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Shock Waves

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By JOEY JOHNSTON

jjohnston@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2008

SHOCK WAVES

Ten sporting events - upsets or unlikely finishes - that continue to resonate.

The Super Jets

•Event: Super Bowl III (1969)

•What Happened: The AFL's New York Jets, 18-point underdogs to the NFL's Baltimore Colts, changed the face of professional football with a 16-7 upset victory. Three days earlier, Jets QB Joe Namath predicted the outcome. In fact, he "guaranteed" it.

The Amazin' Mets

•Event: 1969 World Series

•What Happened: The New York Mets, an expansion team that had lost 100 games in five of their first seven seasons, were a 100-to-1 shot to win the World Series. But the Mets went 100-62 and defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4-1 to capture the franchise's first championship.

The Miracle On Ice

•Event: 1980 Winter Olympics

•What Happened: The United States hockey team, a collection of untested college and amateur players, defeated the Soviet Union 4-3 in the semifinals. The Soviets were full-time players, representing a nation that had eight of the previous nine gold medals in the sport. The U.S. team defeated Finland to capture the gold medal.

Aloha, Ralph

•Event: College basketball (Dec. 23, 1982)

•What Happened: Previously unknown Chaminade University, an 800-student NAIA school in Hawaii, topped No. 1-ranked Virginia, 77-72, two days before Christmas. Virginia featured 7-foot-4 senior center Ralph Sampson, who would become three-time national player of the year.

Cardiac Pack

•Event: 1983 NCAA Basketball Tournament

•What Happened: Jim Valvano's N.C. State Wolfpack, who barely qualified for the NCAA field, blitzed through the tournament and stunned Houston's fabled "Phi Slama Jama" squad, 54-52, in the title game.

Super Nova

•Event: 1985 NCAA Basketball Tournament

•What Happened: The Villanova Wildcats, a No. 8 seed, shocked top-ranked Georgetown and Patrick Ewing, 66-64, in the title game while shooting 78.6 percent from the field.

Knocked Out

•Event: 1990 heavyweight title fight

•What Happened: James "Buster" Douglas, a 42-to-1 underdog, registered a 10th-round knockout of heavyweight champion Mike Tyson (37-0, 33 KO's), who had never even been knocked down in his professional career.

Worst To First

•Event: 1991 World Series

•What Happened: The Minnesota Twins and Atlanta Braves - last-place teams just one season earlier - both won their pennants and met in the World Series (with the Twins prevailing, 4-3).

Gardner Beats Karelin

•Event: 2000 Summer Olympics

•What Happened: Russian Alexander Karelin, the three-time defending gold medalist in men's super heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling, was beaten 1-0 by American Rulon Gardner. Karelin had been unbeaten in international competition and unscored upon for six years.

Big House, Big Upset

•Event: 2007 NCAA football season opener

•What Happened: Appalachian State, a Division I-AA team, went to No. 5-ranked Michigan and held on for a seismic 34-32 victory. It was the first time a I-AA school beat a larger-division team ranked in the top 25.

SHOCK WAVES

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