A Personal Top 10 Sports Moments of the Decade

After hard, hard, hard thinking, I have come up with my Top 10 sports moments of the last decade — with a personal twist. While, yes, the list is heavy in University of Kansas sports moments, just remember I spent half of the decade attending KU.

1. KU men’s basketball wins national championship.

The day began at noon for me — as I didn’t have any classes the day of the championship. So as soon as I woke up, I ventured down to Mass Street to save a table for my friends at The Granada. By game time, all my worries had disappeared. By the final horn, like many of my friends, I was on my knees watching — and praying — for Mario Chalmers’ miracle. To be in Lawrence, on Mass Street, with good friends during the most memorable sports moment of my short life was just absolutely PERFECT!

2. KU football wins Orange Bowl.

Two words: Road trip. Two more words: South Beach. It was an amazing New Year event to travel down to Miami to watch KU play — and win — their first BCS bowl game. Combined with the fact that I was sitting about seven rows up from the end zone with several college buddies — and next to some Virginia Tech bunnies — made for a great, memorable moment.

3. KU football ends losing streak against Nebraska.

I was in my third year at KU at the time. I was a few rows up at the 20-yard line of the bowl end of Memorial Stadium and one of the first students to rush the field — and I have the scar to prove it. While in the process of scaling the short fence in front of bleachers, I was shoved from behind, catching my leg on the top of the little fence and went tumbling forward. It wasn’t until I began walking home a good hour later — after the field goals were distributed into Potter’s Lake — did I notice blood on my hands. The source was a nice gash on the back of my right leg. A war wound that will forever hold fond memories.

4. KU blows past North Carolina in the Final Four.

Not to sound conceited, but I called it — down to the very domination of freshman Cole Aldrich over “All-World” center Tyler Hansbrough. Prior to the game, I told my friends I was watching the game with, that Aldrich would have a monster game against Hansbrough — based on information gathered from the weekly Bill Self press conferences that I attended. When the future first round draft pick stuck it to Hansbrough, my friends simply looked at me and shook their collective heads. Saying “I told you so” just wasn’t needed.

5. KU men’s bowling team wins national championship.

It’s a moment in KU sports history that few probably know about. But for me, it was the beginning of my journalistic career. Coming into KU, very few freshmen were allowed to cover sports beats for the university paper — most frosh were delegated to news beats and ad sales. But I was permitted to help the sports staff by covering the KU bowling program — which was run through the rec, not the athletics department — and up until the men’s team winning a championship in 2008, I laid claim to being the lone University Daily Kansan sports writer who had covered a national championship team since the 1998 men’s basketball championship.

6. Lawrence-Free State High School baseball team wins state.

The Firebirds had been to the state tournament for four years running, considered one of the top teams in Class 6A. But they never could come away with a state title. That is, until my first year working at the Lawrence Journal-World. The Firebirds won just the school’s second state title — with me in the press box covering them. It was unbelievable to see all the emotions of those kids and coaches — including a head coach that usually showed very little emotion — coming crashing down on them in Wichita.

7. KU basketball’s overtime thriller against Georgia Tech.

Thad Allender/Journal-World Photo Kansas fans celebrate in overtime as KU beat Georgia Tech at Allen Fieldhouse.

Not only was I witness to one of the most exciting basketball games in Phog Allen Fieldhouse, this decade, but I witnessed it from three rows behind the KU basket. In my first two years at KU, I was in a camping group that was regularly one of the first 10 groups into the Fieldhouse and before the biggest game of the season, I drew the top chip to give our group the No. 1 spot in line for the Georgia Tech game. Also making it a perfect moment, was I worked my photoshop magic and conjured up a “student class schedule” for my dad to use a student ticket to get into the game with us. Don’t believe me, I have proof (see photo). A 70-68 overtime win on New Year’s Day was quite a way to ring in the new year!

8. KU hoops falls in opening round to Bucknell.

It was a terrible memory — as it spurred me to have my first-ever alcoholic drink and subsequently my first-ever hangover. I still remember watching the entire game, having that gut feeling the entire way through that the Jayhawks would find a way to lose this one. And ultimately, they did.

9. KU football crushes Missouri on the road.

It was a miserable Nov. 20, 2004 in Columbia, Mo. It was cold, wet and I was in Missouri of all places. But the spirits helped warm the fingers and toes as I was witness to the 31-14 shellacking KU put on Mizzou — this after having the pleasure of witnessing the 35-14 beatdown of Missouri a year earlier. It was a great ending to an otherwise dreadful KU football season (4-7, 2-6) — but would prevent Missouri from making a bowl appearance — and would help spur three-straight non-losing seasons at KU.

10. Dodge City reclaims the Hatchet after 13 years.

It’s probably not high on the list of memorable moments for Garden City High School football fans, but it was my initiation into the Dodge City vs. Garden City rivalry. And while Garden City began the game looking like a team primed to be blown out, the Buffs bounced back in the second half, led by senior running back C.J. Covington’s 156 yards on 15 carries — and one of the most electrifying runs I’ve seen in all my years of watching and covering football, those who were there know which run I’m talking about. It capped off a roller-coaster season for the Buffaloes, which saw them bring an end to Great Bend’s unblemished WAC record thanks to a last-second interception by John Le and miss winning the WAC and making the playoffs due to the loss to the hated Red Demons in the season finale.

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