Image: Wikicommons by Wikicommons by Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA
About This Quiz
The odds have been put out, and the bets are in. Everyone's sure the heavily favored team is going to come through because they've been playing at a high level all season, and they have a roster stacked with talent from top to bottom. There's one thing standing in their way, though — the team on the opposite side of the field who has plans to derail their season with a win of their own.
There's nothing quite like an underdog story in sports, where David faces off against Goliath in what seems like an impossible matchup. When the underdog comes through, it's not only shocking but inspirational. It has the potential to captivate an entire fanbase while sinking another. Hundreds of articles and stories are written about it, and the heroics of the underdog get more and more extravagant with every story that's told.
Are you ready to test your knowledge of these major upsets that defined U.S. sports? From boxers getting knockouts that no one saw coming to teams making historic comebacks to win a series they weren't supposed to win in the first place, this quiz covers it all.Â
When you're ready, show off your sports knowledge by winning the upset over this quiz.
Matt Snell
Joe Namath
Throwing more interceptions than touchdowns during his Super Bowl-winning season, Joe Namath was far from the greatest quarterback to play, even for his era. However, he did just enough in the championship game to get the victory and take home the Super Bowl MVP.
George Sauer Jr.
Bill Mathis
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Celtics
76ers
Pistons
The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the most high-powered offenses in the league in the 2003 - 2004 season, and the Detroit Pistons relied on their defense to win games. That defense came through in the finals, as the Pistons held the Lakers to under 100 points every game in the series.
Bulls
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Miracle Mets
The 1969 MLB season began the divisional era in the majors, as the 24 teams were divided into four divisions between two leagues. This change benefited the New York Mets, who won the NL East with a record of 100-62.
Marching Mets
Mayhem Mets
Moody Mets
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Los Angeles
San Diego
Miami
New Orleans
Viewed as an inferior league, no one thought the AFL would defeat the NFL in a Super Bowl two years in a row, but the Kansas City Chiefs had other plans. After scoring the first points in the first quarter, they never looked back, maintaining the lead throughout the entire game.
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First
Fourth
10th
Mike Tyson was 37-0 when he went into the matchup against Buster Douglas in 1990. However, while he was still dominating in the ring, his life outside the ring was in turmoil, as he struggled both with his management while also going through a divorce. With his head elsewhere, Tyson suffered one of the most surprising losses in sports history.
12th
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2-0
3-0
2-1
3-1
The Cleveland Cavaliers went into the 2016 NBA Finals having lost the previous season to the Golden State Warriors. During the 2015-16 season, the Warriors only improved from the year before, posting a historic 73 wins. LeBron James and the Cavaliers wouldn't be denied a championship, though.
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Gary Gaetti
Founded in 1901 as the Washington Nationals, the Twins made the move to Minnesota in 1961 and were still in search of their first championship when 1987 rolled around. Despite a regular season where they only won 85 games, the Twins fought their way through the playoffs to bring a title to Minnesota.
Tom Brunansky
Greg Gagne
Frank Viola
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Clay court
Hard court
Roger Federer was on his way to winning his third major of 2009 when his hopes were crushed by Juan Martin del Potro. In a match that seemed to go on forever, del Potro finally took Federer down after five sets.
Grass court
Carpet court
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0
When the New England Patriots entered Super Bowl XLII, they were the first team in NFL history to record an 18-0 record, as the Miami Dolphins only played 17 games when they went undefeated in 1972. However, their hopes of making NFL history ended on a miracle play by Eli Manning, as the New York Giants came out victorious.
1
2
3
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Fifth
Sixth
Seventh
Eighth
Led by the defensive dominance of Dikembe Mutombo, the Denver Nuggets became the first eighth seed in NBA history to take down the first seed in the playoffs when they accomplished the feat in 1994. Of course, it took all five games of the series and two overtime victories to get it done.
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Strikeout
Walk-off run on a ground ball
Walk-off home run
If you look at the statistics, it's hard to see exactly how the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series. After all, the Yankees scored 28 more runs than the Pirates in the series. But the Pirates did just enough to get four victories and take the series with a walk-off home run in Game 7.
Tag out at second base
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2000
2004
Roy Jones Jr. was one of the rare fighters who held championships in four different weight classes, moving from middleweight to heavyweight in his boxing career. When he lost to Antonio Tarver in 2004, he also lost the WBA, WBC, IBO and "The Ring" light heavyweight titles.
2008
2012
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Doug Flutie
Troy Aikman
Jim Kelly
Dan Marino
Despite being one of the best regular season quarterbacks in NFL history — even making his way into the Hall of Fame — Dan Marino failed to get it done in the playoffs. In fact, he's often regarded as the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl.
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MVP
Hank Aaron Award
Cy Young Award
Orel Hershiser's 1988 season was one of the best in baseball history, as he led the National League in wins to earn the NL Cy Young Award. However, his playoff run was even better, winning a World Series while also being named the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP.
Silver Slugger Award
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Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki, the star player for the Dallas Mavericks, just wouldn't be denied during the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Even before taking down the Miami Heat, Nowitzki led the Mavericks past the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had two stars of their own.
Suns
Spurs
Grizzlies
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42
46
There was no questioning Jack Nicklaus' greatness when he entered the 1986 Masters Tournament, but no one expected him to come away with another win, as he hadn't won a major since 1980. However, with the victory, he obtained his 18th major championship, the most all-time.
50
54
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14-7
20-19
Super Bowl XXV came down to the final seconds of the game, as the Buffalo Bills had an opportunity to score with just over two minutes remaining in the game. They got in position for a 47-yard field goal, but Scott Norwood missed it..
