ON THIS DAY
1913: American athlete Jim Thorpe was stripped of his pentathlon and decathlon gold medals from the 1912 Stockholm Olympics after it was discovered he had been paid for playing baseball a couple of years earlier.
1991: In Super Bowl XXV, the New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills 20-19 to record the closest win in the event's history.
1999: Sunderland offered free admission and attracted 33,517 supporters for a reserve fixture against Liverpool.
2004: Sevilla forward Jose Antonio Reyes signed for Arsenal.
2006: Robbie Fowler rejoined Liverpool from Manchester City on a free transfer.
2010: Manchester United beat Manchester City 3-1 in their Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Old Trafford for a 4-3 aggregate success.
2011: Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar announced he would retire at the end of the season.
2013: Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2 to win the Australian Open.
BIRTHDAYS
Paul Murphy (GAA): Kilkenny hurler and four time All-Ireland SHC winner, born 1989.
Hugh Porter (cycling) - four-time track world champion, born 1940.
Mike Newell (soccer) - former Blackburn striker. Previously manager of Hartlepool, Luton and Grimsby, born 1965.
Dean Headley (cricket) - former England and Kent seam bowler, born 1970.
Keith Wood (rugby union) - former Ireland hooker and captain, born 1972.
Nathan Blake (soccer) - former Wolves, Bolton, Cardiff and Wales striker, born 1972.
Chaminda Vaas (cricket) - former Sri Lanka seam bowler, born 1974.
Daniel Vettori (cricket) - former New Zealand spinner and captain, born 1979.
Marat Safin (tennis) - Russian winner of the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open, born 1980.
Tony Woodcock (rugby union) - New Zealand World Cup-winning prop, born 1981.
QUICK QUIZ BLITZ
1. Which team did Wayne Rooney score his first Manchester United goal against?
2. In which country is the Skiing World Cup currently being held in?
3. Who were the first winners of the Tommy Murphy Cup in 2004?
4. In which year did Bernie Ecclestone take over as Formula One chief?
5. Who won the first men's Australian Open title of the Open Era?
(See quiz answers at bottom)
SPORT ON TV
Today (Friday, January 27)
GAA: Off the Ball, an off-beat look at recent football developments – eir Sport 1 1900.
SOCCER: A-League, Newcastle Jets v Melbourne City - BT Sport 1 0845; FA Cup, Derby v Leicester - BBC One 1930 & eir Sport 1 1945; Ladbrokes Premiership, Aberdeen v Dundee - BT Sport 1 1930; LaLiga, Osasuna v Malaga - Sky Sports 1 1940.
RUGBY UNION: Aviva Premiership, Bath v Gloucester - BT Sport 2 1930; HSBC Sevens World Series, day one - Sky Sports 2 2200.
TENNIS: Australian Open, day 12 - Eurosport 1 0400.
DARTS: The Masters, day one - ITV4 1900.
GOLF: Qatar Masters, day two - Sky Sports 4 0630; Farmers Insurance Open, day two - Sky Sports 4 2000.
BASKETBALL: NBA, Chicago Bulls v Miami Heat - BT Sport 1 0100 (Sat).
Tomorrow (Saturday January 28)
SOCCER: A-League, Central Coast Mariners v Perth Glory - BT Sport 1 0630, Brisbane Roar v Western Sydney Wanderers - BT Sport 1 0845; Ladbrokes Premiership, Motherwell v Rangers - Sky Sports 1 & 5 1200; African Nations Cup, first quarter-final - Eurosport 1 1545, second quarter-final - Eurosport 1 - 1845; FA Cup, Liverpool v Wolves - BT Sport 2 1200; Southampton v Arsenal BT Sport 2 1700, LaLiga, Eibar v Deportivo - Sky Sports 1 1725, Leganes v Celta Vigo - Sky Sports 1 1940; Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Monchengladbach - BT Sport 1 1 1730; Eredivisie, Heracles v PSV Eindhoven - Sky Sports 3 1835; Serie A, Inter Milan v Pescara - BT Sport 1 1930.
CRICKET: South Africa v Sri Lanka, first one-day international - Sky Sports 3 0755; Big Bash League, final - BT Sport 2 0830.
TENNIS: Australian Open, day 13 - Eurosport 1 0800.
RUGBY UNION: HSBC Sevens World Series, continued day one action - Sky Sports 2 0000 & 2330; Top 14, Toulon v La Rochelle - Sky Sports 4 1340, Lyon v Racing= 92 - Sky Sports 5 1940; Anglo-Welsh Cup, Leicester v Northampton - BT Sport 2 1445.
GOLF: Qatar Masters, day three - Sky Sports 4 0900; Farmers Insurance Open, day three - Sky Sports 4 1800.
BOXING: Carl Frampton v Leo Santa Cruz - Sky Sports 1 0200 (Sun).
DARTS: PDC Unibet Masters, first round - eir Sport 1 1900; The Masters - ITV4 1900.
BASKETBALL: NBA, Golden State Warriors v Los Angeles Clippers - BT Sport 1 0130 (Sun).
QUICK QUIZ BLITZ answers: 1. Fenerbahce 2. Austria 3. Clare 4. 1978 5. Rod Laver.
********************
EVERY weekend on www.irishnews.com/sport
Test your sporting knowledge with the Toals Bookmakers Sports Quiz on www.irishnews.com/sport
Take the quiz and share your results with friends on social media to find out who the real sporting buff is...
*********
