1986 Nabisco Masters
As a result the singles field was halved from 16 down to 8 competitors. It was also the first time since the inaugural edition in 1970 that no player from the United States qualified for the singles event. Ivan Lendl retained the Masters title as he won it for a fourth time. Lendl defeated Becker in straight sets in a repeat of the 1985 Masters final which took place earlier in the year, in January. In the doubles competition Stefan Edberg and Anders Järryd successfully defended the title.


1986 Nabisco Masters, Finals, Doubles
Stefan Edberg /  Anders Järryd defeated  Guy Forget /  Yannick Noah 6–3, 7–6, 6–3.


1986 Nabisco Masters – Doubles
In the 1986 Nabisco Masters - Doubles, Stefan Edberg and Anders Järryd won in the final 6–3, 7–6, 6–3 against Guy Forget and Yannick Noah.


1986 Nabisco Masters – Doubles, Draw, Red Group
Standings are determined by: (1) Number of wins; (2) Number of matches; (3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; (4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; (5) Steering Committee decision.


1986 Nabisco Masters – Doubles, Draw, Blue Group
Standings are determined by: (1) Number of wins; (2) Number of matches; (3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; (4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; (5) Steering Committee decision.


1986 Nabisco Masters – Singles
Ivan Lendl won the singles title of the 1986 Nabisco Masters tennis tournament after defeating Boris Becker in the final 6–4, 6–4, 6–4


1986 Nabisco Masters – Singles, Draw, Fred Perry Group
Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision-


1986 Nabisco Masters – Singles, Draw, Don Budge Group
Standings are determined by: 1) Number of wins; 2) Number of matches; 3) In two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4) In three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5) Steering Committee decision.


1986 NatWest Trophy
The 1986 NatWest Trophy was the 6th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 25 June and 6 September 1986. The tournament was won by Sussex who defeated Lancashire by 7 wickets in the final at Lord's.


1986 NatWest Trophy, Summary
The seventeen first-class counties, were joined by thirteen Minor Counties: Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumberland, Devon, Dorset, Durham, Hertfordshire, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire and Suffolk. The Ireland and Scotland teams also participated.


1986 NatWest Trophy, Summary
Teams who won in the first round progressed to the second round. The winners in the second round then progressed to the quarter-final stage. Winners from the quarter-finals then progressed to the semi-finals from which the winners then went on to the final at Lord's which was held on 6 September 1986.


1986 NatWest Trophy, Summary
In the first round at Derby, Derbyshire batsmen Alan Hill and Iain Anderson put on a then record partnership for any wicket in limited overs cricket. 286, for the 2nd wicket versus Cornwall. The semi-final between Worcestershire and Sussex at Worcester took three days to complete due to bad weather. Sussex won by 5 wickets and Imran Khan was the man of the match. At The Oval, Lancashire won by 4 runs Trevor Jesty scored 112 and was man of the match for Surrey.


1986 NatWest Trophy, Summary
In the final, Ian Gould's Sussex beat Lancashire by 7 wickets. Medium pace bowler Dermot Reeve took 4-20 and was man of the match. Paul Parker scored the highest score of the game, 85. This was the last big game for Lancashire, and former West Indies, captain Clive Lloyd who retired at the end of the season.


1986 National Camogie League
The 1986 National Camogie League, the second most important elite level inter-county competition in the women's’ team field sport of camogie was won by Cork, who defeated Dublin in the final, played at O'Toole Park.


1986 National Camogie League, Arrangements
Dublin came through their section with full points, beating Kilkenny 3-8 to 2-1 and Galway in their final match at Silver Park. Goalkeeper Yvonne Redmond indicated she would be in the USA and was not considered for selection for the League final. Cork defeated Tipperary 3-10 to 1-3 to top their group.


1986 National Camogie League, The Final
Two second half goals from Mary Geaney gave Cork victory in an exciting final. Playing with a strong wind, Dublin, who were without Barbara Redmond, Bernie Toner and Carmel O'Byrne, led by a point at half time 1-6 to 1-5 largely thanks to five points from Edel Murphy and a goal from Marie Connell. Cork midfielder Sandie Fitzibbon looked very impressive in the half, and with goal scorer Linda Mellerick and Collete O'Mahony, who scored two points, finding their range.


1986 National Camogie League, The Final
Points from Sandie Fitzgibbon and Ann Leahy put Cork into the lead only minutes after the restart, but Edel Murphy quickly put Dublin back in the lead with two points from frees. It all fell apart for the Dubliners in the 37th minutes when Cork full forward Mary Geaney finished a long ball from the right into the net.


1986 National Camogie League, The Final
Dublin pulled the Cork lead back to a single point twice in the remaining quarter with points from Marie Connell and Anna Condron and with minutes left Marie Connell mishit a shot only yards from goal and Edel Murphy shot just wide from a difficult free before Mary Geaney wrapped it up in the final minute with another opportunist goal.


1986 National Camogie League, Division 2
The Junior National League, known since 2006 as Division Two, was won by Kildare who defeated Dublin in the final, bringing national honours to Miriam Malone who had played for two decades for Kildare. Kildare defeated Cavan and Dublin defeated Clare in the quarter-final and Derry in the semi-final.


1986 National Challenge Cup
The 1986 National Challenge Cup was the 72nd edition of the USSF's annual open soccer championship. Teams from the American Soccer League declined to participate. Kutis SC of St. Louis defeated San Pedro Yugoslavs 1–0 in the final game.


1986 National Invitation Tournament
The 1986 National Invitation Tournament was the 1986 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.


1986 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.


1986 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket
Below are the four first round brackets, along with the four-team championship bracket.


1986 National League Championship Series
The 1986 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven Major League Baseball postseason series between the NL East champion New York Mets and NL West champion Houston Astros. It was the 18th NLCS and the first MLB playoff series in which the opponents were two "expansion" teams that had begun play in the same season (1962). The series was won by the Mets, four games to two, culminating with their 7–6, 16-inning triumph at Houston in Game 6. New York then defeated the Boston Red Sox in the 1986 World Series, four games to three.


1986 National League Championship Series, Background
After falling short of the NL East title in 1984 and 1985, the Mets, managed by Davey Johnson, captured first place in 1986 by posting a 108–54 record, 21+1⁄2 games ahead of the second-place rival Philadelphia Phillies. The title was the third in Mets' history and first since winning the 1973 NL pennant.


1986 National League Championship Series, Background
Meanwhile, Houston recorded a mark of 96–66 to capture the NL West title, clinching the crown when staff ace Mike Scott threw a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants, marking the first time any team had clinched a division championship with a no-hitter. It was also the first time the Astros had won a division in six seasons. Houston was managed by Hal Lanier.


1986 National League Championship Series, Background
The Mets won seven of their 12 regular-season contests against the Astros, taking five of six at home and losing four of six in Houston, including a three-game sweep in July during which New York's Bob Ojeda, Ron Darling, Tim Teufel, and Rick Aguilera were arrested for a scuffle with off-duty cops working as bouncers. Home field advantage, from 1969 to 1993, alternated between division winners, regardless of record.


1986 National League Championship Series, Background
The Mets were to have home field advantage for this series, as the Dodgers (the 1985 NL West Champions) had it the previous year, however, a regular season NFL game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Oilers made the Astrodome unavailable for October 12. Consequently, Games 1, 2, 6, and 7, were scheduled for the Astrodome to avoid conflicts (Shea Stadium became a baseball-only facility when the New York Jets left for Giants Stadium in New Jersey after their 1983 season).


