Whenever a team makes a comeback to grab an improbable win, it has the power to create an indelible memory for some fans.
Yet not every comeback happens on the biggest of stages, or if it does, memory of it can fade over time.
For Boston fans, the fact that local teams have won so frequently — especially in the last two decades — has made it harder to catalogue each specific comeback in the region’s collective memory.
And while the term “forgotten” is inherently subjective, its application is used in context: Boston College fans of a certain age will undoubtedly remember the Eagles’ comeback against Alabama football in 1984, but many more recall (or know of) Doug Flutie’s famous win against Miami later in the season (hence the Boston College-Alabama inclusion in this list).
So as readers continue to vote in Boston.com’s bracket of Boston’s greatest sports comebacks — and as fun as reflecting on the 2004 American League Championship Series or Super Bowl LI can be — let’s also take a moment to look back on a few comebacks that haven’t garnered as much historical interest over the years.
1946 Red Sox vs. Athletics
In the first game of an April doubleheader, the Philadelphia Athletics led 7-0 after three innings, and 11-5 heading into the final half inning.
After working the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Johnny Pesky drew a walk, plating a run, and Ted Williams drove in two more with a single to right field. Later in the inning (with two outs), George Metkovich clobbered a three-run home run to tie the game. Williams eventually won the game for Boston on a walk-off single in the 10th.
1972 Northeastern men’s rowing wins at Eastern Sprints
Having never won the annual Eastern Sprints championship, Northeastern was not expected to challenge in 1972. And when Harvard, the pre-race favorites, surged to an early lead, everything seemed to be going to script.
Yet in the final meters, the Huskies made a late dash for the line, passing other supposedly stronger boats, and eventually eclipsing Harvard for the win.
“I think that this is the biggest thrill of my life,” said a shocked but elated Northeastern coach Ernie Arlett afterward in an interview with The Boston Globe. The Huskies would go on to repeat in 1973.
1968 Eastern Division Finals: Celtics vs. 76ers
While 3-1 series comebacks are still far from normal, before the Celtics pulled it off in the 1968 Eastern Division Finals, such a thing had never happened in the NBA.
Boston, led by player-coach Bill Russell, dropped three of the first four games of the series against Wilt Chamberlain and the 76ers. Facing elimination, the Celtics somehow rallied to win three in a row, getting revenge on Philadelphia for the 1967 playoff elimination. Russell, John Havlicek, and Sam Jones eventually guided the Celtics to yet another championship after surviving the 76ers’ scare.
1984 Boston College vs. Alabama
At the outset of his famous 1984 Heisman Trophy-winning season, Doug Flutie and Boston College faced a 31-14 deficit in Alabama.
The Eagles remained undaunted and slowly began to work their way back into the game. Over the final 22 minutes and 20 seconds, Boston College scored 24 unanswered points to pull off a 38-31 win.
1990 Adams Division Semifinal Game 4: Bruins vs. Whalers
After the Whalers unexpectedly took two of the first three games in the first-round playoff matchup, the Bruins appeared on the verge of falling into a 3-1 series hole when Hartford took a 5-2 lead heading into the third period.
Boston responded in style, ripping off four consecutive goals (two coming from center Dave Poulin) to come away with a thrilling 6-5 win.
1999 Patriots vs. Colts
Before the classic battles between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, Drew Bledsoe showed what a classic Patriots-Colts game could look like.
Manning and Indianapolis orchestrated a brilliant first half, chalking up a 28-7 halftime lead. Bledsoe and New England slowly pushed their way back into the game in the second half. A pair of Ben Coates touchdown catches in the fourth quarter tied the game, and Adam Vinatieri — in a scene that would become familiar in future years — won it with 35 seconds remaining on a 26-yard field goal.
2020 Revolution vs. D.C. United
On a rainy November night at Gillette Stadium in 2020, the Revolution were bogged down after a pair of early D.C. goals.
Needing a win to keep pace in the playoff race, New England battled back, eventually tying the game in the second half. After managing to take a 3-2 lead, the Revolution gave up a tying goal of their own, appearing to squander the chance at the comeback.
In the end, New England forward Teal Bunbury’s second goal of the night (coming in the 84th minute) put the Revolution over the top in a dramatic 4-3 win.
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