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Indianapolis Star
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana sports fans know championship defeats. Which loss hurt most?
Indiana sports fans know heartache all too well. There were Injuries to Peyton Manning, Paul George, Scott May, Victor Oladipo, Robbie Hummel... you get the idea. And then far too many near misses. Don't get us wrong, we've had our championship moments. The Colts won Super Bowl XLI. IU basketball has five banners — albeit dusty. The Pacers owned the ABA. Purdue and Notre Dame women's basketball teams have titles. The Fever won in 2012. Notre Dame football has 11 national titles, though none since 1988. But we've had more championship letdowns than most can bear. And last month's NBA Finals loss by the Pacers in Game 7 with their star player in agonizing pain brought a lot of those "Why always us?" sentiments. Here's a look back at some of state's hardest-to-swallow championship defeats, if you can stomach it. This was the Fever's first trip to the WNBA Finals and they were trying to win Indianapolis' first professional basketball championship since the 1973 ABA Pacers. The Fever had a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-5 series with a home game in Game 4, but behind Diana Taurasi, the Mercury rallied to win the next two games and the title. Indiana was within two points with a minute left, but got no closer. "We're really pissed off right now because we had a golden opportunity, and we let it slip in Indiana," Fever forward Ebony Hoffman said afterward. "It's emptiness," Fever guard Katie Douglas said after her 4-of-14 shooting night in the clincher. "There's not a better word for it." "This year has been amazing, being a part of this team," Tamika Catchings said. "The will we've had as a team, the drive, the motivation, the inspiration we've provided our city. We're going to back home and we're going back with our heads held high... this is not going to be the last time you're going to see us in the Finals." The Fever did return to the Finals, in 2012, and this time, left with the championship — the franchise's only to date. Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead, and things were looking good... until they weren't. The Buckeyes then blitzed the Irish, taking a 31-7 lead and that was that. "Can't we just celebrate that is almost happened at all?" IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel wrote. "Can we just celebrate that Notre Dame football is back, and not back like it was under the previous coach, whatshisname -- the guy with the red, raging face and funny Southern accent -- but back, as in back? "... But this 2024 Notre Dame football team, this was the one that brought back the echoes. Knute, Touchdown Jesus, Rudy -- this was the season when it was OK to get misty-eyed over all that stuff again, because this was the season when you realized Notre Dame wasn't just back, but likeable." Notre Dame hasn't won a national title since 1988. This was No. 1 vs. No. 2. And it was no match. Both teams entered the title game undefeated, but Notre Dame had lost its star forward, Natalie Achonwa, to injury earlier in the NCAA tournament. It wouldn't have changed the outcome: UConn 79, Notre Dame 58. "It's hard right now to remember what a great season this was," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said. "I think that's what we need to reflect back and think about, getting here." "Losing was difficult, especially since it hadn't happened. But a 21-point thumping was really hard to process...," wrote South Bend Tribune's Al Lesar. "This loss is going to sting a while as well it should. A 37-win season shouldn't end with such a lopsided loss. So much of the work that went into fashioning such an amazing run will be clouded with a 'yeah, but...' It's a big step back for a program that took so many paces forward this season. The long faces in the locker room acknowledged the regression. It just didn't make sense." It was Notre Dame's third championship game loss in four years, and they'd lose the following year to UConn again — albeit in a 10-point game. The Irish finally broke through in 2018 with a title win over Mississippi State. "They had hoped to trade in the perfect season for the perfect ending, but in the end the Indianapolis Colts were left with nothing. Just a bitter, hollow feeling that will last well into the offseason and they try to figure out how another brilliant season could end so badly," IndyStar columnist Bob Kravitz wrote. Peyton Manning had already won one Super Bowl, and Jim Irsay had long talked about his desire to bring more than one Lombardi Trophy back to Indianapolis. This was as close as the Colts came — and have come since. "What's sad is, the Colts could have achieved so much this day. They could have fully validated a decade's worth of excellence with a second Super Bowl title in four seasons. And Manning could have become one of 11 quarterbacks to win multiple titles, and insinuated himself into the conversation about the greatest quarterback of all time. Immortality was within reach, for the franchise, for the quarterback," Kravitz wrote. "A disappointing season? Absolutely not. A disappointing finish? Without a doubt." Facing elimination in Game 5, the Pacers absolutely