Most exciting sporting event you've attended

1992: NCAA Tournament East Region final.
Kentucky vs. Duke.
Nothing could compare.

 

Sort of 2-for-1 as a working professional and a fan; 2005 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball title game. Delaware State University vs. Hampton. DSU trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, and were down five with 45 seconds to go before a dunk and a stolen inbounds' pass led to the tying three pointer. After a failed Hampton possession, the Hornets passed the ball around and Bruce Davis fired a three from the corner and missed. The loose ball went to Aaron Williams, who had to be like 1-for-10 in that game and he caught the ball and swished an eight-footer all in one motion with a second to go. As a student journalist, it didn't get much better than covering my school's first trip to the NCAA post-season in any sport.

 

1989 Gm. 5 of NLCS; bottom of the 8th, tie game, bases loaded, two outs Will Clark v. Mitch Williams - single up the middle, Giants win the pennant for the first time in my lifetime (I was 26).

 

Best game I ever covered was the Illinois comeback over Arizona in OT in the '05 regional final at the Horizon. Place was so loud and so orange. And the Deron Williams-Dee Brown show was really impressive.

 

1-Game 1 of '88 World Series, Kirk Gibson's HR
2-Miracle on Manchester in 1981 NHL playoffs, when LA Kings overcame a 5-0 third-period deficit against Edmonton and won 6-5 in OT

 

USA beating Mexico 2-0 in 2005 at Columbus Crew Stadium to earn World Cup berth.

I was in the middle of the madness...

 

As a fan: Appalachian's Miracle on the Mountain in 2002 against Furman. Furman takes a one point lead with seven seconds remaining on a short touchdown pass. The Furman coach, in all his wisdom, elects to go for two and the pass is picked off and run back to put ASU back ahead by two points.

As a journalist: I'm not jaded, but I'd have to think a while on that one. I do know there are some games where I do think to myself, "gee, I'm getting paid to watch this", but there are more of those kind of games where overtime isn't enough.

 

This is one I doubt anyone here attended.

Last December, Bradley at Maryland. NCAA men's soccer tournament, Round of 16.

Maryland pounding the shit outta Bradley. Up 2-nil at half and Maryland is just supremely better. Twenty minutes left, Bradley makes big changes. Sweeper moves up to forward, and they play with three in the back. A mid moves up.

Bradley starts getting more chances. 15 minutes. 10 minutes. Clock just ticking down.

2:31 left. Bradley scores. 2-1.

OK, so they kept it from being a shutout. No, no. 30 seconds left, Bradley equalizes. Two goals in the last 2:31 of an NCAA tournament match at Maryland.

Bradley won in the second overtime with a couple minutes left.

Easily the most life-altering, inspiring contest I've ever witnessed and may ever witness.

 

Cardinals vs. Reds in St Louis, mid 1970s. Big Red Machine era. Tie game, ninth inning, bases loaded--none out, and Al Hrabosky (in his full Mad Hungarian act at the time) strikes out the side, which included Foster and Bench. Ted Simmons hits what we would call today a walk-off home run to win it in the 10th.

Illinois vs Ohio State, 1983. My junior year at Champaign. For the first time in eons, Illinois had a decent football team. The story goes that a few years earlier in coach Mike White's first game, he called for a bomb on the opening play. It was incomplete, but the fans gave a standing ovation, thankful to see something a little more imaginative than the commonplace ineptitude best represented by the 0-0 tie to Northwestern the year previous.

Anyway, the Illini had strung together some wins, but the conference behemoths, Ohio State and Michigan, awaited and the prevailing mood of the student body was the bubble would be burst by one or both of those bullies. So, Ohio State comes to town. Close game throughout, Illinois trails 13-10 late in the 4th quarter. Starting from around their own 15, the Illini drive efficiently down the field and score a TD. Pandemonium erupts in the stadium. 17-13 Illini.

Ohio State gets the ball with one last chance and promptly turns it over. Pandemonium again. My buddy takes the half full boda of rum we snuck in the game and just chucks it. People going crazy. I've never seen that much energy at a sporting event when an entire 80,000 crowd found they could believe all at the same instant.

 

Not working: Game 7, Stanley Cup Finals: Edmonton at Carolina.
Only problem is that it ruined regular-season hockey for me.

 

1) 1999 -- Final game at Tiger Stadium
2) Wrestlemania III (I know, but damn it was fun)
3) 1986 Michigan Class B boys basketball final -- Saginaw Buena Vista 33, Flint Beecher 32 (An otherwise boring game, but Chris Coles -- son of then-CMU coach now Miami (O) coach Charlie Coles hits a 75-footer at the buzzer to win the state title.)
4) 1996 Michigan-Ohio State game -- Wolverines go down to the Shoe and knock off undefeated Ohio State
5) 1992 Dallas-Detroit playoff game -- Lions only playoff win for last 50 years

Michigan's high school finals are that day at the Palace of Auburn Hills. No one in the lower bowl is paying attention to what's happening on the court; everyone has their back to the court, straining to watch the televisions in the suites
and watch the end to that game.