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Game 1 featured a pitching duel between eventual NLCS Most Valuable Player Mike Scott and Mets ace Dwight Gooden. Scott allowed just five hits and walked one while striking out 14 in a complete-game effort as the host Astros prevailed 1–0. Gooden allowed one run in his seven innings, getting Scott to ground into a double play to end an Astros threat in the bottom of the fourth inning.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
Houston first baseman Glenn Davis hit a long home run leading off the second inning, producing the game's lone run. Scott struck out Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez to escape a jam in the top of the eighth inning. With one out in the top of the ninth inning, Darryl Strawberry singled, stole second and reached third on a Mookie Wilson groundout. However, Scott struck out Ray Knight to end the game.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Game 2 saw the Mets tie the series at one game apiece as New York scored two runs in the fourth inning and then got three more in the fifth innings against Astros' starter Nolan Ryan en route to a 5–1 victory.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Lefty Bob Ojeda went for a complete game on a ten-hitter for the Mets, who were aided by an RBI double by Gary Carter and a sacrifice fly by Darryl Strawberry in the fourth inning. Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez combined for three RBIs in the fifth inning. The only Astros run came on a Phil Garner single in the seventh inning.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Saturday, October 11, 1986, at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Game 3 was a back-and-forth contest won by the Mets when Lenny Dykstra hit a two-run, walk-off homer against Astros' reliever Dave Smith in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving New York a 6–5 victory and 2–1 series lead on a Saturday afternoon at Shea Stadium.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Houston broke through with four runs in the first two innings against Mets' starter Ron Darling, highlighted by Bill Doran's two-run home run in the second.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Darling then threw three scoreless innings and the Mets came back by scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth innings as Darryl Strawberry's three-run homer off Houston starter Bob Knepper tied the game 4–4.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
However, the Astros struck back against reliever Rick Aguilera in the top of the seventh as a throwing error by Ray Knight led to an unearned run that came home when Denny Walling's fielder's choice scored Doran for a 5–4 lead. Knight's gaffe was the only error committed by the Mets in the series.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
With the Astros still leading in the bottom of the ninth, closer Smith allowed a lead-off bunt single to Wally Backman. Backman advanced to second on a  passed ball, and Danny Heep then flied out to centerfield for the inning's first out. The next batter was Dykstra, who won it for New York by lacing a Smith pitch over the right-field fence for a two-run homer.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Jesse Orosco won the game in relief for New York by working two scoreless innings.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Sunday, October 12, 1986, at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Astros' ace Mike Scott, pitching on three days rest, was dominant once again in Game 4. The right-hander again pitched a complete game on a three-hitter to earn his second victory of the series in Houston's 3–1 triumph.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Mets' starter Sid Fernandez allowed just three runs in six innings, but surrendered a two-run home run to Alan Ashby and a laser-beam home run to Dickie Thon to account for all the offense the Astros needed.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Danny Heep drove in Mookie Wilson with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to account for the Mets' only run. Gary Carter came to bat as the tying run in the bottom of the ninth, but flied out to center as the Astros tied the series 2–2.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Tuesday, October 14, 1986, at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
After rain postponed Game 5 to a noon start on October 14, the Mets took a 3–2 series lead as Gary Carter's single off Charlie Kerfeld in the bottom of the 12th scored Wally Backman with the winning run for a 2–1 victory.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Game 5 was a pitchers' duel between Dwight Gooden and Nolan Ryan as Gooden allowed just one run in 10 innings with Ryan also surrendering a single run on two hits while striking out 12 in nine innings.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
With no score in the top of the second, Gooden surrendered consecutive singles to Kevin Bass and José Cruz, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. He then struck out Alan Ashby on a full count, and induced Craig Reynolds to ground into a double play to escape the jam. Replays showed that Reynolds appeared to beat out the play at first base, but he was called out by umpire Fred Brocklander, negating a potential run from Kevin Bass that would have given the Astros a 1–0 lead.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Astros eventually did take a 1–0 lead in the fifth when Ashby doubled, took third on a single by Reynolds, and then scored on Bill Doran's ground-out. However, the Mets came right back and tied it in the bottom half when Darryl Strawberry smashed a homer for the Mets' first hit of the game and his second bomb of the series.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The Astros had a runner reach second base in the eighth and tenth innings. However, in the eighth, with one out, Gooden got Denny Walling to fly out to Mookie Wilson in left field, where Wilson doubled off Doran from second base to end the inning. In the 10th inning, with two out, Gooden gave up a single to pinch hitter Terry Puhl, who then stole second base, and walked Doran. He got Billy Hatcher to fly out to right field to end the inning with no damage done.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
The game stayed tied until the 12th when with one out Backman got an infield single off Kerfeld. Backman then took second on Kerfeld's errant throw on a pick-off attempt. Houston manager Lanier opted to intentionally walk Hernandez and pitch to Carter, who had been just 1-for-21 in the series, but the catcher came through, lashing a single to center to give the Mets the win and a one-game lead as the series shifted back to Houston.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Jesse Orosco again earned the win for New York by hurling two perfect innings.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
In one of the most famous games in baseball history, the Mets defeated Houston at the Astrodome 7–6 in 16 innings as Jesse Orosco struck out Kevin Bass on a curveball for the final out with runners at first and second, and New York advanced to its third World Series in franchise history.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Houston took a 3–0 lead in the first innings against Bob Ojeda with an RBI double by Phil Garner, plus RBI singles from Glenn Davis and Jose Cruz, giving Astros' starter Bob Knepper an early advantage. They were unable to add more runs as Bass was thrown out at third base following Alan Ashby's botched attempt to lay down a suicide-squeeze bunt and then Ashby lined out to shortstop to end the inning.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
That lead held up for most of the game as Knepper was dominant, allowing no runs through the first eight innings. Meanwhile, Ojeda allowed nothing more through his next four frames, after which Rick Aguilera tossed three scoreless innings.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
This set the stage for a Mets' comeback in the top of the ninth that started when Lenny Dykstra tripled against Knepper to lead off. Mookie Wilson singled in Dykstra to cut it to 3–1 and then with one out, Keith Hernandez doubled to score Wilson and end Knepper's night as the left-hander was replaced by Dave Smith, who walked Gary Carter and Darryl Strawberry, both on 3–2 sliders that were borderline, to load the bases. Ray Knight then hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Hernandez and tie the game before Danny Heep struck out swinging with the bases loaded to end the inning.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Mets manager Davey Johnson used his bullpen aggressively, as Mike Scott, eventual series MVP, was scheduled to start in game 7 and nobody on the Mets wanted to face him again. Roger McDowell came in to pitch for New York and allowed just one hit through five scoreless innings. Meanwhile, Houston pitchers Smith and Larry Andersen held the Mets hitless until the top of the 14th when Carter singled, Strawberry walked, and with one out Wally Backman singled off Aurelio López to plate Strawberry with the go-ahead run as Bass' throw home sailed high. The Mets still had the bases loaded before Wilson struck out to end the threat.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The Mets were now three outs away from going to the World Series, but with one out in the bottom of the 14th innings Billy Hatcher homered off the left-field foul pole against Orosco to tie the game 4–4.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
However, in the top of the 16th inning Strawberry doubled to lead off against López, followed by Knight's single that scored Strawberry to put the Mets ahead again. Jeff Calhoun then replaced López and threw two wild pitches, the second scoring Knight to put New York up by two. Dykstra then singled in Backman, who had walked, for a 7–4 Mets' advantage.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The Mets needed each of those three runs as Houston rallied once again when with one out, Davey Lopes drew a pinch-hit walk, followed by Bill Doran's single. Hatcher then singled in Lopes to make it 7–5, after which Denny Walling hit into a fielder's choice for the second out. Davis followed with a single to centerfield that landed in front of a charging Dykstra, that brought home Doran to cut it to 7–6 and moved Walling into scoring position.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Now with the tying run in scoring position and the winning run at first base, would-be Game 7 starter Mike Scott looming in the dugout, and Orosco on a full count, Orosco managed to strike out Bass to end the threat, the game and the series and send the Mets to a World Series duel with the Boston Red Sox, winning them their first pennant in 13 years.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Orosco pitched three innings for his third win of the series, marking the first time a reliever had won three games in a postseason series. The time of the game was 4 hours and 42 minutes and the 16 innings was the most that had been played in a postseason contest at that time. The Mets and Astros had also played a 15-inning contest that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes during the regular season, which Houston won 9–8.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
In 2011, MLB Network ranked this as the fifth greatest game of the preceding 50 years.


1986 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
This was the last game in which the Astros wore their "tequila sunrise" (or "rainbow guts") uniform top, which the franchise introduced in 1975 and became one of the most iconic, if infamous, uniforms in MLB history. The Astros demoted the tequila sunrise top to alternate status in 1984, and instead designated a white version of their restrained cream-colored road top as the official home top.


1986 National League Championship Series, Series Statistics
Astros' pitcher Mike Scott was named the series' Most Valuable Player after going 2–0 with a 0.50 earned-run average, allowing one earned run on eight hits and one walk in 18 innings. Also for Houston, Nolan Ryan went 0–1 with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 17 through 14 innings, and Bob Knepper posted an ERA of 3.52 with no decisions in his two starts. The Astros' bullpen allowed seven runs and took three of the losses in the series as Dave Smith (9.00 ERA), Charlie Kerfeld (8.10), and Aurelio López (2.25) dropped decisions.


1986 National League Championship Series, Series Statistics
For the Mets' pitching staff, lefty reliever Jesse Orosco went 3–0 with an ERA of 3.38 in the series, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks in eight innings. He was the first reliever ever to win 3 games in a playoff series, setting a record. Ojeda notched New York's other victory and was 1–0 with a 2.57 ERA in his 14 innings of work.


1986 National League Championship Series, Series Statistics
Dwight Gooden went 0–1 with an ERA of 1.06 in 17 innings and Ron Darling had no decisions with a 7.20 ERA with Sid Fernandez going 0–1 with a 4.50 ERA as they each made one start. Right-hander Roger McDowell allowed no earned runs and one hit in seven innings of relief work.


1986 National League Championship Series, Series Statistics
The Astros' offense saw Billy Hatcher bat .280 with three walks, a home run, and two RBI and three stolen bases for the series. Glenn Davis hit .269 with a home run and three RBI, Kevin Bass batted .292 with two doubles and four walks, and Bill Doran had a homer with three RBI. Houston hit .218 with five home runs in the six games.


1986 National League Championship Series, Series Statistics
For New York, Lenny Dykstra batted .304 with a double, triple, home run, and three RBI. Keith Hernandez hit .269 with three RBI and Strawberry homered twice with five RBI to go with 12 strikeouts. The Mets batted .189 with three homers for the series.


1986 National League Championship Series, Series Statistics
In all, four of the games in the NLCS came down to one run, and two runs decided a fifth game. The series featured a pair of extra-inning games that combined for a postseason record 10 innings of extra play. In 2011, Fangraphs named it the 6th best playoff series in MLB history.


1986 National League season
The 1986 National League was contested as the second division of Speedway in the United Kingdom.


1986 National League season, National League Knockout Cup
The 1986 National League Knockout Cup was the 19th edition of the Knockout Cup for tier two teams. Eastbourne Eagles were the winners of the competition for the second successive year.


