[Old School Hound]

In the basketball forum we were talking about how much games really mean. As I've gotten older, I shrug off losses much easier than I used to. Back in my younger days, when my team lost, the terrible feeling stayed with me days, sometimes weeks, or more. What sports loss did you take the hardest, as a fan (or player)?


For me, there's a clear #1 ...Montana to Taylor .  Superbowl XXIII .  34 damn seconds from me being the happiest guy alive. Instead, it was the worst day of my life, at the time.   I cried !!!   I'm glad I found perspective in the 35 years since.  LOL



What was your toughest sports setback?  


On the flip side.  feel free to add your most exhilarating win?

[Jarons]

The only loss that upset me as a fan the UK/Duke game in 1992.

[Old School Hound]

The only loss that upset me as a fan the UK/Duke game in 1992.

I knew that one would come up very quickly. That was, indeed, a tough one.

---

As a young teenager, I was pretty darn disappointed when the Hounds lost 14-13 in the State AA title game. Corbin went for a two-pt. conversion instead of opting for the tie. The Corbin RB was stopped just inches from the goal line, which would have given them back-to back state titles.

[Jarons]

The only loss that upset me as a fan the UK/Duke game in 1992.

I knew that one would come up very quickly. That was, indeed, a tough one.

---

As a young teenager, I was pretty darn disappointed when the Hounds lost 14-13 in the State AA title game. Corbin went for a two-pt. conversion instead of opting for the tie. The Corbin RB was stopped just inches from the goal line, which would have given them back-to back state titles.

Despite Kentucky losing, that was by far the best game I had ever watched. It was like two boxers landing haymaker after haymaker and the opponent would not go down. 
Every now and then I will pull up that game on YouTube to watch. The quality of play by both teams was amazing.

[Spud6]

The loss after being undefeated and losing to Wisconsin has been the worst for me. I'm 29

[Old School Hound]

The only loss that upset me as a fan the UK/Duke game in 1992.

I knew that one would come up very quickly. That was, indeed, a tough one.

---

As a young teenager, I was pretty darn disappointed when the Hounds lost 14-13 in the State AA title game. Corbin went for a two-pt. conversion instead of opting for the tie. The Corbin RB was stopped just inches from the goal line, which would have given them back-to back state titles.

Despite Kentucky losing, that was by far the best game I had ever watched. It was like two boxers landing haymaker after haymaker and the opponent would not go down. 
Every now and then I will pull up that game on YouTube to watch. The quality of play by both teams was amazing.

VERY high level of play by both teams in that classic.

[Bluecat]

2 come to mind
The 92 loss to Duke (Still can't watch the replay)
The Bengals loss in Super Bowl LVI (Too young to remember XXIII

[Old School Hound]

2 come to mind
The 92 loss to Duke (Still can't watch the replay)
The Bengals loss in Super Bowl LVI (Too young to remember XXIII

If I had been in my 20's instead of my 50's, I probably would have cried at that one , too. Goodell and his goons are criminals.  They were gonna give the Rams every chance to get that touchdown.

[plantmanky]

Carson Palmers leg injury in the playoffs, was at the game.

[Old School Hound]

Carson Palmers leg injury in the playoffs, was at the game.

That game was over the moment that happened. Just overwhelming and utterly deflating. We would have won that game without the injury.


The Krumrie broken leg in SB23 was deflating in a similar way but the Bengals recovered, only to lose with 34 ticks left.

[Blacksmith]

Duke 92', though it was a game for the ages.. I cant even watch the shot to this day without getting annoyed

---

The Red's have given me stomach ach's a few times too

[Old School Hound]

Duke 92', though it was a game for the ages.. I cant even watch the shot to this day without getting annoyed

---

The Red's have given me stomach ach's a few times too

Losing that 7th game against the A's at Riverfront in '72 was a tough one. 

Hoping for 90 wins this season.

