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The TOP TEN biggest sporting upsets of all time

sportingo.com — From Cassius Clay to the Crazy Gang - the list of the most incredible shocks to rock the world of sport.

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  • irishjays, on 07/24/2008, -3/+26Underwhelming list, it didn't mention the annexation of puerto rico when the Little Giants overcame the 21 point deficit to beat the Cowboys
    • Conwaysb0718, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6I still say if you review the play from the right camera angle, you can clearly see that spike broke the plane.
  • Conwaysb0718, on 07/24/2008, -4/+51#10 is a "now its your turn"? wtf kind of lame ass cop out is that??
    • Joebaker1, on 07/24/2008, -8/+1Not sure its a cop out, more a chance to point out missing events!
      • Conwaysb0718, on 07/24/2008, -0/+10my bitch is that if he only had nine, he should have said it was nine. thats just lazy IMO.
    • mrloci, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2just someone who knows everyone will have an opinion on what should be on the list.
      prick
  • C4Strife, on 07/24/2008, -10/+3And yet still the Giants get no respect.
    • boardthis, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3they won the ***** SB. everyone appreciates them beating the patriots since no one can stand that team. now do they need to be on every sporting list from now until eternity?

      being in the media center of the world and whining about no repsect is the equivalent of hugh hefner whining about not being surrounded by enough blondes.

      id10t
    • Conwaysb0718, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Honestly, the Giants would get more respect if people didnt yammer on about them all the time and stop trying to convince the rest of the country that Eli Manning is the next Joe Montana.
    • Ryan166, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2They were #2 on the list.
  • krekc, on 07/24/2008, -5/+31Who in the hell starts a top ten list with number 1? Idiots. Number 10 is lame. Buried.
    • Joebaker1, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1I think the list is not a countdown but a selection of events in no order, hence them leaving number ten open for us to complete the ten with our choice
  • weeklywordnews, on 07/24/2008, -5/+29No Appalachian State defeating Michigan in the Big House? Hmm...
    • dmbchris, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3It was a huge upset, but diminished in the "big picture" by the fact that it was a regular season game. The upsets you will really remember (unless you are from one of these schools) are in playoff or championship games.

      By the way, what about Super Bowl III?
    • jeezie, on 07/24/2008, -3/+8Stanford beating #1 USC in LA last year was a bigger upset than that one. They were 41 point underdogs, while Appalachian State was 20-something point underdogs
      • Ryan166, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3The App St. game wasnt even lined by any vegas books, or most online books because is was 1A vs. 1AA.
      • TheBigBad, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4Stanford beating USC was bigger. Appy State might have been Div 1 FCS but they also finished the season 13-2 and won the FCS championship. They were no slouches. Stanford was coming off of a 1-11 season in '06 and were beaten that year by USC 42-0.
  • hughesj919, on 07/24/2008, -8/+6Boise St?
    • FeartheKnighted, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2No where close to being a major upset. Boise State was undefeated. It was a really, really damn good game though, with one of the best finishes in CFB history.
      • sleeknerve, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1Undefeated, in the WAC!
        Hawaii went undefeated in the WAC, its not that hard, the only way a good team wont go undefeated is if they play a hard non conference schedule like Fresno State does. I really didnt think Hawaii deserved to go, a really weak schedule and some luck. However, Georgia was a fantastic team.
    • decker12, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3While I don't think Boise St was favored to win that game, the Sooners weren't favored by much. Boise St would be be considered more of a "biggest comeback" instead of a "biggest upset". Boise St. played fantastic football in the 4th quarter to win that game, after giving up some big plays earlier in the game.
    • Ryan166, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Boise St. was only 7 point dogs, but definitely a great comeback and game.
    • pciulla, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2na the other st....

