The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life

Number 1:

Mario's Miracle - KU Storms Back from 9 Pionts Down with 2:12 to go to Win the 2008 National Championship!!!! - April 7, 2008

For anyone who knows me or at least paid attention to how the countdown has gone so far it was pretty obvious this would be the Number 1 sports moment of my life.  With a bullet.  Seriously, nothing else comes close when it really comes down to it, I mean, could it get any better than this?  This transcends even "Sports Moments" and is one of the greatest moments of my life.  Getting my college degree?  Not better.  Getting my masters?  Not better.  Passing the CPA exam?  Not better.  Seriously, most likely it will take my marriage to finally get a moment that will top this.

As KU fans we have spent our entire lives being told of how elite our program is.  We have been showered with praise about our ability to recruit and dominate the Big 8/Big 12 greater than any other team has dominated any other conference.  However, my generation has very little to show for this.  We were teased with a championship when we were not old enough to care and have since been brought to the brink so many times only for it to end in heartbreak (see: 2003 National Championship).  This was the moment to validate our fandom and to finally realize just how great our program is.

After UCLA had climbed back into the limelight with 3 straight Final Fours, UNC and Duke had both won a National Championship this decade.  KU was slightly losing ground in their battle for program supremacy across the country.  A couple near misses early in the decade were not enough, the fan base was hungry and it had now been 20 years since KU had tasted the glory of a National Championship.

Everyone had high expectations going into the year.  KU returned a very experienced team and could go as deep as anyone in the entire country.  Led by the junior class of Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and helped by Russell Robinson, Sasha Kaun, Darnell Jackson, and elite sophomores Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur (not to mention some help from big time freshman Cole Aldrich) KU was able to put together the season everyone thought they would. 

Racing out to a 20-0 start KU hit a bit of a snag during the middle of the season and found themselves at 24-3 and at a crossroads of the season.  Some off the court issues had affected the play of this team and they had to decide if they wanted to give up or band together as a team and make a run at this thing.  Thankfully, they chose the latter and banded together to make a championship run.

KU did not lose another game the rest of the season and made their way through the Big XII tournament defeating a fiesty Texas squad in the championship to solidify their number 1 seed in the tournament.  KU cruised through the tournament until the Elite Eight where they were met by the upstart Davidson squad that was the darling of the tournament.  After dispatching the Wildcats they moved on to the Final Four, but you had the feeling this team was not done yet.

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life

Number 2:

Joe Montana gets traded to the Chiefs and leads them to the AFC Championship game - 1993

This came close to being the greatest sports moment of my life.  All my loyal readers will know how loyal I can be as a fan, especially when it comes to any sports "man-crush" I may have.  Joe Montana represents the ultimate sports "man-crush" in my sports life.  Peyton Manning is closely approaching that level, but that is another topic for another time.

Montana exuded excellence throughout his career.  The only good thing to come out of Notre Dame, Montana won a National Championship in his Junior season in 1977.  Two years later, the San Francisco 49ers selected Montana with the 82nd overall pick in the third round.  Montana never had elite arm strength and wasn't necessarily the most mobile or athletic quarterback.  These facts did not help Montana come draft time and the 49ers picked him up hoping for the best knowing that his accuracy could lead to good things in the future.  They were right.

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My LIfe

Number 3:

KU beats Oregon 104-86 to get to the Final Four for the first time since I was old enough to realize what was going on - March 24, 2002

This was a glorious moment in my sports life.  Roy Williams had immediate success as KU's coach when he took over in 1989 and took KU to Final Fours in 1991 and 1993.  However, after that early success, Williams had some problems.  Williams was still able to pull down the top talent and have some great teams, but as I was coming up and my KU fandom was growing they developed somewhat of a reputation (to non-KU fans) of being "choke artists."  Where did this stem from you ask?  Well there are a few reasons this moniker came about. 

In 1996-97 KU had an extremely talented team with the likes of players such as Jacque Vaughn, Scot Pollard, Jared Haase, and a young Raef Lafrentz and Paul Pierce, etc.  This team took a 27-4 record into the tournament and couldn't get it done, stalling in the Elite Eight to eventual national champions Arizona.  However, the same team returned for the 1997-98 season (minus Scot Pollard) and tore through the regular season.  KU was 32-1 heading into the tournament with the tournament's #1 overall seed and looking unbeatable.  KU disappointed everyone by losing in the Sweet 16.  To this day I still feel that was the most talented team I have ever seen at KU and it is the loss that stings the most. 

The same team returned again the next year (minus Jacque Vaughn) and had another stellar season, led by the best KU player of my generation Paul Pierce.  Pierce helped lead the team to a 34-3 record and another overall #1 seed in the tournament.  This time it was an even more disappointing loss as KU flamed out in the second round.  Again, just plain disappointing.  This is where as a fan you start to wonder if it's ever going to happen. 

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life:

Number 4:


Derrick Thomas Gets Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame - January 31, 2009

In my lifetime the Chiefs glory days were the 1990's.  No team had a more feared homefield advantage than Arrowhead in the '90's, no team had a better home record than the Chiefs in the '90's, no team had more turnovers than the Chiefs in the '90's and the Chiefs had one of the best winning percentages in the league over that time. 

Why were the Chiefs so successful during this time?  There are quite a few reasons.  Carl Petersen and Marty Schottenheimer came along in the late 1980's inheriting a Chiefs franchise that had been bottom feeding for over a decade.  The Chiefs made the playoffs in 1986 but had not been there before that since 1971, and wouldn't be there again until 1990. 

In Schottenheimer's first year the Chiefs had the #4 overall draft pick.  Knowing the key to success in the league was to have a good defense, a defensive player was paramount with this draft pick.  When the Chiefs' number was called they selected Derrick Thomas with the 4th overall pick out of the University of Alabama. 

Thomas was a standout linebacker at the University of Alabama toppling many Alabama defensive records.  In 1988, Thomas' senior year he dominated the college football landscape winning the Butkis Award (best linebacker in the country), being named a unanimous All-American and finishing 10th in the Heisman Balloting.  Thomas was sure to be a success in the NFL. 

10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life

Number 5:


Kansas stomps UNC (and Roy Williams) 84-66 in the Final Four - April 5, 2008


Now we get to the first moment on my list that I can truly appreciate as, not only was I old enough to realize what was going on, but my fandom had increased to the point that I had followed all the team members since their recruitment and freshman years.  I felt as though I knew each team member personally and was right there every step of the way taking the journey with this team.

If you ask any Kansas fan, although not many said it during the year for fear of a jinx, 2008 was the best chance KU had to win it all in a long time.  In fact, yours truly said as much during the season, that if Bill Self knew he ever had a chance to win this was it.  Of course, I immediately chastised myself for the possible jinx, thankfully, it all turned out OK.

This season started out just how everyone thought it would as KU raced out to a 20-0 record and looking every bit the elite level team everyone thought they would be.  These 20 wins included a tough overtime win vs Arizona and a hard fought victory over USC in LA.  KU cruised until they ran into upstart Kansas State with freshman sensation player of the year candidate Michael Beasley.  Beasley lit up the Jayhawks and K-State ended up pulling out a victory over KU at Manhattan for the first time in 30 attempts.

This started a 3-3 stretch in the middle of the season that had some prognosticators talking about the unraveling of KU's championship hopes.  What those prognosticators did not know what that two family members of two different players on the Jayhawks had recently passed away and the team had been put into a funk as a result.  As Bill Self famously recounted, he questioned the team as to whether they had talked to these teammates and showed their support, which the team did not do.  To this Self replied "I thought you cared."

This prompted a team meeting for the Jayhawks where this was talked about and a new resolved was gained for the remainder of the season.  KU ripped off another 13 straight wins to end the season, including an epic matchup between the Jayhawks and the Texas Longhorns in the Big XII championship game.

10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life

Number 6:

George Brett Gets Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame - 1999

Alot of this information was covered in my previous post (moment number 7) about how great George Brett was, but seeing as he is the only Royal in the HoF I figured I still had to include this. 

George Brett ended his career with a .305 batting average, 317 HRs, 1595 RBIs, and a career OPS of .857. 

The man was a 12-time All-Star, 1980 AL MVP, 1985 ALCS MVP, won the 1985 Gold Glove, won the batting title in 1976, 1980, and 1990, won the Silver Slugger award in 1980, 1985, and 1988, led the league in hits 3 times, triples 3 times, and doubles twice...you get the point.  The man could play the game.

