Verne Lundquist has seen a lot in his storied broadcasting career. Among other notable games, he called Duke's victory over Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA tournament (the Christian Laettner shot) and George Mason's upset of Connecticut in the 2006 NCAA tournament.
But Lundquist says neither of those games, indeed no single game at all, compares to Auburn's victory over Alabama on Saturday. The only moment that Lundquist has on par with Saturday's game is Jack Nicklaus winning the 1986 Masters.
"For 27 years, having experienced [Jack] Nicklaus winning at Augusta in '86, I have been consistent and I've always said that that was the single greatest sporting event I've ever seen," Lundquist told Newsday's Neil Best. "This one is right up there equal to it. And that takes into consideration a lot of different events that I've been lucky enough to be a part of. From start to finish, especially the finish, this was an extraordinary afternoon and evening."
Lundquist was at Auburn on Nov. 16 for the Tigers' wild win over Georgia, when quarterback Nick Marshall threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Ricardo Louis in the game's final seconds. He was also at the 2005 Masters, when Tiger Woods chipped in a birdie on the 16th hole.
But he told Best that the Iron Bowl, with Chris Davis Jr. returning a last-second field goal attempt for a touchdown, topped both of those moments.
Lundquist's call from the Iron Bowl, while perhaps not as dramatic as that of Auburn radio announcer Rod Bramblett, will go down in the annals of sports broadcasting history.
"On the way … No. Returned by Chris Davis. Davis goes left. Davis gets a block. Davis has another block. Chris Davis! No flags! Touchdown, Auburn! An answered prayer!"
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