FOOTBALL (Pro)
1. THE GREATEST: Football itself is the winner in “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” as Johnny Unitas’ Colts stun the Giants in sudden-death OT at Yankee Stadium in ‘58.
2. GUARANTEE!: Broadway Joe Namath guarantees an implausible victory and his Jets — a three TD underdog — come through in the ‘69 Super Bowl, crafting a storied upset of the Colts and at last gaining equality for the much maligned upstart AFL.
3. THE ICE BOWL: Behind guard Jerry Kramer and QB Bart Starr, Lombardi’s blue-collar Green Bay Packers power past rising Dallas on the frozen tundra in the ‘67 “Ice Bowl,” with its nearly minus-50 wind-chill factor.
4. ‘THE CATCH’: A backpeddling Joe Montana connects with Dwight Clark for “The Catch,” which culminates in a brilliant drive by the upstart 49ers, who subdue “America’s Team” (i.e. Dallas) in ‘82 and tip the NFL’s scales for years to come.
5. ‘THE GAME NO ONE SHOULD HAVE LOST’: Behind the battered but remarkable Kellen Winslow, the San Diego Chargers beat Miami in the classic ‘82 OT playoff game as Air Coryell overcomes the Killer B’s 41-38.
6. A GIANT UPSET: The N.Y. Giants, with the help of a magical David Tyree catch, upset Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s dynasty, the heavily favored New England Patriots, in the ‘08 Super Bowl.
7. THE DRIVE: Denver’s John Elway engineers a 98-yard drive to beat Cleveland 23-20 in OT of the ‘87 AFC Championship.
8. THE IMMACULATE RECEPTION: In the last seconds, on 4th- and-10, Steeler Terry Bradshaw’s desperation pass rebounds off Jack Tatum and flies back to Franco Harris, who scoops it up and runs for a stunning TD with five seconds left to beat the Raiders in the ‘72 AFC semis.
9. JOE COOL: Joe Montana — at his best with the game on the line — hits John Taylor for the game winner in the last seconds as the Niners top the Bengals 20-16 in ‘89.
10. TITANIC LOSS: St. Louis is up 23-16 in the ‘00 Super Bowl, but in the last seconds, Tennessee’s Steve McNair hits Kevin Dyson on the three. The Titan receiver takes a step, but is wrapped up by Ram Mike Jones. Dyson desperately lunges for the goal line and Super Bowl glory, but falls one oh-so-frustrating yard short.
GOLF
1. GRAND!: Bobby Jones wins the Grand Slam in ‘30 and it’s never been done since.
2. A NEW DAY: Tiger Woods, 21, shoots a record 270 to win the ‘97 Masters by a record 12 strokes, becoming the youngest to win the Masters and the first African-American to win a major. Golf, sports and American culture will never be the same.
3. CADDY POWER: Golf was a sport still dominated by Brits and played in America only by the elite. Then a former caddy, Francis Ouimet, becomes the first amateur to beat the pros, as he won the ‘13 U.S. Open in Brookline, Mass. The audacious feat draws the unwashed masses to the game and leads to the creation of public courses.
4. ONE TOUGH TIGER: His knee is a mess. His Doctors insist, “Don’t play!” But Tiger wins the ‘08 U.S. Open over 91 grueling holes.
5. A GOLDEN BEAR’S GOLDEN MOMENT: A slumping Jack Nicklaus — age 46 and No. 160 on the ‘86 earnings list — suddenly catches fire, shoots a final-round 65 and becomes the oldest to win the Masters. Nevermind Jack’s tears, his record sixth Masters is his most fulfilling win.
6. HOGAN HERO: Can you heroically survive a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus? Ben Hogan did and 11 months later courageously comes back to win the ‘50 Open under a scorching sun at L.A.’s Riviera.
7. MILE-HIGH OPEN: In a classic battle of three generations — Ben Hogan (47), Arnold Palmer (30) and a newcomer named Nicklaus (20) — Arnie and his Army charge from seven strokes down to claim the ‘60 U.S. Open at Colorado’s Cherry Hills. Now pass the oxygen.
8. THE BABE: In ‘54, after being diagnosed with cancer and just two years away from her death, Babe Zaharias wins the U.S. Open and six other tournaments.
9. LORD BYRON: Byron Nelson’s ‘45 PGA Tour win is the highlight of a sizzling season, the best in golf history. Lord Byron won 18 tournaments (11 of them consecutively) and came in second seven times.
10. JOINING THE BOYS CLUB: Annika Sorenstram won 10 majors, 90 international tournaments and dominated golf, but is perhaps best known for being the first woman to play in a men’s tournament since ‘45 when she played the Colonial in ‘03.
