A list by Mike Herman
1. 1980 USA Hockey Team Upsets Heavily Favored Soviets 4-3 - February, 22 1980
1980 Olympics- Lake Placid, NY - the greatest upset in the history of sports happened in a time of international political tension smack dab in the middle of a Cold War that defined the parameters of the century. What makes the ultimate upset even more unbelievable is the fact that the same two teams played only a week earlier in an exhibition match and the Soviet Union cruised to a 10-3 victory, setting the stage for the expected American embarrassment that never came. Oh, yeah, and the US went on to defeat Finland for the gold in one of the most anticlimactic championship rounds in Olympic history.
2. Kirk Gibson's pinch-hit HR wins World Series game - Oct. 15, 1988
Game 1 of the World Series, Dodger Stadium - In the 1988 World Series against the Oakland Athletics, Gibson saw only a single plate appearance, but it was one of the most memorable and oft-replayed in baseball history. Gibson had severely injured his leg during the League Championship Series. He was not expected to play at all. In Game 1 (at Dodger Stadium), with the Dodgers trailing by a score of 4-3, Mike Davis on first, and two out in the ninth inning, manager Tommy Lasorda inserted Gibson as a pinch hitter. Earlier, the TV camera had scanned the dugout and Vin Scully (the legendary Dodger announcer who here, was calling the game with Joe Garagiola for NBC) observed that Gibson was nowhere to be found. According to legend, he was in the clubhouse undergoing physical therapy and saw this on the television, spurring him to get back in the dugout and tell Lasorda he was ready if needed. When Gibson received the news that he would pinch-hit, he went to the clubhouse batting-cage to warm-up. Suffering through such terrible pain in his knee, it is said he was wincing and nearly collapsing after every practice swing.
Surprising everyone, Gibson hobbled up to the plate with Scully commenting, "Look who's coming up!" He was facing future Hall-of-Famer Dennis Eckersley, the best relief pitcher in baseball at the time. Gibson quickly got behind in the count, 0-2, but received a few outside pitches from Eckersley to work to a 3-2 count. On the seventh pitch of his at bat, a ball, Davis stole second. The A's could have walked him to face Steve Sax, but chose to pitch to him, just as Gossage had done four years earlier. With an awkward, almost casual swing, Gibson used pure upper-body strength to smack a 3-2 "backdoor slider" just over the right-field fence. He hobbled around the bases and pumped his fist as his jubilant teammates stormed the field. The Dodgers won the game, 5-4. The telecast of the homerun is also notable because the shot of the ball flying over the wall also captures the taillights of the cars leaving the lot, presumably filled with fans who had given up hope and were leaving early to avoid the traffic.
3. Michael Jordan's "The Shot" (Game winner against Cavaliers) - May 7, 1989
Jordan hit a jumper with six seconds left to give the Bulls their first lead at 99-98. Following a Cleveland timeout, Craig Ehlo inbounded the ball, received a return pass, and scored on a driving layup to retake the lead with 3.2 seconds left, 100-99. Chicago then called a timeout.
The ball was inbounded to Jordan, now being guarded by Ehlo. Jim Durham, calling the game on the Bulls' Radio Network, narrates what happened next:
“The inbounds pass comes in to Jordan. Here's Michael at the foul line, the shot on Ehlo...good! The Bulls win! They win! They beat Cleveland Cavaliers! Michael Jordan hits at the foul line! 101-100! 20,273 in stunned silence here in the Coliseum. Michael Jordan with 44 points in a game hit the shot over Craig Ehlo. What tremendous heroics we have had in Game 5. From both teams, what a spectacular series this has been. In my days in the NBA, 16 years, greatest series I've ever seen. Superman was Superman and no one is going to talk about that missed free throw in Game 4 now!
4. Tiger Woods Becomes Youngest Masters Champ in Record and Barrier Breaking Fashion - 4/13/97
At the age of 21, and only his fifteenth appearance as a pro, with the eyes of the world watching his every move, the highly touted Woods became the youngest player to win the Masters in the 61-year history of the tournament.
