The Top Sports Moments of 2009 Countdown is winding down as a new year of sports is about to begin. So far we’ve covered key sports highlights like Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game, the UConn-Syracuse 6 Overtime Game, Mine that Bird & Rachel Alexandra: the little horses that could, Y.E. Yang’s astonishing defeat of Tiger Woods, and the highly anticipated match-up of Sid Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in the NHL Playoffs.
As much as it pains me to relive the horrible loss that the Arizona Cardinals suffered, there is no denying that Super Bowl XLIII was a major highlight of the year–and one of the firsts of the year for that matter. My pick for the #2 Sports Moment of 2009 is Santonio Holmes, the Steelers and the catch that ended Super Bowl XLIII.
Super Bowl XLIII was my most anticipated Super Bowl (including the one I actually attended). First, the Super Bowl was in Tampa, where I live so there was a lot of local hype about the game. Plus, I had spent weeks covering the teams as they advanced through the playoffs and fell in love with the underdog Cardinals whose remarkable season played out like a Disney sports flick.
Kurt Warner, the hot, old quarterback who should have retired, having one of the best seasons of his career. A team who has never even made it to a divisional playoff game, let alone the Super Bowl…..definite Blockbuster movie potential.
And then there were the big, bad Pittsburgh Steelers out for Super Bowl win number 6.
For most of it, the game really wasn’t all that exciting. It was okay, but not an edge of the seat match-up that you hope for. The Steelers dominated and the Cards were shut down almost the whole game. They were not playing to win.
And then….. suddenly it was.
It was like someone lit a fire under their hot tushies or told them at the beginning of the fourth quarter “hey, you guys are playing in the SUPER BOWL today….” It waslike watching a race where the runner or horse was conserving its energy the whole time and then bursts out at the end!
- In eight minutes they went on a 16-0 run.
- They scored two touchdowns and were awarded 2-points for a Safety
- With under 3:00 remaining in the game, they took their first lead of the game!
And with that lead the Cardinals defense stepped up and began to shut down the Steelers offense as well.
But….
With only :35 seconds left to go and Arizona up 23-20, Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball for a truly stunning end zone catch by Santonio Holmes, reminiscent of the Giant’s Super Bowl XLII win the year before.
And even though it meant that my beloved Cardinals and Kurt Warner did not win the Super Bowl, and that Disney would not be making a movie about this awesome story since it no longer had a happy ending… it made for a really exciting finish, and an amazing sports moment for the record books to start 2009 with.
The Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team in NFL history to win 6 Super Bowls. And “The Catch 2009″ will be immortalized in NFL history as well.
For the complete game recap, see my Top Deals Steals & Scores: The Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII
About the author: Jennifer Taglione is the owner of this fabulous website Stiletto Sports. Despite writing well over 500 posts, she still maintains that she is not a sports writer! She is however a huge fan of Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Sanchez, the Celtics, and totally kicks butt on March Madness brackets! Connect with her by following her on Twitter @StilettoSportsJ and subscribing to her weekly newsletter. For more info check out the About the Editor page!
Comments & Feedback
Leave us some love!