To make matters worse, this team isnt even coming close to the Stanley Cup finals. Cleveland last won a championship 69 years ago, in 1948. A championship is listed as winning an NFL Championship (19201969), AFL Championship (19601969), and Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Winning a championship, regardless of league, is no easy feat. An early exit extended Torontos futility with one of the longest championship droughts in sports. But if youre not going to count those as championships then you have to start counting years with the start of Super Bowls. Colorado has yet to capture an NL West division title. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? Minnesota United has yet to make the playoffs in two seasons of play in the MLS. 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 Queen City is home to the MLBs Cincinnati Reds, NFLs Cincinnati Bengals and MLS FC Cincinnati (debuting this season) and was once home to the NBAs Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings) and the World Hockey Associations Cincinnati Stingers. Cleveland Guardians (MLB) - 73 years. This list also counts all seasons since a team last won the league championship. 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 data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. . To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in Chicago. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. The Philadelphia Phillies snuck into the postseason thanks to the added No. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. San Diego is the nations 17th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 3,337,685. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals, losing both. 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. 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. . Contact Frank with thoughts, questions, and story ideas at [emailprotected]. 2. The Browns last appeared in the AFC Championship Game during the 1989 season when they fell . The . Active droughts are listed in bold type 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. Advertisement. 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 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. 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. 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. drought started in 1966 and has been ongoing for 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? Required fields are marked *. Which WNBA team has the longest championship drought? There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. The Colorado Avalanche last won the Stanley Cup in 2001. Updated with completion of NFL season ending in 2023. The Wild has reached the Conference Finals only once getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2003. During this period, the Minnesota Vikings have lost in the NFC Championship four times (1998, 2000, 2009 and 2017). 9. , 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. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA. 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. 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. Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. 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. 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. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. And some of these droughts are especially surprising. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. Its one thing to never hoist the championship trophy and witness a parade, but not even experiencing the brief second of joy from a playoff game makes rooting for teams even more painful. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. 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. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders, List of NFL franchise post-season streaks, List of current National Football League consecutive playoff appearances, List of last undefeated NFL teams by season, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_NFL_franchise_post-season_droughts&oldid=1139056286, Tied for most consecutive losses in team history, 1967, 19701972, 1975, 1977, 19801981, 1986, 1964, 1966, 1971, 19731974, 19761978, 1980, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 03:43. The team left town in 1934. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. One of the NHLs Original Six organizations has gone over five decades without lifting the Cup. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. 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 many of these teams, these streaks of decades without a championship extend beyond one generation. 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. 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. 2023 HotDog.com | 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403S Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, 19805. 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 Bucks made it back to the conference finals in 2001 with a team led by Hall of Famer Ray Allen and Sam Cassell in the backcourt and power forward Glenn Big Dog Robinson. They have not won a playoff series since then. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game the 1995 Wild Card game. The Blue Jays fell in back-to-back ALCS in 2015-16, representing their closest recent attempts. 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). 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. Current NFL cities/regions only. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . In the world of major professional sports, some cities are known as consistent winners, while others have a long history of hard luck in the search for a sports championship. 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. The Hornets would move to New Orleans after the 2002 season. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history. 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. 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. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? . The organizations last title came in 1947, when there were only 10 teams in the NFL and the Cardinals were playing in. Minnesota's dry spell extends nearly 25 years, all the way back to . It is the longest playoff drought in NBA history, surpassing the Los Angeles Clippers (15, 1977-19992) and Minnesota Timberwolves (13, 2005-18). After losing in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have now gone 14 years without winning a title. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. breaking their respective curses this century, the longest World Series drought now belongs to the Cleveland Guardians. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . Brewers/Pilots: 54 seasons (No titles)After one season in Seattle, the franchise moved to Milwaukee in 1970. The Magic returned to the Eastern Conference Finals the next season, losing to the Celtics 4-2. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. Here is how they compare to those 12. A Warner Bros. The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl (aka the Playoff Bowl; 19601969) is considered an exhibition game for the purpose of this list. The team lost the World Series four times over the last 73 seasons, most recently in 2016 when the Cubs snapped their unprecedented 108-year skid. 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. The Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. Atlanta Hawks - 63 years. 10 of those cities have seen at least 2 teams total (in 2 different sports) win a championship ; 10 have seen at least 1 championship since 2010; 11 have seen at least 1 team win a championship since 2000 The team moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after 56 years in San Diego. Did you encounter any technical issues? But their quest to give the city of San Diego its first World Series crown ended when the Phillies beat them in five games. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Milwaukee since has made two National League Championship Series appearances. The Mariners have gone 20 years without reaching the MLB playoffs, it is the longest active postseason drought in the top four American mens sports. In the world of major professional sports, some cities are known as consistent winners, while others have a long history of hard luck in the search for a sports championship. 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. A season-ending Game 5 loss at Yankee Stadium in the 2022 AL Division Series extended the Guardians' MLB-record streak of elimination-game losses to 11. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. 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. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. The modern Ottawa Senators did not begin. The Rays pushed the Dodgers one game further in '20, but still came up short in six games. 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. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . Here are the longest title droughts among the remaining NBA playoff teams, starting with the longest. Athletics: 33 seasons (Last title in 1989)The As have enjoyed as many dynastic runs as any team outside the Yankees over the breadth of Major League history, but the last three decades have been a dry period in Oakland. Sacramento has quite a playoff drought going, as it last reached . Three more MLB teams have World Series droughts that extend 50-plus years: the. 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. They are one of 11 teams without an NBA championship. The Magic faced the defending champion Houston Rockets who had struggled during the season, leading some to predict a Magic sweep. The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. The data was sourced from pro-football-reference.com, basketball-reference.com, baseball-reference.com, hockey-reference.com, and fbref.com. The NFL then gave the title to the Cardinals. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. The Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. In 2001, the NBAs Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis after six seasons and a dismal 101-359 (.219) record. 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. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Rangers/Senators: 62 seasons (No titles)The franchise didnt make the postseason in its first 35 seasons (the first 11 in Washington) after arriving as an expansion team in 1961. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. are the only original WNBA team with its original name that has never won a title, giving them a drought of 25 seasons. **Does not include the three seasons (19961998) during which the franchise suspended operations. Answer (1 of 3): Counting AFL championships and defunct teams, the longest current droughts for an entire city winning any major sports championship are: 1. The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. Sadly for hockey fans in Philly, the Philadelphia Flyers arent far behind. 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 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. Since then the Bills have won only one playoff game - the 1995 Wild Card game. Teams that have never made it beyond each successive milestone are listed under the year in which they began NFL play. The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. If the Titans had completed the comeback, it would have . The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. Rockies: 30 seasons (No titles)Colorado had all the momentum in 2007, when "Rocktober" swept Denver and the team won eight straight postseason games and the NL pennant after prevailing over the Padres in a Game 163. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. 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 . The first time was in 1920 behind the guise and bat of player/manager Tris Speaker. 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.