The members of The Denver Post sports department have spent their entire lives watching or covering sporting events as reporters or fans. So it’s safe to say we’ve borne witness to more than a few good games. Here are some of our favorites:

CU Buffs 20, No. 3 Nebraska 10

Date/location: Oct. 25, 1986, Folsom Field

Briefly: With apologies to the late, great Fred “The Count” Casotti, I am a bit of a CU football historian, and I consider this game the milestone that began the Buffs’ greatest run. CU had gone a long, miserable 17 years without defeating the Cornhuskers, whom coach Bill McCartney brazenly designated the Buffs’ rivals. But in a true rivalry, one team doesn’t win all the games, and CU had a lot to prove. The Buffs played exceptional defense, and the offense scored long touchdowns on a reverse by Jeff “Soupy” Campbell and a halfback pass from O.C. Oliver to Lance Carl. The streak was over, the goalposts got carried off and an era was born. The Buffs won the national championship four years later in the midst of a 20-season (for the most part) stretch of excellence. I think The Count would approve. — Mike Judson

UNLV 90, Georgia Tech 81

Date/location: March 31, 1990, NCAA Final Four, McNichols Sports Arena

Briefly: In the history of Denver sports, there has never been a wilder roller-coaster ride than 1990, from the agony of the Broncos’ lopsided loss to San Francisco in the Super Bowl to the fifth-down wackiness and thrill of the CU Buffs’ national championship. What’s more, we were blessed with the lone appearance of the Final Four in our dusty old cowtown. That NCAA Tournament was unforgettable for the inspired run of Loyola Marymount after the death of Hank Gathers and one of the hottest shows ever produced in Vegas: the Runnin’ Rebs of Larry Johnson and Tark the Shark. Before blowing out Duke for the championship in humble (and dumpy) McNichols Sports Arena, UNLV was forced to rally from a seven-point deficit against Georgia Tech in the semifinals.The Jackets were led by high-scoring Dennis Scott, but the NCAA’s player of the year was only one of six future NBA first-round draft picks on the floor. And I will believe this forever: If foul trouble didn’t find freshman point guard Kenny Anderson during the second half, Tech would’ve wrecked UNLV. — Mark Kiszla

Nuggets 98, Sonics 94 (OT)
Bill Chan, The Associated PressDikembe Mutombo of the Denver Nuggets celebrates his teams overtime victory over the Seattle SuperSonics, Saturday, May 7, 1994, Seattle, Wash. Denver beat Seattle, 98-94, to take the best-of-five series 3-2.

Date/location: May 7, 1994, Western Conference first round (Game 5), Tacoma Dome

Briefly: They were far from the best team in franchise history, but have any Nuggets ever had more fun than Dikembe Mutombo, LaPhonso Ellis and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf did as rambunctious NBA kids? I still laugh thinking about how eighth-seeded Denver drove Seattle coach George Karl to distraction in the opening round of the playoffs, then eliminated the top-seeded Sonics, which had a 37-4 regular-season record on their home floor, in a win-or-go-home Game 5. The unlikely heroes were two backups: Robert Pack scored 23 points and Brian Williams grabbed 19 rebounds. But the images etched forever in my memory are Mutombo blocking a shot by Shawn Kemp late in overtime, then falling flat on his back in the lane after the final buzzer, lifting the ball skyward, as an offering of thanks to the basketball gods. — Mark Kiszla

CU Buffs 27, Kansas State 17

Date/location: Nov. 18, 1995, KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kan.

