Greatest Moments in Los Angeles History

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 28, 2010

Greatest Moments in Los Angeles History

1951 NFL Championship Game

The top sports moments to happen within the city itself, including neutral-site matchups such as college bowl games, super bowls, NCAA Tournaments, etc. The Rams beat the Browns 24-17, behind the league's best offense, in front of nearly 60,000 fans at the L.A. Coliseum. With the score tied at 17 late in the fourth quarter, Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin launched a 73-yard touchdown pass to Tom Fears, who blazed into the end zone and sealed the win. The championship was the Rams' first since 1945.

1967 USC vs. UCLA

With 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter and O.J. Simpson's Trojans trailing by six, the junior tailback took a handoff, sprinted to the left sideline, then turned back inside and took it 64 yards to the house for an electrifying touchdown. USC held on for an upset 21-20 victory, cementing Simpson's legend and marking a signature moment in the L.A. colleges' rivalry.

Super Bowl I

The first-ever AFL vs. NFL "World Championship Game" was played at the L.A. Coliseum in 1967 and pit the NFL's Green Bay Packers against the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr earned MVP honors by throwing two touchdown passes and leading the Pack to a 35-10 win. It is the only Super Bowl in history that failed to sell out. Why? Fans were unhappy about the cost of a ticket to the game: $12.

Sandy Koufax's perfect game

The most dominant pitcher of the '60s already had three no-hitters under his belt. His fourth and final no-hitter turned out to be a perfect game against the Chicago Cubs on a Thursday night in Los Angeles during the 1965 season. The Dodgers parlayed one hit to victory -- which set a record for least amount of hits during a nine-inning game by both teams. He struck out 14 batters, including Harvey Kuenn to end the game -- the same man Koufax retired for the final out of his 1963 no-hitter.

1988 World Series Game 1

Sick and hobbled by injuries, Kirk Gibson did not start Game 1 of the '88 World Series against the heavily favored Oakland Athletics. In fact, he was in the Dodgers' clubhouse getting treatment during the game. But with the game on the line, Gibson strode to the plate to face A's closer Dennis Eckersley. Gibson muscled a 3-2 slider over the right-field fence and limped around the bases pumping his fist. The walk-off homer propelled the Dodgers to a Series win in five games.

Dodgers win 2004 NL West title

After San Francisco took the first game of a three-game set, the Giants were within striking distance of the first-place Dodgers. And when the Giants took a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning of the season's second-to-last game, the Dodgers could feel their division title slipping away. But a rally in the bottom of the ninth brought Steve Finley to the plate with the score tied at 3 and the bases loaded. Finley turned on the second pitch from reliever Wayne Franklin and launched a walk-off Grand Slam that clinched the division.

1984 Summer Olympics

The boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, led by the United States, added to the intrigue of the '84 Games, held on American soil. The Soviet Union, Cuba and East Germany were among more than a dozen Eastern Bloc countries and allies that boycotted the Summer Olympics, hosted in Los Angeles. In their absence, the U.S. dominated the Games on home turf, winning a total of 174 medals (83 gold). The next closest country in the medal count was Romania, at 53.

1987 NBA Finals Game 6

After a sluggish first half, Magic Johnson posted 16 points, 19 assists and eight rebounds while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- sporting a freshly shaven dome -- put up 32 points to lead all scorers. Behind their two horses, the Lakers put the Celtics away in the fourth and cruised to a 106-93 victory and the team's fourth NBA title of the decade.

Kobe scores 81 points

In a January 2006 regular season game against the Toronto Raptors, Kobe Bryant treated L.A. fans to a performance for the ages. Kobe rallied the Lakers from an 18-point deficit by scoring 81 points on 28-of-46 shooting, including seven 3-pointers. Staples Center erupted into chants of "MVP! MVP!" as he poured in his final points from the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter. Oh, and the Lakers won the game by 18. Bryant's 81 points are second only to the 100-point performance of Wilt Chamberlain in 1962.

2002 Western Conference Finals Game 4

The Kings-Lakers rivalry of the early 2000s culminated in what is considered one of the best series in playoff history. With the back-to-back defending champion Lakers down 2-1 in the series, a Game 4 loss would have all but locked up a Finals trip for Sacramento. But with the Lakers down two on the game's final possession, a mad scramble on the boards and a fortuitous bounce put the ball in the hands of forward Robert Horry, who stroked a 3-pointer from the top of the key as time expired, tying the series and erupting the roar of the crowd in Los Angeles. The Lakers went on to beat the Kings in seven games. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.