15 January in Sports History

The milestone moments in sports history that occurred on the date of January 15 are discussed in light of the legendary athlete's that were a part of the action along with the uniform numbers they wore.

Sports history is made every day of the year. We will preserve at least a small sampling from at least 3 great athletes every day based on the uniform number they wore.

3 - 1 - 33 - 14 - 19 - 70 - 24 - 12 - 55 - 16 - 79 - 54 - 45 - 56 

January 15, 1892 - Basketball rules first published in Triangle Magazine, written by James Naismith

January 15, 1934 - Probably the most famous Number 3 in Baseball History, Babe Ruth, of the New York Yankees took an approximate 33% pay cut at the end of his career for a one-year $35,000.

January 15, 1950 - Terry Sawchuk the legendary Goalie of the Detroit Redwings recorded his first shutout in the NHL against theNew York Rangers 1-0. The rookie goal tender, wearing the Number 1 on the back of his sweater,  would go on to register an amazing 115 games without allowing a goal during his tenured career between the pipes.

January 15, 1956 - 6th NFL Pro Bowl, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Eastern Conference beats Western Conference, 31-30; MVP: Chicago Cardinals, RB, Number 33, Ollie Matson.

January 15, 1957 - At the 7th NBA All-Star game Boston Celtics Point Guard, Bob Cousy, sporting his Number 14 jersey, won the game MVP award in front of a home crowd at the Boston Garden. The East team defeated the West 109-97. According to the Boston Globe the next day, Cousy edged out Maurice Stokes of the West based on his late game play-making and ball handling, that befuddled the opposition.

16 Jan 1957, Wed The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com

January 15, 1961 - 11th NFL Pro Bowl, LA Memorial Coliseum: Western Conference beats Eastern Conference, 35-31; MVPs were Baltimore Colts Quarterback, Number 19, Johnny Unitas on offense and New York Giants great Linebacker, Number 70, Sam Huff.

January 15, 1964 - San Francisco Giants make champion outfielder Willie Mays (Number 24) the highest-paid player in baseball when they sign him to a new $105,000 per season contract

January 15, 1966 - 5th AFL All Star Game, Rice Stadium, Houston: All-Stars beat Buffalo Bills, 30-19: MVPs were New York Jets Quarterback, Number 12, Joe Namath. On defense Los Angeles Chargers Linebacker, Number 55, Frank Buncom.

January 15, 1967 - Super Bowl I, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA: Green Bay Packers beat KC Chiefs, 35-10; MVP was Green Bay Quarterback Number 12, Bart Starr.

January 15, 1974 - 24th NBA All-Star Game, Seattle Center Coliseum: West beats East, 134-123; MVP was Detroit Pistons Number 16, Bob Lanier

January 15, 1978 - Super Bowl XII, Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Dallas Cowboys beat Denver Broncos, 27-10. In rare fashion the Most Valuable Players were on the defensive side as Dallas Defensive End, Number 79, Harvey Martin and his Cowboys teammate Defensive Tackle, Number 54, Randy White shared the honr.

January 15, 1981 - St Louis Cardinals legendary Pitcher Number 45, Bob Gibson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility; after a stellar 17 year career, polls 337 votes from Baseball Writers Association of America

January 15, 1986 - Montreal's rookie goaltender Number 33, Patrick Roy recorded his first of 66 career NHL shutouts, in the Canadiens' 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets at the Forum

January 15, 1987 - Boston Celtics legendary forward, Number 33, Larry Bird was named Man of the Year by 'The Sporting News' and Athlete of the Year by 'Associated Press'; first time one athlete gains both distinctions

January 15, 1994 - New York Football Giants legendary Linebacker, Number 56, Lawrence Taylor announced his retirement from playing in the NFL

January 15, 1997 - Seattle SuperSonics Number 14, Sam Perkins tied  another NBA Number 14, Jeff Hornacek's NBA single-game record by connecting on 8 straight 3-point field goals during Sonics' 122-78 win over visiting Toronto. Hornacek set his then-NBA record with eight consecutive three-pointers in a single game against the Seattle SuperSonics on November 23, 1994. Seattle also sets an NBA steals record with 27, on the 1997 game with the Raptors.

A Very Special thanks to information obtained from the following brilliant internet sites: On This Day Sports, the Sports Reference's family of website databases & Stathead.com