January 31, 1960:
Presaging the NBA’s extension to the West Coast, the Philadelphia Warriors beat the Minneapolis Lakers, 114-104, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Rookie sensation Wilt Chamberlain of the Warriors leads all scorers with 41 points, while Elgin Baylor paces the Lakers with 21. Tomorrow night the two clubs will meet in Los Angeles, where Philly will win again, 103-96. Following this season the Lakers will move to L.A., and following the 1962 season the Warriors will move to San Francisco as the jet age of commercial air travel enables eastern teams to easily fly to California on a regular ba sis.
B I R T H D A Y S
Jackie Robinson b. 1919
Hank Aguirre b. 1931
Ernie Banks b. 1931
Camille “the Eel” Henry b. 1933
Nolan Ryan b. 1947
January 30, 1973:
Jim Harrison of the WHA’s Alberta Oilers becomes the first player in the modern era to score 10 points in a big-league game, leading to an 11-3 blowout of the New York Raiders at the Edmonton Gardens. Harrison’s three goals and seven assists break the WHA single-game points record of seven established by Danny Lawson of Philadelphia earlier this season and the NHL standard of eight set by Montreal Canadiens Rocket Richard (1944 ) and Bert Olmstead (1954).
B I R T H D A Y S
Walt Dropo b. 1923
Davey Johnson b. 1943
Curtis Strange b. 1955
Payne Stewart b. 1957
Jalen Rose b. 1973
January 27, 1960:
Seventeen-year-old Australian Margaret Smith arrives on the big-time tennis stage, upsetting reigning Wimbledon and U.S. champion Maria Bueno of Brazil in blistering 100° heat on the grass in the quarterfinals of the Australian National Championships. Readily establishing command, Smith pins Bueno to the baseline with powerful passing shots, neutralizing her customary serve-and-volley game. She’ll beat Jan Lehane in a straight-set final and eventually capture the Australian title a record 11 times.
B I R T H D A Y S
Frankie Alber t b. 1920
John Lowenstein b. 1947
Billy “White Shoes” Johnson b. 1952
Cris Collinsworth b. 1959
Marat Safin b. 1980
January, 26, 1989:
Kurt Rambis, nicknamed “Clark Kent” because of his resemblance to the mild-mannered reporter who turns into Superman, scoops up a loose ball and scores at the buzzer to give the Charlotte Hornets an 89-88 win over the Utah Jazz. Despite ardent local support, the first-year franchise will finish 20-62 in its inaugural campaign.
B I R T H D A Y S
Bob Uecker b. 1 935
Jack Youngblood b. 1950
Brian Doyle b. 1955
Wayne Gretzky b. 1961
Vince Carter b. 1977
January 25, 1951:
Longtime antagonists Terrible Ted Lindsay of the Red Wings and Wild Bill Ezinicki of the Bruins renew their hostilities with a four-star imbroglio, enlivening a 3-3 tie at the Olympia in Detroit. The two combatants slug it out in the third period and start up again near the penalty box area after being separated by the linesmen. Each suffers cuts around the eyes, among other abrasions, and each receives a match penalty, a three-game suspension and a $300 fine from the league.
B I R T H D A Y S
Lou Groza b. 1924
Don Mayna rd b. 1937
Steve Prefontaine b. 1951
Mark Duper b. 1959
Chris Chelios b. 1962
