Famous Foot Faults

Famous Foot Faults

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Last year it was Serena Williams' foot fault that created a scene at the U.S. Open. This year it's Andy Roddick's. Here are some other notable foot faults. And, yes, we use the term loosely.

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While Andy Roddick wasn't able to intimidate a line judge like Serena Williams did, he was able to embarrass one. Down 5-2 in the third set, Roddick was called for a foot fault. When he asked for clarification, the line judge told Roddick that his right foot had caused the fault, when in fact it was his left. Right or left, Roddick was called for the fault and subsequently upset by Janko Tipsarevic.

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According to Zola Budd, one of the most famous barefoot runners in racing history, if you're running unshod it's best to be either first or last. It was by this logic that Budd made her historic pass of Mary Decker, who subsequently clipped Budd's foot and tumbled to the infield during the 1984 Olympics. Though boos rained down on Budd from the Los Angeles Coliseum, the IAAF and history have absolved the shoeless wonder of culpability.

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Few remember the crucial field goal Scott Norwood kicked through the uprights to seal a 10-7 victory over the Denver Broncos in the AFC title game in 1992. Even fewer remember that Norwood surpassed the great O.J. Simpson as the team's all-time leading scorer in 1989. What fans do remember him for are two words: wide right in the Bills 20-19 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XXV.

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Florida State's field goal curse, during which FSU lost five games in 12 years to Miami due to a late missed field that would have won or tied the game, is underrated as curses go. It began in 1991 when kicker Gerry Thomas hooked a game-winning field goal wide right, ending the top-ranked Seminoles title hopes. A year later (pictured), kicker Dan Mowrey, faced with a similar game-winning kick, also missed wide right.

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Considered the most controversial goal in Stanley Cup history, Brett Hull stole the Cup for the Dallas Stars in 1999 when he scored with his skate clearly in the crease, which at the time was illegal. The goal, which came in the third OT of Game 6, drew the rage of Buffalo fans who to this day don't believe the goal should have counted. Shortly after the season, the NHL removed the skate-in-crease infraction from the rulebook.

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Arguably the costliest foot fault of all time, Andres Escobar's own goal in the 1994 World Cup cost the heavily favored Colombia a shot at the Cup and cost Escobar his life. Extending to cut off a cross from a U.S. midfielder, Escobar inadvertently redirected the ball into his own goal. He was murdered in his native Colombia 10 days later.

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Kendry Morales had crossed the plate 154 times in his career without incident. But on May 29, 2010, when Morales tried to cross for the 155th time, everything went awry. Having just stroked his first career grand slam in a walk-off win against the Seattle Mariners, Morales galloped around the bases and punctuated his accomplishment by jumping to stomp on home plate. Five minutes later, he was carted off the field with a broken leg, carrying with him the hopes for an Angels' playoff berth.

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The poster child for celebratory injuries, Bill Grammatica was so elated with his 42-yard field goal in the first half of a game on Dec. 15, 2001, that he literally jumped for joy. When he landed, the Argentine tore his ACL. While Grammatica was subsequently unable to handle the kickoff, it's worth noting that he kicked a 23-yard field goal and an extra point later in the game.

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Before Albert Haynesworth got into his 2010 spat with new Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, the defender's most shameful moment was his stomping on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode's head. Haynesworth, then with the Titans, was suspended an unprecedented five games, but later signed the richest contract ever for a defensive player.

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One major appeal of the NBA is the intimacy of the arena. In no other sport can fans and media get as close to the action. But this proximity can come at a price, a lesson cameraman Eugene Amos found out the hard way. Amos was working on the baseline at a Minnesota Timberwolves game when Dennis Rodman stumbled into the crowd and twisted his ankle on Amos' camera. Angered, Rodman kicked Amos in the groin. The incident cost Rodman $1.2 million, including a $200,000 payout to Amos.

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In 2002, Kim Dong-sung was convinced he had won his second Olympic gold medal in speed skating. But as Kim was skating a victory lap, with a South Korean flag draped around his shoulders, he was told he was disqualified for "cross-tracking" or improperly crossing the course to interfere with another skater. Said skater, Apolo Ohno, was awarded the gold while Kim was left to stew on his costly impediment.

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When Angel Matos, a taekwondo Olympian, was told he was disqualified from the bronze medal match in Beijing in 2008, he was justifiably angry. The referee stated that Matos had taken too long to return from an injury timeout, and Matos responded by pushing and eventually kicking the referee in the face. Matos was dragged out of the arena and given a lifetime ban from the Olympic games.

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You know you're a star in the NBA when you benefit from the ref's whistle. You know you're a superstar when they change the rulebook to fit your game. Such was the case with LeBron James' infamous "crab dribble." James was whistled for a travel in the closing seconds of a 2009 Wizards-Cavaliers game. James called the travel his "trademark play" and nine months later the NBA amended the rulebook to legalize the "crab dribble" once and for all.

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If your dad was the namesake of a popular shoe brand, you would probably want to wear them too. But for Marcus Jordan, his refusal to slip on anything but a Jordan brand sneaker cost the University of Central Florida $3 million. Jordan, a freshman on UCF's basketball team, refused to wear adidas brand shoes, despite the university having a contract with the company. As a result, adidas discontinued its sponsorship with UCF athletics. Luckily, Nike moved in to fill the sponsorship void shortly thereafter.

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The current tallest player in the NBA, Yao Ming has been a sensation when healthy, providing the Houston Rockets with the go-to post game that's often necessary to win a championship. But health has been a problem for Yao lately. And wouldn't you know it -- it's his foot's fault. His latest ailment, a hairline fracture in his left foot that required surgery in the offseason, might even cut Yao's career short. The former Shanghai Shark has only averaged 59 games over the last four seasons.

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Before Yao Ming there was Bill Walton, a player remembered as much for his keen basketball instincts as the grimace that accompanied his every move. Like Yao, Walton was brilliant when healthy. His 1973 NCAA championship game performance, in which he shot 21 for 22 from the field, is considered by many to be the greatest Final Four performance of all-time. But injuries to his left foot cut short what was still a Hall of Fame career.

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Starting for the New York Giants for the first time in his career, Fred Merkle (at 19, the youngest player in the National League in 1908) committed a colossal baserunning error that would follow him for the rest of his lengthy career. Standing on first in the bottom of the ninth of a 1-1 tie, Merkle assumed he didn't have to touch second base when the winning run was blooped in. As he trotted back to the dugout the ball was thrown to second and Merkle was called out, costing his team the victory. The play, nicknamed Merkle's Boner, cost the Giants a pennant.

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Fabian Espindola loved to celebrate goals with a backflip. Apparently, he also loved to celebrate disallowed goals too. In an MLS game in September 2008, Espindola thought he connected on a header to give his Real Salt Lake squad a 1-0 lead. Espindola went into his customary backflip and landed awkwardly, severely spraining his ankle. A minute later the goal was negated because Espindola had been offside.

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In 1962, the Mets set the record for futility, with 120 losses, the most by an MLB team since 1900. No one embodied this ineptitude better than Marv Throneberry, ironically nicknamed "Marvelous Marvin." On June 17, Throneberry hit what would be a game-winning triple. As Throneberry arrived at third base, the Cubs threw the ball to first and Throneberry was called out. When Manager Casey Stengel protested, the umpires informed him not to bother, Throneberry had missed second base as well.

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Leading up to Athens in 2004, Perdita Felicien was Canada's best hope for a gold medal. Overwhelmingly favored in the 100-meter hurdles, Felicien burst out of the starting blocks. When she reached the first hurdle however, she hooked her leg on the barrier and crashed to the ground, bringing Russian Irina Shevchenko down with her. Felicien re-emerged on the scene in 2010, when she publicly backed beleaguered Canadian doctor Anthony Galea.