Early agate
Jan. 1
1969 – Bob Campbell’s two-point conversion run gives Penn State a 15-14 win over Kansas in the Orange Bowl. The conversion comes after a 3-yard TD run by Chuck Burkhart with 15 seconds remaining.
1970 – Second-ranked Penn State intercepts seven Missouri passes and Chuck Burkhart throws a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lydell Mitchell as the Nittany Lions win the Orange Bowl, 10-3, and run their unbeaten streak to 30 games.
1974 – Chuck Herd makes a one-handed catch on a 72-yard touchdown pass from Tom Shuman and Penn State goes on to defeat LSU 16-9 in the Orange Bowl.
1977 – Pitt lays claim to the college football national championship as the undefeated and untied Panthers dominated the 43rd Sugar Bowl, trouncing Georgia 27-3 in the Superdome. Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett rushes for 202 yards and one touchdown on 32 carries for the Panthers.
1982 – Dan Marino throws a 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Brown with 35 seconds remaining to give Pitt a 24-20 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
1983 – Curt Warner runs for two touchdowns and Greg Garrity catches a 47-yard TD pass from Todd Blackledge in the fourth quarter as Penn State wins its first football national championship with a 27-23 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
2008 – Sidney Crosby’s shootout goal gives Pittsburgh a 2-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres in the outdoor Winter Classic in front of a league-record 71,217 fans. In elements way more suited for football than hockey, Crosby wins the NHL’s second outdoor game – and first in the United States – in the most dramatic of fashion at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
2010 – Dampened by rain and slowed by mud, Penn State manages to defeat LSU 19-17 in the capital One Bowl when Collin Wagner kicks a 21-yard game-winning field goal with 57 seconds left.
Jan. 2
1922 – Washington & Jefferson and heavily favored California play to a scoreless tie in the Tournament of Roses football game (now known as the Rose Bowl) before more than 50,000 fans. It is the only scoreless game in Rose Bowl history. All 11 starters for W&J play the entire game.
1957 – Tackles Ralph Cindrich of Avella and Wayne Shanor of Washington, along with Monongahela end Ken Osleger, are named to the Pennsylvania team for the Big 33 football game against Texas.
1973 – Ernie Closser resigns as wrestling coach at Waynesburg High School. In 13 seasons with the Raiders, Closser has a 137-35 record, and during a seven-year stretch Waynesburg goes 98-1 in dual meets. Assistant coach Joe Ayersman is named acting head coach.
1982 — Rolf Benirschke’s 29-yard field goal at 13:52 of overtime ends one of the wildest and highest-scoring playoff games as the San Diego Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins 41-38.
1986 – Becky Burlingham breaks Immaculate Conception’s girls basketball scoring record in the Comettes’ 57-43 victory over Washington. Burlingham scores 20 points to surpass the record of 1,010 points set by Diane Gillespie.
1987 – Penn State’s D.J. Dozier scores on a six-yard run in the fourth quarter and Pete Giftopoulos grabs his second interception of the game in the final minute to secure the Nittany Lions’ 14-10 victory over Miami, Fla., in the Fiesta Bowl. The win give Penn State the national championship. Miami is hampered by seven turnovers, including five interceptions of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
1989 – Tony Rice passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns as Notre Dame completes an undefeated season with a 34-21 victory over No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl.
1991 – Mike Cipoletti scores 24 points and West Greene High School defeats previously unbeaten Frazier 73-65. The win improves the Pioneers’ record to 9-1.
2002 – Washington & Jefferson hires Rick Creehan as its athletics director. Creehan had been the AD at Allegheny College.
2005 — The Pittsburgh Steelers win their 14th straight game to match the record set by Miami in 1972 and become the fourth team in NFL history to finish 15-1.
2006 – Freshman Steve Slaton rushes for a Sugar Bowl-record 204 yards and three touchdowns as Big East champion West Virginia upsets Georgia 38-35 in Atlanta.