Super Bowl 2025: Why the Superdome is America's greatest sports venue - chof 360 news

Ask the average American sports fan to name the venues they most want to visit, and the Superdome isn’t likely to crack many bucket lists.

It doesn’t have Wrigley Field’s ivy-covered walls or Fenway Park’s quirky, asymmetrical design. It can’t match the game-day atmosphere of a Saturday afternoon at the Big House or a clash of rivals at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It lacks the big-stage aura of Madison Square Garden, the modern amenities of SoFi Stadium or the postcard-worthy backdrop of the Rose Bowl.

And yet while the Superdome isn’t as revered as other iconic American stadiums, it boasts bragging rights in at least one respect. No other venue in America has hosted more legendary sports moments than the flying saucer-shaped domed stadium on Poydras Street in the heart of the New Orleans Central Business District.

Since it opened its doors in 1975 with message boards flashing “Welcome to the Future,” the Superdome has hosted Super Bowls and Final Fours, college football championship games and heavyweight title fights. It’s where a college freshman named Michael Jordan buried a jumper to lift North Carolina over Georgetown. It’s where Adam Vinatieri launched the Patriots' dynasty, where Roberto Duran said, “No más,” and where Chris Webber called a timeout Michigan didn’t have.

“We’re very proud of our 50-year history here,” said Doug Thornton, executive vice president of SMG, the company that runs the Superdome. Thornton credited the vision and tenacity of Dave Dixon, the driving force behind the NFL awarding New Orleans a team and behind the concept and construction of the Superdome.

“He wanted to design it in a way that we could host baseball, football, basketball, convention events,” Thornton said. “Well, you know what? It lived up to everything he imagined and more.”

The next unforgettable Superdome moment could come as soon as Sunday evening when the venerable stadium hosts Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. Where would Patrick Mahomes leading the Chiefs to an unprecedented three-peat rank in Superdome history? What about Jalen Hurts and the Eagles avenging their loss to the Chiefs two years ago in Super Bowl LVII?

Here’s a look at the 25 most memorable sports moments at the Superdome so far:

1. Steve Gleason’s blocked punt becomes a symbol of New Orleans’ post-Katrina rebirth (Sept. 25, 2006)

For many in New Orleans, the most cherished Superdome moment didn’t break a record, clinch a championship or showcase a superstar at his peak. It happened the night the hallowed venue reopened a little over a year after Hurricane Katrina decimated the city.

During Katrina, the Superdome served as a refuge of last resort for 25,000 to 30,000 evacuees with nowhere else to go to escape howling winds, pelting rain and rising floodwaters. The storm peeled away the Superdome’s rubberized roof and sent water pouring into the stadium’s interior, forcing the Saints to relocate for the entirety of the 2005 season.

On Sept. 25, 2006, the Saints returned to the newly renovated Superdome for a Monday Night Football matchup against the favored Atlanta Falcons. Four plays into the opening quarter, former undrafted free agent Steve Gleason " target="_blank" class="link"> stretched to block a punt and teammate Curtis DeLoatch fell on the rolling ball in the end zone for a touchdown.

The blocked punt etched Gleason into New Orleans lore and became a symbol of the Crescent City’s rebirth and resilience. It sparked a 23-3 Saints victory over the Falcons and kick-started an improbable run that ended with a division title and a berth in the NFC championship game.

Nearly two decades later, Gleason’s blocked punt is the only Superdome moment immortalized by a 9-foot bronze statue outside the venue. Said Gleason the day the statue was unveiled, his voice strained because of the effects of ALS, “That statue is not about football. It's a symbol of the commitment and perseverance that this community took on before that game.”

2. Michael Jordan introduces himself (March 29, 1982)

He arrived at North Carolina in 1981 as Mike Jordan, a promising but unheralded freshman shooting guard. Less than a year later, Michael Jordan had already begun to introduce his name to the basketball world and drop hints of greatness to come.