1986 National League season, National League Knockout Cup, Final
Eastbourne were declared Knockout Cup Champions, winning on aggregate 90–64.


1986 National Panasonic Cup
The 1986 National Panasonic Cup was the 13th edition of the NSWRL Midweek Cup, a NSWRL-organised national club Rugby League tournament between the leading clubs and representative teams from the NSWRL, the BRL, the CRL, Western Australia and Papua New Guinea.


1986 National Panasonic Cup
A total of 17 teams from across Australia and Papua New Guinea played 16 matches in a straight knock-out format, with the matches being held midweek during the premiership season.


1986 National Soccer League
The National Soccer League 1986 season was the tenth season of the National Soccer League in Australia. The season was again played with two Conferences as separate leagues, followed by a conference playoff final. The Grand Final was won by Adelaide City over Sydney Olympic.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season
The 1986 National Soccer League season was the sixty third season under the National Soccer League (NSL) name. The season began in late May, 1986 and concluded in early October, 1986 with the NSL Championship final where Toronto Italia defeated Toronto Blizzard. Though the Blizzard would still manage to secure a treble after finishing first in the standings to claim the regular season title, and defeating London Marconi for the NSL Ontario Cup. Toronto would earn the treble by defeating Vancouver Columbus Italia for the NSL Canadian Championship. A fourth piece of silverware was claimed by the Blizzard after defeating Luso Stars of the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ) for the NSL Canada Cup.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
As the formation of the Canadian Soccer Association's (CSA) sanctioned national professional league was becoming more apparent, and with its policy of no ethnic associated clubs the National Soccer League (NSL) began organizing an alternative model to the CSA's version of a nationwide league. The newly appointed NSL commissioner and Toronto Italia owner Rocco Lofranco began the process of formalizing affiliated agreements with professional leagues throughout the country in order to implement a national model with a regional format.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
The regional format would consist of separate regional leagues with independent schedules with the regional champions qualifying for a postseason tournament, which would ultimately determine the national champion. The primary purpose of the regional format was to reduce the costly travel expenses associated with a national league employing an interlocking schedule. The NSL's presence was successfully established in British Columbia through an affiliated agreement with the Pacific Rim Soccer League and in Quebec with the creation of the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ) in 1986.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Overview
As the NSL expanded into British Columbia, and Quebec each league supplied their own regional champions in a tournament for the NSL Canadian Championship with intentions of providing a Canadian representative to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The previous time a Canadian club competed in the Champions' Cup was in the 1976 CONCACAF Champions' Cup represented by Toronto Italia. Several proposals and changes to the league's infrastructure were approved at the annual general meeting with the acceptance of the Petro Canada Soccer League as the NSL's developmental league, and the renaming of Toronto Dinamo to the Toronto Blizzard. All teams from the previous season returned with Windsor AC Roma renaming themselves as Windsor Wheels in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season, Cup
The cup tournament was a separate contest from the rest of the season, in which all eight teams took part. All the matches were separate from the regular season, and the teams were grouped into two separate divisions. The two winners in the group stage would advance to a singles match for the Cup. The winner of the league cup would face the Quebec National Soccer League (LNSQ), and Pacific Rim Soccer League cup titleholders for the NSL Canada Cup.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season, NSL Canadian Championship
Since the 1986 season a joint effort was conducted between the Pacific Rim Soccer League of British Columbia, National Soccer League and the Quebec National Soccer League in order to provide a national champion. The original intention of the national tournament was to provide a potential Canadian representative to the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The previous time a Canadian club competed in the Champions' Cup was in the 1976 CONCACAF Champions' Cup represented by Toronto Italia. Their regional champions would face each other in a single-elimination tournament with a single match for the championship.


1986 National Soccer League (Canada) season, NSL Canada Cup
The NSL Canada Cup was a separate tournament intended to crown a national league cup champion. The participating teams were the league cup titleholders from the Pacific Rim Soccer League of British Columbia, National Soccer League and the Quebec National Soccer League. The format of the competition was a single-elimination tournament with a single match for the national cup.


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 21st National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 5 January 1987, honored the best filmmaking of 1986.


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
1. David Lynch – Blue Velvet2. Andrei Tarkovsky – The Sacrifice (Offret)3. Oliver Stone – Platoon and Salvador


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
1. Bob Hoskins – Mona Lisa2. Jeff Goldblum – The Fly3. Paul Newman – The Color of Money


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
1. Chloe Webb – Sid and Nancy2. Sandrine Bonnaire – Vagabond (Sans toit ni loi)2. Kathleen Turner – Peggy Sue Got Married


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actor
1. Dennis Hopper – Blue Velvet2. Daniel Day-Lewis – My Beautiful Laundrette and A Room with a View3. Ray Liotta – Something Wild


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress
1. Dianne Wiest – Hannah and Her Sisters2. Barbara Hershey – Hannah and Her Sisters


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Screenplay
1. Hanif Kureishi – My Beautiful Laundrette2. Woody Allen – Hannah and Her Sisters


1986 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Cinematography
1. Frederick Elmes – Blue Velvet2. Robby Müller – Down by Law3. Donald McAlpine – Down and Out in Beverly Hills


1986 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix
The 1986 Nations motorcycle Grand Prix was the second race of the 1986 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. It took place on the weekend of 16–18 May 1986, at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.


1986 Nauruan parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Nauru on 6 December 1986. As there were no political parties, all candidates ran as independents. However, the Parliament elected had two opposing groups holding nine seats each, resulting in a deadlock. To resolve the issue, Parliament was dissolved on 30 December, prompting fresh elections in January.


1986 Nauruan parliamentary election
The elections saw the first-ever female candidate elected, with Ruby Dediya becoming MP for Anetan/Ewa and subsequently being appointed Minister for Finance. She retained the position after the 1987 elections.


1986 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 1986 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Gary Tranquill.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Florida State
This was the first ever night game at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska's loss to FSU in Lincoln the previous year was avenged when the Cornhuskers came back from a halftime deficit, outscoring FSU 24-3 and holding the Seminoles to -2 yards in the second half.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Illinois
The outcome of this game was more or less sealed from the very first play, as Illinois QB Chris Lamb threw an interception that Cornhusker CB Brian Davis returned for a touchdown, and Nebraska never looked back.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oregon
Oregon made the first strike, but Nebraska then ran away from the Ducks, scoring 48 unanswered points, though the Cornhuskers suffered the loss of WB Von Sheppard to injury and saw PK Dale Klein's consecutive PATs streak ended at 60.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, South Carolina
Nebraska survived a scare in Columbia, escaping with a victory due to recovering a Gamecock fumble with two minutes left to play to set up the go-ahead touchdown, and then intercepting a throw by South Carolina QB Todd Ellis at NU's 10 yard line with just 10 seconds remaining.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma State
Nebraska continued their string of domination over Oklahoma State in the second ever night game at Memorial Stadium, extending their win streak over the Cowboys to 25.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Missouri
Missouri scored first on a 29-yard field goal, but Nebraska owned the show for the rest of the game, scoring six straight touchdowns on their way to the win. Nebraska PK Dave Klein beat the Cornhusker career FG record of 22 when he extended his total to 24 in this game.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Colorado
Unranked Colorado stunned the #3 Cornhuskers, holding Nebraska to its lowest rushing yard total in eight years and ending Nebraska's 18-year winning streak against the Buffaloes.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas State
The hapless Wildcats suffered Nebraska's wrath following their loss to unranked Colorado the week prior, as the Cornhuskers romped in the snow at Memorial Stadium and shut out Kansas State while allowing them just 106 total yards of offense.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Iowa State
Nebraska struck first but then seemed to flame out, as Iowa State sent the Cornhuskers to the locker room behind 14-7 at halftime. After a rousing pep talk from Coach Osborne, the Cornhuskers stormed back in the 2nd half for the win.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Kansas
Nebraska absolutely crushed Kansas in Lawrence, handing the Jayhawks their worst-ever loss and posting the biggest Cornhusker shutout since a 100-0 smashing of Nebraska Wesleyan in 1917.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, Oklahoma
The #5 Cornhuskers, flying high after their 70-0 shutout against Kansas the previous week, looked ready to upset the #3 Sooners, but it was not to be. Oklahoma found the end zone twice in the 4th quarter to tie the game, and forced a Nebraska punt with 1:22 remaining. After grinding back down the field, and with just 9 seconds remaining, Oklahoma PK Tim Lashar made a 31-yard kick to split the uprights for the win, handing the Sooners their 2nd consecutive Big 8 Championship title.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, Game summaries, LSU
Nebraska's 25th bowl appearance saw the Blackshirts setting two new bowl-game records by holding LSU to just 32 net rushing yards and 10 first downs as the #6 Cornhuskers rolled up the win over the #5 Tigers.


1986 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team, NFL and pro players
The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1986 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.


1986 Nebraska gubernatorial election
The 1986 Nebraska gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986, and featured state Treasurer Kay Orr, a Republican, defeating Democratic nominee, former Mayor of Lincoln Helen Boosalis. Incumbent Democratic governor Bob Kerrey did not seek a second term.


1986 Nebraska gubernatorial election
The election was the first state gubernatorial election in U.S. history where the candidates of both major national parties were women.


1986 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball)
The 1986 Nemzeti Bajnokság I is the 36th season of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Hungary's premier Handball league.


