1982

March 12

1988
May 24

Dick Vitale, in the studio for first-round NCAA Tournament coverage, vows to stand on his head if Austin Peay upsets Illinois.  Final score: Austin Peay 86, Illinois 67.  Later that evening, an upside down Vitale (pictured left with players from Austin Peay) keeps his promise.

The “Boston Garden Blackout” – during Game Four of the Stanley Cup Finals between Boston and Edmonton on a very warm day, two very strange occurrences:  first, fog forms over the ice surface, and later a power outage forces the game to be postponed during the second period.

1989

March 4

The ECAC North Atlantic Conference basketball championship is played in the Hartford Civic Center without fans in attendance as the tournament is under quarantine conditions because of a measles epidemic in the conference.  Siena edged Boston University 68-67.

October 17

ESPN provides the first live, national coverage from San Francisco following the earthquake at the World Series with Chris Berman, Bob Ley and guest analyst Joe Torre on-site.

1994

April 24

Mel Kiper Jr. harshly criticizes the Indianapolis Colts for failing to pick a quarterback with either its No. 2 or No. 5 first-round picks in the NFL Draft.  Minutes later, ESPN's Chris Mortensen interviews Colts general manager Bill Tobin, who angrily responds to Kiper’s comments, prompting Kiper to respond with further criticism of Tobin and the Colts that draws cheers from the fans in the gallery.

2000

March 26

ESPN Classic televises its first-ever live telecast, the implosion of the Seattle Kingdome.

September 12

Jeremy Schaap interviews former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight live on ESPN, the first television interview since Knight had been fired on the 10th.  Annoyed at the line of questions, Knight chides Schaap by saying, “You've got a long way to go to be as good as your dad,” and storms out of the interview.

May 26

Florida Gators fans Catherine Bennett and Jason West of Jupiter, Fla., are married on May 26 on-set during ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning. Co-hosts Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg, family members and friends attend the wedding, which is carried live on ESPN Radio, ESPN2 HD, ESPN360 (Broadband), ESPNRadio.com and Mobile ESPN in the culmination of the “Mike & Mike Marriage Madness” promotion for ”The Ultimate Sports Wedding.”

2009

March 18

President Barack Obama completes his NCAA Tournament bracket in an exclusive interview with ESPN.com senior basketball writer Andy Katz that airs on SportsCenter.  The President picks the University of North Carolina to defeat Louisville for the championship. (UNC eventually won the tournament, defeating Michigan State.)