Mark Rosen counts down his 5 favorite sports memories

October 30, 2015 at 2:48PM

Mark Rosen called his autobiography "Best Seat in the House" for a reason. The WCCO sportscaster has been front and center for some of the greatest moments in Minnesota sports history. Here are his five favorites.

Lake Placid, New York, February 1980 - Miracle on Ice - the USA hockey team defats the soviets on the way to a gold medal victory over Finland. -- USA v soviets game - celebration of USA goal - probably the the goal that tied the game 3-3.
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

1. Miracle on Ice, Feb. 22, 1980: "We're supposed to be neutral, but that was an exception. Here were these college kids I grew up with beating these robotic Russians, the best team ever assembled. I was excited as you could be. I always joke that Al Michaels overhead me and stole my line, 'Do you believe in miracles?' "

Lake Placid, New York, February 1980 - Miracle on Ice - the USA hockey team defats the soviets on the way to a gold medal victory over Finland. -- Gold medal presentation ceremony.
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

2. Winter Olympics closing ceremonies, Feb. 24, 1980: "I had so much access it was almost scary. We had just beaten the Finland team for the gold medal and I was sitting on the U.S. team bench. The guys were skating by with the gold medal and I could just reach out and interview them. The Russians were just standing there with their silver medals, which I think they later threw in the garbage."

October 13, 1987 Mark Davidson doused his jubilant Twin teaMinneapolis Star Tribune ates as they jumped on each other to celebrate winning the American League pennant Monday with a 9-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Marlin Levison, Minneapolis Star Tribune
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)


3. Twins beat Detroit to go to World Series, Oct. 12, 1987: "I was on the charter plane coming home with the team. They were like little kids who had just gotten their first Little League uniforms. We [went] straight to the Metrodome for the celebration. I remember pulling up to the loading dock. The door came open and this huge noise came out. Little did we know that the place was packed."

Through the years, Rosen covered many of Twins favorite Kirby Puckett's biggest moments.
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

4. Kirby Puckett hits game- winning home run in Game 6 of World Series, Oct. 26, 1991: "The legend of Kirby just grew that night. I think people remember that win more or equally as much as Game 7, which they won the following night."

Mark Rosen interviewing Sandy Koufax at the 1985 All-Star Game held at the Metrodome. Photo provided by Mark Rosen.
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

5. Interviewing Sandy Koufax during All-Star Game, July 16, 1985: "I was so tongue-tied, I think I said we were live from the Met Center instead of the Metrodome. He was just a hero of mine. Afterwards, I broke the rules and asked him to sign a couple of baseballs."

about the writer

about the writer

Neal Justin

Critic / Reporter

Neal Justin is the pop-culture critic, covering how Minnesotans spend their entertainment time. He also reviews stand-up comedy. Justin previously served as TV and music critic for the paper. He is the co-founder of JCamp, a non-profit program for high-school journalists, and works on many fronts to further diversity in newsrooms.

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