Events in Sports History on January 2

  • 1832 1st Curling club in US (Orchard Lake Curling Club) opens
  • 1865 Welterweight Con Orem & heavyweight Hugh O'Neill brawl for 185 rounds before darkness ends legendary bare knuckle boxing match in Virginia City, Montana

1st Test Hat-trick

1879 Australian fast bowler Fred Spofforth dismisses 3 English batsmen with consecutive deliveries during the 3rd Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Test cricket's first "hat-trick"

  • 1912 Brookyln Superbas Baseball Club President Charles Ebbets announces purchase of 4.5 acres of land to build a new concrete-and-steel stadium to seat 23,000; Ebbets Field opens in 1913

Australasia Win

1912 International Lawn Tennis Challenge, Christchurch, NZ: Norman Brookes & Alfred Dunlop beat Americans Maurice McLoughlin & Beals Wright 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4; Australasia unassailable 3-0 lead; win 4-0

Stengel to the Pirates

1918 After repeated clashes over pay with the Brooklyn Robins owner Charlie Ebbets, star right fielder and future Baseball Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel is traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates

  • 1918 Montreal Arena in Westmount, Quebec, the home rink of 4-time Stanley Cup winners the Montreal Wanderers burns down leading to the club disbanding
  • 1922 8th Rose Bowl: California ties Washington & Jefferson, 0-0
  • 1928 14th Rose Bowl: Stanford beats Pittsburgh, 7-6
  • 1933 19th Rose Bowl: Southern California beats Pittsburgh, 35-0

Bradman's 'Bodyline' Century

1933 Don Bradman holds off England's hostile pace bowling to score an unbeaten 103 leading Australia to a 111 run victory in the 2nd 'Bodyline' Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

  • 1936 Australian master batsman Don Bradman scores 357 (424 minutes, 40 fours) for South Australia v Victoria in a Sheffield Shield match in Melbourne; his 5th 300+ score in first-class cricket
  • 1939 5th Orange Bowl: #2 Tennessee beats #4 Oklahoma, 17-0
  • 1939 5th Sugar Bowl: #1 TCU beats #6 Carnegie Tech, 15-7
  • 1939 Master batsman Don Bradman scores 107 for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield match against Victoria for his 4th consecutive century in first-class cricket
  • 1943 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
  • 1950 16th Orange Bowl: #15 Santa Clara beats #11 Kentucky, 21-13
  • 1950 16th Sugar Bowl: #2 Oklahoma beats #9 LSU, 35-0
  • 1950 36th Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State beats #3 California, 17-14
  • 1953 NBA Baltimore Bullets begin a record 32 game road losing streak (12 games in 1952-53; 20 games in 1953-54) with a 73-66 defeat at the Indianapolis Olympians
  • 1956 22nd Orange Bowl: #1 Oklahoma beats #3 Maryland, 20-6
  • 1956 22nd Sugar Bowl: #7 Georgia Tech beats #11 Pittsburgh, 7-0
  • 1956 42nd Rose Bowl: #2 Michigan State beats #4 UCLA, 17-14

Fullmer vs. Robinson

1957 In the first of 4 meetings between the fighters, Gene Fullmer wins the world middleweight boxing title with a 15-round unanimous decision over Sugar Ray Robinson at New York’s Madison Square Garden

  • 1961 27th Orange Bowl: #5 Missouri beats #4 Navy, 21-14
  • 1961 27th Sugar Bowl: #2 Mississippi beats Rice, 14-6
  • 1961 47th Rose Bowl: #6 Washington beats #1 Minnesota, 17-7

Jets Sign Namath

1965 New York Jets sign future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath to a $427,000 contract over three years (pro football record at the time)

  • 1966 National Football League Championship, Lambeau Field, Green Bay: Green Bay Packers beat Cleveland Browns, 23-12; first NFL title game televised in colour; last one played before Super Bowl era
  • 1967 33rd Orange Bowl: Florida beats #8 Georgia Tech, 27-12
  • 1967 33rd Sugar Bowl: #6 Alabama beats #3 Nebraska, 34-7
  • 1967 53rd Rose Bowl: #7 Purdue beats Southern California, 14-13

Zatopek "Public Enemy"

1969 Once influential daily sports newspaper, 'Soviet Sport' declares Czech super-star distance runner Emil Zatopek a "public enemy" after he supports democratic wing of the Communist Party at start of the Prague Spring

  • 1971 Spectator crush at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland as Rangers supporters leave the ground with home team 0-1 behind to Old Firm rivals Celtic; 66 deaths and more than 200 injuries; Rangers score late for 1-1
  • 1972 AFC Championship, Miami Orange Bowl: Miami Dolphins beat Baltimore Colts, 21-0

Wade Defeats Goolaging

1972 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Virginia Wade of England wins her first Grand Slam title; beats home favourite Evonne Goolagong 6-4, 6-4

  • 1972 NFC Championship, Texas Stadium, Irving: Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco 49ers, 14-3
  • 1973 Japanese boxer Masao Ohba retains his WBA flyweight title with a 12th-round knockout of Chartchai Chionoi of Thailand in Tokyo; Ohba dies three weeks later in a car accident

Ted Turner Suspended

1977 MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspends Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner for one year due to tampering charges in Gary Matthews free-agency signing

  • 1978 44th Orange Bowl: #6 Arkansas beats #2 Oklahoma, 31-6
  • 1978 44th Sugar Bowl: #3 Alabama beats #9 Ohio State, 35-6
  • 1978 64th Rose Bowl: #13 Washington beats #4 Michigan, 27-20
  • 1979 Australian Open Women's Tennis: unseeded Australian Christine O'Neil wins her first and only Grand Slam event; beats American Betsy Nagelsen 6-3, 7-6

