Biggest Choke Job in Sports | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Biggest Choke Job in Sports

The game at Fitzgerald Field House in 1998 when Pitt choked it away in the final seconds, and El-Amin jumped up on the table, waving defiantly at the Pitt crowd.
 
If you are talking a one time event, loss of your marbles, impacting event:
"Buckner through the legs"
"Isiah Thomas pass" Bird stole to DJ with 5 seconds left
"Wes Welker dropping pass" to seal the perfect season SB XLVI
 
1978 was an epic fail for the Sox.

2004 was not only Yanks up 3-0 but winning the 4th game in the ninth with Mariano on the mound.
 
intlzncster said:
Yanks v Sox 2004 ALCS.

And the manner in which it happened.
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I find, as a diehard, this one doesn’t bother me as much as losing 2001 to the D-Backs. Yankees ran out of pitching in 2004 in 5,6,7.

D-Backs in 2001 outplayed yanks, but when you have won 4 of 5 World Series, losing with Rivera on the mound still stings.
 
Marcus Williams whiff job against NO in divisional round to let Diggs catch a 69 yarder with 9 seconds left. A simple tackle would've sealed the game

NY 2004: As a red sox fan this was glorious. And because its the yanks they should be the biggest chokers.

Northern Iowa. Up 12 with 40 seconds left. Second round of NCAA. This is a very close number one for me as well.

Atlanta choking it up to the Pats.


Biggest unknown choke job and maybe biggest given the magnitude might be:

Winona vs Barton D3 championship. Winona up 7 with 40 seconds to go. Barton's Anthony Atkinson (Would go on to be Harlem Globetrotter) lead them to victory by scoring 10 points in 40 seconds including a walk-off buzzer beating uncontested lay up. Thrilling stuff. Check out video.

 
kcc1442 said:
Winona vs Barton D3 championship. Winona up 7 with 40 seconds to go. Barton's Anthony Atkinson (Would go on to be Harlem Globetrotter) lead them to victory by scoring 10 points in 40 seconds including a walk-off buzzer beating uncontested lay up. Thrilling stuff. Check out video.
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No commercial interruptions really amplifies the momentum swing too.
 
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kcc1442 said:
Marcus Williams whiff job against NO in divisional round to let Diggs catch a 69 yarder with 9 seconds left. A simple tackle would've sealed the game
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The Minneapolis Miracle doesn't get enough play. It was a great play by Diggs, but all the New Orleans DB has to do is let him catch the ball and tackle him in bounds and the game is over.

That ending back-to-back with the missed PI against the Rams is 2 brutal endings in a row for Saints fans.

Other NFL playoff chokes:

- Blair Walsh for Minnesota misses a 28-yard chip shot against Seattle in the waning seconds. Vikings lose 10-9.

- Gary Anderson for Minnesota misses a 38-yard field goal that would have iced the 1998 NFC Championship Game against Atlanta. Falcons come back to tie, then win in overtime.

- Cincinnati against Pittsburgh a few years ago. Bengals get the ball back, up 16-15, with 1:30 left, on the Steelers 25 yard line. All they have to do is run a few times, get a first down, make them burn timeouts, and it's over. Instead, they fumble, Pittsburgh gets it back and marches to around midfield with 20 seconds left. They throw incomplete, but Vontaze Burfict destroys Antonio Brown shoulder-to-helmet, is penalized 15 yards. Then Pacman Jones loses his stuff and is penalized another 15 yards. Steelers waste no time, kick the FG, and win 18-16. Cincy still hasn't won a playoff game in almost 3 decades.
 
ClifSpliffy said:
7 all-stars, 3 starting pitchers with double digit complete games, 2 gold gloves, the al leader in hits, hr's, and rbi's, the al mvp, and a pitcher named 'the spaceman.' 14 game lead on the yankees after the break, they not only lost that lead (choke 1), but they miraculously managed to tie it again on the last day, only to lose at home (59-22) in a one game playoff (choke 2). ladies and gentllemen, I give you.....the 99 win 1978 red sox. its one thing to mess up a game or a series, but my folks tell me this demise over months played out like high drama in the northeast that summer and fall, with names like el tiante, catfish, reggie, eckersly, fisk, munson, billy, yaz, rice, the pitcher who never lost (Guidry 25-3) and george steinbrenner owning the media. 3 yankee managers. birth of 'the bronx zoo.
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I was in a bar on Wall Street packed with suites who were playing hookie from work to watch that game. Place went berserk when Dent hit it. One of the happiest days of my life.

Well, maybe top ten.
 
UConnTrumbull said:
Not many of you watch soccer I’m sure but PSG blew a 4-0 first leg (match) lead to Barcelona a few years ago. Lost 6-1 on the return leg.
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What’s going on here? Leg is a match which is a game? Do they add point totals for 2 separate games? Why?
 
I was in Miami for Donyell's two missed free throws with 3 seconds to go. One made would have won the game and set them up with a game against BC for a chance to go to the final four. That was painful and the Florida fans were all over the UConn fans in attendance even mocking Big Red's cheer.

