Sports Illustrated's 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History

Sports SI

1 The Miracle on Ice: The US defeats the Soviets in hockey at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics (Feb. 22, 1980). 2 Jackie Robinson breaks Major League Baseball's color barrier (April 15, 1947). 3 Jesse Owens wins four gold medals in track and field at the Berlin Olympics (August 9, 1936). 4 'The Greatest Game Ever Played': The Baltimore Colts defeat the New York Giants in the first NFL Championship to go into sudden death overtime (Dec. 28, 1958). 5 Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier by TKO in 'the Thrilla in Manila' (Oct. 1, 1975). 6 Michael Phelps wins a record 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics (August 16, 2008). 7 Tiger Woods becomes the youngest Masters champion, scores 18 under par (April 13, 1997). 8 Bill Mazeroski's walk-off home run in Game Seven of the World Series (Oct. 13, 1960). 9 Joe Namath guarantees a Jets victory in Super Bowl III Jan. 12, 1969). 10 Hank Aaron hits his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record (April 8, 1974). 11 Christian Laettner's last-second basket gives Duke the victory in the NCAA East Regional Final (March 28, 1992). 12 Michael Jordan's final shot in a Bulls' uniform clinches the team's third consecutive NBA championship and sixth in eight years (June 14, 1998). 13 Secretariat wins the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths to complete the Triple Crown (June 9, 1973). 14 Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle (Oct. 30, 1974). 15 Bobby Thomson's 'Shot Heard Round the World' wins the National League pennant for the Brooklyn Dodgers (Oct. 3, 1951). 16 Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points in a single game (March 2, 1962). 17 Jack Nicklaus comes back from ninth place to win the 1986 Masters, his 18th major championship (April 13, 1986). 18 Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile barrier (May 6, 1954). 19 David Tyree catches a 32-yard pass against his helmet, keeping alive the drive on which the Giants would score the winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008). 20 Don Larsen throws a perfect game during the World Series (Oct. 8, 1956). 21 Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) defeats Sonny Liston for the heavyweight title (Feb. 25, 1964). 22 Lou Gehrig's farewell address (July 4, 1939). 23 Texas Western becomes the first school to start five black players in an NCAA Championship game, defeats top-ranked Kentucky for the title (March 19, 1966). 24 Brandi Chastain scores on a penalty kick to win the Women's World Cup, celebrates by taking off her jersey and falling to her knees (July 10, 1999). 25 Malcolm Butler's intercepts a Seahawk pass, sealing victory in Super Bowl XLIX for the Patriots (Feb. 1, 2015). 26 After North Carolina State upsets Houston in the NCAA championship game, coach Jim Valvano runs about the court, looking for a hug (April 4, 1983). 27 Joe DiMaggio's hits safely in his 56th consecutive game (July 17, 1941). 28 Ben Roethlisberger connects with Santorio Holmes in the end zone for victory in Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009). 29 'The Play': Cal scores a game-winning touchdown with a kickoff return featuring five laterals and the Stanford marching band on the field (Nov. 20, 1982). 30 The Magic Johnson-Larry Bird rivalry begins as Johnson's Michigan State defeats Bird's Indiana State in the NCAA championship game (March 26, 1979). 31 Buster Douglas' upset victory over Mike Tyson (Feb. 11, 1990). 32 Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes (Oct. 20, 1973). 33 'The Catch': Dwight Clark grabs a pass with his fingertips to win the NFC Championship game (Jan. 10, 1982). 34 Vince Young, with a record 467 yards of offence, leads Texas to victory in the BCS Championship (Jan. 4, 2006). 35 American Pharoah wins the first Triple Crown in 37 years (June 6, 2015). 36 The Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series on a walk-off home run by Joe Carter (Oct. 23, 1993). 37 Notre Dame stops UCLA's 88-game win streak in NCAA basketball with a 71-70 victory (Jan. 19, 1974). 38 Despite an injured leg, New York Knicks captain Willis Reed starts Game 7 of the NBA Finals, scoring the first two points for his team (May 8, 1970). 39 Bob Beamon shatters the long jump record by 21.75 inches (Oct. 18, 1968). 40 Months after announcing that he is HIV-positive, Magic Johnson is named MVP on the NBA All-Star Game (Feb. 9, 1992). 41 In their second title fight, Joe Louis KOs Max Schmeling in the first round (June 22, 1938). 42 Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins the US Women's Open by 12 strokes (July 3, 1954). 43 Tiger Woods wins the US Open by 15 strokes (June 18, 2000). 44. Tommie Smith and John Carlos deliver a Black Power salute during their Olympic medal ceremony (Oct. 16, 1968). 45 Roger Maris hits his 61st home run of the season, breaking Babe Ruth's record (Oct. 1, 1961). 46 Bill Walton is almost perfect in the NCAA championship game, scoring 44 points on 21-of-22 shooting (March 26, 1973). 47 'The Immaculate Reception': Terry Bradshaw's pass is deflected by a defender; running back Franco Harris catches the deflected ball and runs it in for a touchdown (Dec. 23, 1972). 48. Diego Maradona scores the two most famous goals in soccer history -- the 'Hand of God' and 'Goal of the Century' -- as Argentina defeats England in the World Cup quarterfinals (June 22, 1986). 49 Mark Spitz wins seven Olympic gold medals in swimming (Sept. 4, 1972). 50 The Dream Team dominates at the Barcelona Olympics (August 8, 1992). 51 Cal Ripken Jr. breaks Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive games played (Sept. 6, 1995). 52 Eighth seed Villanova upsets Georgetown, becomes the lowest seeded team to win the NCAA basketball tournament (April 1, 1985). 53 'Kick Six': Alabama's field goal comes up short, Auburn's Chris Davis catches it in the end zone and runs it up the sideline for the winning touchdown (Nov. 30, 2013). 54 Seventeen year old Pele scores six goals in his first World Cup (June 29, 1958). 55 'The Ice Bowl': Green Bay Packers win their third consecutive NFL championship in frigid conditions (Dec. 31, 1967). 56 Meeting in their third consecutive Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in a nearly five hour long match (July 6, 2008). 57 Arnold Palmer enters the final round of the US Open tied for fifteenth, rallies to win with a six under par performance (June 18, 1960). 58 Wayne Gretzky breaks the record for most goals scored in a career with his 802nd (March 23, 1994). 59 Nadia Comaneci scores the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history (July 19, 1976). 60 Boston College defeats defending national champs Miami on Doug Flutie's 'hail Mary' pass (Nov. 23, 1984). 61 John Havlicek steals the ball in the closing seconds of Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals to clinch a Boston Celtics victory (April 15, 1965). 62 In his only plate appearance of the World Series, Kirk Gibson hits a home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a Game One victory (Oct. 15, 1988). 63 John Wooden wins his 10th NCAA title in his last year as UCLA basketball coach (March 31, 1975). 64 Adam Vinatieri kicks a 48-yard field goal as time runs out to win Super Bowl XXXVI for the New England Patriots (Feb. 3, 2002). 65 Usain Bolt wins Olympic gold medals and sets records in both the 100m and 200m (Aug. 20, 2008). 66 Rookie point guard Magic Johnson replaces an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center in Game Six of the NBA Finals, becomes Finals MVP (May 4, 1980). 67 Carli Lloyd scores a hat trick in the World Cup final (July 5, 2015). 68 Muhammad Ali lights the flame at the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympics (July 19, 1996). 69 Bobby Jones wins golf's grand slam (Sept. 27, 1930). 70 Paul Henderson scores the winning goals in Games 6,7, and 8 of the Summit Series pitting Canadian pros against the Soviet national hockey team (Sept. 28, 1972). 71. Eric Heiden wins five gold medals in speedskating (Feb. 23, 1980). 72 Dale Earnhardt wins the Daytona 500 in his 20th attempt (Feb. 15, 1998). 73 The University of Connecticut women's basketball team wins its 90th consecutive game, the longest streak in Division I basketball (Dec. 28, 2010). 74 Bjorn Borg defeats John McEnroe in five sets for his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title (July 5, 1980). 75 Carlton Fisk's walk-off home run in Game Six of the World Series (Aug. 21, 1975). 76 Johnny Rodgers' 72-yard punt return starts the scoring in the 'Game of the Century' between Nebraska and Oklahoma (Nov. 25, 1971). 77 North Carolina wins the NCAA basketball title, going down to the wire in both the semifinal against Michigan State and the final against Kansas (March 23, 1957). 78 Wilma Rudolph wins Olympic gold medals and breaks the world records in 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay (Sept. 8, 1960). 79 In the first NBA Finals game to go to triple overtime, the Boston Celtics defeat the Phoenix Suns 128-126 in Game Five (June 4, 1976). 80 Wayne Gretzky becomes the fastest-ever player to score 50 goals in a season, reaching the mark in his 39th game (Dec. 30, 1981). 81. Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel, beats the men's record by two hours (Aug. 6, 1926). 82. Wrestling's greatest upset: Dan Gable suffers the only defeat of his college career, losing the NCAA title to Larry Owings (Jan. 1, 1970). 83 Mike Jones tackles Kevin Dyson at the one-yard line as time expires, preserving victory in Super Bowl XXXIV for the St. Louis Rams (Jan. 30, 2000). 84 Mary Lou Retton scores perfect 10s in floor exercises and vault to win the all-around gold medal (Aug. 3, 1984). 85 Willie Mays' over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series (Sept. 29, 1954). 86 Red Grange scores six touchdowns in a game, including four in the first twelve minutes (Oct. 18, 1924). 87 Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb's record for most career hits (Sept. 11, 1985). 88 Arthur Ashe becomes the first African American to win the men's singles title at the US Open (Sept. 8, 1968). 89 Boston Celtics win their first NBA title, starting a dynasty that will win 11 championships in 13 seasons (April 13, 1957). 90 Babe Ruth's 'called shot' in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series (Oct. 1, 1932). 91 Sidney Crosby scores in overtime, winning the Olympic gold medal for the Canadian hockey team (Feb. 28, 2010). 92 Kerri Strug sticks the landing on her vault with an injured ankle (July 23, 1996). 93 'The Music City Miracle': Titans defeat the Bills in a wild card playoff game with a last second kickoff return for a touchdown (January 8, 2000). 94 Reggie Jackson hits three home runs on three consecutive pitches in Game 6 of the World Series (October 18, 1977). 95 Larry Bird steals an inbound from Isaiah Thomas, passes to Dennis Johnson, who scores to win Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals (May 26. 1987). 96 Coach Tom Osborne calls for a two-point conversion for the win in the final minute. Nebraska comes up short, loses Orange Bowl and national title (January 2, 1984). 97. 'Duel in the Sun' between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson at the British Open (July 9, 1977). 98 Bobby Nystrom scores the winning goal in overtime of Game 6 of the Stanley Cup (May 24, 1980). 99 Affirmed beats Alydar by a neck to win the Triple Crown (June 10, 1978). 100 Boise State wins the Fiesta Bowl in overtime on a Statue of Liberty play (January 1, 2007); In the case of the college teams, the city of where the institution is located is represented; Missing: Chris Davis (53); Larry Owings (82)

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