Charlotte has 2 active teams, the, There have been no championships in Vancouver history. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. The Bucks were in their third year as a franchise and were led by MVP Kareen Abdul-Jabbar in his second season, Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson and the great power forward Bob Dandridge. However, they lost to the Houston Astros. The team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. Check out our Cyber Monday Shoppers Guide! Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. (See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). The New York Liberty are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. We see many teams continuing their hist. The longest drought overall now belongs to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals at 69 years. The modern Ottawa Senators did not begin. Basketball fans must go all the way back to the 1051 NBA to find the last Kings championship. The Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. While the Cardinals appeared in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, their lone Super Bowl appearance, this organization has never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Then in the Super Bowl, they almost pulled off another miracle, as Kevin Dyson (who scored the Music City Miracle) was stopped a foot shy of a game-tying touchdown on the final play of the game. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. WOLVERHAMPTON, England: Wolverhampton boosted their survival hopes and delivered a damaging blow to Tottenham's Champions League ambitions in a 1-0 win in the English Premier League on Saturday. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . The Original Ottawa Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. In 2008-2009, the Arizona Cardinals came back from a 20-7 fourth quarter deficit to go ahead 23-20 with only 2:47 remaining in Super Bowl XLIII but Santonio Holmes amazing end zone catch gave the Pittsburgh Steeles the 27-23 win. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. The Twin Cities have been home to MLBs Minnesota Twins, NFLs Minnesota Vikings, the NBAs Minneapolis Lakers (now Los Angeles Lakers), the NHLs Minnesota North Stars (now Dallas Stars) and Minnesota Wild, the NASLs Minnesota Kicks (now defunct) and the MLS Minnesota United FC. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. The organizations last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. Your email address will not be published. New York went from 1906-1920 without a championship, and that dry spell was bookended by World . Listed according to seasons waited. Jacksonvilles debut as a pro-sports city came in 1970 when the American Basketball Associations The Floridians played some of their games in Jacksonville as a regional franchise in 1970 and 1971. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. The Blue Jays' drought continued to grow in 2022 after they lost in the Wild Card Series to the Mariners. In the 1990s the Bills had a dynasty, winning four consecutive AFC Championships (a feat that has not been matched) from 1990-1993 with Hall of Famers Cornelius Bennett (LB), Jim Kelly (QB) James Lofton (WR), Andre Reed (WR), Bruce Smith (DE), Thurman Thomas (RB) and Coach Marvy Levy. Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. Longest playoff drought - New York Jets: With the Browns and Bucs both having made the playoffs in 2020, the Jets now own the longest drought, not having appeared in a postseason contest since the 2010 AFC Championship Game. The NBA team with the longest championship drought is the sad-Sack-ramento Kings, who last won the league championship in 1951 as the (wait for it) Rochester Royals . But if youre not going to count those as championships then you have to start counting years with the start of Super Bowls. 6 seed. Your email address will not be published. 2023 Cable News Network. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. Pottsville won the game 21-7, a win that should have secured the championship. In this installment, we cover the 10 cities who have not seen a championship in 20 years or more in any major sport San Diego, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Sacramento, Charlotte, Orlando, Cincinnati, the Twin Cities, Jacksonville, and Nashville. The closest Milwaukee came to a title since 1971, however, was in 1982 when the Harvey Wallbanger Brewers won their only pennant in their 50-year history. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . They lost the championship the following season and did not reach the championship game for 60 years before falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl LIII. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. Toronto Star via Getty Images. The first time was in 1920 behind the guise and bat of player/manager Tris Speaker. Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates leading the Bucks to the NBA championship Tuesday night. The Bengals have been 1-8 in eight post-season appearances and have not played in a title game since losing Super Bowl XXIII in 1988-89. Since returning 24 years ago, they have only made the playoffs twice, while the Baltimore Ravens are considered to be a separate team that began play in 1996. The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. San Jose has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Chicago was the, There have been no championships in Winnipeg history. Seattle tied the record for the most wins in an MLB season (116), but lost in the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA. Entire US Womens Soccer Team Sues US Soccer for Gender Discrimination, we covered franchise championship conference titles, conference finals, and playoff appearance droughts, team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. They also won the pennant in 2006, when they lost in five games to the 83-win Cardinals. 57 years. However, they were stripped of the title and the Maroons were suspended by the NFL for playing an exhibition game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. Very little work got done in 2008. Mets: 36 seasons (Last title in 1986)It took a series of miracles for the Mets to come back in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series before eventually prevailing in Game 7. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. The St. Louis Blues, founded in 1967, hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019, their first championship in franchise history. The franchise will hope to find a new quarterback in 2023, someone who can finally take this team back to the playoffs. We also cover VPNs, internet providers & more. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. A good VPN provides extra security and unequalled privacy for everything you do online. Cleveland reached the World Series multiple times (1954, 95, 97 and 2016). Athletics: 33 seasons (Last title in 1989)The As have enjoyed as many dynastic runs as any team outside the Yankees over the breadth of Major League history, but the last three decades have been a dry period in Oakland. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. AMAZON -- HotDog.