1. New Orleans Saints victory in Superbowl XLIV

The Saints beat the Colts 31-17 in february to win their first ever Superbowl title. Along with the rest of the City of New Orleans, the Saints football team was decimated by Hurricane Katrina. Drew Brees won the MVP of the game against the football powerhouse Indianapolis Colts.

However this game was about much much more than a simple game of football.

2. Andres Iniesta's tribute to Daniel Jarque in the final of the World Cup.

In what was the biggest moment of Andres Iniesta's career, the spanish midfielder looked to salutea fallen friend. Daniel Jarque had died of a heart attack during the preseason of that season. Jarque had played for Barcelona's catalan rivals Espanyol but that didn't stop Iniesta, a Barcelona player for his whole career, from revealing a vest that proclaimed "Dani Jarque, always with us."

Iniesta's goal did more than just win the World Cup for Spain.

3. Tipperary halting Kilkenny's hopes of winning their fifth All-Ireland Final in a row.

After coming so close to beating Kilkenny in last season's final, Tipperary finally put a stop to Kilkenny's dominance of Hurling in Ireland for the last five years. Kilkenny hadn't been beaten in the Championship for 21 games and the better teams in the country could not even get close to them until Tipperary took their title in a dramatic and hugely entertaining final.

4. Phil Mickelson's 2010 Masters victory.

Jim Nance called it perfectly in the commentary booth, “Thats a win for the family.” Winning any pro Golf tournament is tough enough. Mickelson won potentially the biggest of them all while dealing with the turmoil knowing both his Mother and Wife had been diagnosed with cancer in the past year.

5. Graeme McDowell wins the US Open

Graeme McDowell's victory at the US Open was the first ever Irish victory at the event and the first European victory for over 30 years. McDowell's final round of 74 meant that he finished at level par 1 stroke ahead of Gregory Harvét of France.

6. Lebron James' return to Cleveland.

The hugely anticipated return of the dethroned King in Cleveland was anticlimactic for the fans as Lebron reclaimed his throne. James scored 38 points and added 8 assists while the Cleveland fans could do nothing but boo to prevent their team from going down by 28 points.

7. The Ryder cup stays in Europe.

The home crowd watched in muted anticipation before bursting into huge rounds of applause and chants of “Europe, Europe” once Hunter Mahan had conceded the hole. The first ever Ryder cup finale that took place on a Monday was one for the ages as it all came down to the wire.

8. Armando Galarraga's not so perfect game.

It may have been the year of the pitcher in Baseball but the memory that will live on in Baseball fans minds for years to come is that of Jim Joyce's error that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Galarraga and Joyce took part in what was easily the most sportsman moment of the year as Galarraga shook the hand of the man who cost him everything he had been working for the next day understanding the emotional Joyce's mistake.

9. Canada beats the USA 3-2 to win Olympic Gold in Ice Hockey.

The Canadians were going up against the Americans who had already beaten them earlier in the tournament. The USA were hoping to mark the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice with a victory over the superstars of Canada while the home nation were looking to be the first team to win the Gold in their home country for over 30 years. A dramatic matchup went into overtime before Sidney Crosby scored the dramatic winning goal.

10. Final four comes down to final shot

The Duke Blue Devils were up by 2 points with .3 seconds to go when the ball left Gordon Hayward's hands from the half court line. The ball bounced off the back of the rim before clearing the hoop and giving the title to Duke. The national championship and winner of the Final Four tournament came down to three inches. A back and forth game was almost won by the underdog, which meant that three inches was the difference between number 1 on this list and number 10.

Other Considerations:

Nicolas Mahut v John Isner at Wimbledon.
Barcelona's 5-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.
The University of Connecticut's women's Basketball team breaking the NCAA Basketball record
with 89 consecutive victories.
Siphiwe Tshabalala's opening goal for South Africa at the 2010 World Cup.
Lindsey Vonn winning her third World Cup Title in a row tying the all time record.
Katie Taylor winning the World Amateur Title in Barbados.
Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup since 1961.
Roy Halladay's no hitter in his first playoff appearance for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kevin Love's 31 point and 31 rebound performance against the New York Knicks.