Your Top 10 Sporting Moments of All Time

[Eamonnca1]

No particular order:

1987 Tour de France - Roche's comeback against Delgado at La Plagne. Jimmy Magee somehow knew that Roche was clawing his way back and wasn't one bit surprised when he nearly caught Delgado. Phil Ligget was commentating for Channel 4, and when I watched the highlights show later I thought "Ligget doesn't seem to know what's going on, what's he going to say when he realizes Roche is hot on Delgado's heels?" Result: Greatest commentary since the Hindenburg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQojh-wqL04

Clare v Offaly hurling final 1995 -  Anthony Daly's speech and the rendition of My Lovely Rose of Clare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvBtyDjXZwQ

Armagh 2002. Oisin McConville's goal and the reaction on the Hill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHAyawq7mvA

Dennis Taylor 1985
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZSky37NGno

Completing Belfast-Dublin-Belfast Maracycle 1996. I still remember my times. 4:36 southbound, 6:09 northbound (would have been a lot longer if I hadn't sprinted into the draft of a tractor on the Banbridge dual carriageway). 

Barry McGuigan in the King's Hall, Belfast, 1985. I remember them singing Danny Boy.

Euro 88. Ireland v England in Stuttgart.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5RCozoW-bI

Italia 90. Charlton eating his knuckles during the shootout V Romania, and the team pouncing on O'Leary after he put it in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eISJX5FomgI

Spanish Grand Prix, 1991. Mansell v Senna dual into turn 1, wheel-to-wheel combat. Best Grand Prix I've ever watched.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSD-VllWlYg

1988 Seoul Olympics, Ben Johnson beating Carl Lewis in the 100m final - and then getting busted for doping.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25JqCbCOi3c


Honorable mentions:
Offaly v Limerick hurling final 1994 - the late late show. I was in the Cusack Stand with my dad. It was happening quicker than I could take it in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaU0-oNP72E

Mexico 86, Maradona, "like a little eel," second goal against England
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF_2arqQLwo

Wimbledon 81. The McEnroe meltdown
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekQ_Ja02gTY

[general_lee]

1. Club winning the championship
2. Armagh 2002
3. Man Utd UCL final 1999
4. Kevin Cassidy's point (one of the best matches I've ever been at)
5. Armagh winning Ulster 99
6. Armagh v Tyrone 2005 x2
7. Ireland v Germany 2002
8. Donegal 2012
9. Leicester this year
10. Stevie G slipping haha

[Under Lights]

Eamonnca1- fair play to you. Great post.

Jonny Wilkinson's drop goal one that sticks out too.


Non Sporting News events would be an interesting one from peoples point of view. Omagh bomb, 9/11, Maddie McCann, Michelea Harte all instant ones for me. New thread maybe.

[Billys Boots]

1 Leeds beat Arsenal in 1972 cup final, Allan Clarke scores with diving header
2 Ali beats Foreman in the rumble in the jungle, 1974 - chaos follows for a week in school as everyone becomes a boxer.
3 Dragan Džajić hits the post in 1974 world cup fixture (Yugoslavia v Brazil, ended 0-0)
4 Barney 'The Rock' Reilly gets sent off in league match for Colmcille vs. (Swamp Critters) Dromard in 1975 (Dromard win 0-5 to 0-4)
5 Billy Bremner has perfectly good goal disallowed as Bayern Munich cheat their way to a 3rd consecutive European Champions Cup beating Leeds 2-0 in Paris - Leeds go on to trash the city and get banned from European competition for 5 years
6 Eddie Macken (proud Larry) wins four consecutive Hickstead Derbies, 1976-1979
7 Ray Houghton scores and Packie Bonner has a stormer in Stuttgart to beat England 1-0 in the Euros, 1988
8 Longford beat Kerry in Pearse Park, National League, 2004
9 My son makes his debut, at age 6, for St. Ita's AFC in 2006
10 Colmcille bridge a 50-year gap by winning the Longford senior championship in 2008, my brother finally wins the medal in his 3rd final

[Estimator]

Just off the top of my head, I'm sure that I could think of a few others!


1988: Euro's 1988
1990: Packie Bonner's penalty save
1991: Eamonn Burn's point v Down (Ulster semi-final at Athletic Grounds)
1992: NFL final v Tyrone
1993: All-Ireland Semi-Final and Final
1994: Houghton's goal Yankee Stadium
2004: Red Sox winning ACLS v NYY after being 3 games down
2005: Corn Na Nog Final
2006: Derry's destruction of the All-Ireland Champs in Omagh.
2009: 6 Nations Grand Slam

[GaillimhIarthair]

1980     Joe Connolly's speech and our first Hurling AI in 57 years
1982     Ollie Campbell's kicking display v Scotland
1983     Man U v Brighton FA Cup Final and Replay
1985     Man U v Everton Cup Final - Kevin Moran pleading with the ref and Whiteside's winner
1985     Michael Kiernan's drop goal v England @ Lansdowne Rd to win the Triple Crown (it was a big deal back then!!)
1987     Galway Hurlers avoid losing 3 in a row finals with a comfortable win over KK
1988     2 in a row for the Hurlers with Noel Lane coming off the bench to seal the game with a late goal
1988     Beating Eng in the Euro's and wondering how Packie Bonner kept a clean sheet in that game!
1990     Sheedy's equaliser v Eng @ Italia '90
1998     Sam is back West of the Shannon and Galway light up the championship with the emergence of some very talented footballers

