7 January 1970 - It Sounds Better Than "Atlanta Motaung"

On 7 January 1970, former Orlando Pirates striker Kaizer Motaung, who had recently returned home to Soweto, South Africa after spending two years in the NASL with the Atlanta Chiefs, founded a club of his own. He called it Kaizer Chiefs, combining his name and that of his former club. (He also adopted the Atlanta Chiefs' logo, which explains the Native American profile on the club's badge.)

Nicknamed the Amakhosi ("Chiefs" in Zulu), the club was an almost instant success, winning a number of cup competitions in its first few years. It is now the most decorated club in South Africa, having won 10 league titles and more than 80 trophies in total. They won their last league title in 2005.

The Chiefs maintain a longstanding rivalry with Motaung's first club, fellow Soweto side Orlando Pirates. Both teams currently play in South Africa's top flight, the ABSA Premiership.

The members of the English band Kaiser Chiefs don't actually support the Amakhosi, but are followers of Leeds United. They adopted their name in honor of former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe, who played for Kaizer Chiefs from 1990 to 1994.

6 January 1934 - No Paradise For This Milton

On 6 January 1934, Halifax Town goalkeeper Steve Milton set a club and league record by conceding 13 goals against hosts Stockport County. It was Milton's debut appearance.

The final scoreline was 13-0, which remains the club record defeat for Halifax Town and the club record victory for Stockport County. At the time, the margin also set a Football League record which was later matched when Newcastle defeated Newport County 13-0 in a Second Division match on 5 October 1946.

Stockport finished the season in third position in the Third Division North table and the club currently sits at the bottom of League One. Halifax finished that season in ninth and was wound up in 2008 after being demoted out of the Football Conference after running up large tax debts. A new club formed right away under the name FC Halifax Town and currently plays in the Division One North of the Northern Premier League.

No word on what happened to Steve Milton.

5 January 1965 - Happy Birthday To The Hard Man

On 5 January 1965, future Wimbledon defender and film star Vinnie Jones was born in Watford, England.

Jones started his footballing career in 1984 with non-league Wealdstone and spent a season in Sweden before moving to Wimbledon in 1986. There, he was part of the rambunctious "Crazy Gang" that won the 1988 FA Cup, the club's highest achievement. He moved to Leeds the following year, starting a journey that included stints at Sheffield United and Chelsea before returning to Wimbledon in 1992.

He earned a reputation as one of the game's great hard men, getting sent off 12 times in his career. His most notorious incident occurred in a match against Newcastle in 1987 when Jones unnerved Paul Gascoigne by squeezing the young midfielder's testicles. The image was caught on film and became an iconic representation of Jones' style of play.

After leaving Wimbledon again in 1998, he served nine matches as player/manager of QPR before retiring. By that time, his film career was underway, starting with his breakout role as hard man "Big Chris" in Guy Ritchie's 1998 film Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.

Despite his ongoing success as an actor, Jones continues to play football for Hollywood United and has expressed a desire to return to Leeds some day.

4 January 1920 - First Blood In The Battle Of Belgium

On 4 January 1920, Standard Liège claimed the first victory in their rivalry with Anderlecht with a 1-0 Belgian second division win in Brussels. It was the second meeting of the two sides, with the first ending in a 2-2 draw on 19 October 1919 in Liège.

The rivalry is the most popular in Belgium, with the country divided between Les Rouches of Liège and Les Mauves of Anderlecht. Since that first loss, Anderlecht have been the more successful side. Of their 163 meetings, Anderlecht has won 74 and Liège 46, with 43 draws.

The disparity is even more pronounced away from the derby, with Les Mauves winning 29 Belgian First Division titles, 9 Belgian Cups, and 8 Belgian Super Cups. They have also had success in Europe with 2 Cup Winners' Cups, one UEFA Cup, and two European Super Cups.

Liège have won fewer honors, with 10 First Division titles, but have won the league the last two seasons. They have also won 5 Belgian Cups, 4 Belgian Super Cups, and one Cup Winners' Cup.

The next match will be played in Liège on 16 January.

3 January 1995 - In A League Of His Own

On 3 January 1995, reigning CONCACAF Player of the Year Tab Ramos became the first player to sign with Major League Soccer.

