20 worst ref calls

[Guest Frank_Nabbit]

We Wuz Robbed!”

 

The 20 worst f@#%in’ calls in sports history.

 

Stuff, June 2000

 

The reamed team: U.S. vs. U.S.S.R. Sept. 1972

The U.S. Olympic basketball team had never lost a single game until 1988—but they had one stolen by officials in Munich. Trailing 49–48 with three seconds left in the gold-medal game, American guard Doug Collins was hacked hard en route to the hoop. He drilled the first free throw, and as he shot the second, the horn inexplicably went off. Still, the ball dropped, and the Americans took the lead. Then all hell broke loose. The Commies desperately heaved the ball to midcourt, where it was deflected out of bounds. Game over…but wait! Officials said there was one second left and handed the ball back to the Reds. Another long pass, another deflection. Game over…but wait! Officials said the clock should have been reset to three seconds and again gave the ball to the Reds. This time, Russian forward Aleksander Belov caught the length-of-court pass, knocked down two good guys and scored the game-stealing bucket. Game freakin’ over. Replays showed that the inbounding pinko had stepped on the line and that Belov had committed a lane violation. The U.S. boycotted the medal ceremony and told the Olympic committee to shove the silver.

 

The tricky coin toss: Lions vs. Steelers Nov. 1998

This Thanksgiving slugfest ended with the teams deadlocked at 16. Referee Phil Luckett made the toss to determine who’d get the ball in overtime. Pittsburgh fullback Jerome Bettis called—and tapes back him up—tails. But Luckett, whose hearing was impaired by his own ass cheeks, heard “heads.” The Steelers squealed like Ned Beatty in Deliverance, and even the Lions looked stunned, though they immediately drove to a game-winning 42-yard field goal. The NFL responded by changing the coin-toss rule—the call must now be made before the coin is tossed in the air. At least that’s what we think they said.

 

The shoe-in: Stars vs. Sabres June 1999

The Dallas Stars took home a tarnished Stanley Cup when Brett Hull scored the winning goal—in triple overtime—with his skate planted firmly and illegally in the crease. Although a replay rule was in place, officials mysteriously declined to review the goal. “Man in the crease, puck is definitely out of the crease—you can’t explain that one to me,” said iced Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Despite numerous TV replays revealing the obvious infraction, NHL supervisor of officials Bryan Lewis coolly explained that the play had been reviewed and upheld through the use of a mystical, top-secret “camera angle from down low that is mounted inside the net and not even available to television.” Or anybody else who asked to see it.

 

The immaculate deception: 49ers vs. Packers Jan. 1999

Trailing the Packers 27–23 with less than a minute to play in the NFC Wild-card game, the Niners needed a touchdown like Courteney Cox needs protein. Where else to look but Jerry Rice? Unfortunately, the all-world receiver clearly coughed up a six-yard pass reception when he was pasted by Packer safety Scott McGarrahan. The Packers were partying…until line judge Jeff Bergman gave the ball back to the Niners, saying the ground had caused the fumble and the ball was down. Replays showed that the ball popped loose about a month and a half before Jerry hit the turf. With three seconds left, Steve Young passed to Terrell Owens for the Niners’ winning 25-yard TD reception that became the SportsCenter highlight of the year.

 

The immovable object vs. inexplicable idiocy: U.S. Open June 1994

In the final round, Ernie Els smacked his first shot into four inches of shag. Luckily for him, a mobile TV crane obscured his line of sight to the green, and official Trey Holland deemed the mobile crane (emphasis ours) an unmovable obstruction, giving Els a free drop and an improved lie that helped lift him into a three-way playoff. Holland broke the umpire code by admitting his mistake and had to eat crow when Els found himself in the same rough off the first tee in the playoff. This time, the crane was sheepishly lowered, and Els was forced to play the shot. He went on to win the Open anyway, and Holland, naturally, was promoted to president of the USGA.

 

Damn yankees!

vs. Red Sox, ALCS Oct. 1999

Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch stole this series with two plays he didn’t make. In Game 1, he dropped the toss on a 10th-inning force-out at second—but umpire Rick Reed ruled that he had full control of the ball that was, well, rolling on the ground. The next batter hit into an inning-ending double play, and the Yanks went on to win 4–3. In Game 4, the Sox were Knobbed again when Chuck missed a tag on Boston’s Jose Offerman like Skylab missed Manhattan, but ump Tim Tschida made the “out” call anyway. The result? An inning-ending double play, another win for the Yanks. Beantown boiled over, and pissed fans showered the field with beer and garbage.

 

vs. Orioles, ALCS Oct. 1996 Umpire Richie Garcia turned a fly ball into a home run and a 12-year-old into a household name. With Baltimore clinging to a 4–3 lead in the eighth of Game 1, Derek Jeter hit a fly to right that looked catchable to outfielder Tony Tarasco—and everybody else with eyes. Suddenly, seventh-grader Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and deflected the ball into the stands for a home run, tying the game and sending the Orioles into cardiac arrest. A frantic protest was ignored, though Garcia later admitted that the ball probably wouldn’t have been a home run. Bernie Williams’ no-doubt dinger in the 11th won the game. The Yanks went on to the championship, Maier went on Letterman and Tarasco went on and on complaining, “I didn’t even have to jump to catch it.” Blah, blah, blah…

 

vs. Royals July 1983

At least this one was rescinded. Trailing 4–3 with two outs in the ninth against Kansas City, Royal pain George Brett bitch-slapped Yankee Goose Gossage for a two-run jack. Sometimes-not-drunk Yankee skipper Billy Martin asked rookie ump Tim McLelland to check Brett’s bat. Sure enough, the pine tar extended beyond the 18-inch limit from the knob—a thoroughly common practice. (Martin later admitted he’d been saving this gem for the right occasion.) The ump nullified the homer, and Brett shot out of the dugout like a howitzer. The league eventually KO’d the homer, and the Royals returned to the Bronx, finished the ninth and logged the official win.

 

vs. Dodgers, World Series Oct. 1978

With the Dodgers leading the Series 2–1 and ahead 3–1 in Game 4, Yank Reggie Jackson put his ass on the line—literally—to break up a crucial double play. With one out in the sixth, Thurman Munson was on second and Jackson was on first. Lou Piniella lined a shot to Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell, who alertly dropped and retrieved the ball, stepped on second to force Jackson and fired to first. But Reggie stuck his BUTT out to deflect the throw. The ball careened into right field, enabling Munson to lumber home. The dumbstruck Dodgers went down 4–3 and lost the next four straight.

 

The Trojan protector: USC vs. Michigan Jan. 1979

When USC running back Charles White dove into the end zone in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl, the ball came loose. Or, as White tells it, “I was just layin’ it down in the end zone for the ref to pick up, like I always do.” The line judge agreed, ruling that White had crossed the goal line before the fumble. The touchdown gave the Trojans an imposing 14–3 lead over Michigan, and they won 17–10 for a share of the national title with Alabama. Unfortunately, replays showed that White had actually lost possession of the ball at the two-foot line. Three years later, when USC beat Notre Dame on a similar play, still-miffed Michigan coach Bo Schembechler snapped, “USC has really perfected that play.”

 

The laps of dishonor: True Value 500 June 1997

Jubilant rookie driver Billy Boat danced with tempestuous team owner A.J. Foyt in the winner’s circle before the night’s audit of the race stripped him of his title. Officials, who were asleep and/or getting chili dogs during the race, discovered that the electronic lap counter at Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway had failed to record two of third-place finisher Arie Luyendyk’s trips around the track. When Luyendyk crashed the party on Victory Lane with the news, Foyt punched him in the face. Embarrassed officials later awarded Luyendyk the trophy, but when a race official asked Foyt to hand it over he replied: “If you think you’re man enough, come down to Houston and help yourself.” No one never did.

 

The hand of God England vs. Argentina June 1986

The English soccer team was rolling along until it came up against Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinals in Mexico. A 0–0 thriller was broken up in the 51st minute, when a ball was lofted toward diminutive Argentinean superstar Diego Maradona on the edge of the English penalty area. The pint-size striker flagrantly punched the ball over the head of England’s goalkeeper and into the net. Incredibly, the ref allowed the goal to stand; five minutes later, Maradona waltzed through a still-stunned English backline to score again. After the match, with video evidence of the hand ball staring him in the face, the Argie said that “the hand of God” was responsible for the blatantly illegal goal.

 

The God complex Celtics vs. Suns June 1976

In the final seconds of Game 5, the Celtics screamed for a time-out they didn’t have. Instead of slapping Boston with a mandatory technical and handing Phoenix the free throw that might have given them a 3–2 series lead, referee Richie “Just Call Me God” Powers ignored the call. “I just couldn’t see the Celtics losing that way, especially on their home court,” Powers allegedly explained. Boston won a 128–126 victory three OTs later and the championship in Game 6.

 

The fifth down: Colorado vs. Missouri Oct. 1990

Trailing 31–27 with 31 seconds to go, Colorado QB Charles Johnson spiked the ball on the Mizzou three-yard line to stop the clock. The Buffs got stuffed on the next three downs and should have turned over the ball. But wait! The refs lost count of the plays and gave Johnson a fifth down. As the QB tried to sneak through the confused defense, he was again stopped short of the goal line. Still, the officials didn’t care. They gave Colorado the TD that was never scored on a down that should never have been played. The conference suspended the officials but upheld the score, sending a conscience-free Colorado to a national title. In 1940, when film proved that Cornell had similarly been awarded a fifth down against Dartmouth, they forfeited the game and the title. But ethical bragging rights don’t win sneaker contracts.

 

The deranged Denkinger: Cardinals vs. Royals Oct. 1985

The Royals were three outs away from elimination in Game 6 of the World Series when an abominable call by umpire Don Denkinger at first base allowed them to beat the Cardinals. Game 7 was an 11–0 shellacking of the Cards, thanks to—you guessed it—Don Denkinger’s (now behind the plate) incredibly shrinking strike zone. The primary victim, pitcher Joaquin Andujar (the fifth of seven wronged St. Louis pitchers), first hurled a blue string of curses at the ump, then charged the plate, his 9.00 Series ERA in tow. Luckily for Denkinger, Andujar only managed to bump the ump before the Cards hauled him, kicking and screaming, off the field. The Royals ran away with the game and the title, while Andujar was left to lay waste to a clubhouse toilet seat with his bat. Ah, memories.

 

The shortest yard: Jets vs. Seahawks Dec. 1998

Vinny Testaverde became the first player in NFL history to run four yards for a five-yard touchdown. On fourth down and trailing 31–26, the Jets crashed when a flock of Seahawks tackled Vinny a yard shy of pay dirt. Still, the Jets were awarded the game-winning TD by head linesman Earnie “Where’s My Dog and Cane?” Frantz, who explained that he’d mistaken Vinny’s helmet for the ball. (Note: The Jets’ helmets are a particularly blinding white.) The call became Exhibit A in the NFL’s case to restore instant replay.

 

The great snow con: Dolphins vs. Patriots Dec. 1982

With five minutes to play, the Pats called time-out to set up for a 23-yard field-goal attempt. But with the field covered in muck, this was no chip shot. Enter Mark Henderson, a convicted felon on a work-release program. (He was serving 15 years for robbery, an irony about to become apparent.) Patriot coach Ron Meyer told him to drive his snowplow onto the field and illegally clear a spot for kicker John Smith to tee up. With the officials’ heads apparently buried in the snow, Smith spanked the pig through the uprights for a 3–0 win. New England papers hailed Henderson’s plowing skills as “the sweep of the day.”

 

The fans decide: England vs. West Germany July 1966

It was 2–2 and overtime in the World Cup finals when officials handed England the trophy on a silver platter. English striker Geoff Hurst launched a shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced straight down to the goal line and back into play. A massive worldwide TV audience saw the ball fail to cross the goal line, but the English team—and the crazed British fans packed into London’s Wembley stadium—persuaded petrified linesman Tofik Bakhramov that it was close enough. The demoralized Germans later allowed another goal by Hurst, and the Limeys sewed up their only World Cup championship 4–2.

 

The longest count Dempsey vs. Tunney Sept. 1927

Jack Dempsey pounded Gene Tunney (the man who had taken his title away) to the canvas in the seventh round and lingered to gloat over his battered foe. Referee Dave Barry, enforcing a brand-new neutral-corner rule, ordered Dempsey to his corner several different times and took an estimated 17 seconds to reach a nine-count on Tunney, who, by that time, had read a few good books and was back on his feet. A revived Tunney floored Dempsey in the next round and successfully defended his heavyweight title, winning on points.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

"The shoe-in: Stars vs. Sabres June 1999

The Dallas Stars took home a tarnished Stanley Cup when Brett Hull scored the winning goal—in triple overtime—with his skate planted firmly and illegally in the crease. Although a replay rule was in place, officials mysteriously declined to review the goal. “Man in the crease, puck is definitely out of the crease—you can’t explain that one to me,” said iced Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Despite numerous TV replays revealing the obvious infraction, NHL supervisor of officials Bryan Lewis coolly explained that the play had been reviewed and upheld through the use of a mystical, top-secret “camera angle from down low that is mounted inside the net and not even available to television.” Or anybody else who asked to see it."

 

 

 

It still pains me.

 

We got the same "we have a camera that shows the goal" the very next year in the playoffs when Philadelphia put a puck in the net through a HOLE IN THE SIDE OF IT.

 

Replays showed the puck go through the net...but the league claimed their angle showed it score legally.

 

That's a miracle of a camera they have there.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

I commented on the Denkinger spin on Fark.

 

Face it.. the Cardinals choked big time in the series. I guess it worked out for them that they could blame it all on an ump instead of their horrible offense, their collapse in the 9th of Game 6, Game 7, or whatever else.

[Art Sandusky 0]

The immaculate deception: 49ers vs. Packers Jan. 1999

Trailing the Packers 27–23 with less than a minute to play in the NFC Wild-card game, the Niners needed a touchdown like Courteney Cox needs protein. Where else to look but Jerry Rice? Unfortunately, the all-world receiver clearly coughed up a six-yard pass reception when he was pasted by Packer safety Scott McGarrahan. The Packers were partying…until line judge Jeff Bergman gave the ball back to the Niners, saying the ground had caused the fumble and the ball was down. Replays showed that the ball popped loose about a month and a half before Jerry hit the turf. With three seconds left, Steve Young passed to Terrell Owens for the Niners’ winning 25-yard TD reception that became the SportsCenter highlight of the year.

 

(STILL FURIOUS)

[Bored 0]

Sorry the above was payback for three horrible calls that went Green Bay's way in two previous match-ups.

 

-1996 at Green Bay, MNF, Don Beebe makes a diving catch and as he slides on the ground Marquez Pope touches his leg marking him down. But oh wait Beebe gets right up and runs the 30-40 yards he had left for a touchdown and the refs counts it. 49ers lose in overtime. The loss would end up costing the 49ers homefield in the playoffs.

 

-1998 NFC Championship Game, 49ers down by 10-0 late in the 2nd quarter, J.J. Stokes catches a pass in the endzone near the sideline. He gets one foot down, is about to put his second foot down and his pushed out by a Green Bay defender. By definition this should have been called a force out but the refs rule an incomplete pass. 49ers have to settle for a field goal.

 

-Same game, first play of the 2nd half. Favre completes a pass to William Henderson. Henderson turns up field and makes TWO full steps, is hit, fumbles, Gary Plummer picks it up and runs it in for a touchdown. But the refs rule it an incomplete pass. Two touchdowns ripped out of the 49ers hands by the refs and both would have been huge momentum changers but Packers end up winning easily.

 

So payback is a bitch and the '99 Wild Card was a thing of beauty.

[Art Sandusky 0]

At least now we have Instant Replay to keep me from almost destroying my television again.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

The longest count Dempsey vs. Tunney Sept. 1927

Jack Dempsey pounded Gene Tunney (the man who had taken his title away) to the canvas in the seventh round and lingered to gloat over his battered foe. Referee Dave Barry, enforcing a brand-new neutral-corner rule, ordered Dempsey to his corner several different times and took an estimated 17 seconds to reach a nine-count on Tunney, who, by that time, had read a few good books and was back on his feet. A revived Tunney floored Dempsey in the next round and successfully defended his heavyweight title, winning on points.

 

This one certainly doesn't belong on a list of bad ref calls. Referee Dave Barry simply followed the rules, which were created because of Dempsey's penchant for hitting his opponent the instant they got on their feet.

 

Tunney was down for 14 seconds. However, the film shows him nodding with the count 8-9 seconds into the knockdown. He stayed down until the nine count to allow him more time to recover.

 

For a controversial boxing fight, how about Ali-Liston II? Ali knocks down Liston in the first round, and dances over him. As with Dempsey/Tunney, referee Jersey Joe Walcott tries to get Ali to his corner, and then counts Liston. Liston has no idea what the count is, and apparently gets up in time. However, afterwards timekeeper Nat Fleischer informs the ref that Liston had been down longer than 10 seconds, and the fight is stopped.

[2GOLD 0]

Steelers vs Colts (I forget the early)- The missed call

 

Kordell Stewarts runs right down the big white line in the back of the endzone on 4th down and game leaving him ineligible to catch the football. O'Donnell still throws to him and Stewart makes the catch for what would be the game winning TD. The Colts were angry, the announcers were confused and the O'Donnell led Steelers went on to the Super Bowl to face the Cowboys.

 

But we all know what happened in the Super Bowl....don't we?

 

 

I still remember that play, watching Stewart just running down the back line and then coming back into play to make the catch. Apparently the officials forgot the NFL had a rule against that sort of stuff.

[alfdogg 0]

FOUR POINT PLAY.

 

'Nuff said.

[Guest FrigidSoul]

Plow Man really wasn't a ref call. He was suppose to plow the actual yard line but he went and cleared out a whole patch.

 

On a side note if that's Frank's girlfriend I would so totally do her

[2GOLD 0]

On a side note if that's Frank's girlfriend I would so totally do her

 

If it is, should you be saying that?

[Guest FrigidSoul]

On a side note if that's Frank's girlfriend I would so totally do her

 

If it is, should you be saying that?

its the ultimate compliment from one guy to another

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Leon Steckell (Flyers/Islanders Cup Finals 1980-something) - how was that not offsides???

[CanadianChris 0]

1993, Maple Leafs vs. Kings, Campbell Conference final, Game 6: With the Leafs holding a 3-2 series lead, the two teams were battling in overtime of game 6 when Kings C Wayne Gretzky caught Leafs C Doug Gilmour in the face with a high stick, drawing blood. This should have been an automatic four-minute penalty to Gretzky, but referee Kerry Fraser, who forgot his white cane in the dressing room, made no call. Gretzky would score the game-winning goal not two minutes later, while he should have been serving the penalty, and scores a hat trick in game 7 to advance to the Stanley Cup final against Montreal, depriving Canadians of one last chance to see a Montreal-Toronto Cup final before the Leafs would move to the Eastern Conference. Fraser would admit ten years later that he blew the call.

 

The was the only time I have ever cursed Wayne Gretzky.

[Slayer 0]

I wasn't alive to see it, but the lore of the '75 NFC title game "Hail Mary" with the offensive pass interference non-call sticks out in my head

 

Note too that some of the worst incidences in the NFL over the last five years came at the hands of Phil Luckett (Bad coin toss, Jets' TD against Seattle, tripping Joe Horn)

 

 

Bad Calls I Remember Seeing Live (that are not on this list):

 

- Shaun King's pass to Bert Emmanuel for a crucial 1st down near the end of the '99 NFC title game ruled incomplete, in spite of the fact that he caught the ball in mid-air. Conspiracy theorists believe this was to make it easier to get the story-of-the-year Rams into the SB.

 

- The Jordan bump on Byron Russell before hitting the final shot against Utah in '98

 

- Roy Jones Jr. getting screwed out of the gold medal in '88 against some random Korean boxer who he totally outboxed

[Slayer 0]

Also:

The fifth down: Colorado vs. Missouri Oct. 1990

Living right next to Missouri, and knowing many fans there, this, combined with the infamous kick-ball against Nebraska in '97 (itself a controversy) has lead Missouri to believe it has a small curse of its own

[Skywarp! 0]

I'm surprised the botched 10-count on Buster Douglas that allowed him to get up and beat Mike Tyson for the title wasn't mentioned.

 

As a side-note, I hate this guy's writing style. He sounds like a pissed-off 17-year-old.

[Guest Bottled Black]

Although they managed to overcome it, Game 7 of The Stanley Cup Finals in 94. The Rangers were called for icing 3 times in the final minutes when the Canuck going to retrieve the puck just stopped skating and coasted until the puck crossed the red-line, thereby giving all Rangers fans myself included the fear that Darwin's law was about to spring into effect and that the curse would extend to 55 years.

[Damaramu 0]

Well there was this past Sugar Bowl.

Can't remember when it was...but that was a fucking fumble! LSU got hit and fumbled the god damn ball and the ref ruled it a dead ball. That kind of pissed me off.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

FOUR POINT PLAY.

 

'Nuff said.

Worst call ever

 

Never in my life have I been more pissed off after a game than after watching the Pacers get screwed

[C Dubya 04 0]

As happy as it made me, the Giants really got screwed on the refs. waiving off the pass interference penalty at the end of their playoff game last year. I think the league appologized for that one.

[the pinjockey 0]

Wasn't this a Stuff/Maxim article a year or two ago? And I don't mean same style, I mean verbatim.

[OldSchoolWrestling 0]

Wasn't this a Stuff/Maxim article a year or two ago? And I don't mean same style, I mean verbatim.

It says in the initial post:

Stuff, June 2000

[Damaramu 0]

The 20 worst f@#%in’ calls in sports history.

 

Stuff, June 2000

[C Dubya 04 0]

Wasn't this a Stuff/Maxim article a year or two ago?  And I don't mean same style, I mean verbatim.

At the beginning he says it's from Stuff of 2000.

 

Edit: Already pointed out twice I see. I'm a little slow today.

[Damaramu 0]

Dammit OldSchool! You beat me to it! A-hole! *tackles*

[the pinjockey 0]

Whoops, my bad

 

God damn work is frying my brain.

[NoCalMike 0]

NBA playoffs 2002 Kings@Lakers:

 

The game is tied with under a minute to go. Bibby is guarding Kobe for the inbound. Kobe then just lays out Bibby with a forearm in order to break free. Whistle blows aaaaaaaaand........Kobe Bryant is shooting free throws!?! WTF They called a foul on Bibby's face for getting in the way of Kobe's arm.

[Ted the Poster 0]

Damn, I've never been a Yankees fan(go Braves!) but now I just fucking hate them. Never before have I seen a pro team get so many bad calls made in their favor.

 

Four Point Play. Thanks for bringing back repressed memories.

[starvenger 0]

1993, Maple Leafs vs. Kings, Campbell Conference final, Game 6: With the Leafs holding a 3-2 series lead, the two teams were battling in overtime of game 6 when Kings C Wayne Gretzky caught Leafs C Doug Gilmour in the face with a high stick, drawing blood. This should have been an automatic four-minute penalty to Gretzky, but referee Kerry Fraser, who forgot his white cane in the dressing room, made no call. Gretzky would score the game-winning goal not two minutes later, while he should have been serving the penalty, and scores a hat trick in game 7 to advance to the Stanley Cup final against Montreal, depriving Canadians of one last chance to see a Montreal-Toronto Cup final before the Leafs would move to the Eastern Conference. Fraser would admit ten years later that he blew the call.

 

The was the only time I have ever cursed Wayne Gretzky.

2nd worst playoff call in hockey that I can remember. The first is of course the "no goal" goal. But in the back of everyone's mind, you knew that Buffalo would somehow find a way to get screwed over. Hard luck city, I tells ya.