America Loves Countdowns

Countdown #18: Biggest Bonehead Mistakes

This week's America Loves Countdown® series lists the dumbest mistakes in sports history. Before we delve into the countdown, I need to explain the difference between a bad mistake and a dumb mistake. A bad mistake is something that happens during the course of the game because an athelete screws up. It could be a turnover or missed field goal in a football game, an error in a baseball game, or a failed save in a hockey game. These things happen, even to the most gifted of sports stars. On the other hand, a dumb mistake is one in which the athelete conscouisly (and often times selfishly) makes a choice to do something completely boneheaded, even though it goes against years of coaching and experience. These are the types of mistakes that this particular list deals with. One other note: for the sake of narrowing down the list, I am excluding dumb front office mistakes (i.e. a team not drafting a certain player or trading away a player who became a star). So with that clarification out of the way, onto the countdown!

Leon Lett's Showboating
Fortunately for Dallas, they already held a massive lead on Buffalo late in Super Bowl XXVII when DL Leon Lett scooped up a fumble and rumbled for the endzone. As he crossed the 5 yard line, Lett assumed that he was in the clear and he infamously held out the football to strut into the endzone. The only problem was that Bills WR Don Beebe, a player with more heart than Lett would ever have, raced him down from behind and knocked the ball loose, causing a touchback. Even though it had absolutely zero impact on the game, the moment still lives forever in Super Bowl lore.

Antwaan Randle El's Lateral
The Steelers held a slim lead over the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Patriots in a 2005 game at Heinz Field when WR Antwaan Randle El caught a long pass at the New England 15 yard line. The play was about to give Pittsburgh the chance to break the game wide open, but instead Randle El decided to get cute. He tried to lateral the ball to Hines Ward, but instead he ended up lateralling it right back to the Patriots. The Steelers eventually lost the game on a last-second field goal.

DJ Johnson's Kick
In a 1993 playoff game at Kansas City, Steelers CB DJ Johnson apparently got upset over something that a Chiefs tight end had said or done to him. DJ's response? He kicked the guy in the head! Not surprisngly, the officials didn't take too kindly to this and threw Johnson out of the game. Without one of their starting corners, the Steelers defense was unable to stop Joe Montana from leading a last-minute comeback to win the game. It would be Johnson's last game in a Steelers uniform.

Marty Mornhinweg's Windy Gamble
In the NFL's overtime system, winning the coin toss is key. Many teams get the ball and are able to score the game-winning points without the other team even getting a chance. So usually when you win the coin toss, you elect to have the ball kicked to you - unless of course you are Marty Mornhinweg. The Lions head coach elected to kickoff with the wind at his team's back in overtime of a game in Chicago in 2002. The results were predicatably disastrous. Not only were the Bears able to drive for the game-ending score, but their kicker drilled a long 40-yard field goal into the "gusty" wind which Mornhinweg was so afraid of facing. Sometimes coaches can outthink themselves, and that seems to be what happened to poor Marty on that day.

Fred Merkle's, um, "Mistake"
The Giants and Cubs were battling for the National League pennant in 1908 when they matched up for a late-season at the Polo Grounds. In the bottom of the 9th inning with the score tied, the Giants had a chance to win the game. They had runners on first and third with two outs, and SS Al Bridwell singled to drive in the game-winning run. The problem was that the runner on first - Giants infielder Fred Merkle - never bothered to touch second base. An alert Cubs player named Johnny Evers fought thru the crowd (which had stormed to field to celebrate) and tagged second base with the ball in his hand. By rule, it was a force play which was the 3rd out of the inning and thus nullified the run. The game was declared a tie because they couldn't possibly get all those people off the field by that point, and when the two teams made up the game later in the season (because they had finished with identical records), the Cubs won and took the pennant away from the Giants. The play ultimately became known as "Merkle's Boner" (pausing here to allow you time to snicker at that nickname for the play).

Minnesota's Draft Debacle
In the 2003 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings held the 7th overall pick. They had spent months of scouting, planning, and evaluating all leading up to the big moment where they would select their first-round pick. But when the clock ran out on Minnesota's allotted 15 minute time limit, the Vikings hadn't sent anyone to the podium. Jacksonville and Carolina quickly jumped at the chance and selected their picks, dropping Minnesota down two spots before the embarrassed Vikings finally got their pick into the commissioner. It was the ultimate humiliation for a franchise that has suffered quite a few such moments in recent years.