The first of Jordan’s many clutch shots came in North Carolina’s 63-62 victory over Georgetown in the 1982 national title game. Jordan " target="_blank" class="link"> sank a catch-and-shoot 16-footer with 15 seconds left in the second half to put the Tar Heels ahead by a single point. Then Georgetown squandered its final chance when Hoyas guard Fred Brown mistook James Worthy for a teammate and tossed the ball directly into the North Carolina star’s grateful arms.

In those days, it was still pre-slam dunk contest, pre-His Airness, pre-shrug, pre-Be Like Mike. No one could have predicted that the freshman who took down Georgetown would go on to win six NBA championships, secure five MVP trophies and revolutionize the sports-apparel market.

Now, looking back, Jordan’s legendary shot is more than just the jumper that won Dean Smith his first national title. It was also an early sign of the unshakable confidence that became a hallmark of Jordan’s career.

3. Muhammad Ali’s last stand (Sept. 15, 1978)

Only months after young, unproven Leon Spinks waylaid aging champion Muhammad Ali in just his seventh professional fight, the two fighters staged a heavily anticipated rematch in New Orleans. A crowd of 63,000-plus packed the Superdome to see if the 36-year-old Ali could regain the heavyweight title for a third time or if Spinks could bludgeon the self-proclaimed “Greatest” into early retirement.

Ali, motivated by the detractors who said he was a shell of his former self, trained hard for the fight and arrived in New Orleans focused and ready. Spinks, happy to revel in his newfound fame and fortune leading up to the rematch, reportedly showed up ill-prepared and out of shape.

The result was a past-his-prime Ali securing the final victory of his storied career, a 15-round decision that Sports Illustrated described at the time as “unanimous and indisputable.” Ali became the first man to win three heavyweight titles. After a short-lived retirement, Ali went on to fight twice more, losing to Larry Holmes in 1980 and to unheralded Trevor Berbick in 1981 before finally calling it quits for good.

4. Adam Vinatieri launches a dynasty (Feb. 2, 2002)

Super Bowl XXXVI was supposed to be a blowout. The Greatest Show on Turf St. Louis Rams were heavily favored to win their second championship in three years. The 14-point underdog New England Patriots started a 24-year-old sixth-round draft pick at quarterback and had a decades-long history of ineptitude to overcome.

What happened after kickoff didn’t follow that script. Not even close.

The Patriots forced three turnovers and built a 17-3 lead, only to have the Rams roar back and tie the game on a Kurt Warner touchdown pass with 1:30 to go. That set the stage for Tom Brady, who drove New England to the Rams’ 30-yard line and spiked the ball to stop the clock with seven seconds to spare.

Onto the field stepped Adam Vinatieri, hero of the Patriots’ divisional playoff victory over the Raiders played in the falling snow. " target="_blank" class="link"> Viniateri’s 48-yard field goal as time expired won Super Bowl XXXVI for New England and launched a dynasty that claimed six championships and 11 AFC titles over the next 17 years.

5. Chris Webber’s infamous timeout (April 5, 1993)

The most ballyhooed recruiting class in men’s college basketball history had already delivered on the hype by the time the 1993 national championship game tipped off. The young, brash Fab Five had guided Michigan to back-to-back title games while leaving its mark on pop culture with its trademark baggy yellow shorts, and black shoes and socks.

That Monday night at the Superdome represented the Fab Five’s chance to add a championship to its legacy. A year earlier, the Fab Five had been throttled by Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Duke in the title game. Now it was Dean Smith’s North Carolina Tar Heels standing between the Wolverines and the chance to climb ladders and cut down nets.

Trailing by two with seconds remaining, Michigan’s Chris Webber grabbed a rebound, got away with a blatant travel and charged down court. It was then that Webber drew a double-team and " target="_blank" class="link"> committed a gaffe that decades later still lives in infamy.

