Top 10 Greatest Upsets in Sports History

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.

Then something amazin' happened. The Mets won 11 straight games and finished the season 100-62. They won the NL East, then swept the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS before stunning the Baltimore Orioles four games to one to win the 1969 World Series.

It was one of the most dramatic turnarounds in sports history and the greatest upset in baseball history.

But there are five upsets even more shocking.

5. The Upset for Upset

Man O' War is the unquestioned greatest racehorse ever. His great speed and amazing ability made him a 100-1 favorite at the 1919 Sanford Memorial, but when the horses came bursting out at full speed, one horse was faster than the Man and his name was none other than Upset. This was Man O' War's only loss ever.

4. Mike Tyson's Practice Session Goes Awfully

Like Baer vs. Braddock, the favorite was simply tuning up for a later fight, but the underdog was having none of it. The weight-challenged journeyman James "Buster" Douglas was a 42-to-1 underdog against the undefeated Tyson.

But when the smoke had cleared on Feb. 10, 1990 in Tokyo, the "baddest man on the planet" was lying on his back, and his heavyweight championship belt was missing.

3. Super Bowl III

Against amazing odds, young gunslinger Joe Namath guaranteed his 17-point underdog Jets from the inferior AFL would defeat a dominating NFL Baltimore Colts team.

The Colts were already being compared to the greatest teams ever to play pro football. Legends like Tom Matte, Johnny Unitas, and John Mackey were all waiting to win a Super Bowl ring for the first time to complete their careers.

The Jets had other plans. This single upset forever changed pro football and legitimized the merger between the two leagues. Without this upset, there might not be an NFL today, and the league would be a lot less exciting.

2. A Giant Upset in Super Bowl XLII

One game, just one game of perfection. Imagine if the Patriots had won that game and captured their fourth Super Bowl.

Tom Brady might be remembered as a better quarterback than Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw. The 2007 Patriots might be the best team of all time, and the 2000 Patriots might be the best Super Bowl dynasty of all time.

But they lost that game.

The Patriots were beaten by Peyton Manning's inferior little brother, who before that Super Bowl was considered a draft bust.

Michael Strahan was past his prime and he, along with Osi Umenyiora, was the only bright spot for the team. And they were against the greatest pass protection line I've ever seen.

But in the end, the Giants did everything right. Manning led his team from his own 17 to score a touchdown to seal a most improbable upset.

And if you thought Tom Brady wasn't the greatest ever before that game, it's unlikely you'll change your mind because another ring looks impossible.

1. Miracle on Ice

Upsets have changed lives, organizations, entire sports, and even major world powers. The USSR and the USA were at loggerheads in just about everything they did.

From going to the moon to sports, the USA usually came out on top, but in ice hockey it seemed that the USSR finally dominated at something. Then came an upset for the ages, and that's why this is No. 1 on this list.

The Americans were a group of untested college players in a culture that was hardly hockey-centric, and they entered the 1980 Games as the seventh seed among 12 teams.

The Soviets, meanwhile, were full-time hockey players who had played together for years, and they were representing a country that had produced eight of the last nine gold medalists in the sport.

The American college kids just before the Games were embarrassed, 10-3, in one of the most sickening events in USA Olympic history.

But the USA won four and tied one in pool play, including a last-minute equalizer against Sweden and a 7-3 thrashing of silver medal favorite Czechoslovakia. That placed the Americans in the medal round and a semifinal date with the mighty Soviets.

U.S. coach Herb Brooks had studied the USSR team inside and out. He knew how they played and he selected a team that he thought could counter the Russians' strengths. Brooks worked his team hard but had them fully prepared for the challenge, telling his team, "This is your time," before the Soviet game.

With the USSR leading, 2-1, and time ticking away in the first period, the game and history changed. Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak misplayed a Dave Christian shot and Mark Johnson slotted home the rebound for a 2-2 score at intermission. Enraged USSR coach Viktor Tikhonov made a goalie change, replacing Tretiak, considered the best netminder in the world, in favor of Vladimir Myshkin.

That set the stage for third-period heroics. Captain Mike Eruzione scored the famous goal on a wrist shot to give the USA a 4-3 lead with 10 minutes to play.

With the cozy Lake Placid rink pulsating, the young Americans survived those final nervous minutes and won the game punctuated by Al Michaels' famous call, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!!!!"

Lost to history is the fact that the USA did not win the gold medal that day. There was one more game to play, against Finland. And according to the rules of the day, the Americans would take the gold medal with a win, and with a loss could finish fourth—without a medal.

The Americans sealed the deal with a 4-2 win.

Do you believe in miracles? Or is the USA the best at everything in every possible way—and sports are not an exception? The answer to both questions is YES.