- Jan 1 46th Rose Bowl: #8 Washington beats #6 Wisconsin, 44-8
- Jan 1 26th Sugar Bowl: #2 Mississippi beats #3 LSU, 21-0
- Jan 1 26th Orange Bowl: #5 Georgia beats #18 Missouri, 14-0
- Jan 5 Continental League, a proposed third major league, gets an assurance of congressional support from NY Senator Kenneth Keating
- Jan 11 LaMar Clark sets pro boxing record of 44 consecutive knockouts
Event of Interest
Jan 12 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes is 1st NBA'er to score 15,000 points
Dolph Schayes
- Jan 17 NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 38-21
- Jan 22 10th NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 125-115 at Philadelphia
- Jan 22 Paul Pender beats Sugar Ray Robinson for middleweight boxing title
- Jan 26 High-school basketball sensation Danny Heater scores 135 points
- Jan 26 Oakland Raiders enter the American Football League
Election of Interest
Jan 26 Pete Rozelle elected NFL commissioner on 23rd ballot
Pete Rozelle
- Jan 28 NFL announces Dallas Cowboys (1960) & Minnesota Vikings (1961) franchises