The past decade has embodied the great characteristics of sports: historical firsts, impossible underdog stories, unbelievable comebacks, and resounding championship victories.
As 2019 winds down and the sun sets on the decade, arguably the greatest decade of sports calls for a review of its years of greatness.
2010
New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees celebrating his Super Bowl victory with his son after the game.
The New Orleans capped off a successful regular season by knocking off both the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance. Down 10-6 at the half, New Orleans called one of the most risky play calls in Super Bowl history. New Orleans recovered and returned an onside kick that trademarked on the game and cemented its legacy as one of the greatest Super Bowls in history.
2011
2011 NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki during a regular season game that same season.
Known as one of the most underrated NBA Finals runs, the Dallas Mavericks road to a championship went through the Portland Trail Blazers, swept Kobe’s Lakers, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks to upset the “super team” consisting of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh and win the franchise’s first NBA championship.
2012
Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps recovering his breath shortly after one of his Olympic victories.
Michael Phelps took the 2012 Summer Olympics in London by storm much like in years past. He finished the Olympics with four gold medals and two silver medals, receiving the title as the most successful swimmer in the summer Olympics for the third time in a row. After earning 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall, Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time.
2013
The Auburn Tigers in the National Title game against the Florida State Seminoles weeks after the famous “kick six” that got them there.
Auburn faced off against Alabama during the annual Iron Bowl between the two teams during rivalry week. Tied at 28 and with minimal seconds left on the clock, Alabama went onto the field with the intention of kicking a 57 yard field goal for the win. However, the kick was just short and Auburn’s Chris Davis caught the ball at the edge of the end zone and returned the ball 109 yards. Since then, the play that created the craziest ending in college football history has been dubbed the “kick six.” Auburn went to title game but, but fell short against the Florida State Seminoles in closely contested battle.
2014
UConn’s women’s basketball team celebrating their national championships in the same year UConn’s men’s basketball team won the title as well.
The University of Connecticut (UConn) took home two titles during March Madness when both the men’s and women’s team claimed the national title. While the women’s team went on extremely dominant regular season and tournament run going undefeated at 40-0, the men’s team went just 32-8, but were clutch with a national title on the line. UConn is one of two schools to have both men’s and women’s basketball teams win the NCAA tournament in the same year, and the only school to do it twice.
2015
American racehorse American Pharoah pictured being crowned the winner of the Preakness Stakes.
Perhaps one of the most forgotten sports with a long history in America, featured a revival in popularity in 2015, largely due to the success of American Pharoah. The American thoroughbred racehorse collected a slew of wins in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. American Pharaoh became the first horse since 1978 to win the American Triple Crown by winning all three big name races.
2016
Chicago Cubs player Antony Rizzo celebrating the final catch that secured the end of the championship drought.
The Chicago Cubs had a spectacular regular season finishing 103-58 and first in their division. En route to the World Series in the playoffs, they beat both San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Finally, in game seven of the World Series the Cubs emerged victorious and were champions of the world again. After a century of ups and downs, the historical win put an end to a 108 year championship drought, the longest of its kind in all of sports for a franchise.
2017
Confetti falling down onto the field as the New England Patriots emerged victorious after a miraculous comeback.
The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons featured in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons took control early and dominated the first three quarters to take a commanding 28-3 lead. However, the game was not over yet. Quarterback Tom Brady and resilient Patriots forced an improbable overtime, eventually won the game 34-28. The Patriots became the world champions through the largest Super Bowl comeback in history.
2018
he UMBC men’s basketball team pictured with the cover of Sports Illustrated that featured their upset win over Virginia has the main cover.
Before tip off between the one seeded University of Virginia Cavaliers and sixteen seeded University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers, sixteen seeds were 0-135 against one seeds in the history of men’s basketball. Even though the game was tied at halftime, the Retrievers jumped out to an early second half lead and never looked back en route to a 74-54 blowout over the basketball powerhouse. They went onto lose the next round, but UMBC is remembered for their one game “Cinderella story” as they pulled off the biggest upset in March Madness history.
2019
Some of the front pages of newspapers after Woods’ win portraying how much the win meant to him and the world of sports.
At the start of the decade Tiger Woods’ remarkable career was taking a turn for the worst. Not only was he not playing well, but his marriage issue dominated the news headlines. After four back injuries, several hip problems, and even an arrest in Florida, Tiger Woods’ career looked to be in shambles. However, Woods turned back the clock during the 2019 Masters and returned to his glory days. He shot a -13 en route to his fifth green jacket and fifteenth major championship. His comeback story is one of the most improbable and greatest in history.
Catherine Loyd • Jan 9, 2020 at 1:20 pm
Are you guys going to publish a 2019 Spartan Sports Recap as you have in previous years?
mdyer • Jan 9, 2020 at 3:34 pm
Yes! The 2019 Spartan Year in Review should be published in the next day.