THIS DATE IN SPORTS

Jan. 18

1938 — Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. His 90 shutouts is second on the alltime list to Walter Johnson.

1958 — Canadian born Willie O’Ree becomes the NHL’s first black player for the Boston Bruins.

1973 — Orlando Cepeda becomes the first player signed specifically to be a designated hitter. He signs with the Boston Red Sox one week after the designated hitter rule is approved.

1976 — The Steelers win the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Terry Bradshaw’s 64-yard TD pass to Lynn Swann and Glen Edwards’ interception on the last play of the game gives Pittsburgh a 21-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Swann, with four receptions for 161 yards, is the game’s MVP.

1992 — Brett Hull scores two goals with the help of linemate Wayne Gretzky to lead the Campbell Conference to a 10-6 victory over the Wales Conference in the NHL All-Star game. 1996 — Baseball owners break with more than a century of tradition by unanimously approving interleague play in 1997.

2004 — The New England Patriots earn their second trip to the Super Bowl in three seasons by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 24-14 in the AFC championship game. The Philadelphia Eagles fall one win short of the Super Bowl for the third straight year as the Carolina Panthers post a 14-3 win.

2005 — Earl Boykins breaks the NBA record for points in an overtime, scoring 15 points in the extra period as the Nuggets beat Seattle 116-110. The 5-foot-5 guard, the league’s smallest player, broke the record of 14 overtime points set by Butch Carter of Indiana on March 20, 1984.