Hands down, without a doubt. It sill makes the hair on my arms stand up as much as watching it that night so many years ago

I too vote for The Miracle On Ice. Watched it at the Brunswick NAS O'Club with a rowdy group of ossifers.

Runner up was a game that I can't identify other than it was Jim Brown with Cleveland. He gets hit by at least a half dozen defenders who pile up on him. But under all that he's still upright and legs churning. After what seems like a half minute the "pile" starts moving downfield for another 15 - 20 yards.... Brown simply carrying them all. Unreal.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
The Wild World Of Sports intro.

The snowballing down the ski slope in the agony of defeat.

I saw that one with my brother, before it became part of the agony of defeat.

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2002 World Superbike last round, last race. Imola. Colin Edwards, a Texan, pulling off the greatest motorcycle racing comeback in the history of 2 wheeled sport. I’d post a link but couldn’t find one.

I remember that. My fingernails were chewed to bits.

Bob Beamon1968 Olympics long jump.

quote:

Originally posted by k5blazer:
Bob Beamon1968 Olympics long jump.

Growing up, I attended many basketball camps. Frequently I was force fed Larry Bird clips and I hated it as I was a Magic fan. Larry was always the model we should emulate because he was the king of fundamentals. Left and right handed dribbling and shooting. Showing off by slamdunking the ball was always secondary. Now that I'm older, I can see why he was celebrated.

Lots of perfs from the Olympic Games mentioned. My first thought was from the Olympics as well; Franz Klammer’s gold medal winning run in the downhill at the ‘76 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Unfortunately, there is no video on YT of the ABC TV broadcast with Frank Gifford, and his call of Klammer’s downhill. IMO, it ranks with Al Michaels’ call of the hockey game.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:
Growing up, I attended many basketball camps. Frequently I was force fed Larry Bird clips and I hated it as I was a Magic fan. Larry was always the model we should emulate because he was the king of fundamentals. Left and right handed dribbling and shooting. Showing off by slamdunking the ball was always secondary. Now that I'm older, I can see why he was celebrated.

Larry Bird was the greatest basketball player of all time. Micheal Jordan couldn't hold his jockstrap.

That team with McHale, Parish, Ainge...damn they were good.

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:
On Film, as in movie, the GOAT.

https://youtu.be/i94ldGNNSQ0
.

If this is defined as an athletic performance portrayed in a Hollywood production, this also is my overwhelming pick. Even as I watch it over and over again whenever I encounter it as I channel surf, that scene gives me goose bumps!

Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Peo3Nt4eM

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:
One of the greatest athletic performances captured on film along with my top pick for best call by an announcer at an athletic event. The record still stands, hasn't really been seriously challenged in 45 years.



"He's moving like a tremendous machine...He's all alone..."

That is my vote, too.

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Originally posted by vic40204:
Secretariat is a great 1. I also like this. https://youtu.be/SejHEFZEebU

1994 ky comes back from 31 points down to beat la.

I can't believe there has been no mention of Bo Jackson. If not for "The Throw" in particular, but for the shear strength and athleticism of that man. How anyone can break a bat across their head is beyond me. He was known for snapping bats with a checked swing. I fully believe that his blown hip was a result of simply being too powerful for his own good. A lot of people forget that he managed to accomplish all that he did before the age of what, 26? Bo was a walking highlight reel of athletic dominance.

1988 world series Gibson's H.R., to win
https://nowthisnews.com/videos...es-walk-off-home-run

(was there that night)

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:
Barry Sanders highlights are up there on the list

Barry Sanders was a human highlight film. I'm a lifelong Detroit Lions fan (until the NFL lost their mind), and am a huge Sanders fan. Not only was he elusive, quick, and strong , but he was a total class act (didn't celebrate after TD, took care of his o-line, zero locker room or off the field nonsense).

I remember his rookie year when refs were inspecting his jersey and teams were filing protests with the league. Nobody could believe that he could be so elusive and thought he must be cheating (e.g. spraying slipper substance on jersey).

The highlight film left out one of his most memorable runs. The Lions were playing the Steelers and at the time Rod Woodson was their star cornerback (11 time pro-bowler, NFL defensive player of the year, AFC player of the year, 2x all american football at Purdue, 2x all American track star at Purdue, qualified for hurdles on US Olympic team, etc), and on a swing pass play Sanders juked Woodson out of his knee. Woodson had to have ACL surgery.

Link to original video: https://youtu.be/fqFksT8wvXY

Greatest athletic performance of all-time was Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Hitler planned to show the world that the Aryan people were the dominant race, but Jesse Owens proved him wrong and sealed his place in Olympic history by becoming the most successful athlete of the 1936 Games. Owens also became the first american to win four track and field gold medals at a single Olympics (100m, 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump), a record that stood unbroken for 48 years.

Link to original video: https://youtu.be/1inifMJ0xio

I remember the Miracle on Ice and it was great but for me it was the 1988 World Series game 1. I was watching the game on television with my mom and the Dodgers were down 4-3 to the A’s in the 9th with 2 outs. Kirk Gibson had not played because of injuries to both legs but Tommy Lasorda sends him to the plate. Mike Davis is on first and Dennis Eckersley was pitching, at the time he was considered the best reliever in the game. Gibson can’t run so anything he hits on the ground is surely an out. The count goes to 3 and 2. Gibson fouls off several and it’s clear he can’t use his left leg to drive his swing and he can’t plant his right foot to swing. Then he puts the bat on the ball and sends it over the right field fence for a 2 run homer. That’s one of my favorite memories with my mom. The only thing that would have made that more dramatic would have been if it were game 7 instead of game 1. But it stunned the A’s and I don’t think they were able to recover the rest of the series.

I don’t know how to imbed the video but here is the link.

1988 World Series Kirk Gibson at bat