SDS Roundtable: What is your most painful sports memory?
Each SDS roundtable discussion involves the SDS staff providing individual answers and comments to questions covering a wide range of sports and non-sports topics. In this discussion, we ask the question: What is your most painful sports memory?
Previous roundtable discussions:
- If you could change 1 thing about college football, what would it be?
- What are you watching right now?
- Who is your favorite SEC football player of all-time?
- What are your 3 favorite postseason moments involving SEC teams?
- Which 4 SEC athletes are on your Mount Rushmore?
Jon Cooper, SDS co-founder
Regionals in college: At UCF, we made it to the baseball regionals at FSU in 2004. It was No. 1 FSU, No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 3 UCF and No. 4 Bethune-Cookman. We worked our way through the bracket following an early loss to FSU only to have to beat them twice to advance to the Super Regionals.
We beat the Noles in the first game, and we got pounded the second game.
We ran out of pitching, and they exploited it. Stephen Drew mashed us during that series, and a blowout loss in a game-deciding doubleheader was the most painful sports memory I have.
Connor O’Gara, Senior national columnist
My initial reaction is to say Steve Bartman in 2003, but honestly, I was only 13. I didn’t have the perspective of what that loss meant just yet. More painful was watching the Cubs dominate the entire 2008 season and being more amped up than ever for the postseason … only to see them get swept in 3 games by a steroid-fueled Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers.
As a freshman in college, that was a tough pill to swallow because every game was such an event. Every loss was just a dagger to the soul. The fact that it had been exactly 100 years since the Cubs’ last World Series gave me (and others) the false sense of hope that the drought would inevitably come to an end. That made 2016 that much sweeter.
Chris Marler, The SDS Podcast co-host
So I grew up where one side of my family was from Anniston, Ala., and the other side was from Braintree and Mansfield, Mass. I am admittedly one of the worst combinations of fans ever — a Red Sox and Alabama fan. The Kick-6, or even the Camback game, is the easy answer here for a lot of Bama fans. However, I’ll give you 2 that hurt worse for me.
Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS: Before the Red Sox became a version of the money-grubbing evil empire of their own, they were actually fun to cheer for. This Chicago Cubs-like lovable underdog. The Sox had a 5-2 lead with 5 outs to go in the Game 7 of the Bronx. Grady Little pulled Pedro Martinez and the Sox did what the Sox always did up until that point, they blew it. My father was in the bathroom as they came back from commercial break with Aaron Boone up to bat. He was the lucky one because he never saw that ball land in the left field seats and still hasn’t to this day.
The 2016 national title game loss to Clemson is the one that stings the most as an Alabama fan. I maintain that that team is the best Bama team I’ve seen in the Nick Saban era. Jalen Hurts was the SEC Offensive POY as a Freshman, the defense led the country in 3 of the 4 major statistical categories, and had a ridiculous 15 non-offensive touchdowns. They had a streak of 7 consecutive games to start the season with at least 1 non-offensive TD.
So many things went wrong for that team leading to that last-second loss. Lane Kiffin leaving midweek during national title game prep, Bo Scarborough breaking his leg in the 4th quarter with a 2 TD lead, and of course, an offensive play call that would later become targeted as illegal by NCAA officials. That team was ridiculous, and it sucked to see them come up short to a really good Clemson team.
Dustin Schutte, Saturday Tradition editor
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge Indiana Pacers fan. My biggest sports heartbreak dates to the 1998 NBA Playoffs when the Pacers played the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. It was Game 7 and Indiana had a lead midway through the 4th quarter. I thought for sure the Pacers would be the team to end Michael Jordan’s run.
Obviously, that didn’t happen. That Pacers team (I still argue) was the best ever assembled and couldn’t get to the NBA Finals. As a kid, I was devastated for weeks.
Michael Bratton, News editor
You can basically pick most Tennessee-Florida games for me, but the one that stands out as the worst came during the 2015 season in Gainesville.
If you’ve forgotten how that one went down, Tennessee took a 26-14 lead after scoring a touchdown in the 4th quarter and for some reason, Butch Jones called for an extra point to go up 27-14 instead of attempting a 2-point conversion that could have made the score 28-14.
That wasn’t even the worst of it, as Tennessee was still leading 27-21 with under 2 minutes to play and the Gators facing a 4th-and-14 with the game on the line. It’s bad enough to give up the 1st down in that situation, but somehow the Vols got caught with their pants down as Antonio Callaway busted loose for a 63-yard touchdown on the play.