"Webber brings it into the frontcourt ... they have no timeouts remaining ... Oh! He calls it, too many timeouts! That's a technical foul! He called a timeout, and Michigan doesn't have any!"

If you’re old enough to have watched that game, you undoubtedly will remember how it felt watching a somber, shell-shocked Webber process what had just happened as North Carolina’s Donald Williams iced the game at the foul line. Said Webber to reporters afterward, “It probably cost us the game.″

6. “No más” (Nov. 25, 1980)

Five months after judges unanimously awarded Roberto Duran a thrilling 15-round decision over Sugar Ray Leonard, the American middleweight secured the ultimate revenge. Leonard " target="_blank" class="link"> made Duran quit midway through their highly anticipated rematch, Panama’s favorite son allegedly halting the fight with two of the most infamous words in boxing history.

The rematch between Leonard and Duran was one-sided from the opening bell. Leonard, brave enough to trade blows with Duran in their first meeting, this time danced away from the brawler and his famous “Hands of Stone.” Duran, out of shape after months of celebrating, ate jabs and quick rights as he halfheartedly chased Leonard while throwing wild punches.

By the seventh round, Leonard began to mock his opponent. Several times, he taunted Duran by sticking out his chin and daring his opponent to hit him, shoulder shimmying or shuffling his feet when those punches inevitably missed the mark. Before long, Leonard faked a bolo punch with his right and then popped a slow-to-react Duran in the face with a left jab.

With less than a minute left in the eighth round, Duran decided he was done. He held up his arm to end the fight, sending Leonard racing to his corner in celebration. Did Duran actually tell the referee “No más?” Or is that a myth, as he has claimed all these years? Little is certain, except that it doesn’t matter to Leonard. He made the most fearsome man in boxing quit. That was plenty good enough.

7. The Fridge’s touchdown ignites Super Bowl prop betting craze (Jan. 26, 1986)

Late in Super Bowl XX, with Chicago already comfortably ahead of New England 37-3 and poised to add to its lead, head coach Mike Ditka sent William “Refrigerator” Perry jogging onto the field. The gap-toothed, 335-pound rookie defensive lineman took a handoff from Jim McMahon, barreled through a defender and " target="_blank" class="link"> tumbled into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run.

“That one registered 3.8,” quipped NBC announcer Dick Enberg, referencing the Richter scale.

The Fridge had become the NFL’s most beloved novelty act ever since Ditka first experimented with using him at fullback during the regular season. He scored two rushing touchdowns and caught another, capturing the interest of everyone from McDonald’s to Vince McMahon to David Letterman.

There was so much interest in Perry in advance of Super Bowl XX that the sportsbook manager at Caesar’s Palace came up with the idea to post odds on whether the Fridge would score a touchdown. Art Manteris hoped to drum up some extra media attention and entice casual fans to make a Super Bowl wager. To Manteris’ delight, his ploy worked. Gamblers poured into Caesars Palace to place bets on The Fridge and TV and newspaper reporters from across America covered the story. The buzz over the Perry bet inspired other sportsbooks to offer the same wager.

Caesars lost well over $100,000 when Ditka turned to Perry at the goal line, but the knowledge gained made it money well spent. Bookmakers quickly realized what a huge draw Super Bowl props could be and began offering wagers on anything from the first touchdown scorer, to the MVP, to the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach.

As longtime South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro put it to chof360 Sports in 2020, “From that point on, prop betting took off like a rocket.”

8. Legendary goal-line stand secures national title for Alabama (Jan. 1, 1979)

The fifth-ever major-bowl matchup between college football’s No. 1 and 2 ranked teams came down to a fabled fourth-quarter goal-line stand. Alabama wrecked Penn State’s undefeated season and secured the national championship with " target="_blank" class="link"> three touchdown-saving defensive plays to preserve a 14-7 victory.

