Nostalgia can be a powerful thing, like a natural stimulant that rises out of our memories and fills us with feelings once experienced.
As far as boxing up a decade’s worth of sports into a single word goes, you might not find a more apt identifier for the 1990s than ‘vibrant.’ Athletes got bigger, stronger, faster and richer than ever. The way we watched sports changed forever with the rise of the highlight show and 24 hour news cycle.
For the sports fan who lived through the 90s it’s Roberto Baggio’s miss, Joe Carter sending a ball over the left field wall at SkyDome, Jordan’s Final Shot (1.0), or perhaps, it’s something far more devastating and unthinkable like a crazed fan stabbing Monica Seles, or Ayrton Senna’s death at the San Marino Grand Prix.
Uniforms and logos became brighter. Television contracts got richer. Expansion ruled in North American leagues. The 90s were all about growth and the further realization of just how big of business sports could be.
theScore is celebrating the 1990s with a look back at the greatest sports moments of the decade. From the Chicago Bulls dynastic effort to the Bills Wide Right, and everything in between from glowing pucks to the Ball of the Century.
Over the course of the next five days will be counting down a list of the 99 greatest goals, games, misses, pursuits of records, and tragic events that our team of features writers and editors have compiled over the past few months. Additional feature pieces on several of the 90s’ brightest stars and biggest stories will also be published daily.
This is 90s week, and we hope you’ll join us as we relive the moments that an entire generation will never forget.
An often forgotten European Cup semifinal detailed back in 2007 by Jonathan Wilson, Red Star’s victorious second leg was preceded by one of the most incredible light shows in football.
- Richard Whittall
1995 saw the arrival of ESPN's X-Games, which featured previously untelevised sports like skateboarding, bungee jumping, roller blading, mountain biking, sky surfing, and street luging take center stage during a weeklong event held primarily in Rhode Island. Australian Justin Seers would recieve the X-Games' (called Extreme Games in 1995) first gold medal for his performance in the barefoot jumping event.
- Scott Lewis
No-hitters might be a little more common these days but there was nothing common about Jim Abbott’s gem as a member of the New York Yankees. The inspirational hurler bested the Cleveland Indians with an unbelievable performance that few, if any, will ever forget.
- Drew Fairservice
In which the heavy favorites Barcelona were ripped apart by a Milan side under Fabio Capello.
- Richard Whittall
There is no place in golf like the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. Rough and rowdy, thousands crowd the stadium seating to boo those who miss the green and hope for the inevitable.
Before he won the Masters that April, Tiger arrived in Phoenix ready to take the golf world by storm. After he jugged his tee shot on the 16th it looked more like Gomorrah than Arizona. Turns out he was here to stay.
- Drew Fairservice
Bo Kimble paid tribute to his fallen teammate Hank Gathers the best way he could. After the nation's leading scorer AND rebounder died tragically on the court, Kimble went to the foul line in the first round of the NCAA tournament and shot his free throws left handed.
A simple but touching tribute to a young man taken far too soon. And, of course, Kimble’s meshed his lefty toss perfectly.
- Drew Fairservice
Brown’s memorable 1991 Dunk Contest triumph produced many young copycat backyard dunkers, from his no-look jam to his two-ball trick dunk, but nothing defined his performance and few things defined the NBA in the 90’s quite like Brown ‘pumping’ his Reebok Pumps before taking off.
- Joseph Casciaro
Former Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne broke the NCAA all-time rushing record in the last game of the 1999 season, and went on to win the Heisman in a season where he carried the ball 337 times for 2,034 yards and 20 touchdowns. Dayne broke the record with a 31-yard run versus Iowa.
- Scott Lewis
Just the second 15th seed to topple a No. 2, unknown Santa Clara University took down a Final Four favorite and top five team in the country as the Broncos toppled the Arizona Wildcats.
A skinny freshman point guard from Canada by the name of Steve Nash led his team back from a 13-point deficit against the Pac-10 powerhouse, icing countless huge free throws, in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament history.
- Drew Fairservice
Much like the 80's for football fans in Baltimore, the 90's are defined by loss in Cleveland, however brief it was. After promising to never relocate his team Art Modell moved the Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore for the start of the 1996 season, claiming the franchise was sinking financially in northern Ohio and he had lost $21 million.
The NFL void in Cleveland was only temporary, and the Browns returned as an expansion franchise in 1999. But the wound Modell left was deep, and when he died in 2012 every NFL stadium showed a video tribute except Cleveland at the request of his family, fearing it wouldn't be well received.
- Sean Tomlinson
In 1999 the Dallas Stars won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history on the heels of a Brett Hull overtime goal…or should I say on the toes? It was the era where refs negated goals at a crazy rate if anyone had so much as a fraction of a skate blade in the crease when the puck crossed the line. Yet seemingly because of the celebration that goal kicked off, the refs chose to let it stand. They’ve tried to retroactively justify not waving it off, but at the time, goals like that almost never counted. It stood, and hey - flags fly forever. The Stars are Cup winners.
