# What's the most blatantly incorrect officiating error in sports history? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 19, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578 "2016-02-19T20:09:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/101 "2016-02-27T15:44:43Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Your refusal to answer yes or no to the question speaks volumes. Your a typical entitled butt-hurt Patriots fan that cant accept an example that paints their team in a bad light. > > Thank you for letting me off the hook. I was desperately hoping to find a way out of your non-sensical interaction. Oh, I see. “What the Patriots did was at least gamesmanship and could fairly be called cheating”. “You just can’t accept anything that casts your team in a bad light!” And I’m the nonsensical one. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/102 "2016-02-27T17:02:54Z")
> [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > It was [The Long Count](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Count_Fight). Dempsey vs Tunney. Tunney was down. Got counted to 14 seconds out of 10. Kind of the winner here. AIUI Tunney was taking a breather, and waited until he heard “Nine” before getting up. If that had happened four seconds earlier, he’d have gotten up four seconds earlier. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/103 "2016-02-28T17:22:27Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Yeah, that’s the one I was going to post about. I was watching that game on TV when it happened. It wasn’t even a close call that he was out, but the ump called him safe. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/JRBCo6IMPKk/hqdefault.jpg "The Elephant in the 9th Inning (https://www.facebook.com/baseballhistoryshorts/)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRBCo6IMPKk) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/104 "2016-02-28T19:40:57Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Your refusal to answer yes or no to the question speaks volumes. Your a typical entitled butt-hurt Patriots fan that cant accept an example that paints their team in a bad light. As someone who can’t stand the Patriots in any form or fashion, your argument and behavior in this thread is making a really good argument for me to go out and buy a Brady jersey. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/105 "2016-02-29T00:44:46Z")
He started it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/106 "2016-02-29T01:07:06Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > He started it. What, precisely, was the penalty that the officials failed to call, and what, precisely, was the loss of yards for violating that rule? I’m a Broncos fan, by the way, and have been for some 40 years. Accusing me of being a Patriots fan will probably cause me to hurt myself by falling off of my chair laughing. ---
**Author:** ![pompeybear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8c91f0/32.png) [@pompeybear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pompeybear)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/107 "2016-02-29T02:23:20Z")
We could probably have a whole thread on the bad calls that favored the University of Texas. I’ve followed Texas football for years and until this year’s Oklahoma State game I’ve never seen obvious bad calls go against UTs favor. Here is one example from some time ago… [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPcZN6adx7U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPcZN6adx7U) ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/108 "2016-03-03T22:28:09Z")
In 2006. Oklahoma Sooners at Oregon Ducks. There were multiple fuckups that cost the Sooners the game, which was even admitted to by the Pac 10 Commissioner. 1. Officials didn’t see that the ball went less that 10 yards before being touched by Oregon first. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btSGkMBrqI4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btSGkMBrqI4) 2. Even if it had, it was still recovered by the Sooners. [Replay official says he knew Oklahoma recovered onside kick vs. Oregon - USATODAY.com](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2006-11-23-okla-oregon-official_x.htm) 3. bogus pass interference call. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qijVs8-pOMU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qijVs8-pOMU) From: [Pac-10 suspends officials for errors that cost Oklahoma - ESPN](http://espn.go.com/college-football/news/story?id=2593564) > [@](#): > > An onside kick by Oregon after its first late touchdown was touched by a Ducks player before it traveled the required 10 yards, and the Pac-10 ruled that the ball should have been awarded to Oklahoma. The league also said that video revealed that an Oklahoma player actually recovered the ball. From: [http://newsok.com/article/3777407](http://newsok.com/article/3777407) > [@](#): > > Oregon, of course, attempted an onside kick and was awarded possession after it, despite the ball clearly being touched by a Ducks player before it went 10 yards — and the fact that OU’s Allen Patrick actually recovered the kick and showed officials the football. The play was reviewed and, shockingly, the original call was upheld. > > On Oregon’s game-winning drive, OU was called for pass interference, when the ball was clearly tipped. In 1:12, Oregon scored two touchdowns to take a one-point lead and would hold on for the controversial win. The officials were suspended over the deal as the Pac 10 admitted the fuck up. Furthermore it knocked the Sooners out of possible consideration for the National Championship game. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/109 "2016-03-04T04:02:03Z")
[quote=“crucible, post:103, topic:746578”] [/QUOTE] He’s definitely out, but that’s a reasonably close play–I wouldn’t quite put it up there with some of the boners in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![McReaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@McReaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McReaper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/110 "2016-03-08T17:51:34Z")
The subject of the film “Assault in the Ring”. I know its not exactly an on-field officiating error, but i’m not sure any error by an official has ever been (to use the OP’s words)“so wrong, just blatantly wrong…” as the boxing commission officials neglected to check the gloves of Luis Resto before the fight. > **[Assault in the Ring](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_in_the_Ring)** > > Assault in the Ring (formerly Cornered: A Life in the Ring) is a 2008 sports documentary film about a controversial boxing match held at Madison Square Garden on June 16, 1983. The film won the award for Best Sports Documentary at the 31st Sports Emmy Awards in 2010. > The documentary examines a 1983 boxing match that took place between undefeated prospect Billy Collins Jr. and Luis Resto. The fight was on the undercard for a bout between Multi-Division World Champion Roberto Durán and Davey Moore... the film is well worth a watch btw. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578/111 "2016-03-11T01:13:01Z")
How about “The Holy Roller”? Raiders are about to lose to the Chargers, QB is being sacked, so he just throws the ball forward underhanded and the referee decides to call it a non-intentional forward fumble. Raiders fall on it in the endzone for the win. All the talk is usually about whether it was a fumble or not - well Ken Stabler, the QB who did it, has the answer for you… > **[NFL.com | Official Site of the National Football League](https://www.nfl.com/videos/)** > > The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. … and regardless of any rule changes between then and now about fumbles - it was simply an incomplete forward pass. Overhand or underhand, if you throw the ball forward and it lands on the ground, that’s just a simple incompletion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-blatantly-incorrect-officiating-error-in-sports-history/746578.md?page=5)