Check out these 25 best-ever games involving Kansas City-area teams. What did we miss?
A year ago, while waiting for sports to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic here in Kansas City and beyond, we went a little list-crazy.
The Star came with rankings for the top moments and plays; most influential people in the region’s sports history; and top athletes to wear certain uniform numbers.
Now the games are back, and so are the fans. But why stop the lists? Here’s another one: the 25 greatest games in Kansas City sports history.
The choices were plentiful, and difficult, so defining what makes a game great was our first task. The event’s immediate importance, historical significance and accompanying drama all played a role in these selections.
These games live in your memory. They’re the ones fans cherish. You might see a moment from one of them painted on a downtown building. Did a celebration and trophy presentation take place after a particular game was played? Things like that helped to guide our evaluations.
Really, whether they played out in the pros or in the college ranks, these 25 games had to end in victory to make the list. And it’s amazing how many of these greatest moments and biggest triumphs involved comebacks.
We stopped at 25, but we could’ve continued much deeper than that. Heck, the Royals have played more than 8,000 games and Chiefs are closing in on 1,000, not including the postseason. Throw in games from Sporting KC, Kansas, Mizzou, K-State, local high schools and more ... and, well, there were plenty of candidates.
But in the end, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1, these are our picks for the best of the best in KC sports history.
25. Bearcats claw out title after four OTs
Dec. 11, 1999
With 3 minutes to play in the 1999 Division II championship football game, Northwest Missouri trailed Carson-Newman by 15 points, and hopes of a title repeat were fading. But the Bearcats scored a pair of touchdowns and forced overtime with the score tied at 44. In the fourth overtime, the Bearcats won 58-51 on Travis Miles’ TD pass to Tony Miles and a defensive stand.
24. KU-Mizzou football for No. 1
Nov. 24, 2007
The convergence of terrific football seasons by Mizzou and KU, and upsets in other games, set up a Border War beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. The teams owned a combined 21-1 record and the second-largest crowd in Arrowhead Stadium history — 80,537 — showed up to see them duke it out. The Tigers prevailed 36-28 behind quarterback Chase Daniel and became the nation’s top-ranked team.
23. Montana bests Elway in MNF classic
Oct. 17, 1994
The Broncos had beaten the Chiefs 11 straight times in Denver. Quarterback John Elway seeming unbeatable at Mile High Stadium. So when Elway rushed for a touchdown with 1:29 to play and Denver took a 28-24 lead, it seemed like more of the same for the Chiefs. Instead, Joe Montana drove the Chiefs down the field and connected with Willie Davis for a 5-yard touchdown pass with 8 seconds to play. Kansas City won 31-28.
22. Wizards beat Man U to kick-start new era
July 25, 2010
A crowd of 52,342 packed Arrowhead Stadium to see one of the world’s best soccer teams face the Kansas City Wizards, who would later change their name to Sporting Kansas City. Exhibition games can be played at a leisurely pace, but this one was not. Jimmy Conrad was sent off with a first-half red card, but the Wizards pulled off a 2-1 victory. The next day, the new owners of the franchise reported record season-ticket requests, changing the path of a franchise that had previously flown under the radar in KC.
21. Wildest of the Wildcats’ NCAA games
March 25, 2010
Kansas State has four Final Fours in its history and has played plenty of heart-stopping NCAA Tournament games. None top the dramatics of this Sweet 16 victory over Xavier in double-overtime. There were so many big shots by both sides to extend the action, but the biggest came from Jacob Pullen: His three-pointer with 35 seconds remaining in the second overtime gave the Wildcats the lead for good. This is also known as the Gus Johnson Game. Listen to the highlights and you’ll understand why the well-known broadcaster’s name is forever attached to this memory for so many purple-clad fans.
20. Border War goes out in glorious fashion
Feb. 4 and Feb. 25, 2012
We couldn’t select one over the other, so both Border War men’s basketball games from 2012 made this list. Missouri’s final year in the Big 12 before jumping to the SEC set the stage, and both programs excelled as expected after spending most of the season ranked among the AP’s top 10. In the first game, played at Mizzou Arena, KU took an eight-point lead with 3:20 remaining before Marcus Denmon went nuts, hitting three 3-pointers to pace MU’s 74-71 victory. The second game was even more improbable: Mizzou led by 19 in the second half, but a Thomas Robinson-fueled rally got the Jayhawks even by the end of regulation and KU won 87-86 in front of perhaps the loudest Allen Fieldhouse crowd ever. That was the last meeting between the teams as Big 12 rivals (though they’re set to renew the rivalry next season as non-conference foes).