5. The Immaculate Reception - December 23, 1972
The Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous and utterly bizarre plays in the history of American sports. It occurred in an AFC divisional playoff American football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 23, 1972. NFL Films has chosen it as the greatest play of all time.
6. Mary Lou Retton is Perfect Under Extreme Pressure - 8/3/84
After winning her second American Cup, the US Nationals, and the US Olympic Trials in 1984, Retton suffered a knee injury that forced her to undergo an operation. However, she recovered just in time for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In the competition, which was boycotted by the Soviet bloc nations except for Romania, Retton engaged in a close battle with Ecaterina Szabó of Romania for the all-around title, to the delight of the patriotic audience. Trailing Szabó (after bars and beam) with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault to win the all-around title by just 0.05 points.
7. Magic's "Junior Sky Hook" Sinks Celtics in Game 4 of 1987 NBA Finals
It was the end of a period in the 1980s in which it seemed like every NBA Finals matchup featured the Celtics and the Lakers, although in reality the two teams met only three times in the decade. The 1987 NBA Finals in a way marked the end of an era.
With the Lakers up 2-1, Game 4 in Boston was a pivotal one. Win, and the Celtics were even with their long-time foes. Lose, and it would be an uphill battle to win another title.
Boston rolled out to a 16-point halftime lead, but the Lakers whittled away at it until they were within eight points with three minutes left and down just 103-102 with 30 seconds to play. A pick-and-roll from Magic Johnson to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put Los Angeles in front, but Larry Bird responded with a three-pointer to put Boston back on top 106-104 with 12 seconds left. After being fouled on the next possession, Abdul-Jabbar made the first and missed the second, but the rebound squirted out of bounds off Boston.
After a timeout, Johnson took the inbounds pass near the left sideline. He thought about launching a jumper, but lanky Kevin McHale was in his way. So he dribbled toward the key, with McHale in pursuit and Bird and Robert Parish moving over to join him. Before they could collapse on him at the foul line, however, Johnson tossed an old-fashioned running hook shot that nestled through the net, giving the Lakers the lead. After Bird missed an attempt at the buzzer, the Lakers had a 107-106 victory; they went on to win the series in six games.
8. Cal Ripken Sets The Record For Consecutive Games Played - September 6, 1995
On September 6, 1995, many baseball fans within and out of the United States tuned in to cable TV network ESPN to watch Ripken surpass Lou Gehrig's 56-year-old record for consecutive games played. The event still ranks as one of the network's most watched baseball games ever. Cal's children, Rachel and Ryan, threw out the ceremonial first balls. When the game became official in the bottom of the fifth inning, the numerical banners that displayed Ripken's streak on the wall of the B&O Warehouse outside the stadium's right field wall changed from 2130 to 2131.
9. Nadia Comaneci Becomes First Gymnast to Achieve Perfect 10 - 7/13/76
At the age of 14, Nadia Comaneci became one of the stars of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. During the team portion of the competition, her routine on the uneven bars was scored at a 10.0. It was the first time in Olympic gymnastics history that the score, which signified a perfect routine without any deductions, had ever been awarded.
10. Walter Payton breaks Brown's NFL career rushing record
It's October 7, 1984, and it's a special day for Chicago and the Bears. This is the day Bears running back Walter Payton can become the National Football League's all-time rushing leader at Soldier Field, breaking Jim Brown's hallowed record.
On the play, Payton, clutching the ball, stations himself behind fullback Matt Suhey, who trails left guard Mark Bortz. Both teammates plow down several Saints, giving Payton ample room to maneuver. Payton blasts through for two yards, then for three and ultimately for a six-yard gain and a place in history.
11. Most exciting and Emotional Pro Football Game - AFC Divisional Playoffs San Diego vs. Miami - January 2, 1982
The first sign of serious trouble came near the end of the third quarter, shortly after Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow caught a 25-yard touchdown pass to give San Diego a 31-24 lead. As an exhausted Winslow walked to the sidelines, he felt his thigh cramp up. Then he felt his calf cramp up. He hobbled to the bench, ready to collapse.