      App state...
      first time ever a fcs team beat a ranked fbs team .wow
  • OfF3nSiV3, on 07/24/2008, -9/+4What? No Euro 2008 Turkey 3 - 2 Czech Republic?!
    • patik, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Turkey-Croatia was better, but not really a huge upset. Turkey wasn't rated too much lower.
  • MoralThreat, on 07/24/2008, -0/+8I'm tempted to bury this as inaccurate since it only has 9 listings.
  • 1gunners4, on 07/24/2008, -0/+9http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_YdxrPD04g

    Chaminade defeats #1 Virginia: considered the biggest upset in College Basketball history.
    • patsfan456, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Good point, Chaminade definitely should have been on the list.
      • 1gunners4, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I'm a UVA alum, so it pained me to point that out.
      • stev31h, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1i think the pain you felt is actually just from being an alum from UVA
      • 1gunners4, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Raise your hand if your school has won a NCAA Championship in anything!

        *raises hand*
    • davewashere, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2Biggest upset ever in my book. ESPN didn't even report it at first because they assumed when the final score came over the wire that it must have been a typo.
  • fieldhockey44, on 07/24/2008, -8/+9Of all time? Then #1 should have been David v. Goliath. Old, but still the biggest upset in any fight in history.
    • cizzymac, on 07/24/2008, -5/+11Except this list compiles things that actually happened...
    • CptBuck, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2Buried. God+David>Goliath. Philistines shoulda figured that ***** out. Thats basically the entire point of the old testament; they may look small, but don't ***** with the Jews.
    • wsuvtx, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1That is from the fiction section of the library.
  • CptBuck, on 07/24/2008, -7/+26The 2004 ALCS? Red Sox were down 3 games to none and came back to win 4 games to 3 and went on to win the world series for the first time in 86 years. Greatest upset in sports history. That large a deficit, to my knowledge, has never been overcome in any other professional sport or by any other team.
    • erad222, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4That was a great series but ESPN's coverage of it after made me puke...
      • CptBuck, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5Well of course, Joe Buck makes me want to throw myself onto a pile of punji sticks.
      • ismellfunny, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4espns converage of anything makes me puke these days. it's all about players lives and not the game. I want stats not gossip. I don't give a fk if A-Rod wants to bang Madonna just don't tell me about it 1 million times.
    • Skellbasher, on 07/24/2008, -0/+81942 - Toronto Maple Leafs - Came back from a 3-0 series deficit to win the Stanley Cup.

      1975 - New York Islanders - Came back from a 3-0 series deficit to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins, and advance to the Stanley Cup finals.

      The Sox comeback was indeed outstanding, but not the first team to come back from being down 3-0/
      • CptBuck, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4I stand corrected, I had a feeling Hockey would have the exception lol.
      • stev31h, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5there was more than just the comeback though.. history, NY/BOS rivalry, and the extreme contrasts of the two teams made it standout much more than the other 2.
    • BigPapi, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5Not to mention that the Red Sox were hanging by a thread at the end of game 4 - down by a run with Rivera, one of the greatest closers in history, pitching in the ninth. The Dave Roberts steal was epic!
    • mikeblur, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1When you have the two teams with the biggest payrolls in baseball going against each other, one beating the other is not an upset. Choke job by the Yanks for sure, but not an upset.
    • wsuvtx, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Not exactly an upset. Boston was a great team. But it was cool to the Yanks go down in flames.
  • kdamp, on 07/24/2008, -2/+16No 2004 ALCS? I'm not a fan of the Red Sox or Yankees, but that was a hell of a series.
    • ma6ic4l, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Yes. No mention of the '04 ALCS = Fail.
    • fatTJ, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1I am a Yankee Fan and that was a hell of a series.
  • SirPsycho, on 07/24/2008, -13/+5NY Giants over New England wasn't an upset, the better team won.
    • BetterOffEd, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6You're absolutely right—the *undefeated* team going into that game was clearly the underdog.

