In reverse order
20: Colorado Buffaloes use fifth down against Missouri (1990)
OK- this wasn’t for the national title for MU. MU wasn’t that great in 1990 but it’s the way the Tigers lost that symbolizes the curse or bad karma Tiger fans experience. How do you lose track of a fifth down refs? Seriously!?!? Also, it isn’t a stretch to say Charles Johnson did not make the end zone. Check it out on You Tube at some point. Not only did they get a fifth down, but they needed a sixth to get in the end zone!
19: Raiders knock off Chiefs 41-38, eliminate them from playoffs (2000)
This will be the only regular season loss for the Chiefs on this list. However, you could argue it changed the course of both franchises. The Chiefs would only make the playoffs one time after this debacle in 2000. For the Raiders, they would win three straight AFC West titles after this game and season.
18: 1994 Strike ruins Royals last great chance (1994)
The Royals were only a few games out of the division lead before Major League Baseball shutdown in 1994. Since then, the Royals have only sniffed the playoffs once. Not a good run, and since then, the economics of baseball haven’t favored the Royals.
17: Nebraska kicks their way to victory (1997)See Colorado 1990. Again, another fluke victory by a team that would go on to win the national title against Missouri. Missouri, in terms of curses, gets overlooked because of the Cubs.
16: Virginia upsets KU in NCAA Tournament (1995)
Roy Williams’ KU teams had plenty of choke jobs and face-plants in March. However, 1995 may top the list. Playing in Kansas City no less, they lose to an average Virginia team that was lucky to be a #4 seed that season. This should have been a Final Four for the Jayhawks, but instead, they lose early.
15: Tyus freaking Edney goes full court on Missouri (1995)
Same tournament, same heartbreak for a local team. If you’ve lived in Kansas City, I don’t need to describe for you. End of story.
14: MU misses critical free throws, Gilbert injury costs Final Four trip (2002)
Shooting a bad percentage in free throws and dumb turnovers cost MU its first ever trip to the Final Four, losing to Oklahoma 81-75 in the 2002 West NCAA regional. Despite playing a poor game, only six points separate Quin Snyder’s squad from a Final Four match up with Indiana and the possibility of a championship game against Kansas. Gilbert also misses 15 shots in his final game.
13: Duke outlasts Kansas in 1986 Final Four classic (1986)
Probably the two best teams in college basketball, KU and Duke play a classic in Dallas, with KU losing by four because of Danny Manning fouling out. What’s worse is the Jayhawks had beaten Louisville, who already made the final game, twice that season. Larry Brown’s finest squad comes two games short of the title.
12: North Carolina defeats KU in 3OT 1957 title game (1957)
One point may change the perception of college basketball forever. If KU wins this game, are they universally considered college basketball’s finest program? They would have more titles over North Carolina and have a better record against them in the Final Four. Wilt Chamberlain would also leave Lawrence without a national championship. To top it off, this game was in Kansas City.
11: Missouri falls one game short of national title opportunity (2007)The most recent addition to the list. After defeating KU in a war at Arrowhead the previous week, they get blitzed in the second half by a very talented Oklahoma team. A horrid second half may have cost the Tigers a national title and Chase Daniel some hardware.
10: Royals lose to Yankees in 1976 ALCS Classic (1976)
I have this one a little lower than most, basically because it was Kansas City’s first trip to the playoffs. It still ended in heartbreaking fashion as Chris Chambliss hit a walk off series homerun in the bottom of the ninth in Game 5. This would set the stage for further showdowns with the New York Yankees.
9: Royals lose 1980 World Series to Phillies (1980)
After finally knocking off the big bad Yankees in the 1980 ALCS, the Royals fail to achieve baseball’s greatest feat by winning the World Series. A veteran-led, talented Phillies team knocked off the Royals. Oh, and those nasty hemorrhoids doomed George Brett. However, the sensation of finally knocking off the Yankees keeps this one a little lower.
