Top 50 Rivalries in American Sports History (Part IV)

20. Wilt Chamberlain-Bill Russell: An extension of both the Celtics-76ers rivalry and the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, Chamberlain vs. Russell was such an influential rivalry not just because it involved two NBA greats on rival teams, but also because these two players happened to play the same position, which is an oddity when it comes to legendary NBA rivalries. In the 17 combined years that Chamberlain and Russell were in the NBA, from 1956 (when Russell was a rookie) to 1973 (when Chamberlain retired), they had a combined 9 MVP’s (5 for Russell and 4 for Chamberlain) and 13 rings (11 for Russell and 2 for Chamberlain). Chamberlain and Russell truly dominated the NBA for nearly twenty years, so it is natural that their rivalry is considered one of the best in sports history.

19. Notre Dame-USC: Even though these two schools have very different backgrounds and traditions, the battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh is considered to be one of the best in college sports. Notre Dame and USC have combined for the most National Championships (22), Heisman Trophy winners (14), All-Americans, and Hall of Famers in the NFL of any two teams in a college football rivalry. Also, five of the top ten most watched games in college football are from this rivalry. One of the more notable games came in 2005, when USC was stopped at the goal when the clock struck zero; however, more time was put on the clock, and when Leinart attempted a quarterback sneak to win the game, running back Reggie Bush pushed in Leinart for the touchdown, adding fuel to this rivalry.

18. Nicklaus-Palmer: Quite clearly the greatest rivalry in golf history, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are two of golf's biggest stars, so everyone made sure to tune in to watch these two legends battle it out on the course. Nicklaus is widely considered to be the best golfer in history, but Arnold Palmer provided some competition. This rivalry started at the 1962 U.S. Open, when Nicklaus overcame a three shot deficit to force a 18-hole playoff on Sunday, which Nicklaus eventually won. Five times, Nicklaus and Palmer finished first and second at the end of a major, and during a five year stretch, the two golfers were the only two champions at the Masters. The impact that these two golfers have had on the sport has shaped golf into what we know and love today.

17. Syracuse-Georgetown: Remember when the Big East was the most competitive and intense conference in all of college basketball… those were the days. Now, Syracuse has moved on to the ACC and Georgetown is just a shell of their former self. Though their recent games have still been fairly competitive and intense competitions, the real golden age of this rivalry was back in the 1980’s, when Patrick Ewing and Georgetown went up against Jim Boeheim’s Syracuse team in several heated contests. Perhaps the most memorable game between these two was when Syracuse’s Pearl Washington nailed a game winning jumper with just eight seconds left to give Syracuse a 65-63 win over Georgetown, who were ranked first in the nation. The game was not to pass by without a bit of controversy, though, as Georgetown’s players were pulled off the court following an incident where an orange was thrown at the backboard during one of Patrick Ewing’s free throws.

16. Giants-Eagles: With these two teams both battling for the NFC East title each and every year, surely tensions will be high when the Philadelphia Eagles play the New York Giants. Out of this rivalry have come several incredible moments, such as the Miracle at the Meadowlands, and the Miracle at the Meadowlands, Part II (feat. DeSean Jackson). Although many people believe this is the greatest rivalry in the NFL, it does not quite match up with another classic matchup further on down the list.

15. Cubs-Cardinals: The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are some of baseball's biggest franchises, seeing how the Cubs rank second in all-time wins, while the Cardinals ranks fourth. While the Cubs have managed to record an incredible amount of wins, a World Series title has eluded them since 1908, unlike the Cardinals, who have won 11 titles in that same span. The two mid-west teams have had some incredible moments, including Ryne Sandberg's home run in 1984, and the greatest home run race of all time between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Considering how close the stadiums are to one another, fans are able to travel to either stadium to cheer on their teams, creating an atmosphere unlike any other in baseball.

14. Cal-Stanford: "The Big Game", a rivalry between California and Stanford, is the best college rivalry you will see on the West Coast, as it was first played 122 years ago. While the concluding play at this past year's Iron Bowl may give "The Play" a run for its money, many consider what took place on the field in 1986 to be the most remarkable moment in college football history. With four seconds left on the clock, Cal had one last attempt to win by scoring on a kick return. The ball was lateraled five times by four different players, when finally, Cal's Kevin Moell ran the ball into the endzone, having to run over one of Stanford's trombone players in the process. Stanford's band ran on the field prematurely, creating a chaos on the field that has yet to be replicated in sports.

