They're Going Crazy: The Top Ten In-The-Moment Calls Ever Made

A recent slideshow by BR correspondent Brad Goldbach detailed the 20 Funniest Sports Announcer Bloopers.

If you haven't already checked it out, I highly recommend you do so. It’s a fun read, and you’ll get plenty of laughs out of it.

Indeed, it seems that, one way or another, broadcasters never fail to entertain.

Whether you’re listening to a quiet, level-headed magician like Keith Jackson, or you’re cursing under your breath to a slimy homer like John Sterling, there’s no denying that you are indeed listening.

For good or ill, the person calling the game is just as much a part of the experience as what's happening down on the field, court, or rink.

But then there are times where the divide between the broadcaster and the general audience becomes blurred by a moment that is incredible enough to make the man behind the mic become just another howling fan.

Like us, they are totally in the moment, and they have absolutely no control over their emotions.

No surprise, then, that moments like these often result in calls that are just as legendary as the events that inspire them.

And so here they are, the 10 best in-the-moment calls ever made.

10. Al Michaels, The Miracle on Ice

The year is 1980. The USA men’s ice hockey team is playing a medal-round game against the USSR, the consensus No. 1 team on the planet.

The USA takes a 4-3 lead with less than eight minutes left in the third period. As the period dwindles down to the final seconds, it becomes apparent that the USA is actually going to win.

And somewhere above the rising volume of the crowd, Al Michaels is barely able to articulate himself: “Eleven seconds, you've got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? YES!”

Michaels has been one of the best for a long time. And "Do you believe in miracles?" just might be the most iconic interjection in the history of sports broadcasts.

Even now, 30 years later, the younger generations who weren't there to hear it in real time can still identify with the inherent sense of majesty in Michaels' call.

And naturally, there is no better way to taunt one's opponents in a game of street hockey.

Indeed, why is Michaels' call not at or near the top? Well, let's face facts: the line was clearly premeditated.

All he needed was an excuse to use it, and he got it. Credit where credit's due: his timing was perfect.

9. Jim Durham, The Shot

In Cleveland, it's the closing moments in Game Five of the opening round of the 1989 playoffs. Michael Jordan hits a jumper with six seconds left to give the Bulls a 99-98 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Cavaliers' Craig Ehlo answers with a lay-up to put his team back on top.

There are three seconds left on the clock. Jordan receives the inbound pass, looks for an opening, and fires up a shot over Ehlo's outstretched hand. Nails it.

A hush immediately falls on the Cleveland faithful. As such, they probably heard a good portion of Jim Durham's call: “The inbounds pass comes in to Jordan.

Here's Michael at the foul line, the shot on Ehlo...GOOD! THE BULLS WIN! THEY WIN! They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers! Michael Jordan hits at the foul line! 101-100! 20,273 in stunned silence here in the Coliseum.... In my days in the NBA, 16 years, this is the greatest series I've ever seen!”

OK, fine. Durham shouting "Good!" at the top of his lungs probably isn't as profound as "Do you believe in miracles?"

Nevertheless, one has to imagine that just about every Chicago fan in America probably said the exact same thing when Jordan's shot nestled home.

8. Howard Cosell, Foreman vs. Frazier

In January of 1973, Joe Frazier had been the undisputed heavyweight champion for nearly two years, having won the title when he knocked out Mohammad Ali in the 15th round of "The Fight of the Century." He is undefeated, with a record of 29-0.

His match with George Foreman, who is also undefeated at 37-0, in Kingston, Jamaica is dubbed "The Sunshine Showdown." Foreman is a 3:1 underdog.

But he comes out swinging, knocking Frazier to the canvas within the first two minutes of the fight. In the second round, after six knockdowns, the fight is called and Foreman is crowned the new champion.

But contrary to popular belief, it was that first knockdown that inspired Howard Cosell's famous call: “Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier!”

This is easily the most famous call in the history of boxing. And if you were to play it for a layman, he would undoubtedly be able to understand that Cosell is going nuts because what he was watching simply was not supposed to be happening.

It's overwhelmingly apparent that Cosell himself couldn't believe what he was seeing, and that the repetition of the notorious phrase is the upshot of a complete and utter lack of words.

Lucky for us, then, that he didn't just say it once.

7. Mike Keith and Pat Ryan, The Music City Miracle

It's 2000, and the Titans have made it to the playoffs for the first time under their new handle, not to mention their new city. The season is in doubt, however, as they trail their AFC Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills with just a few seconds remaining.

The Bills’ Steve Christie has just put his team up 16-15 with a 41-yard field goal, and he prepares to kick off. Lorenzo Neal receives the kick, and hands it off to Frank Wycheck.

Wycheck runs several yards to his right and then makes a long, backwards (?) lateral to Kevin Dyson, who runs 75 yards for the score.

