in Stephens, Arkansas (d. 2011)
- Jan 22 Lou Creekmur, American football player (Detroit Lions) and hall of famer, born in Hopelawn, New Jersey (d. 2009)
- Jan 24 Jerry Burns, American football coach (University of Iowa 1961-65; Minnesota Vikings 1986-91), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2021)
- Jan 25 Fernie Flaman, Canadian Hockey HOF defenceman (Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs) and coach (Northeastern University 1970-89), born in Dysart, Canada (d. 2012)
- Jan 28 Don Fraser, American boxing promoter (LA venues; Sugar Ray Robinson, Ruben Olivares, George Foreman; known for colourful wardrobe, offbeat PR gimmicks), born in Blythe, California (d. 2019)
About January 1927
How Old? 97 years old
Generation: Greatest Generation
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions