Czechs Defeat Australia
Jan 1 1st Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Helena Suková & Miloslav Mečíř win inaugural event for Czechoslovakia; beat Australian pair Hana Mandlíková & Pat Cash 6-2, 6-4 for 2-0 victory
- Jan 2 18th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Notre Dame beats #3 West Virginia, 34-21 for the national title
- Jan 2 55th Orange Bowl: #2 Miami (FL) beats #6 Nebraska, 23-3
- Jan 2 55th Sugar Bowl: #4 Florida State beats #7 Auburn, 13-7
- Jan 2 75th Rose Bowl: #11 Michigan beats #5 Southern California, 22-14
- Jan 5 Baseball signs $400M with ESPN, showing 175 games in 1990
- Jan 7 Cleveland Cavaliers block 21 NY Knicks shots tying NBA regulation game record
- Jan 7 NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers then longest winning streak (11 games)
- Jan 8 AFC Championship, Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati: Cincinnati Bengals beat Buffalo Bills, 21-10
- Jan 8 NFC Championship, Soldier Field, Chicago: San Francisco 49ers beat Chicago Bears, 28-3
Bench and Yastrzemski Elected
Jan 9 Johnny Bench & Carl Yastrzemski elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Gretzky Leading Scorer
Jan 10 LA Kings center Wayne Gretzky becomes NHL’s all-time leading scorer in combined regular season & playoff points; 4 assists in 5-4 home win over Edmonton brings his total to 2,011, 1 more than Gordie Howe
- Jan 17 Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
- Jan 18 West Indies beat Australia in a rain-affected 3rd final in Sydney to win cricket's World Series Cup Tri-Series, 2-1; match reduced to 18 overs
Reagan Pardons Steinbrenner
Jan 19 US President Ronald Reagan pardons NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for supplying illegal funds for Nixon's re-election campaign
Lemieux's 50 Goals
Jan 20 Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux becomes just the 2nd player in NHL history to score 50 goals in less than 50 games; #50 in 44th game as the Penguins lose 7-3 to the Jets in Winnipeg
- Jan 21 A woman is assaulted and raped in room of an Oklahoma football player
- Jan 21 Wayne Gretzky passes Marcel Dionne to become NHL's 2nd all time scorer
Bill Walsh Retires
Jan 22 After winning his third Super Bowl as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Bill Walsh retires
Super Bowl XXIII
Jan 22 Super Bowl XXIII, Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, FL: San Francisco 49ers beat Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16; MVP: Jerry Rice, SF, WR
- Jan 23 NBA New Jersey Nets begin a 32+ game road losing streak
- Jan 25 Mario Lemieux scores a goal and 3 assists in Penguins' 5-4 win over Winnipeg in Pittsburgh; sets NHL record by picking up a point in 14 consecutive games; record stands for 10 years
Jordan's 10,000th Point
Jan 25 Michael Jordan scores his 10,000th NBA point in his 5th season
- Jan 25 NY Yankees owner George Steinbrenner meets with Pope John Paul II
Border's 7-46
Jan 26 Allan Border takes 7-46 against the West Indies at the SCG
Yzerman Records 100 Points
Jan 27 Detroit Red Wings center Steve Yzerman becomes the 4th NHL player to record 100 points in 50 games or less with a goal and 2 assists as Red Wings beat Toronto, 8-1
- Jan 27 Kevin Johnson (Phoenix) begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games
- Jan 27 Oklahoma linebacker Mark VanKeirsblilck assaults an Oklahoma grad student
Graf's 6th Grand Slam
Jan 28 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Steffi Graf of Germany beats Czech Helena Suková 6-4, 6-4 for her 6th career Grand Slam title and her 2nd Australian singles crown
Boon Scores 149
Jan 28 David Boon completes 7th Test century, 149 v WI at SCG
Lendl Defeats Mecii
Jan 29 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Ivan Lendl wins his first Australian title; beats fellow Czech Miloslav Mecii 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
RBI Dropped
Jan 29 Game-winning RBI, official statistic dropped after 9 years of use NY Mets Keith Hernandez is the all-time leader with 129
- Jan 29 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI: NFC beats AFC, 34-3; MVP: Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagles, QB
- Jan 30 American Olympic diving silver medallist Bruce Kimball, is sentenced to 17 years in prison for killing 2 teenagers in a drunk driving accident; serves 4 years
- Jan 30 Last day of 1st class cricket for Dav Whatmore
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