Special Report

Most Iconic Sports Moments of the Year

Claus Andersen / Getty Images

2019 gave sports fans some of the most iconic and enduring moments and memories in recent sports history. The NHL, NBA, and MLB each crowned first-time champions, while the New England Patriots helped Tom Brady stake his claim as the greatest football player of all time by securing his sixth Super Bowl title.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed some of the most exciting, surprising, and memorable moments that happened in sports in 2019 — using reports from media sources like CBS and ESPN as well as the Sports Reference family of sites — to determine the most iconic sports moments of the year.

The past year in sports gave us several moments of nostalgia, while also giving fans much to be excited about in the future. The tennis world sat up and took notice as 15-year-old Coco Gauff became the youngest player to qualify for Wimbledon — then she stunned the legendary Venus Williams in their first-round matchup. These are the youngest athletes to dominate their sport.

The year in sports will likely also be remembered as a great one for fans of long-suffering fan bases. The Washington Nationals, St. Louis Blues, and Toronto Raptors all beat tremendous odds to capture their first title, overcoming years of disappointment and failure — much to the delight of the cities that support them. These are the best cities for sports fans.

Click here to see the most iconic sports moment of the year.

Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images

20. Double doink from Bears’ Parkey
> Team/athlete: Chicago Bears
> Sport: NFL

Throughout NFL history, many of the most heartbreaking moments came when kickers missed hugely important field goals in the playoffs. That trend repeated itself in early 2019, when the Philadelphia Eagles met the Chicago Bears in a wild card round playoff game. Down 16-15 with 10 seconds left in the game, Bears kicker and former Eagle Cody Parkey trotted out for a 43-yard field goal attempt. His kick clanged the left upright, tumbled down to the crossbar, and bounced off it and bounced back onto the field, no good — ending the Bears’ season.

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Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

19. Baylor holds off ND
> Team/athlete: Baylor Bears
> Sport: NCAA basketball

After years of dominance by the UConn Huskies, several other programs began to come to prominence in NCAA women’s basketball. The 2019 championship game pitted reigning champion Notre Dame against Baylor. Notre Dame overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to draw level in the final minute. Baylor’s Chloe Jackson gave the Bears an 82-80 lead with six seconds remaining. Arike Ogunbowale, who hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Notre Dame the 2018 title, drew a late foul, but could only hit one of two free throws — and Baylor held on for a dramatic 82-81 win for the school’s third national championship.

Clive Brunskill / Getty Images

18. 15-year-old Coco Gauff takes down Venus Williams
> Team/athlete: Coco Gauff
> Sport: Tennis

The fact that 15-year-old American tennis player Coco Gauff qualified for Wimbledon, becoming the youngest player to do so in the Open Era, is remarkable. But Gauff showed she is the future of tennis when she upset legend Venus Williams in the competition’s opening round. Williams, who was 39 during the match, had already won four Grand Slam titles before Gauff was even born.

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

17. Brady stands alone with 6 rings
> Team/athlete: New England Patriots
> Sport: NFL

Though the 2019 Super Bowl was a dud of a game, its importance in NFL history is clear. The New England Patriots smothered the Los Angeles Rams 13-3, giving Tom Brady his sixth Super Bowl ring. He is now the only player with as many championships.

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Steve Dykes / Getty Images

16. Lillard’s 37-footer wins series
> Team/athlete: Portland Trail Blazers
> Sport: NBA

Damian Lillard added to his well-earned reputation as a clutch performer in the 2019 NBA playoffs. In the first round, the Portland Trail Blazers matched up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Up 3-1, Lillard and the Trail Blazers wanted to end the series at home. Tied at 115 with the clock winding down, Lillard pulled up from 37 feet away from the basket and buried a 3-pointer, giving him 50 points in the series and clinching victory.

Kirk Irwin / Getty Images

15. Shocking upset of the Lightning
> Team/athlete: Columbus Blue Jackets
> Sport: NHL

Heading into the 2019 NHL playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lighting looked to be the best team in hockey by a mile. The Lightning won 62 regular season games — no other team had more than 50. Tampa Bay also scored 325 goals, while no other team had more than 289. Yet the Lightning were swept out of the playoffs by the eighth-seed Columbus Blue Jackets. In what may be the biggest upset in NHL playoff history, Columbus looked by far the better team, winning three of the four games by multiple goals, including a 7-3 blowout to end Tampa Bay’s season.