Born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1966, Ramos moved to the United States when he was 11. In 1983, he led his high school team to the New Jersey state championship and was named the Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. He was drafted by the New York Cosmos in the following year, but chose instead to attend North Carolina State University where he was a four-time All ACC selection and a three-time All American.

After brief spells with the American Soccer League's New Jersey Eagles (1988) and Miami Sharks (1989), Ramos was one of several players to sign contracts with the United States Soccer Federation to play exclusively for the national team in preparation for the 1990 World Cup. After the World Cup, the USSF loaned him to Spanish second division club Figueres.

Ramos played well for Figueres in 1990-91, leading to club to purchase his contract from the USSF. At the end of the following season, however, Figueres transferred him to fellow Second Division side Real Betis. Ramos made 59 apperances for Betis over the next two seasons which ended in promotion to Spain's top flight for the 1994-95 season. Ramos' play for Betis, along with his work for the US national team, won him recognition as the 1994 CONCACAF Player of the Year. Although Ramos remained with Betis through 1994-95, he suffered a skull fracture that kept him sidelined for the entire season.

When Ramos signed with MLS, the new league was not yet ready for play, so it loaned him out to Mexican First Division side Tigres. He returned to the US in 1996 to play for the NY/NJ MetroStars in MLS' inaugural season. He played eight seasons for the MetroStars before retiring at the end of the 2002 season. In 2005, he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame at his first opportunity.

2 January 1971 - Disaster Strikes At Ibrox Again

On 2 January 1971, a stairway at Ibrox Stadium collapsed under the weight of exiting spectators, killing 66 people and injuring over 200 others. It remains the worst disaster in the history of Scottish football and is second in Britain only to England's Hillsborough Stadium tragedy.

The collapse occurred in the waning moments of an Old Firm derby between Rangers and Celtic. The match was a 0-0 draw until the 89th minute, when Celtic's Jimmy Johnstone scored to put the visitors up 0-1. At that point many Rangers supporters began to leave.

It the last moments of stoppage time, Rangers striker Colin Stein equalized, causing a loud roar from the Rangers fans still in attendance. After the match, rumors suggested that the stairway collapse was caused by returning Rangers fans climbing the stairs to get back into the stadium, but a subsequent inquiry concluded that it was caused solely by the pressure of fans exiting the stadium.

In 2001, Rangers officials erected a memorial in honor of the victims. It includes the names of all 66 spectators who lost their lives, as well as a statue of John Greig, who was captaining the Rangers side during that fateful match.

Sadly, it was the second such disaster at Ibrox. The first occurred in 1902 during a Scotland-England international when the West Stand collapsed, killing 25 and injuring 517.

1 January 1973 - Hibs Start The Year By Breaking Hearts

On 1 January 1973, visiting Hibernian defeated Hearts 0-7 in the Edinburgh derby before a crowd of 36,000 at Tynecastle. The scoreline remains the largest margin of victory in the derby and Hearts' record margin of defeat in all competitions.

One of the oldest active rivalries in football, the Edinburgh derby is currently played three or four times a season, depending on whether both sides are in the top half of the SPL table when it splits near the end of the season. It can be played more often, as the the sides also meet occasionally in cup competitions. The mid-season derby is traditionally played on New Year's Day or the following day, though it has moved slightly in recent years to accommodate television schedules.

By New Year's Day 1973, Hibs had enjoyed a dominant run in derby matches, with 4 wins and 5 draws since their last loss on 7 September 1968. Hibs had won 2-0 in the first derby of the season, played on 9 September, and were sitting in second in the table at the start of the match, two points behind Celtic. Meanwhile, the Jambos were four points back in seventh place.

The match itself was entirely one-sided, as Hibs forward Jimmy O'Rourke scored in the 9th minute to start the rout. By the break, Hibs were up 5-0 after goals from Alan Gordon (15'), Arthur Duncan (26', 37'), and Alex Cropley (35'). O'Rourke and Gordon both scored again in the second half to complete the thrashing.

The win sent Hibs to the top of the table, but they finished the year in third, behind Celtic and Rangers. It nonetheless remains a favorite match of Hibernian supporters, who refer to it as the Greatest Match of All Time.