What is the worst loss you've suffered as a fan?

[Maximus]

FSU 2009...after so much hope.....

Utah 2008--I stayed up to 4 am and talked smack to utah fan friends for this?

[Marvelous]

Utah 2005.

That game still stings. Harline is Still Open and Collie 4:18 made up for it some, but 2005 still hurts. Watching Curtis Brown drop that pass and Ratliff run all over us was heartbreaking. Oddly enough, it was that loss that solidified my wife's love of BYU football. She took the loss very badly. It made her depressed all weekend. That single game taught her to appreciate the wins and made her enjoy watching 2006 from the stands with me even more!

1999 to Virginia was a bad loss as well. We played too well coming back from down 21-0 to lose.

[SipiTau]

'06 Rose Bowl. The game is still on my dvr; I can't bring myself to watch it, but don't have the heart to delete it.

[TripletDaddy]

'06 Rose Bowl. The game is still on my dvr; I can't bring myself to watch it, but don't have the heart to delete it.

ditto.

I didnt even want to post it.

Will never get over it.

f-ing knee was down.

[LA Ute]

Game 6, 1986 World Series, Red Sox vs. Mets. (The Buckner error.) In the 10th inning the Sox had a two-run lead and were just one out away from ending the curse. In fact, they were one strike away twice. There was a lot more that went wrong at that point than just Buckner's error. First, a wild pitch to tie the score, then a missed pick-off opportunity that would have ended the game. Then the Buckner error. It was the most crushing defeat I've ever experienced.

I've always felt bad for Buckner. He won the batting crown in 1980, was an All-Star, and had over 2,700 hits. But he'll always be remembered for that error, even if he wasn't the only one who cause the Red Sox to lost that game.

Beck to Harline was pretty bad too.

[CJF]

Game 6, 1986 World Series, Red Sox vs. Mets. (The Buckner error.) In the 10th inning the Sox had a two-run lead and were just one out away from ending the curse. In fact, they were one strike away twice. There was a lot more that went wrong at that point than just Buckner's error. First, a wild pitch to tie the score, then a missed pick-off opportunity that would have ended the game. Then the Buckner error. It was the most crushing defeat I've ever experienced.

I've always felt bad for Buckner. He won the batting crown in 1980, was an All-Star, and had over 2,700 hits. But he'll always be remembered for that error, even if he wasn't the only one who cause the Red Sox to lost that game.

Beck to Harline was pretty bad too.

I don't remember the order of events, but if they are as you described, I'm pretty sure the game would not have ended if the pick off opportunity had been successful.

[BoylenOver]

The two worst losses I've suffered as a fan came within 3 months of each other.

I was at the Utah-Colorado St game in 2005 where the Utes blew a 14-3 4th-quarter lead and trailed 21-17. Quinton Ganther got to the 5 on 4th-and-1 from the 24, then got to the 1 on 1st and goal. Over the course of 3 downs, Utah failed to get the game-winning score.

Then the AFC Championship game between Denver and Pittsburgh. The factors that led to my diminishing NFL fanship are many and varied, but I think it started that evening.

[DrumNFeather]

The two worst losses I've suffered as a fan came within 3 months of each other.

I was at the Utah-Colorado St game in 2005 where the Utes blew a 14-3 4th-quarter lead and trailed 21-17. Quinton Ganther got to the 5 on 4th-and-1 from the 24, then got to the 1 on 1st and goal. Over the course of 3 downs, Utah failed to get the game-winning score.

Then the AFC Championship game between Denver and Pittsburgh. The factors that led to my diminishing NFL fanship are many and varied, but I think it started that evening.

Didn't Brian Johnson score on 3rd down (ball crossed the plain) but it wasn't reviewed and we got stuffed on 4th down?

[cougjunkie]

Hawai'i '01 was a particularly brutal one for me.

I still have nightmares about Justin Ena trying to run with Ashley Lelie on a crossing route. He trailed him by at least 12 yards.

[cougjunkie]

Yes. He slipped out of the backfield and nobody followed him. Perfect pass. I still think if he catches that, BYU wins, but who knows?

This was also the game where Cole Miyahira kept getting burned deep and right before the half Utah went up top, Miyahira for the first time in his life had good coverage and all he had to do was stick his hand up instead the ball went right over his shoulder missing him by about 2 inches and landing in to the hands of the receiver for a TD.

I will add the 51-50 game vs TCU to the list.

Catch the damn ball T-wat!

[Paperback Writer]

As a Nebraska fan, these two losses hurt the most:

11/18/78 #2 Nebraska 31 Missouri 35
Nebraska had just defeated #1 Oklahoma and Billy Sims the week before. It was Tom Osborne's first win against Barry Switzer after 5 straight losses. With that victory, Nebraska leapfrogged both Alabama and USC in the polls. All Nebraska had to do was to dispatch Missouri and they would face #1 Penn State in the Orange Bowl for the national title. After the upset, Penn St. lost to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl for the national title while Nebraska faced a rematch against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl (which the Huskers lost).

9/25/82 #2 Nebraska 24 #8 Penn St. 27
The Huskers had the Nittany Lions on the ropes late in the game on their home field (Beaver Stadium). With seconds left, Penn St. was driving and threw a sidline out to a TE who caught it 5 feet out of bounds. But it was ruled a completion and moved Penn St. within striking distance. The next play was a pass into the end zone that was trapped by the receiver but it was ruled a TD. That was the only loss for a 12-1 Nebraska team. Nebraska would not catch Penn St. in the polls despite the Nittany Lions getting crushed by Alabama the following week. Penn St. would go on to defeat #1 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl for JoePa's first national title.

[Do Not Want!]

3-0, loss to Utah at LES. So many reasons.

1) It was Utah
2) scoring streak ended
3) colder than crap
4) both teams sucked on offense
5) that year I bought the $1,00 tickets on the east side and their were Ute fans all around me courtesy of corporations that bought tickets
6) It was Utah

This was mine too. The scoring streak ended at home against Utah! I realized that day that I was never again going to hear, "and with that score, BYU continues their ongoing NCAA record of games without a shutout."

It still gets me in the pit of my stomach.

[LA Ute]

I don't remember the order of events, but if they are as you described, I'm pretty sure the game would not have ended if the pick off opportunity had been successful.

My memory had faded too, so I looked it up (a painful experience in itself). Here's what Wikipedia says:

Down to their final out, the Mets would go on to stage a historic comeback. After being down to a final strike, Carter singled to left field. Darryl Strawberry's spot would have come up next, however Mets manager Davey Johnson had removed the slugger earlier in the game through a double switch. With pitcher Rick Aguilera due up, Johnson sent Kevin Mitchell to the plate to pinch hit. Mitchell singled to center field and Carter advanced to second.

Mitchell was followed by Knight, who also was down to a final strike that would've won the Red Sox the game and the series. On an 0–2 pitch from Calvin Schiraldi, Knight hit the next pitch into center field for a single that scored Carter and advanced Mitchell to third base, bringing the score to 5–4 and leaving the tying run only 90 feet (27 m) away.

Red Sox manager John McNamara had seen enough, and with left fielder Mookie Wilson coming to the plate he removed Schiraldi in favor of Bob Stanley. On the seventh pitch of the at bat, with a 2–2 count, Stanley's pitch was too far inside and slipped past catcher Rich Gedman for a wild pitch, sending Wilson to the ground and allowing Mitchell to score from third base with the tying run. Knight moved up to second base on the wild pitch. With the count 3–2, Wilson fouled off the eighth and ninth pitches from Stanley. Meanwhile, Ray Knight was straying far from second base when Boston shortstop Spike Owen sneaked in behind him. Had Stanley glanced back at second, he would have easily picked Knight off.

I do recall saying to my wife, "Wow, he could have picked that guy off so easily." Then again, attempting a pickoff at second base with a one-run lead is a risky thing to do, so I never faulted Stanley for that. His 's wild pitch and Buckner's error were the keys.

The two worst losses I've suffered as a fan came within 3 months of each other.

I was at the Utah-Colorado St game in 2005 where the Utes blew a 14-3 4th-quarter lead and trailed 21-17. Quinton Ganther got to the 5 on 4th-and-1 from the 24, then got to the 1 on 1st and goal. Over the course of 3 downs, Utah failed to get the game-winning score.

I was there for that game. It was pretty bad.

[Blueintheface]

Harline is still open...those words remain painful for any and all Utah fans.

I passed out, taking my Christmas tree with me. Literally. We jumped up in unison, I and 5 other guys had a very heterosexual hug, I felt dizzy, and woke up 2 min later on my face 20 feet from the scrum. The headache, the bump on the noggin', the bloody nose...they were all worth it.

[SipiTau]

ditto.

I didnt even want to post it.

Will never get over it.

f-ing knee was down.

Reggie's lateral is what kills me. The boys had a 12 point lead in the 4th, they didn't close the door.

Up until that point, Sipi Jr (sig pic) had never seen USC lose a game; he was four years old. Sipi Jr cried from the final whistle until we met his uncles after the game, seeing him in that state got them started, which got him going again. I'm not much for sentiment, but I knew something special ended that night.