Lindsey Jacobellis' Premature Celebration
Jacobellis was cruising to victory during a snowboard race in the 2006 Winter Olympics when she decided to showoff and do a "method air" move. It proved to be disastrous as Jacobellis wiped out. As she flopped around in the snow, a Swiss snowboarder raced past her to steal the gold medal away. Jacobellis had to settle for a silver and a spot in the bonehead hall of fame.

Dane Fife's Inexplicable Foul
Indiana led top-seeded Duke 74-70 in a Sweet 16 game of the 2002 NCAA Tournament. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Duke was all but dead. After all, the best they could do was hit a three-pointer, which would have still left them down by one. All Indiana had to do was stand there and watch the game end. But Hoosiers guard Dane Fife inexplicably fouled Duke guard Jason Williams as he attempted a long three-pointer. The shot went in and Williams had a chance to tie the game from the free-throw line. The play was so shocking that Indiana head coach Mike Davis dropped to his knees in horror and began pounding on a chair. The ONLY reason this play wasn't a clear choice as #1 on this list is because it didn't cost Indiana the game. Williams missed the free throw and Fife breathed a big sigh of relief.

Leon Lett's Field Goal Fiasco
Even worse than Lett's boneheaded play in the Super Bowl was his absent-minded play at the end of a Cowboys-Dolphins Thanksgiving game in 1993. Miami was trailing in the final seconds and lined up for a game-winning field goal, but Dallas blocked the kick. That should have ended the game, but Lett stupidly ran and tried to dive on the ball, which made it a live play. The Dolphins pounced on the football and all of a sudden had a second chance. This time they made the kick, and Lett's spot in the Bonehead Hall of Shamer was cemented.

Zinedine Zidane's Headbutt
Zidane enjoyed a brilliant career in soccer playing for France. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year three times, and he was the MVP of the 2006 World Cup, which would be his final tournament. But in the final of that tournament, Zidane made the biggest bonehead mistake ever. In overtime of a tight game with Italy, Zidane took offense to something Italian forward Marco Materazzi said and headbutted him in the chest, drawing a red card. Without their star player, France lost the title in a shootout. It's never a good excuse to get thrown out of a championship game, especially when you are the best player and your team needs you. It's even worse that the reason he reportedly got so upset - because Materazzi insulted his mother/sister - is the oldest and lamest way to trash talk an opponent. It's unbelievably boneheaded that the guy couldn't keep his cool in a moment like that.

Honorable Mentions:

• Dave Smith's Spike: Steelers receiver spiked the ball before he reached the endzone during a Monday Night Football game in the early 1970's. Oops.
  
  
• Dewayne Rudd's Helmet Toss: On opening day 2002, the Browns appeared to have the Kansas City Chiefs beat, but a penalty on LB Dewayne Rudd for taking his helmet off gave the Chiefs one more play which they used to kick a game-winning field goal.
  
  
• Chris Webber's Timeout: In the 1993 NCAA Championship Game between North Carolina and Michigan, the Tarheels took a late lead but Michigan still had a chance for the last shot. Unfortunately Chris Webber panicked and called timeout. Since the Wolverines didn't have any timeouts, Webber was assessed a technical foul, essentially ending the game.
  
  
• Barry Foster's Kickoff Mishap: In a game at San Francisco in 1990, Foster allowed a kickoff to be bounce around and be recovered by the 49ers. Foster apparently thought that the same rules which apply to a punt also apply to kickoffs. He was wrong.
  
  
• Kevin Steele's Cockiness: In a 1999 football game against UNLV, Baylor had the ball inside the UNLV 10 yard line and held a 24-21 lead with just 8 seconds left on the clock. All they had to do was take a knee and the game was over. Instead, coach Kevin Steele decided to pile on another touchdown, and it backfired big time. Baylor fumbled and DB Kevin Thomas picked it up and ran down the left side of the field for a 101-yard touchdown at the buzzer.