1986 Nemzeti Bajnokság I (women's handball), Final list
* M: Matches W: Win D: Drawn L: Lost G+: Goals earned G-: Goals got P: Point


1986 Nepalese general election
General elections were held in Nepal on 12 May 1986 to elect members of the Rastriya Panchayat. As political parties were banned at the time, all 1,548 candidates ran as independents. Voter turnout was 60.3%.


1986 Nevada Wolf Pack football team
The 1986 Nevada Wolf Pack football team represented the University of Nevada, Reno during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Nevada competed as a member of the Big Sky Conference (BSC). The Wolf Pack were led by 11th-year head coach Chris Ault and played their home games at Mackay Stadium.


1986 Nevada Wolf Pack football team, Previous season
The Wolf Pack finished the 1985 season 11–2 and 6–1 in BSC play to finish tied in first place and lost the Div. I-AA Quarterfinals against Furman by 12 to 35.


1986 Nevada gubernatorial election
The 1986 Nevada gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Democrat Richard Bryan won re-election to a second term as Governor of Nevada, defeating Republican nominee Patty Cafferata.


1986 New England Patriots season
The 1986 New England Patriots season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League and 27th overall. The Patriots matched their 11-5 record from the previous season, but this time they finished first in the AFC East, thus winning the division title. This would be the last AFC East Division title the Patriots would win until 1996 and their last playoff appearance until 1994.


1986 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 1986 New Hampshire Wildcats football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Hampshire as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In its 15th year under head coach Bill Bowes, the team compiled a 7–4 record (4–3 against conference opponents) and finished fourth out of eight teams in the Yankee Conference.


1986 New Hampshire gubernatorial election
The 1986 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986. Incumbent Governor John Sununu was re-elected to a third term in office.


1986 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 1986 New Mexico Lobos football team was an American football team that represented the University of New Mexico in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth and final season under head coach Joe Lee Dunn, the Lobos compiled a 4–8 record (2–5 against WAC opponents) and were outscored by a total of 338 to 317.


1986 New Mexico Lobos football team
The team's statistical leaders included Ned James with 1,777 passing yards, Kevin Burgess with 1,023 rushing yards and 72 points scored, and Terance Mathis with 955 receiving yards.


1986 New Mexico Lobos football team
The first three road games were televised live in the Albuquerque market over KGSW 14 (now KLUZ-TV), while all of their home games were seen on same-night delay.


1986 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 1986 New Mexico State Aggies football team was an American football team that represented New Mexico State University in the Pacific Coast Athletic Association during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first year under head coach Mike Knoll, the Aggies compiled a 1–10 record. The team played its home games at Aggie Memorial Stadium in Las Cruces, New Mexico.


1986 New Mexico gubernatorial election
The 1986 New Mexico gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1986, in order to elect the Governor of New Mexico. Due to term limits, incumbent Democratic Governor Toney Anaya was ineligible to seek a second term as Governor. As of 2020, this is the last gubernatorial election in New Mexico in which the winner was of the same party as the incumbent president.


1986 New Mexico gubernatorial election, Republican primary
The Republican primary was won by former New Mexico Republican Party chair Garrey Carruthers, who defeated five other candidates.


1986 New Orleans Saints season
The 1986 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 20th as a member of the National Football League. They improved upon their previous season's output of 5–11, winning seven games.


1986 New Orleans Saints season, Offseason, Organizational changes
On January 14, owner Tom Benson hired Jim Finks as the franchise's general manager, and turned over the entire football operation to the veteran operative who previously built championship clubs with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Two weeks later, Finks hired Jim Mora as the new head coach. Mora was the most successful coach in the history of the United States Football League, leading the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars to two USFL championships and a runner-up finish.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election
The New Orleans mayoral election of 1986 resulted in the election of Democrat Sidney Barthelemy as mayor.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Background
Elections in Louisiana—with the exception of U.S. Presidential and Congressional elections—follow a variation of the open primary system. Candidates of any and all parties are listed on one ballot; voters need not limit themselves to the candidates of one party. Unless one candidate takes more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, a run-off election is then held between the top two candidates, who may in fact be members of the same party. In this election, the first round of voting was held on February 1, 1986, and the runoff was held on March 1.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Campaign
The election campaign began in earnest after voters rejected a charter amendment which would have allowed Dutch Morial to run for a third term. This came after a failed attempt in 1983 to remove the two-term limit completely from the charter. The two-term limit was placed in the city charter adopted in 1961.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Campaign
Early in the primary campaign, polls showed Barthelemy with a 21 point lead over Jefferson, but Jefferson's endorsement by Morial and the support of Morial's political organization LIFE enabled him to take much of Barthelemy's support in the black community. Later, though, Morial's endorsement hurt Jefferson in the runoff as white voters overwhelmingly chose the opponent of 'the Morial candidate.'


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Campaign
Barthelemy spent 1.7 million on the campaign; Jefferson spent 1.3 million.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Results
Jefferson led in most majority black precincts, taking almost 70% of the black vote. Barthelemy won only about 20% of the black vote. While LeBlanc got slightly over half the white votes, Barthelemy also did well in white neighborhoods and so LeBlanc was unable to make the runoff.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Results
In the runoff, the big question was where Sam LeBlanc's white voters would go. Though LeBlanc didn't make an endorsement, most white voters switched to Barthelemy in the runoff. Barthelemy got 86% of white voters and 30% of  black voters; while Jefferson received most black votes and got minimal white support.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Significance of the election
The election was a milestone in many respects. 1986 marked the first time in which the runoff featured two black candidates. It was also the first time that the majority of the voting population (51%) was African-American. The city's white electorate became swing voters; the combination of part of the African-American electorate and white voters won Barthelemy the runoff.


1986 New Orleans mayoral election, Significance of the election
Unlike his two immediate predecessors Moon Landrieu and Dutch Morial - who were first elected by a combination of a minority of white voters and an overwhelming proportion of the black electorate - Barthelemy won election against a candidate most blacks preferred by appealing to the vast majority of white voters, a strategy which was successfully duplicated by Ray Nagin against Richard Pennington in the 2002 election.


1986 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1986 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries. They were announced on 30 December 1985 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1986 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Mauritius, Fiji, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis.


1986 New Year Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1986 New Year Honours (Australia)
The New Year Honours 1986 were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries. They were announced on 31 December 1988 to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1989 in Australia


1986 New Year Honours (Australia)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by honour, with classes (Knight, Knight Grand Cross, etc.) and then divisions (Military, Civil, etc.) as appropriate.


1986 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 1986 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II on the advice of the New Zealand government to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. The awards celebrated the passing of 1985 and the beginning of 1986, and were announced on 31 December 1985.


1986 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


1986 New York City Marathon
The 1986 New York City Marathon was the 17th edition of the New York City Marathon and took place in New York City on 2 November.


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
The 52nd New York Film Critics Circle Awards honored the best filmmaking of 1986. The winners were announced on 15 December 1986 and the awards were given on 25 January 1987.


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Paul Newman - The Color of Money 3. Jeff Goldblum - The Fly


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Kathleen Turner - Peggy Sue Got Married 3. Chloe Webb - Sid and Nancy


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Frederick Elmes - Blue Velvet 3. Chris Menges - The Mission


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Oliver Stone - Platoon and Salvador 3. David Lynch - Blue Velvet


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Woody Allen - Hannah and Her Sisters 3. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala - A Room with a View


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Andy Garcia - 8 Million Ways to Die 3. Ray Liotta - Something Wild


1986 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Winners
2. Cathy Tyson - Mona Lisa 3. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio - The Color of Money


1986 New York Giants season
The 1986 season was the New York Giants' 62nd season in the National Football League and their fourth under head coach Bill Parcells. The New York Giants, who play in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL), won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during the season.


1986 New York Giants season
Led by consensus league Most Valuable Player (MVP) linebacker Lawrence Taylor and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, the Giants posted a 14–2 record during the regular season, tied for the best record in the league with the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears and the best in team history. The Giants improved on their 10–6 record from 1985, won their first division championship since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and won Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos.


1986 New York Giants season
In the playoffs, the Giants, who were the top seed in the conference ahead of the Bears, defeated the San Francisco 49ers for the second consecutive year in the playoffs by a score of 49–3. They then disposed of their division rivals, the Washington Redskins, in the NFC Championship Game 17–0. In the Super Bowl, behind Simms' 88% pass completion percentage and their strong defense, the Giants overcame a 10–9 halftime deficit and scored thirty second-half points while allowing only ten more and defeated the Broncos 39–20.


1986 New York Giants season
After making the playoffs in 1984 and 1985, the Giants entered the 1986 season as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. They began the season with a 31–28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, before winning five consecutive games. After losing 17–12 to the Seattle Seahawks in week seven, the Giants won their final nine regular season games. Following the regular season, coach Bill Parcells won the NFL Coach of the Year Award, and eight Giants were named to the Pro Bowl. The Giants' defense, nicknamed the Big Blue Wrecking Crew, finished second in the league in points and yards allowed.


1986 New York Giants season
The 1986 Giants had been ranked as one of the greatest NFL teams of all time by fans, and members of the media. It was this Giants team that popularized the practice of the "Gatorade shower", which entailed the players dousing members of the coaching staff with Gatorade near the end of a victorious game.


