This Day in Sports History: January 19
Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, and some college basketball tournaments. We also have the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights,…
Sports in January include the NBA and NHL seasons, NFL playoffs, college bowl games, and some college basketball tournaments. We also have the Australian Open for tennis, UFC Fight Nights, Formula E, and PGA Tour events. Over the years, Jan. 19 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. 19 included:
- 1903: A French newspaper, L'Auto, announced a five-stage long-distance bike race. It was called the Tour de France. The inaugural race would be in July of 1903.
- 1929: Speed skater Clas Thunberg set a new world 500-meter record of 42.8 seconds.
- 1937: Cy Young, Tris Speaker, and Nap Lajoie were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1940: Helen Hicks won the LPGA Titleholders Championship.
- 1963: Tennis player Roy Emerson won the first of five straight Australian titles.
- 1963: Tennis player Margaret Court beat Jan Lehane O'Neill for the fourth straight year at the Australian Championships.
- 1971: In the 24th NHL All-Star Game, the Western Division beat the Eastern Division, 2-1, and the MVP was Blackhawks left winger Bobby Hull.
- 1972: Sandy Koufax, Yogi Berra, and Early Wynn got into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- 1974: Notre Dame beat UCLA, 71-70, and the Bruins NCAA-record of 88 basketball wins in a row came to an end.
- 2000: Basketball legend Michael Jordan became the Washington Wizards part owner and the president of Basketball Operations.
- 2000: Major League Baseball owners centralized authority under the Commissioner and abolished separate league presidencies.
- 2002: The Tuck Rule Game happened. In an AFC Divisional Playoff Game, the New England Patriots were trailing the Oakland Raiders, 13-10, and a Tom Brady fumble was ruled an incomplete pass. The Patriots went on to win 16-13 in overtime.
- 2003: In the AFC Championship, the Oakland Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans, 41-24.
- 2005: LeBron James became the youngest player to record a triple-double.
- 2014: In the NFC Championship, the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17.
- 2014: Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos to victory over the New England Patriots and won the AFC Championship.
- 2015: American skier Lindsey Vonn got a record-breaking 63rd World Cup win. As of today, she has increased her World Cup wins to 84.
- 2017: Tennis player Novak Djokovic was upset in the second round of the Australian Open by Denis Istomin.
- 2020: In the NFC Championship, the San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers, 37-20.
- 2026: The Miami Hurricanes and Indiana Hoosiers are scheduled to play in the College Football National Championship.
Three athletes who stood out on Jan. 19 were Roy Emerson, Peyton Manning, and Lindsey Vonn.
Emerson is the only male player to win a Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles, holding a record 28 Grand Slam titles (12 singles, 16 doubles) and achieving world No. 1 status. Manning won two Super Bowls, earning an NFL record five MVP awards, and set numerous passing records. Vonn holds records for 84 World Cup wins, four overall World Cup titles, and is the only American woman to win Olympic downhill gold (2010).
