This Day in Sports History: January 24

Unforgettable Games & Remarkable Records

• 1930: Cricketer John Mills became New Zealand's first Test century scorer, partnering with Stewie Dempster for a record 276-run opening stand against England.
• 1939: The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted three players into the Hall of Fame: George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Willie Keeler. In 1920, Sisler set the league record for hits with 257. Collins had a career batting average of .333 and 744 stolen bases. Keeler had an 8-year streak of 200+ hits during his career.
• 1950: Jackie Robinson signed the Dodgers' highest-ever contract at $35,000, marking another barrier-breaking moment in his career and advancing opportunities for African American athletes. He would have a 0.328 batting average with 99 runs scored and 12 stolen bases that year.
• 1961: The Kansas City Athletics sent two outfielders, Whitey Herzog and Russ Snyder, to the Boston Orioles in a trade for outfielders Bob Boyd and Al Pilarcik, pitcher Jim Archer, infielder Wayne Causey, and catcher Clint Courtney (who was later returned to the Orioles).
• 1976: In a thrilling Caesar's Palace bout, heavyweight George Foreman overcame two fourth-round knockdowns to secure a fifth-round knockout against Ron Lyle. This electrifying comeback earned "The Ring" Fight of the Year honors.
• 1982: The San Francisco 49ers earned their first Super Bowl victory, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21. Joe Montana was named MVP for his pivotal role in the historic win.
• 1986: Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders reached 1,000 career points, solidifying his place among hockey's greatest scorers and furthering his legendary NHL legacy. He was the 20th NHL player to hit this mark and only 98 have done so to this day.
• 1990: NBA coach Pat Riley claimed his 500th win in just 684 games, setting a record-breaking pace. He later amassed 1,210 wins and multiple championships, solidifying his coaching legacy. The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 120-111.
• 1998: The Denver Nuggets finally ended their 23-game losing streak with a win over the Los Angeles Clippers, 99-81.
• 2008: At just 14 years old, Mirai Nagasu delivered a stunning victory at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, launching her international career. She had a total score of 70.23 points, the second-highest ever from an American woman in the short program.
• 2009: Shane Mosley knocks out Antonio Margarito in nine rounds to gain the welterweight title. Before the fight, the California State Athletic Commission identified Margarito was wearing a cast illegally and had to change. This led to an investigation after the loss against Mosley and Margarito was suspended for a year.
• 2010: The New Orleans Saints reached their first Super Bowl, a milestone that brought hope to a city still rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. The Saints were underdogs but came out on top with a 31-17 victory over the Colts. They have yet to return to the Super Bowl as of today.
• 2025: Hiroto Ogiwara lands the first-ever 2340 in the Pacifico Men's Snowboard Big Air event at the Winter X Games. He would take home the gold for the event with a best score of 97.33. Other gold medal winners include Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (Women's Snowboard Slopestyle), Luca Harrington (Men's Ski Slopestyle), Olivia Asselin (Women's Ski Street Style), Colby Stevenson (Men's Ski Street Style), Kokomo Murase (Women's Snowboard Knuckle Huck), Cassie Sharpe (Monster Energy Women's Ski Superpipe), Flora Tabanelli (Pacifico Women's Ski Big Air), and Wang Ziyang (Men's Snowboard Knuckle Huck).
• 2025: Olivia Gadecki and John Peers win the Australian Open in mixed doubles with 6-3, 4-6, 6-10.