Poll:
Which is the best moment in houston sports this past decade?
HOUSTON - The decade is coming to an end, and what a decade it has been -- especially in Houston sports. The past ten years have seen everything from a new football team, to a Chinese import, to shocking upsets in college football, to baseball World Series appearances, both in the major leagues and in college.
But now the question becomes, which is the best?
We here at 11 Sports have compiled a list of what we think are the top five sports moments and stories of the past decade and we want you to decide which one is the best. The list is below and for the next five days we will feature a selection in short little video. It will be up to you to decide which one is number one and we will reveal the winner on Sunday.
Let the voting begin!
--Sunday's Selection: Football returns to the Bayou City: Texans beat Cowboys 19-10
For the first time in five years, the Houston football fans had something to cheer about. The city was awarded the NFL's 32nd team in 1999, but in 2000, that team was given an identity, the Texans. Bob McNair and his group spent the next couple of years compiling a coaching staff and players and the first time the team hit the field, they defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19-10 in front of a raucous crowd at Reliant Stadium. Football was officially back in Houston.
--Monday's Selection: The Chinese Import: Yao arrives in Houston
The Houston Rockets had traded Hakeem Olajuwon and were just coming off a season where they went 28-54. Luckily, the ping-pong ball bounced their way and in 2002, the Rockets selected the tall Chinese center Yao Ming as the centerpiece of the their rebuilding effort. Yao changed the face of the franchise and immediately energized the city's fan base, which had just seen back-to-back titles six years before. He made his debut against Indiana, but his game against Shaquille O'Neal and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers is when he really started to shine. Yao blocked two shots and has been the face of the franchise ever since.
--Tuesday's selection: Astro launch: Houston gets to 1st World Series in 2005
It was a season 43 years in the making. In 2005, the Houston Astros finally reached the World Series. But while they popped the corks in October, April and May were not as pleasant. They started 15-30, but closed the season on a 42-17 run to clinch the Wild Card. After beating the Braves in a classic NLDS series, they downed the Cardinals in the NLCS and faced off against the Chicago White Sox in the Fall Classic. The city was electric as they saw a team in Houston play for a major championship for the first time in 10 years as parades and rallies were held in the streets and downtown. The Astros hung tough with the AL Champions, but a lack of hitting proved costly as Ozzie Guillen’s bunch swept the ‘Stros. Still, it was Roy Oswalt, Craig Biggio, Andy Pettite and the gang that left memories for a whole new lifetime.
--Wednesday's Selection: Hook 'Em! - VY leads Texas to '06 National Title
After trailing most of the game, Vince Young decided enough was enough, as he single handedly carried Texas to a National Title. That touchdown and two point conversion made it 41-38 Longhorns and they would go on to topple mighty USC in the Rose Bowl. The victory gave Texas its fourth national championship in program history and transformed Vince Young from a Houston kid playing slinging it at Madison High School, to a Statewide and National sensation. Under Mack Brown, the Horns have solidified their place in college football, but it was Vince Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl who took them to the top of the mountain.
--Thursday's Selection: Dynamic Dynamo: Houston wins 2 straight MLS Cup titles
The soccer fan in Houston didn’t have much to cheer for besides their favorite club overseas, but in 2006, they had a team to call their own. The Houston Dynamo kicked off their Bayou City existence, getting all the way to the MLS Cup Finals where they faced the New England Revolution. The game came down to penalty kicks. Brian Ching gave them the lead and later, Pat Onstad made the game winning save to secure the victory for the Orange. However, they would not stop there, in the following season, the Dynamo did it one more time, again downing the Revolution, this time 2-1. The back-to-back MLS Cup titles were the first the city had seen for a professional sports team in over 10 years and to this day, the Dynamo have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of America.