Briefly: A precursor: My all-time favorite game is Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals Game 2 of Eastern Conference semifinals in 2009 when Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin both scored hat tricks. But going with a Colorado theme, and since the recent Broncos’ well has run dry, I went way back. The Cotton Bowl was on the line when CU visited Kansas State in the 1995 regular-season finale. I was a K-State undergrad covering the game for the Topeka Capital-Journal (good experience) and the K-State Collegian (no comment). Down 17-13 with 2:24 remaining, the Buffs took the lead on a six-play, 80-yard drive that took only 80 seconds and was capped by quarterback John Hessler’s 20-yard touchdown pass to James Kidd. The Buffs added a fumble recovery in the end zone to secure the 27-17 win. I was on the sideline for the end of the game, which made it particularly memorable instead of watching it from the glassed-in press box. It was big-time college football at its best and started a spirited CU-Kansas State rivalry through the rest of the 1990s. — Ryan O’Halloran

Broncos 31, Packers 24
(AP Photo/John Gaps III, File)Safety Steve Atwater jumps up to block a Brett Farve pass during the Broncos’ Super Bowl XXXII victory against Green Bay on January 25, 1998, in San Diego, Calif.

Date/location: Jan. 25, 1998, Super Bowl XXXII, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Briefly: First, a confession. I was born and raised in Colorado and became a Broncos fan when I was a toddler. I attended some of the most meaningful games in Broncos history, including their victory over the Raiders in the 1977 AFC title game that sent Denver to its first Super Bowl. My brother Steve captured the Colorado flag flying above the South Stands that day, while my cousin Mark took home the American flag. So imagine my emotions when the Broncos won their first Super Bowl. At the time, I was the sports editor of the Longmont Times-Call, working alongside Troy Renck. The memories remain vivid. Elway’s helicopter. John Mobley knocking down Brett Favre’s final pass.  Pat Bowlen shouting “This one’s for John!” I was supposed to be an impartial sports journalist (as if there is such a thing). But I readily admit I got choked up when the Broncos beat the Packers. I got chills talking to Elway’s father, Jack, in the locker room afterward. — Patrick Saunders

Avalanche 3, Devils 1
John Leyba, The Denver PostAvalanche Ray Bourque raises the Stanley Cup over his head after Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals in Denver.

Date/location: June 9, 2001, Stanley Cup Final, Game 7, Pepsi Center

Briefly: As my husband and I approached the Pepsi Center, someone offered us almost $2,000 cash for our tickets! But being season-ticket holders since Day 1, we joined 18,000 other raucous fans screaming and shaking our white pompons. Alex Tanguay opened the scoring midway through the first period and tallied again in the second. Joe Sakic made it 3-0 on a power-play chance, but the Devils countered with a power-play goal of their own. Even with Patrick Roy in net, the last period and a half seemed like an eternity. Looking back at the game summary, it seems impossible that each team had only five shots on goal in the third period as we counted down the minutes and then seconds to watching Sakic take the Stanley Cup and hand it to Ray Bourque so he could finally hoist it above his head. — Lori Punko

DU Pioneers 1, Maine Black Bears 0

Date/Location: April 11, 2004, at Boston’s FleetCenter (now TD Garden)

Briefly: DU captured its sixth NCAA championship and snapped a 35-year drought in extraordinary fashion just five months after losing legendary alum Keith Magnuson to a car accident. Some believe it was Magnuson who invisibly tripped a Maine forward going in on a breakaway and looking to tie the game 1-1 in the third period. Denver, which took advantage of a disallowed Maine goal because of an outdated skate-in-the-crease rule, killed off a 6-on-3 disadvantage in the final 1:18 of the game and Pioneers goalie Adam Berkhoel finished with a 24-save shutout to relieve his mother’s intense emotional anxiety captured by ESPN cameras. The game was played before a bipartisan crowd of 18,597 — the largest hockey gathering in a building that still houses the Boston Bruins — and the result snapped Maine’s 10-game winning streak. — Mike Chambers

Rockies 9, Padres 8
Jack Dempsey, Associated Press fileIn this Oct. 1, 2007, photo, Colorado Rockies’ Matt Holliday, on ground, is mobbed by teammates Troy Tulowitzki (2) and Yorvit Torrealba (8) as San Diego Padres catcher Michael Barrett (4) looks on after Holliday scored the during the 13th inning of a wild card tiebreaker baseball game in Denver.