- Justin Bourne
Charles Woodson became the third Michigan Wolverines player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1997. He remains the last primarily defensive player to win the award. Woodson made many highlight reel plays during his collegiate career, but his one-handed interception versus Michigan State in his Heisman season stands out as the greatest.
- Scott Lewis
Everything was on the line heading into the 1997 European Grand Prix in Jerez. If Jacques Villeneuve finished ahead of Michael Schumacher the Canadian would secure the Drivers Championship. 48 laps into the race Schumacher was in the lead, less than a second ahead of Villeneuve. A collision between the leaders knocked the German out of the race and led to his disqualification for dangerous driving, giving Villeneuve the title his father never held.
- Devang Desai
It’s a game even American fans forget in a tournament few talk about, but the fact is the United States of America not only finished fourth overall in a South American football tournament, but they also beat the reigning champs Argentina 3-0 and finished top of their group.
- Richard Whittall
No 8-seed had ever eliminated a 1-seed, so when the 63-19 Sonics took a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Western Conference quarterfinal against the youngest team in the Association, the 42-40 Nuggets, no one expected a Denver rally. But rally they did, winning Game 3 in a rout before surviving overtime in Game 4 and double-overtime in Game 5 to pull off the stunning upset that left Dikembe Mutombo memorably and emotionally clutching the game-ball. The Nuggets would go on to push Utah to seven games in the West semis.
- Joseph Casciaro
Unbelievably, the relatively new Florida Panthers made a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1995-96. Along the way, Scott Mellanby killed a rat in the dressing room with a hockey stick (totally normal), which, while terrible and gross, became somewhat of a good luck symbol for Panthers fans, who started throwing plastic rats on the ice to celebrate goals. I dunno what to tell ya, man. It was weird.
- Justin Bourne
The 1996 NBA Draft produced a bevy of future all-stars in Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, and Stephon Marbury, to name a few. Three players taken in the '96 Draft would go on to win at least one NBA Most Valuable Player awards including, Allen Iverson (2001), Steve Nash (2005, 2006), and Kobe Bryant (2008).
The Charlotte Hornets made Bryant the first guard to ever be selected out of high school with the 13th overall pick, but his draft rights were promptly shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac to complete a pre-draft trade agreement. You could say the Hornets lived to regret that move.
- Scott Lewis
The 1999 Ryder Cup was no genteel affair. After the US team taunted their European counterparts through the media in the leadup to the competition, the Euro squad let their play to the talking, dominating the first two days of play.
The Americans charged en masse through the singles matches, coming all the way back to claim the cup thanks in no small part to a 50-foot bomb from Justin Leonard. The US team stormed the green, celebrating while Jose Maria Olazabal looked on from a distance.
- Drew Fairservice
In 1992-93 the league was introduced to Teemu Selanne, an untested rookie just trying to leave his mark on the game. That year he scored 76 goals – 76 goals in his first year – and would go on to take home the Calder Trophy. That beat the old rookie goal-scoring record held by Mike Bossy by 23 goals. Is that any good? Oh, and he also gave us one of the greatest, most ridiculous goal celebrations of all-time.
- Justin Bourne
It's not possible to find a more 90's NFL thing than this jittery, limb convulsing dance first popularized by Jamal Anderson. He cared little about his location too, shaking his ample shoulders in any end zone.
- Sean Tomlinson
Ireland's most successful Olympian of all-time, Michelle Smith was a triple gold medalist at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Smith captured the top prize in the 400 meter individual medley, 400 meter freestyle, and 200 meter individual medley. The American media pursued accusations of doping, but Smith escaped Atlanta with her medals. Questions of whether or not she leaned on performance enhancing drugs followed Smith for years.
- Scott Lewis
Basketball has Willis Reed and, if there is any justice, this Pedro Martinez relief apperanace with the Sox season on the line will occupy the same rare air.
Unable to start, Martinez throws six hitless innings out of the bullpen, holding off one of the greatest offenses in baseball history as Boston reaches the ALCS. With so much on the line, it was the best pitcher of his generation at the absolute peak of his powers.
- Drew Fairservice
On January 6th, 1994 U.S figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by goons associated with rival competitor Tonya Harding.
Kerrigan would go on to win silver in Lillehammer while Harding failed to medal. Skates don’t lie.
- Devang Desai
Paul Gascoigne got a yellow card which would have put him out of the World Cup final, had England managed to find a way to not to lose to West Germany on penalties. The moment when Lineker made that glance at the bench to alert Bobby Robson over Gazza’s state of mind: priceless.
- Richard Whittall
