October 16, 201312 yr I've been fortunate to attend some great sporting events. I was at the Freezer Bowl I've watched the Brickyard from the pits at Indy with Jeff Gordon's pit Crew I've attended 2 World Series games (1976, and 1990) I've got to attend Olympic training in Salt Lake City Utah before the Winter Olympics Just to name a few, But I was thinking yesterday about the greatest sporting event I've ever got to attend. At least what was my favorite of all time. In 1976, when boxing was at it's peak of popularity with great fighters like Ali, Frazier, Foreman etc. I was fortunate enough to attend the best sporting event I can ever remember. The 1976 Olympic boxing Trials were being held in Cincinnati Ohio at the Coliseum. I got to go with my dad and my brothers, an uncle and cousins to witness what may have been the greatest assembly of boxers ever all in one place as they fought for their right to be placed on the 1976 Olympic team. The Olympic team was made up of the following fighters, hands down the greatest Olympic boxing team ever assembled. Louis Curtis, Washington, D.C. Leo Randolph, Tacoma, Wash. (Won Gold) Charles Mooney, Army (Won Silver) Davey Lee Armstrong, Puyallup, Wash. Howard Davis Jr., Glen Cove, N.Y. (Won Gold) Ray Leonard, Palmer Park, Md. (Won Gold) Clinton Jackson, Nashville, Tenn. Charles Walker Jr., Mesa, Ariz. Michael Spinks, St. Louis, Mo. (Won Gold) Leon Spinks, St. Louis, Mo. (Won Gold) Johnny Tate, Knoxville, Tenn. (Won Bronze) That night in Cincinnati we also got to see the greatest fighter pound for pound fight for a spot, it ended up being a very contraversial decision when Howard Davis JR was awarded the split decision in that bout over Aaron PRyor. Davis Jr was at that time supposed to be the great hope for American Boxing and was basically put on the team because at the time was the best known and had the biggest chance to bring home gold. Aaron PRyor beat him in the match but the US olympic Boxing team couldn't go into the Olympics without Davis JR so even back then the sport had it's problems and the best fighter of all of them was left off the team and Aaron Pryor sat at home during the olympics. I do believe he went as an alternate but never got to fight. Prior to that Olympics, in the 3 prior Olympiads, the US boxing only won a total of 4 Gold Medals. In the 1976 Olympics the US team won 7 medals, 5 of them Gold. I was only 11 years old, but I remember that magical night like it was yesterday. The greatest sporting event I've ever attended in person. I found an old SI article about that night and here is the link if anyone wants to read about it. After the last bell clanged, concluding the hard-fought - 06.14.76 - SI Vault So I was curious, what is your favorite sporting event you've attended?
October 16, 201312 yr As I understand it, there were about 175,000 people who were "at the freezer bowl" :lol2:
October 16, 201312 yr Author As I understand it, there were about 175,000 people who were "at the freezer bowl" :lol2: Hahaha, yept, that's what I hear too. I remember it like yesterday. My dad got us season tickets started in 1977 and every Sunday when they played at home we would go from Church )Mother of Gods in Covington) and park down in Covington and walk the suspension bridge. That game it was so cold that we covered ourselves in plastic garbage bags to help block the wind. It wasn't so bad during the game because we were so into it. The cold didn't hit us until we ran (yes we ran out of the stadium, we were so excited they won that my dad just took off running and cheering right from our seats and out the stadium) and as soon as we got outside the stadium the wind hit us like a brick wall, we couldn't feel our feet once we reached the bridge to walk across and I swear it seemed like it took us 2 hours to walk across that thing. I also remember 2 things that stuck out the most about the cold during the game. 1. I got hot chocolate and by the time i got back to my seat there was ice already forming on the top layer lol, and 2. I went into the bathroom and slid across the floor on yellow ice.....need I say more? lol We sat in the blue seats, 10 rows behind the dugout where the idiots stood on with no shirts on. that was a fun day,
October 16, 201312 yr I was at the UK-Duke game in 1992 at the Spectrum in PHilly, when Laettner made the "Shot". I was still in college and my friends and I bought tickets off a scalper for $20 each to get in. Little did I know I'd end up living in KY. At the time is was just a cool game to see, and had no idea the impact of this game in KY. I was at the game 4 of the 1992 World Series, when Toronto came from behind to beat the Phillies 15-14 in the highest scoring WS game ever. I was at Terry Mulholland's no hitter vs the Giants in 1990, the first no-hitter ever thrown at Veterans Stadium.
