Greatest upsets in Sports Histroy

Also...

-USA beating USSR, Sweden, and the bunch for the 1980 gold medal in hockey.
-Rulon Gardner defeating the undefeatable Alexander Karelin in Greco-roman wrestling in 2000 (Karelin hadn't been scored upon in a decade, or beaten in 14 years).
-the 1969 Mets.
-The NY Jets winning the Super Bowl...not so much for the upset itself, but for how it changed the NFL.

 

In addition to the ones already named, here are some more.

Chaminade over Virginia.

NC State over Houston in 1983.
I think this one is bigger than Villanova beating Georgetown.

Villanova over Georgetown in 1985.
After hearing some information this week that I didn't know before, I think this is less of an upset than previously thought. In the regular season, 'Nova lost by 2 at home and by 7 at Georgetown. That was also the year that the tournament was expanded to 64, and I'm not so sure that 'Nova should have been an #8 seed in the first place.

New England over St Louis in the Super Bowl.
Every expert but one (don't remember who) on the Boo-yah-back-back-back network picked St. Louis to roll.

Minnesota beating Detroit and St Louis in the 1987 World Series.

Cincinnati beating Oakland in the 1990 World Series.

Derrike Cope winning the 1990 Daytona 500. :BangHead:

Alan Kulwicki winning the 1992 Winston Cup.

 

ahhhhhhhh yes it was a wonderful game, wasn't it? :saint::smilewinkgrin:

 

Exactly. :thumbs:

Somewhere, Andy T is cringing, and he doesn't know why......:laugh:

Maybe. I know no one gave the Reds a snowball's chance in Vegas of winning this series. Broom city. :applause:

One of the biggest shockers of the 1990s in all of sports if you ask me.

Remarkable achievement. Saw him at his last ever public gathering. He was signing autographs in Knoxville and then was to take a private plane to Bristol, which crashed en route.

Easily the biggest of all time. Most people don't realize that the USA had to win one more game against the Swedes to win the gold.

Appy St beating Michigan is huge. So is Boise State beating Oklahoma last season.

I have to also mention a Tennessee upset. in 1986 Sugar Bowl, Miami was #2 (many thought they were #1 - including one of the broadcasters of the game). Tennessee wasn't supposed to be able to play with them - the matchup just wasn't fair. Miami would steamroll, then see the outcome of Penn St/Oklahoma to settle the national title. Tennessee won 35-7 in a rout. A bunch of hardnose kids beat a team of future NFL stars.

This team leaves a "legacy of upsets" if you will. A LB on Tennessee's team that game and season? Dale White, Defensive coach of the Appy State Mountaineers. The DB coach? Ron Zook, who upset Ohio State this year. One of the DBs? Charles Davis, a broadcaster who picked (and called) Boise State's upset of Oklahoma, and called Appy State's win over Michigan. There is an entire list of these from that team, but I'll stop there.

Tennessee also blew out #1 Auburn and the vaunted Bo Jackson that season.

 

How about when Inverness Caledonian Thistle, at that time a weak Scottish football side beat the mighty Glasgow Celtic afew years ago in cup match. To which a newspaper headline responded.

"Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious "

Read it - you'll get the pun .

 

Great post. But no on the upset

Since we're talking about soccer, what about USA's 1994 upset of Columbia in the WC? What about USA's improbable run in 2000?

 

Well, maybe not a great upset, but the greatest upset headline .

The 2000 WC run was astounding, and would have gone farther, but for the handball block of a US against Germany.

 

Yes, N.C. State over Houston in 1983. My favorite upset.

Cope passing Earnhardt: Didn't upset me at all!

 

Glad you mentioned that one. I was trying to pull that from my memory banks, but forgot.

 

Easily the biggest upset of al time... I was 6 years old and my father was trying to teach me to box. My mother told him not to be too rough on me. He turned his head to speak and I popped him right on the chin. It knocked him out.
I thought he was just playing and started yelling, "I knocked out Daddy.. I knocked out daddy!"

My mom just laughed... Greatest upset ever. :laugh:

Seriously Buster Douglas knock out of Mike Tyson was another big boxing upset.