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Fans growing up as children hoping desperately to see their favorite club they were raised to support one day lift the banner declaring the champions. Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports. The Buffalo Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 5th season in 1974-75, led by Hall of Fame Center Gilbert Perreault They lost to the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, who clinched Game 6 in Buffalo with a 2-0 win. The Reds have been 2-11 in its four post-season appearances since then and has finished in last or next to last 11 times including the last five seasons. Only one team can win the World Series every year, but some fanbases have been waiting a long time to see their team raise the Commissioners Trophy. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Additionally, each location must have had at least one professional sports team operating in all years of its championship drought for that losing streak to count. There were World Series chances in '84 and 98, but the Padres won just one Fall Classic game in those years against the Tigers and Yankees, respectively. Buffalo's drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. Once part of the NFL, the Chargers made it to the AFC Championship Game four times: (i) losing to the Oakland Raiders 34-27 in 1980-81; (ii) losing 27-7 to Cincinnati in the famous Freezer Bowl in 1981-82; (iii)losing to the undefeated Patriots 21-12 in 2007-08; and (iv) then there was the 1994-95 season. The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. The Buffalo Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in only their 5th season in 1974-75, led by Hall of Fame Center Gilbert Perreault They lost to the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, who clinched Game 6 in Buffalo with a 2-0 win. Answer (1 of 3): Counting AFL championships and defunct teams, the longest current droughts for an entire city winning any major sports championship are: 1. By: Jill R. Dorson -. How else could he watch one to two films every day? Thats it youll save money, take back control, and enjoy TV more! Welcome to SportsHistory!Today we took look at every single NFL team's championship drought and ranked them in order! The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. The Mariners last made the playoffs in 2001, an unforgettable season for the team. Frank loves video. The Rays pushed the Dodgers one game further in '20, but still came up short in six games. Jabbar played only one more season with the Bucks, but the franchise found new life in the 1980s under Coach Don Nelson with 7-straight 50-win seasons and three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals only to face dynastic Philadelphia and Boston teams. Still, 15 of the 30 teams have gone at least the past 25 seasons -- since MLB's most recent expansion in 1998 -- without winning the World Series. Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. The second came in 1948 with manager Lou Boudreau calling the shots and Bob Lemon and Bob Feller manning the mound. Additionally, each location must have had at least one professional sports team operating in all years of its championship drought for that losing streak to count. The Yankees swept the Padres, clinching Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers were 19-point underdogs against Steve Young and San Francisco 49ers, who jumped to a 42-10 lead and coasted to a 49-26 win. Padres fans can take comfort in the fact that the Yankees were simply that good, as they began a 10-game World Series winning streak as the Yankees also swept the Atlanta Braves in 1999 and beat the New York Mets (4-1) in 2000. The team left town in 1934. Rays: 25 years (No titles)Tampa Bay debuted as the Devil Rays and began with some lean times, averaging 97 losses over its first 10 seasons. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. Atlanta Hawks - 63 years. Since then the Twins have only advanced as far as the ALCS once (2002). To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. The last time the Lions won a championship came in 1957, when they defeated the Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. They were followed by the World Football Leagues Jacksonville Sharks/Express (defunct), the NASLs Jacksonville Tea Men (defunct), the United States Football Leagues Jacksonville Bulls (defunct) and them, finally, the NFLs Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. Its one thing to never hoist the championship trophy and witness a parade, but not even experiencing the brief second of joy from a playoff game makes rooting for teams even more painful. 2023 ChampsOrChumps.us Terms Privacy Policy, The most recent championship for Minneapolis was the, The most recent championship for New York was the, The most recent championship for Phoenix was the, The most recent championship for Cincinnati was the, There have been no championships in Charlotte history. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. When the Cubs rallied from a 3-1 World Series deficit and then broke a 6-6 tie in the 10th inning Wednesday, they broke, as we all know, the longest championship . The Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). 1. With the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs breaking their respective curses this century, the longest World Series drought now belongs to the Cleveland Guardians. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. 11/4/2016. The Brewers had a 3-2 series lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, as the series moved back to St. Louis. gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. Full List Of Super Bowl Champions Longest Super Bowl Droughts Longest NFL Playoff Droughts Longest NFL Playoff Win Droughts All Time Best NFL Regular Seasons All Time Worst NFL Regular Seasons Most Consecutive NFL Seasons With Winning Records Most Consecutive NFL Seasons With Losing Records Most Consecutive NFL Seasons Making The Playoffs . There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. One of the NHLs Original Six organizations has gone over five decades without lifting the Cup. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? The NFL then gave the title to the Cardinals. Finally, the city of Cincinnati had be flummoxed. In the 67 years since their last title, the . The team came close to winning the inaugural WNBA championship in 1997 but fell to the Houston Comets. Super Bowl odds: Every teams championship futures for 2023 NFL season, NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl, MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot, MLB playoffs 2023: MLB postseason predictions, World Series and playoffs info, Who is the oldest NBA player? The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks back to the NBA Finals in 1974 against the Boston Celtics. The Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). Phoenix Suns - 53 years. After taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, Colorado is back on top of the NHL world. The Magic came back and won 60 games, but could not get past the 72-win Chicago Bulls who swept the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. City. But cities that have been awarded franchises recently have an additional disadvantage, because there are now more teams to compete against than in earlier years. Ultimately, they were passed over for another city with a similar drought, only this city has four teams rather than two. The last championship in San Diego was the 1963 AFL Championship where the Chargers beat the Boston Patriots 51-10. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended decade-long and, in a few cases, century-long curses. In the world of major professional sports, some cities are known as consistent winners, while others have a long history of hard luck in the search for a sports championship. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. . Active droughts are listed in bold type. In 1995, Charlotte became home to the NFL Panthers who have had much greater success, including making it to the NFC Championship game in their second year. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. In the NBA Finals, the Magic faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who beat them 4-1. The Minnesota Timberwolves reached the conference finals only once in 2004 when league MVP Kevin Garnett led them to a conference-best record of 58-24. For everything you need to know about Hulu, be sure to browse our Hulu + Live TV review. The Browns last appeared in the AFC Championship Game during the 1989 season when they fell . Its also an essential tool for getting the most out of your streaming services. Sacramento Kings - 1951. The Hornets would move to New Orleans after the 2002 season. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. After being eliminated from postseason contention in Week 18, the New York Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 12 seasons. After their initial season, the Jaguars went 45-19 over the next four seasons, making the playoffs each year and the AFC Championship twice (losing to the Patriots 20-6 in 1996-97 and the Titans 33-14 in 1999-2000). All Rights Reserved. Thanks to the Capitals, Detroit has now moved up the list of cities with the longest-running title droughts. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. Each of the traditional Big Four sports leagues expanded into new markets throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, while Major League Soccer has only existed since 1996. Buffalo, who has It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Discovery Company. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. Paul) owns the longest championship drought of all American cities that have teams in the four major sports. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. . After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. Active droughts are listed in bold type Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. The Bills lost all four Super Bowls, with the closest one being in the 1990-91 season when Scott Norwoods potential game-winning 47-yard field goal attempt with 8-seconds remaining was wide by a foot. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. The Braves had been one of those teams entering the 2021 season, but they became the latest team to end a lengthy drought by clinching their first title since 1995 by beating the Astros to take home the 2021 World Series trophy that fall. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. After losing in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have now gone 14 years without winning a title. The last Buffalo championship was in 1965 when the Bills won their second consecutive AFL title with a 23-0 win over the San Diego Chargers led by quarterback Jack Kemp (who would go on to be a New York Congressman). 9. The Bobcats, however, do have the distinction of having the worst record in NBA history in the strike-shortened 2012 season when they went a horrid 7-59 (.106). All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. Active droughts are listed in bold type. One of two teams from Cleveland on the list, the Guardians not only hold the longest drought, but also have the most championship appearances of any team on this list with . The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for As for the Detroit Lions, they can end their playoff drought and earn the No. Here are the teams with the longest-running droughts in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and WNBA: Twelve NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl, but no team has gone longer without a championship than the Arizona Cardinals. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. Your email address will not be published. Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. And here are the 10 longest World Series title droughts in MLB history that are no longer active (going back to the inaugural World Series in 1903): Cubs: 107 years (1909-2016)White Sox: 87 years (1918-2005)Red Sox: 85 years (1919-2004)Phillies: 77 years (1903-80)Orioles/Browns: 63 years (1903-66)Twins/Senators: 62 years (1925-87)Astros: 55 years (1962-2017)Giants: 55 years (1955-2010)Dodgers: 52 years (1903-55)Nationals/Expos: 50 years (1969-2019), MLB-record streak of elimination-game losses. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. Despite fielding nine teams, the most of any city in the country, New York has not won a title in nearly nine years, almost 3,200 days. Ten teams have multiple losing streaks where they lost an equal number of post season games before breaking the drought. After losing to Detroit (4-1) in the 1984 World Series, the Padres won the pennant again in 1998 (in only their second playoff appearance since 1984). appreciated. Milwaukee since has made two National League Championship Series appearances. We've also included the last time each city was able to celebrate a title across a major team sport. The Twins win came months after the Minnesota North Stars lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. (MEDIA GENERAL) After 108 years of waiting for another World Series ring, the Chicago Cubs ended the longest championship drought in major American professional sports history. In the world of major professional sports, some cities are known as consistent winners, while others have a long history of hard luck in the search for a sports championship. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. The Toronto Maple Leafs have played 54 seasons since winning their last championship in the 1966-67 season. The Mariners ended their 21-year postseason drought in 2022 before losing to the division-rival Astros in the ALDS. The As most recent ALCS appearance resulted in a sweep by the Tigers in 06. Blue Jays: 29 seasons (Last title in 1993)The road to the World Series title ran through Toronto at the beginning of the 1990s, but dynastic days north of the border subsided at the turn of the millennium. For example, Canada the birthplace of hockey is home to seven cities with NHL franchises, but none of them have brought home a Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . NBA championship drought: 39 seasons (1975-2013) Reason the drought ended: 2014 championship season (Warriors) Most recent championship season: 2017 season (Warriors) Total NBA championships: 4. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. . The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history.