Greatest Sporting Events in Person

[89Hen]

GF, has given us his top two live sporting events (Phillies winning the pennant in '93 and Eagles/Cowboys '95).

What say you? What were the greatest sporting events you witnessed in person?

[Silenoz]

I dunno. Games against UNI?

I saw Jordan play, and Maddux throw a 2-hitter or whatever, but the memories are faint.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxe ... 8200.shtml

[AshevilleApp]

Biggest personally or what would be perceived nationally?

[Gil Dobie]

Really hard to put them in order.

Super Bowl XXVI - Skins vs Bills
Stanley Cup Finals - Minnesota vs Lemieux
Grey Cup, Zero degrees in Winnipeg
Game 163 Twins vs Tigers
College World Series 8 times
Final Four - Duke vs the Fab Five of Michigan
2009 PGA Yang tamed the Tiger
Playoff game at Lambeau Field in January
NDSU Playoff games when they play "TEXAS"
Last Minnesota North Stars Game vs Chicago
First Minnesota Wild Game vs Flyers

[89Hen]

In no particular order...

Delaware > Navy in 1985 - My freshman year, a home game against Navy, Napoleon McCallum comes in as a Heisman candidate and leaves with a loss to Rich Gannon and the Hens.

Delaware > Southern Illinois in 2003 - Even though I've been to games with quite a few more folks in The Tub, I don't ever remember a more raucous crowd as the Hens absolutely demolish the Salukis in the first round. Even the semifinal game against Wofford didn't measure up in my book (wish I had made it up for the UNI game between them).

Flyers > Rangers in 1987 - First round game 2. Flyers pump in 5 goals in the third period to win 8-3. Went to the game with my temp job manager who was a Rangers fan. Loudest I've ever heard the Spectrum.

UVA > WVU in 2002 - Continental Tire Bowl. First time I ever really appreciated the bowl season. Set a stadium record for attendance (73,535), loud as hell. Two thirds WVU fans who were as obnoxious as they come. UVA scored two TD's in about 2:30 in the second quarter and never looked back. Hillbillies went home sad.

Honorable mention - 1997 US Open when Lehman dumped one in the water on 17 to lose to Els. Attending The Masters in 2017. 2011 Winter Classic Caps at Penguins, was a really cool experience and Caps won.

[89Hen]

Biggest personally or what would be perceived nationally?

Either

[89Hen]

This has the be the most obscure "big" sporting event I've attended. It was only big if you knew harness racing, but this was their equivalent of Secretariat. My dad worked at nights at this track, my sister worked there, I worked there and went all the time as it was 4 miles from my house and my best friend's father owned a couple horses. Niatross coming was a huge deal.

[AshevilleApp]

The three Appalachian National Championships.

App beating Michigan.

Tigers at Baltimore for the final series of 1995. The last games for Sparky Anderson and Lou Whitaker. (Should have been it for Trammel as well, but he hung on for another year.)

1976 (1977?) Mark "Bird" Fidrych shuts down the Yankees in his rookie season. It was on the old Monday Night Baseball as well.

1978 Michigan State at UNC in basketball. MSU had Magic Johnson, Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, etc. The Tar Holes won a close game, but the Spartans went on to win the "79 National Championship later that season.

[89Hen]

App beating Michigan.

Hard to top.

[93henfan]

The best for me was when my uncle, a track official at Dover Downs, rigged the "random" drawing on Saturday and got me a three-lap ride with Dale Earnhardt Sr at speed around the track in the Winston #1 prototype car in 1980.

My list of favorite competitive events attended:
-1976 Daytona 500 (Petty and Pearson wreck on last lap turn 4; Pearson restarts car and beats Petty to the line)
-1987 The Winston (Earnhardt Sr's "pass in the grass" to steal it from Bill Elliott)
-1993 NLCS Game 6 (Phils advance to WS over Braves)
-1994/5 Rose Bowl (undefeated Penn State over Oregon)
-1996 World Cup of Hockey, Canada @USA in Philly (Gretzy, Lemieux, and dozens of NHL stars on same ice playing - incredible)
-2001 Dover MBNA 400 (young Earnhardt Jr wins the first NASCAR race held after 9/11, all 135,000 fans waving American flags)
-2004/5 NFCCG (Eagles beat the piss out of Falcons on a brutally cold day - stadium ramps were swaying as jubilant fans bounced out)
-2008 Delaware HS Football State Championship (my alma mater Milford Bucs win their first and only state title over IvyTalk's sorry ass Laurel Bulldogs)

[AZGrizFan]

1) NCAAM National Championship Game - Texas Tech loses to Virginia
2) 2009 NCAA FCS National Championship - Griz lose to Villanova
3) 2001 World Series, Game 1 - Diamondbacks def Yankees 9-1
4) 1998 Inaugural season, First game in Diamondback history @ Bank One Ballpark
5) 2015 UM defeats NDSU 38-35, game on ESPN, opened the football season
6) 2004 Fiesta Bowl - Ohio State def Kansas State 38-35
7) 2016 Alamo Bowl - TCU defeats Oregon in 3 OT, 47-41 after being down 31-0 at halftime
8) 2017 Alamo Bowl - TCU defeats Stanford 39-37 after trailing 21-10 at halftime
9) 2014 Alamo Bowl - UCLA hangs on to defeat Kansas State 40-35, after leading 31-6 at halftime
10) 2017 Texas Tech @ Texas - Friday night game after thanksgiving. Tech rallies for 10 points in the final 10 minutes to stun the Longhorns 27-23 on their home field
11) 1984 - Wrigley Field - First and only game in that stadium I've seen
12) 2017 - Griz vs UW in Husky Stadium
13) 2019 - Griz vs Ducks in Autzen stadium

Been to hundreds of baseball games...hard to single out any one. Lots of college football games, playoff games, etc....only a few pro football games, none memorable. 2 pro hockey games.

[Ivytalk]

Game 2, 1980 World Series, Phils vs. Royals (the “Preparation H” game)

1975 Harvard-Yale game

1995: Villanova beats Georgetown (with Iverson) in the “jailbird game”

[SunCoastBlueHen]

This has the be the most obscure "big" sporting event I've attended. It was only big if you knew harness racing, but this was their equivalent of Secretariat. My dad worked at nights at this track, my sister worked there, I worked there and went all the time as it was 4 miles from my house and my best friend's father owned a couple horses. Niatross coming was a huge deal.

My dad worked nights at Brandywine as well. Maybe the two old men knew each other.

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[css75]

1st MLB game ever in Colorado. Rockies 10 Expos 4

1984 Olympic basketball. Jordan, Barkley,Stockton all amateurs and they won gold. Bobby Knight was coach.


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[89Hen]

1) NCAAM National Championship Game - Texas Tech loses to Virginia

Heard there were some questionable calls in that one.

[89Hen]

2) 2009 NCAA FCS National Championship - Griz lose to Villanova

I had a great time in 2007 but the Hens loss to Armanti voided it as one of the greatest for me.

[AZGrizFan]

1) NCAAM National Championship Game - Texas Tech loses to Virginia

Heard there were some questionable calls in that one.

[AZGrizFan]

2) 2009 NCAA FCS National Championship - Griz lose to Villanova

I had a great time in 2007 but the Hens loss to Armanti voided it as one of the greatest for me.

Well, if they'd WON, it would have been #1 on my list.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

One of the more entertaing games I attended goes back a ways. I was a kid and traveled with my day, his buddy and his buddy's kid up to Bethlehem, PA to watch the Hens take on Lehigh. Those two teams hated each other back in those days. Lehigh scored a late touchdown to take a two point lead. Delaware muffed the ensuing kick-off and had to start on their own 3 with less than a minute left in the game. UD QB Rick Scully proceeded to drive the Hens right down the field with one completion after the other. With 9 seconds left, Delaware lined up for the game winning field goal. The holder mishandled the snap and threw a desperation pass that fell incomplete. The Lehigh fans and sidelines went nuts. But hold the phone - it was only third down and the clock showed one second remaining. They clear the field, Delaware kicks the winning field goal, and now the Hen sidelines and fans storm the field.

One of those great childhood memories.

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[93henfan]

For 89 and SCBH, I attended races at Brandywine with my grandfather once in the late 70s or early 80s as a kid. I remember him being bummed when the track closed. My grandfather raised and ran a couple of sulky horses in the 60s and 70s. He had several trophies in his house. I also heard, through my dad and uncles, that there was a little throwing of races going on here and there. I was also told that a heckler once accused by grandfather of pulling up one of his horses on the home stretch, and my oldest uncle knocked the guy out in the stands.

He never raced at Brandywine. Strictly slower DE. Ocean Downs was the biggest place he went. He raced a lot on a track in Lincoln that was within walking distance of the first house I grew up in. I used to ride my bike around that track when it was closed. I pretended it was NASCAR.

[89Hen]

Wow, I'm not sure I've ever heard about that game Sunny.

[89Hen]

I also heard, through my dad and uncles, that there was a little throwing of races going on here and there.

The summer I worked there I got a "tip" from somebody I trusted that a horse was a lock to win their race. I wasn't much of a bettor, but I ended up doing a "wheel" bet for the exacta in that race hoping a longer shot would come in second. It hit.

The Big B was one of the most entertaining places I've ever been. Used to see Phillies and Flyers there all the time including Pete Rose.

[UNI88]

For 89 and SCBH, I attended races at Brandywine with my grandfather once in the late 70s or early 80s as a kid. I remember him being bummed when the track closed. My grandfather raised and ran a couple of sulky horses in the 60s and 70s. He had several trophies in his house. I also heard, through my dad and uncles, that there was a little throwing of races going on here and there. I was also told that a heckler once accused by grandfather of pulling up one of his horses on the home stretch, and my oldest uncle knocked the guy out in the stands.

He never raced at Brandywine. Strictly slower DE. Ocean Downs was the biggest place he went. He raced a lot on a track in Lincoln that was within walking distance of the first house I grew up in. I used to ride my bike around that track when it was closed. I pretended it was NASCAR.

Did you use a clothespin and a playing card to give your bike the motor sound?

[93henfan]

The Big B was one of the most entertaining places I've ever been. Used to see Phillies and Flyers there all the time including Pete Rose.

That was a serious damn track. Now it's a Trader Joes. (among many other stores)

[89Hen]

The Big B was one of the most entertaining places I've ever been. Used to see Phillies and Flyers there all the time including Pete Rose.

That was a serious damn track.

Yup. I may have gone over this before but on the photo the left side was the "Clubhouse" and the right side was the "Grandstand". Once inside the pay gate there were only three egresses between the two sides. The two were a perfect example of class structure and it was so stark, I wish I had a video or photos to really do it justice.

If you were in the Grandstand, you were surrounded by the common folk dressed in their finest cutoffs and T-shirts. Floors were concrete and littered with race tickets, peanut shells and empty beer cups, the lighting was dim and depressing and it was hot as hell as the meets basically ran from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Then you step through the magic portal into the Clubhouse and you're met with clean, white tiled floors, bright lights, men in sports coats and women in dresses (kids had to have collared shirts), and air conditioning. I think it only cost $5 to go into the Clubhouse, but it may as well been $500.

Wow, I just looked at that photo again and you can even see the lighting difference.