On second-and-goal, Penn State quarterback Chuck Fusina rolled right and delivered a strike to receiver Scott Fitzkee, who was running parallel to the goal line at the 1. Before Fitzkee could turn to find the end zone, cornerback Don McNeal left his man to drive Fitzkee out of bounds less than a yard shy of the game-tying touchdown.

On third down, Penn State sent fullback Matt Suhey up the middle, but linebacker Rich Wingo stuffed him short of the goal line. Then linebacker Barry Krauss made the game’s decisive play on fourth down, filling a hole like he was shot out a cannon to stonewall Penn State running back Mike Guman just shy of the end zone.

As the rest of the Alabama defense celebrated, a dazed Krauss remained flat on his back in the middle of the field Eventually the linebacker picked himself up and wobbled off the field, a pinched nerve and a cracked helmet a small price to pay to etch his name into Alabama football history.

9. North Carolina takes down Duke, ending Coach K’s career (April 2, 2022)

From the moment the 2021-22 men’s college basketball season tipped off, Duke strived to give Mike Krzyzewski the ultimate retirement gift, to have him exit with a sixth national title. “That’s been the motivation since the beginning,” Duke freshman Paolo Banchero told reporters. “To send him out on top.”

That the Blue Devils fell two wins short was heartbreaking for Banchero and his teammates. That the decisive loss came at the hands of hated rival North Carolina made the outcome only more excruciating.

North Carolina won the first NCAA tournament matchup between the Tobacco Road rivals, bringing Krzyzewski’s farewell tour to a sudden and thrilling close with an 81-77 victory. The Final Four showdown at the Superdome was an all-time classic featuring a frenzied atmosphere, stretches of fantastic shot making and 18 lead changes.

Just when it seemed the outcome would come down to the final possession, Duke’s Mark Williams missed a pair of free throws with 46.7 seconds to go. That was the opening that North Carolina’s Caleb Love needed to go for the kill shot, " target="_blank" class="link"> a 3-pointer at the top-of-the-key that extended his team’s lead to four with 24.8 seconds left and gave Tar Heels fans eternal bragging rights.

“I’ve said my entire career — or when I knew what the hell I was doing — that I wanted my seasons to end with my team either crying tears of joy or tears of sorrow,” Krzyzewski said. “Because then you know that they gave everything. I had a locker room filled with guys who were crying. And it was a beautiful sight.”

10. The Super Bowl goes dark (Feb. 3, 2013)

Super Bowl XLVII should be remembered as Ray Lewis’ final game or as Joe Flacco’s crowning moment or as the first to feature brothers as opposing head coaches. Instead, it will always be the Super Bowl when the lights turned off.

Less than two minutes into the third quarter, with the Baltimore Ravens holding a commanding 28-6 lead over the San Francisco 49ers, power in half the Superdome abruptly went out. Players walked off the field in confusion. Stadium escalators and elevators stopped working. CBS broadcasters Jim Nantz and Phil Simms lost the ability to communicate with their audience.

The delay lasted 34 minutes as police worked to rule out a terrorist attack, the stadium operations crew scrambled to figure out what had gone wrong and the west half of the Superdome went through a system reboot. When the lights came back on, the Ravens seemed to have lost all the momentum generated by Jacoby Jones returning the opening kickoff of the second half 108 yards for a touchdown.

Fueled by the right arm of Colin Kaepernick, the churning legs of Frank Gore and the sure hands of Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree, the 49ers cut into the deficit. Only after Kaepernick’s fourth-down fade pass to Crabtree in the end zone fell incomplete could the Ravens exhale and celebrate a 34-31 victory.

11. Keith Smart ushers in 'One Shining Moment' with title-clinching buzzer beater (March 30, 1987)

It’s fitting that CBS debuted “One Shining Moment” after the 1987 national championship game. It felt like David Barrett wrote his heartfelt NCAA tournament anthem with Indiana hero Keith Smart in mind.

