- Jan 4 Rick Lantz, American football coach (World Bowl XII 2004 Berlin Thunder; NFL Europe Coach of the Year 2004), born in New Britain, Connecticut (d. 2023)
- Jan 5 Jim Otto, NFL center (Oakland Raiders), born in Wausau, Wisconsin
- Jan 5 Piet Kruiver, Dutch soccer star, born in Koog aan de Zaan, Netherlands (d. 1989)
Frank Mahovlich (86 years old)
Jan 10 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame left wing, politician (6-time Stanley Cup winner, born in Timmins, Ontario
Willie McCovey (1938-2018)
Jan 10 American Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (6 x MLB All Star; NL MVP 1969; NL home run leader 1963, 68, 69; SF Giants), born in Mobile, Alabama
- Jan 13 Tord Grip, Swedish football manager
- Jan 15 Chuni Goswami, Indian soccer striker and captain (30 caps; Mohun Bagan) and cricket all-rounder (captain Bengal), born in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh (d. 2020)
- Jan 16 Lou Angotti, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Chicago Black Hawks) and coach (St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Toronto, Canada (d. 2021)
Curt Flood (1938-1997)
Jan 18 American baseball player (St Louis Cards), born in Houston, Texas
- Jan 21 Romano Fogli, Italian soccer midfielder (13 caps; Torino FC, Bologna FC 1909, A.C. Milan, Calcio Catania) and manager (Bologna FC), born in Santa Maria a Monte, Italy (d. 2021)
- Jan 22 Altair, Brazilian footballer
- Jan 22 Corra Dirksen, South African rugby union winger (10 caps; Northern Transvaal), born in Vereeniging, South Africa (d. 2020)
- Jan 24 Gyula Torok, Hungarian boxer (Oly Gold 1960), born in Kispest, Hungary (d. 2014)
- Jan 28 Leonid Zhabotinsky, Ukrainian weightlifter (Olympic gold USSR +90 kg 1964, 68: World C'ships gold 1964, 65, 66, 68), born in Uspenka, Ukraine (d. 2016)
- Jan 29 Bill Christian, American ice hockey center (Olympic gold 1960, captain), born in Warroad, Minnesota
About January 1938
How Old? 86 years old
Generation: Silent Generation
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions