Your biggest sports moment?

[Boone]

I was re-watching the 'Hail Noah' game-winning TD pass play that stole a win vs. Chicago last season this morning. Brother Om and I try and catch at least one home game per season, and for whatever reason, that Bears game was the one Mark decided would be the one we attended last season. As an added bonus, Mark brought along his son Kyle. I will never forget the end of that game, the shock of the completed pass, the absolute joy and pandemonium that ensued, I swear we must have bear-hugged every person in our section that day.

It was, by far, the most electric sports moment I have ever been involved with in terms of being physically there. Nothing else will ever come close. And that includes carrying the Olympic torch enroute to Lake Placid for the 1980 Winter Olympics, see Pele play for the Brazilian Santo's, being on the sidelines for the big win in Philadelphia with Sean Taylor scooping up a fumble for the victory in 2005 that sent Gibbs and the Redskins back to the playoffs for the first time in forever. All were highly emotional, but none come close to the end of that Chicago Bears game when we found out with 100% certainty that we had ourselves a magical QB.

What's the biggest sports moment of your life?

 

[Chris]

Top 5 that I witnessed in person-

Football- 2006 Cowboys at Redskins- Troy Vincent FG block and Sean Taylor return plus facemask penalty with 6 seconds remaining to lead to the Novak FG for the win.

Hockey- 1987 Game 7 NHL playoff game between the Capitals and Islanders. 4 OTs starting on Saturday night and ending on Sunday morning with Pat LaFontaine’s goal to eliminate the Caps.

Baseball- 1997 Game 7 MLB World Series between the Florida Marlins and the Cleveland Indians. Extra innings (11) with Craig Counsell scoring on a Edgar Renteria hit to win the Marlins 1st WS.

Basketball (2)-
2013 Game 6 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. With the trophy already on the floor and the perimeter of the court taped off in anticipation of the Spurs championship, Chris Bosh secures an offensive rebound and funnels the ball to Ray Allen for a game tying 3 with 5 second remaining. Heat go on to win that game and travel to San Antonio to win Game 7 for the title.

1971- Game 4 NBA Finals between the Baltimore Bullets and the Milwaukee Bucks at the Baltimore Civic Center. The Bucks won the series in 4 games but I had the chance to see Wes Unseld, Earl Monroe, Gus Johnson, Lew Alcindor, Oscar Robertson and Bobby Dandridge play in person. Shout out to my Dad, who was not a basketball fan, for taking me.

(Too many great Bullets games at the Capital Center to pick one.)

 

[heisenberg]

I don't go to a lot of sporting events so I'm surprised i have a good one but I was at the Celtics playoff game against the nets when they had the greatest 4th quarter comeback in NBA history.

Pierce swinging his jersey over his head was right in front of me.

Beyond that not much, I was at a redsox game that went 19 innings but that was more boring than awesome, when they announced the trains would stop running at 1 am the crowd started pouring out the gate before the game was over.

 

[Canadian Hog]

The Redskins are the only team in all sports that I am over the top emotionally invested in outside of Italy in international soccer. My parents were born in Italy and at a very young age, my father taught me that the world literally stops when Italy plays in an international tournament. The only moments in order that compare to the thrill of big wins associated with Washington football history I have been around for are the following:

1) Italy vs. Germany 2006 World Cup Semi-Final: the Italians walk into Germany and extra time goals with the game on the brink of a penalty shootout by Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero send the Azzurri to the final and a Canadian Hog into an absolute wild frenzy.

2) Italy vs. France 2006 World Cup Final: I watched the game with close to a million Italo-Canadians in downtown Toronto’s Little Italy. It goes to a penalty shootout and Italy wins its first World Cup since 1982. The party was legendary and I have never seen so many hysterical people sharing in the joy and love for one’s heritage.

3) Italy vs. England 2020 European Championships Final: Italy wins its first Euro Cup title in my lifetime in another tension filled penalty shootout.

 

[Mark The Homer]

Ironically, my biggest sports moment wasn't even a sports moment. It was basically meaningless. It was the 1991 divisional playoff game vs Atlanta at RFK Stadium, aka The Seat Cushion Game. It was the moment those seat cushions flew.

 

[ArtMonkWasMyHero]

That I witnessed in person would have to be the 1/31/91 game between the Washington Bullets and the NY Knicks at MSG. This was Bernad King's return to New York and he made the most of it. He scored 49 points- 23 in the 4Q. The Garden was pandemonium. Half of the Knick's fans just sat there in astonishment, wondering how they had let him walk. The other half were cheering him on as he hit everything in sight. In between was some old guy in an old suit- the kind of guy you only see in NYC- holding up a sign stating, Bianchi Must Go! A reference to then Knicks GM, Al Bianchi. Great game.

That I did not see in person: Super Bowl XVII needs no introduction. I invited some HS friends over to watch in my parents' basement. Old tile floor with that cardboard like ceiling so prevalent in the 50s. When Riggo stiff armed Don McNeal and ran for the TD, I jumped up and put my fist through the ceiling thus creating an unsightly hole. It was never reparied. The house was sold last November. Perhaps the new owners will preserve the hole for posterity's sake.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Maryland/Notre Dame at Cole when I was a student in 1979. Notre Dame was #1 and Maryland was unranked, this was the most amped crowd I've ever heard. There was no cable, one game a week on Saturday and being on that game was a big deal. We got there really early, when they opened the door we snuck into the front row of the Notre Dame section, right behind the Notre Dame bench where we heard Digger Phelps coaching Kelly Tripuka as I smoked cigarettes and drank Southern Comfort. I'm not kidding, I was smoking 10 feet from the Notre Dame players.

Down 2 Maryland had to foul in the final seconds. They fouled a freshman, when he walked to the bench I could see in his eyes he was scared to death. Even a visit from the priest didn't settle his nerves and he missed the front end. Maryland came down needing a bucket to tie, there was no 3 point shot. Larry Gibson took a pass from Greg Manning and banked in the tying basket and was fouled with about a second to go.. Again the roudiest crowd I've ever seen went ballistic, I've never been more excited in my entire life. Of course he hit the free throw and soon we rushed the floor.
I've been searching for a copy of this game all my adult life and am convinced it does not exist. The best I can find is this clip with highlight but for some reason not the last play, Johnny Holiday has to describe the play on this recording. Such a shame.