The Greatest Sports Moments of Our Lives

1970s

1972: Mark Spitz: Triumph, Then Tragedy

Mark Spitz’s record-breaking seven gold medals in swimming should have capped a joyous Munich Olympics. But these Summer Games will forever be remembered for the terrorist attack that left 11 Israeli athletes dead and the Jewish American Spitz rushed from the Games for his safety.

1973: Secretariat Astonishes

“He is moving like a tremendous machine....” Race announcer Chic Anderson’s memorable call during the 1973 Belmont Stakes captured the combination of power and grace with which “Big Red” thundered to victory in horse racing’s Triple Crown.

1973: Tennis’ Battle of the Sexes: Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs 

Billie Jean King said, “I thought it would set [women] back 50 years if I didn’t win that match.” Her career included 12 Grand Slam singles titles, but she is best remembered for shutting up chauvinist Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 — and elevating women’s sports.

1975: Ali-Frazier III

Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali had split two legendary fights prior to the “Thrilla in Manila.” It was a brutal war of attrition, which Frazier’s trainer ended after 14 rounds. Ali later said he’d never been so close to dying.

1979: John McEnroe Makes a Splash

Tennis was the domain of ladies and gentlemen who kept their emotions mostly in check until brash New Yorker John McEnroe joined the club. His U.S. Open doubles and singles titles at age 20 signaled the arrival of a new style of tennis star.

1980s

1980: The Miracle on Ice 

A plucky band of American amateur hockey players was expected to be little more than a speed bump for the Goliaths of the sport from the Soviet Union in the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. But as announcer Al Michaels would ask, “Do you believe in miracles?” The U.S. team defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 to earn a spot in the game for the gold medal, which they clinched two days later with a 4-2 victory over Finland.

1984: Mary Lou Retton: Teenage Titan

Signing autographs at a local gym, 16-year-old Mary Lou Retton felt her knee lock. Surgery six weeks before the Olympics in Los Angeles should have ended her medal dreams. But a perfect 10 on the vault gave her the first individual all-around Olympic gold for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team — and a place in America’s heart.

1986: Greg LeMond Makes Cycling History

It was the 73rd Tour de France bicycling race. The first 72 ended with a European winning. But Greg LeMond caught Bernard Hinault in the Alps late in the grueling event, and America had a champion.

1990s

1991: Carl Lewis: The Pinnacle of Speed

The final of the 100-meter dash at the Tokyo world championships was run by one of the most talented fields in history. But 30-year-old American Carl Lewis would not only win, he’d set the world record of 9.86 seconds. “The best race of my life,” he later said.

1994: Wayne Gretzky: ‘The Great One’

Over two decades in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky broke more than 60 records, but his career-defining moment came when he became the NHL’s all-time leading scorer with 802 goals, passing idol and hero Gordie Howe.

1995: Cal Ripken Jr.: A New Iron Man

It was among the most unbreakable records in sports: Lou Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. But on a muggy September night in Baltimore, Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. proved nothing lasts forever. Ripken topped the momentous night with a home run. The game’s new Iron Man would set a record of 2,632 consecutive games played.

1997: A ‘Master’ Makes a Major Debut

Tiger Woods didn’t just win his first “major” at the 1997 Masters; he won by 12 strokes, the largest margin in the tournament’s history. His record-breaking victory heralded the arrival of a superstar.

1997: Michael Jordan Wills a Win

“Probably the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” Michael Jordan said after battling flu-like symptoms to score 38 points and lead the Chicago Bulls to a pivotal NBA playoff win over the Utah Jazz. Bulls coach Phil Jackson called Jordan’s performance “one to add to the collection of efforts that make up his legend.”

1998: Michael Jordan’s Last Shot

With just seconds left on the clock, Michael Jordan delivered his final shot as a Chicago Bull, sinking a 20-footer to defeat the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals and securing a sixth championship for MJ. Now that’s how you say goodbye.

1999: Serena Williams: A Star’s Debut

Though the spotlight was on her older sister Venus, 17-year-old Serena Williams seized the moment at the 1999 U.S. Open tennis tournament, winning her first Grand Slam title and becoming the first African American woman to do so since 1958. It was only the beginning for Serena, whose 27-year career included winning 22 more Grand Slams.

1999: Tony Hawk’s ‘900’ Defines a Sport

For Gen X kids, the X Games felt like an event that was uniquely theirs. So it was only natural that Gen Xer Tony Hawk would become its first superstar, landing a 900 — 2.5 360-degree revolutions — and making skateboarding history. That same year, he got his own (wildly popular) video game series, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

1999: Brandi Chastain’s Legendary Penalty Kick

The 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final was a watershed moment in women’s sports, mainly thanks to Brandi Chastain. After scoring the winning goal in the penalty shootout against China, she celebrated by tearing off her shirt and dropping to her knees. It signaled the rise of America’s women’s soccer team as a world power, and photos of Chastain’s victory lap in her sports bra (which she has framed) graced magazine covers around the globe.

2000s

2000: Laird Hamilton’s Epic Ride

It is rare when one event defines a sport for decades, but that’s what happened with American big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, who rode a seven-story blue beast in Tahiti named the Millennium Wave. It not only pushed the boundaries of what was thought possible in surfing — Hamilton risked serious injury — but it’s also widely considered the greatest single ride in the sport’s history a quarter century later.

2001: Derek Jeter: Mr. November

The U.S. was still reeling from 9/11 during the 2001 World Series, which had been postponed because of the attacks. The score was tied during the 10th inning of Game 4, and at the stroke of midnight on November 1, the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter hit an astonishing walk-off home run. Though the Arizona Diamondbacks would ultimately take the Series, Jeter had won the hearts of weary Americans everywhere.

2009: Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt wanted to “leave a legacy to prove to people that anything is possible.” He secured that legacy at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, running 100 meters in just 9.58 seconds, a record nobody has touched since. During that historic race, the aptly named Bolt reached a top speed of 27.5 miles per hour, earning the title of fastest man alive.

2010: Shaun White’s ‘Double McTwist’

Snowboarder Shaun White, also known as The Flying Tomato because of his red hair, seemed to defy gravity during his twisting routine at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, culminating in a 3.5-revolution Double McTwist, which he dubbed the Tomahawk. He won the gold medal in the half-pipe and helped attract a legion of young fans to a sport that had mostly been ignored by older generations.

2012: Michael Phelps: The Most Dominant Olympian Ever

“I’ve put my mind to doing something that nobody had ever done before,” U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps once said. He did exactly that during the 2012 Olympics in London, winning the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and earning his 19th Olympic medal, making him the most decorated Olympian of all time.

2017: Tom Brady Engineers the Greatest Super Bowl Comeback

Quarterback Tom Brady seemed uncharacteristically human as the Atlanta Falcons rolled to a 28-3 lead over his New England Patriots in the third quarter of Super Bowl LI. But Brady had the Falcons right where he wanted them. The Patriots mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally, tying the game in the last minute. The Falcons’ collapse made the first Super Bowl overtime almost a formality. Brady would win seven Super Bowls, none more improbable.

2019: Tiger’s Last Hurrah at the Masters

It had been 11 years filled with personal turmoil and persistent back pain since Tiger Woods won a major golf championship. But he had one more moment of glory, winning his fifth Masters and 15th major title.

2024: Simone Biles’ Road to Redemption Ends in Paris

When gymnast Simone Biles bowed out of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, citing mental health concerns, some saw it as a bittersweet ending to a brilliant career as the most decorated gymnast of all time. But critics underestimated her iron will and her talent. Four years later, she led the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to Olympic gold in Paris, completing her “redemption tour.”