      (moron)

  • wontstoptalking, on 07/24/2008, -6/+7Sometimes I'm disappointed when a "top 10" list isn't Cracked. This is a good list, but there is nothing like Cracked.
  • heyblue, on 07/24/2008, -1/+20Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson was the greatest upset in history. Most casinos weren't even taking bets on the fight because the odds were too long.
    • erad222, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I was about to post this. Tyson was at his peak as an unstoppable behemoth and a no name Buster Douglas comes out and makes him look like a kid. DAMN that fight was great. This should be added.
    • MisterChirish, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I still laugh when I remember Tyson stumbling on the mat, trying to find his mouth guard...

      Of course, that was the last good fight in Buster Douglas, too...
    • QsheiK, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2Exactly what I was gonna post too. If I recall correctly, the odds against Douglas were 49:1.
      • eNyoron, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0It was an upset so great it inspired a crappy boxing game for the Sega Genesis/Master Drive.
  • ajpalma, on 07/24/2008, -8/+32 words - Appalachian State

    seriously, this guy must be a NY Giant Fanboy or something. The Giants were not that bad a team THEY were good enough to be in the superbowl.
    Look at it this way, if you take 18 players off the Giants team do they still beat the Pats? because that's how many less scholarship athletes Appalachian State had less than Michigan.
    Watch it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rBzoXqCEnA

    And don't try to mention Boise state - THEY WERE THE FAVORITE TO WIN
    • CptBuck, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6Anyone who saw the giants play the pats in the regular season knew that they were the only team that could bring them down.
      • greenroom628, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1nope...the ravens and the colts were both one score from beating the pats that year.
    • ajpalma, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Yea,maybe, I Think healthy Colts coulda taken them
    • boardthis, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2it was a good upset but it was before big10 play and the game was just a regular season game. no championship, league championship or bowl was up for grabs.
      • ajpalma, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1How does the fact that it was before big ten play or not for a championship/bowl make it any less of an upset??? 1st time ever a 1-AA beat a ranked team, not to mention #5 Ranked
  • insomniacal, on 07/24/2008, -14/+1Meh. Where's the "Bury as Sports" option?

    "Bury as Spam" will have to do.
    • erad222, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7If you don't want to read about sports, change your preferences in your profile. That or stop being a condescending douche and understand that there are a ***** of sports fans out there who actually care about this stuff. Idiot.
      • insomniacal, on 07/25/2008, -3/+1I don't care what you see on TV or in a stadium -- the best sports moments are the ones you make yourself. I reserve the right to continue challenging people on this point.
  • fapfapfap, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2One of college basketballs greatest upsets.

    In 1982 NAIA division Chaminade upset then number 1 ranked NCAA Virginia.

    Many who attended the game in Honolulu, were there get a chance to see the number one team in the country, but got treated to one of the greatest David v. Goliath upsets in basketball history

    (oh man 1gunners4 beat me to it)
    • 1gunners4, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Haha, no reason for everyone to dig you down!
  • bigmrpig, on 07/24/2008, -3/+11NY Giants were a 12 point underdog in the Super Bowl this year. The importance of the game doesn't overshadow the fact that it was NOT THAT BIG AN UPSET.

    Also: snooker? Seriously?
    • erad222, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Um yes it was. A 10-6 team that shouldn't have made it past the Divisional round against a team that was 17-0, had the most progressive offense possibly of all time, and had squashed opponents on their way to the top. It IS an upset.
      • FreddieD, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1It is an upset, but nowhere near legendary. With the Patriots practically squeaking by the Giants in the final game of the regular season, both teams playing VERY well the entire game and the entire country watching, the Giants were not sneaking up on anybody.

