Events in Sports History in January 1958

Hillary Reaches the South Pole

Jan 4 NZ team led by Edmund Hillary reaches the South Pole, the 1st to reach the Pole overland using motor vehicles and the 1st since Amundsen in 1911 and Scott in 1912

Robertson Scores 56

Jan 9 In basketball Oscar Robertson (Cin) scores 56, Seton Hall team 54

Jan 12 8th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 26-7; MVPs: Hugh McElhenny, SF 49ers, HB; Gene Brito, Washington Redskins, DE
Jan 12 NCAA adds 2 point conversion to football scoring

Schayes Sets Record

Jan 12 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes sets NBA record at 11,770 points

NBA Power Forward and Coach Dolph Schayes

Jan 15 New York Yankees announce that 140 MLB games to be televised on WPIX TV this season in a deal worth over $1 million dollars
Jan 18 Willie O’Ree is the 1st African-American to appear in the NHL, making his debut for the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 victory in Montreal

8th NBA All-Star Game

Jan 21 8th NBA All-Star Game, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Mo: East beats West, 130-118; MVP: Bob Pettit, Milwaukee Hawks, C

Jan 21 Phillies agree to televise 78 games into NYC (doesn't happen)
Jan 21 St Louis Hawks forward Bob Pettit becomes first member of the losing team to win the NBA All-Star MVP award; scores 28 points and grabs 26 rebounds, even though East beats West, 130-118

Longest Innings in Test History

Jan 23 Pakistani cricket batsman Hanif Mohammad scores record 337 runs in 970 minutes in drawn 1st Test v West Indies at Bridgetown, longest innings in Test history

Cooper Beats Anderson

Jan 27 Australian Championships Men's Tennis: Ashley Cooper wins 2nd straight Australian title; beats fellow Australian Malcolm Anderson 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

Tennis Player and Four-Time Major Champion Ashley Cooper

Barrett Defeats Coghlan

Jan 27 Australian Championships Women's Tennis: Angela Mortimer Barrett of England beats Lorraine Coghlan of Australia 6-3, 6-4

Campanella Paralyzed

Jan 28 Dodger catcher Roy Campanella is paralyzed in an automobile wreck

Jan 30 MLB Commissioner Ford Frick announces that players and coaches, rather than fans, will vote on selections for the All-Star Game; vote returns to the fans in 1970