# The most lopsided victories in professional sports **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 6, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615 "2013-05-06T14:31:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/21 "2013-05-06T18:09:33Z")
Upon rereading the play-by-play, it looks like Cumberland kicked off about three times; not sure why. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/22 "2013-05-06T18:14:33Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > You have to admit it’s generally a low scoring game. If a team playing a non-team can only win with a score of 36-0 that pretty much tells the story. It’s okay, I simply jest in the spirit of cross sports fan competition. At international level there was also Australia 31 - American Samoa 0. However neither Bon Accord nor American Samoa were professionals. Also, Bon Accord were not a non-team. They were a cricket team. And on the same day, in the same competition, Wikipedia reports a match between Dundee Harp and Aberdeen Rovers ending 35-0 or possibly 37-0, depending on whether you listen to the home team’s secretary or the Referee. > [@Peremensoe](#): > > 9-0 is sort of an official rout in baseball, in that a team that forfeits a game is recorded as losing by this score. So in a sense the _more_ lopsided baseball scores are worse than refusing to take the field at all. In football (“soccer”) that score is normally five-nil. In the last twenty EPL games there have been two results equal to or greater than that, a 6-0 and a 6-1, so it could occasionally be the safer option not to turn up, not that it ever happens. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/23 "2013-05-06T18:20:46Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Upon rereading the play-by-play, it looks like Cumberland kicked off about three times; not sure why. Safeties? ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/24 "2013-05-06T18:41:10Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Wow both those stories are pretty amazing. What game featured all those own goals, and why didn’t Bon Accord just turn down the game? [Here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AS_Adema_149%E2%80%930_SO_l%27Emyrne) is the story on the own goals. As to Bon Accord, this was the Victorian era - it was probably considered a huge honour to be invited to play, and they may have assumed (no Internet in those days!) that there would be a number of amateur sides invited to play along with the professionals. In my time I have seen the occasional match between supposed equals end with a 9 - 0 scoreline, which would be 63-0 in gridiron… ---
**Author:** ![Carnacki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Carnacki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnacki)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/25 "2013-05-06T20:52:14Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > a pitcher’s duel is often a big waste of time. It’s only a waste of time if it ends in a tie. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/26 "2013-05-06T20:59:15Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Upon rereading the play-by-play, it looks like Cumberland kicked off about three times; not sure why. The scored-upon team had the option of kicking or receiving. In the slower-moving game of that era, field position was sometimes more important than possession and even evenly matched teams would sometimes choose to kick. In the GT game I suspect Cumberland said “Nothing else is working so let’s try it this way”. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/27 "2013-05-06T21:02:40Z")
Hmmmm ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/28 "2013-05-06T21:46:14Z")
Rugby, like American football, has a high potential for a dominant team to destroy the opposition. In international rugby the highest margin is 152 (Japan 155 - Chinese Taipei 3; Argentina 152 - Paraguay 0) but neither of the losing teams could really be called professional. For professional teams playing in the same competition I think the record margin is 92 Toulouse 108 - Ebbw Vale 16 in the 1998 Heinieken Cup. The largest winning margin in Super Rugby is 89 (Bulls 92-Reds 3) in 2007. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/29 "2013-05-06T22:16:43Z")
The record blowout for D-I football was: Houston 100 Tulsa 6 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/30 "2013-05-06T22:23:23Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > For the NBA, it appears the largest margin of victory was 68: > > Cleveland Cavaliers 148, Miami Heat 80 > > December 17, 1991 Outside the NBA, The 1992 Dream team beat Cuba 136 to 57 on the way to the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/31 "2013-05-07T02:18:57Z")
In college baseball, Division II St. Francis (IL) beat Robert Morris College 71-1 in 1996. I believe the game was called after only four or five innings. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/32 "2013-05-07T13:26:49Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > In my time I have seen the occasional match between supposed equals end with a 9 - 0 scoreline, which would be 63-0 in gridiron… In the Premier League: Man United 9, Ipswich Town nil in 1995. Newcastle 8, Sheffield Wednesday 0 in 1999. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/33 "2013-05-07T18:49:28Z")
Steffi Graf won the French Open _final_ in 1988 in 32 minutes, 6-0 6-0. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/34 "2013-05-07T18:54:07Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Rugby, like American football, has a high potential for a dominant team to destroy the opposition. > > In international rugby the highest margin is 152 (Japan 155 - Chinese Taipei 3; Argentina 152 - Paraguay 0) but neither of the losing teams could really be called professional. > > For professional teams playing in the same competition I think the record margin is 92 Toulouse 108 - Ebbw Vale 16 in the 1998 Heinieken Cup. > The largest winning margin in Super Rugby is 89 (Bulls 92-Reds 3) in 2007. Japan have also had three-figure scores posted _against_ them - they’re just good enough to deserve the odd game with the big boys, but against a powerhouse like New Zealand (the All Blacks) they get murdered. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/35 "2013-05-07T19:46:01Z")
Since I saw it live, I have to mention [Secretariat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS4f6wiQJh4) winning the Belmont Stakes. ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/36 "2013-05-07T19:58:29Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Outside the NBA, The 1992 Dream team beat Cuba 136 to 57 on the way to the Olympics. Literally every official game that team played was a blowout. The Wikipedia entry on blowouts lists USSR over Japan 129-63 as the only entry under Olympic basketball, completely ignoring the Dream Team, which beat Angola 116-48 in Olympic play, which doesn’t quite reach the Cuba differential. The 1992 team was phenomenal. The average margin of victory in 6 qualifying games was 51.5, with the closest game being a 38 point victory over Puerto Rico. The Olympic average margin of victory was a still respectable 43.75. There were only 4 games of 14 where the opponents were closer than 40 points: two 38 point victories over Puerto Rico and 33 and 32 point victories over Croatia, the latter being the gold medal game. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/37 "2013-05-07T20:00:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Since I saw it live, I have to mention [Secretariat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS4f6wiQJh4) winning the Belmont Stakes. What an incredible animal! There’s another thread about horses going for the lead in races, Secretariat wanted to leave the other horses in another county. The autopsy after his death showed his heart was nearly twice the size of the average racehorse, no doubt figuratively twice the size as well. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/38 "2013-05-20T01:04:42Z")
Boxing has had several bouts that were supposed to last 36 (or 45) minutes and wound up lasting a couple of seconds. Not sure if that counts. When Jimmy Carruthers beat Vic Toweel for the World bantamweight Title, he threw 147 punches in 139 seconds. Toweel didn’t land one. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/39 "2013-05-20T01:07:53Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Since I saw it live, I have to mention [Secretariat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS4f6wiQJh4) winning the Belmont Stakes. lucky you. There’s never been anything like it. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615/40 "2013-05-20T01:54:29Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Since I saw it live, I have to mention [Secretariat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS4f6wiQJh4) winning the Belmont Stakes. Everybody note that there were only 4 other horses entered into the race, and they were nothing more than cannon fodder. It wasn’t just a blowout, Secretariat so demolished his opposition that nobody wanted to enter their horse. The odds at Belmont were 1-10 and they took no Show bets. The result was foreordained. That victory was won long before the race. THAT is what you call a blowout. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-lopsided-victories-in-professional-sports/657615.md?page=3)