Date/location: Oct. 1, 2007, Game 163, Coors Field

Briefly: The Rockies’ wild-card tiebreaker against San Diego had it all: future Hall of Famers, extra innings, a young Troy Tulowitzki, Matt Holliday and his bloody chin, and a sellout crowd whipped up into a frenzy. The game went 13 innings, lasted 4 hours, 40 minutes and had a combined 15 pitchers. The 13th inning is when the magic unfolded as the Padres took the lead on Scott Hairston’s two-run homer to left field. Hall of Fame closer Trevor Hoffman took the mound in the bottom half and was immediately smacked around, with Kazuo Matsui and Tulowitzki (4-for-7) hitting back-to-back doubles to cut the lead to 8-7. Holliday followed with a triple to right field to tie the game. Todd Helton was intentionally walked to bring up unlikely hero Jamey Carroll, whose flyball to shallow right field scored Holliday from third after he tagged up and slid into home head first, banging up his chin. This was the start of Rocktober — an amazing October run that ended with the franchise’s first and only World Series trip. — Jeff Bailey

Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Al Bello, Getty ImagesJames Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers scores a touchdown after running back an interception for 100 yards in the second quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Date/location: Feb. 1, 2009, Super Bowl XLIII, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa

Briefly: James Harrison at the beginning, Bruce Springsteen in the middle, and Larry Fitzgerald and Santonio Holmes trading punches during the bitter, wild end. Thanks to Harrison’s 100-yard interception return, the favored Steelers took a 17-7 lead into halftime. Pittsburgh extended that cushion to 20-7 in the fourth quarter before the script did a triple lutz. The final 7:40 of the contest saw the Cardinals, behind vintage Kurt Warner and two Fitzgerald scores, reel off 16 straight points to take a 23-20 lead with 2:37 left in regulation. But what was setting up to be one of the greatest comebacks in Super Bowl history instead got hijacked by a brilliant Steelers touchdown drive, capped by Holmes’ tippytoe catch in the corner of the end zone with 35 seconds left. Warner, then age 37, didn’t have enough time to answer — but the performance, in hindsight, probably helped to solidify the undrafted signal-caller’s eventual selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. — Sean Keeler

USA 1, Costa Rica 0
Denver Post fileUnited States forward Clint Dempsey (8) scores a goal against Costa Rica goalkeeper Keilor Navas (1) during the first half of a FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on March 22, 2013, in Commerce City.

Date/Location: March 22, 2013, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park

Briefly: In perhaps the most notable soccer game ever played on Colorado soil, the United States men’s national team hosted Costa Rica in a World Cup Qualifying match now known as the “Snow Clasico.” Heavy, wet spring snowflakes began falling just before kickoff, and several inches had accumulated by game’s end. Clint Dempsey, who wore the captain’s armband for the U.S., scored in the 16th minute, burying a rebound off a deflected shot by Jozy Altidore. Field conditions significantly deteriorated as the game wore on, and the grounds crew frequently ran onto the field to clear the 18-yard box lines with shovels when the ball was on the other end. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan posted the shutout in front of a boisterous sellout crowd. Costa Rica filed a formal protest to have the match replayed, which FIFA rejected. — Dan Boniface

Oklahoma State 38, Oklahoma 35 (OT)

Date/Location: Dec. 6, 2014, Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla.

Briefly: OSU trailed by seven points with less than a minute left and no timeouts when an OU punt pinned the Cowboys at their own 15. But hold up! There was a flag for running into the kicker. OU coach Bob Stoops, greedy for better field position, accepted the penalty and chose to repunt the football. It was a bad choice, considering the player back to return it — some guy named Tyreek Hill. The future NFL all-pro sprinted 92 yards for a touchdown to force overtime, and behind true freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph, the Cowboys completed an unlikely walk-off winner with a field goal. The final regular-season victory gave OSU bowl eligibility, arguably saved coach Mike Gundy’s job and provided a moment I’ll never forget from my time covering Cowboys football for The Oklahoman. — Kyle Fredrickson

Broncos 20, Patriots 18
Helen H. Richardson, The Denver PostOutside linebacker Von Miller (58) of the Denver Broncos sacks quarterback Tom Brady (12) of the New England Patriots in the second quarter. The Denver Broncos played the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, CO on Jan. 24, 2016.