1986 New York Giants season, Off-season
After two consecutive playoff seasons, the Giants entered the 1986 season as one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl.


1986 New York Giants season, Off-season, Draft
The Giants had five selections in the first two rounds of the 1986 NFL Draft, as opposed to the normal two, and 14 selections in the 12-round draft overall. Of the draft Giants' general manager George Young said, "This is not a blue-chip draft, but a strong blue-collar draft. A lot of people think there's better quantity than quality." With their first selection they chose defensive end Eric Dorsey #19 overall from the University of Notre Dame. With their four-second-round selections they chose Mark Collins, cornerback out of Cal State-Fullerton, Erik Howard, nose tackle out of Washington State University, Pepper Johnson, linebacker out of Ohio State University, and Greg Lasker, defensive back out of the University of Arkansas.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 1: at Dallas Cowboys
The Giants had their first test in the opening week Monday Night Football game against the defending Eastern Division champion Dallas Cowboys. Playing in front of 59,804 fans at Texas Stadium, the Giants lost the opener, 31–28. The teams played fairly evenly statistically; the Giants totalled 416 yards to the Cowboys' 392. Highlights of the game included Cowboys running back Herschel Walker, in his first NFL game, rushing 10 times for 64 yards and the game-winning touchdown, and fellow running back Tony Dorsett scoring on a 36-yard screen pass on the game's opening drive. The Giants struggled at the start of the game; they failed to get a first down on their first three drives, but their offense came alive and scored 28 points in the final three-quarters.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
In week two, the Giants defeated the San Diego Chargers 20–7 in front of 74,921 fans at Giants Stadium. The Giants led the Chargers 10–7 after three-quarters before scoring 10 in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Joe Morris rushed 30 times for 83 yards and defensive backs Terry Kinard and Kenny Hill intercepted two passes each. Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw five-second half interceptions. "We took away their outside running game and their short passes", Giants' defensive coordinator Bill Belichick said. "When Fouts tried to go deep, that's when we got interceptions."


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. San Diego Chargers
The Giants dominated the Chargers in time of possession; 39 minutes 44 seconds to the Chargers' 20 minutes 16 seconds. The Giants defense forced eight turnovers overall, and held the Chargers to 41 rushing yards on 13 carries. After the game Fouts complimented the Giants defense, "There was no comparing the Giants' defense with the Dolphins' defense (the Chargers scored 50 points and totalled 500 yards against the Dolphins in week one). We never got anything established against the Giants. Momma said there would be days like this, and she was right."


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Los Angeles Raiders
The Giants played the Los Angeles Raiders in Los Angeles in week three. Joe Morris rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries—the first time in 19 games someone had rushed for 100 yards against the Raiders—and the Giants' defense held the Raiders to three field goals. Raiders running back Marcus Allen was held to 40 yards on 15 carries, ending his then-NFL record 11 game 100 yard rushing streak, and the Giants defeated the Raiders 14–9. The Raiders gained a total of 58 rushing yards, and committed nine penalties. Raiders' quarterback Jim Plunkett completed 21 of 41 passes for 281 yards, and Phil Simms threw touchdown passes of 18 and 11 yards to wide receiver Lionel Manuel.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints
The Giants rallied to beat the New Orleans Saints 20–17 in front of 72,769 fans at Giants Stadium in week four. They came back from a 17–0 second-quarter deficit, by scoring 20 points in the final three-quarters. Rueben Mayes of the Saints returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards for an apparent touchdown only to have the play called back because of an illegal block by linebacker Sam Mills. The decisive points came on Phil Simms's 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zeke Mowatt midway through the fourth quarter. The Giants dominated the Saints in time of possession, holding the ball for 38 minutes and 47 seconds to the Saints 21 minutes and 13 seconds.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 5: at St. Louis Cardinals
The Giants faced the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis in their fifth game of the season. The Giants offense struggled, with Morris leading the team with a meager 53 rushing yards and quarterback Phil Simms completing only 8 of 20 passes for 104 yards. Mark Bavaro caught two passes and Bobby Johnson caught two as well, for 55 yards—the only passes caught by a Giants' wide receiver. The game was a defensive struggle that featured 17 punts, four field goals (two by each team), and one touchdown. The Giants won 13–6, and the decisive score was a 1-yard touchdown run by Joe Morris early in the third quarter. The Giants defense held the Cardinals to 2.4 yards per rush attempt and 3.8 yards per pass attempt in the victory.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In week six, the Giants hosted the Eagles at the Meadowlands. Linebacker Harry Carson scored his first career touchdown by catching a pass on a fake field goal in the third quarter, and the Giants defense sacked Eagles' quarterbacks Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham three times each. The Giants won 35–3; their largest margin of victory since they defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 32–0, in 1981. The Giants defense held the Eagles to 58 total yards, and Lawrence Taylor had four sacks and seven tackles. The sack total was Taylor's highest single game total since the 1984 season. The Giants dominated in time of possession; they held the ball for 39 minutes and 33 seconds to the Eagles 20 minutes and 27 seconds. Simms completed 20 of 29 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another touchdown.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Seattle Seahawks
The Giants allowed six sacks in their week seven 17–12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Seahawks defensive end Jacob Green outplayed offensive tackle Karl Nelson and recorded a career-high four sacks. Phil Simms threw four interceptions but coach Bill Parcells denied he was struggling, "[ y]ou'd like not to take a sack in the scoring zone, but sometimes it's hard to know when to throw it away. Two of Phil's interceptions were rebounds that had nothing to do with the quarterback. On the interception on fourth and 14 at the end, he was trying to make a play. I think I would have thrown there, too. The other interception was his mistake. I don't think he's in a slump."


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Washington Redskins
On the same night the New York Mets would come from behind to defeat the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series, the Giants defeated the Redskins 27–20 in week eight to improve to 6–2 and move into a tie with the Redskins for the division lead. With the teams tied 20–20, Joe Morris scored the game-winning touchdown on a 13-yard run with 98 seconds remaining. The Giants offense featured a two tight end formation throughout much of the game which allowed them to run the ball more effectively. The Giants used Mark Bavaro and Zeke Mowatt throughout much of the game, sometimes even lining them up on the same side. Morris finished the game with 181 yards. Redskins quarterback Jay Schroeder threw for 420 yards in the loss.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Giants played the Cowboys at Giants Stadium in week nine. Defensive end George Martin recorded a late sack, termed by head coach Bill Parcells as the biggest play of the game, to help the Giants to a 17–14 victory. The Giants held running backs Tony Dorsett to 45 yards in 10 carries and Herschel Walker to 34 yards in 10 carries. The Cowboys outgained the Giants 408 to 245 in total yardage, and had 25 first downs compared with the Giants' 14. Phil Simms struggled and completed only 6 of 18 passes for 67 yards, but Joe Morris rushed 29 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns as the Giants improved to 7–2.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles
In week 10, the Giants then travelled to Philadelphia to play the Eagles. In a physical game marked by several scuffles, the Giants passing game struggled as several receivers played with injuries, and quarterback Phil Simms completed only one pass to a wide receiver; a 17-yarder to Solomon Miller. Coach Bill Parcells placed the blame for the passing game's performance on dropped passes by the receivers. "You can't throw the ball much better than Phil did yesterday", commented Parcells. "But he didn't have the numbers to show for it."


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 10: at Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles rushed for 153 yards and outgained the Giants 265 to 237 in total yards. The Giants won 17–14 nonetheless despite Simms completing only 14 of 36 passes overall. The Giants rode their running attack as Joe Morris passed the 100 yard mark for the fourth consecutive game; Morris totalled 116, 181, 181 and 111 yards in that period. Lawrence Taylor recorded three sacks of the Giants defense seven sacks in the victory.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings
Trailing the Minnesota Vikings 20–19 with 72 seconds left in the fourth quarter at the Metrodome in week 11, Phil Simms completed a desperate 22-yard pass on fourth and 17 to Bobby Johnson for a first down. The completion led to Raul Allegre's fifth field goal and an important Giants victory 22–20. In the Giants' three previous games, Simms had completed only six passes to wide receivers.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings
In the Giants' victory he completed eight to wide receivers, four to tight end Mark Bavaro and 13 to his running backs—four to Ottis Anderson in the final two drives, three to Maurice Carthon, three to Joe Morris and three to Tony Galbreath. Simms commented years later, "[i]t's my favorite game in my career, because it's everything I always wanted to be as a player. I wanted to be tough, making big throws, immune to pressure, not worried about outcomes.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings
It was truly like standing on the tee box in golf and there's trees on each side and water and you just go 'Man, I'm gonna rip it down the middle.' And no other thought crosses your mind." The game has frequently been credited as a signature game of their season, and the Giants players celebrated the victory in the tunnel leading to their locker room and in the locker room itself in a raucous manner that was highly atypical for the team. "They high-fived themselves silly", recalled Peter King. "They were screaming and hooting and raising hell—happier than they had been all year."


