Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. 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. Did you encounter any technical issues? The Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? When the Mariners host the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the American League Division series, it will be Seattles first MLB playoff game since Oct. 18, 2001. The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. Longest championship droughts within the four major sports The other seven clubs (Cardinals, Lions, Oilers/Titans, Chargers, Browns, Bills, and Vikings) all won an NFL or AFL championship prior to the AFLNFL merger; in the case of the Vikings, however, the Super Bowl existed at the time they won their only league title (in 1969), leaving them and the Falcons as the only two teams to have never won the highest championship available to them. This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. It has been an essential part of our streaming toolkit for years. Ottawa. 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. Orlando has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Calgary was the, The most recent championship for Indianapolis was the, The most recent championship for Edmonton was the, There have been no championships in San Jose history. The first time was in 1920 behind the guise and bat of player/manager Tris Speaker. Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks back to the NBA Finals in 1974 against the Boston Celtics. 1. Led by Dwight Howard, the Magic stunned LeBron James and the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. Discovery Company. Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. Of active NFL teams 20 have won the Super Bowl, Of active NFL teams 7 have won AFL or NFL championship pre-merger Of active NFL teams 5 have not won any championship or Super Bowl. Rocky Widner / NBA. In 2015, the MLS added Orlando FC, which has yet to qualify for the playoffs. 57 years. Once again, it would come down to a decisive Game 6 in Buffalo and a controversial moment between the Stars Hall of Fame winger Brett Hull and the Sabres Hall of Fame goalie Dominik Hasek in triple overtime, as Hull scored the clinching goal with his skate in the crease. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. The Bucks lost in seven games to the Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers in a series that some believe was rigged in Philadelphias favor. Kansas City's last three playoff losses have come by a total of nine points a freak 18-16 loss to Pittsburgh in a divisional game after the 2016 season, a 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans after the 2017 season and a 37-31 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in the . The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. Orioles: 39 seasons (Last title in 1983)Baltimores most recent trip to the World Series was its victory over the Phillies in 1983, when Cal Ripken Jr. was a 23-year-old who was only a year and a half into his consecutive-games streak. The Rangers have since experienced their fair share of October agony, including back-to-back World Series losses in 2010-11 -- the latter featuring multiple instances in which Texas was one strike away from beating St. Louis and hoisting the trophy. This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. Toronto Star via Getty Images. Which teams have the longest championship droughts? 12 longest active playoff droughts in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. Jacksonville is the nations 40th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of1,504,980. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. Oklahoma City has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Green Bay was the, The most recent championship for Washington DC was the, The most recent championship for Toronto was the, The most recent championship for San Antonio was the, There have been no championships in Las Vegas history. Sacramento Kings - 1951. 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. Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. It would take the Sabres 24 years to return to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced the Dallas Stars in 1999. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game - the 1995 Wild Card game. . Where Detroit ranks among longest championship droughts Total professional sports championships: 18. New York Knicks - 49 years. The second came in 1948 with manager Lou Boudreau calling the shots and Bob Lemon and Bob Feller manning the mound. We've also included the last time each city was able to celebrate a title across a major team sport. The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. After losing in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have now gone 14 years without winning a title. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports - WPRI.com Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, the last time Toronto hosted an Eastern Conference finals game came in 2002. So Which Pro Sports Teams Have The Longest Title Droughts Now? - Forbes Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. appreciated. Thanks to the Capitals, Detroit has now moved up the list of cities with the longest-running title droughts. (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). Projected by many as a contender entering the season, Russell Wilson regressed and Nathaniel Hackett didnt make it a full season before he was fired. Cleveland reached the World Series multiple times (1954, 95, 97 and 2016). The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are the other franchises that were in existence before the Super Bowl era that have yet to take home the Lombardi Trophy. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). . Minnesota's dry spell extends nearly 25 years, all the way back to . In the 67 years since their last title, the . And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. After snapping one of the longest playoff droughts in MLB, the Phillies made it back to the World Series for the first time since 2009. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. Its made just one Fall Classic, in '82, when the Brew Crew was unable to finish off a 3-2 lead against the Cardinals. All NFL championships since the NFL was founded in 1920 were included; all NBA championships since the NBA was founded in 1946 were included; all World Series were included, dating back to 1903; all NHL championships since the NHL was founded in 1917 were included; and all MLS championships since MLSs first season in 1996 were included. Featured Photo Credit: Doug Lemke / Shutterstock. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. 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. Nashville is the nations 36th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,903,045. For these teams, its practically impossible. Active droughts are listed in bold type. List of NFL franchise post-season droughts, AFC/NFC Championship Game appearance droughts, Super Bowl or NFL championship appearance droughts, Super Bowl or NFL championship win droughts, Cities/regions awaiting first Super Bowl crown, Closest approaches without winning the Super Bowl, Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship droughts through history, Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship appearance droughts through history, Playoff droughts of at least five seasons, Most consecutive post-season losses in team history, Longest post-season droughts in team history, Last edited on 13 February 2023, at 03:43, claimed an unrecognized 1921 championship, Chicago/St. 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. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . (All-time and active). The Sacramento skyline, as seen fromThe ZigguratinWest Sacramento, California. The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. 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. Of course, we saw two of the longest MLB playoff droughts end this year. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since Minnesota last saw a title, when the MLBs Twins won in 1991. Locations were attributed championships for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time that they won the championship. Welcome to SportsHistory!Today we took look at every single NFL team's championship drought and ranked them in order! Detroit Tigers - 7 years. The team left town in 1934. After the Eagles' Super Bowl win, the longest championship droughts for 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. Then Hulu started and he was hooked. All Rights Reserved. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . 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. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. The Bucks have not won a series since then, although this year certainly looks promising. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports - CBS17.com To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Seattle then went 20 years without making it back to the postseason, but that streak is now over. Last championship: 1994 Getty Images The Rangers are one of the NHL's "Original Six" teams and last hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1994 to end a 54-year title drought. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. 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. Manchester United are middle of the pack when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. 9. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. By: Jill R. Dorson -. Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. Franchises with the longest championship droughts | Yardbarker (See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). Despite owning a dominant team, the Lakers have yet to win an NBA championship since 1988. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. The search for a franchise QB: History of every NFL team's franchise With their Game 7 win in the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers became the first professional sports team in Cleveland to win a championship in 52 years ending what had been the longest drought between . . gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. Atlanta Hawks - 63 years. Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates leading the Bucks to the NBA championship Tuesday night. Here is how they compare to those 12. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. Though no other American sports franchise has reached the century mark for years without a title, there . For more information, check out our comprehensive FuboTV review. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). How else could he watch one to two films every day? The second longest New York City championship drought: A look at the We also cover VPNs, internet providers & more. Cities with longest championship droughts | CNN The Cleveland Browns are tied for the second-longest conference championship game drought at 29 years. Longest active championship droughts in sports after Cubs snap skid Tigers: 38 seasons (Last title in 1984)Detroits last trip to the World Series came in 2012, when the Tigers were swept at the hands of the Giants. Memphis has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Baltimore was the, The most recent championship for Philadelphia was the, The most recent championship for Seattle was the, The most recent championship for Cleveland was the, The most recent championship for Raleigh was the, The most recent championships for Boston were the, The most recent championship for Pittsburgh was the, There have been no championships in Oklahoma City history. 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. Longest championship droughts and playoff droughts in NFL, NBA, MLB and , Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are the other franchises that were in existence before the Super Bowl era that have yet to take home the Lombardi Trophy. Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. Very little work got done in 2008. Longest championship title droughts in NBA history. All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. Back in 1925, the Cardinals faced the Pottsville Maroons in the 1925 NFL Championship game. Between the NHLs Sabres (established 1970) and the NFLs Bills (established 1960), Buffalo has never experienced a sports championship in 62 years of having teams. 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. Winning a championship, regardless of league, is no easy feat. 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. It could be a decades-long, mythic streak of losing, like the 86- and 108-year World Series droughts of the Boston Red Sox (ended in 2004) and the Chicago Cubs (ended in 2016). After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. 2023 Cable News Network. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. 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). Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Guardians: 74 seasons (Last title in 1948)Cleveland has had its chances during this time, but it lost World Series in 1954, 95, 97 and 2016 -- four of the clubs 12 postseason appearances since beating the Boston Braves in the 1948 Fall Classic. The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. Cleveland has not won a title since 1948, but it has come close to winning one several times. Which teams have the longest championship droughts, US Sports The Rays pushed the Dodgers one game further in '20, but still came up short in six games. 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). One of the NHLs Original Six organizations has gone over five decades without lifting the Cup. 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. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts - Trophy Lives They have not made the playoffs since then. 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). Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . 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. "Hotdog" is a registered trademark of Incognito Mode LLC. This list also counts all seasons since a team last won the league championship. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. The Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. The Bucks swept through the NBA playoffs beating Nate Thurmond and the San Francisco Warriors (4-1), Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers (4-1) and sweeping Wes Unseld and the Baltimore Bullets. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. The Browns last appeared in the AFC Championship Game during the 1989 season when they fell . CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. In that span since the 1984 title, theyve also found themselves on the precipice of the World Series three additional times -- losing the ALCS in 2013, 2011 and 1987. The last championship in San Diego was the 1963 AFL Championship where the Chargers beat the Boston Patriots 51-10. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. The Original Ottawa Senators last won the Stanley Cup in 1927. Milwaukees only championships in the modern era are from the 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1971 Milwaukee Bucks. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history. The City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Pirates: 43 seasons (Last title in 1979)Only six franchises have won more championships than Pittsburgh (five), but its been a rough road for the franchise since Barry Bonds departure following a heartbreaking loss in Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS. Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. Of course, the Cardinals arent the only franchise with a championship drought beyond 50 years. The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. The team would move to Dallas in 1993, with the Minnesota Wild debuting in 2000. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the Texas Rangers (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series. Jacksonville has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Newark was the, The most recent championship for New Orleans was the, There have been no championships in Columbus history. Not included are some long-suffering cities whose prayers were recently answered such as Atlanta (Atlanta United), Cleveland (Cavaliers), Houston (Astros), Kansas City (Royals), Portland (Timbers) and Washington (Capitals). Buffalo has been home to the NFLs Buffalo Bills, the NHLs Buffalo Sabres and the NBAs Buffalo Bison (now Atlanta Hawks) and Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers). Here are the longest title droughts among the remaining NBA playoff teams, starting with the longest.