On this date
1926: The major league rules committee mandates that pitchers must have access to a rosin bag.
1971: UCLA starts its 88-game winning streak with a 74-61 win over UC Santa Barbara.
1983: John Riggins rushes for a Super Bowl-record 166 yards on 38 carries to spark the Washington Redskins to a come-from-behind, 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins. For Riggins, the game’s MVP, it’s his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game during the playoffs, also a record.
1992: Jockey Mike Smith wins six races in one day at Aqueduct Racetrack for the second time in the month. His first six winner day at Aqueduct was on Jan. 13.
1993: Monica Seles beats Steffi Graf 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to capture her third straight Australian Open.
1994: The Dallas Cowboys, behind MVP Emmitt Smith and safety James Washington, beats Buffalo 30-13 for their second straight NFL title while giving the Bills four straight Super Bowl losses.
1996: Magic Johnson finishes with 19 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-118 victory over Golden State. It Johnson’s first regular-season game back from a 4 1⁄2-season retirement.
1999: Martina Hingis wins her fifth Grand Slam title and third-straight Australian Open with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over France’s Amelie Mauresmo.
2000: The St. Louis Rams hold on to beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in the Super Bowl. Kurt Warner’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce with 1:54 left gives the Rams the lead. On the game’s final play with six seconds left, Steve McNair’s pass is caught by Kevin Dyson at the Rams 5. He scrambles for the end zone only to be stopped just one yard short by Mike Jones as Dyson’s outstretched arm holds the ball near the goal line.
2001: Daron Rahlves wins the super giant slalom, the first American to capture the event at the world championships.
2006: Teemu Selanne scores two goals for his 1,000th career point in Anaheim’s 4-3 overtime victory against Los Angeles.
2009: Rafael Nadal holds off Fernando Verdasco in longest match in Australian Open history. Verdasco double-faults after saving two match points, and Nadal wins 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 in the 5-hour, 14-minute semifinal between the Spanish left-handers.