![]() ![]() Greece wins the 2004 European Championship Karelin hadn’t conceded a single point in international for a decade Gardner hadn’t even won an NCAA championship in his college career. The mighty Russian was a fearsome force of nature: undefeated in international competition for 15 years, winner of three consecutive gold medals and seven consecutive world titles. Rulon Gardner was a big man, but the humble 29-year-old Wyoming farm boy seemed like a tiny underdog against Aleksandr Karelin in the Greco-Roman superheavyweight wrestling finals of the Athlens Olypics. Rulon Gardner defeats Alexander Karelin at the 2000 Olympics This clip of head coach Jim Valvano rushing around the court, looking for someone to celebrate with, has become one of the most iconic moments in sports history. With the game tied 52–52 and less than five seconds left on the clock, State’s Dereck Whittenburg put up an air-ball shot-or a pass, depending on who you ask-that Lorenzo Charles nabbed and dunked as time expired. The Wolfpack pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history after taking down Houston-a team that had future NBA legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler-to win the 1983 championship. ![]() State defeats Houston for 1983 NCAA Championship Even more amazing? The Foxes were nearly relegated to the Football League Championship-English football’s equivalent of Triple-A ball-in 2015 before earning enough points to stay in the Premier League. How’d they pull it off? The small-market club took advantage of down years for the “big” teams like Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal to become the most unlikely champions in English football. The club defied the odds-literally, they had 5,000-to-1 odds of winning the title this season-and clinched their first trophy in team history. Leicester’s run during the 2015-16 Premier League season may go down as the biggest longshot championship in sports history. The Giants won the Super Bowl and kept the Patriots from having a true undefeated season.Ĭharlie Riedel/AP/Shutterstock Leicester City wins 2015-16 Premier League title The unbelievable play kept the drive alive, and it culminated in Plaxico Burress catching the winning touchdown to give the Giants a 17-14 victory. On third-and-5 from the Giants’ own 44-yard line, Manning escaped the grasp of three different Patriots players before launching a 32-yard pass to Tyree-who leapt up and caught the ball with one hand, securing it by pressing it against his helmet. The Giants got the ball back down 14-10 with 2:39 left on the clock and went on a drive that included one of the most memorable plays in NFL history. That set the stage for one of the best finishes-and one of the biggest upsets-in sports. The Giants took a 10-7 lead after Eli Manning hit David Tyree (don’t forget that name!) for a touchdown, but the Patriots countered with a Randy Moss touchdown reception from Tom Brady to reclaim the lead. The two teams only scored a combined 10 points when the game entered the fourth quarter, but that helped set the stage for one of the most exciting games in sports history. The Giants had overcome long odds to even make it to the Super Bowl-at the time, no wild card team had ever won the championship. The Giants, on the other hand, had limped into the playoffs as a wild card team with a 10-6 record. The New York Giants came into the Super Bowl as 12-point underdogs against the undefeated Patriots, who cruised to a 16-0 record during the 2007 regular season and set numerous offensive scoring records. UPDATE: With Eli Manning retiring from the Giants after 16 seasons with the team, here’s a look back at one of his greatest moments, and one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history. New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII ![]() Here are 15 of the greatest underdog stories in the history of sports: Sometimes the best moments happen when no is expecting them to-and that’s what makes upsets and underdogs stories so magical. Whether it’s an upstart team knocking off an established champion, or an unheralded athlete pulling off a massive upset over what looks like an unbeatable opponent, underdog stories can resonate for months, years, and decades-and inspire others to attempt the same astonishing feats. Unless your beloved team is the favorite, few sports stories capture an audience’s attention like the plucky underdog who somehow, someway, reaches the pinnacle of their sport. ![]()
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