Winslow wasn't the only one. The heat and humidity had turned the Orange Bowl in Miami into an outdoor sauna. This January 2, 1982, NFL playoff game between the Dolphins and Chargers is considered one of the greatest in league history. This game went on for 4 hours and 45 minutes, and left 90 players dragging their tongues across the hot turf.
The game started out as a rout. San Diego jumped out to a 24-0 lead, but the Dolphins rallied to tie it at halftime. The Chargers regained the lead in the third quarter, 31-24, on a Dan Fouts to Winslow TD. But the Dolphins come right back when quarterback Don Strock, playing for the injured David Woodley, hit reserve tight end Bruce Hardy for a 50-yard touchdown. The game was tied at 31.
THE MOMENT
The clamor in the Orange Bowl in the fourth quarter is so deafening, it sounds as if a space shuttle is about to take off. It gets even louder when Lyle Blackwood picks off a Fouts pass, setting up Tony Nathan's touchdown run that gives Miami a 38-31 lead.
After Miami forces the Chargers to punt on the next possession, Winslow is barely able to walk to the sideline. He not only has cramps in his thigh and both calves, he now has one in his lower back -- perhaps the worst spot of all to develop a cramp because it's difficult to stand and to bend over. "I felt paralyzed," he would say later on.
Kellen Winslow
After 13 catches and numerous cramps, Winslow couldn't walk off the field. Winslow had entered the game in terrible shape to begin with; he has a bruised left shoulder, a strained right rotator cuff, and a sore neck, which he suffered while compensating for the other injuries. His condition is so bad that he required help to put on his shoulder pads before the game. Now, here he is, having to be helped to the bench again by teammates. Team trainers surround him like a pit crew: one massages his calves, another rubs his back, and another pours fluids into his mouth. But he continues on.
With five minutes to play and Miami leading 38-31, Strock leads a scintillating, clock-eating drive that moves the Dolphins to the San Diego 21-yard line. All the Dolphins need to seal the victory is a field goal. But on second and seven, Andra Franklin takes a handoff and plunges up the middle into a wall of bodies. As he falls, the ball is ripped from his tight grip by San Diego lineman Louie Kelcher, giving San Diego possession.
The oppressive heat takes its toll on the Miami defense, which is now gasping for air and unable to provide any kind of a pass rush. This allows Fouts to put together a magnificent drive; he connects with Charlie Joiner for 14 yards, Wes Chandler for 6, Joiner for 5 and then 15 more, a dead-tired Winslow for 7, and Chandler for 19, bringing the ball to the Miami 9.
On first-and-goal, Fouts drops back, scrambles and lobs the ball toward the corner of the end zone to Winslow, who leaps but can't get high enough to snare the ball. Just as the ball sails over Winslow's outstretched fingernails, Chargers rookie running back James Brooks, who had instinctively run to the back line of the end zone behind Winslow, snags the ball for the tying touchdown with 55 seconds left. "One of the all-time brilliant heads-up plays," Fouts would later tell the media. "In the hundreds of times we'd run that play, I'd never thrown to anybody back there."
On the ensuing kickoff, Chargers coach Don Coryell calls for a squib kick, hoping the Dolphins will fumble. Fouts tries talking him out of it, wanting to bury the Dolphins deep in their own territory. Coryell goes with the squib. The Dolphins handle the ball, and start at their 40. There are 52 seconds on the clock.
Strock's first-down pass is nearly picked off. His second pass is intercepted, by Willlie Buchanon, who fumbles it right back to Miami. The Dolphins drive into field-goal range and with four seconds remaining, Uwe von Schamann -- the AFC's most accurate kicker -- runs out to attempt a 43-yard field goal.
Winslow, slumped on the bench trying to hold down liquids, slowly walks back on the field to try and block the kick. He has never blocked a field goal in his career. He can hardly stand, much less jump. Teammates try to prevent him from going on the field. He pushes them aside.
"Get me some penetration," Winslow yells to teammates. As the ball is snapped, Winslow summons everything he has left in his weak, deflated body. His 6-foot-6 body jumps as high as it can. As the ball is booted, Winslow tips the kick with the pinkie finger on his right hand. The field goal attempt is no good, forcing the game into overtime.
