BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…February 22, 2018:
Drexel stages the biggest comeback in Division I college basketball history, rallying from a 34-point deficit to edge Delaware 85-83. The Dragons trailed 53-19 with 2½ minutes left in the first half before starting the stunning whittling process. Drexel’s Tramaine Isabell made two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining to finish it. The previous college hoops comeback record was held by Duke, who rallied from 32 points down to beat Tulane back in 1950.
The Utah Jazz staged the largest comeback in NBA history in November, 1996. The Jazz trailed Denver by 36 points early in the third quarter before rallying for a 107-103 victory. In college football, the record is 35 points, as Michigan was in a 38-3 hole with less than 10 minutes left in the third quarter in 2006 and turned it into a 41-38 win. In the NFL, the biggest comeback, 32 points, came in an AFC playoff game in January, 1993, when Buffalo was behind Houston 35-3 in the third quarter. Frank Reich, who came on for injured quarterback Jim Kelly, threw four touchdown passes, and the Bills took the lead. The Oilers did tie it to send the game into overtime, but Buffalo won it there 41-38.
The MLB record has been talked about in this space before. It was in August of 2001, when Cleveland overcame a 12-run deficit against the Seattle Mariners to win 15–14 in 11 innings. And in the NHL, Buffalo trailed Boston 6-1 approaching the midway point of the second period in February, 1983. The Sabres pulled it out with six unanswered goals to beat the Bruins 7-6.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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