SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 100 Greatest Moments

100 Greatest Moments

Finally, Daytona

In 2001, Earnhardt was involved in a three-car accident at Daytona that proved fatal. He was just 49. In the wake of his death, NASCAR implemented a series of safety improvementsRANK: 72 LOCATION: Daytona...
Mar 2, 2013

The Night Is Young's

Players from this instant classic dominated the NFL draft, with four of them going in the top 10 (Young went No. 3). An NCAA investigation would eventually conclude USC's Reggie Bush received illegal benefits while at the school,...
Mar 2, 2013

"Havlicek Stole the Ball"

The remarkable play is also further etched in history because of Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most’s call of the play. The Celtics won the series with that steal, and went on to win their seventh straight NBA title.RANK: 61 LOCATION: Boston...
Mar 2, 2013

Eric the Great

While other American Olympic champions signed endorsement deals and became public figures, Heiden didn’t like the popularity. He retired from speed skating at the end of the season. He competed in the Tour de France in...
Mar 2, 2013

Babe’s Crowning Achievement

The 1954 U.S. Women's Open was Zaharias's last as her colon cancer returned and she had surgery in '55 before passing away in '56.RANK: 42 LOCATION: Salem Country Club | Peabody, Mass. DATE: 7/3/1954 CATEGORY: More
Mar 2, 2013

The Play

Controversy ensued after the game, debating whether some of the laterals were legal and what to do about the band being on the field. Joe Starkey’s radio call of the play is one of the most well-known calls in college football...
Mar 2, 2013

Pele Arrives

Pele became the youngest player to appear in a World Cup finals match, the youngest scorer in a World Cup finals match and the youngest player to win a World Cup. He would go on to have one of the most celebrated careers in soccer...
Mar 2, 2013

The New Iron Man

Ripken went on to play in 2,632 consecutive games. The streak ended when he removed himself from the starting lineup on September 20, 1998. He played until the end of the 2001 season and was inducted to the Hall of Fame in...
Mar 2, 2013

"Yes, Sir!"

Nicklaus’s 18 major championships are still the most all-time. Tiger Woods is second with 14. In all, Nicklaus won 73 PGA Tour tournaments, and many call him the greatest golfer of all time.RANK: 17 LOCATION: Augusta National...
Mar 2, 2013

The First Perfect 10

Her performance both helped the Romanian team to second place, and redefined gymnastics and the expectations of female athletes. She went on to compete in the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, where she won two more golds and...
Mar 2, 2013

Wrestling’s Greatest Upset

Dan Gable only lost one match in his collegiate wrestling career at Iowa State—the national championship to Larry Owings—and then won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics.RANK: 82 LOCATION: McGaw Hall | Evanston, Ill. DATE:...
Mar 2, 2013

Almost Perfect

The win marked UCLA's seventh consecutive national championship, ninth in 10 years and coach John Wooden's second-to-last national title. Walton would eventually go No. 1 in the NBA draft, but his career was largely marred by...
Mar 2, 2013

Super Clutch

The Super Bowl win was the first of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era; they have won three more since. This was also the first Super Bowl-winning kick of Vinatieri's career, establishing him as one of the best kickers of his...
Mar 2, 2013

715

Aaron would finish his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood for 31 years until it was broken by Barry Bonds.RANK: 10 LOCATION: Turner Field | Atlanta, GA. DATE: 4/8/1974 CATEGORY: MLB
Mar 2, 2013

The Called Shot

The called shot by Babe Ruth added to his legendary aura as the Yankees swept the Cubs in the World Series.RANK: 90 LOCATION: Wrigley Field | Chicago, Ill. DATE: 10/1/1932 CATEGORY: MLB
Mar 2, 2013

The Greatest Game

The 1958 title game helped popularize the NFL thanks in part to NBC's national television broadcast of the game.RANK: 4 LOCATION: Yankee Stadium | Bronx, NY DATE: 12/28/1958 CATEGORY: NFL
Mar 2, 2013

