Friday the 13th. A day synonymous with bad luck and people who genuinely believe walking under a ladder might ruin their entire existence.
Over the centuries, sports have proven a twisted sense of humor. Bad luck runs rampant. You can practice your entire life to hone your skills, execute a play almost perfectly, and still end up on the wrong side of a moment so ridiculously unfortunate that it feels like someone upstairs is playing a practical joke.
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And in honor of Friday the 13th, we’re counting down five of the most unlucky, bizarre and downright cruel plays in sports history.
DUKE’S BEATDOWN OF NC STATE INCLUDED A MUST-SEE MISSED FIELD GOAL RETURNED FOR A 109-YARD TOUCHDOWN
5. The Kick Six: Alabama’s Worst Nightmare (2013)
Imagine being the No. 1 team in college football, having national championship aspirations and watching your season take a devastating turn because of a missed field goal.
Welcome to Alabama’s nightmare.
With the 2013 Iron Bowl tied at 28 and just one second remaining, Nick Saban sent freshman kicker Adam Griffith onto the field to attempt a 57-yard field goal against Auburn.
What could possibly go wrong?
Griffith’s kick fell short, landing in the hands of Auburn’s Chris Davis, who was standing in the end zone specifically for this possibility.
Davis proceeded to sprint 109 yards for a touchdown as the Auburn crowd erupted into absolute pandemonium and stormed the field.
The Crimson Tide didn’t just lose a football game. They watched their hopes of a third consecutive national championship disappear as Davis sprinted down the sideline.
Chris Davis No. 11 of the Auburn Tigers returns a missed field goal for the winning touchdown in Auburn’s 34-28 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Nov. 30, 2013, in Auburn, Ala. (Getty Images)
4. Bill Buckner: The Ground Ball That Haunted Boston (1986)
For 86 years, the Boston Red Sox couldn’t win a World Series.
And for a long time, their fans blamed a certain trade involving a certain baseball player with certain significance, named Babe Ruth.
The infamous “Curse of the Bambino” had become part of Boston sports folklore, and the 1986 World Series provided perhaps its cruelest chapter of that saga.
Leading the New York Mets 3-2 in the series, Boston was one out away from winning its first championship since 1918 during Game 6.
Then everything fell apart.
The Mets tied the game in the 10th inning, and with the winning run on second base, Mookie Wilson hit a slow ground ball toward Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner.
It should have been a routine play. Instead, the baseball rolled directly between Buckner’s legs, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run.
Game over.
The fat lady had sung. The Mets won Game 7, and Buckner’s error became one of the most infamous moments in baseball history.
To be fair, Boston had already blown its lead before Buckner’s mistake, and the Red Sox still had another game to win the championship, but whether you want to call it poor concentration or bad luck, it’s one of the most brutal plays you’ll ever watch, unless you’re a Yankees or Mets fan.
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Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox made an error in the bottom of the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series at Shea Stadium on Oct. 25, 1986, in New York City. The error gave the Mets a 6-5 10th-inning win. (Boston Globe via Getty Images)
3. The Double Doink: The Sound Bears Fans Can’t Unhear (2019)
There are missed field goals.
There are heartbreaking missed field goals.
And then there’s whatever supernatural, if you will, nonsense happened to Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey during the 2018 NFL playoffs.
On Jan. 6, 2019, the Bears trailed the Philadelphia Eagles 16-15 in the final seconds of their NFC Wild Card matchup.
Parkey lined up for a 43-yard field goal that would send Chicago into the divisional round.
The kick went up.
DOINK.
The football struck the left upright.
DOINK.
Then it bounced off the crossbar, falling into the end zone.
The Bears’ season was over.
To make matters even more painful, Eagles defensive lineman Treyvon Hester had gotten a fingertip on the football, meaning the kick was officially ruled blocked.
Parkey had already hit the uprights four times in a single game earlier that season, making this an almost comically cruel conclusion.
One doink is unfortunate. Two doinks on the same kick, with your season hanging in the balance is about as unlucky as you can get.
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Chicago Bears kicker Cody Parkey misses the potential game-winning kick in a 16-15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during the NFC Wild Card game on Jan. 6, 2019, at Soldier Field in Chicago. (Tribune News Service via Getty I)
2. José Canseco: The Headbutt Home Run (1993)
If Friday the 13th had an official baseball highlight, this would be it.
On May 26, 1993, Texas Rangers’ outfielder José Canseco was tracking a deep fly ball hit by Cleveland’s Carlos Martínez.
Canseco drifted back toward the warning track, positioned himself near the wall and prepared to make what appeared to be a fairly ordinary defensive play.
Instead, the baseball struck him directly on the noggin and sailed over the outfield fence for a home run.
Canseco didn’t just fail to make the catch. He somehow transformed a fly ball into one of the most embarrassing home runs in MLB history.
It was comical and unlucky at the same time.
Canseco got one baseball to the dome and a lifetime of internet humiliation.
Jose Canseco #33 of the Texas Rangers in action against the New York Yankees during a Major League Baseball game circa 1993 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Canseco played for the Rangers from 1993-94. (Getty Images)
1. Leon Lett: The Super Bowl Touchdown That Never Was (1993)
There are few things more embarrassing than celebrating a touchdown before actually scoring it. We’ve seen far too many bonehead plays where players drop the ball before the goal line.
Just ask former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Leon Lett.
During Super Bowl XXVII against the Buffalo Bills, Lett recovered a fumble and began rumbling toward the end zone for what appeared to be an easy defensive touchdown.
The Cowboys were already dominating the Bills, and Lett was about to add another six points to the scoreboard. It would have been his lone touchdown in his career.
There was just one tiny problem. He forgot that the play wasn’t over.
As Lett approached the goal line, he slowed down and began holding the football away from his body in celebration.
Meanwhile, Buffalo receiver Don Beebe sprinted after him like his life depended on it, caught Lett just before the goal line and knocked the football out of his hand. The ball rolled through the end zone for a touchback.
Lett went from Super Bowl glory to an all-time blooper.
The good news? Dallas still won the game 52-17.
The bad news? More than three decades later, people still remember the defensive lineman who managed to fumble away a touchdown while celebrating it.
And as if the football gods weren’t finished tormenting him, Lett became the central figure in another bizarre play later that year when he touched a blocked field goal in the snow against the Miami Dolphins, allowing Miami to recover and eventually kick the game-winner.
Two legendary football blunders in one calendar year? Yikes.
Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Leon Lett (78) is stripped of the ball by Buffalo Bills wide receiver Don Beebe during Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 31, 1993. The Cowboys won 55-17. (NFL)
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Sports are supposed to reward preparation, execution and talent. But every once in a while, the sports gods decide to throw a wrench into that equation.
Happy Friday the 13th, sports fans. Watch out for black cats, avoid walking under ladders and, whatever you do, hold onto the football until you’re actually in the end zone.