13. Bruins-Canadiens: Being two of the Original Six, this rivalry is one of the longest lasting in hockey history. Although the Canadiens dominated during the early years, the series has become much more competitive as of late. The two teams have played against each other in the postseason 34 times, where seven of those series resulted in Game 7s (both of which are the highest totals between any two teams in hockey). In fact, Boston and Montreal met in this past postseason, where Montreal was able to fend off the Bruins in a seven game series, surely adding fuel to an already fiery rivalry.

12. Magic Johnson-Larry Bird: From 1980 to 1988, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson combined for 8 out of a possible 9 championships, where either the Celtics or Lakers were competing in the NBA Finals for 10 consecutive seasons. This rivalry started in college, when Bird’s Indiana State lost to Johnson’s Michigan State in the National Championship Game. From that point on, the two were forever linked to one another. The two player have combined for 8 NBA Finals Championships, 6 MVP awards, 24 All-Star Game appearances, and 18 All-NBA First Team honors. The Celtics-Lakers may be the greatest rivalry in all of basketball, but yet another incredible competition emerged out of this rivalry.

11. Packers-Bears: The first game between these two teams was all the way back in 1921, where the Chicago Bears were known as the Chicago Stanleys, and just 7,000 people were in attendance. With 22 league championships between them, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers are certainly two storied franchises that have been evenly matched over the course of this rivalry (93-89-6 Bears).

Top 50 Rivalries in American Sports History (Part II)

40. Yankees-Dodgers (Pro Baseball): Before the Dodgers franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1958, the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers shared a city with one another, but also played each other 7 times in the World Series before 1958. Once the Dodgers left Brooklyn, the two teams represented the two largest cities from the East and West Coast. Following 1958, the Dodgers and Yankees went on to play each other in the World Series 4 more times, raising the total to 11. There have been some incredible moments from this rivalry, including Jackie Robinson stealing home, Don Larsen's perfect game, and Reggie Jackson's three home run game. Although the Yankees-Dodgers rivalry is less prevalent today, the great moments from the past makes this one of the best rivalries in baseball.

39. Michael Jordan vs. Pistons (Pro Basketball): Having been knocked out of the NBA Playoffs by the Detroit Pistons for three straight seasons, Michael Jordan clearly wanted revenge against the "Bad Boys" of Detroit. The Pistons had implemented a plan called "Jordan Rules", a game plan that focuses all of their defensive efforts on MJ. The Pistons were hated by NBA fans due to their physical defense and cocky attitude, so it came as no surprise that MJ did his best to get past the Pistons in the 1991 Playoffs, leading to Chicago's first NBA title. There was also tension between Jordan and Isiah Thomas, starting with Thomas convincing other plays at the All Star Game not to pass Jordan the ball. It is rumored that Thomas was not added to the 1992 "Dream Team" because Jordan and Pippen refused to play with him.

38. Missouri-Kansas (College Football): Rarely does a college football rivalry have roots in the Civil War, but the Missouri-Kansas football rivalry is unique in that sense. During the Civil War, Missouri attempted to influence Kansas into joining the Union as a Slave State, leading to constant fighting between citizens of either state. Once this football rivalry began, Civil War veterans from Kansas and Missouri would watch the game on opposite sides of the field, reminiscent of a Civil War battlefield. The two teams have played 120 times, the second most in Division-I college football, where the most important contest came in 2007 when Missouri was ranked 2nd in the nation, while Missouri ranked 3rd. The rivalry has since been broken up, now that Missouri has left for the SEC.

37. Grambling State-Southern (College Football): On the final Saturday of November, one can watch the Bayou Classic, a contest between two little-known schools in Louisiana. Despite the small size of both schools, this rivalry produces plenty of passion among the fans. The Bayou Classic is the only Division-I subdivision game to be broadcasted on television, and the game is traditionally played in the New Orleans Saints' Superdome. A great tradition that has been created is the Battle of the Bands, where the marching bands from either school present elaborate performances the Friday night before the game, and also during halftime. Taking into account the size of either school, one can't help but be amazed by the incredible amount of passion in this rivalry.

