Who doesn't love the underdog? From David vs. Goliath, to the tortoise vs. the hare, it seems in the end some upsets were meant to be.
Would pro football be the same if the Jets were blown out by the Colts? Great sports upsets have changed lives, sports, and even countries.
What about all the great movies that have been made about these upsets? In fact, that's where we start our list...
10. Cinderella Man (Braddock vs. Baer)
In 1935, two men squared off in Madison Square Garden for the heavyweight championship belt. When 10-1 favorite Max Baer was left gasping for air after the fight, someone had stolen his heavyweight championship belt.
The thief's name was James J. Braddock, and he had spent his whole life fighting for everything he had in New York's Hell's Kitchen and New Jersey. It was an accomplishment so stunning, it was made into a movie exactly 70 years later.
9. NC State Wins 1983 NCAA Championship
Give me some love! Lorenzo Charles' put-back of Dereck Whittenburg's 30-foot desperation shot at the buzzer in the 1983 NCAA men's basketball final left North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano running around like a maniac, looking for someone, anyone...to love.
Even more surprising: That Houston Cougars team had future NBA stars Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
8. Appalachian State Defeats Michigan
Like college hoops, NCAA football has given us many upsets throughout the years, from Centre College’s win over Harvard in 1921 to Notre Dame knocking off Oklahoma and ending the Sooners’ 47-game winning streak in 1957 and beyond.
Yet, as impressive as many of these upsets are, the simple fact is that there is one that outshines them all, and that is Appalachian State’s 34-32 upset of the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines in 2007.
By blocking Michigan’s last-second field goal attempt, the Mountaineers became the first Division I-AA (FCS) team ever to beat a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.
Why is this rated so low? Well, the Mountaineers were pretty damn good despite being an FCS team. They dominated the FCS year in and year out, and this upset showed the world they were underrated.
7. Denver Nuggets Embarrass Seattle Supersonics in 1994 Playoffs
In the history of the NBA only one No. 8 seed has defeated a No. 1 seed in a playoff series.
That was the 1994 Denver Nuggets and, like eighth-seed teams before them, they were expected to be an easy mark. An upset was even more improbable when the Sonics crushed the Nuggets in the first two games.
Yet Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Dikembe Mutombo, and Co. refused to give up. They won Game Three, 110-93, Game Four by a 94-85 margin, and Game Five, 98-94. It was a huge accomplishment and Seattle will always wonder what could have been.
6. The 1969 Miracle Mets
Since entering the National League in 1962, the New York Mets had never finished above .500. They had lost 100 games in five of their first seven seasons, and in 1969 they entered the season as a 100-to-1 long shot to win the World Series. True to form, they started off 18-23.
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