After his block, Winslow lays on the ground, unable to celebrate because he is unable to move. He is carried off the field, his body in spasm from his calves to his neck. Coryell approaches OT as if Winslow is unable to play, but amazingly, the Chargers' tight-end staggers back onto the field after San Diego wins the coin flip.
The Chargers rapidly move downfield and Coryell calls for Rolf Benirschke to kick a 27-yarder. Benirschke hadn't missed from inside the 30 all year. There's one problem: San Diego's field goal unit is late getting onto the field, forcing a quick snap. With his rhythm off, Benirschke hooks his kick left. And the game goes on, into the night.
Deadlocked at 38, neither team is able to sustain a drive on their two ensuing possessions. Nine minutes into overtime, Strock moves Miami downfield, setting up von Schamann for a 34-yarder. Across the field, Benirschke keels on the sideline. "It was like watching your own execution," he would say later. Amazingly, von Schamann flubs the kick. And the game goes on.
Next, Fouts drives San Diego downfield, hitting Brooks and Chandler twice in a row, and then connecting with Joiner for 39 yards. The Chargers are at the Miami 10-yard line. Fate presents Benirschke with another chance. With San Diego's field goal unit ready this time, Benirschke's kick is perfect -- ending this epic game, and silencing the exhausted, sweaty crowd of nearly 50,000.
12. Henry Aarron Supplants Ruth as Home Run King with 715 - 4/8/74
Although Aaron himself downplayed the "chase" to surpass Babe Ruth, baseball enthusiasts and the national media grew increasingly excited as he closed in on the home run record. During the summer of 1973 Aaron received thousands of letters every week; the Braves ended up hiring a secretary to help him sort through it.
At the age of 39, Aaron managed to slug 40 home runs in 392 at-bats, ending the season one home run short of the record. He hit home run number 713 on September 29, 1973, and with one day remaining in the season, many expected him to tie the record. But in his final game that year, playing against the Houston Astros (led by manager Leo Durocher, who had once roomed with Babe Ruth), he was unable to hit one out of the park. After the game, Aaron stated that his only fear was that he might not live to see the 1974 season.
Over the winter, Aaron was the recipient of death threats and a large assortment of hate mail from people who did not want to see a black man break Ruth's nearly sacrosanct home run record.[18] The threats extended to those providing positive press coverage of Aaron. Lewis Grizzard, then editor of the Atlanta Journal, reported receiving numerous phone calls calling them "nigger lovers" for covering Aaron's chase. While preparing the massive coverage of the home run record, he quietly had an obituary written, scared that Aaron might be murdered.
Sports Illustrated pointedly summarized the racist vitriol that Aaron was forced to endure:
"Is this to be the year in which Aaron, at the age of thirty-nine, takes a moon walk above one of the most hallowed individual records in American sport...? Or will it be remembered as the season in which Aaron, the most dignified of athletes, was besieged with hate mail and trapped by the cobwebs and goblins that lurk in baseball's attic?"
Aaron received an outpouring of public support in response to the bigotry. Babe Ruth's widow, Claire Hodgson, even denounced the racism and declared that her husband would have enthusiastically cheered Aaron's attempt at the record.
As the 1974 season began, Aaron's pursuit of the home run record caused a small controversy. The Braves opened the season on the road in Cincinnati with a three game series against the Reds. Braves management wanted him to break the record in Atlanta, and were therefore going to have Aaron sit out the first three games of the season. But Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ruled that he had to play two games in the first series. He played two out of three, tying Babe Ruth's record in his very first at bat off Reds pitcher Jack Billingham, but did not hit another home run in the series. The fence over which Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run still exists outside of Turner Field. The fence over which Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run still exists outside of Turner Field.
The team returned to Atlanta, and on April 8, 1974, a crowd of 53,775 people showed up for the game — a Braves attendance record. In the 4th inning, Aaron hit career home run number 715 off L.A. Dodgers pitcher Al Downing. Although Dodgers outfielder Bill Buckner nearly went over the outfield wall trying to catch it, the ball landed in the Braves bullpen, where relief pitcher Tom House caught it. While cannons were fired in celebration, two white college students sprinted onto the field and jogged alongside Aaron as he circled the base paths. As the fans cheered wildly, Aaron's mother ran onto the field as well.