36. Raiders-Steelers (Pro Football): Before the "Steel Curtain" won 4 Super Bowls in 6 years, the most famous play in football history took place between Pittsburgh and Oakland. With the Steelers down by one point with under 30 seconds left in this divisional playoff game, Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to his receiver John Fuqua, but Fuqua was hit right before catching the ball, and the ball flew backwards into the hands of Franco Harris. Harris ran the ball into the endzone fore the game-winning touchdown. This play has generated plenty of controversy, where some skeptics--mostly Oakland's fans and former players--believe the ball hit the ground before Harris caught the ball. Some also believe that the ball only hit Fuqua on the play, which would make Harris' catch illegal due to an NFL rule. Including this first matchup, Pittsburgh played Oakland in the playoffs five consecutive times, where the winner of three of these games went on to win the Super Bowl. Raiders fans are still angry over the Immaculate Reception to this day.



35. Florida State-Miami (College Football): This college football rivalry is defined by mistakes. Starting in 1987, Florida State missed an opportunity to beat Miami as they looked to convert on an extra point that would have guaranteed a victory; instead, the pass attempt was broken up, and Miami went on to win the National Championship. In '91, '92, '00, '02, and '04, Miami was able to beat Florida State every time thanks to missed field goals by FSU late in the game, one of which decided the Orange Bowl, while another created controversy when FSU was picked to play for the National Championship over Miami despite Florida State's loss to the U. Eventually, Florida State caught a break when Miami lost a game due to a muffed snap on a potentially game-tying field goal with 2:16 left. The last great game took place in 2009, when FSU marched down the field with 1:43 left in the game and down 38-34. Even though the ball was placed on the 2 yard line with a fresh set of downs and 17 seconds left, FSU was unable to score, further proving FSU's inability to close out a game against Miami.

34. Richard Petty-David Pearson (Auto Racing): Widely considered to be the best rivalry in NASCAR history, Richard Petty and David Pearson always seemed to have captured the first and second place finishes when competing in the same race. When it was all said and done, Pearson and Petty accounted for 63 first/second place finishes, the most of any duo in NASCAR history. In the 1976 Daytona 500, the two created one of the more interesting final laps in racing history. One-hundred feet from the finish line, the two cars crashed, thus spinning into the infield grass. Petty was unable to start his car, so Pearson slowly drove his car across the finish line for the victory.The immense amount of respect the two drivers showed for one another made Petty and Pearson try their hardest each and every race, creating so many memorable moments on the track.

33. War Admiral-Seabiscuit (Horse Racing): These two race horses come from very different backgrounds, yet their rivalry is one of the best in all of horse racing. War Admiral won the Triple Crown in 1937, thus earning him the American Horse of the Year Award. In 1938, the two horses were scheduled to race in a match, deemed the "Match of the Century." While War Admiral was the clear favorite, Seabiscuit managed to win by four lengths while 40 million people listened over the radio. The rivalry has spawned a best-selling book, and a popular film distributed by Universal Films, proving the influence that the Seabiscuit-War Admiral rivalry still has to this day.

32. Red Wings-Blackhawks (Pro Hockey): Out of all the teams in the NHL, no two teams have played more regular season games against each other than the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. As two of the Original Six teams in hockey, the Blackhawks-Red Wings rivalry has seen some interesting moments since their first game in 1926. From 1989 to 1996, one could count on a fight between Stu Grimson and Bob Probert, two well-known rivals who had both played for either team. Just recently, the Blackhawks were down 3-1 in the 2013 NHL Playoffs, but managed to win three straight games to win the series, and eventually, the Stanley Cup. The rivalry is bound to change now that Detroit is in a different conference from Chicago, but the amount of great history in this rivalry makes it one of the best in hockey.

31. Chiefs-Raiders (Pro Football): From roughly 1966 to 1975, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs clashed against one another as the two superpowers in the AFL. The Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs exchanged blows throughout the years as they looked to win the AFL Western Division--later known as the AFC West--where either the Raiders or Chiefs won the division for 11 straight seasons. With 3 AFL Championships between the two teams in that 11 year span, as well as one Super Bowl victory obtained by the Kansas City Chiefs, the rivalry became one of the most heated in sports history.