Graphic by Dorothy Lakshmanamurthy.
In the spirit of lucky charms, four-leaf clovers and all things St. Patrick’s Day, The Collegian Sports section shares its favorite sports moments that were made possible with a hint of luck.
DOROTHY LAKSHMANAMURTHY | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | dlakshmanamurthy@butler.edu
Every summer Olympics, my agenda is simple: do not miss the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. For Paris 2024, that meant waking up at 5 a.m. to watch gymnasts Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles, Suni Lee, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera do their thing to secure the gold. However, it was to my surprise to find that one of my favorite Olympic moments did not happen on the gymnastics floor. It was seeing Kim Yeji of the Republic of Korea competing in the women’s 10m air pistol with a stuffed elephant clipped to her waist — her daughter’s toy, her good-luck charm. With Yeji’s sharp aim and a dash of luck clipped to her waist, she was able to snatch a silver-medal finish.
NHU-HAN BUI | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | hbui@butler.edu
As a lifelong Cincinnati resident, I have been cursed with a slew of unlucky sports teams. From Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffering injuries almost every year, to the Reds’ mediocrity and FC Cincinnati star midfielder Evander leaving with an injury 10 minutes into the 2026 MLS season, there is little joy in being a Cincy sports fan.
With all the bad luck swarming around the Queen City, I turned to the Seattle Seahawks and their overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams. I remember thinking about sleeping early because the game seemed over by the fourth quarter, with quarterback Sam Darnold and company down 30-14. Imagine my surprise when I watched running back Zach Charbonnet pick up the ball following a failed two-point conversion, and it turned out to be the game-tying score. For the eventual Super Bowl champions, it does not get luckier than that.
REESE PARADOWSKI | OPINION EDITOR | rparadowski@butler.edu
The iconic American racehorse, Secretariat, won the Triple Crown in 1973. “Big Red” still holds the fastest time record in all three races — Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes.
The horse’s genetic legacy is impressive, with every horse in the 151st Kentucky Derby being a descendent. Arguably the greatest racehorse ever, Secretariat sired 660 foals. Maybe it is not even luck — it is just in his blood.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | MANAGING EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
I will never forget the ball flying over Ben Roethlisberger’s head on the first snap of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2020 Wild Card round matchup against my Cleveland Browns. It was unlucky for the Steelers, but a gift for the Browns, handing them a touchdown with zero effort outside of jumping on the ball in the end zone. I still had little confidence in my lovable losers after that play, but it ended up being the spark that ignited the Browns’ first playoff win of my lifetime — mind you, I was 15 years old. I may be chasing that feeling for the rest of my life, but seeing Roethlisberger cry on the sideline after losing to the Browns, of all teams, made it worth it.
DAVID JACOBS | MANAGING EDITOR | drjacobs@butler.edu
There have been several lucky plays go in favor and against my favorite teams over the years, but none compare to the time Andrew Luck scooped up Donald Brown’s goal-line fumble that landed right in his lap before lunging forward for the score in the 2013 Wild Card round.
That touchdown put the Colts within three points at the start of the 4th quarter before cementing one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history on the ensuing drive to win 45-44.
JAMIE HEALY | STAFF REPORTER | jdhealy1@butler.edu
As a Wisconsin sports fan, it seems like my teams are always on the wrong side of any lucky moment. Additionally, as an avid fan of Will Zalatoris, unlucky breaks with injuries are common as well. However, one lucky moment I love to highlight is Zalatoris’s lone victory on the PGA Tour. After a grueling 18 holes on a sweltering Sunday in Memphis, Zalatoris and Sepp Straka were tied at the end of regulation play. Following two more sudden-death holes where they each made par twice, Zalatoris struck his tee shot on the third playoff hole well right of the green and the ball ended up lodged on the rocks separating the green and the water. Luckily for Zalatoris, Straka got too aggressive on his tee shot, as he pulled it well right into the water. The pressure was off Zalatoris, and he finally got his first PGA Tour win after an outstanding up-and-down. With any luck, he will be back in good health and eventually in the winner’s circle again soon.
CALEB BALL | STAFF REPORTER | cdball@butler.edu
Being from New England, I have the ability to claim my teams have always been good, not lucky. There are many moments that, depending on which team you root for, could be seen as skillful or straight-up luck. For me, those moments come in forms of Julian Edelman’s catch in a Super Bowl that they trailed 28-3, or Malcolm Butler intercepting Russell Wilson to seal the fate in Super Bowl XLIX. Granted, my moment is not football.
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox did something no team in history has ever done before, and has not done since. They came back from a 3-0 series deficit to beat their rival, the New York Yankees. This was sparked by a Dave Roberts steal in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4 to shift the tides and take control of the series. Again, the argument can be made on whether that team got lucky or if they were that good. Why is this luck? In 1918, the Red Sox won their last World Series, and the speculation was that a curse was placed on them after ridding themselves of one of the best baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth. The “Curse of the Bambino” dominated the Red Sox dugout time and time again until they finally broke the curse.
OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu
Given that I am a lifelong Denver Broncos fan, it always pains me that I did not get to witness this moment.
The 2009 NFL season was 59 minutes old when the Broncos stole a game they had absolutely no business winning. In week one, Denver traveled to face the Bengals in a barnburner of a game that felt decided when Cincy scratched across the first touchdown of the game to take a 7-6 lead with less than a minute to go.
On Denver’s ensuing possession, backed up on their own 13-yard line, not-so-legendary quarterback Kyle Orton heaved a pass to star receiver Brandon Marshall along the sideline. Bengals cornerback Leon Hall batted the ball into the air, and the play looked to be over, setting up third down. Instead, the ball floated into the waiting arms of wide receiver Brandon Stokley. Stokley caught the deflection, put his foot in the ground, and ran it 87 yards to the house.
Denver went on to stun Cincinnati by a score of 12-7, and the legend of this play was sealed by Gus Johnson erupting in the broadcast booth as Stokley streaked down the sideline. “STOKLEY, DOWN THE SIDELINE! CAN THEY CATCH HIM? STOKLEY, WOW!”
MARIA CLARA KOLLER | STAFF REPORTER | mkollerfernandez@butler.edu
In the final 20 seconds of the 120th minute of the World Cup final, the world held its breath as France striker Randal Kolo Muani was through on goal with a chance to win the game for Les Bleus. As the ball came down from its bounce, the French striker volleyed the ball with his first touch. Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez spread out his arms and legs, attempting to take up as much space as possible, and closed his eyes. The ball hit his calf, bounced off and was cleared out by Cristian Romero.
Had Kolo Muani taken an extra touch, which he had the time and space to do, he could have gotten a better shot off. If he had realized that playing a through ball to Kylian Mbappe would have set his teammate up for a tap-in, he would have sealed the World Cup for France and given them their fourth star. Had the trajectory from Konate’s ball been any different, Kolo Muani might have volleyed the ball over Martinez’s calf. Had Romero not been in the exact trajectory of the ricochet of the ball, Mbappe would have gotten the deflection and scored.
As a result, Argentina won the game in penalties in arguably the greatest World Cup final in history. As Argentina won their third, Lionel Messi was crowned as the indisputable greatest player of all time and it is in part due to Kolo Muani’s blunder.
BROOKS BAKER-WATSON | STAFF REPORTER | bbakerwatson@butler.edu
Seeing a lucky moment happen in real time is great enough, but it was even better for me because I got to witness it with my dad.
Week Six, 2017, my dad’s Chicago Bears versus my Baltimore Ravens. On a kickoff after Chicago scored to make it 17-3, Ravens kick returner Bobby Rainey caught the ball at the four-yard line and ran it up to the 23-yard line before being knocked down. However, even after being down, the whistle didn’t blow, and Rainey didn’t stop running. Seventy-seven yards later, the referees signaled touchdown as he dove across the goal line. As it turned out in the replay, Rainey was not toppled by a Bears player — a Ravens blocker hit him. In the NFL, the ballcarrier must be touched down by a member of the opposing team for the play to end. No touch indicated no end-of-play, and no end-of-play meant Ravens fans got some glimmer of hope.
Baltimore still lost that game, but I’ll never lose the image of my dad’s unhinged jaw hitting the floor.
ROCCO SANTORO | STAFF REPORTER | rsantoro@butler.edu
My favorite lucky moment doesn’t come from my favorite team, but from something that helped my favorite team.
In Week 18 of the 2022 NFL season, the Houston Texans were playing the Indianapolis Colts in a game with no playoff implications. However, if the Texans lost the game, they would lock up the first overall pick. Since the goal of football is to win and not lose, the Texans did something unthinkable. On a 4th & 20 on the Colts 28 and trailing by seven, the Texans had no choice but to go for it. Quarterback Davis Mills threw up a prayer to the endzone and it was magically answered when tight end Jordan Akins made the touchdown reception with 0:50 to play. Instead of playing for overtime, Lovie Smith decided to go for the two-point conversion and the lead, and it was successful, giving the Texans the win 32-31. Because of this win, the Texans dropped to the second pick and the Bears moved up and had the first pick.
Because a quarterback wasn’t a necessity for the Bears at the time, they decided to trade away the pick to my favorite team, the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers went on to take quarterback Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young has led the Panthers to the playoffs for the time since 2017, and the future looks bright thanks to Smith’s coaching decision in a meaningless game. If they lost the game, the Panthers might never trade up and get Young.
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