A few months later, on October 5, 1974, Aaron hit his 733rd and final home run as a Brave, which stood as the National League's home run record until it was broken by Barry Bonds in 2006.
13. Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault - July 23, 1996
The United States women's gymnastics team turned in a nearly flawless performance that had the seemingly invincible Russians on the brink of defeat. In the final rotation, the U.S. women had already achieved a convincing victory due to their wide margin of the Russian team, but those on the floor believed that the U.S. team still needed a single good score on the vault to win gold. But Dominique Moceanu fell on both of her vaults, registering poor scores. Kerri Strug, who up to that point in her career had been overshadowed by better-known teammate Shannon Miller, was the last to vault for the United States.
Like Moceanu, Strug fell on her first attempt, and stood up, shaking out her ankle, which she had wrenched in her fall. She limped to the end of the runway for her second attempt. In a moment that would become one of the most famous of those Olympic Games, she landed the vault perfectly on one foot, sealing the women's team gold with a lofty score of 9.712
14. Jordan battles flu, makes Jazz sick
He remembers waking up in the middle of the night, sweating profusely, shaking, and feeling as if he was going to die. "I was scared; I didn't know what was happening to me," Michael Jordan would say.
At first, he thought it was a nightmare. Then he realized it was real, that he was seriously ill. "I felt partially paralyzed," he would later say.
When he lifted himself up from his bed in his Utah hotel room, his head began spinning. He'd never been so nauseated before. He feared that somehow, some way, someone had slipped some kind of drug in something he ate.
It was the middle of the night in Salt Lake City, an off day between Games 4 and 5. The series was tied, 2-2, following Utah's second consecutive win, but how in the world could Jordan play in this condition in Game 5?
Jordan called the Bulls' medical personnel, which came rushing to his room. They determined that he was suffering from food poisoning or an intestinal stomach virus. "There's no way you'll be able to play Game 5," Jordan was told.
Jordan remains in bed for the next 24 hours, missing the Bulls' morning practices the day before and the day of Game 5. He had lost several pounds. He was dehydrated. Then, at 3 p.m., just three hours before tip-off, Jordan rose from his hotel bed and dragged himself to the Delta Center.
THE MOMENT
It's 4:30 p.m. when Scottie Pippen sees Jordan emerge from a side door of the Delta Center. "The way he looked, there's no way I thought he could even put on his uniform," Pippen would say. "I'd never seen him like that. He looked bad -- I mean really bad."
Jordan sequesters himself in a dark room adjacent to the Bulls' locker room. He slowly lies his weak body down. He closes his eyes. He visualizes himself running, shooting, passing, rebounding, dunking. Soon, he emerges from the room, staggering slowly. He puts on his uniform and walks out to the court, weak and pale. "I can play," he tells coach Phil Jackson. "I'll let you know how I'm feeling as the game goes on."
As the game begins, Jordan drags himself up and down the court, running at only 65 percent of his normal speed. He is so dehydrated and fatigued that he is sure he is going to pass out any second. Halfway through the quarter, during a pause in the game, Jordan bends over to rest, pulls on his shorts, closes his eyes and nearly falls over. He has no energy whatsoever.
Later in the first quarter, during a timeout, Jordan slumps into a seat on the Bulls' bench, his arms dangling, his shoulders sagging. "He could hardly sit up," Chicago center Luc Longley would say.
Jordan
MJ could barely make it off the court after his 38-point performance.
He is essentially useless in the first quarter, but in the second quarter, after Utah takes a 16-point lead, something happens to Jordan physically, emotionally and mentally. He begins running harder, running faster and making shots. Somehow, miraculously, he begins looking like the typically dominant Michael Jordan. He scores 17 points in the quarter. "It was all about desire," he would tell the media. "Somehow I found the energy to stay strong."
At halftime, Jordan is fed fluids and given cold towels. In the third quarter, fatigue and nausea return, dragging him down again, rendering him virtually useless. But early in the fourth quarter, when the Jazz go up, 77-69, Jordan somehow turns it on again, leading a 10-0 run that puts Chicago back on top with five minutes left.