[Cactus Jack]

Kentucky Basketball-- all of these are tied for different reasons (including sentimental ones):
15  - Wisconsin - Final Four
97 - Arizona - NCAA Final
92 - Duke - Elite Eight
14 - UConn - Final

Kentucky Football--
97 - Florida - In hindsight, I don't even know why I was excited
03 - Arkansas - 8 OT game
03 - Florida - went into the 4th with a 21 point lead
07 - Tennessee - one of many squandered to the puke-orange Vols


NBA --
03 - Kings vs. Lakers -- loved watching the Kings move the ball and play so loose but came to realize just how fixed the NBA was and haven't looked at the game in the same light since. The Donaghy scandal proves that this isn't some tinfoil hat theory. This one is probably one of the toughest in a "life just isn't fair and never will be" sense.

NFL --
19 - Texans vs. Chiefs -- Houston builds a 24-0 lead before falling 51-31.

MLB --
95 - Reds vs. Braves -- I knew that this was the end and that it'd be a long time before they were good again.


High School --
99 - Tilghman vs. Scott County -- not quite high school basketball's definition of righteous indignation, but it's one that most of us collectively witnessed and it probably doesn't need tons of explanation. This is the worst that I've felt for a group of kids after a Sweet 16 game.

[Westside]

In the past EKU football loses would make me mad for a day or two at most, but I would never describe them as tough. Even loses as a player never devastated me. I have always tried to keep things in perspective, and at the end of the day, they are just ball games.

[Old School Hound]

In the past EKU football loses would make me mad for a day or two at most, but I would never describe them as tough.  Even loses as a player never devastated me.  I have always tried to keep things in perspective, and at the end of the day, they are just ball games.

THANK YOU!!! Somebody gets it!

---

Westside, I love your passion for EKU. Some of the best years of my life was when I was in Richmond from '80-'82 watching Corbin's Steve Bird and Pineville's Tuck Woolum help lead Coach Kidd's Colonels to those national championship games . It was a great time to be on campus.

[sstack]

Toughest loses:
Losing state championship by 0.01 of a second.

Uk 92

Uk 15

Bengals losing SB23

Undefeated Highlands 83 football team losing in playoffs to Conner on sloppy muddy field that was hard to even walk on.

Ones bringing most joy:

Watching daughters help lead their teams to 5 state championships

Pete Rose breaking all time hits record.

82 Highlands football playoff win over Cov Cath. ( only game with as many fans as this one would be the game they beat St X which was also a great game).

2012 UK championship ( got to share Experience with my daughter)


1990 Cincinnati Reds championship

UK coming back from 30 point deficit to LSU.

[Old School Hound]

Toughest loses:
Losing state championship by 0.01 of a second.

Uk 92

Uk 15

Bengals losing SB23

Undefeated Highlands 83 football team losing in playoffs to Conner on sloppy muddy field that was hard to even walk on.

Ones bringing most joy:

Watching daughters help lead their teams to 5 state championships

Pete Rose breaking all time hits record.

82 Highlands football playoff win over Cov Cath. ( only game with as many fans as this one would be the game they beat St X which was also a great game).

2012 UK championship ( got to share Experience  with my daughter)


1990 Cincinnati Reds championship

UK coming back from 30 point deficit to LSU.

Tonight's comeback wasn't too shabby.  It will be remembered as one of the better comebacks. Broke Gonzaga's streak of  175-0 when leading by ten or more at the half.

[King Kong]

There's been two losses that really had a negative impact on me. 

1. I'm a die hard NE Patriots fan.  The year they get to the Super Bowl with a perfect record and lose to the NY Giants 
I had to call into work the next day 

2. When UK lost to Duke in the elite 8, Christian Laterners,  however you spell his last name,  hits the buzzer beater.  It took awhile to move on from that one.  