Tennessee then managed to get the ball back and drive into field goal range in order to attempt a game-winning kick. Initially, the kick appeared to be on target before sailing just wide of the goal post. Butch Jones jumped in celebration as if the kick were good, it was that close.
Of all the Florida wins over Tennessee, that one was the worst. Florida won 28-27.
Chris Wright, Executive editor
I’m still not over the 1977 NCAA Tournament final. My boyhood hero, Phil Ford, had helped North Carolina fight back from 39-27 halftime deficit. The Heels opened the 2nd half with a 16-4 run. Marquette was reeling. The Omni, with a partisan UNC crowd, came alive when Walter Davis’ baseline jumper tied it at 43. A steal and bucket gave UNC its first lead since the opening minutes at 45-43. Then … disaster. With all the momentum and still way too much time left, more than 12 minutes, Ford pulled up near halfcourt and flashed those familiar 4 fingers. Normally, that meant victory was just minutes away. Normally, we anticipated and celebrated that. Heck, every rec team in the Triangle closed out games by going into the 4 corners. Or maybe just mine. Definitely mine.
I was 10 and immediately screamed at the TV. “Nooooooo! It’s too early!!!” That was the first time I ever questioned Dean Smith. Judging by my mom’s reaction, you would have thought I took the Lord’s name in vain.
UNC’s offense literally came to a screeching halt. The Heels kept it close, but Marquette found its footing and pulled away for a 67-59 victory. UNC has won 5 NCAA titles since then, but that 1977 loss left a scar that will never heal.
At least it prepared me extremely well for that ill-fated slider Mitch Williams threw to Joe Carter in 1993.
The articles on this site have gotten really negative lately, when might we see something a little more cheerful? Worst sports memories, teams who didn’t belong in the top 10, worst moments for each team in the last decade, etc. This stuff is depressing.
Good point. Although it is kind of funny within the context of Leghumper accusing Michael Bratton of being pro-Gator a week or so ago.
Pro gator? Keep it real Nash, lol. Actually I said biased…no one is pro gator except Gainesville alum and soon, Ric Flair again!
OK, I give. Are you really going to split hairs between “pro” and “biased”?
Speaking of fake news…Same question…are you going to split hairs on whether my unbiased statement towards the UT grad writer was about being pro-gator…or was it his pro-Brewster slant? If I recall I stated the completely unbiased article writer says Brewster has a strong history as an elite recruiter…
Well, while we’re on the topic of fake news, there is no such thing. That phrase is just a clever propaganda technique. There is inaccurate reporting and there is slanted reporting, but there is no “fake news,” unless you’re referring to sites like Infowars.
Like I said I do love use of oxymorons…no such thing as…unless your referring to…classic nash
I don’t think oxymoron means what you think it means. An oxymoron is a self-contradictory phrase like “open secret” or “deafening silence.” And there are humorous oxymorons like “military intelligence.”
If you believe some component of the news is fake, then from your perspective “accurate news” would be an oxymoron. “…unless” creates an exception to a rule, not an oxymoron.
Time for another single malt?
You’re probably right but I don’t know how to say paradox when I’m drinking. Besides, it’s a cool word…
Or is it antithesis? I’ve always had difficulty saying that one too, especially when I’m drinking or not drinking…
Exception.
Incidentally, an oxymoron is a species of paradox. Antithesis is an opposite.
Stay healthy, Leghumper.
You and Merriam Webster should hook up, they don’t have a clue either…lol.
You stay healthy too my Gatorbaitor compadre…getting crazy out there.
Just swap the team names in each section. That is your article. The wife comes back, the disease goes away, and the stock market skyrockets. Call it the reverse Barry Manilow effect.
Good one.
Just here to help.
I vote for more positive sounding articles. Are things not bad enough that every day these guys want to relive the worst times for each sports fan?
Ageed
The conference championship games in 2007 and 2013 remain my most painful memories. Winning those games would have put us in national championship games, but it wasn’t to be. Despite the disappointment, those were amazing seasons. We’re due for another run, Drink will get us there.
I wasn’t old enough to go to the game. It was 1960, Missouri coached by Dan Divine, was undefeated and ranked #1 in the nation. KU payed half-back Bert Coan “benefits not permitted” to transfer from TCU to KU. Coan played against Colorado and Missouri. The Conference declared Missouri the winner but not in time for the final media poll to reflect Missouri as undefeated National Champion. (although I think one poll kept Missouri #1 anyway.)
As for the 2013 game against Auburn. I’m still furious with Dave Steckel. Missouri’s offense scored 49 points, more than enough to win the game, but Steckel refused to come out of that bend-but-break-anyway defense he we infamous for. I’ll never understand why Pinkel kept him in that DC role for more
than one game, yet Pinkel kept him for years.
