Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, some college basketball tournaments, the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E, and PGA Tour events. Over the years, Jan. 1 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. 1 included: 1902: The first-ever Rose Bowl happened. Michigan beat Stanford, 49-0, and the MVP was Michigan fullback Neil Snow. 1907: Joe Gans beat Kid Herman in the eighth round and retained his world lightweight boxing title. 1909: Runner Robert Fowler ran a then world record marathon time of 2:52:45.4 1913: James Cecil Parke beat Alfred Beamish and won the Australasian Championships for men’s tennis. 1918: Georges Vézina became the first NHL goalie to get an assist. 1929: In the 15th Rose Bowl, Georgia Tech beat California, 8-7. Roy Riegels got a fumble recovery and ran 60 yards the wrong way. 1935: In the first-ever Orange Bowl, Bucknell beat Miami (FL), 26-0. 1935: In the first-ever Sugar Bowl, Tulane beat Temple, 20-14. 1940: In the sixth Orange Bowl, No. 16 Georgia Tech beat No. 6 Missouri, 21-7. 1942: In the 28th Rose Bowl, No. 12 Oregon State beat No. 2 Duke, 20-16. 1951: In the 37th Rose Bowl, No. 9 Michigan beat No. 5 California, 14-6. 1961: In the first AFL Championship, the Houston Oilers beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 24-16, and quarterback George Blanda had three touchdown passes. 1965: In the 31st Orange Bowl, No. 5 Texas beat No. 1 Alabama, 21-17. 1973: John Newcombe beat Onny Parun and won the Australian Open for men’s tennis. 1975: John Newcombe won his seventh and last career Grand Slam singles title. 1976: Paul Brown retired from the National Football League. 1978: In the AFC Championship, the Denver Broncos beat the Oakland Raiders, 20-17. 1988: Miami beat Oklahoma for the college football championship. 1989: Czechoslovakia won the Hopman Cup Tennis title for the first time. 1990: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario beat Pam Shriver and won the Hopman Cup Tennis title. It was Spain’s first title. 1995: Lenny Wilkens became the NBA’s all-time winningest coach. 2003: Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens ran for over 2,000 yards in a season. 2003: Mike Vanderjagt of the Colts made his 41st consecutive field goal. 2008: Sidney Crosby won the first-ever Winter Classic. Three athletes who stood out on Jan. 1 were John Newcombe, Lenny Wilkens, and Sidney Crosby. Newcombe is a legendary Australian tennis player, nicknamed “Newk,” who dominated the 1960s and 70s with a powerful serve-and-volley game and a record 17 men’s doubles titles. Wilkens is an NBA legend and enshrined three times in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, coach, and as part of the 1992 “Dream Team.” Crosby is a legendary Canadian ice hockey center, nicknamed ? in a clear, straightforward, fan-friendly style for a music news website. Use simple words and short sentences. Keep the important details, but remove filler and unnecessary phrases. Do not mention the original source. Make it sound like a casual article for readers who love music news, concerts, and band updates. Keep it less than 300 words. You must only respond with the modified content.