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. Denver Broncos
In week 12, in what would turn out to be a preview of Super Bowl XXI, veteran defensive end George Martin (at 34 the oldest player on the team) intercepted a pass from Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown before being tackled from behind in the end zone by a celebrating Lawrence Taylor. Then in the final two minutes of the game, Simms hit fan–favorite Phil McConkey for a 46-yard pass. This led to another game-winning kick from Allegre as the Giants defeated Denver 19–16 in front of 75,116 fans at Giants Stadium. With the victory the Giants completed their second five-game winning streak of the season, several of them in close contests; the margin of victory in those five games was 7, 3, 3, 2, and 3 points.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers
In a Monday night encounter at San Francisco in week 13, the Giants overcame a 17–0 halftime deficit to Joe Montana's 49ers en route to a 21–17 victory. In the win, Simms threw for nearly 400 yards and wide receiver Stacy Robinson made an acrobatic catch at the goalline to set up the winning touchdown. Another important play also occurred during that Monday Night Football game.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 13: at San Francisco 49ers
Here is a description of the play taken from a Monday Night Football broadcast in 2005: "On Dec. 1 1986, New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro cements his reputation as one of the toughest men in the NFL. With the Giants trailing, Bavaro catches an innocent pass from Phil Simms over the middle. It takes nearly seven 49ers defenders to finally drag him down, some of which are carried for almost 20 yards, including future Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Bavaro's inspiring play jump starts the Giants, who win the game and eventually the Super Bowl."


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Washington Redskins
The Giants defeated the Redskins 24–14 in week 14 to move into sole possession of first place in the NFC East. The Redskins held Joe Morris, who had rushed for 181 yards in the Giants week eight victory, to 62 yards on 22 carries. However, Lawrence Taylor recorded three sacks and harassed Redskins' quarterback Jay Schroeder all game, as the Giants recorded four sacks and the Redskins only recorded one. Phil Simms threw touchdown passes to Mark Bavaro, Bobby Johnson, and Phil McConkey in the victory. Schroeder threw six interceptions in the game, matching Sammy Baugh's franchise record, and the Redskins had 7 turnovers overall. After the game, Parcells gave the Redskins credit for their performance and told the reporters that he had a feeling that the two would meet again sometime in the playoffs.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The Giants defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 27–7 in their fifteenth game of the season in front of 75,261 fans at Giants Stadium. Joe Morris ran for 179 yards and three touchdowns, but had three fumbles. Phil Simms struggled, but the offense was effective nonetheless; of the Giants 313 total yards, 252 came on the ground, while only 62 came from the passing game. The Giants defense controlled the Cardinals throughout the game, particularly in the first half; the Cardinals' first four possessions ended in third-down sacks and fourth-down punts. The Giants committed only two penalties for a total of ten yards, and their defense set a franchise record with nine sacks, despite sending Lawrence Taylor into pass coverage for most of the game. With the victory the Giants clinched their first NFC East division crown.


1986 New York Giants season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Giants headed into their final regular season game against the Green Bay Packers as 11½-point favorites and needed a victory to secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Sparked by a blocked punt returned for a TD by Tom Flynn, who had recently been picked up from the Packers, the Giants defeated the Packers 55–24 in front of 71,351 fans at Giants Stadium to finish the regular season with a franchise record 14 victories. The win was the Giants' ninth consecutive, matching the team record set in 1962. The Giants also set a franchise record for points in the first quarter of a game with 21. Although the Packers cut the score to 24–17 at halftime, the Giants scored 31-second half points to put the game out of reach.


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. San Francisco 49ers
The Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers 49–3 in their opening playoff game. Favored by only three points, the Giants caught a break when 49ers WR Jerry Rice fumbled an apparent touchdown catch-and-carry off his knee early in the game, then dominated the Niners the rest of the way. Their defense held the 49ers to 29 yards rushing, 184 yards in total offense, and 2 of 14 on third-down conversions. The Giants did not commit a turnover and totalled 216 rushing yards.


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Jim Burt knocked 49ers quarterback Joe Montana out of the game in the second quarter, hitting him as he threw a pass which Lawrence Taylor intercepted and returned the pick 34 yards for a touchdown. The Giants defense also held the 49ers to only nine first downs, and 15 of 37 passing for zero touchdowns and three interceptions.


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, NFC Championship: vs. Washington Redskins
With wind gusts reaching 33 miles per hour (53 km/h), coach Bill Parcells chose to take the wind when his team won the opening coin toss of the Giants' NFC Championship Game against the Washington Redskins. With the wind at their backs the Giants scored 10 first quarter points while the Redskins managed only two first downs. The Redskins were forced to punt three times in the quarter, and the wind limited those punts to 23, 27, and 24 yards. The Redskins launched a drive behind Jay Schroeder's 48-yard completion to wide receiver Art Monk in the second quarter.


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, NFC Championship: vs. Washington Redskins
However, after the Redskins botched the field goal snap on a 51-yard field goal attempt, the Giants drove for a touchdown with the wind in their face to make the score 17–0 at halftime. The Giants defense dominated the second half, and both teams went scoreless to make the final score 17–0. Schroeder completed only 20 of 50 passes for a meager 3.8 yards per attempt. Keys to the victory were tackle Brad Benson's neutralizing of Redskins pass rusher Dexter Manley, who had 18.5 sacks on the season, and the team's defense. After the game, John Madden remarked: "Last year, I thought the Bears had the best defense I had ever seen. But in the last two weeks, I feel these Giants have as good a defense as has ever played in this league."


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, Super Bowl XXI: vs. Denver Broncos
The Giants played the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXI in front of 101,063 fans at the Rose Bowl. After the Broncos' Rich Karlis kicked a 48-yard field goal on the game's opening drive, the Giants took the lead with a 78-yard touchdown scoring drive, led by quarterback Phil Simms's 6-for-6 passing. The Broncos scored on a 4-yard quarterback draw by John Elway to make the score 10–7 at the end of the first quarter. Although the two teams quarterbacks combined to complete all 13 passes attempted in the second quarter, the only score came when Giants' defensive end George Martin sacked Elway in the endzone for a safety to make the score 10–9.


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, Super Bowl XXI: vs. Denver Broncos
A turning point of the game came on the first possession of the second half. The Giants received the second half kickoff, and led a short drive that stalled at their own 47-yard line. On fourth and 1, the Giants lined up in a punt formation before shifting to a traditional set. Second string quarterback Jeff Rutledge then looked over to Parcells for a signal as to whether he should try to draw the defense offside or run a play. After a nod of approval from Parcells, he ran a quarterback sneak for a first down.


1986 New York Giants season, Playoffs, Schedule, Super Bowl XXI: vs. Denver Broncos
The Giants scored on the drive, and built a 39–13 lead before a late touchdown by the Broncos made the final score 39–20. Simms threw touchdown passes to Mark Bavaro and Phil McConkey to give him three on the game, and Joe Morris and Ottis Anderson each rushed for one touchdown. The Giants' defense limited the Broncos to only two net yards and 10 offensive plays in the third quarter. The 30-second half points set a Super Bowl-record for points in a half, and Simms was named MVP after completing 22 of 25 (88%) of his passes—a Super Bowl record which still stands.


1986 New York Giants season, Postseason honors
Following the season eight Giants—tight end Mark Bavaro, offensive lineman Brad Benson, nose tackle Jim Burt, linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, punter Sean Landeta, running back Morris, and defensive end Leonard Marshall—were selected to the Pro Bowl. Taylor, who recorded a league-leading 20.5 sacks, became one of just two defensive players to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award and the only defensive player to win the award unanimously. Taylor also won his record third Defensive Player of the Year Award and coach Bill Parcells won his first NFL Coach of the Year Award.


1986 New York Giants season, Gatorade shower
It was these 1986 Giants that popularized the football tradition of dousing the head coach with a cooler of Gatorade near the end of a victorious game. This originated in 1984 when Jim Burt, incensed by what he thought was mistreatment he received during practice, exacted revenge on Bill Parcells by dumping a cooler of Gatorade on him. Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson later picked up on the ploy and would often sneak up on Coach Parcells near the end of games to dump the remaining Gatorade over his head.


1986 New York Giants season, Gatorade shower
The dousing was a big hit with fans, and the Gatorade dumping continued throughout the season after each win, with Taylor, Carson, and several other players (Burt had since ceased doing it) concocting increasingly elaborate, sneaky, and playful ruses, so as to at least attempt to keep the inevitable dousing a surprise.


1986 New York Giants season, Historical ranking
The 1986 New York Giants are considered one of the greatest NFL teams of all time, being recognized by the NFL Films series America's Game as the 13th greatest Super Bowl Champion, as well as being selected as the eighth greatest NFL team of all time by readers in a "Page 2" article on ESPN.com.


1986 New York Giants season, Historical ranking
In 2010, the team was tied for fifth in ESPN.com's NFL Super League, a project that ranked the 16 greatest NFL Super Bowl winning teams using computer simulations of a season of play between these teams, and were ranked eighth in The Ultimate Super Rankings, a 2007 ESPN ranking of the top 80 Super Bowl era NFL teams.


1986 New York Jets season
The 1986 New York Jets season was the 27th season for the team and the seventeenth in the National Football League. It began with the team trying to improve upon its 11–5 record from 1985 and return to the playoffs under head coach Joe Walton. The Jets finished the season with a record of 10–6, qualifying for the top Wild Card spot in the playoffs despite losing their last five games of the season. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round, but lost to the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round.


1986 New York Jets season
The loss to the Browns is infamous in Jets history. Leading 20–10 in the 4th quarter, the Jets collapsed when Mark Gastineau hammered Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar seconds after he released a pass; Gastineau was flagged for roughing the passer and the Browns rallied to force overtime and win early in the game's second overtime.