He starts the Bulls' burst with a 12-footer, then Toni Kukoc and Jordan both drill 3-pointers to tie the score at 77. MJ caps the run by putting the Bulls on top, 79-77, with an 18-footer over Bryon Russell. Jordan had 33 points at that stage, a staggering total for someone so ill and weak.
"In the third quarter, I felt like I couldn't catch my wind and get my energy level up," Jordan would say later. "I don't know how I got through the fourth quarter. I was just trying to gut myself through it."
With 3:07 left, John Stockton nails a three for an 84-81 Utah lead. Jordan quickly hits a runner in the lane to make it 84-83. Moments later, Jordan is fouled by Stockton. He makes the first free throw to tie the score at 85 with 46.5 seconds left, but misses the second. Kukoc, however, tips the miss, and Jordan, his instincts still amazingly sharp and his reactions still quick despite his flu-like symptoms, grabs the loose ball and sets up the offense again.
Clearly exhausted, clearly weak, Jordan looks for Pippen posting up Jeff Hornacek. MJ also looks for three-point specialist Steve Kerr, wide open in the corner. Jordan, his arms hanging like a piece of rope, makes a weak fake to Kerr, but then quickly fires a pass to Pippen. Russell quickly moves to double Pippen, 5 for 17 in the game, leaving Jordan open on the perimeter. Pippen quickly fires the ball back to Jordan. The clock shows 0:26. With Stockton's hand right in his face, Jordan launches a shot from beyond the three-point line. The ball hits nothing but string. Bulls, 88-85. His 15th point of the quarter and his 38th of the night. "We never want to double off Michael Jordan in that situation," Utah coach Jerry Sloan would say later.
Utah pushes the ball upcourt, and Stockton breaks down the defense and feeds Greg Ostertag for a dunk, making it 88-87 with 15.2 seconds left. The Bulls quickly inbound the ball and work the ball upcourt to Kukoc, who feeds Longley for a dunk and a 90-87 lead with 6.2 seconds remaining. One possession remains. Utah works the ball around and as the clock hits 0:01, Hornacek heaves a 3-pointer & and misses.
Jordan, who plays 23 of 24 minutes in the first half and 21 of 24 minutes in the second, doubles over, collapsing from emotion and exhaustion.
"That was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done," he would say after the game. "I almost played myself into passing out just to win a basketball game. If we had lost, I would have been devastated." Jackson was almost at a loss for words, but finally told the media, "Because of the circumstances, with this being a critical game in the Finals, I'd have to say this is the greatest game I've seen Michael play. Just standing up was nauseating for him and caused him dizzy spells. This was a heroic effort, one to add to the collection of efforts that make up his legend."
After MJ's epic performance, Pippen would say, "He's the greatest, and everyone saw why tonight."
15. "The Catch" 49ers finally put away Cowboys To begin their Super Bowl run - January 10, 1982
In a game where the lead shifted back and forth repeatedly, the 49ers took over the ball trailing 27-21 and marched down to the 6-yard line on third down with 58 seconds left on the clock. When Joe Montana took the snap, the play, known as Sprint Right Option, was intended to be a pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon; earlier in the game, Solomon scored a touchdown on that exact play.
However, the Cowboys covered Solomon perfectly. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers offensive line. Two of the Cowboys defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Larry Bethea, plus linebacker D. D. Lewis chased a backpedalling Montana to the sideline and were certain to send him out of bounds or make a sack. At the last moment, after pump-faking and getting 6-foot 9-inch "Too Tall" Jones to jump up prematurely, Montana threw a high pass to the back of the end zone. 49ers receiver Dwight Clark made a leaping grab with his fingertips from the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. He finished the game with 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight--Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Solomon, and Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab.
16. Wayne Gretzky Becomes NHL's All-Time Leading Scorer - 10/15/89
His first season in a Kings uniform was an unqualified success, as the team finished with the most improved record in the NHL (42-31-7) and placed second in the Smythe Division.