With Indiana trailing by one, time running out and Syracuse’s defense focused on preventing sweet-shooting Steve Alford from taking the potential go-ahead shot, the ball found its way into the hands of Smart. He sank a baseline jumper with four seconds left over the outstretched hands of Syracuse’s Howard Triche, denying Jim Boeheim his first championship and delivering Bob Knight his third and final one at Indiana.

12. Nick Saban ends LSU’s championship drought, captures first national title (Jan. 4, 2004)

Nick Saban arrived in Baton Rouge in 1999 at a time when LSU was thirsting for success and stability. The Tigers had cycled through five coaches in the previous 20 seasons. They won SEC titles in 1986 and 1988, but then endured eight losing seasons in the next 11 years.

After four superb recruiting classes and four seasons of eight or more wins, Saban delivered LSU’s first national championship since 1958. The Tigers smothered Oklahoma 21-14 in the Sugar Bowl, limiting the nation’s highest-scoring offense to 154 total yards and turning a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown by Marcus Spears into the winning points.

The BCS title game victory earned Saban the first of his seven national titles, but there was lingering controversy over who the rightful champion was. In the final AP poll, voters anointed 12-1 USC No. 1 after the Trojans convincingly thumped Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

13. The 49ers win the most lopsided Super Bowl of all-time (Jan. 28, 1990)

A Super Bowl showdown between legendary quarterbacks quickly turned into a nightmare for John Elway and the Denver Broncos — and for CBS executives hoping to retain viewers with a dramatic finish. Joe Montana threw for 297 yards and five touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers established Super Bowl records for points scored and margin of victory in a 55-10 rout.

The Super Bowl XXIV blowout was the 49ers’ second straight championship and their fourth since 1981. It cemented the 1980s 49ers as a dynasty and Montana as perhaps the greatest quarterback of his era.

14. Carmelo Anthony helps Jim Boeheim secure first national title (April 7, 2003)

In his lone season at Syracuse, Carmelo Anthony set the standard for future one-and-dones. The ballyhooed 6-foot-8 forward averaged 22.3 points and 10 rebounds, unanimously captured national freshman of the year honors and at last ended Jim Boeheim’s infamous national title drought.

Anthony saved his best for the Final Four, shredding Texas in the national semifinals for 33 points and 14 rebounds and then coming three assists shy of a triple-double against Kansas in the title game. Kansas had a chance to tie after Hakim Warrick missed a pair of free throws in the final seconds, but Warrick redeemed himself with the most famous block in Syracuse history, stretching to swat away Michael Lee’s would-be game-tying 3-point try.

Minutes after the final buzzer, Syracuse fans chanted “One more year!” at Anthony in an effort to persuade him to forgo the NBA Draft. That was wishful thinking, but next season the Orange faithful will have another Anthony to root for. Carmelo’s son, heralded Class of 2025 recruit Kiyan Anthony, has signed with Syracuse.

15. ‘Super Saints’ (Jan. 24, 2010)

“Pigs have flown. Hell has frozen over. The Saints are on their way to the Super Bowl!” — New Orleans Saints radio play-by-play voice after " target="_blank" class="link"> Garrett Hartley’s 40-yard field goal to win the NFC championship game.

The kick clinched a 31-28 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings and removed the long-struggling Saints from the list of star-crossed NFL franchises that had never reached the Super Bowl.

The most telling indication of what the victory meant to the city of New Orleans was the demand for copies of the next morning’s edition of the Times-Picayune. So many customers inundated the Times-Picayune with requests for copies of the “Super Saints” front page that the newspaper twice fired up its presses to print tens of thousands of additional copies.

Fans lined up in front of Times-Picayune bureaus to buy copies and in some cases brought traffic to a standstill. In all, the edition sold 150,000 extra copies yet there were still reports of copies selling on eBay for more than $25 apiece. Said Times-Picayune publisher Ashton Phelps Jr. at the time, "I thought we understood how passionate Saints fans are, but you amazed us.”

