- Jan 1 29th Rose Bowl: #2 Georgia beats #13 UCLA, 9-0
- Jan 1 9th Orange Bowl: #10 Alabama beats #8 Boston College, 37-21
- Jan 1 9th Sugar Bowl: #7 Tennessee beats #4 Tulsa, 14-7
- Jan 1 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
Jan 1 Negro Baseball League star Josh Gibson suffers a nervous breakdown; admitted to hospital for rest and treatment; released in time for pre-season training
- Jan 2 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
- Jan 3 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
- Jan 14 Montreal Canadiens' left wing Alex Smart becomes the first NHL rookie to score a hat trick in his first NHL game, a 5-1 win at home over the Chicago Black Hawks
- Jan 23 Detroit Red Wings scores NHL record 8 goals in 1 period
- Jan 28 Chic Blackhawks beats NY Rangers 10-1, Max Bentley scores 4 goals
Baseball Players
Basketball Stars
Boxers
Footballers
NFL Stars
Tennis Champions