NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The 2000s have seen tremendous growth in Nashville and Tennessee. It’s also seen major growth in the sports scene as pro teams like the Titans and Predators have become ingrained in the fabric of our community, Nashville S.C. became the market’s third professional franchise, and Tennessee and Vanderbilt have delivered multiple championship moments.
Now, a quarter century into the new millennium, the Newschannel 5 Sports team set out to compile the top 25 list of most memorable sports moments in Nashville during the 2000s. It wasn’t easy, as evidenced by the list of record-breaking performances and memorable games that just missed the cut. But the list does include 25 memorable and influential moments that make the Music City sports scene what it is today.
HONORABLE MENTION: Titans rally past Chiefs in 2017 Wild Card round, Derrick Henry’s 99-yard run, Predators win first playoff series against Ducks in 2011, Predators win President’s Trophy in 2018, Tennessee Hail Mary to win at Georgia in 2016, Mikayla Blakes’ NCAA scoring record in 2025, Vanderbilt wins 2012 SEC Basketball Tournament, Tennessee ends 43-year drought by winning 2022 SEC Basketball Tournament and Belmont’s victory over rival Lipscomb in the 2006 ASUN Tournament final to clinch the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.
25. Mike Fisher’s 3OT Goal
Game four of the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals saw the Sharks hold the lead until James Neal’s goal tied the game with less than five minutes to go in regulation. But it would take three overtimes to settle this one. Captain Mike Fisher scored a rebound goal at 1:03 a.m. to give Nashville the win. It was the latest – and biggest – playoff goal in team history up to that point and evened the series 2-2. San Jose would win the series in seven games, ending the longest playoff run in Predators history up to that point.
24. Middle Tennessee Stuns No. 2 Michigan State
The 2016 NCAA Tournament delivered some true March Madness as No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee stunned pre-tournament favorite Michigan State 90-81. The Blue Raiders jumped to a 15-2 lead and shot 56 percent for the game to pull off just the eighth 15-2 upset in tournament history at that time.
23. Vanderbilt’s First Win On Rocky Top Since 1975
Longtime Vandy fans will certainly remember November 19th, 2005. The Commodores hadn't scored at Tennessee in six years, but Jay Cutler went off in his final game, throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns. The final one went to freshman Earl Bennett for the go-ahead score with 1:11 to go that put Vandy up 28-24. The defense then held on in the closing seconds as Vandy won in Knoxville for the first time since 1975.
22. No. 2 Tennessee 66, No. 1 Memphis 62
All eyes in the college basketball world were on the FedEx Forum in Memphis in late February 2008. Derrick Rose and the host Tigers held the lead late, but Tyler Smith scored 16 for the Vols, including the go-ahead bucket with 30 seconds left. Bruce Pearl's Vols won 66-62 to improve to 25-and-2.
21. The Birth of CJ2K
The Titans entered the final week of the 2009 season in Seattle with Chris Johnson needing 128 yards to reach two thousand yards for the year. Johnson ran 36 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-13 win to reach the milestone, becoming just the sixth back to run for 2-thousand yards in N-F-L history.
20. 2016 NHL All-Star Game
The first real showcase of hockey in Smashville for the global stage saw spring-like weather in late January, perfect for the outdoor red carpet and concert series. Shea Weber won the hardest shot competition once again on Skills Night, and Weber, Pekka Rinne, Roman Josi, and James Neal all represented the Preds in the game. The All-Star format was changed to a 3-on-3 divisional tournament won by the Pacific and journeyman turned M-V-P John Scott.
19. 2014 Women’s Final Four
Nashville hosted its only Final Four and saw a historic championship game matchup as 39-0 UConn defeated 37-0 Notre Dame 79-58. The victory capped the Huskies’ perfect season and gave Geno Auriemma a record ninth national title, passing Pat Summitt for the most all-time.
18. Henry Hits 2K, Titans Win AFC South
Heading into the final game of the 2020 regular season, the Titans were looking to wrap up the division title, and star running back Derrick Henry was looking to make history against a Texans team he had owned throughout his career. Henry went to Houston needing 233 yards to get to 2-thousand but ran for 250 to become the eighth member of the 2,000-yard club. The Titans needed some late heroics for the win. Ryan Tannehill hit A.J. Brown for the 52-yard bomb in the final minute, setting up the game-winning field goal from journeyman Sam Sloman -- which doinked off the upright and in for the division crown.
17. Tennessee Wins 2024 College World Series
After coming close in recent years, the Vols put it all together with a 60-win season and SEC regular season and tournament titles. They capped the amazing year off in Omaha, bouncing back from a game one loss to Texas A&M in the finals to win game two and game three behind the slugging of Christian Moore and Dylan Dreiling. The Aggies made things interesting with a ninth-inning rally, but the Vols held on to win the finale 6-5 for the program's first national title.
