Bear Down Wildcats

Arizona Football's loss after having a 19 point lead in the 4th against its rival got me thinking. What is the worst loss in UA history across all sports? It has to be either this or the 2005 AZ bball loss to Illinois in the Elite 8. Discuss and provide any context as to why the loss is the worst to you.

Crazy shit happens in rivalry games. The ASU game was certainly a bad loss and a complete team / coaching choke job but nothing comes close to the Illinois game. We had another Final 4 locked up.... and then.... I still don't know what happened and I've never re-watched that game.

I re-watched in my nightmares. Please don't talk about it.

The Santa Clara loss was particularly brutal.

At least you all were not at the Illinois game like me

For all sports the Illini loss is the worst. For me, the worst football loss was the Pigskin Classic v. PSU. Tomey decided it was too hard recruiting and although he had some skill players he didn't have any depth. So Tomey decided to forego tackling in practice to minimize injuries.

So the UA defense thought they could just put a shoulder into the PSU ball carrier and they would go down. But of course they just bounced off and went downfield.

That was the point that the UA proved they couldn't play with the big boys any more.

That Illini game upset me more and for longer than any sporting event outside of the 1972 US USSR Olympic basketball game

The Illinois loss was one to remember, but the 2001 finals loss to Duke stands out for me. I will forever HATE Duke and that fucking rat face, cry baby coach K. Fuck Duke - forever.

PHXCATS wrote:At least you all were not at the Illinois game like me

Sadly I was in attendance as well. Fun trip before that day.

1988, UNLV beats us on that dagger 3 when Lofton fell trying to draw a charge. You could have heard a pin drop in Tucson.

Sean Elliott last game and we lost to Tark. I can't even think of a football loss as bad. The worst football loss was actually UCLA losing to Miami for us

azcat49 wrote:1988, UNLV beats us on that dagger 3 when Lofton fell trying to draw a charge.

Well, flop more than fell. Lute was not too happy about it.

Football penn st 1999. We still haven’t recovered from that debacle.
Basketball duke 2001. Lutes second national championship taken away by 5 on 8.

Illinois was self inflicted. It hurt but we did it to ourselves. I am going to my grave believe that our rightful 2001 trophy is usurped and sitting in Durham. That I can’t get over.

That Battier put-back dunk. FMTT

Illinois took a piece of me that I'll never get back

Told the story a million times but Illinois will haunt me till the grave. Freshman year in the dorms and we were running up and down the halls whooping it up that we get to experience a final 4 as lowly freshmen. It was so exhilarating. Then...it happened.

It's not even close. The 2005 Illinois loss is by far the worst loss. I really believe that team would of won the Final Four. They were really starting to click.

The worst loss for me in football was the 1993 Cal loss. Blowing a 20-0 halftime lead and losing 24-20. The Cats would of played in the Rose Bowl that year if they had beaten Cal. One more thing, that unsportsmanlike penalty on Vaughn in the closing minute of the game was so BS.

CalStateTempe wrote: Basketball duke 2001. Lutes second national championship taken away by 5 on 8.

Distant #2 for me after the Illini loss. Loved UA paying Duke back some since then, but you can never pay back Illinois no matter how often you beat them.

Sports Illustrated even wrote an article on the home cooking Duke received that day, along with their win over Maryland.

Gilbert Arenas was hurt too, and no one could stop Mike Dunleavy.

Not a foul on Battier:

Merkin wrote:

CalStateTempe wrote: Basketball duke 2001. Lutes second national championship taken away by 5 on 8.

Distant #2 for me after the Illini loss. Loved UA paying Duke back some since then, but you can never pay back Illinois no matter how often you beat them.

Sports Illustrated even wrote an article on the home cooking Duke received that day, along with their win over Maryland.

Gilbert Arenas was hurt too, and no one could stop Mike Dunleavy.

Not a foul on Battier:

You're right... because that is Jason Williams!

Alieberman wrote:You're right... because that is Jason Williams!

Oh. Never mind.

Merkin wrote:

CalStateTempe wrote: Basketball duke 2001. Lutes second national championship taken away by 5 on 8.

Distant #2 for me after the Illini loss. Loved UA paying Duke back some since then, but you can never pay back Illinois no matter how often you beat them.

Sports Illustrated even wrote an article on the home cooking Duke received that day, along with their win over Maryland.

Gilbert Arenas was hurt too, and no one could stop Mike Dunleavy.

Not a foul on Battier:

Besides Gilbert being hurt, Walton was playing with a broken thumb.

scumdevils86 wrote:Told the story a million times but Illinois will haunt me till the grave. Freshman year in the dorms and we were running up and down the halls whooping it up that we get to experience a final 4 as lowly freshmen. It was so exhilarating. Then...it happened.

So you are admitting you rushed the field as a student...just it was in the dorms before the end of that bball game...

Irish27 wrote:It's not even close. The 2005 Illinois loss is by far the worst loss. I really believe that team would of won the Final Four. They were really starting to click.

