Plays that were so good or bad that they needed nicknames

Still considered the greatest baseball player ever, Babe Ruth's called shot in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series is still remembered prominently. Ruth pointed at the center field bleachers before launching a home run to where he pointed. There remains debate about whether Ruth was actually calling his shot or just pointing at something else, but the home run at Wrigley Field speaks for itself.

Trailing by six points near the end of the 1981 NFC championship game, the 49ers had a critical third-and-3 against the Cowboys from the 6-yard line. Quarterback Joe Montana completed the drive with a throw to the back of the end zone that  stuck to Dwight Clark's hands after he leaped. The 49ers beat the Cowboys, 28-27, thanks to "The Catch" and went on to beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl.

Browns head coach Marty Schottenheimer probably had nightmares about John Elway after the quarterback drove the Broncos down the field for a win in the 1986 AFC championship game. The Broncos were able to go 98 yards in 15 plays over five minutes and two seconds to force a 20-20 tie. While this technically was multiple plays, they culminated into one name: "The Drive." Denver eventually advanced to the Super Bowl after a field goal in overtime.

Just one year after "The Drive," the Browns and Broncos met up for another AFC championship, in 1987. Trailing 38-31, Cleveland had the ball with 1:12 remaining when Earnest Byner fumbled at the 1-yard line. Denver would win the game, 38-33, and advance to its second consecutive Super Bowl.

Known as "The Ghost," Raiders tight end Dave Casper made an epic 42-yard grab from Ken Stabler to allow Oakland to make a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation during the 1977 AFC championship vs. Baltimore. The Raiders would win the game, 37-31, in double overtime.

The Hail Mary is a play now commonly known in football vernacular, but it didn't become common until after the Cowboys completed one in the 1975 playoffs vs. the Vikings. Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach threw a deep pass to Drew Pearson to win, and Pearson said after the game, "I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary."

Argentina soccer star Diego Maradona scored a controversial goal in the 1986 World Cup soon known as the "Hand of God." Maradona hit the ball with his left hand past English goalkeeper Peter Shilton and into the goal, but the referee didn't call a hand ball.

David Tyree's incredible catch was the most memorable play in an epic Super Bowl XLII win by the Giants that prevented the Patriots from going a perfect 19-0. Trailing 14-10 and on a third-and-5 from their own 44-yard line with only 1:15 remaining in the game, Giants quarterback Eli Manning lofted up a pass that was caught by Tyree by pinning the ball against his helmet  for a gain of 32 yards. The Giants would eventually finish off the drive with a touchdown to Plaxico Burress to win 17-14.

The play by the Oakland Raiders in 1978 known as "The Holy Roller" was so unbelievable that it permanently changed NFL rules. Trailing by six points with 10 seconds remaining, Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler fumbled the ball forward. The ball was batted into the end zone and recovered by Dave Casper for a touchdown to defeat the Chargers 21-20.

Steelers fullback Franco Harris made the most memorable play of his career in the playoffs against the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 23, 1972. With only 30 seconds remaining and trailing 7-6, Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a deep pass that was deflected by two Raiders defenders and caught inches from the ground by Harris. He ran for a touchdown, allowing the Steelers to win 13-7.

Undrafted rookie cornerback Malcolm Butler made an incredible interception at the end of Super Bowl XLIX to seal a victory for the Patriots over the Seahawks. The Patriots led the game 28-24 at the time, but Seattle had the ball on the 1-yard line and opted to throw a slant pass to Ricardo Lockette rather than run the ball with Marshawn Lynch.

The 2013 Iron Bowl had more on the line than usual, with the winner of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry game going to the SEC championship game. With the game tied 28-28 and one second remaining, Alabama head coach Nick Saban opted to attempt a 57-yard, game-winning field goal. The kick fell 1 yard short of the goal posts and was run back 109 yards by Auburn's Chris Davis for the game-winning touchdown.

Heavyweights Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey squared off at Chicago's Soldier Field on Sept. 22, 1927, in a much-anticipated rematch. Tunney was knocked down by Dempsey during the fight, but the referee's count was delayed due to Dempsey's failure to remain in the neutral corner. Tunney would go on to win the fight, but some believe he would have lost if not for the long count.

