1980
In the "Miracle on Ice," Team USA defeats the dominant Soviet hockey team in the semifinals at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

As a symbolic protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States leads 64 other countries in boycotting the Moscow Summer Olympics.

1981
Basketball stars Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish bring the Celtics their 14th championship title. They go on to win two more in the 1980s.

After two decades of professional boxing, Muhammad Ali retires due to his declining health and diminishing skills.

1983
The New York Islanders hockey team sweeps the Wayne Gretsky-led Edmonton Oilers in four straight games to win their fourth straight Stanley Cup championship.

1984
The Soviet Union announces that it, along with 14 other Eastern Bloc countries, will boycott the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In the same Olympics, Mary Lou Retton wins the gold medal in the gymnastics' all-around event by sticking a perfect 10 in the vault.

1985
The Chicago Bears dominate the National Football League with a 15-1 record. They demolish the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX by the score 46-10. The team also records the rap song, "The Super Bowl Shuffle."

Top-seed Georgetown falls to eight-seed Villanova in a major upset during the NCAA basketball championship.

Promoter Vince McMahon presents the first Wrestlemania, drawing large crowds to Madison Square Garden in New York.

1986
One day after being selected second in the NBA draft, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias suffers a seizure and later dies due to a cocaine overdose.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner misplays Mookie Wilson's slow roller to first, paving the way for the New York Mets to win the World Series.

1987
In an MVP performance, Doug Williams leads the Washington Redskins to a championship victory over the Denver Broncos. He is first black quarterback to play in the Super Bowl.

1988
Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson breaks the world record in the 100-meter-dash by 0.4 seconds, but tests positive for anabolic steroids. He is stripped of his medals and banned from the sport for two years.

The Los Angeles Lakers win their second consecutive basketball title with all-stars Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.

1989
Baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti hands down a lifetime ban to Pete Rose, the game's all time hits leader, for gambling on baseball while he was manager for the Cincinnati Reds.

California's Loma Prieta earthquake postpones the "Battle of the Bay" World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics for 10 days. The A's end up sweeping the Giants in four games.

1990
Buster Douglas, a relatively unknown boxer, knocks out the heavy favorite, champion Mike Tyson, in the 10th round.

1991
"Wide Right!" is the call when Buffalo Bills place kicker Scott Norwood misses a field goal and seals the victory for the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV.

Basketball superstar Magic Johnson announces he is HIV-positive and will retire from the NBA.

1992
Two-time heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson goes to jail for three years after being found guilty for raping a woman in an Indianapolis hotel.

Race car driver Richard Petty retires from NASCAR after a legendary career in which he won 200 races, 712 top-ten appearances and seven NASCAR championships.

For the first time, professional basketball players compete in the Summer Olympics. The "Dream Team," which includes Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley, dominates the competition in Barcelona.

1993
At only 30 years old and after leading the Chicago Bulls to three straight championships, Michael Jordan retires from basketball to play baseball. He returns to the NBA in 1995.

Hockey star Mario Lemieux announces that he has Hodgkin's disease and will undergo treatment while continuing to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Deranged tennis fan Gunter Parche stabs Monica Seles in the shoulder, sidelining the 20-year-old player for two years.

1994
On the eve of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Tonya Harding conspires with her ex-husband, who hires a hit-man to hurt competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Harding is banned for life from official figure skating events.

For the first time ever, the World Series is cancelled due to a labor dispute between the players and team owners in Major League Baseball.

The United States plays host to soccer's World Cup. More than 3 million fans fill the stadiums around the country. Brazil defeats Italy in the final.

1995
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played and brings fans disheartened by the 1994 strike back to the game.

The first X-Games are held in Rhode Island and Vermont.

1996
Major League Soccer has its inaugural season with 10 teams.

The New York Yankees return to the top of baseball with their first World Series championship since 1978. This is the first of four World Series wins over the next six years.

1997
Tiger Woods wins the Masters by a 12-stroke margin. At 21 he becomes the youngest ever to win the golf tournament and breaks Jack Nicklaus' course record for the lowest score ever.

The Women's National Basketball Association celebrates its first season with the marketing campaign "We Got Next."

The dangerous offensive trio of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin leads the Dallas Cowboys to the last of three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s.

1998
Sluggers Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa race to break Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 home runs. By season's end, McGwire finishes with 70 and Sosa with 66.

In Nagano, Japan, snowboarding debuts as an official sport at the Winter Olympics.

College football institutes the Bowl Championship Series in an attempt to pit the two best teams in the sport against each other. The BCS has not been able to shake widespread criticism since its inception.

1999
Cancer survivor Lance Armstrong wins his first Tour de France on his way to seven straight championships.

The NCAA signs a $6.2 billion, 11-year contract with CBS to air coverage of the "March Madness" basketball tournament.

After 120 minutes of scoreless play, U.S. soccer player Brandi Chastain scores on a penalty kick to win the Women's World Cup Championship.

2000
Tennis veteran Pete Sampras wins a record 13th Grand Slam title against Patrick Rafter on the grass courts of Wimbledon.

2001
Just three seasons after Mark McGwire breaks Roger Maris' single-season home run record, Barry Bonds hits 73 to set a new record.

NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt enters the last lap of the Daytona 500 in third place, with two of his cars in front of him. Moments before crossing the finish line, Earnhardt loses control of his car and slams into a wall at 150 miles per hour, killing him instantly.

2002
In a Sports Illustrated interview, former baseball MVP Ken Caminiti admits to using steroids in the 1990s.

2004
The Boston Red Sox finally break the 86-year-long "Curse of the Bambino" and win the World Series in four games over the St. Louis Cardinals.

2005
The Chicago White Sox break an 88-year drought of their own and win the World Series.

Congress calls prominent baseball players, including Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Rafael Pameiro, to testify about steroids in the sport.