The moment I'm most proud of in sports would have to involve two of my nephew's in wrestling.  Both have won team state championships going thru the feeder systems.  Plus the one has won a few individual state championships.  They both definitely make Ol Uncle Kong proud 

[Old School Hound]

There's been two losses that really had a negative impact on me. 

1. I'm a die hard NE Patriots fan.  The year they get to the Super Bowl with a perfect record and lose to the NY Giants 
I had to call into work the next day 

2. When UK lost to Duke in the elite 8, Christian Laterners,  however you spell his last name,  hits the buzzer beater.  It took awhile to move on from that one.  

The moment I'm most proud of in sports would have to involve two of my nephew's in wrestling.  Both have won team state championships going thru the feeder systems.  Plus the one has won a few individual state championships.  They both definitely make Ol Uncle Kong proud 

That's very cool!  Congrats!!!!

[-STAT-]

I was too young to experience 92 against Duke, obviously seen the highlights and know what happened, but didn't have the full, live & heartbreaking experience back then.

First real one for Kentucky was 97 Championship against Arizona. I'll never forget that being the first year I filled out a bracket, my dad had brought me one home. For some reason that I'll still never figure out, I picked Kansas over Kentucky in the National Championship game, shortly after while taking a shower, I realized what I'd done and started crying my eyes out! I went to Dad and said I want to change it! He told me no son once you fill it out it's done. Well, I kept on and kept on until he finally decided to let me change it lol. I scrapped it and picked UK over KU. Needless to say, I was thrilled that Kentucky made it, but losing like that to Arizona crushed me as a kid, still to this day remember the score and everything, 84-79 in OT.

Next one for UK was in the 05 elite 8 against Michigan St, Patrick Sparks making that desperation 3 to tie it at the buzzer, ball hit the rim 54 times before it fell through. That MSU team was so good, but I just had that feeling deep down we were going to win, just couldn't pull it out. That was one of my favorite Kentucky teams under Tubby, you had Rondo, Sparks, Kelenna Azubuike who was an athletic freak, and one of my all-time favorite UK players Chuck Hayes, was undersized but no one worked or played as hard as him on those teams.

UK Football? I was in attendance in 2007 for the 6 OT thriller against that puke ass orange team. Never forget the first play, Eric Ainge threw a little screen to Arian Foster and he took it to the house for 75 yards, remember looking at my best friend and saying well this one's over. Down 24-7 at half, done everything they could to come back and send into OT. We were sitting up pretty high, think it was the 5th OT at this point, I said lets go, if we win we're storming this field. We were literally hanging over the ledge when Lonas Seiber was getting ready to attempt the game winning FG, I don't think I've ever had so much anticipation at a sporting event, you gotta think this was to end 20+ years of futility & losing. They blocked the FG and every bit of the energy got sucked out of Commonwealth. UT went onto score and get 2 in the 6th OT. We scored on our possession, went for 2, Andre Woodson ran a hell of a QB draw, got stopped at the 1 yard line, lost 52-50. Normally would be in shock about what just happened, but everyone in that stadium just turned around, and started walking out, like we've seen this same song & dance so many times, just accept it. But that was just so brutal.

NFL? Just the Bengals in the Super Bowl against the Rams, other than they've sucked or just blew it in the playoffs my whole life, after awhile you just learn to live with it.

NBA: I'm a Celtics fan, game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Lakers, and game 7 of the 2012 ECF against Miami. That last one against Miami was a tough one, bc that was the beginning of the end for the Big 3 of KG, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

MLB: I'm a Reds fan, but I am also a diehard Red Sox fan as well, so easily for me was the 2003 ALCS Game 7, Aaron bleepin Boone walking it off.

Was great, and heartbreaking to go down memory lane with all these, now a days if my favorite team loses, I just say a few expletives, get over it and move on with my day.

[King Kong]

I was too young to experience 92 against Duke, obviously seen the highlights and know what happened, but didn't have the full, live & heartbreaking experience back then.

First real one for Kentucky was 97 Championship against Arizona. I'll never forget that being the first year I filled out a bracket, my dad had brought me one home. For some reason that I'll still never figure out, I picked Kansas over Kentucky in the National Championship game, shortly after while taking a shower, I realized what I'd done and started crying my eyes out! I went to Dad and said I want to change it! He told me no son once you fill it out it's done. Well, I kept on and kept on until he finally decided to let me change it lol. I scrapped it and picked UK over KU. Needless to say, I was thrilled that Kentucky made it, but losing like that to Arizona crushed me as a kid, still to this day remember the score and everything, 84-79 in OT.

Next one for UK was in the 05 elite 8 against Michigan St, Patrick Sparks making that desperation 3 to tie it at the buzzer, ball hit the rim 54 times before it fell through. That MSU team was so good, but I just had that feeling deep down we were going to win, just couldn't pull it out. That was one of my favorite Kentucky teams under Tubby, you had Rondo, Sparks, Kelenna Azubuike who was an athletic freak, and one of my all-time favorite UK players Chuck Hayes, was undersized but no one worked or played as hard as him on those teams.

UK Football? I was in attendance in 2007 for the 6 OT thriller against that puke ass orange team. Never forget the first play, Eric Ainge threw a little screen to Arian Foster and he took it to the house for 75 yards, remember looking at my best friend and saying well this one's over. Down 24-7 at half, done everything they could to come back and send into OT. We were sitting up pretty high, think it was the 5th OT at this point, I said lets go, if we win we're storming this field. We were literally hanging over the ledge when Lonas Seiber was getting ready to attempt the game winning FG, I don't think I've ever had so much anticipation at a sporting event, you gotta think this was to end 20+ years of futility & losing. They blocked the FG and every bit of the energy got sucked out of Commonwealth. UT went onto score and get 2 in the 6th OT. We scored on our possession, went for 2, Andre Woodson ran a hell of a QB draw, got stopped at the 1 yard line, lost 52-50. Normally would be in shock about what just happened, but everyone in that stadium just turned around, and started walking out, like we've seen this same song & dance so many times, just accept it. But that was just so brutal.

NFL? Just the Bengals in the Super Bowl against the Rams, other than they've sucked or just blew it in the playoffs my whole life, after awhile you just learn to live with it.

NBA: I'm a Celtics fan, game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals against the Lakers, and game 7 of the 2012 ECF against Miami. That last one against Miami was a tough one, bc that was the beginning of the end for the Big 3 of KG, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.

MLB: I'm a Reds fan, but I am also a diehard Red Sox fan as well, so easily for me was the 2003 ALCS Game 7, Aaron bleepin Boone walking it off.

Was great, and heartbreaking to go down memory lane with all these, now a days if my favorite team loses, I just say a few expletives, get over it and move on with my day.

That game in the elite 8 when Patrick Sparks was there,  vs Michigan St, I'd forgotten about that one.  That's another game that took a bit to get over.  Sparks was one of my favorite players.  

The year UK had a perfect record going into the final 4 vs Wisconsin,  I had some people over to watch the game.  We ate food and hooped and hollered at the TV.  I had some of my in laws over to watch it.  They didn't know what to think with me running,  jumping,  and hollering all over the living room.  I even had to step outside a time or two to try and calm down! They just mostly just sat there barely moving,  with concerned looks on their faces,  towards me 

After that Wisconsin game was over,  even I was dead silent,  you could hear a pin drop in here.  I just sat there pretty much staring into space.  A few minutes later the phone rings.  It was one of my brothers.  Neither one of them care anything about sports.  Anyway,  they both call me back to back.  Just to poke fun at me because my team lost.  Usually I'll playfully go back and forth with them.  This time I just barely spoke.  I was like OK,  yeah,  well,  idk, just keeping my statements short.  It was like I was doing a press conference for the Cat's after the game! They were like,  you said the Cat's were going all the way,  what happened? 

