- Jan 1 Bobby Holik, Czech ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 1995, 2000; New Jersey Devils; NHL All-Star 1998-99), born in Jihlava, Czech Republic
- Jan 1 Bridget Pettis, American basketball guard (WNBA champion 2007, 09 assistant coach, Phoenix Mercury), born in East Chicago, Indiana
- Jan 1 Scott Riggs, American auto racer (NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year 2002), born in Bahama, North Carolina
- Jan 2 Aamer Nazir, Pakistani cricket fast bowler (6 Tests, 20 wickets; 9 ODIs; Lahore CC), born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
- Jan 4 Carlos Perez, Dominican-American baseball pitcher (Montreal Expos), born in Nigua, Dominican Republic
- Jan 4 Garrison Hearst, American NFL running back (Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers), born in Lincolnton, Georgia
- Jan 4 Orlanda Truitt, American football wide receiver (Oakland Raiders), born in Bessemer, Alabama
- Jan 6 Myron Baker, NFL linebacker (Chicago Bears), born in Haughton, Louisiana
- Jan 8 Billy Joe Hobert, American NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders), born in Puyallup, Washington
- Jan 8 Darren Langdon, Canadian NHL left wing (NY Rangers), born in Deer Lake, Canada
- Jan 8 Jason Giambi, American MLB baseball infielder, 1995-2014, 5X All-Star (Oakland A's, New York Yankees, and 2 other teams), born in West Covina, California
- Jan 8 Pascal Zuberbühler, Swiss footballer, born in Frauenfeld, Switzerland
- Jan 8 Roosevelt Potts, American NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts), born in Rayville, Louisiana
- Jan 9 Elizabeth Punsalan, American ice skater (Olympic 15-94), born in Syracuse, New York
- Jan 11 Noah Cantor, CFL defensive tackle (Toronto Argonauts)
- Jan 12 Andy Fox, American baseball infielder (NY Yankees), born in Sacramento, California
- Jan 12 Oscar Sturgis, American NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys), born in Hamlet, North Carolina
- Jan 12 Shane Dronett, American NFL defensive end (Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos), born in Orange, Texas (d. 2009)
- Jan 14 Antonios Nikopolidis, Greek footballer, born in Arta, Greece
- Jan 15 LeShon Johnson, American football running back (Arizona Cardinals), born in Haskell, Oklahoma
- Jan 16 Junior Bryant, American NFL defensive end (SF 49ers), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Jan 16 Michel Kreek, Dutch soccer player (Ajax), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jan 16 Sergi Bruguera, Spanish tennis star (French Open, 1993, 1994), born in Barcelona, Spain
- Jan 16 Ulrich van Gobbel, Suriname/Dutch soccer player (Feyenoord), born in Paramaribo, Suriname
- Jan 17 Richard Burns, English rally driver, born in Reading, England (d. 2005)
- Jan 17 Tyler Houston, American baseball catcher (Atlanta Braves), born in Long Beach, California
- Jan 18 Andre Coleman, American NFL wide receiver (San Diego Chargers), born in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Jan 18 Christian Fittipaldi, Brazilian auto racer (Formula 3000 1991; 24 Hours of Daytona 2004, 14, 18; 12 Hours of Sebring 2015; 6 Hours of Watkins Glen 2013, 16, 17), born in São Paulo, Brazil
- Jan 18 Greg Engel, American NFL center (San Diego Chargers), born in Davenport, Iowa
- Jan 18 Pep Guardiola, Spanish football midfielder & manager (Spain 47 caps, manager Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City), born in Santpedor, Spain
- Jan 19 Jeff Juden, American baseball pitcher (Philadelphia Phillies, SF Giants), born in Salem, Massachusetts
- Jan 20 Andrei Skabelka, Belarusian ice hockey player and coach (Belarus, Olympics 1998), born in Minsk, Belarus
- Jan 20 Brian Giles, American baseball outfielder (MLB All Star 2000, 01; Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, SD Padres, born in El Cajon, California
- Jan 20 Johnny Mitchell, American football tight end (NY Jets), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Jan 21 Alan McManus, Scottish snooker player
- Jan 21 Doug Weight, Warren MI, NHL center (Edmonton Oilers, Team USA 98)
- Jan 22 Bucky Brooks, American NFL wide receiver & sportswriter (Sports Illustrated; NFL Network and NFL.com), born in Raleigh, North Carolina
- Jan 22 Stan Collymore, English football player, born in Stone, United Kingdom
- Jan 23 Adam Parore, New Zealand cricket wicket-keeper (NZ, 1st Maori Test centurion), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- Jan 23 Julie Foudy, American soccer midfielder (273 caps; Olympic gold 1996, 2004; FIFA Women's World Cup gold 1991, 99; Sacramento Storm, San Diego Spirit), born in San Diego, California
- Jan 23 Kevin Mawae, American football center (Seattle Seahawks), born in Savannah, Georgia
- Jan 23 Mark Grimmette, American doubles luger (Olympics 1994), born in Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Jan 24 Joe Panos, American football offensive lineman (Philadelphia Eagles), born in Brookfield, Wisconsin
- Jan 25 Luca Badoer, Italian auto racer (Formula 3000 Championship 1992), born in Montebelluna, Italy
- Jan 27 Mark Noordlander, soccer player (Sparta)
- Jan 27 Patrice Brisebois, NHL defenseman (Montreal Canadiens), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Jan 30 Chris Slade, American football player (New England Patriots), born in Newport News, Virginia
- Jan 30 Kimo Von Oelhoffen, American football defensive tackle (Cin Bengals), born in Kaunakakai, Hawaii
- Jan 30 Milko Pieren, Dutch football player (Sparta), born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands
- Jan 30 Quentin Neujahr, American ice hockey player (Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns), born in Seward, Nebraska
- Jan 30 Takeshi Yamanaka, Japanese ice hockey coach and player (Team Japan 1998), born in Hokkaido, Japan
- Jan 30 Trent Klatt, American ice hockey player (Philadelphia Flyers), born in Robbinsdale, Minnesota
- Jan 31 Corey Holliday, American football wide receiver (Pittsburgh Steelers), born in Richmond, Virginia
- Jan 31 Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer, born in Kilkis, Greece
About January 1971
How Old? 53 years old
Generation: Generation X
Leap Year: No
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions