The good thing about sports is that you never know what could happen. One of the best things we can find in sports is underdogs; they can make us laugh, but also surprise us with victories. Here are 30 of the greatest underdog victories in sports.
Emma Raducanu US Open, 2021
She became the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title. She was only 18 when she won the tournament.
Jim Morris
In his youth, he spent eight years in the minors, and then he retired and served as a high school teacher and baseball coach for a decade. After promising his high school team he’d try out one last time for a major league team if they won district, he did. He ended up joining the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
2017 Mississippi State Bulldogs
For three years and 111 straight games, the Connecticut Huskies women’s basketball team went undefeated. Everyone thought they’d win the 2017 NCAA championship, but Mississippi State won, ending the longest winning streak in college basketball history.
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers
Led by LeBron James, the Cavs won games 5 and 6 to even up the series. After that, they were able to win Game 7 and became the first team since 1978 to win an NBA Finals Game 7 on the road. They ended the curse and won their first championship in 52 years.
Muggsy Bogues
In the NBA, the average player stands 6’7, but Muggsy was only 5’3. He became the 23rd in NBA history in assists, totaling 6,726.
Vince Papale
He might have never played college football, but he tried out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League and ended up making it to the team. He later tried out for the Eagles and made it as well.
John Scott
In 2016, he had only scored five goals in his eight-year NHL career. Fans started voting him into the All-Star Game as a joke, and he ended up winning the NHL All-Star Game MVP.
Rulon Gardner
He had to wrestle against a three-time gold medal winner with a 13-year undefeated streak. He did the impossible and beat him.
Villanova’s NCAA Championship in 1985
The Villanova Wildcats were an eighth seed in the tournament and managed to defeat the Georgetown Hoyas. Villanova’s victory is also named “The Perfect Game” because of their nearly flawless execution.
Rudy Ruettiger
He was only 5’6 and suffered from dyslexia. He tried to get admitted into Notre Dame four times, and he did at the age of 26. He tried out for the football team and ended up making it. He played in Notre Dame’s final game in 1975, lined up at defensive end and sacked Georgia Tech’s quarterback.
1986 LSU Tigers
LSU remains the only 11 seed to defeat the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 seeds in a single tournament. They only lost to the eventual tournament champion, Louisville.
Richard Krajicek
He had never advanced to the quarterfinals; the other five times he competed in Wimbledon, he ended up beating Pete Sampras in the semifinals and winning the final over MaliVai Washington.
Baker Mayfield
He might have won a Heisman Trophy and been the No. 1 overall draft pick, but he didn’t have a scholarship when he first walked on at Texas Tech in 2013.
Warren Moon
From winning the Rose Bowl MVP to going undrafted because of stereotypes. That happened to Warren in 1978 when NFL teams didn’t believe African-American players could make great quarterbacks. In 1984, he landed in the NFL and ended up becoming one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, making it to the Canadian Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Y.E. Yang
Yang worked super hard and ended up becoming the first person to defeat Tiger Woods when he had a major lead after 54 holes.
Kurt Warner
After being cut by the Packers in training camp, he went home to work at a grocery store. He ended up playing for the Rams and becoming a two-time MVP in the NFL.
2016 Leicester City
They won the English Premier League for the first time in their 132-year history.
Greece Wins UEFA Euro 2004
Their odds were 150-to-1 at the beginning of the tournament, and their victory is a tale of tactical discipline, teamwork, and resilience.
Miracle on Ice
In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the United States men’s ice hockey team was composed of college players, and they were able to defeat the Soviet Union, the most dominant team at that time.
Iceland’s Euro 2016 Journey
From the smallest nation to ever qualify for the tournament, to neutral fans rooting for them. They might have lost in the quarterfinals against France, but they won everyone’s hearts.
2007 Golden State Warriors
The Golden State made it to the playoffs after 13 years, followed their “We Believe” slogan and ended up becoming the first No.8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a best-of-seven series.
2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers
In the classic matchup between the Appalachian State and Michigan State, the victory for Michigan was so guaranteed that people weren’t even betting on it, but Appalachian State beat Michigan by two points.
Jeremy Lin
He had a 4.2 GPA and attended Harvard but was overlooked by the NBA due to his ethnicity. He got his chance as an undrafted free agent with the Golden State Warriors but established himself in an 11-game stretch with the Knicks in 2021.
Abebe Bikila
This Ethiopian runner won his first-ever marathon and the gold medal in the Olympics in the same year. He did it barefoot because the shoes gave him blisters.
Shaquem Griffin
He had to have his hand amputated due to his fingers never fully developing. His twin brother was an athlete, so he wanted to keep up with him. He worked super hard and ended up being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks, becoming the first one-handed player in the NFL.
2008 New York Giants
The Patriots were 12-point favorites, making the Giants the biggest Super Bowl underdogs. The Giants won 17-14 and took the Patriots of the first 19-0 season in NFL history.
Jim Abbott
He was born without a right hand, but that never stopped him. He threw a no-hitter with the Yankees and even managed to get two hits during his big league career.
1969 New York Jets
The AFL’s New York Jets were 18-point underdogs against the NFL’s Baltimore Colts, but Joe Namath and company were able to give the AFL its first Super Bowl win.
Buster Douglas
On February 11, 1990, he defeated Japan’s reigning heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Douglas was motivated by personal tragedies, giving him the strength he needed to defeat Tyson when he was at the peak of his career.
Tiger Woods’ 2019 Masters Comeback
After some personal and professional setbacks, including back surgeries and personal challenges, he stopped playing for a while. He made a comeback by winning at Augusta National Golf Club, proving true champions rise again.
