DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Iconic Sports Moments

Listening to a segment on the radio got me thinking. Basically the idea is simple: name each main sport's most iconic moment/image (at least the one that sticks in your mind as being such). Here were the sports and my personal responses:


NFL - Dwight Clark's catch against Dallas
NCAAF - "The band is out on the field ... "
NBA - Michael Jordan's shot in Game 6 against Utah
NCAABB - Christian Laettner's shot against Kentucky
MLB - "The Giants win the pennant ... "
HOCKEY - "Do you believe in miracles?"
GOLF - Jack Nicklaus putt to win the Masters at age 46
OTHER - Muhammed Ali standing over Sonny Liston


and we'll throw in two more for us specifically

PRE 1999 BROWNS - Sadly, the fumble
POST 1999 BROWNS - Cribbs kickoff return against the Steelers

Post 1999 Browns-Bottlegate (I was there)

Good thread topic.

[quote]NFL - Franco picking it off the ground vs Oakland.

NCAAF - Flutie's pass against Miami.

NBA - Havlicek stole the ball.......

NCAABB - Yes, Christian Laettner's shot against Kentucky

MLB - Lou Gerhig's speech.


HOCKEY - Yes, "Do you believe in miracles?"

GOLF - Greg Norman's incredible choke job and Nick Faldo's incredible determination at the Masters.


Boxing: - No mas.


and we'll throw in two more for us specifically

PRE 1999 BROWNS - The Drive

POST 1999 BROWNS - Dwane Rudd throwing his helmet after a play that should have resulted in a win.

MLB - Ball between Buckner's legs Ray Knight scores to extend the Red Sox curse.
Kirk Gipson's HR where he pumped his fist around the bases to beat the Oakland A's.

NFL - Franco Harris immaculate reception to beat Oakland.
Lawrence Taylor breaking Joe Thiesman's leg on Monday Night Football.

NBA - Julius Erving windmill dunk in Finals vs Lakers.
Micheal Jordan's game winning shot vs Cavs and pumping his fist.

Hockey - Miricle on Ice

NCAA Basketball - Christian Laettner's shot to beat Kentucky.
Jim Valvanno and NC State beating Houston with the Bailey's put back as the clock expired.

NCAA Football - Flutie beats Miami on a hail mary.
Nebraska goes for 2 vs Miami and fails in the Orange bowl. Miami and Bernie Kosar wins National title.

Boxing - Down goes Frazier.
Buster Douglas beats Mike Tyson.

Horse Racing - Secratariet wins Belmont by 23 horse links.

Good contributions. This is a pretty cool thread.

The moments that I've witnessed that stick out in my mind the most are these:
The Amad Rashad Hail Mary against the Browns during the '80 season-someone actually did the math and calculated that to be the moment the 'football gods' turned on us.

Douglas vs Tyson, that was something to see (on television, I wasn't there).

The double overtime tOSU win vs Miami in the '02 championship. That was the season I went from being a casual Ohio State fan to a serious one.

I'm going with the most "iconic sports moments" that I witnessed as they happened:

NFL - Frank Minnifield's tackle of Icky Woods on 4th and 1 to preserve a Browns win. 10-30-1988. It was incredible. I was intensely overjoyed.
NCAAF - Ohio St. win over Aalabama 2015 Sugar Bowl. Ezekiel Elliott’s 85-yard touchdown in first ever College championship game. KOWABUNGA DUDE!”
NBA - LeBron James back in Cleveland
NCAABB - UConn Men and Women both winning National Championships same year TWICE!!!
MLB - Sam McDowell and Luis Tiant finishing 1 and 2 in ERA in AL 1968
HOCKEY - Bruins blowing a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 scoring lead in game 7 of 2010 NHL play-offs.
GOLF - My ex-wife parring a hole the first time she ever played standard golf. Incredible.
OTHER - Royce Gracie winning the first UFC Championship (at 176 lbs)

Oh...

On that OTHER above - there were no weight restrictions. Gracie was the lightest fighter.

So many........But, I'm going to go in a different direction - well, a biased direction. IRL racing. (for one reason)

Hornish winning the Indy 500 in 2006.




And, in Chicago (I was there for this one). 2002. Sam's in the yellow car, outside Unser Jr. At the time, it was the closest IRL finish ever.




Now - "iconic"? Don't know about that. But, cool.

So this is designed for our own personal taste, right?

NFL - This one was probably the hardest for me. I would have to probably go with Dwight Clark as well. It is the one play that probably sums up the best dynasty of the modern era

NCAAF - Vince Young scoring the game winning TD against USC in the Rose Bowl/NC game. He single-handedly won that game, and took college football to another level. I think it's more popular today than it's ever been, and you can probably point at that moment as a key moment.

NBA - Anything involving Bird vs Magic. That was the pinnacle of the NBA, and why the NBA is the way it is now.

NCAABB - Jimmy Valvano running around the court looking for someone to hug.

MLB - Lou Gehrig's 4th of July speech which showed how powerful baseball was at that time. I wasn't alive obviously, but it still holds more value than any baseball play I've seen since I was born.

HOCKEY - I don't want to put the Miracle on Ice here, because that moment was bigger than the sport. It's not hockey history, it's American history. So aside from that, I'm going with Bobby Orr's cup winning goal in the 1970 Stanley Cup final. The image of Orr 4 feet above the ice and parallel to the surface is one of the most iconic images in the history of sports.

GOLF - Tiger's unbelievable chip at the '05 Masters, and Verne Lundquist's near perfect call of the moment. It's one of those occasions where you remember exactly where you were when it happened (we were in Applebees having a late lunch and the whole restaurant went crazy)


OTHER - Brandy Chastain taking her shit off after winning the Women's World cup, which subsequently shot women's soccer in the United State's through the roof.

- Keri Strug's performance in the Olympics. I don't watch the Olympics, but I remember that moment and how tough she was getting through it.

- Cal Ripken taking a lap around Camden yards the night he beat Gehrig's streak. It was really something that always gets overlooked when people bring up stuff like this.

- Patrick Kane's weird cup winning goal that brought the Blackhawks their first Stanley cup in 50 years.

Best Cleveland/Ohio State moments

- Dennis Eckersley clearly mouthing "WOW!" after Ramirez hit that mammoth walk off against him in the 1995 season

- Jim Tressel's quote immediately after winning the 2002 National Championship "We've always had the best damn band in the land. Now we have the best damn TEAM in the land". I'll remember that one forever. What a wild night.

- Albert Belle's mammoth grand slam off Lee Smith in '95. That is still the most badass HR I have ever seen. I know it doesn't have the meaning of some of the great WS winning HR's but just watching that live and getting that feeling that something special was going to happen, and people forget how money Lee Smith was. He freaking crushed that thing.

- Lebron's return to Cleveland

For me personally, the Cavs winning the lottery was awesome. I worked at the News Herald, and I remember some of the big shots at the paper let me come up in their editing room and they showed me the possibilities of the front page if the Cavs won the lottery, or if they lost it. They knew I was a huge basketball fan. I remember sitting with my buddies that night and going nuts when they revealed the Cavs as the first pick.

I was at that game, about 10 rows back in the lower deck, directly behind the plate. He hit that ball so hard it was knuckling as it launched. It was gone the moment he hit it. Never saw anything like it, probably never will again. Crowd went ape-bleep, strangers hugging, loudspeaker blaring AC/DC's "Hell's Bells". One other thing; Lee Smith throwing a slider instead of his gas was the ultimate tribute to Albert, who - IMO - had the fastest hands I've ever seen on a hitter. Great memory.

I think "iconic" is a word that sort of implies a visual sense of things, so for me ...

NFL - Lambeau Field, 1967, Packers vs Cowboys, at the goal line with the clock ticking down in below zero temperature and arctic wind chill. The teams line up, plumes of steam are visible from each player's breath. Starr takes the snap and takes it in behind Jerry Kramer and Forrest Gregg, who both obliterated their man to create that crease and allow Starr to score. Epic.

MLB - the image that stays with me is Carlton Fisk gesturing wildly, in an attempt to will his deep fly to left to stay fair as it left Fenway Park in whatever-the-hell postseason that was.

NBA - An injured Willis Reed, C for the NY Knicks, dragging his leg as he came out of the locker room, and then leading the Knicks to an NBA championship. I think it was 1970.

Those are all great moments.

I love this thread, great comments, and great memories the best part is no one is right or wrong, it's all opinion.

NFL: Joe Namath walking off field with finger in the air. To me it legitimized the AFL & the pending merger.

MLB: Carlton Fisk HR in extra innings to beat Reds in 1975. AS a Reds fan I hated it but that series rejuvenated baseball interest that seemed to be waning at the time

NCAA FB. OSU fan but one thing I recall and was very much impressed by was Anthony Davis' second half against Notre Dame in 1974.

NBA: Knick fan as a kid so it has to be Willis Reed coming on the floor with a hip injury and scoring the first 2 buckets against the Lakers when the Knicks won the title.

NCAA basketball; David Thompson leading NC State past UCLA and ending their title streak.

Hockey: Not a fan but Miracle on Ice is a no brainer.

Boxing: Tossup between first Ali-Frazier & Buster's major upset of Tyson

Best that I attended was Johnny Bench retirement night and he hit a HR . Incredibly loud. Definitely the longest ovation I have ever been a part of.

I must have missed the last 2 post listing the Knicks (Willis Reed) and Fisk HR

j/c

I think the most gutsy thing I ever saw in sports was watching Steve DeBerg playing QB with that screw protruding out of his little finger. I believe it was in 1990. I just couldn't believe it or fathom how that would feel. That's some gutsy stuff right there!

What about this:

A personal one for me was making that loooooong trip to Brownstown to watch the team in the Dawg pound in November 2003. Melted the faces of the Cards that day in another miserable season. Met some of you folks at the Island. Great times.

Another personal one was following the British Lions rugby team on the Australia tour. My dad visited me here for the first time and we were at the Tests in Brisbane and Melbourne (he's a technical muppet and messed up his flights so missed the decider in Sydney but I attended that one also to watch the Lions clinch the series.)

There's been one overnight folks in the surfing world. 2 Aussies facing off, Mick Fanning waiting for his shot at a wave, gets attacked by a shark and fights it off. Swims to safety without a scratch. Been on the box all day today.

not sure anyone's sen this montage ... gave me chills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlmxHvOWKB0&feature=youtu.be

Here are my personal great sports moments. I saw all of these live on TV.

NFL - The double overtime Browns/jets playoff game.
NHL - I watched the Miracle on Ice live. Most people still don't realize that was not the gold medal game. We had to beat the Swedes for that. I would like to say the rise of Ron Hextall was probably some of the greatest hockey I have ever seen, with the exception of Gretzky, of course.

NBA - The Pistons pulling off two championships with a strange bunch of players.
NASCAR - Michael Waltrip's crash at Bristol. Just about everyone thought he was dead.

MLB - The Big Red Machine
Boxing - The rise of Mike Tyson. A bunch of short fights.

It was actually the Fins that we had to beat, and I'd be willing to say after Miracle the movie and all the 30th anniversary stuff most people know that the Russia game was not the final.

It was still a more important game than the final. Even if they lose to Finland I still think it's a huge deal. Winning the gold was the icing on the cake.

I always confuse the Fins and Swedes in that game. It's probably because their colors are both blue/yellow in different amounts.

Here's a fun little video of the Soviet goalie's training regimen.

It's a damn shame that communism kept Tretiak out of the NHL. He's looked at by a lot as the greatest goaltender of all time, while Roy is the greatest NHL goalie ever. We will never know who was truly better.

I greatly disagree with you on Patrick WHAAAAA about the greatest goaltender, but that's me being purely objective. I've always preferred goaltenders like Hextall and Billy 'the Slasher' Smith. I can thank my Dad for the enjoyment of the violent part of hockey, as he was a defenseman in a Jr. league, and we were both fans of John Brophy, the coach of my hometown Hampton Roads Admirals.

I believe John Brophy still holds the record for most penalty minutes in a career (4444), even though he never played in the NHL. Paul Newman based his character in part on Brophy in the movie Slap Shot. During his coaching career with the ECHL Admirals, he never had a losing season, and he sent several players to the NHL, including Olaf Kolzig (G-Capitals), Patrick Lalime (G-Penguins), Byron Dafoe (G-Bruins)and Aaron Downey (E-Red Wings).

There's no doubt that Smith and Hextall were a little more violent than Roy (even thogh St. Patrick was not afraid to drop em) but there's nobody who has the resume of Roy. Playoff wins, cups, etc.. Also did it with multiple teams. He was straight cash in the playoffs.

Martin Brodeur. He played about 200 more games, has 100 more wins, and a lower GAA.

Brodeur is great, probably top 5, but Roy has 38 more playoff W's an one more cup. Also did it two different teams.

I love Marty, but he played in that awful system that damn near killed the sport.

I'm with you Sperg. Loved watching Roy play. The dude talked to the pipes!!

It's not often that the word intimidating is used for a goalie, because it's a position of the prey and not the hunter... Like you can't go out and search for saves. You have to take what comes at you. It's a pressure position.... Roy was intimidating though. Not like Hextall intimidating where dudes were genuinely afraid of getting two handed, but he revolutionized the position, and the butterfly technique (which was again revolutionized by Brodeur, and then again by this newer breed of goalie like Price, FLeury, and J-Quick.

I grew up a Wings fan and therefore hated Roy once he was part of that old Avs/Wings rivalry where there was a full on brawl every game...

Hard to ignore what he's done though. To win the cup with two different teams is amazing. To do it two times for each team? You will never see that again.

Hey you are all forgetting about that epic blast I hit in my first t=ball game

Brodeur is listed first in wins. As I said, 200 more games and over 100 more wins. We all know the team wins the Cup, not the goalie.

I still remember the fit Roy (whaaaaa) threw after the Habs let 10 goals get scored on him. He cried more about his stats than the loss. Roy was protected very well with very good defensemen for a long time. He was a good goalie, and I'll go as far to say very good, but if an opposing team could get him off his game, he'd fall apart.

This was a really good thread idea, but it seems to have turned into a Hockey only thread. That kinda sucks!

Put your sports ideas in then. I'm not going to fight over the better goalie forever. I did want to sing John Brophy's praises, though. Time to start a new tangent.

Brodeur is listed first in wins. As I said, 200 more games and over 100 more wins. We all know the team wins the Cup, not the goalie.

I still remember the fit Roy (whaaaaa) threw after the Habs let 10 goals get scored on him. He cried more about his stats than the loss. Roy was protected very well with very good defensemen for a long time. He was a good goalie, and I'll go as far to say very good, but if an opposing team could get him off his game, he'd fall apart.[/quote]

And Brodeur played in a system that allowed less than 20 shots on net per game. It was garbage hockey. He was great but a lot of goalies would have won in that system.

Roy is ahead of Brodeur in playoff W's. That's where it matters. The NHL season has and always will be irrelevant. I've seen countless goalies throw up great numbers in the season and then fall apart in the playoffs.

That can't be you at that age. The film is in color. lol

Excellent!

[quote]OTHER - Brandy Chastain taking her shit off after winning the Women's World cup, which subsequently shot women's soccer in the United State's through the roof.
/quote]

How about Howard Wolowitz taking off his shirt after the physics bowl?

It is not by definition possible to properly answer that question, because they are all, only sports.

I'm not old enough to remember the many historical events of the last century plus.

Here is the thing about the thing in 2001. For 3 days there were no airplanes in the sky. Now for the rest of my life I haven't seen the sky and not been able to find some evidence, somewhere of an airplane. But on those 3 days, there were clear skys and not any evidence, just like the sky had looked for the thousands of days and years of history, before the industrial revolution.

A 2nd thing about it is, my anger for " breaking news " that is actually superfluous bull and nonsense, because of that one time when breaking news was actually something. They should reserve " news alerts" for something that actually matters.

Hang in there, TL. The season is starting soon.

I lived near the DC area. There were plenty of fighter jets and AWACS in the sky.