This Day in Sports History: January 21
Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, and some college basketball tournaments. The Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E, and…
Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, and some college basketball tournaments. The Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E, and PGA Tour events also happen in January. Over the years, Jan. 21 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. 21 included:
- 1920:Â In the 14th Davis Cup, Australasia beat Great Britain 4-1.
- 1930: The Boston Bruins became the first team in NHL history to score 100 goals in a season.
- 1939: United States Figure Skating Championship was won by Joan Tozzer.
- 1954: In the fourth NBA All-Star Game, the East beat the West, 98-93 in overtime, and the MVP of the game was Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy.
- 1967: Figure skater Peggy Fleming won the United States Female Figure Skating Championship.
- 1978: Boxer Roberto Duran beat Esteban De Jesus in a 12-round technical knockout to become the world lightweight champion.
- 1979: The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Dallas Cowboys, 35-31, and won Super Bowl XIII. The MVP of the game was Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
- 1984: Figure skater Scott Hamilton won the United States Figure Skating championship.
- 1986: Tennis star Ivan Lendl beat Boris Becker and claimed the season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix title for the third time.
- 1989: Wayne Gretzky passed Marcel Dionne and became the NHL's second all-time scorer.
- 1991: Sacramento's Dick Motta coached in his 1,648th regular season game.
- 1992: Bill Cowher became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- 1994: The Dallas Mavericks lost their 19th game in a row.
- 2004: The Minnesota Wild set the record for the two fastest goals in a game, as Jim Dowd and Richard Park scored three seconds apart.
- 2010: Basketball star Kobe Bryant became the youngest NBA player to get to 25,000 career points at 31 years old.
- 2017: Golfer Adam Hadwin became the seventh golfer to get a sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.
- 2019: Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson set an NBA record by making his first 10 attempts from 3-point range.
- 2019: Tennis player Li Na became the first Asian player to get into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
- 2024: The Detroit Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
- 2024: College basketball coach Tara VanDerveer became the winningest college basketball coach with her 1,203rd victory as Stanford beat Oregon State, 65-56.
Three athletes who stood out on Jan. 21 were Bill Cowher, Adam Hadwin, and Tara VanDerveer.
Cowher is renowned for his 15 seasons leading the Pittsburgh Steelers (1992-2006), where he won Super Bowl XL, secured eight division titles, and earned multiple Coach of the Year awards. Hadwin is recognized for earning his PGA Tour card via the Web.com Tour Finals and winning multiple times on developmental tours. VanDerveer has three national championships, an Olympic gold medal with Team USA, and earned multiple Hall of Fame inductions.