The worst loss for me in football was the 1993 Cal loss. Blowing a 20-0 halftime lead and losing 24-20. The Cats would of played in the Rose Bowl that year if they had beaten Cal. One more thing, that unsportsmanlike penalty on Vaughn in the closing minute of the game was so BS.

I'd probably have to go with that '93 loss to Cal as the worst ever (PF call was total BS), followed by 2009 (UO extra point in OT that hit the crossbar and went over still hurts). Both costing us Rose Bowls.
One I'm surprised no one mentioned was 1992 loss to ASU 7-6. Desert Swarm era. ASU only crossed midfield once, on a 51-yard run by Kevin Galbreath, and we still lost.

For me in basketball 1989 was pretty close to 2005. I had tickets for the Sweet Sixteen in Denver if we beat UNLV. Sean's last game.
I don't count 2001 as one of the worst losses. To me, that game was stolen from us, between Michigan State injuring Gilbert on a hard foul to the refs in the championship game. Lute deserved that game for Bobbi and it was taken from him.

Also surprised no one mentioned the baseball loss to Coastal Carolina. Win the first game, then lose two one run games, one after a rain delay that had to be played during the day while most of us were at work or school. Pretty much as close as you can come to winning your 5th National Championship without winning it. Two runs in scoring position in the 9th but your backup freshman catcher has to bat because the starting catcher got concussed by one of CC's players.

I am not sure how anyone can say that 2005 loss was not the most painful loss ever.

I have still never been back to the bar I watched it at

My goal is still to donate enough money to U of A to force them to take down the elite 8 banner in mckale. I throw up every time I look up and see the numbers 2005.

What most people forget is that we were a decided underdog in that Illini game. We played perfect basketball for 80% of the game. Momentum swung and we could not get it back. Refs also swallowed their whistle. Painful.

TheCat wrote:What most people forget is that we were a decided underdog in that Illini game. We played perfect basketball for 80% of the game. Momentum swung and we could not get it back. Refs also swallowed their whistle. Painful.

I thought the home loss to Wazzu that year was the most embarrassing, and one of the worst under-performances ever....

I hate all of you for creating and/or seducing me into opening this thread.

After the Illinois loss, I spent 10 years on the campus of University of Illinois surrounded constantly by a sea of orange, hoping it would numb me.

Ever bit a canker sore into painful submission? It hurts worse while it's bleeding between your teeth, but the idea is to frontload the hurt.

It doesn't work. It only makes it worse.

Longhorned wrote:After the Illinois loss, I spent 10 years on the campus of University of Illinois surrounded constantly by a sea of orange, hoping it would numb me.

Ever bit a canker sore into painful submission? It hurts worse while it's bleeding between your teeth, but the idea is to frontload the hurt.

It doesn't work. It only makes it worse.

This is a beautiful and highly relevant post

Most people obviously say Illinois but what most folks forget was they were the favorites in that game and Ariz played the best I can ever remember for 32 minutes. Heartbreaking loss but if I'm not wrong they were undefeated at the time or maybe 1 or 2 losses.

If we're going to include the stolen 2001 BB title, then we should include the Tonya Harding game too.

legallykenny wrote:If we're going to include the stolen 2001 BB title, then we should include the Tonya Harding game too.

UCLA had to vacate that title, but with all vacates, the other team was not given the win.

Merkin wrote:

legallykenny wrote:If we're going to include the stolen 2001 BB title, then we should include the Tonya Harding game too.

UCLA had to vacate that title, but with all vacates, the other team was not given the win.

Correct. UCLA's ineligible and clearly mercenary player stole what should have been our title. Without her on the mound, I don't think UCLA beats us.

I always thought that Tonya Harding was a figure skater.

ALASKACAT wrote:I always thought that Tonya Harding was a figure skater.

She was also a professional softball pitcher who pitched for UCLA.

The UCLA pro was Tanya

Merkin wrote:The UCLA pro was Tanya

Whatever, fuck her and UCLA. That season is a gap on the wall of straight championships at Hillenbrand Stadium.

The one that stuck with me for a long time was one of the greatest football games I've ever seen live. I don't recall the exact year but I think it was 83 or 84. Tunnicliffe was our QB. USC in Arizona stadium with a full house. Both teams were punching and counter-punching all night. USC got up on us 48-41 but we were driving with time running out. With almost no time on the clock, we got hit with something like 30 or 40 yards in penalties all at once. Game over. Just a crushing result.

Chicat wrote: ↑Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:58 am

Goddamn it. ESPN Game Day was in Tucson that morning also.

I remember a thread here the next day that was titled, "Dear Idiots" reminding our fan base not to embarrass us by coming out of the stands early before the game was decided.

Ah yes, UA up 24-14 early 4Q and Stoops goes into a prevent defense.

The worst ever. This pathetic football program lost last night to ASSU. ......ASSU!!!!!! 70 to 7.

Holy shit we suck.

This was the most pathetic loss of all time in UofA history.

Definitely the most embarrassing loss ever, along with the most embarrassing program in UA history. 120 years, and the worst prior team was a 1 win team in 1957.