Upsets happen all the time in sports, but truly shocking outcomes do not occur often.

I’m referring to the results in the sports world that become memorable simply for the outcome itself.

Here are the top three that come to my mind.

Buster Douglas’ knockout of Mike Tyson, Feb. 11, 1990 in Tokyo — Tyson entered the fight as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world with a perfect record of 37-0, 33 of those wins by knockout.

But in steps Douglas, a 42-1 underdog. He carried a solid 29-4-1 record into his meeting with Tyson, but surely he would fall on this night, setting up a Tyson/Evander Holyfield matchup.

Against Douglas, Tyson struggled displaying the aggressiveness that had been the trademark of so many of his wins. Twenty-five of his 37 previous bouts had ended via knockout or technical knockout within the first three rounds.

But Douglas stood his ground, had Tyson on the ropes in the ninth round and landed an uppercut in the tenth that ended Tyson’s reign.

Jets over the Colts in Super Bowl III, Jan. 12, 1969 in Miami — Though the NFL and AFL had settled on a merging agreement prior to the 1966 season — the first four Super Bowls were actually part of this deal — the AFL was still struggling to get respect from NFL coaches, players and fans. Green Bay had dismantled Kansas City and Oakland in the first two Super Bowls by a combined score of 68-24, further bloating the NFL’s air of superiority.

New York quarterback Joe Namath guaranteed a defeat of the Colts at a speaking engagement just days before the game and then went out and delivered a stunning 16-7 win.

Namath was named MVP, but Jets running back Matt Snell was the game’s biggest offensive star, rushing for 121 yards and a touchdown.

This game, along with Kansas City’s defeat over heavily-favored Minnesota in Super Bowl IV, put the AFL on even footing with the NFL when the leagues became one in 1970.

U.S.A. hockey team’s victory over Soviet Union in 1980 Winter Olympics, Feb. 22, 1980 in Lake Placid, N.Y. — Possibly the greatest upset in sports history, this game was played with the Cold War as a backdrop.

The Soviets had won the gold medal in the four previous Olympics, while the U.S. was viewed as a bunch of upstart “kids”.

Just 13 days before their meeting in the Olympics, the two teams met in an exhibition game in New York City and the Soviets won 10-3.

In the game that counted, the U.S. erased three one-goal deficits before Mike Eruzione scored the eventual game-winner halfway through the final period.

Almost as impressive as the win was the fact that U.S. coach Herb Brooks was able to keep his team focused long enough to beat Finland 4-2 two days later, securing the gold medal.

Derek Pyda is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.