Lindsay Brandon of partner site Oregon Sports News
At the risk of eternal shame and ridicule, athletes continue to prematurely celebrate their would-be victories. The latest and greatest example of this comes to us from Eugene, Oregon, where the University of Oregon Ducks hosted and competed against athletes from Washington and Kentucky in the Pepsi Team Invitational on Saturday.
In the video, Oregon track and field senior Tanguy Pepiot slows down as he approaches the finish line in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, clasping his fists and pumping his arms in excitement, encouraging the crowd to join in his celebration; “Louder! Louder!” he must have been thinking. The only problem was he failed to notice Washington junior Meron Simon coming in hot behind him. Simon went into a dead sprint and managed to beat Pepiot by just inches and one-tenth of a second. Certainly Pepiot will regret that moment forever. He’ll almost certainly receive far more attention for this than if he had actually crossed the finish line first.
In case he’s feeling a little blue, I thought I’d remind him that he’s in plenty of company. For he and these others’ failure to learn lessons from one after the other resulting in unfortunate outcomes will not be forever immortalized on the internet for nothing.
Utah Receiver Coughs Up 100-Yard Fumble Return TD - November 8, 2014:
Cheer up, Ducks, you were on the other end of one of the most memorable cringe worthy moments of college football last season. Utah wide receiver Kaelin Clay made a very “not Top-10” play when he inexplicably dropped the ball before crossing the goal line on a would-be 79-yard TD. The officials never blew the whistle, and the Ducks’ defense quickly responded with a 100-yard TD return on Clay’s fumble.
Fist pumping seems to be a common underlying issue in premature celebrations, and let’s be honest; it gets you nowhere (*cough* Jersey Shore). This was certainly the case for poor Meghan Rutledge, the then-18-year-old competitor out of Australia who was one hairpin turn away from a gold medal when she decided to launch her fist in the air as she came down from the last ramp. This caused her to lose control of her bike and consequently her spot on the podium:
Cibona Zagreb Basketball Team Forgets How to Read Clocks, Loses to Partizan Belgrade in Fantastically Dramatic Fashion – 2010 Liga ABA Final
Given Croatia and Serbia’s fairly recent violent relationship, the fact that former enemies are able to come together in an arena and play a game of basketball together is a beautiful thing. What’s not so beautiful is the entire Cibona team prematurely rejoicing over its 74-72 lead with 0.6 seconds left to play on the clock. Belgrade’s Dusan Kecman paid no mind to the celebration on the court and launched a half-court shot that instantly wiped the smiles off every player on Zagreb’s face. The video quality may not be the best, but I bet you can’t just watch once:
Stanford Falls to Cal with “The Play” – November 20, 1982
So the Ducks and Huskies may not get along all too well, but if there’s anything that can bring UO and UW fans together, it’s the comical misery of another conference rival. Over 32 years ago, one of the greatest moments captured in premature celebration history (and arguably all of sports in general) when Bay Area rivals the Stanford Cardinal and the California Golden Bears met for the coveted “Stanford Axe.” After taking the lead on a field goal with only four seconds left in the game, Stanford players incurred a 15-yard penalty on kickoff due to their excessive celebration. Cal, in need of a miracle, got just that when the ball made its way player-by-player down the field, eventually ending up in the hands of Kevin Moen who was forced to mow down a trombone player from the Stanford marching band because the entire band had already ran onto the field to being celebrating even though the play was never dead. No words can really do this event justice, you’ll have to watch for yourself:
GoLocalPDX partner Oregon Sports News: Since 2011, Oregon Sports News has provided entertaining, hard-hitting local sports news & commentary every weekday. To read more from this author, check out Oregon Sports News by clicking here.
Related Slideshow: Oregon’s 15 Hottest Athletes
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Alex Morgan, 25, is a forward for the Portland Thorns. She recently signed with the club in January of 2013 after playing for the Western New York Flash and the Seattle Sounders. She rose to prominence because of her success playing for the United States women’s national soccer team. Morgan was the youngest player to represent the U.S. during the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She will once again represent team USA this summer as they prepare to head off to Canada for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Meyers Leonard, 23, was the 11th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Over the past few years he has been diligently working with the Portland Trailblazer’s coaching staff in order to refine his game. The Illinois alumni’s hard work has been paying off considering he’s having the best season of his career.
