This Day in Sports History: January 5
Jan. 5 has hosted many events throughout the years involving a wide variety of sports, including NBA and NHL games, NFL playoff battles, college bowl games, college basketball tournaments, Australian…
Jan. 5 has hosted many events throughout the years involving a wide variety of sports, including NBA and NHL games, NFL playoff battles, college bowl games, college basketball tournaments, Australian Open matches, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E races, and PGA Tour events. Many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends occurred on this day, so keep reading to learn about some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Several great moments in sports history happened on Jan. 5, including:
- 1957: The Dodgers' Jackie Robinson announced his retirement rather than being traded to the New York Giants.
- 1964: The San Diego Chargers beat the Boston Patriots, 51-10, and won the AFL Championship. Chargers' running back Keith Lincoln rushed for 206 yards and scored two touchdowns.
- 1971: The Globetrotters lost 100-99 to the New Jersey Reds, ending a 2,495-game winning streak.
- 1985: Bryan Trottier failed to score his ninth career penalty shot.
- 1989: MLB signed a $400 million deal with ESPN to show 175 games in 1990.
- 1990: J. Donald Crump became the eighth Commissioner of the CFL.
- 1993: Former MLB player Reggie Jackson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1994: Aleksandr Popov swam the 100-meter freestyle in 47.82 seconds, setting a world record.
- 1995: The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Philadelphia 76ers at home 95-93, making Bill Fitch the fifth coach in NBA history to get 850 career wins.
- 1996: The Miami Dolphins coach, Don Shula, retired from the NFL.
- 2002: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Tommy Robredo beat Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill, winning Spain its second Hopman Cup tennis title.
- 2007: Bill Cowher resigned as the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach.
- 2007: Dmitry Tursunov defeated Tommy Robredo and gave Russia a 2-0 lead. They would eventually win their first Hopman Cup tennis title.
- 2009: In the 38th Fiesta Bowl, No. 3 Texas beat No. 10 Ohio State 24-21.
- 2010: No. 10 Iowa beat No. 9 Georgia Tech, 24-14, in the 76th Orange Bowl.
- 2010: Mike Shanahan was formally introduced as the head coach of the Washington Redskins.
- 2013: Spain won their fourth Hopman Cup Tennis title when Anabel Medina Garrigues and Fernando Verdasco beat Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic.
- 2019: The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings combined for 41 three-pointers in a game, setting a new NBA record for three-pointers in a game. Steph Curry achieved 10 of them.
- 2019: Switzerland won its fourth Hopman Cup tennis title.
- 2021: Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith won the 86th Heisman Trophy Award.
Many talented athletes had significant events on Jan. 5, such as Reggie Jackson, Bill Fitch, and DeVonta Smith. Jackson was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his exceptional clutch hitting in World Series games, especially hitting three consecutive home runs in the 1977 series clincher for the Yankees. Fitch was a Hall-of-Fame basketball coach, famous for transforming struggling NBA teams. Smith is recognized for his precise route running, body control, and becoming one of the few players with a Heisman, a college national title, and a Super Bowl win.