1986 New York Jets season
The Week 3 game against Miami was memorable as Ken O'Brien and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino fought a wild shootout that culminated in the Jets winning 51–45 in overtime. Marino threw for 448 yards and six TD passes while O'Brien accumulated 479 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception for what would statistically be the best game of his career.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 1 at Bills
The Jets spoiled the debut of Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 2: vs. New England Patriots
The NFL scheduled the Jets to host the Patriots in a rare Thursday night game. The Jets were limited to two field goals as Tony Collins caught two touchdowns in a 20–6 Jets loss where the two teams combined for just 486 yards of offense.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins
The Jets-Dolphins rivalry reached an apex in this Week 3 matchup as Ken O'Brien and Dan Marino unleashed ten combined touchdowns, the last a 43-yard score to Wesley Walker and a 51–45 overtime win for the Jets.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 4: at Indianapolis Colts
The two teams combined for six fumbles and three interceptions as Pat Leahy booted four field goals and Ken O'Brien had a touchdown throw for the Jets’ 26–7 win.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 5: vs. Buffalo Bills
The Jets limited Jim Kelly to 211 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as Mickey Shuler caught the winning 36-yard touchdown for a 14–13 New York win.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 6: at New England Patriots
Johnny Hector and Steve Grogan had memorable performances as the Jets raced to a 24–0 halftime lead. Subbing for injured Tony Eason, Grogan stormed the Patriots back in the second half with three touchdowns and a career-high 401 passing yards. Hector, with a career-high 143 rushing yards, also scored three times, and in the final minute Grogan completed a deep pass to Irving Fryar, but Fryar fumbled to the Jets, ending a 31–24 Jets win.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 7: Monday Night Football at Denver Broncos
The two teams used four quarterbacks (John Elway, Gary Kubiak, Ken O'Brien, and Pat Ryan) and combined for ten quarterback sacks, 22 penalties (for 172 yards), and just 490 yards of offense as the Jets ran away with a 22-10 win.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints
Despite being shut out 17–0 in the fourth quarter, the Jets beat the Saints 28–23. Al Toon caught three touchdowns against his son's future team and Freeman McNeil added a fourth score. The Jets grabbed three fumbles and picked off the Saints twice.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks
Gale Gilbert was intercepted twice as the Jets crushed the Seahawks 38–7. Ken O'Brien threw for 431 yards and four touchdowns as the Jets put up 553 yards of offense.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons
Three Ken O'Brien touchdowns in the second quarter were enough to upend the Falcons in a 28–14 final. O'Brien and Falcons quarterback David Archer combined for 672 passing yards.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Jets picked off Jack Trudeau four times and won 31–16, their ninth straight win putting them at a seemingly commanding 10–1.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 12: Monday Night Football at Miami Dolphins
Mounting injuries for the Jets had steadily weakened the club and the repercussions began in a 45–3 massacre by the Dolphins in Miami. Dan Marino tossed four touchdowns and Lorenzo Hampton blasted to 188 all-purpose yards and three scores. Ken O'Brien completed just 11 of 21 passes with an interception, and Pat Ryan took over under center but was picked off himself; the Jets also fumbled twice.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 13: vs. LA Rams
Three years after the infamous set-to between Jackie Slater and Mark Gastineau the Rams returned to The Meadowlands and won 17–3. Despite 350 yards of offense the Jets managed the one field goal while coughing up four turnovers and committing eight penalties to one Rams foul.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers
Four Niners backs (including ex-Buffalo Bill Joe Cribbs) rushed for 198 yards and three scores as the Niners won 24–10, knocking the Jets to 10–4.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 15 vs. Steelers
In a Saturday NFL doubleheader with the Broncos–Redskins game following, the Jets hosted the Steelers and were buried 45–24. Ken O'Brien and Pat Ryan combined for 262 yards and two touchdowns but were intercepted three times as five Steelers backs rushed for 175 yards and three touchdowns.


1986 New York Jets season, Schedule, Game summaries, Week 16: at Cincinnati Bengals
The AFC East slipped away from the Jets as they were crushed 52–21 by the Bengals. Boomer Esiason exploded to five touchdowns as the Jets had to settle for a wildcard playoff spot.


1986 New York Mets season
The 1986 New York Mets season was the Mets' 25th season in the National League. They improved from a 98–64 record in 1985 to finish the season with a franchise record 108–54 record, giving them the division title. They went on to defeat the Houston Astros in six games in the NLCS and the American League champion Boston Red Sox in seven games in the World Series. This is their last championship to date.


1986 New York Mets season
The 1986 Mets are one of just two National League teams to have won twice as many games as lost in the regular season since 1909. The team is often regarded as one of the best of all-time, being cited in 2021 by ESPN as a top contender for best MLB team of the previous half-century from 1970 to 2020.


1986 New York Mets season, Background
Darryl Strawberry and Ron Darling made their debuts in 1983, followed by Dwight Gooden and Sid Fernandez in 1984, and Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell in 1985. The Mets hired Davey Johnson to manage the ballclub in 1984, resulting in a solid season with 90 victories and a second-place finish. The rise continued in 1985, as they netted 98 wins and finished the season only 3 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.


1986 New York Mets season, Background
In the 1985–86 offseason, general manager Frank Cashen brought in Tim Teufel, a right-handed hitting infielder from the Minnesota Twins and Bob Ojeda, a left-handed pitcher from the Boston Red Sox. The Mets added them to an existing veteran core including along with former MVPs George Foster and Keith Hernandez, veteran catcher Gary Carter and speedsters Wally Backman and Mookie Wilson.


1986 New York Mets season, Background
With these acquisitions, many predicted an easy dominance within the division. The pundits were right. During spring training, Davey Johnson said to his players that they were not only going to win, but that they would dominate. That meant winning the division by double digits. The Mets concluded the season winning a club-record 108 games, two out of every three, and finishing the season 21+1⁄2 games in front of the Philadelphia Phillies.


1986 New York Mets season, Spring training
The 1986 New York Mets held Spring training at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida for the 25th season.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, April
The Mets had a rocky start with a 2–3 record (including two extra-inning losses to the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies respectively). But when the Mets hosted Philadelphia at Shea Stadium a few days later, they kicked off an 11-game winning streak. Their toughest test in this stretch happened in St. Louis. On April 24, Howard Johnson hit a game-tying homer. A few games later, Wally Backman made a series-saving double-play. The Mets finished the month 13–3.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, May
The Mets went 18–9 in May and ended the month with a season record of 31–12.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, June
On June 10 against the Phillies, Tim Teufel hit a pinch-hit, game-winning grand slam. The Mets went 19–9 during June and finished the month with a season record of 50–21.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, July
On July 3 against Houston, Darryl Strawberry hit a game-tying home run. But it was Ray Knight who won the game with a homer of his own, after striking out in his first four at-bats. Dwight Gooden's first half performance was good enough for him to earn the honor of being named starting pitcher for the National League in the All-Star Game in the Astrodome. This game marked the end of a streak where the NL won 13 of the previous 14 games and served as foreshadowing for what would happen next.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, July
Later in the month, the Mets lost three of four to the Astros. During this series, four Mets were arrested at a popular nightclub in Houston. Their fortunes improved in a bizarre game in Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium on July 22. In the top of the ninth, Dave Parker dropped the ball that could have been the final out for the Reds, allowing the Mets to tie the game. In the bottom of the tenth, Eric Davis got to third and brawled with Ray Knight. Both men, along with Kevin Mitchell and Mario Soto, were ejected.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, July
Johnson was forced to alternate Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell in the outfield. In the bottom of the twelfth, Carl Willis bunted into a double-play. In the top of the fourteenth, Howard Johnson hit a home run to put the Mets on top. The Mets went 16–11 during July and finished the month with a season record of 66–32 and were up by 15.5 games in the NL East division.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, August
Former MVP George Foster was released. Former Mets favorite Lee Mazzilli returned. Gary Carter was injured. While he was gone, the Mets won 8 of 11 games. The Mets went 21–11 in August and ended with a season record, to that point, of 87–43 and were up by 19 games in the NL East division.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, September–October
When they got to Philadelphia, droves of Mets fans were there to see if they would clinch the NL East. In fact, they seemed to take up half of Veterans Stadium. Given what had happened to them when they got swept in a three-game series by the Cubs in Philadelphia preceding the series and not wanting to see visiting teams win a division title on their field, the Phillies swept the Mets. During the series, Mets fans at Veterans Stadium became unruly and damaged seats in the upper deck (the 700 level).


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, September–October
One Mets fan was arrested after striking at two Philadelphia police officers. The Phillie Phanatic summed up the Mets being swept by crushing three Mets helmets in front of the Mets dugout during the final game of the series. The Phillies ended up being the only team in the league to post a winning record against the Mets, going 10–8, with a 7–2 mark at Veterans Stadium.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, September–October
During the postseason awards, the Mets rivalry with the Phillies and that series was played out again, as it was Mike Schmidt of the Phillies who won the National League MVP Award, ahead of Gary Carter, who finished third, and Keith Hernandez, who finished fourth. It was Schmidt's third career MVP.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, September–October
The Mets then split a two-game series in St. Louis, trimming the magic number to clinch to 1 on September 16. The following day, they faced Dennis Eckersley and the Chicago Cubs. With a flu-ridden Hernandez, Dave Magadan was the offensive source of the day. Hernandez returned in the 9th to get the final out. The champagne was popped immediately while the fans invaded the field quickly. The Mets won a team-record 108 games after defeating the Pirates.