17. Sports Most Prolific Coach Wins Tenth Consecutive NCAA Title - 3/29/75
John Wooden: A Coaching Legend
UCLA's basketball program has the international reputation of being No. 1. There is a major reason for that his name is John Robert Wooden, who announced his retirement after the 1974-75 season (his 27th campaign) as the Bruins' head coach with the winningest record in all of the sport's history. Wooden celebrated his 92nd birthday on Oct. 14, 2002.
Wooden concluded his 40 years as a head coach that season and his 885-203 overall career win-loss record (a percentage of .813) is unequaled. A large part of that success was at UCLA. In 27 years as Bruin coach, his teams registered 620 wins, and only 147 losses while earning far more national honors than any other university.
Under Wooden, UCLA won an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships, including seven consecutive (1966-73). Included in the string is one of the most amazing win streaks in all of sports, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories.
In addition, there is the all-time NCAA consecutive winning-streak record of 88 games over four seasons, which included consecutive 30-0 seasons in 1971-72 and 1972-73. UCLA also won 149 of 151 games in Pauley Pavilion during his Bruin tenure.
John Wooden is the only coach to compile four undefeated seasons of 30-0 and his Bruin teams captured 19 conference championships (the record of which Wooden is most proud).
18. Mark McGwire is First Man to 70 Homers in One Season- 9/27/98
On September 8, 1998, Mark McGwire hit a pitch from the Chicago Cubs' Steve Trachsel over the left field wall for his record-breaking 62nd home run, passing the mark of Roger Maris. He then went on to hit a total of 70 that season.
19. Chastain's Penalty Kick Wins 1999 World Cup - July 10, 1999
Brandi Chastain became a famous name on July 10, 1999 at the Women's World Cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California when, after scoring the fifth penalty kick to give the United States the win over China in the final game, she celebrated by peeling off her jersey and falling to her knees in a sports bra, her fists clenched in victory. This iconic image of women's athletic triumph was featured on the covers of TIME, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated as well as witnessed by 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl and a television audience of millions.
20. Magic Johnson Announces He Has HIV - November 7, 1991
Johnson shocked the world with the announcement that he was infected with HIV and would immediately retire. Johnson discovered his condition when he tried to obtain life insurance and had failed the compulsory HIV test conducted by the Los Angeles Lakers team doctor Dr. Michael Mellman. Johnson gave a grave but defiant statement, stating he was happy that both his wife Cookie and her unborn child were HIV negative and that he was going to dedicate his life to spread the word about HIV prevention and promote safer sex.
21. Doug Flutie and Boston College Defeat Miami with "Hail Mary" - 11/22/84
The Miami Hurricanes, lead by Vinny Testaverde staged a dramatic drive to take the lead, 45-41, in the closing minute of the game. Boston College then took possession at its own 22-yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two passes moved the ball another 30 yards, only 6 seconds remained. On the last play of the game, Doug Flutie scrambled away from the defense and threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan, giving BC a 47-45 win.
22. Cal-Stanford, "The Play" - November 20, 1982
he Play refers to a last-second kickoff return during a college football game between the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University on November 20, 1982.
23. Jimmy V and NC State Stun Heavily Favored Houston for NCAA Title - 4/4/83
1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, North Carolina State, coached by Jim Valvano, won the national title with a 54-52 victory in the final game over Houston, coached by Guy Lewis. The ending of the final is one of the most famous in college basketball history, with Lorenzo Charles' dunk at the buzzer of an airball shot from 30 feet by Dereck Whittenburg providing the final margin.
24. Duran says 'no mas' vs. Leonard in title fight
He was boxing's savage warrior. His punches landed with such fury and force that he was known as Manos de Piedra (Hands of Stone). Panama adored him, their intense, fiery champion.
Losing, he always said, was not an option. He once had a streak of only one defeat in a span of 73 bouts.
One of his wins was a dominating defeat of Sugar Ray Leonard for the WBC Welterweight title. So when he walked into the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on November 25, 1980, for a rematch against Leonard, he fully expected to keep his belt.
But . . .
