1936: Baseball welcomes its first Hall of Famers. Cooperstown held its first induction ceremony. That first class consisted of five players: Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, and Babe Ruth.
1988: They never had a crowd so large. Detroit and Boston played before an NBA record crowd of 61,983 at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Pistons won 125–108.
1995: They got yet another Lombardi Trophy. San Francisco thumped San Diego 49–26 in Super Bowl XXIX. That was the Niners’ fifth Super Bowl victory.
Birthdays in the sports world today… Former Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Steve Sax is 66. Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame receiver Andre Reed is 62. Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame goalie “The Dominator” Dominik Hasek is 61. Arizona Cardinals Hall of Fame defensive end Aeneas Williams is 58. Former Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol is 41, and ex–Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu is 39.