This Day in Sports History: January 3
Sports this time of year include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoff games, college bowl games, select college basketball tournaments, the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula…
Sports this time of year include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoff games, college bowl games, select college basketball tournaments, the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E races, and PGA Tour events. Jan. 3 has hosted many notable moments and stories that have impacted sports history, so continue reading to learn about some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Many significant moments in sports history happened on Jan. 3, including:
- 1931: Montreal Maroons center Nels Stewart scored two goals four seconds apart, achieving the fastest two goals in NHL history.
- 1971: In the first AFC Championship game, the Baltimore Colts beat the Oakland Raiders, 27-17.
- 1971: The Dallas Cowboys defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 17-10, in the first NFC Championship game.
- 1972: Ken Rosewall retained his Australian Open men's tennis title and his fourth overall Australian crown.
- 1976: Evonne Goolagong Cawley beat Renata Tomanova and got her third straight home singles title.
- 1979: Guillermo Vilas won his third Grand Slam title.
- 1981: Golfer Johnny Miller won the sport's first $1 million tournament, beating Seve Ballesteros in a playoff at the first Million Dollar World Challenge.
- 1981: Hana Mandlíková claimed her first of four career Grand Slam singles titles.
- 1981: The Cleveland Cavaliers retired Austin Carr's No. 34 jersey.
- 1982: Johan Kriek won his first Grand Slam title.
- 1983: Dallas running back Tony Dorsett set an NFL record with a 99-yard rush in the Cowboys' 31-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
- 1991: Wayne Gretzky became the fastest and youngest player in NHL history to score 700 goals.
- 1993: "The Comeback" event happened when quarterback Frank Reich led the Buffalo Bills back from a 32-point deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in overtime, 41-38.
- 1994: Quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Steve Young, became the first quarterback to win three straight NFL passing titles.
- 1997: Texas-El Paso head coach Don Haskins became the 10th coach in NCAA Division I history to get a record 700 career wins.
- 1998: Los Angeles Clippers coach Bill Fitch coached his 2,000th NBA game.
- 2001: No. 1 Oklahoma beat No. 2 Florida State, 13-2, and won the Orange Bowl.
- 2002: No. 1 Miami defeated No. 2 Nebraska 37-14, winning the Rose Bowl.
- 2004: Carolina Panthers kicker John Kasay tied an NFL-playoff record with five field goals, defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 29-10, in the Wild Card playoff rounds.
- 2007: Head coach Nick Saban returned to college football to take the head coaching job at the University of Alabama.
- 2016: Jimmy Butler broke Michael Jordan's franchise record of 40 points in a half.
Jan. 3 witnessed talented athletes achieving exceptional feats. Three athletes who stood out were Hana Mandlíková, Steve Young, and Jimmy Butler. Mandlíková is a legendary Czech-Australian tennis player who won four Grand Slam singles titles (Australian Open '80 and '87, French Open '81, U.S. Open '85) and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1994. Young is an impressive left-handed NFL quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, known for his dual-threat ability of passing and running. Butler is a tenacious, clutch NBA superstar recognized for leading the Miami Heat to multiple NBA Finals.
