The name “Buckner” sends shivers down the spine of Red Sox fans everywhere, after the first baseman made one of the biggest blunders in MLB history during the 1986 World Series. In a tied game against the Mets, he let an easy ground ball roll between his legs, allowing the Mets to score a winning run to end the game and push the series to game seven. The Mets then went on to beat the Red Sox again, and win the World Series. The Red Sox would have to wait nearly 20 years before they won their own Word Series and finally broke the curse of the Bambino.
Anybody who knows the Stanford University band knows that it is a somewhat unorthodox college marching band, avoiding formations and creating humorous and usually somewhat-offensive halftime shows. But in 1982, its eccentricity cost the team when in the final four seconds of the big game against Cal Berkeley, they ran onto the field to celebrate, thinking the game was over with Stanford’s one point lead. Cal received the ball, and made an incredible five lateral passes to return it for 55 yards. The band had already swarmed the end zone, making it impossible for Stanford defenders to make a tackle, and Cal scored the winning touchdown. Also, a trombone player was flattened.
Cubs fans are the only team in history to have a longer losing streak than the Red Sox, and Steve Bartman helped extend that record in 2003, effectively becoming the most hated man in Chicago (an impressive feat for a city that is used to its politicians going to jail). A fateful pop fly flew over to foul territory where young Bartman was sitting. He tried to catch it, like any other fan at any other baseball game would have. Unfortunately, he didn’t see Cubs outfielder Moises Alou about to catch the foul ball for the second out of the inning, and his interference bungled the catch. The missed opportunity allowed the Marlins to come back and win the game, eventually winning game seven and then the World Series against the Yankees. Bartman had to be escorted from the stadium under police protection, and received death threats for years.
Chris Webber was a member of the Michigan Fab 5, one of the greatest basketball recruiting classes ever, and the university had high hopes for his team. But in the 1993 National Championship game, Webber tried to call a timeout with 20 seconds left in the game. HMichigan had already used of all of its timeouts, resulting in a penalty of a technical foul. North Carolina clinched the game with its free throws. The game marked Webber’s last on the Michigan team, but he landed on his feet as the No. 1 overall NBA draft pick the following year.
In a game against the Cleveland Indians in May 1993, then-Texas Ranger Jose Canseco chased down a ball hit to right field by Carlos Martinez. While running, Canseco lost track of the ball as he neared it, and it ended up bouncing off his head and over the fence. For a home run. The result was merciless mocking at Canseco’s expense for years to come. He was even offered a soccer contract by the Harrisburg Heat several days later.
The coup de tête (more commonly known as headbutt) heard round the world happened during the 2006 World Cup Finals between Italy and France. Zinedine Zidane, arguably one of the greatest players in history and leader of the French team, lost his cool from an insult by Italian Marco Matterazzi and head-butted the Italian to the ground. The game was tied 1-1 at the time, and Zidane was ejected with a red card. France ended up losing in penalty kicks after one of its players missed while Zidane was benched.
Soccer fans are known for being hardcore, but they took it to new levels after Colombian Andres Escobar accidentally scored on his own goal against the U.S. during the 1994 World Cup, costing Colombia the game. It is rumored that the upset cost big gamblers thousands of dollars back in Colombia. Ten days after the match, Escobar was approached outside of a bar by Humberto Muñoz Castro. After a heated conversation, Castro pulled a gun and shot Escobar 12 times, shouting “Goal!” with each shot. Castro got 43 years in prison for killing Escobar, but was released after just 11 years for good behavior.
Football players are notorious for their over-the-top touchdown celebrations, but Washington Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte may have taken it to an unnecessary level. In a tie game against the New York Giants in 1997, Frerotte ran in a touchdown from one yard out. As celebration, he spiked the ball and kept running to the concrete wall, giving it a hard headbutt. After leaving the game at halftime for medical testing, it was discovered he had sprained his neck from his antics. Fans felt he was never the same afterwards.
Leon Lett is known for several different blunders that marred his career, an impressive feat for such a short list. First, while playing for the Dallas Cowboys, defensive end Lett dove on a blocked kick — that his own team had blocked — making it a live ball. It slipped out of his hands and was recovered by the Dolphins, who promptly kicked the game-winning field goal. But if that wasn’t enough, later in his career he recovered a fumble against the Buffalo Bills in the 1993 Super Bowl, and almost ran it in for a 45-yard touchdown. Except before reaching the endzone, Lett began celebrating and held the ball up in the air. Which was then stripped by Bills wide receiver Dob Beebe, who was chasing him down. The Cowboys won the game anyway, but these incidents show why Lett definitely should have stuck with defense.
Anaheim Mighty Ducks mascot Wild Wing makes the list for his attempted death-defying feats in 1995. In the season opener, Wild Wing tried to trampoline over a wall of fire to amp up the crowd before the game began. Instead, he tripped and landed directly on the wall of fire, lighting the feathers of the costume on fire. Ducks cheerleaders were able to douse him with a nearby extinguisher, saving him from injury. It’s definitely one way to start the season with a bang!
In a 1993 game, Nolan Ryan threw a pitch that rolled off of Robin Ventura’s back. Ventura was on his way to first base, when he decided to turn around and let Ryan know how he felt about that pitch, with his fists. But before the youngster had the chance, Ryan put him in his place with three punches. In the end, Ventura was ejected from the game.
Eagles player DeSean Jackson is talented but he has one problem: he celebrates a little too early. In one 2008 game against the Washington Redskins, wide receiver Jackson dropped the ball just before making it into the end zone.
Another premature celebrator, Dave Smith was a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers when he made his infamous blunder: during a 1971 game against the Kansas City Chief, Smith got a little too excited when approaching the end zone with the ball. Smith raised his arm to do a celebratory air pump, and dropped the ball before making a touch down.
At the 1983 British Open, Hale Irwin was just one shot away from the win. At the 14th hole, during the third round, Irwin was just a few inches away from the putt that could earn him the win…but he missed it.
South African boxer Thomas Hamilton-Brown was eliminated in the first round of the lightweight class in the 1936 Olympics. Years later it would be revealed that there was a scoring miscalculation, and Hamilton-Brown should have won. By the time the fighter found this out, he had emotionally eaten his way out of his weight class and could not fight.
During his stint as a placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals, Bill Gramatica couldn’t hold back his joy after a field goal in the first quarter against the Giants in a 2001 game. Gramatica jumped in the air for joy and fans watched as he immediately grabbed his knee in pain: he’d torn an ACL.
MLB player Chuck Knoblauch was having some trouble making accurate throws to first base during his time with the Yankees. Slowly but surely, his throws got more off track and he pegged the mother of sportscaster Keith Olbermann.
