Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. That 10-year drought is twice as long as anyone else in the NFL, as the Cardinals, Bengals and Broncos have all most . The franchises most recent Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza, was 18 years old when the Mets won it all in 86. 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). Longest championship title droughts in NBA history. It is the largest city on the list and the only one with teams in all major leagues. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for 16 consecutive seasons. Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates leading the Bucks to the NBA championship Tuesday night. Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. 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. 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). The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. 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. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . appreciated. This drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 57 years. Of course, we saw two of the longest MLB playoff droughts end this year. The City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . Having played more seasons naturally makes it more likely that a team would win a championship at some point. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos playoff drought extended to seven seasons. 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. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Buffalo, who has gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? Active droughts are listed in bold type. All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . Note that the NFL did not institute a permanent playoff tournament until 1967 and that the NFL Championship Game and any impromptu one-game playoffs (played only in the event of a tie atop the division standings) were the only postseason matchups in this era. have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. Locations were attributed wins for championships won by teams that were branded to be from the location at the time it took place. 11/4/2016. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. **Does not include the three seasons (19961998) during which the franchise suspended operations. drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA. Unfortunately for the Padres, they faced the New York Yankees, who at 114-48 had posted the second-best record in Major League history. 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . Charlotte has 2 active teams, the, There have been no championships in Vancouver history. The Indians now have the longest World Series drought of any baseball team, as well as the . The . 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 . 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. Sacramento Kings - 1951. This is the second-longest championship drought the city has ever experienced dating back to 1900. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. Jacksonville is the nations 40th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of1,504,980. Throughout the history of Major League Baseball (MLB), franchises have had various postseason and World Series droughts.. All 16 of the original Major League franchises (i.e., those in place when the first World Series was played in 1903) have won the World Series, with the longest wait for a franchise's first championship being for the Phillies (77 seasons, ending in 1980). An early exit extended Torontos futility with one of the longest championship droughts in sports. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. Did you encounter any technical issues? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. Sacramento has quite a playoff drought going, as it last reached . 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. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. The Twins havent advanced past the LDS round since 02. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history. 1. Pittsburgh Pirates - 6 years. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. 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. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. 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. Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. 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. . 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). For these teams, its practically impossible. A good VPN provides extra security and unequalled privacy for everything you do online. New York went from 1906-1920 without a championship, and that dry spell was bookended by World . NFL. Its been just as long since the team even reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five conference finals over that stretch. City. Jim Hart is the only QB in team history that fits the bill. 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. The Mariners last made the playoffs in 2001, an unforgettable season for the team. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals, losing both. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. They also won the pennant in 2006, when they lost in five games to the 83-win Cardinals. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. 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. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. Charlotte is the 22nd largest metropolitan area and has a 2017 population of 2,525,305. 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. The Detroit Red Wings brought the last major championship home to the Motor City ten . In 2016-17 they claimed the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and then swept the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks and then beat the St. Louis Blues (4-2) and Anaheim Ducks (4-2) to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time. Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. 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 Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The 2007-08 Celtics rolled to a stop-the-insanity 131-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on June 17, 2008, after which no Boston team would win a championship until . 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. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. 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). Boston went 21 years without winning the NBA Finals from 1986-2007. Listed here are both appearance droughts and winning droughts in almost every level of the NFL playoff system. Updated The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans. Pottsville won the game 21-7, a win that should have secured the championship. 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. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . Unfortunately, the wheels have fallen off in recent decades. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. The longest drought since a championship of any kind is that of the Cardinals, at 75 seasons. The Blue Jays fell in back-to-back ALCS in 2015-16, representing their closest recent attempts. The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a 52-year championship drought June 19, 2016, when they toppled the Golden State Warriors in a best-of-seven series. The next season, the Predators won the NHLs Presidents Trophy for the best record but were upset by the Winnipeg Jets 4-3. The Sabres made it to the Conference Finals in 2006 and 2007, but have not won a playoff series since then. The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. Toronto Star via Getty Images. A puck that rebounds off the goalie, the goal post or an opposing player is not deemed to be a change of possession, and therefore Hull would be deemed to be in possession or control of the puck, allowed to shoot and score a goal even though the one foot would be in the crease in advance of the puck. 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This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. 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. Which MLB team has the longest World Series drought? Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. 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. They have not made the playoffs since then. Minnesota's dry spell extends nearly 25 years, all the way back to . June 20, 2016 2:16 pm. 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. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason . The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. 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 club's 12 postseason appearances since beating the Boston Braves in the 1948 Fall . But if youre not going to count those as championships then you have to start counting years with the start of Super Bowls. 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 Ravens, as a result of the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, absorbed the Browns' personnel upon their suspension, but not their history. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. 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). 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 modern Ottawa Senators did not begin. 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. While it certainly isnt one of the longest championship droughts in sports, the 14-year stretch is one of the longest in franchise history. 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. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. After being eliminated from postseason contention in Week 18, the New York Jets have the longest active NFL playoff drought at 12 seasons. The franchise will hope to find a new quarterback in 2023, someone who can finally take this team back to the playoffs. 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. Longest championship drought, by sport. The organization's last championship came in 1951, when the team was the Rochester Royals. But the team has had its stars -- including Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Johan Santana -- who led Minnesota to six AL Central titles from 2002-10 before the club suffered early postseason exits. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. 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. 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. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. It snaps a decade-long absence from October baseball, a step in the right direction for the franchise. 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 following championships were included: Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. The Maple Leafs have now gone 55 years without being crowned NHL champions. Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. 2023 HotDog.com | 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403S Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, 19805. Mariners: 46 seasons (No titles)With the Nationals making it to the Fall Classic in 2019, that left the Mariners as the only franchise without an appearance in baseballs championship event. The Cleveland Browns are tied for the second-longest conference championship game drought at 29 years. Minnesota United has yet to make the playoffs in two seasons of play in the MLS. Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. 2. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. But there is one important caveat: most of these cities have not had pro sports franchises for very long. Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. Entering Week 18, the Giants have only their second winning season in 10 yers. Winning a championship, regardless of league, is no easy feat. Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American 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. Each season begins with optimism across the 30 MLB fanbases, and each one ends with some level of disappointment for 29 of them. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. Only metros with at least one active NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS team were considered. 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. 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. 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. 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). While championship droughts are the focus, some fan bases have gone more than a decade without even seeing their team in the playoffs. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . The last championship in San Diego was the 1963 AFL Championship where the Chargers beat the Boston Patriots 51-10. The team was an original WNBA team as the Utah Starzz starting in 1997 before turning into the San Antonio Silver Stars in 2003 and the Aces in 2018. At the metro level, one city currently stands out for the length of time without a professional sports title. Last Title: 1948 (74-year drought) The Guardians have been the kings of the MLB twice in their 122 seasons of play. 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. In fact, the last time Toronto hosted an Eastern Conference finals game came in 2002. The T-Wolves fell 4-2 to the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers. Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. 57 years. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. The Padres were the last San Diego team with a shot at a title. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . All Rights Reserved. By ending the 2021-22 season with a 30-52 record, the Kings have failed to reach the postseason for. Rocky Widner / NBA. The Blue Jays' drought continued to grow in 2022 after they lost in the Wild Card Series to the Mariners. Minneapolis-St. Paul is the nations 16th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,600,618. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. 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 . For some fans, however, hope all is all they have had for too long. They returned to the AFC Championship in 2002-03, losing to the Oakland Raiders 41-24. Cleveland has not won a title since 1948, but it has come close to winning one several times. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. 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. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's look at the cities with two or more "Big Four" sports teams (meaning from the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL sorry, MLS and college sports) that have gone the longest without a title.