No base-running mistake is more infamous than Fred Merkle's on Sept. 23, 1908. The New York Giants rookie failed to touch second base on what appeared to be an Al Bridwell single that scored Moose McCormick. The run would have given the Giants the win, but Merkle failed to touch second base with the distraction of fans running onto the field. The Cubs got the force out by touching second base, and the game was ruled a 1-1 tie due to darkness.

Perhaps the biggest upset in United States Olympic history occurred at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid when the United States hockey team defeated the Soviet Union. While the game is known as the "Miracle on Ice," announcer Al Michaels' timeless call, "Do you believe in miracles?! YES!" as the clock struck zero remains arguably the most famous sports moment of the 20th century for American sports fans.

These days Herm Edwards is known best as a football coach and television analyst, but he made one of the most miraculous plays in NFL history on Nov. 19, 1978. The defensive back was in the right place at the right time, as the New York Giants decided to attempt to hand off the ball to fullback Larry Csonka instead of taking a knee to end the game. With a 17-12 lead, the Giants botched the handoff, and Edwards took the ball back 26 yards to complete the "Miracle at the Meadowlands."

The Bills kicked a field goal to go ahead 16-15 against the Titans in the AFC wild-card game with only 16 seconds remaining. Titans tight end Frank Wycheck received the ensuing kickoff and threw the ball to wide receiver Kevin Dyson on the left sideline. With a wall of blockers, Dyson had a clear path to run the "Home Run Throwback" to the end zone for a touchdown and 22-16 win. The game occurred on Jan. 8, 2000, and the Bills didn't appear in the playoffs again until 18 years later.

The much-anticipated Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston rematch on May 25, 1965, ended in controversy. Ali delivered a punch in the first round that knocked down Liston, but many in the crowd couldn't see the punch. The fight was ruled a knockout despite issues between the referee and timekeeper.

"The Fake Spike," also known as "the Clock Play," was a trick play pulled off by Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino on Nov. 27, 1994, against the Jets. Trailing 24-21 on the Jets' 8-yard line with 38 seconds remaining, Marino faked a spike and instead threw the ball to Mark Ingram in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown.

The name sounds generic, but fans of Stanford and California football certainly know what "The Play" refers to. Cal trailed Stanford 20-19 on Nov. 20, 1982, after Stanford made a field goal with four seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, the Bears completed five lateral passes to score even while the Stanford band came onto the field believing the game was over. The legality of two of the laterals remains up for debate, but California was the 25-20 winner in the official record books.

Michael Jordan made many memorable game-winning shots during his incredible NBA career, but the game-winning three-pointer he made in Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference first-round matchup vs. Cleveland helped spark his NBA legend. Trailing by one point, Jordan received the inbounds pass and made the leaping, double-clutch shot near the free-throw line at the buzzer to win 101-100.

Bobby Thomson came up in the biggest of moments on Oct. 3, 1951. Playing a deciding Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, the New York Giants trailed the Brooklyn Dodgers 4-2 in the ninth inning. Thomson launched a three-run, walk-off home run off pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win.

The Tennessee Titans and wide receiver Kevin Dyson were involved in two timeless plays during the 2000 NFL playoffs, but they didn't come on the favorable end of the second play. After completing the "Music City Miracle" earlier in the playoffs vs. the Bills, the Titans were trailing to the Rams 24-17 in Super Bowl XXXIV with one chance remaining to score from the 10-yard line. Steve McNair's pass went to Dyson in the middle of the field, but the wideout was  tackled just 1 yard short of the end zone by Rams linebacker Mike  Jones to end the game.

Super Bowl XXV effectively ended in a way former Bills kicker Scott Norwood would like to forget. The Bills trailed the Giants 20-19 as Norwood lined up for a game-winning field-goal attempt. He missed the kick wide right, and the Giants kneeled on the ball with four seconds left to win.

On Thanksgiving in 2012, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez made one of the most memorable plays of all time. Unfortunately for him it was remembered for all the wrong reasons. Against the Patriots, Sanchez ran straight into the backside of his own teammate, fumbling the ball. To add insult to injury, the ball was returned for a touchdown.