walloped the Lakers in a 120-87; Pacers fans had real belief Indiana had a chance to knock off the Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers. And in Game 6, the Pacers won each of the first three quarters, carrying a five-point lead going into the fourth and looking like they'd push the series to an improbable Game 7. But in the end, Shaq was just too much. "There was no victory for the Indiana Pacers... which means there will be no NBA championship. Not this year, anyway," IndyStar columnist Bill Benner wrote. "But there was valor. There was vindication. And while those values feel empty when so determined and prolonged a quest finally has been denied, when the path to defeat feels like a stake being driven through the heart, in time the Pacers should look back with pride on their resiliency, resolve and effort, if not the final result." "They didn't surprise us. They played well," Lakers guard Rick Fox said. "They played like champions. One team had to lose." "I think it was remarkable the way they played," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "They gave us some wonderful ballgames." "On this night, there was a gnawing sense of emptiness, of what-might-have-been. Nobody was taking solace in the way the Hoosiers had performed the past month. In time, though they will know what they've done. They will know. And appreciate it all," wrote IndyStar columnist Bob Kravitz. The 2002 run is remembered mostly for the Sweet 16 upset of Duke (and that A.J. Moye block on Carlos Boozer). Few remember the unranked Hoosiers actually led 44-42 with 9:52 left in the second half of the national title game. "I'm disappointed because this isn't what we came here for," senior Dane Fife said. "We came here expecting to win. No one else thought we could do it, but everyone in this locker room believed that were going to win this thing. And when we took the lead in the second half, I think we all just thought right then that we were going to do it." "What we've done is special," Fife added. "What we've done is get Indiana basketball back where Indiana basketball is supposed to be." More than 20 years later, Indiana basketball hasn't been back to a Final Four — or past a Sweet 16. This one hurts personally because I was a freshman at IU, and let me tell you, tear gas stings like a *****. A year after the Fairleigh Dickinson debacle, Purdue's long Final Four wait was finally over. The Boilermakers, behind the National Player of the Year Zach Edey, had broken through and reached their first Final Four since 1980 and were one win away from a national title. Waiting for them was the defending national champions, who were on a historic heater. Yet, the Boilers led UConn 23-21... and then the Huskies did what they do. They went to work, eventually pulling away for a 75-60 win. UConn set a new record outscoring its NCAA tournament opponents by a combined 140 points. "Yes the Boilers could've won something remarkable, could've capped this comeback by going from chumps to champs over the next 40 minutes, but one thing they couldn't do was lose," wrote IndyStar's Gregg Doyel. "By getting to the Final Four, then to the 2024 title game, their redemption was complete. Imperfect, but complete." "We were able to partially silence all the haters," redshirt senior Mason Gillis said. "If we would've won the national championship, we would be able to say we silenced the haters." "It hurts because these opportunities are slim," Matt Painter said. "You say you're going to get back here, but…" It was Bird vs. Magic. The first chapter of a saga that would change basketball forever. And it ended it disappointment for the Cinderella Sycamores. Led by Larry Bird, Indiana State was 33-0 and ranked No. 1 coming into the title game. The Sycamores had captivated the country: A team that came from nowhere with a chance to pull off the seemingly impossible. But in the final vs. the Spartans, ISU didn't put its best foot forward. You could credit MSU's zone defense or the brilliance of Magic Johnson, but there were self-inflicted wounds, too. The Sycamores made just 10-of-22 free throws. Bird scored 19 points, 10 below his season average, and made just 7-of-21 shots. "When you come down to the final night, you have to have a great game to win, and this wasn't one for us," ISU coach Bill Hodges said. "I'll tell you, though, we had a great year and we're proud of that. Of course, we're disappointed. Our goal was to win the NCAA. Michigan State played extremely well and it's difficult to come from behind all night... We gave it our best shot. I couldn't be more proud of these guys. They never gave up and fought to the end." The Sycamores got within 52-46 midway through the second half, but got no closer as MSU won 75-64. "I hate to lose, just like all the other guys on our team, but I guess we did all right," Bird said. "We won 33 games." Playing in their own backyard, Gordon Hayward's last-second heave was just inches wide of the what could have completed the greatest underdog story of all-time. Butler, with an enrollment of 4,200, was trying to become the smallest school to win it all since Holy Cross in 1947. Before Hayward's last-second heave, the future NBA standout had another shot in the game's final seconds and the Dawgs down just one. Hayward caught the ball and tried to dribble to his left, but Duke's Kyle Singler forced him right. Hayward dribbled toward the baseline, picked up the ball, leaned back and arched the ball over the extended arm of 7-1 Brian Zoubek. 