Not going 40-0. Go CATS!!!
2012 and 2017. 2013 also sucked because of how close Aaron Murray came to winning the game anyway after the play.
My most painful memories in sports all involve teams I was actually a part of, not just a fan of. How bout we talk about something more positive.
Just swap the team names in each section. That is your article. The wife comes back, the disease goes away, and the stock market skyrockets. Call it the reverse Barry Manilow effect.
This is as supposed to be a reply. See above.
I agree with the above comments, too much focus lately on negativity and disappointment. Let’s rank the top underrated players or plays of the past few seasons. Or how about how these new coaches to the SEC will handle a potential first season in the SEC which did not include an offseason spring football session and possibly even a truncated fall camp. As a UGA fan, I know disappointment too well (as all fanbases do to various extents) and would prefer to not have to relive it.
My most painful sports memory was easily the blown call that eventually lost us a chance at a Nation Championship in the final 4
Since this is an SEC Blog site, I’ll say Patrick Nix’s Undefeated Tigers in 1993. I think Coach (Terry) Bowden would have won a National Championship that year.
Sluva Luv…Great point ! I remember that team well. Best recruiting & coaching job Terry Bowden has ever done….He was acting like his Dad.
Easy: Totally obvious yet missed by every official pass interference call in the Saints/Rams 2018 NFC Championship game. Cost the Saints and Brees another bite at the Super Bowl apple.
SEC moments? The 2014 loss to Ole Miss. Even with an understandable loss to Alabama we were still #4 on the AP chart and might have made the playoffs. But that loss, along with the downfall of the formerly top 10 teams we had beaten, exposed us as overrated and spoiled the dream.
I’ve had a few of these. Watching Larry Holmes vs. Muhammad Ali. LSU getting shut out by Bama in the 2011 title game. LSU losing to A&M (and the officials) in the 74-72 overtime game. Probably the worst is watching Ali extending his career too far. He should have quit long before that Holmes fight.
The steroid fueled Dogers beat the poor Cubs. I would think as an adult now you would know that the Cubs were steroid fueled also.
Grew up in Central Florida, and most of my family is from Western Carolina/Upstate SC and East Tenn. So NASCAR was a pretty big part of my childhood, as was Ric Flair, Takeout and Bojangles. I went to the Daytona 500 pretty much every year that I can remember as a kid. UHauls in the in-field, uncles passed out drunk in the mud, aunts drunk dancing on tables and Gramas hooping and hollering. Good times… Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliot, Daryl Waltrip, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, all of them my heroes. But man… Dale Earnhardt was pretty much Jesus incarnate as a racecar driver, he was the be all end all. I had t-shirts, hats, painted my bike black and silver, and dreamed of growing a Man-Stache. Anyway, in 2001 I had just finished Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, AIT at Ft. Gordon and went home for Hometown Recruiting. My Army Recruiting office was in Merritt Island, just south of Cape Canaveral. We scored tickets to the 500 that year, just stoked. Went in full dress greens, no awards or tabs, mosquito wings on my shoulders. I was an absolute polished t^rd, grinning from ear to ear at my favorite race, chest stuck out and watching my heroes. In my homestate watching NASCAR on my favorite track, in my brand new uniform and getting looks from all the fine young gals. Just the best. Dale was running up front on the final lap, jeesh, the final d@mn lap, hurts to even think about now. He got into it with Sterling Marlin and wrecked…with somebody, name escapes me. Bleh… Dale had died and I haven’t really watched NASCAR since, certainly haven’t been back to Daytona. Puts stuff into perspective though, it certainly did for me at the time.
As far as my interest was concerned, Nascar ended the day Big E died. Statistically, Nascar has been on a decline since.
January 2nd 1995 – 62-24
It was our first shot at the title …and they boat raced us. Badly. Won 3 since but I don’t think I ever felt disappointment like I did after that loss.
It was embarrassing.
Agreed! I was slightly more devastated losing to Alabama in 2009 SEC championship
Watching Les Miles run the same four plays vs Alabama in the 2011 MNC. He should have been fired that night for one of the best teams in LSU history being so woefully unprepared to play a team they had already beaten that year.
2009 Gators football. We go #1 all season long and lose a close game against an strong Alabama team. I probably cried along with Tebow, haha. Little did I know those tears were shed because we haven’t been back to that level since that day. Florida getting THRASHED by Nebraska in 1995 championship was a close 2nd