For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the US for the longest championship drought. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Things looked promising for the Magic when they landed Shaquille ONeal with the #1 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. 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. After the Kings, the Atlanta Hawks hold the next-longest championship drought, which extends back to 1958. Cardinals have longest title drought in sports - KNXV 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. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). After taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final, Colorado is back on top of the NHL world. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). 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. After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. The second longest New York City championship drought: A look at the 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. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts - HotDog.com Ultimately, they were passed over for another city with a similar drought, only this city has four teams rather than two. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. 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. Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. In 2003-04, the Panthers battled the Patriots in a shootout, with a Jake Delhomme touchdown pass evening the score at 29 with 1:08 to go. Longest active championship droughts in sports after Cubs snap skid Columbus has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Memphis history. The Blue Jays fell in back-to-back ALCS in 2015-16, representing their closest recent attempts. 57 years. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. New York lost in the midst of long title drought The Yankees swept the Padres, clinching Game 4 at Qualcomm Stadium. Did you encounter any technical issues? Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. Manchester United are middle of the pack when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs. After being eliminated from postseason contention in Week 18, the New York Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 12 seasons. Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. Check out our Cyber Monday Shoppers Guide! Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. 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 Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. Cleveland reached the World Series multiple times (1954, 95, 97 and 2016). 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). drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 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. Here is how they compare to those 12. 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 . While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. 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 franchises most recent Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza, was 18 years old when the Mets won it all in 86. (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. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). For example, Canadathe birthplace of hockeyis home to seven cities with NHL franchises, but none of them have brought home a Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. 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 City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . How else could he watch one to two films every day? 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. 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. 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. It also has struggled with its back against the wall. Active droughts are listed in bold type. Longest championship droughts within the four major sports No city currently compares to Clevelands legendary sports curse, but many pro sports markets have nonetheless seen lengthy championship droughts in recent years. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. Among teams that have never won a title, the Phoenix Suns have the longest drought at 54 seasons. 6 seed. 9. 2023 HotDog.com | 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403S Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, 19805. For many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. 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. The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. . With spring training having begun in baseball and basketball and hockey seasons ramping up towards the playoffs towards, hope springs eternal for dedicated fans. Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. New Orleans Saints (1967-2010): . 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. Since then, the Os have fallen in the ALCS in 1996, 97 and 2014. 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. In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. 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. Who are the teams with the longest championship drought? Discovery Company. New York Knicks - 49 years. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. 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. Longest championship drought, by sport. 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. Listed according to seasons waited. However, their drought pales in comparison to ones endured by other franchises. 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. 11/4/2016. (SeeThrowback Thursday: Bucks wintitle.). A citys sports misfortunes can come in different forms. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. The 10 longest championship droughts in professional sports. When the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, they ended a 108-year drought and broke one of baseball's most famous curses. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. We recommend (And use!) The Blue Jays' drought continued to grow in 2022 after they lost in the Wild Card Series to the Mariners. Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. Active droughts are listed in bold type. San Diego is the nations 17th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,337,685. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. Your email address will not be published. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. 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. As a one-sport city, Sacramento lives and dies by its Kings. The Cleveland Guardians have the longest active championship drought in MLB, with their last World Series title coming in 1948. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. 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. Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. Pottsville won the game 21-7, a win that should have secured the championship. 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. The team came close to winning the inaugural WNBA championship in 1997 but fell to the Houston Comets. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. New York went from 1906-1920 without a championship, and that dry spell was bookended by World . 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. Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. This is also a list of the last time a particular club won a divisional playoff game. The franchise is 0-4 in potential championship clinchers over its past two trips to the Series, having squandered a 3-1 advantage to the Cubs in 2016. 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. 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). Nashville has 2 active teams, the, The most recent championship for Portland was the, The most recent championship for Dallas was the, There have been no championships in Salt Lake City history. 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. The Longest NFL Championship Droughts The wait can be miserable. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. It snaps a decade-long absence from October baseball, a step in the right direction for the franchise. Theyve made it twice total since last winning in 1984. 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). But the tide turned with a name change and new colors in 2008, when the franchise enjoyed a 31-win turnaround and claimed its first pennant before losing to the Phillies in five games in the World Series. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald came within a minute of ending that streak in 2007, but a six-yard Santonio . However, they lost to the Houston Astros. gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. The Kings lost Game 6 in Los Angeles 106-102 in a controversial game that many have claimed demonstrates that the league wanted to ensure that the marquee Lakers and not the small-market Kings reached the NBA Finals; as in the final minutes, all foul calls and non-calls went the Lakers way. 4:20 PM EDT, Sun October 23, 2016. 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. Longest Championship Droughts By City - Champs or Chumps This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. Longest Championship Droughts: Cardinals Move To Top Of List For everything you need to know about Hulu, be sure to browse our Hulu + Live TV review. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. 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. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship, but one important caveat is that most of these cities have not had pro sports franchises for very long. At least the Maple Leafs arent totally alone. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 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. Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. 12 longest active playoff droughts in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL 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. How to Stream Without Cable, Why Sports Matter to Cable Subscribers: One-Third May Cancel If NFL is Postponed. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Updated With a first-round exit in the 2022 playoffs, the Maple Leafs tied the record for longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history, matching the New York Rangers mark from 1940 to 1994. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. After the Cav's NBA championship last night, the city that's endured the most seasons without a major sport championship is San Diego. It is the longest playoff drought in NBA history, surpassing the Los Angeles Clippers (15, 1977-19992) and Minnesota Timberwolves (13, 2005-18). They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Ranking Premier League clubs based on longest trophy droughts ever 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. He started streaming early, back in 2007 when Netflix introduced what seemed revolutionary even then, "instant watch," or what would eventually become the totality of the company. Longest championship title droughts in NBA history. . Since then the Twins have only advanced as far as the ALCS once (2002). Active droughts are listed in bold type The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. He specializes in technology, business, and film/television. Keep in mind, that this happened when this franchise played in Rochester, New York as the Rochester Royals. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. Of course, the NHL playoffs werent as kind to others. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Entering Week 18, the Giants have only their second winning season in 10 yers. Buffalo Last Title: Never Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Buffalos future is bright, but it is currently riding the longest playoff drought in NHL history with 11 consecutive seasons without an appearance in the NHL playoffs. Which teams have the longest championship droughts? 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. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. ExpressVPN. The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. But the Red Sox swept the Rockies that year in the franchises closest title attempt. 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. Cyber Monday is coming with lots of deals on the things cord-cutters want and need from top providers like Hulu, ExpressVPN and NordVPN. 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. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. Required fields are marked *. 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. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. 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 St. Louis Blues, founded in 1967, hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019, their first championship in franchise history. It is the second largest city on this list. 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. . The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Buffalo, who has gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. The Brewers had a 3-2 series lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, as the series moved back to St. Louis. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. Where Detroit ranks among longest championship droughts 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); HotDog is the internet's oldest guide to cordcutting, replacing expensive cable or satellite TV with cheaper or free live stream and OTA options. HotDog.com Blog Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. That 10-year drought is twice as long as anyone else in the NFL, as the Cardinals, Bengals and Broncos have all most . Sacramento has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Miami was the, The most recent championship for Ottawa was the, There have been no championships in Orlando history. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. 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 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). Its made just one Fall Classic, in '82, when the Brew Crew was unable to finish off a 3-2 lead against the Cardinals. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered.