Greatest Moments Throughout Sports History

Sports are thrilling because they are live, and together in the moment, we can celebrate a particular instance that can have an impact on sports for years to come. Fans await eagerly as players give it their all to pull off the spectacular, and when they do, the results are wondrous.

Epic moments happen in all sports, culminating as the result of a variety of fantastic circumstances that called for the tipping point to be reached. Then the stadiums boom and cities cheer, because you must cherish the circumstances. These are sports’ greatest moments in history.

It was literally the second Super Bowl in NFL history and the Packers had just won both of them. After winning Super Bowl II on January 14, 1968, players hoisted coach Vince Lombardi on their shoulders and carried him off the field. They had just defeated Oakland in an impressive 33 to 14 win. Yes, it is this Vince Lombardi after which the trophy was named.

In 2001, Tiger Woods teed off in the final round of the Masters to make history. He took the Masters to win his fourth consecutive major championship. A feat unheard of until that day, they named it the “Tiger Slam” after the man who stood as the most dominant golfer in history.

Bobby Martin played football for Colonel White High when this picture was taken on September 24, 2005. He was born with no legs, but he never let that hold him back even when it came to the tough sport of football. He was on the punt and kickoff teams.

It was named the “Bite Fight” when Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield met for a title fight on June 28, 1997. For some reason, Tyson decided to bite Holyfield’s ear during the fight and he has left him with a permanent scar that can easily be seen. The ref stopped the fight and named Holyfield the winner. Tyson was fined millions of dollars and he has made amends with Holyfield.

The Patriots went completely undefeated in the 2007-2008 NFL football season. But they met the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots were leading and it looked like they were going to complete a totally undefeated season unheard of since Miami did it in 1972. But Eli Manning met David Tyree in this unbelievable catch against his helmet while Rodney Harrison tried to defend, which would set up the Giants for the 17-14 win.

In 1956, it was one of the most phenomenal moments in MLB history. In Game 5 of the World Series, Don Larsen threw the only No-Hitter ever in World Series history. This celebratory hug is catcher Yogi Berra jumping on Larsen for finishing what had never been done before and what hasn’t happened since.

It has been said that the U.S. Hockey Team was the underdog going into the 1980 Olympics. But, they fought through and met undefeated Russia to win and then go on to win the Gold Medal. Why this picture called “Miracle on Ice” is so important is because it was at the height of the cold war tension and this win against Russia was something America really needed at the time.

Hank Aaron’s career is shrouded by racism and hatred. Off the field, he had to deal with the worst. But on the field was where he shined and this shot marks his 714th home run raising him up to the all-time home run leader over Babe Ruth.

It was an awesome slide when Brooklyn Dodgers’ second baseman Jackie Robinson slid into home in the World Series of 1955. They didn’t win that particular game against the Yankees. But that shot was enough to inspire the team to rally and eventually win the Series in the end.

When Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik knocked Giants running back Frank Gifford out in this game in 1960, Gifford left the game temporarily. No, not that game. He left the game of football period because back then, it was much more brutal than it is today with all its rules and regulations. On the record, I do believe the players deserve some protection when it comes to playing the game and that’s what the pads are for.

The 1991 World Series had plenty of awesome moments. But when catcher Greg Olson took a hit at the plate to tag out Dan Gladden, he didn’t drop the ball as he flipped over the Minnesota left fielder. The sad thing is that Minnesota would go on to win the series anyway, even though Olson gave every game this much effort.

Carl Lewis was a sight to see. Watching him run was hard to do because he blew past everyone at speeds unheard of at the time. In the Olympics of 1992, he set a new world record in the 4×100 meter relay. Carl Lewis would end his Olympic career with 9 total gold medals. He also has a bronze.

It was the 1972 AFC playoffs against the Oakland Raiders when Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers made one of the most amazing catches in NFL history called the “Immaculate Reception.” The Steelers were behind and in the last 30 seconds of the game, Terry Bradshaw tried to connect with John Fuqua. Raiders safety Jack Tatum tried to catch it, but the ball bounced off his hands and in the air it went. Franco Harris caught it just before hitting the ground and fought his way all the way to the end zone, bringing home the win for the Steelers.

It’s called “Lynn Swann’s Leap” and it was in Super Bowl X. Of course, Lynn Swann has many amazing catches of his career. But this one has to go down in history as one of sports’ greatest moments because of his leap. Terry Bradshaw could have put the ball anywhere and Swann would have caught it. He put this one a bit high above Dallas Cowboy defender Mark Washington. Swann is literally his body length above Washington and the defender even has his hand on the ball. But Swann would win the battle and come down with it.

At the Houston in Houston, Texas in November 1966, Cleveland Williams stepped in the ring with the great Muhammad Ali. He was knocked out in the third round and Ali won the Heavyweight title while 35,460 fans looked on disappointed. Of course, the knockout was spectacular. But they came to see a fight and obviously they didn’t really get a good one.

Michael Jordan did amazing things on the court during his spectacular career. But this moment was during the 1988 Slam Dunk contest when he launched from the top of the free throw line and didn’t come down until Air had become a part of his name. It was the greatest dunk of all time, scoring a perfect 50 and solidifying him as a legend who would go on to dominate basketball for another 10 years.

It’s no doubt the fans loved Willie Mays. This infamous catch made him even more popular as it went down in history as one of the greatest catches of all time. It was Game 1 of the 1954 World Series when a pop fly was sent into centerfield. When Mays caught that nearly impossible ball, it set up a 5-2 win over Cleveland and the Giants would go on to sweep the series.

When American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood on the podium at the Olympic Games of 1968, they had a powerful statement they were trying to make. The Black Power movement was big in the U.S. and they raised their fists with black gloves on to symbolize their stand with the movement. Because of their political statement, they were told they had to leave the Games. But the moment had already been marked in history and they took their medals with them.

It was during a game in August of 1975 between the Reds and the Cubs when Pete Rose went all in and showed the world why he is considered one of the greatest. He dove into third base and this photo was highlighted in Sports Illustrated. The move was called the “Pete Rose Dive” and many players who were just kids then have tried the dive since. It’s not common because normally a player slides in feet first.

Ali did a lot of trash talking before the fight. After all, it was a rematch and Ali was trying to get his Heavyweight title back. On May 25, 1965, Sonny Liston stepped into the ring and Ali lived up to his hype. Liston was knocked out in the first round as Ali stood over him still trash talking to the very end.

The Paralympic Games of 2004 provide us with an eye opening moment that can inspire us all. Ervin Kovacs left his legs by his chair and went on to win the silver coming only a mere hundredths of a second behind Junquan He, the swimmer from China.

Brandi Chastain was celebrating the U.S. victory in the 1999 Women’s World Cup. She did in fact rip her shirt off and that passion inspired young ladies all around the world. Brandi has gone on to retire from the game, but her lasting impression will live forever.

In The NFC Championship Game in 1982, San Francisco played The Dallas Cowboys. Joe Montana threw a clutch ball through the eye of a needle to meet Dwight Clark in the end zone for this amazing catch. It was a last second play that gave the 49ers the victory over Dallas 28-27.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Michael Phelps touched the wall just a fraction of a second before the Serbian Milorad Cavic. This gave him his 7th gold medal and he would go on to win a record 8 gold medals total in Beijing. Now, he stands prominently above any other athlete with 23 gold medals and 28 medals in total.

Jack Nicklaus watches as his putt sinks into the last hole of the day at the 1986 Masters. He outplayed both Tom Kite and Greg Norman when he marked his card with a 65. It was his 18th professional major that he was able to take home solidifying his place in history as one of the greatest golfers of all time.