This one fits into many categories of hyperbolic sports lists. We'll highlight the lucky aspect of its lateral-filled mayhem today. Cal's incredible last-second touchdown against Stanford is known in sports lore simply as "The Play." We could try and describe it for you, but it's better just to see it for yourself. Watch the play

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When your iconic play has a nickname, that's pretty much an automatic qualifier for this list. Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris pulled off one of the most famous plays in NFL history when he caught a deflected pass from Terry Bradshaw and ran it in for a 60-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the AFC Divisional Playoffs against the Oakland Raiders, giving Pittsburgh a 13-7 win. Watch the play

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Super Bowl XLII was supposed to be the crowning achievement for what many believed was the best team in NFL history. The 2007 Patriots had won all 18 of their games up to that point in the season. But the NFC champion Giants had other ideas. This unbelievable catch from David Tyree kept alive the drive that led to the winning score as New York pulled one of the big game's biggest upsets ever. Watch the catch

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We're not calling Christian Laettner's pure jump shot lucky, but certainly in conjunction with the scarce amount of time left in the game and the full-court inbound heave from teammate Grant Hill, a lot of things had to go just right. Duke knocked out Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final of the NCAA tournament with Laettner's classic shot that gave the Blue Devils a 104-103 victory in overtime. Watch the play

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Any Hail Mary is a memorable one — and one that requires a stroke of good fortune — but none is as iconic as Boston College's game-winning play against Miami in 1984 at the Orange Bowl. Trailing 45-41 with 28 seconds to play, things looked bleak for Doug Flutie's Boston College squad. The QB led the Eagles 32 yards from their own 20 to the Miami 48-yard line with six seconds remaining. The ensuing play (and celebration) live on in sports memory as "The Miracle in Miami." Watch the play

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Derek Jeter and the Yankees certainly aren't people who need luck . . . but it never hurts. In the bottom of the eighth of Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS, the Yanks were down a run. Jeter hit a ball to deep right field. The Baltimore Orioles' Tony Tarrasco (pictured) was standing at the base of the wall ready to make the play, but the ball was snatched by a kid — Jeffrey Maier (pictured, black shirt with blue writing) — in the front row of the stands. The umpire controversially ruled it a home run despite the interference, and the Yanks went on to win in 11 innings — and eventually won the World Series. Watch the play

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In the fourth round of the 1989 French Open, Michael Chang was facing a far superior player in Ivan Lendl. As the fifth set wore on, Chang began to cramp. His serve weakened. While serving at 4-3, down 15-30 and desperate for a spark, Chang hit an underhand slice serve over the net that caught Lendl off guard. Chang smacked a passing shot of Lendl's soft return to win the point as the Paris crowd cheered in amazement. Chang won the final set 6-3 and went on to win the title — his only career Grand Slam triumph.

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Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle dazzled the crowd on Opening Day in 2010 when he fielded a slow hopper up the first base line and threw out Lou Marson of the Cleveland Indians with a flip of the ball between his legs from foul territory that somehow managed to hit the target. First baseman Paul Konerko bare-handed the ball a split second ahead of Marson's arrival at the bag (pictured) as the young MLB season got started with a bang. Watch the play

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OK, it was just the All-Star Race, but Dale Sr.'s sweet piece of driving in the 1987 event is still a part of NASCAR lore. Earnhardt's car slid off the track as he battled for the lead with Bill Elliott, but the patch of grass he skidded across was not rough enough to slow him down. Earnhardt got back on the track and managed to race to the win. Watch the move

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It's hard to chalk anything Tiger Woods does up to luck, but even he must admit this was a bit crazy. On the 16th hole in the final round of the 2005 Masters, Woods lined up a chip from just off the green. He played the ball high up a ridge and let it gradually roll down toward the cup. The ball traveled down the slope for about 12 seconds before appearing to stop on the lip of the cup. A couple seconds later, it fell in, sending the crowd and Woods into a frenzy. It's a good thing Tiger didn't need another shot on that hole: He went on to win the tournament in a playoff. Watch the shot

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Diego Maradona's infamous goal in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico is one of the most polarizing plays in sports history. With the game scoreless early in the second half, he streaked into the box and leapt into the air along with England goalie Peter Shilton to play the ball (pictured). Shilton had an 8-inch height advantage (and the ability to use his hands legally). But Maradona won the toss-up and the ball trickled into the goal. Photos later showed Maradona had used his hand to punch the ball into the net. Luckily for Argentina, the refs missed it and allowed the goal. Argentina went on to win 2-1 to reach the semis. Watch the play

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North Carolina State's basketball team had come to be known for their knack for nail-biting wins during the 1983 NCAA tournament. They didn't disappoint in the national title game. With the game tied in the closing seconds, the Wolfpack's Dereck Whittenburg fired up a long three-point attempt. It fell short and right into the waiting arms of Lorenzo Charles, who dunked it home (pictured) to give NC State the win over heavily favored Houston. Watch the play

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The only thing worse than losing a Game 7 is scoring the deciding goal in your own net. That was the pain that descended upon Steve Smith (pictured, in white) of the Edmonton Oilers in the 1986 Smythe Division Final. The defenseman attempted to slide a pass out from behind his own net early in the third period, but the puck hit the back of goalie Grant Fuhr's leg and deflected into the net — the deciding goal in the Calgary Flames' fortunate 3-2 win. Watch the play

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Talk about right place, right time. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Mike Thomas (pictured, at right) was helplessly watching a last-ditch Hail Mary pass get batted down in a 2010 game against the Houston Texans . . . that is, until the ball was batted right toward him. Thomas caught the ball and stepped into the end zone for the winning score in a 31-24 victory. ''We definitely lucked out on that one,'' running back Maurice Jones-Drew said after the game.

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Whether it's a full-court shot, a Hail Mary or a questionable call from a referee, it never hurts to have a little good luck on the field of play. Here's our list of some of the most iconic "lucky" plays in sports history, with apologies to Andy Roddick, whose recent diving, match point-winning shot was pretty darn fortunate but didn't quite make the cut.

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