        For the article to even consider it a larger upset than The Miracle on Ice is simply offensive. With the best forward in the world and possibly the best goaltender ever up to that point playing for the Soviets, it would almost be the equivalent of some college kids beating the 1992 Olympic Dream Team.
      • erad222, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I understand what you mean and agree. I guess that the Giants winning is still too fresh in our minds and we overrate the win a little bit.
  • ThePerkins, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1I could see some new social news site with decent submissions and an educated user base giving Digg one of the biggest upsets of all time.
    • EtherGnat, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split you. I seriously question the intelligence of people who continue to come to a site they profess not to like.
  • Miamisun, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Florida Marlins defeating the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium to win the World Series in 2003.
    • iamanalog, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I was going to mention that, to bad no one watched the series...

      Being one of the dozen marlins fans, it was a great series.
      • Miamisun, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Absolutely no one gave the Marlins a shot. They really need to get more credit for that World Series win. They had a very low payroll at the time.
    • stev31h, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1... says the florida marlins fans
      • Miamisun, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1:) The two of us.
      • stev31h, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1haha well for your team's credit, i watched and it was a fantastic series
  • boardthis, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6wrong super bowl was listed. super bowl 3 with namath and the jets was 1000x the upset of last year's super bowl.
  • cadmiumpaint, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1No 2004 ALCS.....lame.
  • dreicher, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5'69 Mets? Superbowl III? No. How about Man 'O War losing his race to a 100-to-1 longshot named UPSET?
    • krahzee, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Thank you!

      Two of the more ledgendary upsets in sports, the '69 Miracle Mets and Joe Namath delivering on his famous guarantee that the underdog Jets would win Superbowl III over the heavily favored Colts still stand as two of the more stunning upsets in sports.
  • elister, on 07/24/2008, -5/+1No so much the top 10, but definatly in the top 40.

    Seattle Seahawks vs Dallas Cowboys Wildcard Playoff @ Qwest Field.
    4th down, 6 yard line, field goal attempt with Romo holding. This would basically win the game for the Cowboys but Romo drops the ball, tries to run with it only to get tackled from behind and fumbles the ball. One yard more and he would have gotten the first down, with enough time for 3 more plays.

    Dallas blamed this on a brand new football being brought out, so new, so shiney that it slipped right through his hands. Because of this, the NFL created a rule which allows all game balls (which are often out of the box brand new) to be rubbed down with a towel before each game, making it less likely to slip through your hands.
    • boardthis, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3lol
      how the ***** was that an upset? the hawks were favored.
      • circa1015, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1People have been confusing "upset" with comebacks and endings up and down this board.
  • mulletman1004, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Why the hell did snooker make the list?
  • redfred18t, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2#2 is only on that list because of very questionable calls by the refs
  • decker12, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6Uhh, Fresno State Baseball defeating Georgia this year in the College World Series? This is the absolute definition of the biggest sporting upset of all NCAA men's sports, as FS was the lowest ranked and lowest seeded team ever to win a championship. And no, the Georgetown/Villanova game was not a bigger upset - the seeding is different in college basketball than it is in baseball.
    • EtherGnat, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Fresno was damn impressive. It pains me to admit that because I really, really hate Fresno State.
    • bravo1995, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Fresno state winning the CWS was the equivalent of a 13 seed winning the NCAA BB championship.

      If George Mason had actually won it all a couple year back, it still wouldn't have been as big an upset.
  • boardthis, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1no more red sox ALCS talk. that might have been the best comeback ever but they were not major underdogs.
  • jetblackz4, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Illini over Ohio was a pretty huge upset.
    • bravo1995, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2I'm an Illinois alum, and while beating Ohio STATE was one of the biggest wins in the history of the program, it was hardly one of the biggest upsets of all time.

      It was basically a top 15 team beating a top 5 team on the road.
  • gatewaydrug, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2No love for the whooping Puerto Rico gave to the USA basketball team in 04?
  • slightlyoffbeat, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2UC Davis beats Stanford. Go Ags.
  • Funbox, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6Complete crap.

    This should be #1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maracanazo

    I don't think anyone can deny the World Cup is the most important sporting event in the world. And with that said, what could be a bigger upset than the biggest upset in the history of the Cup?

