Sports

1. My, oh my!

The Mariners’ incredible drive to the A.L. West title and playoff win over the Yankees was our No. 1 story.

2. Razing the Barn

The new, 12,000-seat Arena opened to rave reviews and the 40-year-old Coliseum next door was torn down.

3. First dance

Gonzaga University won the WCC tournament and earned its first NCAA men’s basketball tournament berth before losing to Maryland and Player of the Year Joe Smith in the first round.

4. Move over, Magic

John Stockton, Spokane’s future NBA Hall of Famer, eclipsed Magic Johnson’s all-time assist record.

5. Bumpy ride home

Former Idaho and WSU football coach Dennis Erickson left Miami and returned to coach his hometown Seahawks. A drunk-driving episode, probation at Miami and reports that the franchise might move didn’t keep Erickson from turning around the Seahawks with a 6-2 finish and 8-8 record.

6. Hot wheels

Spokane stock car driver Chad Little earned a Busch Series record of $529,000.

7. Turning a new Leaf

A disappointing season ended with the emergence of freshman QB Ryan Leaf, who engineered a near-miss upset in the Apple Cup.

8. World’s greatest athlete

Dan O’Brien, the Moscow, Idaho resident, won another world decathlon title as he geared up for Atlanta in ‘96.

9. Cougs just miss Garden party

Under first-year coach Kevin Eastman, Washington State won two NIT men’s basketball games before losing to Canisius in the quarterfinals.

10. Out of the saddle

Playfair Race Course jockey champion Scott Bergsrud was given a lifetime riding ban for accepting a bribe.

Washington’s top 10

Here are the Top Ten sports stories in Washington state in 1995 as voted on by the Associated Press:

1. The Seattle Mariners win the A.L. West, beat the New York Yankees in the playoffs and then get to within two victories of reaching the World Series to put a down payment on a $320 million outdoor stadium.

2. Randy Johnson of the Mariners wins his first A.L. Cy Young Award, Lou Piniella is voted the A.L. Manager of the Year and Edgar Martinez wins his second A.L. batting title.

3. Seattle Seahawks owner Ken Behring tells King County he needs $150 million in Kingdome improvements - or else.

4. The Seahawks hire Dennis Erickson away from University of Miami to replace the fired Tom Flores and Erickson takes the team to an 8-8 finish.

5. The Seattle SuperSonics are eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, but George Karl keeps his job as coach. Then the team moves into the new $133 million Key Arena at the site of the old Seattle Coliseum.

6. The Washington Huskies, off a two-year bowl probation, earn the Pac-10 co-championship and a trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, against Iowa.

7. The WSU men’s basketball team earns a berth in the NIT field.

8. The Washington Huskies women’s basketball team gets into the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in Chris Gobrecht’s 10 seasons.

9. The Gonzaga Bulldogs get into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament for the first time.

10. Central Washington earns a share of the NAIA Division II football championship with a 21-21 tie against Findlay of Ohio in the Tacoma Dome.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo