On this Day in Sports History January 1
NFL
On this day in 1961, the Houston Oilers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 to win the AFL Championship.
College Football
On this day in 1933, Miami defeated Manhattan 7-0 in the first Orange Bowl.
On this day in 1935, Tulane beat Temple 20-14 in the first Sugar Bowl.
On this day in 1937, TCU beat Marquette 16-6 in the first Cotton Bowl.
On this day in 1979, #2 Alabama defeated #1 Penn State 14-7 in the Sugar Bowl to win the National Championship.
On this day in 1980, #2 Alabama defeated #6 Arkansas 24-9 in the Sugar Bowl to win the National Championship.
On this day in 2000, #8 Michigan beat #5 Alabama 35-34 in the Outback Bowl. The Crimson Tide lost the game on a missed extra point in overtime.
On this day in 2001, the #11 Georgia Bulldogs defeated #12 Purdue Boilermakers 34-27 in the Capital One Bowl. Purdue overcame a 24-0 first quarter deficit to send the game to overtime.
On this day in 2014, #4 Ohio State defeated #1 Alabama 42-35 in the College Football Playoff Semifinal game. The Buckeyes would win the National Title 11 days later.