'If that ball goes in, game over,' Horizon League commissioner Jon LeCrone said. 'Man, I wish I could have that one back," Hayward said. "I wish I could just go back and shoot that shot once more.' He'd get one more shot. This one from about 50 feet and the Bulldogs trailing by two. If it goes in, it's the greatest shot in NCAA tournament history. 'Literally, it was a movie. It was a movie,' Butler assistant Teryy Johnson said. 'I could see it now. You're sitting there, and it goes.' 'Once Gordon shot that half-court shot, a part of me thought, 'This is how it's going to end,'' Singler said. It missed. Barely. "We just came up one possession short," Butler coach Brad Stevens said. "In a game of about 145 possessions, it's hard to stomach when you're on the wrong end of that." Maybe this is recency bias, but this one felt destined for a different result. The Pacers had beaten the odds the entire playoffs and their hobbled star was off to such a hot start — and then the rug got pulled out from under Pacers fans. It was only the Pacers' second time in the NBA Finals since leaving the ABA and it was the closest the franchise has ever gotten to an NBA championship. Now with Tyrese Haliburton's lengthy recovery on the horizon — and Myles Turner's free agency departure — another chance at a title seems so far away.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Who is Charles ‘Peanut' Tillman? Ex-Bears cornerback becomes an FBI agent
Charles 'Peanut' Tillman, a former cornerback for the Chicago Bears, has been working as a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent since 2018. The two-time Pro Bowler once dominated the field, but has now traded his NFL career for an active role in law enforcement. Former Bears cornerback Charles 'Peanut' Tillman is an FBI agent now ML Football announced the 44-year-old's shocking career change via a social media post, which read, 'Legendary Chicago #Bears cornerback Charles 'Peanut' Tillman is now an FBI AGENT.' Charles 'Peanut' Tillman's stellar NFL career Starting as a second-round pick for the Bears in 2003, Tillman played as a cornerback for the team for twelve years up until 2015, when he made a brief one-year switch to the Carolina Panthers. During his time with the Bears, he helped the team reach Super Bowl XLI (2006 season) but witnessed a second-quarter defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. Although the cup was not destined for him, his ability to recover from fumbles gained him such a reputation in the league that the 'Peanut Punch' was added as a memo by the NFL to GMs and head coaches at the time. A brief injury in 2015 kept him from playing Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos. Inspired by his father's service as a sergeant in the US Army, Tillman chose to retire with $50 million in earnings and a Walter Payton Man of the Year award from 2013 as appreciation for his community work instead of a Vince Lombardi Trophy. When and how did he make the switch to the FBI? Upon retirement from the sport, Tillman signed up for a 20-week training academy pioneered by the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. Although little is known about the specifics of his work due to the job profile, he had until his 37th birthday on February 23, 2018, to earn his badge and make the cut. It's clear that his attempts did not go to waste as Chicago rapper Lil Reese was shocked to see Tillman as part of the officers' convoy who came to raid his home in 2018. "I was tapping my homie, 'Ain't this the football player?' Lil Reese told VladTV. 'And then I said, 'What's up, aren't you Charles Tillman?' And he was like, 'What's up?'' Following this discovery, many sources claimed that they were not shocked by the revelation given Tillman's criminal justice degree from Louisiana-Lafayette and strong observance of law enforcement officials during offseason breaks, as reported by ESPN. By Stuti Gupta
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Special Teams
Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight. For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange. Here at Bears Wire, we're celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. We've reached the end of our list with special teams, led by the greatest returner the NFL has ever seen. Punt returner: Devin Hester The greatest return specialist in NFL history spent the majority of his career in a Chicago Bears uniform. There will never be another player quite like Devin Hester, an electric returner who burst onto the scene immediately during his rookie year. Hester was a game changer from the start, having the ability to find the end zone the second the football dropped into his hands. Hester has set multiple NFL records, most notably having the most punt return touchdowns in NFL history and the most return touchdowns in total in NFL history. But even when he didn't touch the ball, he was impacting the game. Teams would surrender 20+ yards of field position just to ensure Hester couldn't be a threat to score. His greatest return of all came on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI, a