16. Inaugural Music City Grand Prix
Engines started, and IndyCars roared over the Korean Vets Bridge and down Nashville streets for number 16. The Music City Grand Prix debuted in 2021 with packed crowds, stunning visuals, and a lot of caution flags. There were nine crashes, including Marcus Ericsson, who flew up the back of Sebastian Bordais early in the race but rebounded to take the lead late and take the checkered flag.
15. 2023 Leagues Cup Final
The summer of 2023 in soccer was dominated by the story of Lionel Messi coming to MLS and Inter Miami, but Nashville SC was also making waves on its way to the Leagues Cup Final against Messi and Miami at Geodis Park. Leo delivered for the fans early on with a first-half goal for the lead, but Nashville SC responded after half with Fafa Picault scoring to bring the Boys in Gold level. They would have to go to penalties to decide the championship, matching one another on makes for 10 rounds before Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender stepped up and won it for Miami with a make and then a save to deny Nashville its first professional sports championship.
14. Newgarden Wins back-to-back Indianapolis 500s
Nashville's favorite driver finally had his day at the greatest spectacle in racing in 2023. Defending champ Marcus Ericsson was in the lead on the final lap after a restart, but Josef Newgarden came through with the pass to take the lead and capture the victory in his 12th attempt at the Brickyard. It was déjà vu one year later as Newgarden executed a final lap pass on Pato O’Ward to become just the sixth driver ever to repeat as Indianapolis 500 champion.
13. Vandy Boys Win 2014 College World Series
The Vandy Boys grew to become champions in a 2014 postseason to remember. After finishing seventh in the SEC and getting eliminated early in the conference tournament, the Commodores got red-hot in the postseason, improving their team batting average by .025. John Norwood hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth inning of game three of the CWS Finals against Virginia, and Adam Ravenelle shut the door as Tim Corbin and Vandy finally reached the mountain top.
12. Lady Vols Win back-to-back Titles
The Lady Vols were the gold standard in women’s college basketball in 2007 and 2008. The first team went 34-3 behind the best defense in school history, beating Rutgers 59-46 for the NCAA title behind Most Outstanding Player Candace Parker. In 2008, Parker returned, and the Lady Vols went 36-2, including a 64-48 romp of Stanford in the final in Tampa to give the legendary Summitt her eighth and final national title.
11. Goodlettsville Wins Little League World Series U.S. Title
Tennessee has had a long line of great Little League baseball teams, but the 2012 Goodlettsville All-Stars were the best. The Southeast Region champ, coached by Joey Hale, won their first three games in Williamsport. Then in the U.S. final, Lorenzo Butler slugged three home runs and drove in a single-game record nine as Goodlettsville built a 10-run lead. California rallied to force extra innings, but Brock Myets hit the go-ahead double as Goodlettsville finally prevailed 24-16 to capture the U.S. championship.
10. Titans' Surprise Playoff Run in 2019
In 201,9, the Titans had just one playoff win in over a decade, so when they entered the playoffs as the A-F-C's lowest seed on the road against the defending Super Bowl champs, no one saw a run coming. Except for maybe Derrick Henry.
The King ran for 182 yards against the Patriots and was a one-man wrecking crew on the go-ahead touchdown drive late in the second quarter. Logan Ryan's pick-six of Tom Brady's final pass in New England officially ended the Pats' dynasty. Henry then picked up where he left off against the top-seeded Ravens in the Divisional round, running for 195 yards and throwing for a touchdown as the Titans dominated 28-12 to reach the A.F.C. Championship game for the first time since 2003.
9. Pavia, Vanderbilt Upset No. 1 Alabama
It was the upset in the West End heard round college football. Vanderbilt had gotten off to an up-and-down 2-2 start to the season in 2024 when No. 1 Alabama came to town. But the Commodores jumped to a 13-0 lead after Randon Fontenette's interception return for a touchdown. Rising star Diego Pavia kept them in front, throwing a fourth-down bomb to Junior Sherrill for a touchdown and another TD to Kam Johnson as the Commodores ran out the clock on a 40-35 win. It was the program's first-ever victory over a No. 1-ranked team, and it sparked a wild celebration with the goalposts getting torn down and marched down Broadway before they were thrown into the Cumberland River.
8. Vandy Boys Incredible 2019 Run
The Commodores won 59 games, the SEC regular season title, and the tournament in Hoover, capped by Phillip Clarke's walk-off single against Ole Miss. Kumar Rocker delivered one of the greatest postseason pitching performances ever with a 19-strikeout, no-hitter against Duke in the Super Regional, then followed it up with two more wins in Omaha. Vandy bounced back from a game one loss to Michigan in the College World Series finals to dominate games two and three and win the program’s second national title in five years, and cap one of the greatest seasons in college baseball history.
