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. The team would move to Dallas in 1993, with the Minnesota Wild debuting in 2000. The Celtic defense, however, shut the Bucks down in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as they cruised to a 102-87 win. 2023 Cable News Network. At least the Maple Leafs arent totally alone. Nashville is the nations 36th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,903,045. 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. Of course, the NHL playoffs werent as kind to others. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. . The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. Salt Lake City has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Montreal was the, There have been no championships in Sacramento history. The Sabres made it to the Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, but have not won a playoff series since then. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. The Colorado Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup in 2001. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. The Ravens, as a result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, absorbed the Browns' personnel upon their suspension, but not their history. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . To put that 21-year drought into perspective, 28-year-old Jaromir Jagr led the NHL in points (121) during the 2000-01 regular season. Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. The Titans came just a yard short of having a chance to send Super Bowl XXXIV to overtime against the St. Louis Rams. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. Which NFL team has the longest Super Bowl drought? In the Super Bowl, however, the Denver Broncos defense shut down Newton, as the Broncos won 24-10 in Peyton Mannings final game. In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. Frank loves video. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason . 2. The Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. The modern Ottawa Senators did not begin. Your email address will not be published. Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. The Padres made the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons in 2022 and upset the Mets and Dodgers to reach the NLCS. In the NBA Finals, the Magic faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who beat them 4-1. 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 . Last year they had the best record in the National League and were one game away from returning to the World Series, but lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. 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. Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. After Kareems Sky Hook gave the Bucks a dramatic overtime win in Boston in Game 6 sending the series back to Milwaukee, a second title seemed assured. 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. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. Keep in mind, that this happened when this franchise played in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Royals. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. Its also an essential tool for getting the most out of your streaming services. For these teams, its practically impossible. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. However, their drought pales in comparison to ones endured by other franchises. Neither team has been crowned the NHLs champions since entering the league in 1970. June 20, 2016 2:16 pm. Milwaukee since has made two National League Championship Series appearances. Charlotte is the 22nd largest metropolitan area and has a 2017 population of 2,525,305. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. Total professional sports championships: 18. The team left town in 1934. After taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, Colorado is back on top of the NHL world. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. 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. A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. 4:20 PM EDT, Sun October 23, 2016. 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. The Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. As for the Detroit Lions, they can end their playoff drought and earn the No. Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Minnesota's dry spell extends nearly 25 years, all the way back to . Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. Each season begins with optimism across the 30 MLB fanbases, and each one ends with some level of disappointment for 29 of them. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Since then the Wild has only had eight playoff appearance and won only two playoff series. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. Here is how they compare to those 12. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. It also has struggled with its back against the wall. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. After that, the T-Wolves proceeded to miss the playoffs for 13 straight seasons until last year. The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. While the Rays made the postseason for the fourth straight season in 2022, they fell to the Guardians in the Wild Card Series. After losing in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have now gone 14 years without winning a title. 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 . The Padres have the distinction of holding the longest championship drought that no one gives a shit about. General manager Billy Beanes innovative roster strategies have kept the As competitive on small-market budgets, particularly during the clubs Moneyball period in the early 2000s, but the franchise has reached just two ALCS since last winning the World Series in 1989. 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 NFL's longest current drought is held by the Oakland Raiders, who have not won a championship since 1972. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. And in some cases, it could be all of a citys sports franchises struggling simultaneously, like in Cleveland, which experienced a 52-year championship drought from the Browns 1964 NFL title to the Cavaliers 2016 NBA championship. Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they ended a 108-year drought and broke one of baseball's most famous curses. Listed according to seasons waited. Since then, the Os have fallen in the ALCS in 1996, 97 and 2014. Milwaukee is the 39th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,576,236. Milwaukee has been home to MLBs Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta Braves), the Milwaukee Brewers, the NBAs Milwaukee Hawks (now Atlanta Hawks) and Milwaukee Bucks, the NFLs Milwaukee Badgers and the Green Bay Packers which played some games in Milwaukee from 1933-1994 (Green Bay is not part of the Milwaukee metro area). New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. Related: MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot. 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. The Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. 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. The Kings had a mini-dynasty under Coach Rick Adelman from 1997-2006 making the playoffs 8 consecutive years, including winning back-to-back Pacific division titles in 2002-2003. Did you encounter any technical issues? The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. 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. Ultimately, they were passed over for another city with a similar drought, only this city has four teams rather than two. Your email address will not be published. 