Nashville's 10 greatest sports moments in history

From the Goodlettsville All-Stars' run in the Little League World Series to Vanderbilt's runs in the College World Series to the NFL Draft, Nashville has had many great sports moments.

Choosing the city's top 10 sports moments wasn't easy, and opinions will vary on which moments deserve to be on the list. Agree or disagree, the subject makes for great conversation fodder.

Here's a look at Nashville's 10 greatest sports moments in history in no particular order, according to The Tennessean: 

Eddie George's longest TD run keeps Titans on path to the Super Bowl

Eddie George provided Nashville with plenty of great moments with the Oilers/Titans. Perhaps the most memorable, and certainly one of the most significant, came in the playoffs on Jan. 16, 2000, when, on the third play of the second half, George took a handoff and raced 68 yards for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts. It was the longest TD run of George's career, led the Titans to a 19-16 victory and sent them to the AFC championship game and eventually the Super Bowl. It was the first time the Titans had run the counter play in the game. George picked up a nice block from fullback Lorenzo Neal and pretty much did the rest on his own. George finished with 162 yards on 26 carries in the franchises' best postseason rushing effort since Dec. 31, 1978, when Earl Campbell ran for 118 yards against the Patriots. 

NFL Draft was a party for the ages

Nashville proved in 2019 you don't have to have a ball, a bat or even a puck to create a great sports moment. The NFL Draft came to Lower Broadway on April 25-27, and fans turned the event into a celebration for the record books. Music City experienced one of its greatest sports moments when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stepped to the podium to announce Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray as the No. 1 pick by Arizona. At the end of the first round, Goodell made another big announcement when he said more than 200,000 people had shown up for the first night of the draft. Not even a steady rain could keep fans away. After the third night, NFL officials reported a record-breaking total of 600,000 people had attended the event. The draft generated a record $132.8 million in direct spending by visitors. The previous record was 2018 in Dallas, which generated $74 million. It was viewed by 47.5 million people in 115 countries on television and streaming, making it the most-watched draft ever. 

Hat trick sends Predators to the Stanley Cup finals

The ice at Bridgestone Arena was littered with hats thrown from fans on May 22, 2017, after Colton Sissons scored the go-ahead goal and completed his hat trick against the Anaheim Ducks, which sent the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final. Sissons' final goal came with 6:00 remaining in Game 6 of the Western Conference championship. It was Sissons' second career hat trick and only the second in Predators' playoff history. 

Unlikely hero helps Vandy win national title

Vanderbilt claimed its first men's national championship on June 25, 2014, when center fielder John Norwood hit a game-winning home run to beat Virginia 3-2 in the College World Series. Norwood sent a 97 mph fastball from Virginia closer Nick Howard into the bullpen in left field. "Anything is possible when we stick to our guns," Norwood said after the game and after the Commodores carried coach Tim Corbin off the field while the crowd shouted "SEC! SEC!" Norwood's home run was only his third homer of the season.

Miracles do happen 

Some Titans fans already had headed for the exits as the final seconds ticked off the clock in the AFC wild-card playoff game against the Bills on Jan. 8, 2000. They should have stayed seated. With the Bills clutching a 16-15 lead, Lorenzo Neal fielded a kickoff then pitched the ball to Frank Wycheck, who then tossed a lateral across the field to Kevin Dyson, who sprinted 75 yards for the winning touchdown. After Dyson crossed the goal line, hyper-excited Titans radio broadcaster Mike Keith proclaimed, "Tennessee has pulled a miracle – a miracle by the Titans," and the play became known as the Music City Miracle. It remains the most iconic play in franchise history.  

MTSU bounces Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament  

After earning a berth in the 1982 NCAA Tournament, Middle Tennessee State was considered one of the field's biggest underdogs after being matched up with No. 12-ranked Kentucky in the first round at Memorial Gym. MTSU coach Stan Simpson had confidence in his squad and let reporters know the Blue Raiders were armed with plenty of talent and were capable of being the Cinderella team in the tournament. But he also worried about them getting caught up in the moment and finding themselves in awe of the Wildcats when they stepped onto the court. That didn't happen. MTSU's Rick Campbell (19 points) and Jerry Beck (14) remained poised throughout the game, and Kentucky didn't have a player score in double figures in the Blue Raiders' 50-44 upset. 