Jesse Bucks Hitler

The defeat in his home city was an embarrassment for Hitler and cemented Owens into history. Though he was not met at home by fanfare at the time, he was eventually awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in...
Mar 2, 2013

The Catch

The play launched the 49ers to the Super Bowl, where they beat the Bengals 26-21 in what was the beginning of a dynastic run that saw San Francisco win four championships by the end of the decade.RANK: 33 LOCATION: Candlestick...
Mar 2, 2013

Glory Road

Though the change did not occur immediately, in the years that followed this game, basketball teams quickly became integrated. Between 1966 and 1985, the average number of black players doubled.RANK: 23 LOCATION: Cole Field House...
Mar 2, 2013

Goal of the Century

Two of the most famous goals in soccer history, the "Hand of God" and the "Goal of the Century" further intensified the rivalry between Argentina and England. Argentina would go on to win the '86 World Cup, and Maradona would finish his...
Mar 2, 2013

Irish Stop Streak

Even though the Irish were undefeated and the No. 2 team in the country, they were major underdogs to the Bruins, who had won the previous seven national championships. UCLA would go on to lose two more games in the...
Mar 2, 2013

Greatness Confirmed

Gretzky, still the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer with 894 goals, will go down in history as the best ever. In total, Gretzky broke more than 60 records in his NHL career.RANK: 58 LOCATION: The Great Western Forum | Los...
Mar 2, 2013

56 Straight

The hit streak ended with an 0-for-3 game with a walk, cementing the streak at 56 games. No one has come very close to that record since—the nearest was Pete Rose in 1978, who had a 44-game hitting streak.RANK: 27 LOCATION:...
Mar 2, 2013

The Guarantee

Namath and the Jets followed through on the guarantee, defeating the Colts 16-7. Namath won Super Bowl MVP, cementing his legacy. He would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.RANK: 9 LOCATION: Orange Bowl | Miami,...
Mar 2, 2013

The Immaculate Reception

The play was the beginning of the end of a futile period in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers went on to win four Super Bowls in six years through the ‘70s. Though they lost their next game against the Miami Dolphins, the play is regarded as one...
Mar 2, 2013

Johnny on the Spot

Rodgers would win the Heisman Trophy in 1972, while the Cornhuskers marched on in 1971, winning their second straight national championship.RANK: 76 LOCATION: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | Norman, Okla. DATE:...
Mar 2, 2013

Two For the Win

Nebraska was the dominant team in the 1983 college football season with an undefeated record, No. 1 ranking, the Hesiman Trophy winner, the future No. 1 pick in the NFL draft and an All-American quarterback, but Osborne's...
Mar 2, 2013

When the (March) Madness Began

The game served as a launching pad for the rivalry between Bird and Magic, who would trade NBA titles throughout the '80s, and also helped launch basketball into the national sports conversation.RANK: 30 LOCATION: Special...
Mar 2, 2013

50 in 39

Gretzky became the fastest-ever NHL player to score 50 goals in a season, a record that still stands.RANK: 80 LOCATION: Northlands Coliseum | Edmonton, Canada DATE: 12/30/1981 CATEGORY: NHL
Mar 2, 2013

A Magic Night

Magic's announcement brought HIV and AIDS into the national conversation, with many players expressing concern that he could spread the disease on the court. Magic would go on to play in the 1992 Olympics but fear about his disease...
Mar 2, 2013

Triumph Amid Tragedy

The terrorist group Black September took hostage and killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team, forever marring the image of the 1972 Olympics. Spitz, a Jewish Olympian, had to be taken out of West Germany before the end...
Mar 2, 2013

Douglas Stuns Tyson

Tyson’s undefeated record was tarnished, and he would be convicted of rape a year later. Though he did regain his world titles in 1995 when he was released, he never induced fear in his opponents like when he was undefeated....
Mar 2, 2013

The Thrilla in Manila

Frazier never recovered from the defeat and didn’t win either of the last two fights of his career. Ali maintained his status as heavyweight champion of the world, which he held until 1978. The match is widely regarded as one of the...
Mar 2, 2013

