Out Of Bounds: A Look Back At 2011

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that 2011 was one of the most memorable sports years that I’ve witnessed. From start to finish, crazy sports fanatics like myself were treated to nonstop entertainment that seemed to never let up. If you take away the NFL and NBA lockouts, there really wasn’t much to complain about this past year.

Starting in impressive fashion shortly after the year began, the BCS National Championship Game was all that and then some. Led by Cam Newton, the Auburn Tigers battled against LaMichael James’ Oregon Ducks. The game was tied at 19 with 2:33 remaining in the fourth quarter before Newton brought the roaring Tigers back down the field to set up a game winning field goal by Wes Byrum as time expired. The game drew a 16.1 rating, the highest overnight rating for a cable television program. It was Auburn’s first national title since 1957 and it resulted in Newton being the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Now with the Carolina Panthers, Newton has put together one of the best rookie seasons in the history of the league.

A tennis enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoyed the remarkable year that Novak Djokovic put together. Just about every tournament he entered, he won, going 25-1 in tournaments. As a result of winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, the great Pete Sampras went on to say that it was “one of the best achievements in all of sports.” I steadfastly agree with Pete because the year that Novak had simply can’t be put into words. The excitement and fun-loving personality that he displayed throughout the year was great for both the sport and tennis fans alike.

In what turned out to be a very exhilarating seven-game series, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks battled each other until there was nothing left to give. In the end, the Bruins prevailed, ousting the Canucks 4-0 in the finale. While goaltender Tim Thomas was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP for the playoffs, a disappointing series of events occurred after the game concluded. Fans in Vancouver were enraged that their hometown team came up short and started rioting. While many fights broke out, cars were set on fire and nearby stores were looted. Four people were stabbed, 140 were injured, and more than a hundred others were arrested.

I was at the Prudential Center in March to see Jon “Bones” Jones fight for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Bones dominated the fight and became the youngest champion in UFC history. A native of Rochester, NY, Jones wrapped up the year with a 4-0 record and went on to successfully defend his title twice—submitting both Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida. The kid is already a superstar at 24 years young, and without a doubt he is going to be the face of the electrifying UFC for years to come.

Yet another seven game dual, the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers was one of the greatest in recent memory. Before Albert Pujols took his talents to Los Angeles, he was the main reason that the Cardinals brought the title back to St. Louis. We also got to witness Justin Verlander have an unbelievable year as he led the American League in wins, ERA and strikeouts. He brought home not only the Cy Young Award but also the MVP, becoming the first starter to win the MVP since Roger Clemens won it in 1986.

The Green Bay Packers, the only non-profit professional sports team in America, hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Aaron Rodgers was the Super Bowl MVP and carried that momentum into this season, as the Packers started out 14-0 before finally losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. They appear to be on the verge of yet another championship run as they have secured the number one seed in the NFC and will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. It’s clear that Rodgers has escaped from Brett Favre’s shadow and has quickly developed into arguably the best quarterback in the game.

While the sports world was clicking on all cylinders this past year and provided us with countless memories, we did lose quite a few athletes that we all grew up idolizing. Some of those include Orlando Brown, Rick Rypien, Hideki Irabu, Derek Boogaard, Duke Snider, Dan Wheldon, Al Davis, Harmon Killebrew, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “Smokin’” Joe Frazier.

2011 definitely had some great moments, like when Tony Stewart went down to the wire with Carl Edwards in the final race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, to some horrible ones like the Penn State fallout. From the epic BCS title game to Drew Brees breaking Dan Marino’s single season passing yardage record, 2011 was unforgettable from beginning to end.