Goodlettsville comes up big in Little League World Series

In the summer of 2012, high school, college and even professional sports in Nashville briefly took a backseat to youth baseball when the Goodlettsville All-Stars made a run to the U.S. championship in the Little League World Series. On Sept. 7, pitcher Luke Brown struck out Petaluma, California, batter Bradley Smith, and Goodlettsville claimed the 66th annual title with a wild 24-16 seven-inning victory. Goodlettsville finished with 21 total hits, including five home runs and two doubles. It was the fifth-highest run total in a Little League World Series game and the most in 20 years.      

Goheen's magic touch

Vanderbilt's Barry Goheen, who already had established a reputation for making game-winning shots, nailed a 45-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat No. 13 Louisville 65-62 on Nov. 30, 1988, and provide some magic at Memorial Gym in front of a capacity crowd of 15,262. Goheen admitted he was surprised Louisville left him open after he received the inbound pass in the backcourt with three seconds on the clock. Goheen had made last-second shots earlier to beat Tennessee, Florida and Penn. He went on to hit game winners against Georgia and Ole Miss.     

Henry runs into the NFL record book

Derrick Henry provided one of the most memorable moments when the situation looked pretty bleak for the Titans in a game on Dec. 6, 2018, against the Jaguars at Nissan Stadium. The Titans were backed up to their own 1-yard line with television commentators pointing out the fact that there already had been one safety scored earlier in the game. Instead of going backward, however, Henry broke around left end, stiff armed three defenders and raced 99 yards to the goal line. The incredible run tied Tony Dorsett for the longest in NFL history. It also helped lead the Titans to a 30-9 win. Henry, who capped off the historic play by striking the Heisman pose in the end zone, finished with 238 rushing yards and three other touchdowns.

Rocker rocks Duke

The most recent greatest moment came when Vanderbilt freshman pitcher Kumar Rocker made history on the mound at Hawkins Field on June 8, 2019, and did so under great pressure with the Commodores facing elimination against Duke in the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-4, 19-year-old right-hander threw the first no-hitter in NCAA Super Regionals history in a 3-0 win. He struck out 19 batters and walked just two in nine innings on 131 pitches.  

Honorable Mentions

• Shan Foster saved his best for last when he staged one of Vanderbilt's greatest individual performances of all-time on Senior Night in 2008. Foster scored a career-high 42 points and nine straight 3-pointers including the last one with 2.7 remaining in overtime to lead the Commodores to an 86-85 win over Mississippi State.

• After a 14-year absence professional baseball returned to town when the Nashville Sounds played their first game on April 26, 1978. The Class AA Sounds beat the Savannah Braves 12-4 before a crowd of 8,156 at newly constructed Greer Stadium.

• NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Nashville hockey fans were "awesome" after the NHL All-Star Weekend took place on Jan. 30-31, 2016 at Bridgestone Arena.

• Geoffrey Bodine won the last NASCAR Cup race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on July 14, 1984, in the Pepsi 420. Bodine out-dueled local favorite Darrell Waltrip, who finished second, and defending champ Dale Earnhardt, who was third, in front of a crowd of 24,150.  

• Connecticut set an NCAA record by winning its ninth women's basketball national championship in 2014 when the Huskies knocked off previously unbeaten Notre Dame 79-58 at Bridgestone Arena. It was the only time a Final Four (men's or women's) has been played in Nashville.  

• An NAIA-record crowd of 15,378 packed Memorial Gym to watch No. 1-ranked Lipscomb play No. 9 Belmont on Feb. 17, 1990. Lipscomb held on for a 124-107 win behind a 30-point effort by Philip Hutcheson. Joe Behling led Belmont with 45 points.   

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.