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Jamie Squire / Getty Images

14. DQ at the Derby
> Team/athlete: Country House
> Sport: Horse racing

Plenty of longshots have won the Kentucky Derby, but the 2019 edition featured something entirely new to the Run for the Roses — a winner being disqualified for a foul. Maximum Security initially appeared to triumph, but stewards noticed something was amiss. During the race, the horse appeared to have committed a “race riding” violation, meaning it cut across the path of another horse. This can be dangerous and is forbidden, and several jockeys lodged objections after the race. After a 22-minute review, Maximum Security was disqualified and Country House was given the Kentucky Derby victory.

Chris Graythen / Getty Images

13. Missed call may have cost Saints Super Bowl bid
> Team/athlete: L.A. Rams
> Sport: NFL

With 1:49 left in the NFC Championship game, tied 20-20, New Orleans drove down to the Los Angeles 13-yard line. On 3rd and 10, wide receiver Tommylee Lewis was laid out by Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman while running a route — a clear foul. Yet no flag was thrown. Had a foul been called, New Orleans could have run down the clock and set up for a late chip-shot field goal attempt. Instead, the game went into overtime, where the Rams eventually won. The controversy led to changes in the NFL’s pass interference rule, but the Saints will forever feel aggrieved by the blown call.

Matthias Hangst / Getty Images

12. Djokovic and Federer play epic set
> Team/athlete: Novak Djokovic
> Sport: Tennis

Year after year, tennis legends Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer provide us with epic moments and thrilling finishes. Their showdown at the 2019 Wimbledon Final was one for the ages. In the decisive fifth set, both players refused to lose, and the match had to be decided by the first-ever fifth-set tiebreak in Wimbledon history. Djokovic eventually triumphed in that set 13-12 (7-3) to earn his 16th major. The final was just a few minutes short of five hours — the longest Wimbledon championship match.

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Richard Heathcote / Getty Images

11. Ruiz upsets Joshua for title
> Team/athlete: Andy Ruiz
> Sport: Boxing

Andy Ruiz Jr. provided boxing fans with an underdog story for the ages. After gold medalist boxer Anthony Joshua’s planned opponent failed a drug test ahead of their heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden, he needed a new one. Ruiz was selected and came into the fight as a heavy underdog — emphasis on heavy. The rotund Ruiz proved to be more than ready, though, as he pummeled Joshua over the course of the fight. Ruiz knocked Joshua to the canvas twice in the seventh round, and the referee stopped the fight, making Ruiz the heavyweight champion of the world.

Streeter Lecka / Getty Images

10. Wade and Nowitzki get sendoff
> Team/athlete: Dallas Mavericks & Miami Heat
> Sport: NBA

In 2019, two all-time NBA greats retired with an All-Star sendoff worthy of their tremendous careers. Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki are far and away the most beloved players in Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks history, respectively. The NBA made each of them a special roster addition to the two NBA All-Star teams in recognition of their contributions to the game, much to the delight of fans.

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Will Newton / Getty Images

9. Comeback propels Nats to title
> Team/athlete: Washington Nationals
> Sport: MLB

The Washington Nationals’ improbable 2019 World Series run nearly fell short so many times — including in their first postseason game, a win or go home wild card matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers. Down 3-0 in the second inning and 3-1 going into the eighth, Washington’s season seemed to be in serious peril. With two outs in the eighth, the Nats loaded the bases against All-Star reliever Josh Hader, with 20-year-old outfielder Juan Soto coming to the plate. Soto lined a single into right field, and the ball skipped under the glove of the right fielder, allowing all three runners to score. The Nats would defend the 4-3 lead and continue their run that would result in a World Series title.

Streeter Lecka / Getty Images

8. Clutch free throws send UVA to title
> Team/athlete: Virginia Cavaliers
> Sport: NCAA basketball

After becoming the first No. 1 seeded team to lose in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in 2018, the University of Virginia Cavaliers were in search of redemption. After reaching the Final Four, they faced a huge test in the Auburn Tigers. The Cavs were down 62-60 with just seven seconds remaining. Kyle Guy went up for a 3-pointer, but was fouled with less than a second left in the game. Under a remarkable amount of pressure, Guy sank all three free throws, and Virginia prevailed on its way to the NCAA Championship.