Vilas Retains Title

1980 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Guillermo Vilas retains title for 4th and last Grand Slam win; beats American John Sadri 7-6, 6-3, 6-2

  • 1982 "The Epic in Miami", in 85 degree heat (Fahrenheit), the San Diego Chargers defeat the Miami Dolphins 41-38 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game, a game that set numerous playoff scoring records

Navratilova Wins

1982 Australian Open Women's Tennis: Martina Navratilova wins her 1st of 3 Australian singles crowns; beats Chris Evert-Lloyd 6-7, 6-4, 7-5

  • 1982 New York Islanders beat Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum to start 23 NHL game undefeated home streak (21-0-2), 14 straight wins
  • 1983 In a 35-27 win over the Houston Oilers, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson completes 20 consecutive passes and finishes the season winning his second consecutive passing title with an NFL record 70.55% completion percentage
  • 1984 13th Fiesta Bowl: #14 Ohio State beats #15 Pittsburgh, 28-23
  • 1984 16-year-old future South African Test cricket batsman Darryl Cullinan scores his 1st first-class century (106 no) for Border against Natal B in East London
  • 1984 50th Orange Bowl: #5 Miami (FL) beats #1 Nebraska, 31-30
  • 1984 50th Sugar Bowl: #3 Auburn beats #8 Michigan, 9-7
  • 1984 70th Rose Bowl: UCLA beats #4 Illinois, 45-9
  • 1985 Nevada Las Vegas basketball gives coach Jerry Tarkanian his 600th career victory with a 142-140 win over Utah State in triple overtime; total of 282 points breaks NCAA men's record of 275 set in 1976

Bossy's Record Game

1986 NHL New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores his 499th and 500th career goals in the final 2:22 to lift the New York to a 7-5 victory over the Boston Bruins; 11th player in NHL history to score 500 goals

  • 1987 16th Fiesta Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #1 Miami, 14-10
  • 1987 Indiana Pacers beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-106 to give coach Jack Ramsay his 800th NBA victory; at the time Ramsey is one of only 2 coaches (with Red Auerbach) to reach milestone
  • 1989 18th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Notre Dame beats #3 West Virginia, 34-21 for the national title
  • 1989 55th Orange Bowl: #2 Miami (FL) beats #6 Nebraska, 23-3
  • 1989 55th Sugar Bowl: #4 Florida State beats #7 Auburn, 13-7
  • 1989 75th Rose Bowl: #11 Michigan beats #5 Southern California, 22-14

Shane Warne Debut

1992 Australian cricket spin bowling great Shane Warne (145 Tests, 708 wickets; 194 ODIs) makes Test debut v India in 3rd Test at Sydney Cricket Ground

  • 1995 24th Fiesta Bowl: #4 Colorado beats Notre Dame, 41-24
  • 1995 61st Sugar Bowl: #7 Florida State beats #5 Florida, 23-17
  • 1995 81st Rose Bowl: #2 Penn State beats #12 Oregon, 38-20
  • 1995 Carquest Bowl 5: South Carolina beats West Virginia, 24-21
  • 1996 25th Fiesta Bowl: #1 Nebraska beats #2 Florida, 62-24
  • 1997 63rd Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida beats #1 Florida State, 52-20
  • 1998 64th Orange Bowl: #2 Nebraska beats #3 Tennessee, 42-17
  • 1999 65th Orange Bowl: #7 Florida beats #18 Syracuse, 31-10
  • 2000 19,600 fans watch the Miami Heat beat the Orlando Magic, 111-103 in the first NBA game at the Heat's new American Airlines Arena in Miami
  • 2000 29th Fiesta Bowl: #3 Nebraska beats #6 Tennessee, 31-21
  • 2001 67th Sugar Bowl: #3 Miami beats #7 Florida, 37-20
  • 2002 68th Orange Bowl: #5 Florida beats #6 Maryland, 56-23
  • 2003 69th Orange Bowl: #5 Southern California beats #3 Iowa, 38-17
  • 2004 33rd Fiesta Bowl: #7 Ohio State beats #8 Kansas State, 35-28
  • 2006 35th Fiesta Bowl: #4 Ohio State beats #5 Notre Dame, 34-20
  • 2006 72nd Sugar Bowl: #11 West Virginia beats #7 Georgia, 38-35
  • 2007 73rd Orange Bowl: #5 Louisville beats #15 Wake Forest, 24-13
  • 2008 37th Fiesta Bowl: #11 West Virginia beats #3 Oklahoma, 48-28
  • 2009 75th Sugar Bowl: #6 Utah beats #4 Alabama, 31-17
  • 2012 41st Fiesta Bowl: #3 Oklahoma State beats #4 Stanford, 41-38 (OT)
  • 2012 98th Rose Bowl: #6 Oregon beats #9 Wisconsin, 45-38
  • 2012 Englishman Adrian Lewis retains his PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-3 win over Andy Hamilton at the Alexandra Palace, London
  • 2013 79th Sugar Bowl: #21 Louisville beats #3 Florida, 33-23
  • 2014 80th Sugar Bowl: #11 Oklahoma beats #3 Alabama, 45-31
  • 2016 Brian Ortega defeats Diego Brandão at UFC 195
  • 2017 Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands wins his 2nd PDC World Darts Championship beating defending champion Gary Anderson, 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace, London
  • 2019 United States international Christian Pulisic becomes the most expensive American soccer player when he moves from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea for £57.6M ($73M); remains at Dortmund on loan until the end of the season
  • 2023 Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati