Greatest upsets in sports history

Iron Warrior

Iron Warrior

Registered User
I don't know if you guys caught the Warriors 4-2 series win over Dallas but that seems like the biggest NBA upset I have ever seen. Let's see how they rank

#1: USA 4 USSR 3 in the 1980 Olypmics. The Soviets had slaughtered the NHL All-Stars that year and a bunch on college kids beat them.

#2: New York Jets 16 Baltimore Colts 7. The Colts had the top ranked defense, the 2nd highest scoring offense. The Colts had come off a 34-0 win over the Cleveland Browns only to come up short and make Joe Namath look like Nostradamus. The Jets had squeaked out a 27-23 win over Oakland and the AFL seemed more like minor league football system at the time.

#3: Villanova over Georgetown in the 1985 NCAA championship game.

#4 Douglas over Tyson. I was like 9-10 years old and I knew this was a huge deal basaed on the next day's newspaper coverage. The baddest man on earth had been defeated by an unknown contender.

#5 Warriors over Mavericks. The Warrios barely snuck into the play-offs and beat the #1 seed in a best of 7 series. The Warriors not only beat the Mavs but they dominated Dirk Nowitzki and the top ranked Mavs who had 67 wins during the regular season.

Any thoughts ? Any other notable upsets ?
 
Rulon Gardner, USA defeated Alexander Karelin RUSSIA in the 2000 Olympic Super Heavy weight Greco - Roman wrestling final.

Gardner not even the best American Super heavy weight defeated
Karelin 1-0 on an escape. It was the first point that Karelin had given up in 6 years of international competition.

It was only the second loss of his career the first coming 13 years earlier!
 
anabolicrhino said:
Rulon Gardner, USA defeated Alexander Karelin RUSSIA in the 2000 Olympic Super Heavy weight Greco - Roman wrestling final.

Gardner not even the best American Super heavy weight defeated
Karelin 1-0 on an escape. It was the first point that Karelin had given up in 6 years of international competition.

It was only the second loss of his career the first coming 13 years earlier!
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The biggest upset ever^^^^^
 
The Redsox in 2004 down 0-3 and behind in game 4 in the 9th inning with the great mariano on the mound against the evil empire..No team in baseball ever came back to win 4 straight..The Redsox went on to win the world series 4-0...and thaty my friends was the greatest upset of all time.
 
That's a good one Mad.


I'd have to just add one of the biggest CFB comebacks:
1988, The Bighouse - Steve Walsh leads the defending champion Miami Hurricanes in against a highly ranked Michigan Wolverine team. Mich gets up big. Miami comes back from 33 to 10 down in the 4th quarter with under 10 mins. left to win.


(Or - I could say the 2003 comeback against the Florida Gators after getting down 33 to 10...)


One of the bigger upsets in my lifetime was orchestrated by Penn State in the '87 Fiesta Bowl over a damn talented Miami team. (Looking at the rosters today, it's hard to fathom how we lost - Jimmy Johnson was the UM coach so can't blame a stupid coach.)
PSU basically baited Vinny Testaverde (the Heisman winner) into 5 interceptions. (Jimmy didn't help matters by calling a paucity of running plays for Alonzo Highsmith.)

PSU's offense sucked - but they took advantage on 2 of the INT's score 2 TD's. Then forced a last second INT when we had the ball inside their red zone (Shane Conlon, I think, picked it off).

They won 14-10. Miami was favored pretty big in that game. Kudos to JoePa - outcoached JJ.
 
IW - I forgot to type that Dwight Clark catching that pass from Montana was one of the biggest upset plays period.

He's a white dude (a tight end) with no vertical - yet he jumps at least 30 inches and finger-tip snares a perfect pass from the Golden Boy to beat the hated Cowboys.

Seriously - with who Clark was as a player - that play was just mind boggling to see.
 
jmh80 said:
IW - I forgot to type that Dwight Clark catching that pass from Montana was one of the biggest upset plays period.

He's a white dude (a tight end) with no vertical - yet he jumps at least 30 inches and finger-tip snares a perfect pass from the Golden Boy to beat the hated Cowboys.

Seriously - with who Clark was as a player - that play was just mind boggling to see.
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How did I forget that ! That play defined symbolized the beginning of the 49ers dynasty.

The biggest 49ers upset was the 1988 NFC title game. The 49ers had barely snuck in at 10-6 and were playing a 14-2 Bears team in -20 weather with snow. Everyone was calling it a 20+ point blowout but Jerry Rice caught a quick out, made a DB miss and took off down the sideline for a 40-50 yard score on the opening drive. Final score, 49ers 28 Bears 3 :head:

Other notable upsets:
1. LA Dodgers 4-1 series win over Oakland in 1988
2. Oklahoma beating Florida State in 1999 or 200. They whipped them 13-2, it wasn't that close. The Noles had a sick squad that year and the Sooners were considered lucky to get in.
3. NC State over Houston NCAA hoops in 1983
4. Denver over Green Bay in the 1998 Super Bowl. Many expected a lopsided Packers victory.
5. St.Louis over Detroit it last years World Series was definitely an upset.
 
Iron Warrior said:
2. Oklahoma beating Florida State in 1999 or 200. They whipped them 13-2, it wasn't that close. The Noles had a sick squad that year and the Sooners were considered lucky to get in.
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Don't get me started. :mad:
FSU shouldn't have even been there. We (Miami) beat them 27 to 24 in the mid-point of the season (October). Our loss to Washington was the second game (labor day weekend).

Yet somehow the BCS decided some opponent of one of FSU's opponents (read that again to comprehend) won a decent sized game (it was like Tulane or some sh*t) and that vaulted FSU over UM into the Orange Bowl.

FSU wasn't that good that year.
Hell - Ken Dorsey led UM down the field in under 2 mins to throw the game winner to Shockey against them.

Miami should have been in that bowl game (I think we'd have won - better offense than OU had seen that year with Portis, Reggie Wayne, and Santana Moss - read that again).
 
jmh80 said:
PSU basically baited Vinny Testaverde (the Heisman winner) into 5 interceptions. (Jimmy didn't help matters by calling a paucity of running plays for Alonzo Highsmith.)

PSU's offense sucked - but they took advantage on 2 of the INT's score 2 TD's. Then forced a last second INT when we had the ball inside their red zone (Shane Conlon, I think, picked it off).

They won 14-10. Miami was favored pretty big in that game. Kudos to JoePa - outcoached JJ.
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Game Summary 1987 Fiesta Bowl

Miami vastly outgained Penn State on the field, 445 yards to 162, with 22 first downs compared to the Nittany Lions' 8. However, the Hurricanes were hampered by 7 turnovers, including 5 interceptions by the Heisman-winning Testaverde.

The majority of the game was a seesaw battle. Miami's only touchdown was the result of a John Shaffer fumble that the Hurricanes recovered at the Penn State 23. Miami then took four plays to score the go-ahead touchdown.

The Nittany Lions responded with their only sustained drive of the night, going 74 yards in 13 plays, culminating in Shaffer's 4-yard scamper into the end zone. The halftime score was a 7-7 tie.

After Miami scored a field goal to retake the lead, Shane Conlan grabbed his second interception of the night, returning it 39 yards to the Miami 5. The first Penn State snap was fumbled, but the Nittany Lions recovered. D.J. Dozier then followed with a 6-yard run for the go-ahead touchdown.

Miami still had over 8 minutes on the clock, but fumbled on their next possession. With Penn State unable to move the ball, Miami began their last drive on their own 23 with 3:07 left in the game. A 4th-down completion to Brian Blades went for 31 yards and moved Miami into Penn State territory.[7] With a minute left, Testaverde hit Michael Irvin at the Penn State 10. The connection put the Hurricanes inside the 5 with 45 seconds left. Even with a national championship at stake, though, Penn State linebacker Pete Giftopoulos said the Penn State defense stayed calm. "We had some great leaders -- (seniors) Shane Conlan, Timmy Johnson, Bob White," he said. "They were key character people. To not see any fear in their eyes helped me as a junior and helped the other players to play the game. ... Nobody was losing it in the huddle, nobody was screaming. Everyone was like, 'Here's the play; let's do it.'"

