[Voltron]

I was at the ball park for Barry Bonds' 500th, 660th and 700th home runs. I also saw his 71st-72nd for the season in 2001, but watched the 73rd on TV.

I was at Fenway when Roger Clemens struck out 16 batters.

I was in Paris this summer to watch Lance Armstrong win his 7th Tour de France.

 

[eyeteeth]

Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth with home run #715 in 1974 was the first I remember.
Also many manly hockey events.

 

[hciman77]

1988 when Wimbledon gave the mighty Liverpool a shock defeat at Wembley courtesy of a Lawrie Sanchez header and Dave Beasant saved a penalty - and I was there.

 

[traficante]

-Bo Jackson running over Brian Bosworth
-Julio Cesar Chavez 12th round K.O off Meldrick Taylor
-Tyus Edney coast to coast buzzer beater in round 2 of UCLA's NCAA
Championship in 95.
-Jose Canseco playing outfield and having a baseball bounce off he's dome and
going over the fence for a home run.

 

[elrod-tom]

Hmm...let's see...

1) The 1980 Olympic Hockey Team's victory over the Soviets: I was actually in Lake Placid (but not at the game) when this happened. Everyone went crazy...I've never been around a scene like that.

2) Kirk Gibson's homer in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series: It was like something out of "The Natural"...he could barely walk. He was one of my favorite Detroit Tigers back in the day, and I'd followed him going back to his college football days at Michigan State. A great leader and great big-game player.

3) Franz Klammer's 1976 Olympic Downhill victory: If any of you follow ski racing at all, this was one for the ages. He was literally on the edge of taking a tumble the whole way down...at 60+ mph!!

4) University of Michigan defeats Washington State in 1997 Rose Bowl: Not a great game, but a great moment for Michigan fans. My only regret is that it only earned them a share of the national title (it's rumored that Phil Fulmer of Tennessee voted Michigan 4th in the coaches poll because he was so ticked that Peyton Manning lost out to Charles Woodson in the Heismann Trophy race, handing a share to Nebraska in Tom Osborne's last year). Too bad too...with all the popping off that Scott Frost and his mates from Nebraska were doing after the fact, I really wish just once we could have played a "championship" game.

5) Tom Brady wins Super Bowl XXXVI: Second year player (and 6th round draft choice - almost an oversight!!) from Michigan does the improbable and leads his team to victory....the first of three in his first five years in the league.

6) John Elway - The Drive: Need I say more?

7) Jack Nicklaus in the 1986 Masters: I wasn't the biggest fan of Jack prior to that win...but I sure rooted for him that day.

8) Michigan loses to Colorado on final play of game in 1994: Cordell Stewart throws a desperation TD to Michael Westbrook (a Detroit native) to win the game. Was it a great moment? Yes...but I hated that it happened to Michigan.

9) The "Phantom Touchdown" in the 1979 Rose Bowl: In Schembechler Hall at the University of Michigan, they have an enourmous photo of this play. Charles White, still airborne, a ref signalling "touchdown"...and the ball lying at the two yard line. The ball is circled for effect. A "great" sporting moment...greatest screwed-up call of all time IMHO.

10) Cal Ripken Jr breaks Lou Gehrig's record: The reaction of the crowd sent chills down my spine...what a neat moment in sports.

One that I wish I'd seen:

 

[apnk]

Oh here's another one,

Jared Borgetti's header against Italy in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Oh and Senigal's 1-0 win against the world champions France.

 

[Spaghetti]

Joe Montana to Dwight Clark for the Catch. Joe in every playoff/Super Bowl game for that matter.

 

[JMT]

Again, I am assuming that all of the events that people posted about they have either seen in person, or on television as it happened. If we simply start listing events that we have heard about or saw on Sportcenter, the thread loses it's effectiveness.

Anyone remember the 1982 Cal/Stanford game where the final play was that out of the sandlot league? After the final kick off, with less than 30 seconds in the game, and about 30 laterals later, when the Cal band had already started entering the field for the post game activities in the end zone, and Stanford had all but won it, Cal ended up winning it with the most bizarre touchdown kickoff return in the history of college football.

I was there, it was surreal.

Joe Starky's call of "The Play."

 

[jude]

Of course, the 1980 USA Hockey Team victory over USSR ranks at or near the top for me.

Not "greatest" in the traditional sense, but May 1, 1994 was the day my favorite driver, Ayrton Senna, died at Imola. Sad as it was, there was some dark poetry in effect that day: Senna died in a race in which he started from pole position, a starting position he'd earned so many times before, and which became a hallmark of his career. And he died where the world was so used to seeing him--in first place. Michael Schumacher was just behind him in second place. It was a very dark day for sports, but, again, also ended up being a darkly poetic passing of the torch to the man who followed Senna and took the helm as the greatest driver of his time.

Another great moment that comes to mind is Rulon Gardner beating Alexander Karelin in 2000, and winning the Olympic gold medal. That was unbelievable.

 

[Absorbine_Sr]

Alex Zanardi's return to the Lausitzring in Germany in 2003. In the race there in 2001, Zanardi was involved in a crash that severed both of his legs and almost killed him. Two years later he returned to drive an Indy car equipped with hand controls, and completed the laps he had not finished in that 2001 race. His recovery has been astounding and he now walks with the aid of prosthetics. He is now back in racing in Touring Cars, and this year won at least one event against very good competition.

A_Sr.

 

[Leporello]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom Hmm...let's see... 3) Franz Klammer's 1976 Olympic Downhill victory: If any of you follow ski racing at all, this was one for the ages. He was literally on the edge of taking a tumble the whole way down...at 60+ mph!!

Funny, I was just going to mention this.

Others:

Lasse Viren winning the 10000 m gold medal in Munich 1972 Olympics.
The longjump finale in the 1991 World Championship games.

Regards,

L.

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMT Again, I am assuming that all of the events that people posted about they have either seen in person, or on television as it happened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth with home run #715 in 1974 was the first I remember.

I looked up from doing my math homework when Hank came to bat.

Also notable that evening was my younger brother, age 5, having his only known sleep walking episode when he drifted past us into the kitchen, opened the cupboard door beneath the sink and had a pee into the potato sack.

T'was the night of memorable stick welding.

 

[stromie]

Out of the games I've been to (I'm still young), the one that stands out is the 1993 AFC Championship Game with the Bills vs the Chiefs. It was Montana's last game I believe and it was quite a scene with him being slaughtered by the Bills D.

On TV, I guess the one that stands out the most is the Stanley Cup Finals game between the Sabres and Dallas Stars where Brett Hull scored the game winning goal that wasn't really a goal. At the time, the rule was that you couldn't be inside the crease as an offensive player and he was when he scored the goal in 2 OT (I believe). NO GOAL!

 

[bozebuttons]

bozebuttons, you saw the thrilla in manilla live on tv? awesome![/QUOTE]

All those fights where shown at movie theatres Live at the time,Had to pay no payperview then. But it was great as the theatres where full of maniac Boxing Fans,it was worth it just for that alone.

 

[shplorgh]

Robin Ventura's grand slam in the '99 NLCS! That ruled!