It was obvious to everyone who saw it that Dyson was going to score. Nevertheless, it's wasn't until a few seconds after Tyson crossed into the end zone that Titans radio man Mike Keith finally seemed to grasp the situation:

"Touchdown, Titans.... THERE ARE NO FLAGS ON THE FIELD! IT’S A MIRACLE! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"

What's great about Keith's call is how it directly addresses not so much the score itself, but the prevailing notion that it was simply too good to be true.

The fact that there were no flags on the field was the only indicator he needed that the moment was not going to be taken away from him and the thousands of screaming Titans fans.

The play has since been dubbed "The Music City Miracle," and you have to think that it would have been called something else had Keith uttered something different.

6. Johnny Most, Havlicek Steals the Ball

In 1965, the Celtics were gunning for their seventh consecutive championship. However, they must first conquer the 76ers in the Conference Finals, a task that has taken them all the way to Game Seven.

The Celtics are clinging to a 110-109 lead with five seconds left on the clock. Philadelphia's Hal Greer prepares to inbound the ball.

Johnny Havlicek deflects the inbound pass to teammate Sam Jones, who proceeds to run out the clock.

Among those who went crazy was the legendary Johnny Most: "Greer is putting the ball into play. He gets it out deep… HAVLICEK STEALS IT! Over to Sam Jones. Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! It's all over! Johnny Havlicek is being mobbed by the fans!"

Is there a better poster boy for the "they don't make 'em like that anymore" club than the great Johnny Most? Probably not.

Sure, he may also be the biggest homer ever to grace a broadcast booth, in any sport.

But you have to admire a guy who can habitually refer to Magic Johnson as "Crybaby," and get away with it. This is undoubtedly his most famous call.

And in the context of this list, it is also the most famous call in the history of the NBA. By far.

5. Joe Starkey, The Catch II (Young to Owens)

In a game that is probably one of the better see-saw battles in the history of the NFL, the 1999 NFC Wild Card matchup between the 49ers and Packers goes down to the final seconds.

Trailing 27-23 with less than two minutes left, the great Steve Young leads a charge down to the Packer 25 yard line. But there are only seconds left, and a field goal won't make the nut.

Young drops back to pass, nearly loses his footing, and then uncorks a deep pass towards the end zone.

A young Terrell Owens, who was the perpetrator of four drops and a fumble in the same game, catches it in traffic for the go-ahead score.

Somewhere up above, the ever-excitable Joe Starkey nearly loses his voice: “Young almost falls down, throws to the end zone… OWENS! OWENS! OWENS! OWENS! OWENS! He caught it! He caught it! He caught it! A twenty-five yard touchdown pass! He hadn’t held onto anything, including his fingers, all day, and he makes the winning touchdown catch! I don't believe it! One of the greatest finishes in 49ers history! Somehow, some way. Owens, right down the middle! The ball had to be perfect. It was! He caught it. Niners will win it! Niners will win it!”

This is the only call on this list that I actually had the good fortune to hear in real time, and I'll be damned if it didn't get me going. And even as a Raider fan and steadfast Niner hater, I don't mind admitting that.

My own two cents aside, Starkey's calls are always fine reminders of why it's a good idea to turn down your TV in favor of the radio play-by-play.

By no means is this the best call Starkey's s ever made, but it's hard to nail both the moment ("Owens!" X 5) and the significance of it ("One of the greatest finishes in 49ers history!") more perfectly than he did.

Compared to him, Pat Summerall sounded like he was giving a speech at a funeral.

4. Dan Davis and Gino Cappalletti, The Doug Flutie Hail Mary

It's 1984. Heisman hopeful Doug Flutie and his Boston College mates are trailing 45-41 at home against the Miami Hurricanes. They get the ball on their own 22-yard line with 28 seconds remaining.

Flutie completes two passes to move the ball into Miami territory. With six seconds left, Flutie snaps the ball, scrambles out to the right, and tosses it towards the end zone.

Waiting just beyond the plane is Gerard Phelan, and the ball hits him right in the bread basket for the game-winning score.

Calling the game for Boston's WRKO was Dan Davis: “Here's your ballgame, folks, as Flutie takes the snap...He drops straight back...has some time...Now he scrambles away from one hit...looks...uncorks a deep one for the end zone... Phelan is down there... Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown, Boston College! He did it! He did it! Flutie did it... He hit Phelan in the end zone...Touchdown!”

As far as college football lore is concerned, Flutie's pass is probably the single greatest pass ever made. And if one were to make a list of the most impossible plays ever pulled off in sports history (nudge nudge wink wink), Flutie's play would have to be at or near the top.

The amazing part is that Davis seems to have realized that at the time he made the call. His insistence that "He did it!" is meant to heap all the credit solely on the little guy's shoulders.

