American football[]
- Super Bowl XX – the Chicago Bears win 46–10 over the New England Patriots
- Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants is named NFL Most Valuable Player Award
- January 1 – Orange Bowl (1985 season):
- The Oklahoma Sooners won 25-10 over the Penn State Nittany Lions to win the national championship
- Quarterback Vinny Testaverde of the Miami Hurricanes is awarded the Heisman Trophy