Sports year in review
1995: A year of triumphs, tragedies and comebacks
When it comes to asking people to pick their top 10 sports stories of the year, the only thing that is consistent is inconsistency!
So, having said that, here is our humble but subjective opinion of what we think were the top 10 sports stories of 1995 -- starting with number 10 and working our way to the most important story of the year. Agree or disagree, but enjoy!
10. Pete Sampras: A winner at Wimbledon and in the World
On July 9, Pete Sampras became the first American man to be crowned Wimbledon champion three years in a row when he defeated Germany's Boris Becker 6-7,6-2,6-2,6-2 in the title round. He's only the third man since World War II to achieve that claim. 1995 belonged to Sampras, who finished the year as the number one ranked tennis player in the world.
- Pete Sampras regains number one ranking in men's tennis - November 7
- Sampras captures number one ranking - November 19
- Pete Sampras, Steffi Graf finish number one for 1995 - November 20
9. Houston Rockets repeat as NBA champs
On June 14, the Houston Rockets became the sixth team in NBA history to win consecutive titles as they swept the Orlando Magic in four straight games. The Rockets were led by their dominating center, Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon., who bested Orlando's powerful middle man, Shaquille O'Neal.
Many people doubted Houston could outdo its '93-'94 playoff scenario when, as the sixth-seeded team, it won its way to the title without a home court advantage. Even so, the Rockets blasted their way through the likes of San Antonio, Utah, Phoenix and Orlando -- four teams with the best won-lost regular season records -- to win their second straight championship.
8. Atlanta beats Cleveland in six games to win World Series
The World Series made a triumphant return in 1995, a year after a strike by Major League Baseball robbed its fans of any postseason play for the first time since 1904. The '95 series brought together two teams that each had a special story to tell.
The National League's Atlanta Braves had come close to winning the Series in 1991 and 1992 but failed. Meanwhile, the American League's Cleveland Indians, once considered a perennial doormat, were making their first Series appearance in 41 years. The decisive factor was the Braves' excellent pitching. The Braves clinched it in Game 6 on a solo home run by David Justice to preserve a 1-0 victory. Somehow, you got the feeling these same two teams might see each other again in 1996.
- 1995 World Series main page
- CNN - Indians hope to overcome Braves' pitching - October 21
- CNN - Happy days are here again in Cleveland - October 21
- CNN - Braves win first series - October 29
- CNN - Baseball Notes - November 3
7. San Francisco wins its fifth Super Bowl; QB Steve Young wins his first
After years of playing in the shadow of the sport's icon Joe Montana , Steve Young finally got the chance to show what he could do as the '49ers quarterback: lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. Montana had led the team to four titles and now it was Young`s turn.
Young accomplished what no other quarterback had ever done in any other Super Bowl, including Joe Montana: throw six touchdown passes as the '49ers crushed the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX. Wide receiver Jerry Rice caught three touchdown passes and teammate running back Rickey Waters also scored three times. The victory made the San Francisco '49ers the first team to win five Super Bowls. Number five was due in large part to the remarkable performance turned in by Young.
6. Baseball legend Mickey Mantle dies
When Mickey Mantle took his final swing at life, he was 63 years old. The years of fast-living and, to be more exact, fast-drinking, had finally caught up with the sports legend. A failed liver led to the death of one of baseball's most colorful and remembered figures.
This may be the story of one man, but it has three distinct chapters. The first tells of his incredible career in a Yankees uniform. In the beginning, fans had never seen a man so big and so powerful who could run so fast or hit a baseball so far. But life in the spotlight and the fast lane began to take a terrible toll on his gifted body.
During his final days, the "Mick" became the recipient of a liver transplant, and he brought much-needed awareness to organ donation in the U.S. The final act tells the story of a man who knew he was dying and who in the end, reached out to his adoring public and especially the young people and made this final wish: "Don't be like me." In the end, the boy from Oklahoma may have taken his best cut in life.
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