Clearly, Davis was saying what everyone was thinking.

3. David Jackson, Appalachian State upsets Michigan

In 2007, Michigan, the fifth best team in all the land heading into the season, is playing their opener against Appalachian State. In an utter shock, Appalachian State leads by a score of 34-32 with six seconds left in the game.

But Michigan has the ball on the Appalachian State 20-yard line, and they have sent out kicker Jason Gingell to attempt a game-winning field goal.

Gingell’s kick is blocked by Appalachian State safety, Corey Lynch. The clock runs out, and the upset of the decade is sealed.

High up above the stadium, Appalachian State's play-by-play man David Jackson cements himself as a Youtube hit for years to come: “Snap’s good, the hold, the kick is BLOCKED!” From there, the audio descends into a nearly incoherent gargle of various screams.

And then, "The Mountaineers have just beaten the Michigan Wolverines! The Mountaineers of Appalachian State have just beaten the Michigan Wolverines in the Big House!"

This call never gets old. Never. Proven by science. After all, even though Michigan would go on to have a disappointing season anyway, Appalachian State had no business beating them. And it's pretty obvious that David Jackson and his partner knew that better than anyone.

As their reaction shows, there were simply no words for any scenario that involved the Mountaineers actually winning the game. So long story short, why bother with words at all?

2. Russ Hodges, The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

It's 1951, and both the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers have finished the season with a record of 96-58, forcing a three game tiebreaker to settle the matter.

It's the third game, and the Giants trail by two runs with one out in the last of the ninth. But with runners on second and third, Bobby Thomson, who had hit 31 home runs during the regular season, is striding to the plate to face Ralph Branca.

After getting ahead with a fastball, Branca throws another one up and in to Thomson. He hits a line drive that just barely clears the fence in left, winning the pennant for the Giants.

Calling the action was the great Russ Hodges: “There's a long drive... it's gonna be, I believe... THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! Bobby Thomson hits it into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant and they're goin' crazy, they're goin' crazy! HEEEY-OH!!!''

If ever there was a call that perfectly captured the significance of the moment, it would be this call by Hodges.

In an age where every announcer has their signature home run call (all of which are terrible), it is comforting that the best call in baseball history is one in which the man calling the game doesn't immediately verify that the ball did, in fact, leave the park.

All that mattered at the time was that after a long, hard-fought season, the Giants were finally triumphant, and that the Polo Grounds was experiencing absolute pandemonium.

1. Joe Starkey, The Play

Cal vs. Stanford: The Big Game. The 1982 version sees Stanford leading Cal at California Memorial Stadium by a score of 20-19 with 4 seconds left in the game. Having just kicked the go-ahead field goal, Stanford prepares to kick off.

The kick is squibbed, and grabbed first by Kevin Moen. Moen dances for a few yards, and then laterals the ball to Richard Rogers, who laterals to Dwight Garner, who laterals back to Rodgers, who laterals it to Mariet Ford, who laterals it back to Moen, who crashes through the Stanford band and into the end zone.

Once again with the play-by-play is the incomparable Joe Starkey: “The ball is still loose as they get it to Rodgers! They get it back now to the 30, they're down to the 20... THE BAND IS OUT ON THE FIELD!! He's gonna go into the end zone! He's gone into the end zone!!” And then, some time later, “THE BEARS HAVE WON! The Bears have won! Oh, my God! The most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football! California has won the Big Game over Stanford! Oh, excuse me for my voice, but I have never, never seen anything like it in the history of I have ever seen any game in my life! The Bears have won it!”

I hinted earlier that the Owens catch was not the best call of Starkey's career. Well, here you go. And it just so happens that the best call of his career is also the very best in-the-moment call ever made.

There have been many plays in the history of college football, but there is only one "The Play." And no play goes hand-in-hand with its commentary than this one.

To say that Starkey perfectly handled the absurdity of the moment would be an understatement. His inflection when he announces first that "The band is out on the field!" and then that "The Bears have won!" is as perfect as it gets.

And despite the fact that he is barely able to find the words, he was absolutely correct when insists that the play represents the "most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending, exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football." And he still is.

Yes, it's true. I am a Cal alum, and I love my Bears. But that had very little to do with the decision to put Starkey's call at the top of this list. It has more to do with the call's infectious power, which I have witnessed firsthand.

My junior year at Cal, I had a roommate who one day admitted to me that he had only heard of "The Play." He had never actually seen it, and he knew nothing of Starkey's call.

When I showed him the Youtube clip, he started laughing and clapping as soon as Starkey blew his stack.

To this day, I have never been able to shake the notion that he was responding to the call more than he was to the play itself. And that, I think, is what makes it the best.