Kaylyn Kyle, 26, is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for the Portland Thorns. She is also a member of the Canadian women’s national team. Kyle was part of the 2012 Canadian national team that defeated France in the bronze medal game. She is also an ambassador for, Right To Play, which is an organization dedicated to using soccer as a resource to educate and empower children from disadvantaged communities.
Gaston Fernandez, 31, is a striker for the Portland Timbers. The club signed the Argentinian striker back in January of 2014. During his MLS debut with the Timbers he scored an equalizer goal that extended the Timbers unbeaten home record to sixteen.
Marcus Mariota, 21, is coming off one of the best seasons any Oregon Duck quarterback has ever experienced. He is the first Hawaiian-born athlete to ever win the Heisman trophy. This season he also led the Ducks to a 12-1 regular season record. Duck fans everywhere will be anxiously waiting to see where Mariota goes in this year’s NFL Draft.
Ellie Cribbins is a second year Blazer Dancer for the Portland Trailblazers. Cribbins is originally from Portland, Oregon but attended Oregon State University. This season proved to be a unique one for Cribbins since her sister also made the Blazer Dancers last August.
Jake Gleeson, 24, is a New Zealand born goalie that is currently playing for the Portland Timbers. He signed with the club in February of 2011. Gleeson has taken pride over the past few years of being a young player who has worked his way up the ranks.
Janie Takeda, 21, is a senior outfielder for the University of Oregon. The Dallas Charge of the National Pro Fastpitch League recently drafted her 26th overall. Takeda was also selected to play on the United States women’s national team during the 2015 summer season. She is set to graduate from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication this spring.
Damian Lillard, 24, was the NBA’s 2012 Rookie Of The Year. He was the 4th Portland Trailblazer to ever win the award. Since then he’s been named an All-Star twice, as well as an All-NBA Third Team selection. Lillard had one of the most rememberable performances in Trailblazer history after he hit a three-pointer that defeated the Houston Rockets in game 6 of the 2014 NBA Playoffs.
Maggie Rouse, 20, is a junior cheerleader for the University of Oregon. She just completed her third year on the team. When she tried out as a freshman she never expected to make the squad. Yet, here she is two years later. She is currently majoring in Educational Foundations.
LaMarcus Aldridge, 29, is widely considered to be one of the best power-forwards in the NBA. The Texas native is averaging 23.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season for the Portland Trailblazers. He is also a four-time NBA All-Star. On March 10th, 2015 Aldridge became the Trailblazers all-time leading rebounder.
Kaytianna McMillan is a gymnast for the Oregon State Beavers. Over the course of 2014 McMillan battled a series of injuries, yet she was still able to overcome them in order to become the Co-Champion of the 2014 NCAA University Park Regionals. Oregon State will be lucky to have her for the next couple of years.
Devon Allen, 20, just completed his freshman year as a wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks. Not only is he the starting wide receiver for the Ducks he also runs track for the Oregon Outdoor Track and Field team. He recently earned a Gold Medal in the 110 meter hurdles during the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Although he is recovering from a torn ACL we hope to see him back on the field during the 2015-2016 season.
Chase De Leo, 19, currently plays center for the Portland Winterhawks. His quickness and overall creative offensive game earned him an invite to Team USA’s selection camp back in December of 2014. Of all 30 players who were invited, he was only one of 2 WHL players.
Darron Thomas, 24, is a professional quarterback for the Portland Thunder of the Arena Football League. During his college days he played for the Oregon Ducks. While starting for the Ducks he led to the team to the 2011 BCS National Championship game, as well as the 2012 Rose Bowl. The Texas native recently partook in the NFL Veteran Combine with the hope of upstarting his NFL career.
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