[5 Sams]

Might be stretching it to cvall them moments but certainly the most memorable events

1977 - FA Cup Final Man Utd 2 Liverpool 1
1977 - AI Minor Final and AI Senior Final
1983 - National League Final
1991 - AI Final - James McCartan masterclass
1994 - Celtic Park Derry. Everything about the day! But especially James's point and Higgins letting Brolly know who he was.
1994 - AI Final - Mickey Linden masterclass
1996 - FA Cup Final - Eric the King
1997 - AI Final Maurice Fitzgerald masterclass
2001 - Maurice Fitzgerald in Thurles
2008 - Newry Down V Tyrone Qtr Final replay. Benny's punched goal.

[stew]

Might be stretching it to cvall them moments but certainly the most memorable events

1977 - FA Cup Final Man Utd 2 Liverpool 1
1977 - AI Minor Final and AI Senior Final
1983 - National League Final
1991 - AI Final - James McCartan masterclass
1994 - Celtic Park Derry. Everything about the day! But especially James's point and Higgins letting Brolly know who he was.
1994 - AI Final - Mickey Linden masterclass
1996 - FA Cup Final - Eric the King
1997 - AI Final Maurice Fitzgerald masterclass
2001 - Maurice Fitzgerald in Thurles
2008 - Newry Down V Tyrone Qtr Final replay. Benny's punched goal.

Armagh winning Sam in 2002 will never be equaled.

Armagh winning 2 county championships with a rake of mates playing.

Armagh coming back in 1977 against Roscommon when eight down with 15 minutes to go.

Armagh comeback against Fermanagh when eight points down with about ten minutes left.

The miracle on ice.

The infamous no mas fight, like Bennydorano I am a huge fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, that era was amazing in that you had four of the best ever fighting each other, Hagler v Hearns is the best four rounds of boxing history imho.

Roche winning le tour was riveting.

McGuigan v Pedrosa.

Green Bay team I coached winning back to back to back State Premier league titles, nothing ever gave me more pleasure with the the exception of the Gaelic football references above.

Armstrong getting stripped of his seven tour wins, probably the most hateful superstar of all time in sports, especially after the way he treated his friends.

[Champion The Wonder Horse]

In chronological order.

1985 - Declan McNicholl's late penalty to sent the then Ulster champions back over the Sperrins from Ballinascreen.
1991 - Damien Cassidy's almost equally late goal to send us victorious back over the Sperrins from Omagh.
1992 - The Tyrone defence failing to deal with a late 45 dropping into the square in the NFL final.
1992 - The Tyrone men being dispatched with considerable ease for the second time in a few days.
1993 - Bringing Sam across the Blackwater for the first time.
1993 - Our club's only appearance in the Derry SFC final.
1995 - Dublin ending a twelve year famine to win Sam. Unthinkable now.
1997 - Destroying a three-in-a-row seeking Tyrone outfit 2-15 to 2-3, still the most one-sided game between the two counties.
2001 - All-Ireland QF victory over Tyrone and the totally distraught BBC presenter.
2006 - Another handy win against the most pointless (well for 37 minutes) All-Ireland champions ever.

[Milltown Row2]

Club winning All Ireland on Paddy's day in our centenary year
Personal level managing our senior team at Croke park (worst moment too  )
Antrim beating Offaly semi final
Club beating Nemo Rangers and making a killing at the local Portlaois bookies that day
Playing on same team as my son (was only two games, but great craic)
A great Dunloy team beating a great Mount Sion team in Mullingar
Utd beating Bayern, only seen last ten mins as we had hurling game on pitch
Having know Frampton so many years and watching him from amateur to pro, world title win!
Brownlee brothers at olympics.... The guys are freaks
Maradona v England.... Tore them apart

[brokencrossbar1]

If this is a personal reflection then
1. Winning the 97 club final
2. Winning the 99 club final
3. Winning the 2000 club final
4. Armagh 2002
5. Instanbul 2005
6. 1986 FA Cup win to complete the double
7. McGuigan winning the world title
8. Collins beating Eubank, with Tony Quinn's fake hypnotism
9. I always loved Sergei Bubka and his whole career was a highlight
10. Watching maradona in 86. He was special.

[FL/MAYO]

1. Ireland v Italy 1994 World Cup, I managed to get a ticket for the game outside Giants stadium. Also saw Muhammad Ali at the airport on the way up from Florida.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXauYVy_dws

2. 1994 Orange Bowl. I took my dad to see his one and only college football game and it was a classic. He had no idea what was going on but he loved it. I pointed out O.J Simpson to him, he had never heard of him at that time, 6 moths later the famous car chase occured and the rest is history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk8FB8bD9Jo

3. Watching  McGuigan win the world title in a bar in NYC. By the end of the night the whole bar was boxing each other, crazy times the mid 80's.

