- Jan 1 28th Rose Bowl: #12 Oregon State beats #2 Duke, 20-16 (played in North Carolina due to Japanese threat)
- Jan 1 8th Orange Bowl: #14 Georgia beats TCU, 40-26
- Jan 1 8th Sugar Bowl: #6 Fordham beats #7 Missouri, 2-0
- Jan 4 4th NFL All Star Game, Polo Grounds, NYC: Chicago Bears beat NFL All-Stars, 35-24
Rogers Hornsby
Jan 4 7 x NL batting champion Rogers Hornsby is 14th player selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Bob Feller Enters Navy
Jan 6 MLB pitcher Bob Feller reports for duty in Norfolk, Virginia, after enlisting in the US Navy
- Jan 15 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"
Jan 15 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
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions