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Streetcar Line
The Greatest Moments in Sports
In honor of the Olympics’ opening.
(Page 2 of 2)
12. The “Bloody” Red Sox win eight straight games in 2004 to kill the “Curse” and finally win a World Series. The comeback from three games to zero, and from one run down with three outs to go, against the dreaded Yankees in the league championship series was the stuff of legend.
11. 1973 Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame beat Alabama for the national championship, 24-23, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools, on the back of an earlier two-point conversion by the Fighting Irish compared to a missed extra point by the Crimson Tide.
10. Jack Nicklaus’1986 Masters victory. “Yes, Sir!” It wasn’t just that Nicklaus was 46 years old, and it wasn’t just that he was minus-7 for the final ten holes. He also beat all of the world’s best at the tops of their games: The next eight finishers were Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Price, Tom Watson, Jay Haas, Tommy Nakajima, Payne Stewart, and Bob Tway (en route to a four-win season), with Bernhard Langer also figuring heavily in the mix before a late fade.
9. North Carolina’s hoops title over Georgetown in 1982, Dean Smith’s first national championship. Not only was a superbly played, nip-and-tuck game the whole way, but consider the talent on the court: Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and Sleepy Floyd — along with Matt Doherty, Jimmy Black, Buzz Peterson, Eric Smith, Fred Brown, and Bill Martin.
8. Secretariat winning the Triple Crown by 32 lengths, “like a tremendous machine,” in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. The single most dominating performance in a championship event in sports history. Would be number one, except that Secretariat is a horse, and I am a human-centric reviewer.
7. Rafael Nadal beating Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon tennis finals. The greatest tennis match. Ever. Awe-inspiring. Get a video and watch the whole thing again.
6. The Willis Reed Game. New York over L.A for the 1970 NBA title. On the court: Reed, Walt Frazier, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Cazzie Russell, Phil Jackson, Dick Barnett, Happy Hairston. Reed hobbled in to score the Knicks’ first two baskets. Frazier carried them from there with 36 points, 19 assists, seven rebounds, and five steals.
5. The 1975 World Series. The greatest Series ever played. Reds over Red Sox. Bench, Rose, Morgan, Perez, Concepcion, Borbon, Foster, Yaz, Lynn, Evans, Cooper, Fisk, Spaceman Lee, Tiant, Petrocelli. Memorable characters, dramatic home runs, great catches, big controversy, iconic video images, Hall of Famers. Wow.
4. New York Giants over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in 2008. Considering the stakes, and considering the then-record 97.5 million viewers in the U.S. alone, and considering the multiple storylines, this was the greatest NFL game ever, especially when topped, as it was, with the single greatest play ever (in terms of timing, significance, acrobaticism, and sheer lack of believability), first with Eli Manning somehow shaking off what looked like a sure sack, followed by David Tyree’s miraculous ball-to-helmet airborne catch.
Speaking of miracles, okay, pause for dramatic effect. For the bronze, silver, and gold medals, a little more discussion is warranted. The conversation starts with the question, “Do you believe in miracles?”
Well, ever since 1980, we all have.
3. The Miracle on Ice. Probably the greatest upset in modern athletic history. There was no way on Earth a group of American college kids could beat the hardened, professional, disciplined Soviet hockey team, much less follow that up without a letdown in the gold medal game against Finland. People now may forget just how “down” the United States was at the time, in economics, in its morale, in its status as a world power. Malaise. Hostages in Iran. Afghanistan apparently falling to the Soviets. Nicaragua going Commie and El Salvador threatened with the same. Andrei Sakharov thrown into the gulag with little American response. Corruption in the U.S. House (Abscam). The beginning of a recession combined with double-digit inflation and double-digit interest rates. Into this slough of despond came Coach Herb Brooks, goalie Jim Craig, captain Mike Eruzione, and names we really should work to recall like Rob McClanahan, Mark Johnson, Jack O’Callahan, Mark Pavelich, Buzz Schneider, Ken Morrow, Mike Ramsay, Dave Christian… These young men lifted a nation that night. Indeed, they lifted the free world. The Soviets weren’t invincible after all. Let freedom ring.
2. Tiger Woods, in 2008, playing with a double-stress fracture of his tibia and a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament, notching his 14th major professional title at the amazingly young age of 32, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only people to win each of the major titles at least three times, with some of the most dramatic shot-making in the history of golf, while likeable “everyman” Rocco Mediate refused to fold. Woods was grimacing in pain throughout almost the entire tournament, while Lee Westwood kept applying the pressure alongside of him and Mediate played the final round in a solid even-par. On the 72nd hole, right after Westwood missed a 15-foot birdie attempt to catch Mediate, Woods faced a sidehill-breaking 12-footer for birdie just to force a playoff, and found a way to lip it in via the side door as the crowd went ape. In the playoff, Woods led at even to plus-three after ten holes, but Mediate amazingly birdied 13, 14, and 15 as Woods played the next seven holes one over. Again, Woods thus entered the 18th hole down a stroke. Again, he made birdie to force yet another extension of play — and finally won in sudden death with a par on the 91st hole.
Some might say this Woods’ victory over excruciating pain was no more remarkable than Ben Hogan’s U.S. Open title in 1950 while still not fully healed from his near-fatal car accident the year before. Some might say Hogan’s 1953 sweep of the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open (he could not play both the latter and the PGA due to scheduling conflicts) was, in context, every bit as impressive as Woods’ “Tiger Slam” mentioned earlier in this article. They might be right. But almost nobody saw those Hogan events live. They suffer unfairly in comparison without the live TV exposure. For sheer grit, with a vital record on the line, combined with the drama of the 18th-hole birdies, Woods’ televised one-legged victory stands in stark relief in the mind’s eye.
Number One: Michael Phelps and the 2008 U.S. Olympic men’s swimming team. Not only were Phelps’ eight gold medals an achievement of heroic proportion, but they came in the most exciting, mind-bending ways possible. Remember Jason Lezac notching the fastest relay split in world history and somehow catching and passing Alain Bernard in the 4x100 freestyle? It was a well-nigh impossible sprint to the finish. The 4x100 medley relay was also quite close, as was Phelps’ win in the 200 butterfly. On top of that, his “touch gold” moment in the 100 fly, to defeat Milorad Cavic of Serbia, was positively mind bending. I don’t think there is a human being alive who thought, watching it live, that Phelps hit the wall first — but the time-keeping equipment and the underwater photos were utterly conclusive. Somehow, some way, Phelps stretched for the victory. Words fail.
BONUS! Here’s one I just couldn’t figure where to rank, because my bias here is too strong. I probably would rank it at the very top of my list, but in terms of widespread impact and importance it probably, by semi-neutral standards, belongs only in the bottom half of the top 10. So as a pure cherry-on-top special, please consider the 1999 Ryder Cup victory by the Americans over Europe, with Justin Leonard’s 45-foot birdie putt nailing down the greatest team comeback in Ryder Cup history. The spontaneous, raucous celebration throughout the grounds of The Country Club at Brookline was greater, more exuberant, than anything I’ve ever seen in all my years of watching sports. The 1999 Cup was memorable also for Captain Ben Crenshaw’s almost spiritual (bordering on spooky) insistence that his team would indeed come back; for Payne Stewart’s prominent role that served as the last high-profile public appearance, after his exciting U.S. Open win over Phil Mickelson, before his death in an airplane accident later that year; and because, after two straight U.S. Cup losses giving the Europe bragging rights in five of the previous seven Cups, another American loss would have been devastating.
As it was, Leonard’s putt was such a sheer, sudden, unexpected, decisive blow that no single moment better encapsulates the wonder that sports can be. Other sporting events probably were more culturally or historically important; but if you ever want to remember what sheer athletic joy looks like, watch Leonard’s victory leap again and again and again. To quote Gentle Ben Crenshaw about his team’s comeback, “I’ve never seen such an indomitable spirit.”
About the Author
Quin Hillyer is a senior editor of The American Spectator and a senior fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom. Follow him on Twitter @QuinHillyer.
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Appleby| 7.27.12 @ 7:06AM
Here in Canada the 1972 Soviet-Canada hockey series that Canada came perilously close to losing -- their collective butts were well and truly kicked all over Canada, in fact, to their humiliation and shame -- will always be the single greatest sporting event in Canada's history. The words that will live on forever, and will no doubt be placed on the tombstone of a single player who saved the free world:
"HEN--DER--SON HAS SCORED FOR CANADA!"
P.S. I was outside in a big crowd listening to the Miracle on Ice (I saw the actual Miracle in replay later on) -- and joining in the loud chants of "USA! USA! USA!" and then as the trophy was presented, the heartfelt singing of "God Bless America." It will remain for me the Olympic Spirit writ large...and the best thing is, the team were true amateurs who for the most part went on to be successful Yuppies in business.
Brookschwarzenegro | 7.27.12 @ 9:39AM
And naturally your Son of George Romney has to say sumpin' stupid about Olympic security.
Brookschwarzenegro | 7.27.12 @ 9:58AM
"Here in Canada the 1972 Soviet-Canada hockey series"
Don't you mean 1980?
Crassus| 7.27.12 @ 10:56AM
No, he means the 1972 series between the Soviets and the Canadian/NHL professionals which marked the first time the two had ever met on ice. What was expected to be a Canadian rout turned into a tightly contested series.
TLP| 7.28.12 @ 9:10AM
Actually, "He" is a "She" and "She" lives in Cananda, but thinks "She's" an American.
It's complicated.
In fact. Just to show you exactly how Complicated it really is?
Ole Brooksblacknegro is actually a "He" who thinks he's a "She" and most likely tied up in a Men's Room Stall, with "His" Evening Gown pulled up over his head, with Lipstick and Vaseline, smeared all over his body.
Like I said.
Complicated.
Framblott| 7.28.12 @ 12:01PM
No. It isn't complicated. The comment just uses a lot of pronouns, "he" "she", without antecedents. Please try to write something more readable so we can all enjoy your interesting thought.
TLP| 7.28.12 @ 2:52PM
Unfortunately, my IPad doesn't have a CRAYON App, to make my comments more understandable to folks like you.
Sorry.
Occam's Tool| 7.28.12 @ 11:48PM
There's plenty of time for something horrible to happen at this Olympics.
Bob James| 7.27.12 @ 3:07PM
Beautiful! That was an amazing story. I remind my hockey-fan friends of this historical series whenever I can.
Nicely struck, Appleby.
rockyracoon| 7.27.12 @ 7:30PM
You've piqued my interest in this series Appleby. Are there any good books about it that you know of?
Occam's Tool| 7.28.12 @ 11:47PM
Sorry: It was Ernie Banks winning the MVP for the last place Cubs. The Great Mr. Cub at his greatest.
Stephanie| 7.27.12 @ 7:19AM
Can't stand the over hyped games. It's all about the money with professionals participating. I remember when it was amateurs only.
I will not watch.
Suzyqpie| 7.29.12 @ 3:52PM
My sentiments exactly. One great big advertisement for something non-stop.
RJ| 7.27.12 @ 7:25AM
Its impossible to include all the worthy accomplishments with just 20 spots, but Sir Roger Bannister's four minute mile would be one I would add and Jackie Robinson's 1947 season strikes me as more meaningful than all of the other entries. He showed great character in the face of hatred and performed well too. A true hero.
The "Miracle on Ice" and Secretariat's Triple Crown victors are highly memorable events. The 1972 Miami Dolphins undefeated championship year is also up there. No pro football team since has gone undefeated.
TLP| 7.27.12 @ 8:24AM
The Olympics SUCK.
Period.
The only thing that ever made them worth watching, was The Cold War, when they were more, than just a Competition between Athletes. They were Symbolic of the Struggle between FREEDOM, and the ARMED CAMP. The Governance by Rule of Law vs. that of The Barrel of a Gun. Good vs Evil.
What do we have, today? Who are we rooting for out there? The next Goodwill Ambassador of the United States, spreading the word for Truth, Justice, and the American Way?
Or somebody trying to talk me in to a Subway Sandwhich?
I say we start getting some events where we can, one again, go up against or Mortal Enemies.
Maybe a Non Bathing Competition, or Stoning Women? They could have a Competition involving Checking out the Virginities of Women, as they walk down the street. A Sex with a Dead Wife Competition. A Blowing up Crowded Pizzerias, Weddings, and Funerals Competition.
A Competition to see which Athlete can score the most Goats, Chickens, Camels or Oil Lamps, for their 9 Year Old Daughter's hand in Marriage, to a 75 Year Old Opium Farmer from Afghanistan, with no teeth.
I would definately watch that Olympics.
Hell, I'd watch it, Eating a Subway Sandwhich .
R Martin| 7.27.12 @ 9:15AM
Correct about the Cold War. Don't you miss those East German female shot putters?
rockyracoon| 7.27.12 @ 7:28PM
...or the East German women?? swimmers.
MK48| 7.28.12 @ 9:43AM
Rocky...................a greman women wouldn't win in a swimming contest all the hair on her body would slow her down.
Bob Grant| 7.27.12 @ 12:16PM
The Cold War MADE the Olympics. The Red Menace (USSR), East Germany (DDR), all those strange Eastern European countries no one knew anything about....and don't forget about the even more mysterious Peoples Republic of China.
Heck, I can remember watching of all sports - table tennis and kayaking - rooting on Our Boys.
Remember the continual Medal Count as though the survival of our country depended on it?
Those were the Olympics at their glory. It was fantastic!
Today, I find it very difficult rooting on mouth breathers like Michael Phelps who have absolutely ZERO personality and even less wit, and who appears way too self-involved, self-important, and self-indulgent for my taste.
Today's Olympics? I can take them or leave them. The only reason I will watch is for another excuse to watch a sporting event on my large HDTV, by which I'm still fascinated. The whole idea of watching televised sports on High Definition Television blows my mind more than the actual sports I'll be watching.
Al Adab| 7.27.12 @ 2:27PM
Bob:
I remember in the 1968 games the time a girl from Chechoslovakia bested the Soviet gymnast on the balance beam but was denied the Gold because the Soviet tanks were occupying Prague at the time. The games have steadily lost credibility since then. Remember the pairs figure skating in Calgary?
Bob Grant| 7.27.12 @ 9:30PM
The only thing I remember about Calgary are the Jamaican bobsled team, Eddie the Eagle, and Alberta Tomba.
Pairs figure skating not so much.
MacWell™| 7.28.12 @ 8:32PM
The thing I remember most about skating in the olympics was that BORING dance couple from the SU. They were always given the gold even though they did the same routine for every year they were in them. When Torvile and Dean blew the dance world away with Bolero, olympic dance skating changed forever, for the better imo.
Occam's Tool| 7.28.12 @ 11:50PM
Phelps is so Hiiiiigggggghhhhh!
I don't give a shit about this Olympics. I wish I could care, but I really, really don't.
Occam's Tool| 7.28.12 @ 11:49PM
TLP: Dead on, again, sir.
R Martin| 7.27.12 @ 9:32AM
Although rowing lacks the popular support of the other sports on your list, the 2003 Oxford-Cambridge boat race was surely one of the greatest sports tests of human endurance and will. Rowed over 4.2 miles on the curving Thames, Oxford won this race by one foot after Cambridge made a super human effort erasing a 2/3 boat length deficit at the end of the race.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:18PM
Cool. I wish I had seen it! That is the sort of thing that I love.
TLP| 7.27.12 @ 4:16PM
Spoken like a true Establishment Republican.
Occam's Tool| 7.28.12 @ 11:50PM
Did the team steal policemen's helmets after the race?
paintbrush| 7.27.12 @ 9:44AM
Purp, If all cultures are equal, why not have the Olympics organize a International Cannibalism Week festival, you could be on their first course.....
C Smith | 7.27.12 @ 10:07AM
Forget Jesse Owens who later confided that he had more freedom at the 1936 Hitler Olympics then he had in America.
Remember the Jews who were not allowed to compete, and four years later no longer allowed to live.
Roscoe| 7.27.12 @ 10:24AM
Just watched again the video of the Justin Leonard putt & the ensuing disgraceful & boorish behavior of the US team, and their wives, and other assorted hangers-on. It could have been a great moment, worthy of consideration for such a list. But it's not. The whole thing is disqualified by the tacky, crass & undignified behavior of those mentioned above. (Those who would say it should be or can be appreciated for the stroke by Leonard as an individual - that he is not responsible for what the others did - are wrong. After all, it was a team event, and a number of those persons exhibiting the behavior were team members. So yes, their behavior does taint anything that any other team-member did.) That's not even mentioning the disgraceful behavior of obnoxious spectators, including throwing taunts at players, from the safety of their behind-the-ropes anonimity. All in all, a moment in sports to shove into the spittoon.
Skippy| 7.28.12 @ 4:34PM
Euroweenies are always bitching about Yanks kicking their asses in the Ryder Cups, without mentioning how the Eurofans heckled, shouted, pulled and poked at the Yanks all weekend and generally acted like English soccer(worst game on Earth)fans.
Poor baby!
trooper1964| 7.27.12 @ 10:49AM
Great list. One quibble…you mention the 1975 World Series as your highest-ranked World Series. But for my money, the best, most exciting WS to date was the 1991 affair between Minnesota and Atlanta. Hands down the most exciting series in the last 50 years; 5 of the 7 games were decided by one run, three in extra innings, including Kirby Puckett’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning in Game 6 (Jack Buck’s famous call.."And we’ll see you….tomorrow night!!"). Then Game 7 goes scoreless for 10 innings in an epic duel between John Smoltz and Jack Morris, with Gene Larkin’s walk-off hit to win the series for the Twins. This series always gets short shrift in these “Best of” list, because both teams were from mid-markets (no New York team, Red Sox, or Dodgers), and suffer from the media bias associated with that. (But hey, these kinds of lists were MADE for debate and argument!!)
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:21PM
Wow. Great point! For whatever reason, I missed most of that Series. (I was deeply involved in the last stages of trying to keep David Duke from being elected governor at the time, but I still can't believe I didn't watch the Series.) But I should have remembered reading about it as it happened, at least. A definite oversight. Thanks.
Crassus| 7.27.12 @ 10:50AM
Why in the hell did you see fit to mention a worthless POS name Buzz Peterson in your article, Mr. Hillyer? The man is lower on the food chain than Obama and Mayor Bloomberg combined. Any Appalachian State fan can tell you the reason why. I'm beginning to have serious doublts about you, Mr. Hillyer.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:23PM
I am not familiar with Peterson's record at Appalachian State. What happened?
Reggie Love| 7.27.12 @ 10:58AM
Mr.Hillyer left out some of my favorites.
1987-Keith Samrt's shot to defeat Syracuse.
1983-NC State upsets Phi Slama Jamma.
1983-Nebraska down 1 to Miami in the Orange Bowl,decide to go for 2 and the win. Miami wins when the conversion fails.
1990 Super Bowl-Giants vs.Buffalo. Scott Norwood misses a last second fg for Buffalo.
Reggie Love| 7.27.12 @ 10:58AM
I meant Smart.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:24PM
Thanks.
A. Watch for a sequel. B. I forget the Nebraska game. Bless Tom Osborne for his guts!
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:25PM
I meant forGOT, not forget, the Nebraska game. Typo.
Dr. Emilio Lizardo| 7.27.12 @ 12:24PM
Sorry Q I know youre a Hoya but nothing that features Coach John Thompson could ever be on the list. Never has any coach done so little with so much. Not to mention his bitter and virulent racism, and the nauseating jock sniffing from the SJ'ers on the Hilltop that accompanied the rise of Georgetown hoops. Give me Duke-Kentucky 1992 any day. That was a game
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:27PM
Actually, there were years when Thompson did a heck of a lot with very little. And he's no racist. That's a media myth.
Plus, he really did stress education. His kids went to class. They earned degrees. He did a lot of good for a lot of people.
Dr. Emilio Lizardo| 7.27.12 @ 2:08PM
First, can you stop with the annoying practice of referring to collegiate athletes as "kids"? I know it's all the rage with everyone from Coach K on down, but it's moronic: these are elite and in many cases professional athletes, hardly kids. And as to your points, you are incorrect. I was at Georgetown from '82-'92, overlapping with you some during the years of Hoya paranoia, private instructors for the players, body guards for Patrick Ewing, and the hobnobbing of his players with DC drug lord- and GT fan Rayful Edmond. No white scholarship players, only a rare benchwarmer. When he won it all in '84 he had so much talent my grandmother could have coached them with the same result. He had Zo and Mutombo on the floor at the same time and still couldnt pull it off. He overstayed his welcome culminating his career with first round exits in the NIT and resigning after an 0-3 start, and leading the US to its first sub-gold medal appearance in the Olympics. No argument his attitudes were due to being the recipient over his lifetime to some despicable and racist treatment, and he served as a role model to some young men who very badly needed one. But that's as far as I'll go.
Framblott| 7.28.12 @ 12:28PM
To: Dr. Emilio Lizardo| 7.27.12 @ 2:08PM
Thank you for the interesting input.
Bob Grant| 7.27.12 @ 12:27PM
Mr. Hillyer also forgot to mention Kurt Gibson's walk (hobble) off home run during game 1 of the '88 World Series.
An injured, past-his-prime pinch hitter steps up to hit a game-winning, come-from-behind home run in the World Series. You don't have to be a Dodgers fan to appreciate that one. The dream of every person who's put on a uniform...the stuff of movies.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:25PM
Can't argue. I left it out because it was just game one of an otherwise forgettable series. But lord-a-mighty, it was fantastic!
Al Adab| 7.27.12 @ 1:27PM
Good call Bob:
The nature of baseball is such that, while teams rise or fall, individual achivement is long remembered. In that sense it reflects the American ethos. Teamwork and personal success.
Bob Grant| 7.27.12 @ 9:26PM
I'm slowly getting back into baseball like before the strike and steroid scandal.
You are correct. Baseball is a great synthesis of team and individual achievement.
RJ| 7.27.12 @ 2:15PM
It was a great moment, one of my favorites, but I am a Dodger fan so I can't rate it objectively. Kirk Gibson however wasn't past his prime. He won the MVP that year.
Al Adab| 7.27.12 @ 3:57PM
Isn't Gibson managing somewhere in the majors these days?
RJ| 7.27.12 @ 5:00PM
Arizona Diamondbacks, last I heard. He had a competitive fire that made a big difference for the 88 "World Champion" Dodgers, but at the time, I didn't think he would be one of those players who would go into managing.
Cool Hand Luke| 7.27.12 @ 12:38PM
1968 World Series with the Detroit Tigers and
St. Louis Cardinals. Tigers are down 3 games
to 1 and come back from that deficit to win
in seven beating the great Bob Gibson.
Mickey Lolich was the Tiger pitcher in game
seven and he won 3 games in the series.
The 1968 Tigers are one the greatest teams of all
time.
Who Knows?| 7.27.12 @ 1:03PM
Oh yes--Mickey Lolich. Lincoln HS grad, Portland, Oregon.
His 3 wins were a total shock, given the Tigers had 30 game winner McClain.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:28PM
Good call. My bad. But somewhat relatedly, watch soon for my sequel.
CJW| 7.27.12 @ 12:59PM
Best sports moments:
1. Franco Harris's immaculate reception in 1972 to beat the Raiders in the last 19 seconds and put the Steeelers in the playoffs.
2. Bill Mazeroski hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series to beat the Yankees.
Who Knows?| 7.27.12 @ 1:08PM
Agree # 2.
As for # 1, I bet if they'd had instant replay back then, chances are the ball hit the ground. Besides, you can't really say it was anything but LUCK. How often do footballs bounce off people and fall into the hands of someone like Harris?
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:31PM
Actually, the CATCH was clean -- it didn't hit the ground -- but I am 99% certain that no Raider touched the ball, making it (under rules at the time) an illegal double-touch by the same team without an intervening touch by the opponents. In short, the play should not have counted. But it was still a great moment!
As for Mazeroski, I can't argue. Great stuff.
Who Knows?| 7.27.12 @ 2:45PM
Sorry, Quin, but you’re wrong about it being for sure a catch--
“Another widely held point of contention to the play was whether the ball had hit the ground before Harris snatched it and ran with it. The sideline views of both film and video gave no answer, as Harris had caught the ball out of frame, and came running into frame from the right side on his path to the end zone. The only other known NBC video was an end zone shot from above and behind the goalposts and, in keeping with the mystery of the play, one of the posts was exactly in the line of sight of Harris' hands and the ball. The best NFL Films shot of the play, from ground level, which is probably the most-often seen clip (along with audio of an excited Jack Fleming, the Steelers' radio announcer at the time) is a tight shot from the end zone of Harris snaring the ball, with his feet and the ground just out of frame below.”
CJW| 7.27.12 @ 2:27PM
It happens when a great player like Franco does not give up, keeps blocking for Bradshaw who scrambled out of the pocket on 4th down, then Franco ran downfield to where the ball was thrown to Frenchy Fuqua. Had Franco just given up because it was 4th down, and not ran downfield to block then the ball would have fallen to the ground. Luck? Helps to hustle and not give up.
And if Tatum and the Raiders would have played the ball instead of trying to flatten Fuqua, then who knows?
Who Knows?| 7.27.12 @ 1:00PM
As a huge track fan, nothing compares to Billy Mills coming from behind on the last lap to out sprint the world record holder, Ron Clarke, in the 10,000 meters at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics.
William Mervin Mills was born in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, and was raised on the impoverished Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for Oglala Sioux people. He was orphaned when he was twelve years old and was raised by his grandmother.
His best time was a full minute behind Clarke’s Ah, but Clarke was not known for sprinter speed. So, he tried to wear down his opponents, by going faster and then slower during the race, and it almost worked.
I’ll never forget seeing the TV broadcast of this, with one of the announcers going bananas, as Billy amazingly came from far behind down the stretch to upset Clarke!
I just read on Wikipedia that the guy, Dick Bank, was later fired for bringing too much “drama”to the race.
Orphaned, American Indian, huge upset, at the wire, from far behind on the last lap, down the stretch.
To boot, the race lasts for close to half an hour, so a true fan gets to enjoy the athletes strategies the whole time, as they try to max out their strengths. Unlike the sprints, which are over in a flash, there’s more to enjoy—like slow sex.
Can’t get much better than that!
Who Knows?| 7.27.12 @ 1:22PM
I just watched the youtube replay of this race.
Brought tears to my eyes, and wild laughter!
Watch it, especially the last 20 yards!
Prester John| 7.27.12 @ 3:30PM
I happened to watch one of the YouTube videos on this race. In it Mills said that immediately after he crossed the finish line there was a Japanese Olympic official who kept asking him, "What your name? What your name?"
Joe D.| 7.27.12 @ 1:20PM
GOLF, GOLF, GOLF. This would have been a good article if not for the over reach of some much Golf. And what about the Miami perfect season. That was very dramatic, etc.
Finally, even though I was right there watching history with Michael, I think what Mark Spitz did was more impressive since it was more individual with more world records. So to not have it on at all is a wrong.
scotchieguy| 7.28.12 @ 10:38AM
I lived in Miami during that perfect season. People forget that Griese went down with a broken leg in the 5th game and was replaced by an ancient backup to Unitas, Earl Morrrall who played out the rest of the season except the second half of the AFC championship game when he was benched in favor of Griese.
My 7th grade civics teacher, Mr. Rifkin, told the class the next day, "you kids are the luckiest kids in the world. This will never be duplicated."
Al Adab| 7.27.12 @ 1:25PM
Not to question the events and rankings herein, but somehow team sports and individual competition would, to me, seem to fall in seperate categories. What the NY Yankees or Dallas Cowboys do cannot be comparred one on one to Roger Bannister or Nadia.
Interesting to note that the entire world follows this (athletics) facet of Western Civilization while often disparaging other aspects of the same.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 1:48PM
I probably should not have short-changed Michael Johnson http://www.policymic.com/artic.....ium=email, Keri Strug, or Edwin Moses....
Butch| 7.27.12 @ 2:12PM
Well, I'm a football fan, so I'll go with real "moments" I just happened to see in person.
The Immaculate Reception, Bradshaw to Franco by way of somebody's chest;
Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass v. Miami;
Lastly, but coolest: that Cal rugby-play kickoff return that ended with the guy running over the tuba player in the end zone.
BackToBasics| 7.27.12 @ 2:27PM
Before I read Quin's list I thought about what stood out to me though some aren't single events.
Secretariat's 1973 Triple Crown win
1980 Olympics Miracle on Ice US vs. Soviet Union
Mohammed Ali's career
Roger Federer's career
Michael Phelp's 8 golds
Joe Montana's brilliance and command especially in playoffs and SuperBowls
Michael Jordan's career
Nadia Comaneci's uneven parallel bars 10
1969 Mets winning the World Series
Butch| 7.27.12 @ 2:48PM
A contrary note: I am of the opinion that Smokin' Joe beat Ali all three times they fought. In the Thrilla, Frazier wanted to go out for the last round, while Ali was asking his side to cut his gloves off: he was quitting, but Frazier's handlers quit first, not Joe. Ali was a media darling, and better for the sport than Frazier, who was not very charismatic.
I think Ali could beat Foreman, Foreman could beat Frazier, and Frazier could beat Ali. In my humble opinion, tri-champions, but only Ali is revered.
BackToBasics| 7.27.12 @ 4:03PM
I do not disagree with your points I thought Frazier would win the first fight but I do not know if Thrilla's 15th round would have made much difference; both men had almost nothing left.
It was an interesting mix between Ali-Frazier and Forman. I still remember how Forman lifted Frazier off the canvas with that final uppercut and never believed Ali could beat Forman, yet he did.
Ali could go head-to-head but his form of boxing coupled with light-footedness and fast reflexes was new and self-invented and was fun to watch.
I also remember the courage of Ali who fought Ken Norton even though Ali's Jaw was broken on one side, I think it was the first or second round when Norton broke it.
It's too bad he lost a few years because of the ban due to conscientous objections to the VietNam war.
It's also too bad that his career cost him so much in health. I've read that the Forman fight and the Jimmy Young fight did more damage to him than any others.
I think that genius has many forms and one of them is a physical-mental genius and I think Ali had it.
BackToBasics| 7.27.12 @ 4:08PM
Note, my comment about Ali's conscientous objection status is apolitical. I meant it only as a it's too bad there's a missing gap during his peak sport years.
Quin Hillyer| 7.27.12 @ 4:13PM
I never saw the second fight; was Ali's win not rather clearcut? As for the 15th round, yes: Frazier still wanted to fight, Ali didn't. The wrong man won. Still makes me sad to this day: I liked Smokin Joe and detested Ali.
BackToBasics| 7.27.12 @ 4:28PM
I did see the second fight but I do not remember it well. It did not stand out to me the way the third one did.
I liked Joe Frazier too, better as a person, but I still think that Ali had inventiveness and brilliance. He was a natural and a quick thinker on television when he was being interviewed.
Butch| 7.27.12 @ 4:36PM
Well, I didn't think it was clear-cut, Quin. The big problem with boxing is the judging. I would rather have a 12-year old boy ringside, point to him at the end of the fight, and ask "who won?" Ali had a great chin, maybe the greatest, and he was a great technical boxer, but his punch was mediocre or worse. Frazier took a lot of those marshmellows boring in, but once inside, landed much more powerful blows. Ali's jaw is probably the reason he's in the shape he's in now: I seriously doubt if that's Parkinson's.
On the other hand, Frazier's bore-in style was catastrophic versus Foreman, with arguably boxing's hardest punch.
BackToBasics| 7.27.12 @ 10:52PM
Foreman's strength was why I didn't think Ali could beat him. His arms were about 22-23 inches around which is bigger than a lot of people's thighs.
Some sports analysts say the strength of Ali's punches was underestimated and I think he proved it going toe-to-toe with Frazier and with Foreman in their one fight. His punches were sufficient to knock out Foreman. His rope-a-dope strategy against Foreman to tire him out was one of the points I was making about Ali's inventiveness. He maxed out on clinching too with Frazier and Foreman and was warned for it often but it was also an adaptive strategy. In the end he did what I did not think he could do and knocked out Foreman.
Yes, Frazier was just too short and met Foreman's fists before he could land anything solid. He may have been too short to adapt any other way and that's too bad because he was a good guy. And later, he became a strong Christian and forgave Ali for the way he treated Frazier in those years. I have nothing but respect for Frazier and Foreman too but that doesn't mean I cannot recognize Ali's talent and speak it the way I see it.
tdiinva| 7.27.12 @ 2:54PM
Mr. Hillyer:
I must differ with you on the positon of Eric Heiden and Michael Phelps in your hierarchy. Eric Heiden's 1980 speed skating performance is the greatest individual achievment in olympic history. Heiden dominated his events across the entire spectrum of performance. It would be like a single individual winning all the track and field events form 100m through 10,000m.
Cobalt| 7.27.12 @ 3:50PM
Great article Mr. Hillyer.
Other great moments in sports:
Ben Hogan's comeback victory in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, after having been in a 1949 automobile accident when he was hit by a Greyhound bus.
Ken Venturi's victory in the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club, while suffering from heat exhaustion on the 36-hole final day.
The Big E| 7.27.12 @ 4:15PM
Quin,
How could you leave off what Sports Illustrated itself titled the "All Time Upset." September 1, 2007. FCS defending champs Appalachian State 34, No.5 ranked in the FBS Michigan 32.
Not only was this the only time an FCS team has beaten a ranked FBS school, not only was the game played played before 109,000 fans at The Big House in Michigan, not only is this THE game that every coach in ANY sport refers to when firing up his squad to face a team with supposedly superior talent, it was also a remarkably well played game, with big plays by both teams, and of course, one of the greatest endings ever seen on a football field.
The Big E| 7.27.12 @ 4:38PM
Oh, and while we're on the subject of Appalachian State Football, maybe you should take a look at what Armanti Edwards, the QB for App against Michigan, did later that same season on December 7, 2007, against Richmond in the semi-finals. He had a pretty good stat line that day - 31 carries, 313 yards rushing (yes 313, not 213), 4 rushing touchdowns, plus 14-16 completions for another 192 yards and 3 more touchdowns. I saw that game, and honestly, I've never seen a more dominating performance by one player.
Bob Grant| 7.27.12 @ 4:20PM
I just had an "Ah Ha" moment When I remembered the Buster Douglas Mike Tyson fight.
That fight was an all time classic sporting event because Douglas' win was completely out of left field...totally unexpected.
Douglas gets knocked down but Tyson gets knocked out.
A great upset but more importantly a great fight!!!
Butch| 7.27.12 @ 4:47PM
It WAS a great fight. For some reason, Buster was the first fighter who faced Tyson who wasn't just plain scared to death. He was a basketball player, you know. It's a darn shame he let himself go after he became champion.
Observer| 7.27.12 @ 4:20PM
I don't recall who the brave author was, but I love him anyway for saying that Muhammad Ali was about as much of a social force as Frank Sinatra. Everyone has forgotten his questionable victories over fighters no one remembers, Henry Cooper, and Doug Jones to name two and maybe they've forgotten his questionable championship fights over Sonny Liston (phantom punch my eye). Frazier didn't want to fight in Manilla and all deference, as usual, was given to Ali who was the challenger in that fight.
No mention of Babe Ruth's LIFETIME slugging percentage of .690 that is still a record in the steroid era? Is golf a sport? John McEnroe once said that you have to run for it to be a sport. If golf is a sport so are billiards and chess. And if chess is a sport nothing compares to Bobby Fisher's demolition of the world's best players on his way to his 1972 championship.
John Unitas is tougher because there were no single accomplishments that stand out other than 32 touchdown passes in a 12 game season, 47 consecutive games with at least 1 TD in each, and oh yeah wining the most important professional football game ever and establishing pro football as a major sport. Nothing there worth mentioning.
Finally number 3 should be number 1. Nothing in sports history in the 20th or any other century can match it.
rockyracoon| 7.27.12 @ 7:22PM
Not a bad list, but I'd leave out #'s 9, & 12 entirely, and add the Buster Douglass vs. Mike Tyson fight in Tokyo, as well as, the 1960 World Series, JMHO.
Cool Hand Luke| 7.27.12 @ 9:14PM
I chuckle at those who question if golf is a true sport.
Tomorrow morning go to a course of your
choice and shoot par. Tee that little white ball up
and hit it straight down the middle for 250 yards
plus time after time.
Gary Player's win in the 1978 Masters is one for the ages.
He came from 7 strokes behind in the
final round and was 6 six under on the back nine.
Again, one for the ages.
SteelersSteve| 7.27.12 @ 10:18PM
I certainly agree with your item #5 - the 1975 World Series.
Maybe that is partly for personal reasons - I got to go to game 2 of that Series, at Fenway Park.
But of course it was great for reasons that had nothing to do with me - one of the most famous images of baseball history is Carlton Fisk going down the first base line waving his arms as if to help steer his hit into fair territory away from the foul pole - it worked, of course - because that home run ended game 6 with a Red Sox win.
scotchieguy| 7.28.12 @ 10:56AM
How about the 68 Jets with Namath guaranteeing they would beat the heavily favored Colts?
How about the 85 Bears, their incredible defense and their cast of characters, Fencik the safety from Yale--Yale??, the Fridge, Sweetness, Singletary with his intense eyes, the punk QB, and of course their crazy def. coordinator, Buddy Ryan. Oh yeah, and Ditka. How ironic that Miami, the only undefeated team previously, beat them for their only loss on one of the greatest MNF games in history?
The problem with lists like this isn't what is included, but what is left out.
Skippy| 7.28.12 @ 6:24PM
Dale Earnhardt finally winning the Daytona 500 in 1998, then driving down pit road where every single member of every single team reached out to shake his hand.
Respect.
Endurance.
Skill.
Unforgettable.
Framblott| 7.28.12 @ 7:21PM
On 14 Sept. 1923 heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey fought Argentine Luis Firpo, the heavyweight champion of S America, for the title in the Polo Grounds before 80,000 spectators. There were 9 knockdowns in the first round, 7 by Dempsey, 2 by Firpo––the last of which knocked Dempsey through the ropes and out of the ring. Dempsey came back in the second round, knocked Firpo down twice, then KO'd him at the 0:57 mark.
From Wiki: George Bellows painted a work depicting Firpo dropping Dempsey through the ring's ropes in their historic fight. In 1950, Firpo's second knockdown of Dempsey was named "the most dramatic sports moment of the (20th) century so far". From article, "Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Angel Firpo" , which is illustrated by the Bellows painting.
MacWell™| 7.28.12 @ 8:54PM
Hmm, where to begin. How about MJ's flu +40, when he came out with a fever and full blown flu symptoms and won the game. I lost all love and respect for baseball when they went on strike, haven't watched since. Same thing for basketball. Anyway, since Jordan is gone, what's the point?
MacWell™| 7.28.12 @ 8:59PM
Oh, I slightly remember seeing a fight at Laural Gardens in Newark when I was a wee lad, (we lived about 10 blocks from it back then. A guy hit this other guy right in the kisser with his sunday punch, and it was like in slow motion that the guy that got whacked just stopped, paused for a sec., then slowly dropped his hands, his eyes crossed and he went down like a tree. I've never seen a guy get hit that hard since.
mcsandberg| 7.29.12 @ 9:59AM
How could Lance Armstrong's SEVEN Tour de France wins get left off? Especially, "The Look" on the Alp d'Huez in 2001! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdMdJAdzpYQ
Sean| 7.29.12 @ 10:50AM
There have been a lot of great moments in sports. Some of them become greater if you are a fan of the individual or team especially if seen in person or on TV. Some of the ones from baseball that are memorable are Kirk Gibson's home run in the World Series and Orel Hershiser 59 (67 if you count the playoffs) straight shutout innings. Jack Morris World Series performance. Joe Carter game 7 homerun. Villanova in 1985 for college basketball. College football Boise St. versus Oklahoma upset.
Interested Conservative| 7.29.12 @ 11:49PM
July 19, 1982 - Luke Appling's 250 foot home run off Warren Spahn. Appling was 75.