19. Chiefs tear down a Steel Curtain
The Chiefs acquired Joe Montana for moments like this. Trailing 24-17 with 2:29 remaining, the Pittsburgh Steelers figured to punt and win the AFC Wild Card Game on defense. But Keith Cash blocked that punt, and Montana took over at the 9. Things got tense when the Chiefs moved only 2 yards in three plays, but a fourth-down strike to TIm Barnett in the back of the end zone tied it up. Nick Lowery, who had missed a 43-yarder for the victory at the end of regulation, was true from 32 yards in overtime, and the Chiefs had the Arrowhead playoff triumph. There wouldn’t be another one until the 2018 season.
18. Montana’s big win in Texas
Jan. 16, 1994
More Joe! The Chiefs’ offense was stuck in neutral for most of three quarters at Houston, but the Oilers led by just three, 10-7. Houston, playing at home, kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter and that’s when Joe Montana took over, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to give the Chiefs a 21-13 lead. The Oilers answered with a TD to make it a one-point game, but the Chiefs got a late field goal for a 24-20 comeback victory, advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the first time.
17. Central outlasts Raytown in double-OT
This is KC’s high school hoops game for the ages. All 10,000 seats at Municipal Auditorium were filled, and some fans sat in the aisles to watch Derek Hood and Central prevail over Tyronn Lue and Raytown 80-73, in overtime, no less, in the Missouri 4A quarterfinals. Hood’s only three-pointer of the season tied the game in regulation with eight seconds remaining. Central went on to an 80-73 victory in double-overtime in the greatest high school basketball game in the city’s history.
16. Brett keeps Royals’ hopes alive
Oct. 11, 1985
Another playoff letdown was staring the Royals in the face after Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. But Brett was having none of it. In Game 3, he hit a home run in the first inning and scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth. After Toronto scored five in the top of the fifth, the Royals got a run back in their half of the frame. Brett’s two-run homer in the sixth inning tied it, and he singled and scored in the bottom of the eighth to lift KC to the win. The Royals went on to win the series in seven games.
15. K-State rocks Sooners for Big 12 title
Dec. 6, 2003
Oklahoma entered the 2003 Big 12 title game with every first-place vote in the polls. Kansas State was ranked 13th. But there was no doubt about the superior team that night at Arrowhead Stadium. After the Sooners opened the scoring, the Wildcats dominated behind running back Darren Sproles and quarterback Ell Roberson and prevailed 35-7 in a shocker.
14. Chiefs manhandle Vikings in Super Bowl
Jan. 11, 1970
The Vikings were 13-point favorites. But the game that gave us mic’d up Hank Stram, 65 Toss Power Trap, Len Dawson to Otis Taylor and six Hall of Fame Chiefs defensive starters went the other way. The Chiefs’ first nine points came courtesy of Jan Stenerud field goals, and they led 16-0 at halftime. The Vikings cut it to 16-7 before Taylor caught Dawson’s short pass and sprinted down the sideline for a touchdown. The Chiefs, who were outplayed by the Packers in the first Super Bowl, were dominant in winning Kansas City’s first football championship.
13. Chiefs upset Raiders for 1969 AFL title
Jan. 4, 1970
The Raiders had won seven of eight previous meetings with the Chiefs, and on this day they came to their home stadium with their luggage packed for the Super Bowl. Kansas City had defeated the team with pro football’s best record on their field in the final game played between two American Football League teams. Next stop was the Super Bowl, and that challenge wouldn’t be as difficult. Instead, the Chiefs won 17-7.
12. Champion SKC survives cold, shootout
Dec. 7, 2013
On a bitterly cold day for soccer (20 degrees at kickoff), Sporting fell behind at home before Aurelien Collin scored in the 76th minute. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, Sporting KC won the title via a 10-round penalty-kick shootout, 7-6. Collin netted the winner; in the eighth round, keeper Jimmy Nielsen saved Sporting with a penalty-kick stop.
11. Mahomes runs absolutely wild
Jan. 19, 2020
The Cardiac Chiefs won three straight games after trailing by 10 or more points in the 2019 playoffs. That included the AFC Championship Game, when quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over. Trailing 17-7 late in the first half, the Chiefs scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Tyreek Hill. After getting the ball back, Mahomes scrambled toward the sideline in the final minute, then turned up field for a dazzling 27-yard touchdown run. The Chiefs never trailed again and won 35-24.
10. ‘Chalmers for the tie! …’
April 7, 2008
Trailing Memphis 60-51 with 2:12 remaining in the 2008 NCAA title game, Kansas had reached desperation mode. But the Jayhawks kept their composure and the Tigers missed enough free throws to provide Kansas a final possession in regulation with 10 seconds remaining. Sherron Collins worked a pass to Mario Chalmers, who splashed in the biggest basket in KU hoops history, a huge three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left. OT was no contest, and KU completed the task with a 75-68 win.