Date/Location: Jan. 24, 2016, Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Briefly: It might have been the final chapter between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but the legendary quarterbacks weren’t the main attraction. Von Miller, Denver’s all-pro edge rusher, was outright unstoppable against the mighty Patriots, harassing Brady all game long and recording 2.5 sacks. The Broncos’ defense shut down a vaunted New England offense that averaged an AFC-leading 29.1 points per game during the regular season. A pair of early touchdowns from Manning to tight end Owen Daniels and a couple of field goals from Brandon McManus were all Denver needed to punch its ticket to Super Bowl 50 in front of 77,112 deafening fans. — Joe Nguyen

Pomona 56, Eaglecrest 49
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver PostHead coach Jay Madden of Pomona Panthers is doused with water by players after the second half of Pomona’s 56-49 win over the Eaglecrest Raptors in the Colorado class 5A state title game on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017. The combined 105 points is the most in a 5A title game ever.

Date/location: Dec. 2, 2017, Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Briefly: In a championship heavyweight battle in which neither team refused to stop slugging, Pomona outdueled Eaglecrest in the highest-scoring Class 5A football title game in Colorado history. Gold Helmet Award winner and current Washington State star Max Borghi led the way for the Panthers with 247 rushing yards and three touchdowns, securing Pomona’s second state title after falling in the championship the prior two seasons. While quarterback Ryan Marquez and wideout Billy Pospisil also starred for the Panthers, connecting for three touchdowns, gritty Eaglecrest bounced back from an early 14-0 deficit behind the offensive prowess of quarterback Jalen Mergerson and running back Kenny Wantings. Just when you thought one team was out of it, a turnover or a big scoring play would swing the momentum right back the other direction. — Kyle Newman

Blazers 140, Nuggets 137 (4 OT)
AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver PostGary Harris (14) of the Denver Nuggets tugs on the jersey of CJ McCollum (3) of the Portland Trail Blazers as Jamal Murray (27) of the Denver Nuggets provides help defense during the first quarter on Friday, May 3, 2019.

Date/location: May 3, 2019, Western Conference semifinals (Game 3), Moda Center

Briefly: I remember the candy. At Portland, unlike in other NBA arenas, visiting reporters are treated to all manner of Sour Patch kids, Butterfingers and Twix bars — all within arm’s reach of media seating. One can see how, amid only the second four-overtime playoff game in NBA history, my stomach would’ve been dancing. That doesn’t even account for the pressure of newspaper deadlines, which I’d long since blown past by the time the Blazers outlasted the Nuggets 140-137 in Game 3 of their second-round series. Nikola Jokic played a staggering 65 minutes and registered a triple-double. The team’s pinballed back and forth in the overtime sessions, swapping the lead multiple times but never creating any sizable distance. Finally, the Blazers turned to Rodney Hood in the fourth overtime. As one of the few players on either side with any legs left, Hood buried seven consecutive points as time ticked away. — Mike Singer

CU Buffs 34, Nebraska 31 (OT)
Andy Cross, The Denver PostColorado Buffaloes wide receiver Tony Brown (18) makes a catch against Nebraska Cornhuskers cornerback Lamar Jackson (21) in the first quarter at Folsom Field Sept. 07, 2019.

Date/Location: Sept. 7, 2019, Folsom Field

Briefly: The Big Red invasion began early Saturday morning, as thousands of Husker fans descended upon the Flatirons for the renewal of a rivalry neither fan base ever wanted to leave. By kickoff, more than half the stadium was painted red, with only the student section and a portion of the lower bowl filled with Buffs faithful. What followed was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Buffs rally from a 17-0 deficit —  a 96-yard Steven Montez-to-K.D. Nixon flea flicker, a 7-yard Jaren Mangham TD run and 26-yard fade from Montez to Troy Brown the highlights. James Stefanou’s 34-yard field goal put CU ahead in OT, and then the last of Mustafa Johnson’s three sacks forced an Isaac Armstrong field goal attempt from 50 yards that fluttered wide right as the student section flooded Folsom Field. — Matt Schubert

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