THE MOMENT
Leonard shifts strategies and shows great confidence, a cockiness that he hadn't illustrated in the previous bout with Duran. He refuses to box toe to toe with Duran as he had in Montreal, where Duran's relentless attack had overwhelmed Leonard. Instead, Leonard utilizes his quickness, flashing from one side of Duran to the other, using a variety of looks. He taunts Duran, sticking out his tongue, frustrating and angering the champ, making him look like a chump.
Duran is not his typical self on this night. His timing is off. He appears flustered, confused. But, above all, it's Leonard's taunting that causes Duran to unravel, to lose his mind.
In the third round, as a bearded prophet with an Afro wig of various colors parades ringside in a T-shirt that exhorts, ''Repent your sins,'' Duran lunges at Leonard and falls embarrassingly short. Leonard laughs and sticks out his tongue.
In the seventh, as actor Mr. T tugs on his white dinner jacket with his white gloves at his ringside seat and runs his hand over his shaved head, Leonard has the audacity to stick his face toward Duran, mocking him with a shoulder-shrugging dance. Duran becomes more frustrated as the fight progresses.
The fight is close on the judges' cards as it moves into the eighth round with a crowd of 40,000, many with full-length fur coats and wide-brimmed hats, cheering on, bewildered at the amazing disparity between Leonard-Duran I and II.
Then, two minutes and 44 seconds into the eighth round, a weary Duran, the tough and leathery Panamanian fighter, unable to hit Leonard, puts his hands of stone down by his side, turns his back on Leonard and waves a glove at the referee, the signal that he's done, that the fight is over.
The crowd is in total disbelief. Leonard, confused and unaware of what is happening, runs after Duran and lands a shot to the belly. Duran does not respond, shockingly. Then, the words that would haunt him forever, flow from his battered lips: ''No mas, no mas,'' he tells the referee. ''No more box.''
He walks slowly to his corner, head hung low, a desperate, beaten, disheartened figure of failure. How could this monster of a man, a man who is said to have knocked out a horse and broken a policeman's jaw with his hands of stone as a 12-year-old running rampant through in the inner-city streets of Panama City, bring disgrace and humiliation upon himself and his loyal and proud legion of fans?
When Leonard finally realizes that Duran has surrendered the title to him, when he grasps his opponent has actually quit, he springs like a cat onto the ropes and celebrates toward the crowd. The ring suddenly turns chaotic. One of Leonard's corner men charges Duran and takes a swing at him. Bodies swirl around the ring in a mass of confusion.
Initially, Duran tries faking it, acting as if he thought the round was over. Then he claims he had injured his shoulder. Later, he tells the press in his scratchy voice, ''I don't want to fight any more.'' He later says that he developed stomach cramps in the fifth round, that it grew progressively worse, and that he couldn't take it any longer by the eighth round.
The match is officially ruled a knockout. Leonard is ahead on all three judges' cards. Two judges have Leonard by two points and the third by one at the time Duran bailed.
Hours after the bout, Duran flies to Miami, where he goes in hiding for a week, one of history's great fighters shielding himself from the world, in disgrace. Rumors fly as to why he quit the fight. One is that with Leonard clowning around, sticking out his chin, taunting Duran, making him look like a fool, quitting was Duran's way of saying, "The hell with you."
Duran, reaching for every available excuse, blames his management team, telling the press, "They should have guided me and protected me for that fight. They didn't. They sent me in without giving me enough time to get ready."
For a span of five decades, from 1967 all the way to 2001, Duran won 104 of 120 fights with 69 knockouts. He won four world titles, two against younger men at junctures in his career when he was considered washed up. Except for one inexplicable night in New Orleans, Duran had never given less than everything he had in the ring, even when he was pathetically out of shape later in his career. Yet he will be remembered for none of that, only for uttering those two famous words: "No mas."
25. Ray Bourque Wins Stanley Cup - June 9, 2001
On June 9, 2001, after 22 seasons, the Avalanche – and Ray Bourque – finally won the Stanley Cup, in what proved to be Bourque's final game as a player. He had waited longer to win his first Cup than any other Cup-winning player had in the 108-year history of Stanley Cup play. On June 12, 2001, Bourque exercised his right as a player to bring the Cup back to Boston for an emotional rally in City Hall Plaza attended by some 20,000 screaming fans.