16. ‘That should have been a penalty!’ (Jan. 20, 2019)

Late in the 2018 season's NFC championship game, the New Orleans Saints fell victim to one of the most infamous no-calls in NFL history. Officials " target="_blank" class="link"> missed a blatant pass interference penalty against Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman that would have allowed the Saints to bleed the clock dry and attempt a chip-shot game-winning field goal.

“That should have been a penalty!” Fox analyst Troy Aikman said on the broadcast as replays showed Robey-Coleman flatten receiver Tommylee Lewis well before the ball arrived. “It can’t be any more obvious than that.”

The no-call inflamed the Saints and their passionate fan base after the Rams went on to force overtime and kick a field goal to secure a trip to the Super Bowl. Multiple lawsuits were filed against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell even after the league admitted that the officiating crew got the call wrong.

The missed call persuaded the NFL to make pass interference calls and non-calls reviewable during the 2019 season. A year later, the NFL called that experiment a failure and repealed the rule change. The league has not put it back on its agenda ever since.

17. Joe Burrow stakes his claim as ‘GEAUXT’ (Jan. 13, 2020)

Joe Burrow completed one of the greatest seasons in college football history in spectacular fashion. The LSU quarterback threw for five touchdown passes and ran for another, leading the undefeated Tigers to a dominant 42-25 victory over Trevor Lawrence and Clemson in the national title game at the Superdome.

By the end of LSU’s 15-0 season, Burrow had completed more than 76% of his passes and thrown for 60 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions. Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and every other possible award that season, capping his transformation from Ohio State backup to future No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick. Perhaps the cover of Sports Illustrated after the national title game said it best: “GEAUXT”

18. Pistol Pete’s 68-point barrage (Feb. 25, 1977)

Pete Maravich may be best known for averaging 44.2 points per game in three seasons at LSU, but not all of the Pistol’s finest moments came at the college level. In 1977, he " target="_blank" class="link"> scored 68 points against the New York Knicks at the Superdome, at the time breaking Jerry West’s record for most points scored by a guard in NBA history.

What’s remarkable is that Maravich could have piled up even more points if he had the benefit of a 3-point line. He also fouled out of the game with more than a minute to play when referees called a charging foul on a potential three-point play.

19. Desmond Howard takes it to the house (Jan. 26, 1997)

The New England Patriots had just scored a third-quarter touchdown to cut Green Bay’s lead to six in Super Bowl XXXI when Desmond Howard snuffed out their momentum. Howard " target="_blank" class="link"> returned the ensuing kickoff a then-Super Bowl record 99 yards and hit the robot celly as he crossed the goal line to help his team pull away again for a 35-21 victory.

Howard earned Super Bowl XXXI MVP honors, becoming the first special teams player to win that award. He gained a Super Bowl-record 244 yards in returns, helping Brett Favre capture his lone championship.

20. The Battle for Kentucky (April 2, 2012)

The highest stakes Bluegrass rivalry game happened 13 years ago inside the Superdome. On one side was John Calipari’s finest Kentucky team to that point, an Anthony Davis-anchored juggernaut that had lost only two games all season. On the other side was Rick Pitino and Louisville, a dangerous team that had surged since getting healthy, winning eight straight Big East and NCAA tournament games.

The faithful from the Commonwealth of Kentucky who flocked to New Orleans saw the Wildcats pull away in the final minutes to emerge with a 69-61 victory. Davis finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds and shot 7 of 8 from the field to help his team secure rivalry bragging rights and a spot in the national title game.

Two nights later, Kentucky outlasted Kansas to capture Calipari’s lone national title. Louisville and Pitino won a championship of their own the following year in Atlanta.

21. Al Davis-Pete Rozelle feud leads to tense Lombardi Trophy handoff (Jan. 25, 1981)

The most anticipated part of Super Bowl XV didn’t happen between the lines. It came after the Oakland Raiders became the first wild-card team to win the Super Bowl by overwhelming the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10.