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

7. Clemson blows out Alabama
> Team/athlete: Clemson Tigers
> Sport: NCAA football

Perhaps sports fans were spoiled by how exciting the three previous NCAA title games have been, as most were expecting another classic when Alabama and Clemson squared off for the third time in four seasons. It appeared the Tigers and Tide would play another close game, when the first quarter ended 14-13 in Clemson’s favor. But then the Tigers took their play to another level. When all was said and done, Clemson won 44-16 — Alabama’s largest defeat by far under coach Nick Saban.

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Jamie Squire / Getty Images

6. First female triple double
> Team/athlete: Simone Biles
> Sport: Gymnastics

Simone Biles has already established herself as a gymnastics legend, with four gold medals in the 2016 Olympics. Yet her legend continues to grow. In the summer of 2019, Biles did something no other gymnast has done. She completed a triple-double, meaning she did a double backflip with three twists — a move known as the Biles II — enroute to winning her sixth women’s title at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

5. Blues win first Stanley Cup
> Team/athlete: St. Louis Blues
> Sport: NHL

When the St. Louis Blues finally hoisted their franchise’s first Stanley Cup, it represented the culmination of a season’s worth of hard work. At the beginning of the year, the Blues were a mess — their coach had been fired in November and they were in last place on Jan. 3. But the team did not give up and managed to earn a spot in the playoffs, beating all comers on the way to the Finals. The team’s tenacious defense smothered the Boston Bruins in a road Game 7, leading to a 4-1 victory and the conclusion to one of the most remarkable season-long turnarounds in sports history.

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Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

4. Kendrick’s homer gives Nats first title
> Team/athlete: Washington Nationals
> Sport: MLB

The Washington Nationals have known only heartbreak in the postseason, but that all changed in 2019. Utility player Howie Kendrick was already a postseason hero for hitting the 10th-inning grand slam that sent the Nats to the NLCS. Kendrick came up huge again in game seven of the World Series, when he hit an opposite-field two-run shot off reliever Will Harris in the seventh inning that clanged into the foul pole. The homer turned Washington’s 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead — a lead they would not relinquish on their way to the franchise’s first title.

Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images

3. Leonard four-bounce buzzer beater
> Team/athlete: Toronto Raptors
> Sport: NBA

Toronto Raptors followed the bouncing ball to their first NBA championship this past spring. One of the biggest wins Raptors history occurred in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Philadelphia 76ers, when forward Kawhi Leonard poured in 41 points for the Toronto victory. His final basket would prove to be legendary. With four seconds left, and the score tied at 90-90, Leonard launched a jump shot that bounced on the rim four times before falling through the basket to give Toronto the victory as time ran out. The Raptors would go on to win their first NBA championship.

Maja Hitij / Getty Images

2. Alex Morgan sips tea vs. England
> Team/athlete: USWNT
> Sport: Soccer

The U.S. Women’s National Team was bold, brash, and by far the best team in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Perhaps no moment better personified the team’s swagger than when star Alex Morgan scored a sublime header against England in the semi-finals and celebrated by pretending to take a sip of tea. The USWNT would go on to win the Final against the Netherlands, 2-0. The team was unstoppable, outscoring their opponents 26-3 throughout all their World Cup matches.

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Andrew Redington / Getty Images

1. Tiger Woods completes comeback
> Team/athlete: Tiger Woods
> Sport: Golf

In one of the greatest comeback stories in sports, Tiger Woods overcame years of injuries, multiple surgeries, and personal problems to win the 2019 Masters. Until Woods’ triumph at Augusta, he had not won a major since 2008 and had not won the Masters since 2005. The 2019 Masters title was his fifth, giving the 43-year-old Woods 15 major victories, three behind all-time leader Jack Nicklaus. Unlike his prior 14 major wins, Woods’ victory at the 2019 Masters was the first time he had to rally to win a major. Previously, Woods was either tied or ahead going into the last round.

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