I've calmed down a whole bunch when it comes to handling the outcomes of sporting events.  That Duke game buzzer beater shot,  that one was the worst on me.  For more reasons than one.  I had a cousin on the court for UK when that went down.  Over time I kinda came to terms with that.  Coach K instead of running wild in celebration,  consoled the UK players,  including my cousin.  Coach K is one of the best to ever coach anything.  And that play,  was just a great play, be hard to script that.

[Old School Hound]

Only time I ever remember tearing up after a game was the '89 Superbowl when the Bengals went down to the effing' 49ers with :34 remaining. Montana to Taylor is still a lasting nightmare. I was still in my 20's and I cried like a teenage girl who had just had her phone taken away from her. I kinda wish there was a fiery hell so I could watch Montana burn there with me.


Many forget that Lewis Billips of the Bengals had an easy interception that he dropped, a few plays before the GW 49'ers TD. Bengals would have won if Billips hadn't dropped the easy INT. To hell with Lewis Billips, as well.

[Spud6]

Another one for me and it's not necessarily a game we lost. But the day we lost Dale Earnhardt was the day I quit paying attention to Nascar. I loved Dale and everything about him and without him the sport just hasn't been the same for me

[jetpilot]

Losing a game wears off in about 10 minutes once you reach a certain age. Losing people (like Earnhardt and a few others) you always remember.

[King Kong]

Earnhardt was the only driver I really knew of back then.  I not only liked him on the track,  but as a person in general.  He liked to go hunting,  that's my kind of guy right there.  
I had a model car of his I put together.  Kept it in a glass display case.  Not sure what happened to that thing,  need to look for it.

[Old School Hound]

Losing a game wears off in about 10 minutes once you reach a certain age. Losing people (like Earnhardt and a few others) you always remember.

Yeah, Old School forgets about games as soon as they're lost . I'm not one to go on and on about a damn game.  To be completely honest, the loss of Earnhardt affecting me way less than the Bengals loss in the Superbowl. I'm not a Nascar groupie so I never developed any emotional attachment to any car drivers. I know he could drive pretty fast. Sometimes you perish when you drive fast.

[jetpilot]

Losing a game wears off in about 10 minutes once you reach a certain age. Losing people (like Earnhardt and a few others) you always remember.

Yeah, Old School forgets about games as soon as they're lost . I'm not one to go on and on about a damn game.  To be completely honest, the loss of Earnhardt affecting me way less than the Bengals loss in the Superbowl. I'm not a Nascar groupie so I never developed any emotional attachment to any car drivers. I know he could drive pretty fast. Sometimes you perish when you drive fast.

Yeah,  sometimes babies perish in the womb for no reason other than the mother doesn't want them. I'm just glad I'm not ambivalent about waking up after a sports team loses and I'm sad when people get killed.

[Old School Hound]

Losing a game wears off in about 10 minutes once you reach a certain age. Losing people (like Earnhardt and a few others) you always remember.

Yeah, Old School forgets about games as soon as they're lost . I'm not one to go on and on about a damn game.  To be completely honest, the loss of Earnhardt affecting me way less than the Bengals loss in the Superbowl. I'm not a Nascar groupie so I never developed any emotional attachment to any car drivers. I know he could drive pretty fast. Sometimes you perish when you drive fast.

Yeah,  sometimes babies perish in the womb for no reason other than the mother doesn't want them. I'm just glad I'm not ambivalent about waking up after a sports team loses and I'm sad when people get killed.

I' was sad when Olivia Newton-John died. She was my first crush and much of her music formed the soundtrack of my preteen and teen years. I had no such crush on Dale. It was nothing more than an "Oh, well" for me.

[jetpilot]

John Denver
Elvis
Ronnie Van Zant
Stevie Ray Vaughan

Tons of other musicians. Accidental and needless 10x sadder IMO and premature sickness and disease as well.

[jetpilot]

Crush not needed to be sad