That set up a potentially explosive Lombardi Trophy presentation from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to Raiders owner Al Davis, two men with a long history of bad blood and legal wrangling dating back to the AFL-NFL merger. Only days earlier, Raiders offensive lineman Gene Upshaw told The New York Times, "I want to see Rozelle come into this locker room. I guarantee when he walks in our locker room, he's going to get booed. And I will lead it."

The actual trophy ceremony had less fireworks than promised as both men avoided small talk or handshakes but acted civilly in front of TV cameras. Rozelle spoke glowingly of the Raiders becoming the first wild-card team to win a championship. Davis grabbed the trophy and said, “Thanks very much, commissioner. You know when you look back at the years of glory of the Oakland Raiders, this was our finest hour.”

22. Peter Warrick outduels Michael Vick (Jan. 4, 2000)

Already leading by 10 midway through the fourth quarter of the 2000 national title game, Florida State tightened its grip by snuffing out a Virginia Tech fake punt. It was then that the Seminoles’ star wide receiver famously asked the rest of the offense, “You want me to finish them off?”

On the very next play, Peter Warrick got behind the Virginia Tech defense and " target="_blank" class="link"> caught a dagger of a 43-yard touchdown pass despite interference by cornerback Ronyell Whitaker. It was the electrifying Warrick’s third touchdown of the game and it clinched a 46-29 victory. Florida State won Bobby Bowden’s second national title and became college football’s first team to start the season No. 1 in the AP poll and go wire-to-wire.

Warrick’s heroics were necessary because there was a player just as dazzling on the other side of the field. Michael Vick torched Florida State’s star-laden defense with his feet and through the air, the transformative redshirt freshman keeping Virginia Tech in striking distance until the final minutes.

23. Dan Marino delivers on fourth down (Jan. 1, 1982)

Pittsburgh head coach Jackie Sherrill was planning to attempt a game-tying field goal with 42 seconds remaining in the 1982 Sugar Bowl and the underdog Panthers facing fourth-and-5 from Georgia’s 33-yard line.

His quarterback had other ideas.

“Coach,” " target="_blank" class="link"> Dan Marino said, “we didn’t come here to tie the ballgame.”

Marino won the argument and made Sherrill look smart. Taking advantage of Georgia’s decision to blitz and leave its secondary vulnerable, Marino " target="_blank" class="link"> found tight end John Brown streaking open down the middle. That 33-yard touchdown pass gave Pittsburgh a 24-20 victory over Herschel Walker and Georgia and served as a harbinger of great things to come from Marino.

24. Doomsday Defense stifles Denver (Jan. 15, 1978)

The first Super Bowl at the Superdome quickly turned into a showcase for Dallas’ Doomsday Defense. The Cowboys intercepted Denver starting quarterback Craig Morton four times, chased him from the game and also forced four other Broncos turnovers en route to a sloppy yet convincing 27-10 victory in Super Bowl XII.

It’s a testament to the dominance of the Doomsday Defense that the media initially voted the entire unit as the Super Bowl MVP. Only after the NFL intervened did the award eventually go to a pair of Dallas defensive linemen, Randy White and Harvey Martin.

25. Jerald Honeycutt’s falling-out-of-bounds buzzer beater (Dec. 5, 1995)

With his team trailing Florida State by one and time running out, Tulane guard Correy Childs raced down court and tried to thread an entry pass to a teammate. Florida State’s James Collins deflected the pass, paving the way for one of the most improbable, highest-degree-of-difficulty shots in college basketball history.

As the ball caromed toward the corner, Tulane star Jerald Honeycutt grabbed it with his back to the basket, jumped off one foot and sank " target="_blank" class="link"> an off-balance, twisting game-winning jump shot as his momentum carried him out of bounds. The buzzer beater not only won Tulane the game but also Honeycutt an ESPY Award for college basketball play of the year.