Why this made the list:

Again, not the biggest baseball fan, but if anyone ever asks what good have the Royals contributed to baseball, besides owning a World Series crown, it would be George Brett.  Brett played with an intensity and ferocity matched by few and was so good at his craft he was able to garner one of the highest voting percentages ever.  The baseball community was able to recognize how great a player he was and so am I.  Although I came around at the tail end of his great career it is great having Brett be a part of the Kansas City sports legend and he will forever be enshrined there (and the HoF) forever.

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life

Number 7:

George Brett gets his 3000th hit - October 1, 1992


So this is another instance where I was probably too young to fully appreciate the magnitude of this moment but after some deliberation I realized just how monumental of a deal this really is.

There are only 27 players in the 3000 hit club in the history of baseball. Baseball has been around for over 100 years and has had thousands upon thousands of players take their hand at greatness and only 27 people have been able to accomplish this feat.

Brett's greatness had been showcased his entire career. To this day he is still the only player in MLB history to win the batting title in 3 different decades ('76, '80, '90). In 1980 he came close to hitting .400 and wound up hitting .390, which was the highest since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

Brett solidified himself as one of the greatest hitters of all time by punching his ticket into this elite club on that October day in 1992. My memories of this event are vague but I do remember it happening, I remember the newspaper clipping and I remember my parents sending it in to the KC Star to get it mounted and framed, a display which still remains in my parents house today.

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of my Life

Number 8:

Pete Stoyanovich Hits a 54 yard field goal to beat the Broncos 24-22 as time expires - November 16, 1997



So this may not seem like it was a big deal but this was a very monumental moment in my sports life. My parents have had season tickets to the Chiefs for 28 years and my dad can count on one hand the amount of games they've missed in that time. Unfortunately this was one of them. As we were moving into our new house my parents and I stuck around to help with move while my sisters lucked out and got to go to this game.

The Broncos came to town boasting the best record in the AFC (9-2) but right on their heels were the Cheifs (8-3). The winner of this game would be leading the AFC West and in the driver's seat for homefield advantage in the playoffs, which is a big deal considering how much of an advantage it was to play at Arrowhead in the '90's.

In between moving boxes into the U-Haul we rented we would watch the game on the only TV still hooked up in the house, our kitchen TV which was all of 7 inches. As long as we could see the game though, it didn't really matter. Although none of us thought the game would be as epic as it turned out to be.

While for my parents generation the Chiefs' greatest rivals were the Raiders, my most hated team has always been the Denver Broncos. In fact, there is no greater sports entity I hate more than the Denver Broncos, and especially John Elway. For some reason, even amidst the dominance of the Chiefs in the '90's the Broncos had our number (and Marty Schottenheimer's) and seemed to be able to find the most improbable ways to win games against us, even when we had the better team. It was this turn decade long ability the Broncos had that made me really grow to despise them more and more as the years went on.

The game started well enough as the Chiefs came out and controlled the game. The pundits would've had you believe the Broncos were the better team for the season, especially after manhandling the Chiefs at Mile High in the first week of the season. However, the Chiefs came out ready to send a message, and send a message they did. Leading at halftime the Chiefs parlayed their lead into a 21-10 lead going into the 4th quarter. This is when the tide started to turn...

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life:

No. 9:

Kansas Wins the National Championship - April 4th, 1988

As with my sports moment number 10, I wasn't really old enough to know what was going on, but until recently I clung to this moment as my claim to glory for my sports teams. The Chiefs true glory days were before I was even a thought of, The Royals glory days ending coincided with my birth year. The only team I root for that has been consistently good my entire life has been the Kansas Jayhawks.

KU has arguably the most storied program in all of college basketball. UCLA has more championships, but KU is where the game was INVENTED. North Carolina has won 4 championships in the last 25 years but the man that brought that program to its current dominant level was a KU alum. Not to mention the man who currently helms the program and has brought it quite high got his start under Dean Smith (the aforementioned KU alum) and his first head coaching gig was at KU. Duke was nothing before Coach K came 30 years ago. James Naismith invented the game at KU in 1898, and with the aforementioned Dean Smith, basketball coaching legend Adolph Rupp was also a KU alum who got his tutelage from the KU greats. When he retired Phog Allen was the winningest coach in college basketball, giving rise to the vaunted battle cry to all who come to Lawrence to play the Jayhawks..."Pay heed all who enter the Phog..."

The 1988 season was a magical one to say the least. At my young age I was not able to appreciate it and my parents had to get a babysitter for me so they could go and watch the game. I would expect nothing less, any 3 year old of mine needs to realize if any of Daddy's teams are playing in a championship a babysitter will be necessary. The infallable father figure image I am sure to project to my young child will need not be ruined by him seeing me scream and holler at a tv screen, and yelling at players whom I dont know and have never met, by their first name, whether it be in pure elation or disdain.

The Jayhawks made the Final Four when the illustrious Danny Manning was a sophomore in 1986. They reached the 30 win plateau that year and Larry Brown had asserted himself as one of the best coaches in college basketball. A #1 seed and favored to win the National Championship, KU's season ended disappointingly in the Final Four (again showing the brilliance of KU's program that a Final Four loss would cause a seson to end in disappointment). High expectations followed in '87 with a slightly disappointing 25-11 season with an exit in the sweet 16. Due to this the expectations for the 1988 season were slightly tempered going in. Those expectations turned out to be correct as KU found themselves with a 21-11 record heading into the tournament in 1988. This garnered the Jayhawks a #6 seed in the tournament. Nothing great was expected....

However, the incomporable "they" who always makes those expectations forgot about Danny Manning, which is why this team is fondly referred to as "Danny and the Miracles." Behind the epic scoring abilitiy and general greatness of Danny Manning, the entire team rode on his back to the Final Four and on to the National Championship. I recently acquired a coffee table book outlining the great history of the Jayhawks and it contained a copy of Vern Lundqvist's notes on that '88 championship game, which included remarks about the brilliance of Danny Manning. Paul Pierce was probably the most dominant KU that have been able to see play and comprehend his greatness, but from what I have seen and heard Manning was better and I only wish I could have seen him will this team to victory.

After being deadlocked at 50-50 in an extremely exciting and fast-paced first half, the Jayhawks came out and controlled the ball, the tempo, and the game culminating in the unthought of championship bringing the trophy, and more importantly the glory, back to Lawrence for the first time in 36 years!!!

Obviously, this was the championship that I really hung my hat on as a sports fan. The Royals are nowhere even remotely close to being in the same solar system as that team from 1985. The Chiefs have had some really good teams but have never been able to completely put it together. Through all the ups and downs in my sports life the Jayhawks have always been there representing to make sure I had something good to cheer for. My younger years are filled with the glory of KU and (to be honest) some slight disappointments. I still remember the compassion my sisters showed me in 1998 when the only game KU lost during the regular season was a triple overtime thriller to the team that wont be named (but resides in Columbia, MO). As I cried watching the undefeated season slip away from the Jayhawks my sisters came in to "lovingly" gloat that the team they root for just to piss me off happened to catch lightning in a bottle and beat the best team in the land. Thank God for my mother who came in to make sure I was ok after the gloating...sidenote: these are the moments mothers are made for, when you're siblings dont know when to stop they can come in and make it all better. Thanks Mom. Although the pain only lasted for a short while as KU rode a 32-1 record into a #1 overall seed in the tournament. This was the best team I have ever seen at KU, even to this day. The season only ended in disappiontment, which led me and a friend to discuss whether its better to be like KU and always be close or be like his team (that which won't be named) and only get there once in a blue moon (or in the case of a Final Four, never). The verdict was it is better to always be close cause at least it keeps your interest and every once in a while you break through (1952, 1988, 2008...but who's counting).

The 10 Greatest Sports Moments of My Life:

Number 10:

ROYALS WIN THE WORLD SERIES - October 27th, 1985

So technically I was just under 6 months old at the time, but in Kansas City it doesn't matter because this was the "crowning" moment for one of the most dominant teams of that decade. From 1976-1985 the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees were the class of the American League. No year classier of course than the 1976 Royals, which never fails to give my Dad that look in his eye when he talks about it. "The best team the Royals ever had." In an article in ESPN the magazine Whitey Herzog (the teams manager in '76) agreed, so I guess my dad knows what he is talking about from time to time.

