Menu

Legacy Lens

About Legacy Lens

Posts by Legacy Lens:

1977 Notre Dame Football & The Dramatic New Year’s Day Turnabout

, , , , , ,

This would’ve been the ideal time for a plus-one format after the bowls, because the Irish and Tide had strong resumes, but ones that appealed to different voting philosophies. Alabama had played a consistently tougher schedule and their September loss to Nebraska was infinitely more defensible than Notre Dame’s defeat at Ole Miss.

But the Tide didn’t have wins like the devastations Notre Dame had hung on USC and Texas—beating two highly regarded opponents by a combined 58 points.

1977 Marquette Basketball: Al McGuire Goes Out A Winner

, , , , , ,

The 1977 Marquette basketball team had come off a strong run in 1976 that ended in a tournament loss to Bob Knight’s undefeated Indiana team in a regional final. Al McGuire, later to gain fame as an NBC commentator was the head coach. McGuire was out of New York, colorful, witty and bombastic and in the days before the Big East got control of the New York area, was able to successfully recruit the Big Apple and get talent back to the Midwest

The 1985 Chicago Bears Do The Super Bowl Shuffle

, , , , , ,

The 1985 Chicago Bears came off their 1984 run to the NFC Championship Game knowing they needed to keep quarterback Jim McMahon mostly healthy. They not only did that, but their already great defense rose to new levels of dominance and the Bears absolutely owned the 1985 NFL season from start to finish

The 1985 Oklahoma Sooners Turn An Injury Into A National Championship

, , , , , , , ,

The 1985 Oklahoma Sooners had an unorthodox path to a national championship—it isn’t often a team loses its starting quarterback and the injury turns out best for all parties, but this was a unique case, as a great defense carried the way.

The 1985 Los Angeles Lakers Make A Boston Breakthrough

, , , , , , ,

Los Angeles and Boston spent all year on a collision course. The Celtics won 63 games, while the Lakers won 62. Larry Bird won this third MVP award with a 29 points/10 rebounds/7 assists per-game average. Magic Johnson averaged 18/6/13 in pacing the Lakers. They split their two regular season meetings. It looked dead even.

1985 Kansas City Royals: A Championship That Was A Long Time Coming

, , , , , ,

…this 1985 championship had been secured first with a late season run at the Angels, then three straight must-win games in each postseason series. The Royals haven’t seen October baseball since that epic autumn, but they left plenty of memories along the trail.

1976 Stanley Cup Finals: Montreal, Philadelphia & The Changing Of The Guard

, , , , , ,

The Philadelphia Flyers were the kings of the NHL in the early-to-mid 1970s, as the Broad Street Bullies won consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974-75. The Montreal Canadiens were the league’s most storied franchise, and on the cusp of another run of greatness. These two teams met in the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals, a series that might have been low on drama, but stands out in history as a changing-of-the-guard moment.

1981 NCAA Tournament: The One Time Ralph Sampson Took Virginia To The Final Four

, , , , , ,

The Virginia basketball program was at the forefront of the national stage—not just for college basketball, but sports overall, when 7’4” center Ralph Sampson played there from 1980-83. Sampson was considered one of the best to ever play the game and all eyes were on him to see if this freak of nature could lead Virginia to a national title. The Cavaliers never got to that lofty goal—indeed March disappointments were to become routine. But the 1981 NCAA Tournament at least saw Sampson’s Cavs reach the Final Four.

1983 NCAA Tournament: The Georgia Bulldogs Were The Forgotten Cinderella

, , , , , ,

The 1983 NCAA Tournament is remembered for the miracle championship ride of Jim Valvano and the North Carolina State Wolfpack, who needed to win their conference tournament just to make it to March Madness and then pulled off two memorable upsets (Virginia and Houston) to win the national title. What’s forgotten is that there was another team at the Final Four that year on a similar ride and it was the 1983 Georgia basketball team.

1976 Oakland Raiders: John Madden Finally Wins The Biggest One

, , , , ,

Madden’s Raiders saw their season stop in the AFC Championship Game in 1970. They lost the “Immaculate Reception” play in the divisional round in Pittsburgh in 1972. Then came three straight AFC Championship Game losses from 1973-75, the last two to the Steelers who were en route to Super Bowl wins. Even in the relatively calmer media climate of the 1970s, the “can’t win the big one” tag was being hung on Madden and quarterback Ken Stabler. One can only imagine how intense the media shouting would be toda

The 1976 Cincinnati Reds: Sweeping Through October

, , , , , ,

The 1976 Cincinnati Reds came to spring training having found redemption the previous October. After World Series losses in 1970 and 1972 and an upset loss in the 1973 National League Championship Series, the Reds had gotten over the top in an epic seven-game World Series against the Boston Red Sox, a Series that ranks high on the list of the best ever. The offensive juggernaut known as the Big Red Machine was looking to build on a championship legacy securely established

Load More