    [you might want to read the article to put into perspective the impact of this upset had on the country, especially with how soccer defines Brazil. Several fans committed suicide and the country came to a complete standstill after the loss.]
  • appleseed1234, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2If they're going to mention the Patriots vs. Giants, they should at least mention the far more unlikely Red Sox World Series upset when they came back from 0-3, which hasn't happened any other time.
    • Jeffler, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Except, y'know, twice in hockey. (42 Leafs, 75 Islanders)
      • appleseed1234, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1They weren't coming back from an 85 year losing streak.
    • stev31h, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1ACTUALLY IT HAPPENXZD TWICE IN HOCKY
  • custerfluck, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Inaccurate. There is no mention of Forest vs. Rampage
  • jellydoughnut21, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1If no one wants to mention The Warriors beating The Mavericks i guess i'll have to.
    • bravo1995, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1No one mentioned it because it wasn't a historically huge upset.
  • SlyT862, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1The biggest upset of all time is Ali? He was 7-1, that's not a top 10 upset in BOXING!
    Giants almost beat the Pats in the regular season... beat all the NFC teams, it's not a huge upset.
    Appalachian State, Douglas v Tyson, Charminade over UVA, George Mason over UConn, just off the top of my head!
    Oh, and why does everyone keep asking about the 2004 ALCS? Not a big upset... at least before the series started. Yes, they'd be on the list of greatest comebacks, but going into the series, they weren't a huge underdog.
  • Socram, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2The best part of the list is its global sport focus. I'm tired of all sport lists being made up of on basketball, football (the ***** american type), baseball and hockey.
  • Jeffler, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2No 1942 Maple Leafs? They were down 3 games to 0 in the Stanley Cup finals against the Red Wings, best of 7, and won. Sure, the 04 ALCS is one thing, but to do it in the FINALS is a whole different story.
  • izelpii, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2This lists, as many of the-best-worst-list-of-whatever-I-think-is-relevant is biases to the -generally small- knowledge (or time to do proper research- of the author.

    MARACANAZO: That is number one if you want to do a real list. If you miss soccer, remove the title 'ever' or 'all'.
  • McHaleR, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Villanova over Georgetown in '85 anyone?
  • Buzzworks, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0 for USA sports, Jets over Colts in 69 Superbowl oughta be a top 10
    Jets (AFL) were 19 point underdogs
    AFL was not yet merged with NFL -- NFL utterly dominated previous Superbowls
    League merged shortly thereafter
    Joe Namath predicted the victory
  • heqqr, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3USA vs Russia should have been number 1. A bunch of amateurs against the best hockey team in the world at the time.
  • InfoAddictOS, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4Holy ***** - it had non-yank sports in there...
  • eggballs, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Pancakes.
  • demesisx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1It's frustrating to me that the referees stopped the clock in this last super bowl. If they hadn't, it would have surely ended with a Patriots victory. Instead, it's on lists like this. I sense that the media quashed any word of this so that the NFL could bask in the same publicity that the MLB enjoyed when the Red Sox beat the Yankees down 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS.
  • GaryChalmers, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2A better top ten by ESPN :
    http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/010523upset.html
    • sinurgy, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1That's an understatement, the ESPN list is pretty much superior in every way. Probably because it was written by someone who actually follows sports!
    • Futsuriai, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0It's too US-biased to use the moniker "of all time". This one tries to be a bit more international.
  • mrogi, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Buster Douglas vs Mike Tyson in Tokyo. Back in 1990, Tyson was universally considered the most fearsome and indestructible fighter on earth. Buster was a nobody and a 42-1 underdog. In the 10th round a devastating five-punch combination sent Tyson to the canvas and groping for his mouthpiece. The rest, as they say, is History.
  • Eslamicolt3, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Biggest upset of all time IMO

    Francis Ouimet vs. Britain's Harry Vardon in the 1913 U.S. Open
  • jgaspar, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Biggest upset is that soccer is considered a sport.
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