COLIN LINNEWEBER

Since I began watching sports in 1987, I have seen the magnitude that a single crippling-loss can have on an organization, institution or individual performer. Sometimes a gut-wrenching failure can unhinge an athlete or team and instantly make their days of glory a thing of the past. In lieu of the New England Patriots (18-1*) timely demise in Super Bowl XLII, I have decided to list five lone defeats since the end of Reagan’s second term that ultimately derailed a once championship-caliber team or an elite performer.

1) In March of 1990 in Las Vegas, IBF Welterweight Champion Meldrick Taylor (24-0-1) was beaten by WBC Welterweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez (66-0) via TKO in the bloodiest battle since Antietam. With Taylor winning on every judge’s scorecard entering the final round, Chavez landed a vicious barrage of punches that floored Taylor with 13-seconds remaining in the bout. Taylor was able to make it to his feet before being counted-out. But, Referee Richard Steele decided to put a halt to the contest with 2-seconds left in the fight because he believed that Taylor’s health was at risk. Although extremely controversial, Steele likely made the correct decision. Taylor suffered several fractures in the contest and the damage that was done to his kidney caused the former Olympic gold medalist from Philadelphia to urinate blood for a week. Taylor was never the same fighter or man after this donnybrook. In the aftermath of Ring Magazine’s “Fight of the Decade,” Taylor went a pedestrian 14-8 before retiring in 1992 and today he speaks with such a jumbled and slow voice that many theorize that he suffers from pugilistic dementia. Taylor lost more than a fight that night in “Sin City.” Taylor lost a piece of his life and being.

2) A week after defeating Florida State University in the “Game of the Century” to earn the number-one ranking in the nation, Notre Dame lost at home in November of 1993 to the mediocre Boston College Eagles 41-39. The Irish have never once been atop the polls since that devastating loss 15 years ago and their program has never truly recovered from the sting of the defeat. Largely because of this game, like Jeffrey Lebowski, “I hate the fucking Eagles, man.”

3) In the men’s 1991 NCAA Final Four, the Duke Blue Devils defeated the indomitable UNLV Running Rebels 79-77 en route to winning the first championship in their program’s storied history. The Rebels, who entered the game as unblemished defending champions, were expected by many pundits to trounce the Blue Devils in a similar fashion to the way they slaughtered them a year prior 103-73. This loss ultimately led to the ouster of the Rebel’s much maligned and scandalous Head Coach, Jerry Tarkanian, and it started a descent that stripped the Rebel’s of their billing as one of the elite team’s on the collegiate hardwood.

4) In the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the University of Miami lost in overtime to the Ohio State Buckeyes 31-24 in an upset that still reverberates to this day around South Beach. Since the loss, the Hurricanes fired Head Coach Larry Coker and in 2006 they played in the MPC Computers Bowl. The once proud and dominant Miami Hurricanes played in the petty MPC Computers Bowl only four-years after being considered one of the greatest college football teams in the annals of the sport. Enough said.

5) The New York Yankees lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 in game seven of the 2001 World Series to shatter their dream of a historic four-peat. The men from the South Bronx lost when the snake’s resident juice-head, Luis Gonzalez, flicked a lucky single into the deep-portion of the infield which allowed the game-winning run to cross the plate for Arizona. Following New York’s demise, their owner, George Steinbrenner, decided he couldn’t accept a one-year championship drought and he began spending more lavishly than ever on undeserving free-agents and he entirely abandoned the Yankees blueprint for achieving success in the late-90’s. Despite the fact that the Bombers made the World Series 2-years after this loss, they have not been the same organization since that night in the desert and one needs to wonder when they will recapture the magic that made the Yankees the most successful franchise in the annals of North American sports.

Needless to say, this is a very subjective article. The Patsies are run with steely precision and they have one of the greatest quarterbacks ever still playing for them in the prime of his career. I am confident that New England will field very solid teams in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, I don’t envision any more Lombardi Trophies making their way to Foxboro for quite some time and I contend that this will be the direct result of their collapse against the New York Football Giants last month. For arguments sake, only time will tell. But, in the meantime, I would be interested in hearing feedback from some of my readers. What loss do you believe negatively altered a franchise or individual that I didn’t mention? I look forward to your opinions and input.

Thanks for taking the time to give me some of your time. Without your readership, I would have absolutely zero cause to write.

Popularity: 5% [?]