This Day in Sports History: January 15
Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, college basketball tournaments, the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E, and PGA Tour…
Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, college basketball tournaments, the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E, and PGA Tour Events. Over the years, Jan. 15 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Jan. 15 included:
- 1939: The New York Giants beat the All-America All-Stars 13-10 in the first NFL All-Star game.
- 1950: Detroit Red Wings' rookie goaltender Terry Sawchuk recorded the first of his 115 career NHL shutouts.
- 1956: The Eastern Conference beat the Western Conference 31-30 in the sixth NFL Pro Bowl. The Most Valuable Player was Baltimore Colts' running back Ollie Matson.
- 1962: Rod Laver won the single's title at the Australian Championships for men's tennis, marking the initial step toward his first Grand Slam.
- 1962: Margaret Smith won the Australian Championships for women's tennis for a third consecutive year.
- 1965: The San Francisco Warriors traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers.
- 1967: The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 to win Super Bowl I. The MVP was Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr.
- 1972: World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier stopped Terry Daniels in four rounds to retain his WBC and WBA titles.
- 1981: Pitcher Bob Gibson joined the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1984: John McEnroe claimed his second season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis title.
- 1984: Tennis player Martina Navratilova's 54-match winning streak ended, as she lost to Hana Mandlíková.
- 1986: Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Patrick Roy recorded the first of his 66 career NHL shutouts.
- 1987: The Sporting News named Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird Man of the Year, while the Associated Press selected him as Athlete of the Year. This was the first time an athlete received both distinctions.
- 1990: George Foreman defeated Gerry Cooney in two rounds in a non-title fight.
- 1994: Lawrence Taylor retired from the NFL.
- 2000: Utah's Jerry Sloan became the 12th coach in NBA history to achieve the 700-win mark.
- 2014: The Los Angeles Dodgers signed pitcher Clayton Kershaw in a seven-year, $215 million package deal.
- 2023: Los Angeles Laker's LeBron James passed the 38,000 NBA career points mark.
- 2024: Basketball player Joel Embiid tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of getting 30 or more points and 10-plus rebounds in 16 consecutive games.
Three athletes who stood out on Jan. 15 were Martina Navratilova, Patrick Roy, and Larry Bird.
Navratilova won 59 Grand Slam titles, including 18 singles, 31 doubles, and 10 mixed, and a record nine Wimbledon singles wins. Roy is the only player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP three times for different teams and is now a successful coach with the New York Islanders. Bird transformed the game with his versatile, unselfish play, earning Rookie of the Year and multiple MVP awards.