8: Free throw shooting sinks KU in 2003 national title game (2003)
The table was set. Roy Williams would win his first national title, with seniors Nick Collision and Kirk Hinrich leading the Jayhawks to victory. However, a funny thing happened on the way to the coronation. Gerry McNamara finds fire, a bizarre fifth foul is called on Keith Langford and KU missing a billion free throws prevents KU from winning the title. Roy would also bail on KU a few days later. Not a good week for Jayhawk fans.
7: Chiefs fall one-game short of Super Bowl with Buffalo loss (1994)After two thrilling playoff victories against Pittsburgh and Houston, many believed Joe Montana would lead the Chiefs to the Super Bowl, possibly in a game against his old team, the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, Montana gets hurt, the Bills roll and then the Bills get rolled in the Super Bowl. This loss would set off a streak of heartbreaking defeats for the Chiefs in the playoffs.
6: Royals lose to Yanks in 1977 ALCS (1977)
After losing to the Yankees a year earlier, the Royals get a second chance and it looked like they would win the 1977 ALCS. Leading 2-1 in the series and two games left at Kauffman Stadium, it looked like the Royals would shut the door on the Yankees. But that wasn’t the case. After leading most of Game 5, the Royals meltdown in the top of the ninth and lose.
5: Kansas State melts in 1998 Big XII Championship (1998)Sorry Kansas State fans: it’s this game. Like the 2000 Oakland Raiders-Chiefs game, this one was a game changer and I feel it changed KSU forever in a bad way. Bill Snyder was five minutes away from completely the best coaching job in college football history only to see Michael Bishop and the Wildcats lose their composure in the fourth quarter. I believe they would have defeated Tennessee and won the national title.
4: Lin Elliot chokes in 1995 playoffs (1995)In one of the greatest playoff upsets in football history, the 13-3 Chiefs lose to the 9-7 Indianapolis Colts due primarily to three missed field goals by Lin Elliot. The Chiefs would have hosted the Steelers in the championship game and would have probably prevailed. The Colts had no business keeping this game close, let alone winning it.
3: Arizona upsets Kansas in 1997 NCAA Tournament (1997)Entering the NCAA Tournament with only one loss (to Missouri, I’ll add), the Jayhawks were the overwhelming favorite. They dominated the Big XII and the regular season, and appeared on their way to the national championship. With a team that would have four starters drafted in the first round, they fall short to a very talented and young Arizona Wildcat team. Prior to winning their national title this year, this was the game KU fans pointed too in terms of the worst loss ever. This game proved that one team only needs to get hot for a month to win the title. Arizona would win the title after defeating Kentucky in a classic.
2: Chiefs lose classic to Dolphins on Christmas Day (1971)
Christmas Day in 1971 was not your ordinary holiday. The Chiefs-Dolphins would end up playing the longest game ever on this day, with the Dolphins eventually winning and ending the Chiefs’ hope of a repeat championship in their final hurrah before beginning a losing spiral. The Chiefs had two opportunities to win this with field goals by Jon Sternerud, but he missed both attempts. The Dolphins would lose to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.
1: Broncos win thriller against Chiefs (1998)Finally, the top loss. Considering it was against the Broncos, and considering the Chiefs were arguably cheated from winning the game, this one hurt Kansas City. The Chiefs and Broncos, in my opinion, were easily the two best teams in the league that season. The Broncos won a tough battle over the Chiefs in Week 1 that season, while the Chiefs won a thriller at Arrowhead. The teams battled for a third time, with the Broncos winning 14-10. Earlier in the game, a Chiefs FG was taken away due to a bogus holding call and a Tony Gonzalez touchdown was taken away from the Chiefs on an arguably bogus out of bounds call. The Broncos offensive line would also become famous for cheating as it wore Vaseline or some other grease. John Elway continued to be Marty Schottenheimer’s personal Satan. Two weeks later, Elway would win his first of two Super Bowls.
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