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. The Blue Jays fell in back-to-back ALCS in 2015-16, representing their closest recent attempts. The organization's last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. Of the 12 teams that have never won the Super Bowl, four are expansion franchises younger than the Super Bowl itself (the Bengals, Panthers, Jaguars, and Texans), while the Falcons began playing during the season in which the Super Bowl was first played. The Game 1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals also represented the Phillies first playoff victory since Game 3 in the 2011 NLDS on Oct. 4, 2011. 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. The franchises most recent Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza, was 18 years old when the Mets won it all in 86. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked US and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS. (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Nashville became a major league city in 1998 when the NFLs Tennessee Oilers moved from Memphis (they became the Titans the following season) and the Nashville Predators debuted as an NHL expansion team. No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. While there are great dynasties throughout sports history, plenty of NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB teams have gone decades without being on top of the world. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. 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. 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The Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. With spring training having begun in baseball and basketball and hockey seasons ramping up towards the playoffs towards, hope springs eternal for dedicated fans. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. 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. Orlando is the 23rd largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,509,831. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . Longest NFL / AFL / Super Bowl championship appearance droughts through history. Vancouver has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Detroit was the, There have been no championships in Nashville history. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. 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. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. The closest the Kings have come to an NBA title, however, was in 2002 when Kings played in their only Conference Finals since moving from Kansas City. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . . But the Red Sox swept the Rockies that year in the franchises closest title attempt. This list also counts all seasons since a team last won the league championship. 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. 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. In 1990, the Cincinnati Reds swept the favored Oakland As for their 5th World Series Championship. Manchester United are middle of the pack when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. 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. Required fields are marked *. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . Current NFL cities/regions only. 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. San Jose has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Chicago was the, There have been no championships in Winnipeg history. Which teams have the longest championship droughts? While it was a finalist in MLBs 1993 and 1998 expansion, it got overlooked in favor of Miami and Tampa Bay. A championship is listed as winning an NFL Championship (19201969), AFL Championship (19601969), and Super Bowl Championship (1966present). 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. 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. 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. One of the NHLs Original Six organizations has gone over five decades without lifting the Cup. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . (See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. Brewers/Pilots: 54 seasons (No titles)After one season in Seattle, the franchise moved to Milwaukee in 1970. We also cover VPNs, internet providers & more. In 2017-18, they returned to the AFC Championship and had a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter over the defending champion New England Patriots, but Tom Brady led the Patriots back to a 24-20 win. The . The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Despite owning a dominant team, the Lakers have yet to win an NBA championship since 1988. 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). Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. Cleveland reached the World Series multiple times (1954, 95, 97 and 2016). Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. The following championships were included: Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. Today, he streams pretty much everything while his library of thousands of Blu-rays and DVDs collects dust. The Mariners ended their 21-year postseason drought in 2022 before losing to the division-rival Astros in the ALDS. 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. Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports. Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, we saw two of the longest MLB playoff droughts end this year. 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. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. 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. This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. 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. NFL. In our first installment, we covered franchise championship conference titles, conference finals, and playoff appearance droughts, with theArizona Cardinals (71 years), Cleveland Indians (70), Sacramento Kings (67), Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues (50) having the longest droughts in their respective leagues. Ottawa. Its par for the course from a team that has battled to even reach mediocrity during its best seasons in the last two decades. The St. Louis Blues, founded in 1967, hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019, their first championship in franchise history. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. And in some cases, it could be all of a citys sports franchises struggling simultaneously, like in Cleveland, which experienced a 52-year championship drought from the Browns 1964 NFL title to the Cavaliers 2016 NBA championship. Phoenix, which is home to MLBs Arizona Diamondbacks, the NBAs Phoenix Suns, the NFLs Arizona Cardinals and the NHLs Arizona Coyotes, won its only championship ever in 2001 when the Diamondbacks won a thrilling World Series over the New York Yankees by scoring two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 7. After losing Game 6, the Brewers jumped to a 3-1 lead in Game 7 and were 9 our away from a World Series title, but the Cardinals came back to win 6-3. Since the Chargers won the 1963 AFL championship, the Chargers, Padres, Clippers and Rockets have played a combined 109 seasons without a championship among them. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. 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. Shaq would leave for the Lakers the next season and it would not be until 2008-2009 that the Magic would return to the conference finals. The Kansas City Royals have a chance to end a 29-year wait for a second world title. Thanks to the Capitals, Detroit has now moved up the list of cities with the longest-running title droughts. However, they lost to the Houston Astros. Jim Hart is the only QB in team history that fits the bill. 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.