On second-and-goal, Testaverde dropped back, but Tim Johnson broke free and sacked him. On third down, Testaverde threw incomplete into the flat. On fourth-and-goal, with 18 seconds left, Testaverde threw to the end zone, but was intercepted by Giftopoulos. The interception, Giftopoulos' second of the game (and Testaverde's fifth), ensured Penn State's second national title in five years.[8]

That was the day that the sports world discovered three things;

a) Vinnie Testaverde was color blind (everybody wearing white today?)

b) the cover 2 zone!!!

c) Penn State always beats teams with Heisman Trophy winners in the Championship game (Hershel Walker)

This was the game where the Miami players showed up in full army fatigues to the pre game dinner. The teams did skits mocking each others teams

(from Wikipedia)
As part of Penn State's skit, John Bruno, Penn State's punter, dragged out a garbage can labeled with masking tape as "Jimmy Johnson's Hair Spray" and made a few good-natured jokes. At this time, DT Jerome Brown unexpectedly stood up and unzipped his sweat suit to reveal his fatigues. "Did the Japanese sit down and eat with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?" he said. "No. We're outta here." At this point, Bruno offered a poignant observation that is still fondly remembered by many Penn State fans, "Excuse me," he said. "But didn't the Japanese lose the war?" Although Brown made an immediate effort to leave, Coach Johnson required him and the rest of the Canes to sit out the remainder of Penn State's routine before going. Indeed, when the routine ended, the entire Miami team stood up and proceeded defiantly toward their buses.[4]
 
The afore-mentioned 2003 Florida-Miami game at the Orange Bowl.


At 5:20 in, the comeback by former Gate Brock Berlin starts. The Canes were down 33 to 10 with under 4 mins. left in the 3rd Quarter.

FYI - the Gators haven't beating Miami since I was 5 years old (1985). :hammer:



Rhino,
As I mentioned - I give full credit to the PSU staff. Once they saw Jimmy being stupid with playcalling and not running Highsmith (future NFL player) - they baited Vinny and waited for him to make mistakes.
The loss for us is all on our playcalling. You posted the stats - we shut the Lion offense down. We had the talent.

Ultimately - playcalling was our downfall.
Well played by PSU.


In the end - I have no heartburn whatsoever over the '87 Fiesta. Miami won the title the next year - and then 3 more times after that.
Can you say dynasty? ;)
 
MaDmaN said:
The Redsox in 2004 down 0-3 and behind in game 4 in the 9th inning with the great mariano on the mound against the evil empire..No team in baseball ever came back to win 4 straight..The Redsox went on to win the world series 4-0...and thaty my friends was the greatest upset of all time.
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yup. that was a big upset:aargh: :aargh: :aargh: :aargh: :frustrate :frustrate :frustrate :frustrate :sad: :sad: :sad:
 
MaDmaN said:
The Redsox in 2004 down 0-3 and behind in game 4 in the 9th inning with the great mariano on the mound against the evil empire..No team in baseball ever came back to win 4 straight..The Redsox went on to win the world series 4-0...and thaty my friends was the greatest upset of all time.
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Damn straight!
 
Rodja said:
But that is not an upset; greatest choke/comeback, but not an upset. Going into the series, the Yankees were not heavily favored, so, to me, it does not qualify.
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Well i guess that's your opinion. To me the magnitude of that comeback more than qualifies as an upset in my book.....especially considering no team in baseball playoff history had done that before the 2004 redsox. To overcome the damaged morale during the playoffs that kind of defeceit (0-3) imposes on a team at any level is nothing short of amazing.
 
Trauma1 said:
Well i guess that's your opinion. To me the magnitude of that comeback more than qualifies as an upset in my book.....especially considering no team in baseball playoff history had done that before the 2004 redsox. To overcome the damaged morale during the playoffs that kind of defeceit (0-3) imposes on a team at any level is nothing short of amazing.
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yup. it sucked dlck!!!
 
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