4. My one and only Old Firm game Jan 1989. I arrived in Glasgow wearing a sweater with a blue band on it, I was quickly told to take the f*#king thing off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_411HDpdL0

5. My cousin winning a Hogan cup in 1984 with Jarlaths.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxRe4l9D2q0

6. Mayo V Dublin 2006. Watched it on a laptop with 4 other people, we had the flights booked for the final that evening 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGs-0u1E3uw

7. 1992 All Ireland Final. We lived in Donegal for a period when I was a teenager. I played with or against most of that 1992 team. I am one of the few Mayo men that have an idea of what winning an All Ireland could be like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjVqfexPNf4

8. The 2007 Miami Dolphins only won one game that season. It looked like they were going to lose every game until they played Baltimore. It was like a Super Bowl win when we scored the touchdown, the stadium was rocking. Go to 1 minute on the Youtube clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC6_-GKU6Zk

9. The 1986 World series between the Red Sox and Mets. I was all set to go to the game when the woman with the tickets decided to take a friend of mine instead. I missed one of the most famous baseball games in history, my friend ended up marrying the woman with the tickets so it worked out well in the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3UXgwqlDAo

10. 1994 Ireland versus Mexico in Orlando. A huge Irish crowd were in Orlando that week, most not bothering to change out of their Irish shirts. The B.O was horrendous 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW1Fq610Ngk

[Declan]

From oldest to latest

1970 Pele's dummy v Uruguay WC and that Brazil team - first real sporting memory
1974 Dubs winning the AI - first real memory of being in Croker that summer
1974 Don Givens Hat trick in Dalymount v Turkey - schoolboy end getting crushed
1979/1980 Seeing Barry McGuigan fight against Hungary in the National Stadium and the great Lazlo Papp raising his hand after the fight acknowledging he was special
1983 - Dubs 12 disciples in the rain
1988 Ireland v England Stuttgart - best ever soccer memory if I'm honest
1991 - Meath v Dublin 4 game epic- I know we lost eventually but it was unreal
1992 - Michael Carruth winning the Olympic title
2002 - Dunshaughlin's run to the AI club semi final ending in defeat to Crossmolina but it was the culmination of 3 great years
2011 - Cluxtons last minute free -enough said- I can die happy

Interesting that the majority of them are from when I was younger- think it meant more to me then and the older I get the more sanguine I become about sport

[Clov]

1982 - All-Ireland final - This is actually my earliest sporting memory (was about 5 at the time). I remember coming in to the house to find my mother screaming at the tv, almost in tears. I wasn't sure whether she was happy or upset (until the final whistle blew).

1983 - National league final, Armagh vs Down. First ever visit to Croke Park. We were a mixed household - Mother Armagh, father Down. Oul fella was the happiest that day.

1987 FA cup final - Liverpool winning the double. back in the days when the coverage started at 9 in the morning.

1987 - All-ireland semi-final. Watching my cousin play in Croke park in the minor game.

1988/89 super bowl - Joe Cool driving the niners down the field with 3 mins to go - unbelieveable.

1990 - All-Ireland Cork v Meath - first ever all-ireland final. My mates dad took us down on a whim the day before. Brutal game but great weekend.

1991 - final - Down v Meath. On the Hill that day. One of the most historic finals (even if it was Down).

2002 - final Armagh - greatest day ever.

2003 - final. Having not had a ticket the year before got one this time.

2005 - semi-final Armagh v Tyrone. Incredible game and incredible atmosphere.

[mouview]

Omitting all things GAA;

1982  France v West Germany, the essence of World Cup football, brilliant and controversial. France, a team we beat well in qualifying, cudda won that tournament.

1986  France v Brazil, fates this time were kinder in a penalty shootout to the French. Pesky Germans again barred their way to a deserved final.

Padraig Harrington winning the '07 Open at Carnoustie. Was a shot ahead playing the 18th, found the water twice, but still had the presence of mind to play a great recovery shot and make the putt for an eventual playoff.

A whole host of Eddie Macken etc. inspired Aga Khan victories at the RDS; that was when you all erected jumps in the back garden and pretended you were competing. (Yes you did.)

2008  The monumental Wimbledon final Nadal v Ferderer; the greatest tennis final, greatest sporting final of all time?

1994  May 1. Senna dies at Imola. One of the most seismic events in world sport of this era.

The middleweight scene of the 80s. Leonard beat Hagler on a split-decision, a verdict Hagler claimed with some justification was incorrect. He never fought again. Less remembered is the Hagler/John 'the beast' Mugabi fight of the time, an absolute war.

1985  Taylor v Davis. Snooker and sporting drama at its pinnacle.

1983 UK Final Higgins v Davis, Higgins winning 16-15. A long slow decline for the Hurricane thereafter.

2012  Katie Taylor wins gold at the Olympics. There's something so fulfilling about sport to see an exponent win what they truly deserve.