The Ice Bowl

It was the third consecutive NFL Championship for the Packers, but this game would be known because of its frigid temperature. With wind chill, the temperature was -48 degrees. Several players suffered from frostbite during the...
Mar 2, 2013

Golden Girls

After scoring on the penalty kick, Chastain took off her jersey and fell to her knees in a sports bra, a celebration that will forever be associated with this '99 women's World Cup team.RANK: 24 LOCATION: Rose Bowl | Pasadena, Calif. DATE:...
Mar 2, 2013

Triple Triumph

The record is still untouched today, and there was not another Triple Crown winner for 37 years until American Pharoah did it in 2015. Secretariat’s winning time was 2.5 seconds faster than American Pharoah.RANK: 13...
Mar 2, 2013

The Impossible Happened

The at-bat was Gibson's only plate appearance of the World Series, but it helped Los Angeles win the World Series in five games.RANK: 62 LOCATION: Dodger Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif. DATE: 10/15/1988 CATEGORY: MLB
Mar 2, 2013

More Than A Fight

The fight served as a symbol for the impending fight between the United States and Nazi Germany. Louis, a black American, took down the German Schmeling to become the heavyweight champion.RANK: 41 LOCATION: Yankee...
Mar 2, 2013

An NBA Finals Classic

The Celtics won Game 6 two days later in Phoenix, giving the franchise its 13th NBA title.RANK: 79 LOCATION: Boston Garden | Boston, Mass. DATE: 6/4/1976 CATEGORY: NBA
Mar 2, 2013

"Touch 'Em All, Joe"

The 1993 World Series was only the second World Series to end on a walkoff home run (the other is higher up on our list). Following their World Series win the Blue Jays would suffer one of the longest playoff droughts in baseball,...
Mar 2, 2013

Party Crashers

Boise State finished the season undefeated, including a BCS bowl win, but never had a chance to compete for a national championship and evidence of the need for a college football playoff.RANK: 100 LOCATION: University of...
Mar 2, 2013

Duel in the Sun

The tournament, known as the “Duel in the Sun,” gave Watson his second consecutive major win after having held off Nicklaus in the Masters a few weeks earlier. The tournament is still considered one of the game’s best...
Mar 2, 2013

The 4-Minute Mile

The four-minute mile barrier has been broken countless times since Bannister accomplished the feat (the current record is 3:43), but Bannister was the first to show it was possible. For his efforts, he was named the first-ever...
Mar 2, 2013

Eight The Hard Way

Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games, passing Mark Spitz for the most golds by an athlete at a single GamesRANK: 6 LOCATION: Beijing National Aquatics Center | Beijing, China DATE: 8/16/2008 CATEGORY:...
Mar 2, 2013

Amazing Arnold

It was the only U.S. Open victory in Palmer’s career and widely considered the greatest comeback in the tournament’s history. Having won the Masters earlier that year, Palmer was halfway to the single-season Grand...
Mar 2, 2013

Ali’s Golden Moment

Ali, who was dealing with Parkinson's disease, was also awarded an honorary gold medal to replace the one from 1960 that he claims he tossed in the river in frustration after being denied service at a restaurant.RANK: 68...
Mar 2, 2013

A Team That Was Blessed

Both games were ranked by USA Today as some of the best in NCAA Tournament history (ranked 6th and 11th, respectively). North Carolina's 1957 championship was the first one in school history.RANK: 77 LOCATION: Kansas City, Mo....
Mar 2, 2013

Wilma Storms Rome

Rudolph became the first American female track & field athlete to win three gold medals in one Olympic games. She raised the profile of track & field in the U.S. and she used her status to support civil rights and women's rights.RANK:...
Mar 2, 2013

The Helmet Catch

Four plays after that, the Giants scored on a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, giving them a 17-14 victory. The Super Bowl win stopped New England’s bid at a perfect season, which hasn’t been accomplished since the 1972...
Mar 2, 2013

The Longest Yard

The Rams, which featured a high-powered offense known as "The Greatest Show on Turf," ironically got their Super Bowl victory thanks to that defensive play. Mike Jones played for several more years before retiring after the...
Mar 2, 2013