From 1976-1978 the Royals won three consecutive division championships and met the Yankees in the American League Championship Series each year, although each meeting ended in a loss for the Royals. After a year break from the playoffs in 1979, the Royals, with new manager Jim Frey in place, finally broke through and made it to the world series in 1980. However, as had become in the norm in the Royals' short history, the season would end in heartbreak losing the Series to the Philadelphia Phillies in six games.

The next major happening in Royals lore came in 1983 with the epic "Pine Tar" game. George Brett had hit a home run to put the Royals up in the game and the home run was disallowed for an "illegal" placement of pine tar more than 18 inches up on the bat. The umpires convened and disallowed the home run causing Brett to rush out of the dugout in disgust to protest. Brett was promptly thrown out of the game. However, the home run was later allowed by the commissioner and the game was finished two weeks later resulting in a Royals victory. The Royals returned to the playoffs in 1984 only to get swept by the eventual world champion Detroit Tigers. Another trip to the playoffs and another disappointing end to a stellar Royals season.

Then along came 1985. God was smiling upon Kansas City that year. A certain someone was born and the Royals finally broke through completely and ended the season with a win. Through the tutelage of new Manager Dick Howser (who took over in 1984) the Royals were able to get themselves to the world series where the cross state rival the St. Louis Cardinals would be their competition, giving the Series the moniker the "I-70 Series." Now, my own personal dislike for the Cardinals aside, the redbirds proved to be a formidable opponent that year. After the Royals overcame a 3 games to 1 deficit by the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS they quickly fell behind again 3 games to 1 to the Cardinals. This is when the series became interesting, and depending on who you ask, legendary. After winning game 5 the series looked like it was on its way to being over as the Cards held a 1-0 nothing lead in the ninth inning of game 6. That was until a controversial call by the now infamous Don Denkinger. Nevermind, that there was a horrible call to call Frank White out trying to steal second earlier in the game. Nevermind, that the Cards dropped an easy out pop foul or that there was a passed ball later in the inning as well. Nevermind all that, for if you ask any Cardinals fan the entire series rested on that call, but that will be discussed more later. The Royals went on to win the game and then clinch the series in game 7 in Kansas City for the elusive World Series Championship!!!

Why this made the list:

I have never proclaimed myself to be the biggest Royals fan. I follow them and support them but baseball has never a favorite sport of mine. However, that being said, the impact this event had on my fair city cannot be understated in the slightest. When the Chiefs won the Super Bowl the NFL was not near the powerhouse it is today and football was not nearly as popular as it is today either. Even with all 5 National Championships the Kansas Jayhawks have won, Lawrence is still 45 minutes away and although close enough, cannot be called a part of Kansas City sports lore. The Jayhawks have a place all their own and it would be a good bet you will see them on this list as it moves forward.

No, in 1985 Baseball was king, back when it was still true to call baseball "America's sport." After years of knocking at the door the Royals finally broke through and made it happen. If you ask my father KC has always been a baseball town and it has never been more prevalent than this moment. Despite my feelings on baseball it still gives me chills to think about 40,000+ fans crammed into Royals stadium cheering wildly at every pitch. Such an event never happened in KC before and such an event has not happened since. My only hope is that there will be an event of equal excitement in my lifetime.

Rarely does the sports world turn its head to Kansas City but there was nowhere else to look on October 27th. The Royals had conquered the major leagues and nobody could say anything about it (no matter any Cardinals fan will tell you). This is why an event that happened when I didn't even know what was going on made my list. Revive '85 t-shirts and the stories of anyone who was able to witness such an event will tell you exactly what kind of impact this event had on Kansas City and still has on my life.

(Editors note: To all St. Louis fans and those who think they Cards got robbed - GET OVER IT!!! The call was made and it happened. Oh yeah, lest we forget that it was in game SIX, there was another game yet to be played which the Cardinals did not have to lose. People will say "oh they were so demoralized how were they supposed to play well?" I don't buy that for a second. These men were professionals and professionals should be able to put a bad call behind them (however bad it may have been) and play like professional ballplayers. Especially when it is the biggest game of their life. That is the end of it.)