1986 New York Mets season, Regular season, Month by month, September–October
The Mets went 21–11 during the final two months to end the season with a record of 108-54 while winning the NL East division by 21.5 games.


1986 New York Mets season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1986 New York Mets season, World Series
NL New York Mets (4) vs. AL Boston Red Sox (3)


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
One of the most famous games in baseball history is Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets rallied in the bottom of the 8th inning of Game 6, tying the game on a Gary Carter sacrifice fly. Reliever Calvin Schiraldi had loaded the bases with one out and had a 3–0 count on Carter, who swung away at the next pitch to hit the fly ball. In the ninth inning, after a walk and an error put two men on with nobody out, Howard Johnson was sent to the plate to sacrifice the winning run to third.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
After Johnson was unsuccessful on his first bunt attempt, Mets manager Davey Johnson took the bunt off. Johnson ended up striking out, leaving runners at first and second with one out. Lee Mazzilli followed with a deep fly to left that would have won the game had the runner been at third. Lenny Dykstra then flied out for the third out, sending the game to extra innings.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
In the top of the 10th inning, Dave Henderson homered to pull the Sox within three outs of a world championship, and Barrett singled in Wade Boggs to make it a 5–3 lead. When Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez were retired to start the bottom of the 10th, the championship seemed at hand. After Hernandez made the second out, he went to the Mets' locker room, took off his uniform, opened a beer and watched the rest of the game on the clubhouse TV, thinking the game and the Series would be over soon. Hernandez, who is superstitious, never left that spot until the game ended.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
Then, Carter singled to left. Pinch-hitter Kevin Mitchell then singled to center and Shea Stadium started to get loud. Knight went down in the count 0–2 bringing the Mets to their last strike but he hit the next pitch into center field for a single that scored Carter and advanced Mitchell to third base, making the score 5–4 and bringing Shea back to life. Before his at-bat, Mitchell was on the phone in the locker room making plane reservations to fly home to San Diego, thinking the game was over. He had already gotten out of his uniform and was in street clothes, and, when he was told he was batting, got off the phone and hurriedly got dressed, not even bothering to put his cup back on.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
The Red Sox replaced Schiraldi with Bob Stanley to face left fielder Mookie Wilson. Wilson got the count to 2–1 but fouled the fourth pitch away to bring the Mets to their last strike again. He stayed alive fouling off two more Stanley pitches. Then, the seventh pitch sailed towards Wilson's knees sending him to the ground. the ball bounced off catcher Rich Gedman's catchers' mitt and went straight to the backstop.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
Mitchell scored on the wild pitch (which many thought should have been scored a passed ball) uncontested to tie the game and Shea Stadium erupted while Knight advanced to second base. The Red Sox were shocked to have blown the lead with the game all but over, much as the Angels had done to them in the ALCS almost two weeks earlier.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
Wilson fouled off two more pitches to bring the at bat to the tenth pitch. His next hit sent a slow rolling ground ball up the first base line, which appeared to be an easy to field situation. Bill Buckner, with his chronic bad ankles and knees, moved to field the ball in an effort to beat the speedy Wilson to first base, and finish the inning. As he bent over, the ball passed between his legs, under his glove and rolled behind him into right field. Shea Stadium exploded and the Mets' players and fans screamed in excitement. Knight needed to hold his helmet on while jumping towards home plate with the winning run. Buckner and the rest of the Red Sox appeared stunned as they exited the field.


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
Vin Scully's call of the play quickly become an iconic one to baseball fans, with the normally calm Scully growing increasingly excited:


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
So the winning run is at second base, with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson. (A) little roller up along first... behind the bag! It gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight, and the Mets win it!


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
Scully then remained silent for more than three minutes, letting the pictures and the crowd noise tell the story. Scully resumed with:


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words, but more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well, and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow!


1986 New York Mets season, World Series, Game Six
Had the Red Sox won the World Series, they would have won their first World Series since 1918, in addition to making Boston the first city to win both NBA and World Series championships in the same year. As it turned out, the Celtics championship four months before was the last championship for Boston and for Massachusetts until the New England Patriots, who lost Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears in January, won Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002.


1986 New York Mets season, Documentary
ESPN 30 for 30 announced it would release a documentary series on the 1986 Mets entitled, Once Upon a Time in Queens, in the fall of 2021. The series is produced by Jimmy Kimmel and directed by Nick Davis.


1986 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees' 1986 season was the 84th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 90-72, finishing in second-place, 5.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Lou Piniella. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.


1986 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Season standings
1986 was the first time since 1904 that the Yankees finished second in the standings to the Red Sox.


1986 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Billy Martin
On August 10, 1986, the Yankees retired Martin's uniform number 1 and dedicated a plaque in his honor for Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque contains the words, There has never been a greater competitor than Billy. Martin told the crowd, "I may not have been the greatest Yankee to put on the uniform, but I am the proudest."


1986 New York Yankees season, Regular season, Billy Martin
On May 24, 1986, on the season finale of Saturday Night Live, co-host Martin was "fired" by executive producer Lorne Michaels for being "drunk" in a skit, slurring his lines. During the goodnights, Martin "sets fire" to the dressing room in retaliation. (Only three cast members would be re-hired the next season.) In 1988, on Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, comedian Dennis Miller opened the sports with, "In Calgary tonight, Katarina Witt won the gold medal in figure skating, prompting Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to fire manager Billy Martin."


1986 New York Yankees season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1986 New York gubernatorial election
The 1986 New York gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986 to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Incumbent Democratic governor Mario Cuomo defeated Republican Andrew O'Rourke, the County Executive of Westchester County in a landslide. Cuomo carried all but 5 counties.


1986 New York gubernatorial election, Republican nomination, Candidates
Lewis Lehrman, the 1982 Republican nominee for Governor, decided early on not to mount another candidacy versus Cuomo. Lehrman's decision to forgo a candidacy was seen as a blow to state Republican leaders, given his strong performance in 1982 and wide fundraising capacity. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger considered running for Governor and was deemed an "able" challenger, and decision to ultimately pass on a candidacy also led to a leadership vacuum.


1986 New York gubernatorial election, Republican nomination, Candidates
With Lehrman and Kissinger both passing on the contest, a number of other names were mentioned as potential challengers to Cuomo. State Senator Roy M. Goodman, considered a liberal Republican, openly considered mounting a statewide candidacy. James L. Emery, Lehrman's running-mate in 1982, had also been mentioned as a possible candidate. Though subject to media speculation, U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani also decided to run.


1986 New York gubernatorial election, Republican nomination, Candidates
In the end, O'Rourke secured the Republican nomination, and was praised as an "extremely credible candidate" by White House official Bill Lacy.


1986 New Zealand NBL season
The 1986 NBL season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League. Two changes occurred for the 1986 season, with Napier now called Hawke's Bay, while Centrals were dropped from the league and replaced by 1985 Conference Basketball League (CBL) champions North Shore. Canterbury won 16 of their 18 round-robin games, qualifying for the finals in top spot. While Wellington contested their fourth straight final, Canterbury won the championship to claim their first league title. John "Dutchie" Rademakers top scored for Canterbury in the final with 22 points, while American point guard Clyde Huntley added 20 and fellow import, Angelo Hill, 15. Youngster Ian Webb also contributed 13 points, as Canterbury defeated Wellington 87–82.


1986 New Zealand National Party leadership election
The New Zealand National Party leadership election was an election for the National leadership position in 1986.


1986 New Zealand National Party leadership election, Background
The National Party, led by Robert Muldoon, had lost the 14 July 1984 general election to the New Zealand Labour Party in a landslide. In November 1984, Muldoon was challenged for the party leadership by four candidates; Jim McLay and Jim Bolger were the two main challengers and McLay was successful, taking leadership from 29 November 1984.


1986 New Zealand National Party leadership election, Background
McLay offered Muldoon the role of Overseas Trade spokesperson, ranked at number ten of the caucus and the same post that Keith Holyoake had held after he had stepped down as National's leader. Barry Gustafson, the biographer of Muldoon and the author of the National Party's history The first 50 years, believes that had Muldoon accepted, National would have avoided the difficulties that it faced in 1985. As it was, McLay struggled to get much traction with the media, while Muldoon was seen as the go-to person, all the while criticising the leadership.


1986 New Zealand National Party leadership election, Background
In November 1985, McLay demoted Muldoon to the bottom rank in caucus, and Muldoon-supporter Merv Wellington to the second-lowest rank. Muldoon then openly challenged McLay and called for his removal. When Muldoon was asked whether he was going to be a thorn in National's side, he famously replied: "No, just a little prick." An upcoming leadership challenge before year's end was discussed by the media, and lists of supporters of McLay and his possible successor, Bolger, were printed. The issue came to a head when at the 5 December 1985 caucus meeting, McLay asked three times whether anybody wanted to add anything to the agenda, including the question of leadership. Nobody did, and those caucus members who had stirred the media were reprimanded.


1986 New Zealand National Party leadership election, Background
McLay moved his front bench around in February 1986. Some of his supporters (such as Michael Cox and Ruth Richardson) were promoted, whilst George Gair and Bill Birch were demoted. Gair had made it known in December that he would like to become deputy to Bolger if the challenge had been successful, and Birch was an admirer of Muldoon and a close friend of Bolger.