January 5
1964 — Keith Lincoln of the San Diego Chargers, rushes for 206 yards on 13 carries, catches seven passes for 123 yards, completes one pass for 20 and scores two touchdowns in a 51-10 rout of the Boston Patriots for the AFL title .
1983 — In his 42nd game, Edmonton's Wayne Gretzky scores his 100th point of the season with an assist in the Oilers' 8-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
1991 — US International's Kevin Bradshaw scores 72 points to break Pete Maravich's NCAA Division I single-game record of 69 points, but Loyola Marymount sets an NCAA team scoring record by beating the Gulls 186-140.
1993 — Reggie Jackson, who hit 563 home runs and played on five championship teams in 21 seasons, is the only player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1996 — Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula announces his retirement as the winningest NFL head coach of all time.
1997 — The second-year Carolina Panthers, behind John Kasay's four field goals, beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-17 to advance to the NFC championship game.
1999 — Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the largest class of new candidates since Babe Ruth and four others were chosen in the original 1936 election.
2003 — Jeff Garcia hits Tai Streets with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute remaining, and the New York Giants miss on a 41-yard field goal attempt as time expires in 39-39 victory 38 from San Francisco – the second largest. back in NFL playoff history.
2009 — Pittsburgh tops the Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the first time. The Panthers are one of nine record-breaking Big East teams in the poll. The 16-team league had a record eight ranked schools three weeks earlier in the season.
2013 — Aaron Rodgers connects with an NFL playoff record 10 receivers as he throws for 274 yards in his first home playoff win, leading Green Bay to a 24–10 win over Minnesota .
2013 — Arian Foster has 140 yards and a touchdown in Houston's 19-13 win over Cincinnati, becoming the first NFL player to have 100-yard games in each of his first three playoff games.
2017 — The Columbus Blue Jackets lost 5-0 to the Washington Capitals, ending their 16-game winning streak, one short of the NHL record. Columbus loses for the first time since Nov. 26, ending a captivating streak that fell short of the Pittsburgh Penguins' record 17-game winning streak in 1992-93.
2021 – 86th Heisman Trophy: DeVonta Smith, Alabama (WR).