The worst running moments from other sports

Last week, we gave you some of the best running moments from other sports. There are some incredible athletes out there, and they can produce moments of running brilliance. They play so many games, though, and they’re bound to mess up eventually, so here are some of the worst running moments from other sports.

Jim Marshall — Running the wrong way

On October 25, 1964, the Minnesota Vikings were playing the San Fransisco 49ers when Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall picked up a fumble and proceeded to run 66 yards for a touchdown—or so he thought. 

"Running the wrong way!"

55 years ago today, Jim Marshall returned a fumble 66 yards in the wrong direction for a safety.

(via @thecheckdown)https://t.co/e4vDKJtIg1

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 25, 2019

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Marshall ran uncontested the whole way, and when he reached the end zone, he tossed the ball excitedly in the air, thinking he had just scored the second touchdown of his career. That was not the case, however, and he had actually scored two points for the 49ers. Luckily for Marshall, his Vikings went on to win the game, but he never did score another touchdown.

Sam Dekker — Fast-break tumble

In November 2016, Sam Dekker of the Houston Rockets took a spill in a game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks. He grabbed a loose ball in his end and had a clear lane for the basket. As he approached the hoop, he looked up to see a defender making his way to try and stop him.

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Rockets' Sam Dekker with the one-man fast break sla….FAIL! https://t.co/jpXB6OvIzw pic.twitter.com/QMwYPkEoQ4

— OnSMASH (@OnSMASH) November 3, 2016

This momentary glance upward proved to be his undoing, and he lost his footing and fell. Not only did he fall down, but as he landed, he dribbled the ball into his face before it bounced out of bounds. All Dekker had to do was stay on his feet and keep running, but he couldn’t manage it. Not pretty.

Beauden Barrett — Dropped ball

In a game versus Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Beauden Barrett had all but scored for his New Zealand team. A Canadian defender was on his tail, but all Barrett had to do was hold onto the ball and stay on his feet for a few more metres and he would score.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EanUrQnN6zU

Barrett couldn’t manage both of these tasks, however, and he stumbled, lost the ball and fell just before he could score. Luckily for him, New Zealand was up 63-0 over Canada, so it really didn’t matter that he failed to score.

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Mardy Fish — Hitting the net 

In 2015 at the Indian Wells tennis tournament in California, Mardy Fish of the U.S. played fellow American Ryan Harrison. Midway through the match, Harrison hit a short drop shot just beyond the net on Fish’s side of the court. Fish had to run from behind the baseline all the way to the net to save the point. He managed to get to the ball and even hit a nice shot, too, but his forward momentum was too powerful, and he fell right over the net.

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He somehow got stuck on the net and awkwardly hung there, upside down, until Harrison—who won the point—came to his rescue and flipped him upright again. Sometimes when you run all-out, it can be difficult to pump the brakes.