29 January in Sports History

Here is what happened in Sports Jersey History on January 29: Listen in to learn more about sports history along with me from the uniforms and jerseys the players wore. 

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

3 - 7 - 77 - 10 - 11 - 22 

1910 in the March 17 M101-2 edition of the Sporting News Supplement of Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner; image taken at previous year's 1909 World Series between Detroit and Pittsburgh.Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

January 29, 1936 - The first players selected to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson & Walter Johnson. Cobb, Mathewson, Johnson & Wagner during their playing careers most likely never wore a uniform number due to the fact Numbers were not required by teams in MLB officially until the 1929 season. Matthewson's last year was 1916, Wagner finished up in 1917, Johnson in 1927 & Cobb completed his last year playing in 1928. Ruth as we know famously donned the Number 3 on his back. 

January 29, 1963 - The Pro Football Hall of Fame announces it's inauguarl class of enshrinees: George Halas, Jim Thorpe and Red Grange. Halas wore the Number 7 when he played, Thorpe sported the Numeral 3 & Red Grange famously ran down the field with a Number 77 on his uni.

January 29, 1967 - Cooperstown, New York's Baseball Hall of Fame elected Lloyd Waner, who spent most of his career wearing the Number 10 on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster, and Branch Rickey to their museum of legends.

• Waner was the lefthanded batting centerfielder who not only played with the Pirates but spent time in the organizations of the Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelhia Phillies, and Brooklyn Dodgers as well.
• Branch Rickey was most famously known after his playing days as being a very innovative executive in Major League Baseball. He is most well known for helping baseball break the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson to a Brooklyn Dodgers contract as well as establishing the modern framework for the baseball farm system. Mr. Rickey never had a uniform number that is recorded.

The photo is of Branch Rickey in his playing days with St Louis, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons taken by an unknown photographer between 1909 & 1919.

January 29, 1984 - At the NBA All-Star game, Number 11 of the Detroit Pistons, Guard Isiah Thomas was voted as the game's Most Valuable Player in an East victory 154-145 over their West counterparts. Larry Nance Sr., Number 22 of the Phoenix Suns,  was the inaugural Slam-Dunk Competition winner as part of the All-Star festivities.

The Sports Jersey Dispatch Take of the Day comes from Bill Schaefer of the Gridiron-Uniform Database who joined us in an upcoming episode of the Pigskin Dispatch podcast along with Tim Brulia and Larry Schmitt of the GUD.

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