Although the Yanks 2004 choke and Sox in 1986 series were bigger, the Angels in 1986 against the Sox was also a memorable choke. They were up 5-2 going to the ninth up 3 games to 1. Donnie Moore gave up the homer to Dave Henderson and neither the Angels or Moore ever recovered from that.
 
Jeez not one Mets fan brings up a 7-game lead with 17 to play in '07? That was awful.
 
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Inyatkin said:
Jeez not one Mets fan brings up a 7-game lead with 17 to play in '07? That was awful.
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johnhuskies95 said:
2011 Red Sox. 9 game division lead on September 4th with a 99.6% chance of making the playoffs and they end up going 7-20 the rest of the way to miss it all together.
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The 2011 Braves too. (This was for the wild card).

The Braves were 9-18 in September. St. Louis trailed the Braves by 10 1/2 in late August, 8 1/2 on Sept. 6, and by three with five games to play.

Not sure if this is a choke job, just plain heartbreaking or perhaps both:

Darius Rice, Miami Upend UConn 77-76

Will never forget that, ouch.

"UConn appeared to clinch a victory when Ben Gordon hit two free throws with 8.9 seconds left to put the Huskies ahead 76-72." (emphasis my own).....ugh, I think we all recall what followed.
 
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Isiah Thomas turning the ball over on an in bounds pass which would have won Game 5 vs. Celtics in 1987. Bird steals the ball passes to DJ for layup at buzzer. C's win 108-107.
 
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UConniki said:
Virginia losing to a 16 seed last year.... by 20 points has to be #1 all time. Just sayin.
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And it wasn't even losing so much as it was being throttled from start to finish, a late flurry in garbage time getting it back down to 20 if I recall correctly. They were totally dominated.

I always imagined the first time a 16 won would be some super close game won on a buzzer beater. Not a blowout like that.
 
David 76 said:
1978 was an epic fail for the Sox.

2004 was not only Yanks up 3-0 but winning the 4th game in the ninth with Mariano on the mound.
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1978, 1986, and numerous other whole seasons before, between and especially after kept me from turning on any of 2004 series until after the 7th inning, sometimes later. By then, I just couldn't take it anymore. The World Series was an afterthought robbed of joy that was rightfully mine after 40 years of disappointment.

Years later, a friend gave me a DVD of the championship season; he found it in a Lechmere bargain bin. Approached watching it with trepidation, but it turned out well.
 
whitney houston's memorable rendition of the star spangled banner began the game which had the best offense (428 points) battling the best defense (211 points) in a contest featuring 11 hof'ers. played mostly as close as could be, not only was the record set for time of one possession (9:29), but also for game possession (40:33) in the only one where both contestants represented the same state. widely viewed as a 'last possession wins' kinda game, in fact, the team with the last possession drove the ball to the 29 yard line, setting up a 47 yard field goal to win on the final play.
'wide right' entered the popular culture that day as a euphemism for choking. the losers began a record setting run of appearing in 4 consecutive super bowls, yet never again coming as close to winning their first championship as that day when they lost the only one ever decided by 1 point. that game. wide right. epic choke.
 
Hans Sprungfeld said:
1978, 1986, and numerous other whole seasons before, between and especially after kept me from turning on any of 2004 series until after the 7th inning, sometimes later. By then, I just couldn't take it anymore. The World Series was an afterthought robbed of joy that was rightfully mine after 40 years of disappointment.

Years later, a friend gave me a DVD of the championship season; he found it in a Lechmere bargain bin. Approached watching it with trepidation, but it turned out well.
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'lechmere' is a train station on the green line located at lechmere square in cambridge. jes funning witcha. lol. whatsa 'filene's?'
 
FartMan69 said:
It's the 04 ALCS and there is nothing even remotely close. It was a century of the Yankees dominating every aspect of the Sox. They blew a series away where they were at one point peak domination and Boston has been their daddy ever since.
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Nothing remotely close unless the champagne is already being opened, then a ground ball goes between your first basemans legs put the corks back on. Thats remotely close and could easily be considered more of an apple in the throat.
 
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ClifSpliffy said:
'lechmere' is a train station on the green line located at lechmere square in cambridge. jes funning witcha. lol. whatsa 'filene's?'
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Half wrong, half right: Lechmere's final store closing was in 1997, so I'm way off. It was probably some Odd Job Lot liquidator.
 
mauconnfan said:
Nothing remotely close unless the champagne is already being opened, then a ground ball goes between your first basemans legs put the corks back on. Thats remotely close and could easily be considered more of an apple in the throat.
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The game was already tied when that ball went through. The Yankees had a 3-0 lead buddy. Coming off an 11 run stomping. UNHEARD of to blow that series because guess what? It had never happened before. The 86 Sox blew an inning. The 04 Yankees not only blew 4 whole games they blew 86 years of domination. Boston has changed NYs diaper ever since. Cry more.
 
Now let's not act like the Bruins didn't blow a 3-0 series lead in the conference finals.
 
Scoe said:
Now let's not act like the Bruins didn't blow a 3-0 series lead in the conference finals.
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They did and also blew a 3-0 lead in game 7 but it was in the conference semi finals.
 
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