24-20
35-34
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They didn't make the playoffs.
They lost in the first round.
They lost in the conference semifinals.
The Los Angeles Lakers had not only the league MVP but also the best record in the Western Conference coming into the 1990 NBA Playoffs. However, they weren't ready for the Phoenix Suns in the conference semifinals, losing the series in only five games.
They lost in the conference finals.
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Livan Hernandez
Livan Hernandez played in two games in the 1997 NLCS, earning victories in both of them while recording a 0.84 ERA. Pitching just over 10 innings in the series, Hernandez had 16 total strikeouts, including a record 15 in Game 5.
Moises Alou
Gary Sheffield
Kevin Brown
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New York
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Houston
Having just won the UFC Welterweight Championship against Matt Hughes, Georges St-Pierre had only one loss on his resume coming into his matchup in Houston against Matt Serra. A lack of focus led to St-Pierre getting caught in the first round, and the match was called at the 3:25 mark.
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One year
Two years
After going 4-12 in their first NFL season, the Jacksonville Jaguars improved to 9-7 in their second year making the NFL Playoffs as a Wild Card team. The Denver Broncos, on the other hand, had gone 13-3 during the 1996-97 season, but that record didn't matter when the Jaguars showed up to Mile High Stadium.
Three years
Four years
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Pistons
Bulls
Hawks
Nets
The Philadelphia 76ers went 12-1 in the 1983 NBA Playoffs to take home the championship. They returned many of the same stars from the previous year, including Moses Malone and Julius Erving, but it wasn't enough to get the 76ers back to the NBA Finals, as they lost in the first round to the New Jersey Nets.
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First round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Roberta Vinci's victory over Serena Williams in the 2015 U.S. Open denied Williams the opportunity to win all four major tournaments in a calendar year. It was the second time in Williams' career that she won three major tournaments without capturing the fourth.
Finals
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Jack McKeon
Jeff Torborg was in his second season with the Florida Marlins when the team started the 2003 season off with a 16-22 record, which led to his firing. Under Jack McKeon, the Marlins made a comeback to finish second in the NL East with a 91-71 record. They went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.
Joe Torre
Mike Scioscia
Dusty Baker
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Cardiac Rams
The Dream Team
The Greatest Show on Turf
"The Greatest Show on Turf" was led by quarterback Kurt Warner and running back Marshall Faulk. Both players came into Super Bowl XXXVI with NFL MVPs on their resume, Warner having won two and Faulk with one. But their individual accolades weren't enough to take down the New England Patriots in the championship game.
The Triplets
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One
Two
Three
Four
The one player the Philadelphia 76ers couldn't account for in the 1977 NBA Finals was Bill Walton, who had the greatest series of his career. After averaging 18.5 points and 19 rebounds per game, Walton was named the MVP of the series.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao was already an established fighter when he went up against Oscar De La Hoya, but he hadn't fought in the welterweight division before the fight. The added size didn't matter as Pacquiao defeated his opponent in the eighth round.
Bernard Hopkins
Shane Mosley
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Saints
Marshawn Lynch joined the Seattle Seahawks in the middle of the 2010 season after he was traded from the Buffalo Bills. When the Seahawks reached the playoffs, it was Lynch's first postseason game, and he didn't disappoint, rushing for 131 yards and a touchdown.
Packers
Bears
Falcons
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His jersey
His pants
His sock
The New York Yankees were up 3-0 in the 2004 ALCS when the Boston Red Sox launched one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history to take down their longtime rival in seven games. One of the most famous games in the series was Game 6, known as "The Bloody Sock Game" because Curt Schilling continued pitching as his ankle bled out.
His hat
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Achilles tear
The Golden State Warriors came into the 2019 NBA Finals as back-to-back NBA champions, and they were poised to win another title with a roster stacked with talent. However, injuries decimated the team during the NBA Finals, as both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson went down in the series.
Torn ACL
Torn pectoral muscle
Broken ankle
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Julie Harrington
Renee Richards
Paula Smith
Andrea Leand
Andrea Jaeger's loss in the 1981 U.S. Open was stuffed between two years during which she made the semifinals in the tournament. Despite reaching No. 2 in the rankings in 1981, she never captured a major and was forced to retire in 1985 due to injuries.
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Running back
Quarterback
After finishing 8-8 in the 2011 - 2012 season, the Denver Broncos added Peyton Manning to their roster and improved to 13-3 the following year, finishing first in the AFC. Their first-round bye in the 2012 - 2013 NFL Playoffs didn't help any, though, as the Baltimore Ravens pushed them to two overtimes before claiming victory in the divisional round.
Wide receiver
Defensive end
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Four
Five
Six
Seven
The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 1969 NBA Finals having already lost five times in the finals to the Boston Celtics during the decade. But in 1969, the Celtics were on the decline, and the Lakers had three stars in Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. Still, these Hall of Famers didn't have enough to topple Bill Russell and the Celtics.
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1908
The Chicago Cubs championship drought, which lasted from 1908 until 2016, was the longest in Major League Baseball at the time. During the 2016 World Series, it looked like the Cubs were going to disappoint fans again after starting the series 3-1, but they won three games in a row to claim the title over the Cleveland Indians.
1920
1932
1946
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Atlanta
Baltimore
Denver
UFC 1 was much different than it is today, as it was a tournament-style competition that didn't have weight classes. When the tournament began, no one expected the undersized Royce Gracie to come out with the win, but his Brazilian jiu-jitsu was too much for the other competitors to overcome.
New York
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