1. The NY Giants over the then-undefeated New England Patriots in the 2007 Super Bowl. Was there anybody who gave Big Blue a shot against the juggernaut that was New England? The Pats rattled off 18 straight wins—better than the 1972 Dolphins of ‘the perfect season’. They had a high-octane offense, and stout defense. They had pro-bowlers up and down the roster. On paper, should’ve been a blowout. Eli Manning vs. Tom Brady? No-contest, right? Hence, their slot at the top of the list of the week, because this upset was *that* huge.
2. James ‘Buster’ Douglas beating Iron Mike Tyson in Japan. The 20th anniversary was just a few weeks ago, and even today, it’s still talked about in the boxing world because of how shocking it was. Douglas failed to capitalize on the victory, however, (unless you count getting his name on a poor-selling video game), and Tyson, well, we all know what happened with Tyson thereafter.
3. Scott Brown beating Martha Coakley in the 2010 Massachusetts special election. In taking over the vacant senate seat held for more than 40 years by Ted Kennedy (he of drunken lore and infamous for abandoning Mary Joe Kopechne after an auto accident at Chappaquiddick, leading to her death), Scott Brown went Rocky one better, because this was longer than a million-to-one shot. In a state so blue, you’d think Republicans had been outlawed, Brown rode his pickup truck and a wave of backlash against borderline socialist policy agendas to overcome a daunting 30 point deficit in the polls just a scant two months prior to the election.
4. Evander Holyfield beating Mike Tyson. Before Iron Mike went cannibal on Evander’s ass, Holyfield stunned the world and Tyson both, pounding Tyson in a punishing defeat. Tyson was still widely-considered the fiercest puncher in boxing, but Holyfield handled him, broke him down, and then put an old-fashioned hurtin’ on him.
5. The U.S. hockey team beating the heavily-favored Soviets in the 1980 olympic games. 30 years may have passed, but the victory still resonates as professionals now compete for the gold in Vancouver. But when a bunch of rag-tag college kids defeated Tretiak and the equivalent of professional hockey players from the Cold War era Soviet Union, Al Michaels summed it up brilliantly. “Do you believe in miracles?” Yep, miracles. Because that’s what it took to topple the Soviets at Lake Placid. And that’s just what Herb Brooks’ boys did.
6. Jets over Colts, Super Bowl III. Joe Namath became an instant legend by not only guaranteeing a Jets victory, but making good on it. The Jets are still seeking another NFL title, but when the fledgling AFC pulled to within 2-1 in the big game after the merger, everybody took notice. ’
7. The ’69 Mets. What was the bigger upset, the Mets winning the pennant or winning the World Series? You pick, because both were so improbable. The new kids on the baseball block in a town dominated by the Yankees earned the moniker ‘Miracle Mets.” Unlike the Jets, they’ve since gone back a few times and won another title, but saying that the ’69 team would make the playoffs would’ve made pundits laugh prior to Opening Day.
8. The Pittsburgh Penguins knocking off the Detroit Red Wings, the 2008 Stanley Cup. You know the history. Detroit. Hockey Town USA. Pittsburgh? Financially strapped, and only starting to develop a post-Mario Lemieux identity with young superstar Sidney Crosby. So, when the two met in the ’08 finals, Detroit was a lock, right? Well, as you can see, not quite.
9. Vince Young’s Texas Longhorns winning the college football national championship, 2006. The consensus pick were the vaunted USC Trojans, loaded with talent and with a virtually unstoppable offense. But with one of college football’s greatest performances, quarterback Vince Young led the ‘Horns to an improbable upset. This might not have been quite so big an upset given the rankings and how well Texas played during the season, but still, USC fans and beat writers alike were heavily in Trojans camp. Only makes the list at No. 9 for that reason.
10. Former professional wrestler Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura winning the Minnesota governorship. Remember Jesse strutting around in the ring with the big feather boa? His fueds with Tito Santana, Ivan Putski and Hulk Hogan? This guy was going to be a governor??? At first, nobody took it seriously. Certainly, few took *him* seriously. But gradually, riding an upswell of public support, the political landscape began to change, and pollsters saw ‘The Body’ making the kind of comeback he was known for in the ring when he was taking a beating and looked to be out of it. Must’ve been one heck of a victory party, that’s for sure.
