The most memorable near misses and close calls in sports history

Gordon Hayward announced his retirement from playing basketball on Thursday, ending his NBA career after 14 seasons.

Arguably the most memorable moment of Hayward’s career, though, came before he turned pro. In his second and final season at Butler, Hayward led the Bulldogs to the national title game in a surprise March Madness run.

As the Final Four was held in Butler’s home city, Hayward nearly made what would’ve been one of the most memorable shots in basketball history. But his half-court heave attempt to try and beat Duke at the buzzer wound up being one of the most memorable misses of all time. 

With Hayward announcing his retirement, let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable near-misses and close calls in sports history. 

Gordon Hayward’s missed shot at the buzzer in 2010 National Championship game

Butler’s Cinderella run in 2010 was just inches away from finishing in a national championship. The fifth-seeded Bulldogs trailed top-seeded Duke, 60-59, with 3.6 seconds remaining when Blue Devils center Brian Zoubeck went to the free-throw line. Zoubeck made his first free throw to put Duke up by two before intentionally missing the second to make Butler’s ensuing shot more difficult.

Hayward gathered the rebound off the miss, dribbling up to halfcourt before heaving a shot off at the buzzer. As the horn sounded, Hayward’s shot hit the backboard and bounced off the rim, giving Duke that national title.

Kevin Dyson tackled at the 1-yard line in Titans’ Super Bowl XXXIV loss to Rams

The “Greatest Show on Turf” needed a key defensive play to clinch their first Super Bowl win in franchise history in the 1999 season. The Rams took a 23-16 lead with 1:56 remaining, giving the Titans one last chance to tie the game and send it to overtime.

As Tennessee got the ball at its own 12-yard line at the start of the drive, Steve McNair gave the Titans a solid chance to tie the game. He completed four passes for 39 yards and had a 12-yard carry, drawing a 15-yard…

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Publish date : 2024-08-01 22:22:47

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