9. George Brett cooks Goose
Oct. 10, 1980
For a five-year stretch, the Royals dominated their division. But they couldn’t get past the Yankees in the AL Championship Series, falling to the pinstripes in three straight postseasons. Things changed with one swing in 1980 when George Brett turned another deficit into a 4-2 KC lead. Home runs weren’t measured then, but Brett’s titanic swat off a 98 mph Goose Gossage fastball landed in Yankee Stadium’s upper deck. Brett slowly jogged around the bases, savoring every moment of the blast that sent Kansas City to its first World Series thanks to a three-game sweep of the Yankees.
8. Wade Davis’ magic and Cain’s dash
Oct. 24, 2015
Royals closer Wade Davis put out two fires in this game about an hour apart. The Blue Jays tied it with two runs in the eighth and had a runner on base when Davis entered the game. He got two outs ... and then came a 45-minute rain delay. When play resumed, Lorenzo Cain scored from first on Eric Hosmer’s single to give the Royals a 4-3 lead. Davis returned to the mound and wiggled out of a first-and-third jam with no outs. Toronto had men on second and third with one out, but Davis coaxed a strikeout and groundout from Toronto batters, sending the Royals back to the World Series.
7. Manning, Jayhawks finish the miracle
April 4, 1988
Surely, Kansas’ miracle run to the 1988 NCAA title game at Kemper Arena would end against powerful Oklahoma. But in the first half, coach Larry Brown’s team decided to run with the high-flying Sooners and the halftime score of the 50th NCAA championship game was tied 50-50. In the second half, the Jayhawks slowed the pace. And the best player on the floor, KU’s Danny Manning — who finished with 31 points and 18 rebounds — led them to a historic 83-79 victory.
6. Royals’ dash and bash for crown
Nov. 1, 2015
KC’s Eric Hosmer was never considered the sort of speedster who terrorized pitchers and catchers on the base paths. But his dash home from third in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the World Series in New York led to an errant throw, and he scored the tying run. The Mets, and their fans, were stunned. If Hosmer had been out on the play, New York would’ve won 2-1. Instead, the Royals wrapped up their World Series championship with five runs in the 12th inning for a 7-2 victory.
5. Walking off to a World Series Game 7
Oct. 16, 1985
A bad call got it started, but the Royals still needed to complete their rally to keep the 1985 World Series alive. Facing elimination, down 1-0 entering the ninth inning of Game 6, the Royals got one of baseball’s all-time breaks, a wrong call by umpire Don Denkinger that went in the books as an infield single for Jorge Orta. When the inning ended with Dane Iorg’s two-run single, the Royals celebrated as if they’d won the World Series ... which they did in anticlimactic fashion the next night.
4. Texas governor forced to delete tweet
Oct. 12, 2015
The Royals went into the 2015 season with expectations of winning the World Series after coming up just short a year earlier. But the Royals’ postseason run seemed sunk as the Astros took a 6-2 lead into the eighth inning of Game 4 of the American League Division Series — an ALDS that Houston led 2-1. Heck, Texas governor Greg Abbott even tweeted out his congratulations to the Astros during the game. Then came the prime example of “keep the line moving”: The Royals opened the eighth with five straight singles which, along with an Astros error and RBI groundout, led to five Royals runs. Eric Hosmer put the exclamation point on this victory with a two-run homer in the ninth ... and Abbott deleted that too-soon tweet.
3. Chiefs re-rout their playoff path
Jan. 12, 2020
The Chiefs’ run through the 2019 NFL playoffs started in forehead-slapping fashion: They trailed the Houston Texans 24-0 early in the second quarter at Arrowhead Stadium. But a couple of special teams gems courtesy of Dan Sorensen and amazing play by Patrick Mahomes turned the tables. By halftime, the Chiefs had taken a 28-24 lead; by game’s end, a 51-31 Chiefs win meant they had outscored Houston 51-7 since falling into that huge early hole. It was the Chiefs’ biggest comeback in franchise history, and they’d of course go on to win the Super Bowl.
2. A wildest of wild card games
Sept. 30, 2014
After a 29-year wait to see the Royals return to the postseason, fans were treated to/endured an epic game. The Royals fell behind, then took a lead, then gave up five runs in the sixth inning, then trailed by four in the eighth, then tied the game, then fell behind in the 12th ... and then scored twice to win it. Phew. Fans were taken through the ringer (some even left The K early that night, thinking the Royals were toast), but they also saw the best baseball game in Kansas City sports history.
1. Chiefs sting like wasp in Super Bowl
Feb. 2, 2020
The Chiefs’ magical playoff run looked doomed in Super Bowl LIV. They trailed the San Francisco 49ers 20-10 when they took possession with less than nine minutes remaining in Miami. A 44-yard completion from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill — on a play called “Jet Chip Wasp” — set up the first of three Kansas City touchdowns in just 5 minutes, 5 seconds, and the rest is KC sports (and NFL) history. The Chiefs’ amazing playoff run to the championship included three games in which the Chiefs had trailed by double-digit points, yet somehow found ways to win. Best Kansas City game ever? This is it.
This story was originally published July 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.