feat that will likely never happen again. While Hester was an excellent kick returner, he was most special fielding punts. A four-time Pro Bowl player, three-time First-Team All-Pro, and a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s, Hester redefined the return specialist position. His legacy is forever enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Honorable mention: Tarik Cohen Kick returner: Cordarrelle Patterson Outside of Hester, the Bears have had a few dynamic kick returners throughout the 21st century. Jerry Azumah had a stellar season in 2003 with two touchdowns, while Danieal Manning led the league in average yards per return in 2008 with 29.7. For two seasons, though, Cordarrelle Patterson was a consistent threat coming out of the end zone and had a unique blend of size and speed that was difficult to stop. The Bears signed Patterson as a free agent in 2019 to be a gadget player as well as a return specialist. While he wasn't particularly effective on offense, Patterson gave the Bears excellent field position as a returner—even when he would opt to return a kick while nine yards deep in the end zone. In two seasons, Patterson averaged over 29 yards per return and had two scores. In 2020, his 35 returns, 1,017 return yards, and longest return of 104 yards were all league highs. In both seasons as a Bear, Patterson made the Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All-Pro at the position. He was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team and holds the NFL record for most kick return touchdowns in a career. Honorable mention: Jerry Azumah Kicker: Robbie Gould Who knew that when the Bears signed Robbie Gould off a construction site nearly 20 years ago, he would become the greatest kicker in team history? Gould joined the Bears midway through the 2005 season and proved to be a reliable kicker right away. His best season came in 2006, when he nailed 26 consecutive field goals and was named First-Team All-Pro. He went eight seasons in a row of converting at least 83% of his field goals, a feat that's not easily achieved. Gould's best attribute, however, was his ability to hit clutch field goals when the pressure was at its highest. He sent the Bears to the NFC Championship Game during the 2006 season with a 49-yard kick in overtime and made numerous game-winning kicks throughout his career. While he technically isn't the most accurate kicker in Bears history anymore (Cairo Santos holds that title), Robbie was "good as Gould" for a decade in Chicago—a rarity for NFL kickers. Honorable mention: Cairo Santos Punter: Pat O'Donnell It feels dirty going against a fan favorite like Brad Maynard, who was solid during his years in Chicago, but Pat O'Donnell was the better punter. The Bears made a polarizing selection when they spent a sixth-round draft pick on O'Donnell in 2014, but he showed he was worth the value. O'Donnell had a big leg, earning the nickname "Megapunt" during his first training camp. He averaged more than 45 yards per punt and did a good job of keeping the ball out of the end zone. O'Donnell's magnum opus came in 2015 when he totaled 10 punts in a shutout loss to the Seattle Seahawks and averaged 47.7 yards per attempt. He's had multiple kicks of 72 yards or more during his Bears career and had a touchback percentage of just 6.9%. O'Donnell never made any Pro Bowls, but he was a solid special teams player in the 2010s. Honorable mention: Brad Maynard Long snapper: Patrick Mannelly Long snappers are often underappreciated, but Bears fans absolutely loved Patrick Mannelly during his playing days—and for good reason. Mannelly, who holds the record for most games ever played in a Bears uniform, made long snapping an art form. He was automatic when it came to punts and field goal attempts but also did the dirty work like making tackles on special teams. Mannelly was an important team leader, as he was voted the special teams captain for six years straight. Honorable mention: Patrick Scales Bears All-Quarter Century Team
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Defensive tackles
Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight. For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange. Here at Bears Wire, we're celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. Up next is defensive tackle, a position that has been a catalyst for some of the best Bears defenses in franchise history. Tommie Harris The vaunted Bears defense of the mid-2000s had plenty of star power, such as Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Mike Brown, and Charles Tillman. But none were as important as Tommie Harris, the linchpinof Lovie Smith's Tampa 2 defense in Chicago. Harris was the first draft pick of the Lovie era, a player the coach compared to Warren Sapp. It was easy to see why. The first-round pick quickly solidified himself as a force up the middle, bullying guards off their blocks and chasing down running backs or quarterbacks with speed across the sidelines. Harris earned Pro Bowl honors three years in a row and was Second-Team All-Pro in 2005. The only thing that could slow Harris down was injuries, which became prevalent later in his career. The most consequential injury took place late in the 2006 season, when Harris missed the rest of the year due to a hamstring injury. Had he been healthy, there's a good shot the Bears would have wound up winning Super Bowl XLI. Regardless, Harris was a menace during the 2000s, and his play was a big reason why those defenses were elite. Akiem Hicks There's an argument to be made that no one embodied what it meant to be a Chicago Bear over the last 25 years more than Akiem Hicks. The talented defensive tackle arrived in Chicago as an intriguing free agent and left as one of the most important players in recent memory. Hicks joined the Bears in 2016 and easily outperformed his contract with a career year, totaling 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. The Bears signed him to a long-term extension, and Hicks maintained his high level of production that helped vault the defense into a top unit in 2018. With Hicks' help, the Bears won the division and gave Chicago one of the best defensive units they had seen. Hicks played with a tenacity while showing passion that fired Bears fans up all across the world. While Hicks' play started to come back down to earth in part due to injuries, his impact on Vic Fangio's defense won't soon be forgotten. Henry Melton Near the end of the 2000s, when Harris was on his last legs, the Bears had a hole at the defensive tackle position. Henry Melton stepped up and filled the void. The 2009 fourth-round pick out of Texas, Melton began making an impact in 2010 as a reserve before becoming a full-time starter in 2011. Melton was an athletic three-technique who took advantage of opportunities on the line thanks to the attention given to Julius Peppers. His best two seasons came in 2011 and 2012, when he totaled 13 sacks and 20 tackles. His Bears career didn't last too long, as the team placed the franchise tag on him for the 2013 season, where he played just three games due to suffering a season-ending injury. Melton lasted just two more years in the league, but his play in Chicago helped keep the Bears defense a formidable unit. Ted Washington Tough decisions were made when it came down to the final spot for the defensive tackles. While Eddie Goldman was an underrated run stuffer for half a decade in the 2010s, he never dominated like Ted Washington did—even if his stint was short-lived. Washington signed with the Bears as a free agent in 2001 after already being a massive human, playing at 6'5" and 365 pounds, who swallowed double teams like it was nothing during the Bears' magical 2001 season when they went 13-3 and won the NFC Central. Washington made everyone's lives easier by helping stuff the run and creating opportunities for players like Brian Urlacher, Rosevelt Colvin, and Phillip Daniels. His play earned him First-Team All-Pro honors that season. He also brought veteran leadership to the team, one that didn't have much experience playing winning football prior to his arrival. Washington only played a season and a half due to injury, but his impact on that 2001 team is still talked about to this day. Honorable mention: Eddie Goldman Bears All-Quarter Century Team
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Colts Make Jim Irsay Announcement for Week 1 Against Dolphins
Colts Make Jim Irsay Announcement for Week 1 Against Dolphins originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Miami Dolphins are set to face the Indianapolis Colts in week one of the NFL season. The day just became even more special for Colts fans celebrating the start of the season. Advertisement The Colts announced on social media that former owner and CEO Jim Irsay will be inducted into the team's ring of honor before the game against the Dolphins. He will be joining names like Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, Bill Polian, Marvin Harrison, Eric Dickerson, Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and his father, Robert Irsay, along with many more. Irsay passed away at the age of 65 last month. He became the sole owner of the team in 1997 after his father, Robert, passed away. Before that, Irsay had worked in every department of the organization and was eventually named the youngest general manager in team history. Advertisement His father was responsible for moving the Colts to Indianapolis from Baltimore in 1984. The team remains as one of the only NFL franchises under sole family ownership. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay sits in a golf cart during a Ring of Honor ceremony for Dallas Clark during a game against the Miami Dolphins at Lucas Oil Hollars/IndyStar USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images The Colts announced last week that Jim Irsay's daughters, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, and Kalen Jackson, will take over running the team. Each of them will be serving different roles outside of their ownership responsibilities. Indianapolis won Super Bowl XLI in 2007, a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears, under Irsay's ownership. It was the team's first Super Bowl victory since 1971, just one year before Jim's father, Robert, bought the team in 1972. Advertisement Irsay was beloved by fans and players alike. Related: Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa's $212 Million Contract Named Among NFL's Worst This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
