In case you missed it last weekend, Garrett Wilson had arguably the best catch of the modern era in his team’s 21-13 upset of the Houston Texans. Arguably, as good of a catch occurred on Sunday night football, with Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic one-handed snag against the Dallas Cowboys, a catch that had middle schoolers across the country doing “the Odell.” Even in the NBA, a case can be made for Kawhi Leonard with his monumental shot over Joel Embiid and the 76ers, sending them home in game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals. In this week’s roundtable, our group of writers will give their take on what they believe is the single greatest play in sports history.
Tyler Pruneau
Campus Correspondent
He/Him
Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception
When thinking about great plays, it’s always the offensive players getting the credit. In this case, the defense stepped up, making a game-changing play and winning it all for the team. The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks’ clash in the 2015 Super Bowl is one to remember. The play that everyone remembers is Malcolm Butler’s goal-line interception, sealing the deal for the Patriots. Coming down to the final minutes, the NFL commentator Al Michaels knew the match was “set up for a fantastic finish.” Leading the team down the field, Russell Wilson passed to Ricardo Lockette, hauling it in for a gain of 33 yards and setting up shop at the five-yard line. Handing the ball off to the powerful running back Marshawn Lynch was in the minds of everyone, but throwing it was the call. Snapping the ball, Wilson tossed it to Lockette. Coming out of nowhere and bodying Lockette, the ball found the rookie’s hands, giving the Patriots their fourth championship.
Jake Loomis
Campus Correspondent
Flutie Hail Mary
The underdog is something that is shot through sports history. Nobody was a bigger underdog than Doug Flutie. The undersized quarterback led Boston College to the Orange Bowl versus Miami, and with just seconds left he heaved up a prayer into the night sky. The ball was caught and the underdogs in Boston College shocked the world via a throw from their undersized QB.
Sam Calhoun
Staff Writer
Tate George’s Shot
This may seem a bit biased, but I had to add the shot that Tate George hit to beat Clemson in the 1990 Sweet Sixteen. The 1989-90 season, coined the “Dream Season,” is remembered as the beginning of UConn men’s basketball at the national stage. The play was set up for Chris Smith, the program’s all-time leading scorer, or John Gwynn, who was a 3-point specialist on the team. However, Scott Burrell, a former MLB first round draft pick, used his arm to inbound the ball 94 feet to George by the baseline. George, who made the All-Big East third team that year, made a 17-footer from the right side of the lane to seal a thrilling victory over the Clemson Tigers. Even though the Huskies fell short of a first Final Four berth due to Duke’s Christian Laettner’s buzzer-beating shot in the Elite Eight, George’s shot will be remembered as the shot that brought UConn to national prominence, where they have remained since.
Bridget Bronsdon
Sports Editor
2015 Rangers overtime goal
There was no greater ending for New York than game seven of the playoffs where center Derek Stepan scored in overtime to send the Rangers into the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals. Though it took over two weeks, the wait was well worth it for New York as they secured their spot in the conference finals over the Washington Capitals. Stepan’s goal, off a rebound from a shot by Dan Girardi, was the moment New York had been holding their breath for and got the Rangers a step closer to the ultimate dream, the Stanley Cup Finals. Although New York ultimately fell to Tampa Bay in the conference finals, it never would have been possible without Stepan’s game-winning overtime goal.