October 16, 201312 yr I was at the Freezer Bowl also. It was the first year I had season tickets. I am telling you I have never been that cold. When I got out of the car I was already frozen. Walking back across the bridge to Newport was brutal. We went to the Super Bowl in Detroit by getting on a bus at 4:00AM and getting there around 10-11. We sat on the bus until the gates opened at 1 or 2 and then waited 3-4 hours for the start. I also went to the Super Bowl in Miami. But probably the biggest event I attended was the 1973 Kentucky Derby and I didn't see a thing, but had a blast. I had no idea Secretariat would be one of the greatest thorobreds of all time. I don't think anyone did at the time. On a personal note, coaching high school soccer in Northern Kentucky and winning the region 5 straight times, (although the first two were not sanctioned, just locally planned, so really 3 that were KHSAA sponsored). Regional record undefeated, state tournament record 1-5, kinda Marvi-like:ylsuper:
October 16, 201312 yr Game 2, 1990 World Series. Colts-Raiders; The Snake to The Ghost in double OT Colts-Steelers; when a nut flew a single-engine plane into the upper deck of Memorial Stadium 1992 Indy 500; Little Al holds off Scott Goodyear And I would be remiss in not mentioning the 2003 and 2008 KHSAA boys' basketball finals.
October 16, 201312 yr 1988 Olympics in Calgary....I was Y O U N G and Calgary was friendly and fun and I still can't believe my parents or my in-laws let us go (not even remotely close to marriage at that point!!) It was the year of the Jamaican Bobsled team, lots of NFL guys were there (Herschel Walker and Willie Gault had passed the US Trials for bobsled but did not qualify for the actual Games, if memory serves ~ and memory may not serve because I was Y O U N G and Calgary was F U N!!). We went to Closing Ceremonies, caught two early hockey games, saw some downhill events, drank too much, slept too little. My spouse, father-in-law and oldest son went to Salt Lake in '02. Remember, 9/11 had just happened and Ebay was in its infancy. Tickets were CHEAP. Father-in-law had a cousin who lived there and we had Delta flight benefits. They saw bobsled, biathalon, hockey semi round, Closing Ceremonies and more - all for less than $700, rental car and meals included. Not MY personal best trip but since I was the planner, it was a triumph for me nonetheless. NOBODY thought the ticket thing would work out - "You're gonna buy tickets from someone you don't know, send them $$ and TRUST them to send you the tickets? Ebay sounds STUPID!!"
October 16, 201312 yr Had Pit Passes at first Brickyard 400 for qualifying and great seats for the race. Watched Sectional Tourney at the New Castle Fieldhouse...doesn't sound like much but SRO crowd in the largest HS Gym (seats 9,325) in the nation in Hoops Mad Indiana is crazy! Watched Georgetown practice (for about 30 minutes until someone saw me and I got kicked out) at EKU the day before they got beat by Villanova for the title. Saw UK Beat #1 Florida at Rupp under Tubby I was at the 7 OT game between UK and Arkansas I was at the UK Florida football game in November 1986...last UK victory in the series and my first UK game....didn't go to another UK Football Game until Couch at IU in 90's
October 16, 201312 yr SEC tourney 1992 -- B'ham . The year Tenn/LSU got into a brawl and Shaq O'neil got suspended a game for throwing a bunch and Dale Brown got thrown out . . Ky blew out Ark in the final. Was Pel's , Feldhouse's , Farmers jr year I guess . Was in Cincy the day Palmer got injured VS the Steelers . Ugliest sporting crowd I've ever seen . Swore off any NFL games in cincy. In Rupp for Nolen Richardson's first or second trip into Lexington with a loaded Ark team . Loudest I ever heard a crowd at Rupp .
October 16, 201312 yr Difficult. The Miracle on Main with Louisville coming back from 18 points down with 5 minutes to play against Marquette in 2011 is probably at the top; Preston Knowles played as close to perfect down the stretch as I've ever seen a player perform. Louisville's win over No. 1 Syracuse in the final game at Freedom Hall is right up there with it.
October 16, 201312 yr Watching little Edmonson County win the State Tournament in Freedom Hall in 1976
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