7. Vols Beat Bama, Finally
Fifteen years of frustration were lit up in cigar smoke on the third Saturday of October in 2022. In a showdown of unbeatens, Hendon Hooker and Bryce Young traded big throws and touchdowns throughout, but Dallas Turner’s fumble return for a touchdown game Alabama a 49-42 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Hooker responded with his fifth touchdown pass of the game – his fourth to Jalin Hyatt – to tie it 49-49 with 3:26 to play. After the Crimson Tide missed a field goa, Hooker rallied the Vols into field goal range just in time for one final play. Chase McGrath didn’t get all of the 40-yard field goal attempt, but the ball knuckled through the uprights to end a 15-year losing streak to Alabama. The 52-49 victory sparked a celebration that sent what seemed like all of the 102,000 fans at Neyland Stadium onto the field on a Tennessee Saturday night for the ages.
6. 2000 AFC Championship
The Titans were underdogs in Jacksonville on January 23, 2000. despite having beaten the Jaguars twice in the regular season. Steve McNair threw a touchdown and ran for two more as Tennessee took over the game with 23 unanswered points in the second half. Derrick Mason's kickoff return for a touchdown put away a 33-14 win that made the Titans A-F-C champs. The team was greeted back in Nashville by a massive crowd for an impromptu pep rally at the Coliseum.
5. 2019 NFL Draft
It was the scene that changed the NFL Draft forever. Hundreds of thousands of NFL fans and partygoers filled Lower Broadway for a weekend that took the event to the next level. More than 250,000 people were there for round one as the Cardinals took Kyler Murray first overall and the Titans turned heads taking Jeffery Simmons at 19. A record 600-thousand fans visited Nashville for the entire weekend full of football, music, and fun as the city cemented its reputation as one of the best party and event cities on the planet.
4. Predators Win Western Conference
It was a two-month party in Smashville in the spring of 2017 as the Predators won the Western Conference for the first and only time. Nashville was the last team to make the playoffs as the West’s eighth and final seed, but Pekka Rinne was practically impenetrable as the Predators swept the top-seeded Blackhawks in round one. Next was a six-game defeat of the Blues as the Preds reached the third round for the first time in franchise history. They absorbed multiple key injuries throughout their run but still managed to defeat the hated Ducks in six games in the conference final. Colton Sissons stepped up to score a hat trick in a 6-3 victory in the decisive game, which sent the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final.
3. The Music City Miracle
One play known around the sports world as the Music City Miracle. On January 8, 2000, the newly-named Titans had just completed an undefeated regular season at their new stadium in Nashville but trailed the Bills 16-15 after a Steve Christie field goal with 16 left in the Wild Card Round. What happened next is one of the most famous plays in football history. Christie’s short kickoff was fielded by Lorenzo Neal, who immediately handed the ball back to tight end Frank Wycheck as blockers began to form a wall along the far sideline. Wycheck threw the ball backwards – a lateral by the narrowest of margins – to receiver Kevin Dyson, who sprinted down the field for a “miracle” game-winning touchdown. The play propelled the Titans to their first and only Super Bowl appearance.
2. Super Bowl XXXIV
The run ended in Atlanta for the Super Bowl against a Rams team dubbed the “greatest show on turf.” The Titans found themselves down 16-0 in the third quarter, but it was far from over. Eddie George did his best to will Tennessee back in it with two touchdowns as they scored 16 unanswered to tie it with just over two minutes to play. The Rams responded in one play as Kurt Warner hit Isaac Bruce for a 73-yard touchdown to go up 23-16, but Steve McNair and the Titans still had time, driving the field to set up one last play.
But this time, there was no magic for Kevin Dyson, who caught a slant route but was tackled one-yard short of the goalline by St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones. Confetti fell from the Georgia Dome roof as the Rams began to celebrate a Super Bowl title and the stunned Titans realized they’d come up just short in a 23-16 loss after a magical postseason run.
1. 2017 Stanley Cup Final
Nashville’s never been more electric than it was in June of 2017 when thousands of hockey fans gathered in downtown Smashville, painting Broadway gold for the Predators’ first-ever appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. Facing the defending champion Penguins, the Preds returned home for game three down two games to none, but a deafening crowd spurred them on, Pekka Rinne was once again sensational, and minor leaguer-turned-star Freddy Gaudreau scored the go-ahead goal in both games three and four as Nashville evened the series 2-2.
They would try to do it again in game six with an even bigger crowd outside, meshing with the backdrop of CMA Fest. But with the Penguins now leading the series 3-2 and the Stanley Cup in the building, it was not to be. Former Predator Patrick Hornqvist scored the game’s first goal with just 1:35 to play, the second latest Stanley Cup clinching goal in regulation ever, as the Penguins repeated as champions with a 2-0 win. An unceremonious end to a two-month hockey journey that brought euphoria to the entire city of Nashville.
If you have more information about this story, please email us at steve.layman@newschannel5.com.
