"Happy Days" Is Sports: R.I.P. Garry Marshall

Director Garry Marshall passed away last night at the age of 81. The Bronx native had a long career in film and television, with shows that included The Odd Couple, Mork & Mindy, and Laverne and Shirley, and movies such as The Flamingo Kid, Pretty Woman, and Beaches. He was a damn funny actor to boot, never better than in the scene with Albert Brooks in Lost in America. (Everybody now: "The De-sert Inn Has-Heart!")

Above all, Marshall will be remembered for Happy Days, the 1970s sitcom set in 1950s Milwaukee that garnered (a now unheard of) 30 million viewers at its height. Marshall gave the world Arthur Fonzarelli, and for that we should all be grateful. Just like Henry Winkler, who tweeted, "Thank You for my professional life…your loyalty, friendship, and generosity."

Sports and pop culture being as inextricable as they are, Happy Days featured its fair share of athletic achievements. So, in memoriam, here are five great Happy Days sports moments.

5. Happy Days Doesn't Punk Out

If popular culture has taught us one thing about the Eisenhower era, it's that illegal drag-racing was the most popular youth sport going. Here, Fonzie takes on Skizzy at Brew Town's version of Thunder Road in a death-defying—THE COPS! CHEESE IT!

4. Fonzie Looks Nothing Like Buddy Holly

Dance marathons are as sports as it gets. Like baseball, there is no clock. Unlike baseball, you have to move around a lot. In "They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They?" our girl Joanie wants to exact revenge on cocky Jill Higgins, the head cheerleader who cut her from the squad (played by Charlene Tilton, who would go on to star in Dallas as the vixen Lucy Ewing). Joanie's plan is to win the dance contest over Jill with the fancy-hoofed Fonz, who is forced to push his motorcycle 12 miles and is too…tired…to…dance. Until someone insults his hair, and then it. Is. On.

Naturally, since this is 1950s Milwaukee, the dance-off number is "Hava Nagila." The (presumably) Italian character played by a Jewish actor busts out a Russian boogie to win the title over the WASPy opponents. Yes, this is the Weezer joint. Yowza, yowza, yowza. Criminally, embedding is disabled on this one, so click here to watch.

3. Richie's Dahntay Jones Game

In a state semi-final, after an injury to a key player, little-used reserve Richie Cunningham was inserted at the end of a game. Ordered by his coach not to shoot, the 23-year-old Jefferson High Ducks benchwarmer had no choice but to launch a two-handed set shot as the clock ticked down.

Cunningham drilled it.

And the fans went wild, carrying Richie all the way to Arnold's. Women threw themselves at Cunningham; no doubt he got laid—or did some quality making out—on Blueberry Hill that night. The rest of the episode is about not getting a big head or you'll end up being bamboozled by a hottie who is setting you up to get your arm broken by a rival team until Fonz shows up to save the day and gets you to the next game where it comes down to you shooting free throws Rick Barry-style and you'll be the hero or the goat and then you'll find yourself in a dark gym still at the line wondering where it all went wrong until Dad comes to soothe your sports pain…

Howard Cunningham is the best.

2. The Happy Days LeBron Series

This three-part episode "Fonzie Loves Pinky" features everything: a demolition derby, Howard in a leopard fez, the beautiful skimpily dressed Pinky Tuscadero, No-Nose, Boo-Boo, the Malachi Brothers' infamous two-car "Crunch" move, Ralph Malph in a jumpsuit that matches his hair, and, of course, Fonz's dead engine and the lone hope of his magic fist.

This was the Happy Days apex. A towering sitcom achievement and a far cry from what was to come.

1. Happy Days Jumps the….

You think this shit is funny? You try launching your body off a waterski ramp over a motherfucking man-eating shark while wearing a leather jacket in the California sunshine.

Y'all can just sit on it.

Godspeed, Gary Marshall.