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. Counted from the first Super Bowl season, 1966, to present. 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. In the NBA Finals, the Magic faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers who beat them 4-1. 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 longest drought overall now belongs to the NFL's Arizona Cardinals at 69 years. 9. Current NFL cities/regions only. The St. Louis Blues, founded in 1967, hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2019, their first championship in franchise history. It has been an essential part of our streaming toolkit for years. Las Vegas has 2 active teams, the, The most recent championship for Los Angeles was the, The most recent championship for Oakland was the, The most recent championship for St. Louis was the, The most recent championship for Tampa was the, The most recent championship for Atlanta was the, The most recent championship for Milwaukee was the, The most recent championship for Kansas City was the, The most recent championship for Denver was the, The most recent championship for San Francisco was the, The most recent championship for Houston was the. The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. 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. Here are the U.S. and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. For these teams, its practically impossible. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. The Arizona Cardinals have the longest championship drought in the NFL, with their last title coming in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals. In the event of a tie, the location with fewer total professional championships was ranked higher. 6 seed. Super Bowl odds: Every teams championship futures for 2023 NFL season, NFL teams that have never won a Super Bowl, MLB power rankings 2022 Houston Astros, New York Yankees battle for No.1 spot, MLB playoffs 2023: MLB postseason predictions, World Series and playoffs info, Who is the oldest NBA player? The Lakers went on to win Game 7 at Sacramento in overtime 112-106. The Rays pushed the Dodgers one game further in '20, but still came up short in six games. Despite having a team in each of the five major sports, it has been more than three decades since . Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. It is the longest playoff drought in NBA history, surpassing the Los Angeles Clippers (15, 1977-19992) and Minnesota Timberwolves (13, 2005-18). By: Jill R. Dorson -. NFL: Arizona Cardinals: 70 years: . 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. The following championships were included: Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. 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. It would take the Sabres 24 years to return to the Stanley Cup Finals where they faced the Dallas Stars in 1999. 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. It has been home to the NFLs San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers), the NBAs San Diego Rockets (now Houston Rockets), San Diego Clippers (now Los Angeles Clippers) and briefly a second home for the Golden State Warriors, the ABAs San Diego Conquistadors, the NASLs San Diego Sockers (defunct) and the San Diego Padres. The Cleveland Browns are tied for the second-longest conference championship game drought at 29 years. A handful of teams have finally gotten over the hump in recent years and ended. The team came close to winning the inaugural WNBA championship in 1997 but fell to the Houston Comets. semi-final defeat to a Manchester City side headed . The Kings also have one of the longest playoff droughts in American professional sports. This is a sortable table of all 32 current NFL teams. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of . 8 Philadelphia 76ers: 38 . The sport was also just two years removed from Wayne Gretzky retiring. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. (See Unfilled Dynasties: The Bucks Stop Here.). 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. 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. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason for the first time in two decades. City. After that promising start, they have had only four winning seasons and three playoff appearances since 1999. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Buffalo, who has gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. 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. 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. The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. 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. Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates leading the Bucks to the NBA championship Tuesday night. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Which NBA team has the longest championship drought? Its been just as long since the team even reached the Stanley Cup Final, losing in five conference finals over that stretch. It snaps a decade-long absence from October baseball, a step in the right direction for the franchise. The Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest championship drought in the NHL, a massive fall for a dynasty. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. Led by quarterback Stan Humphries, the Chargers came back from a 13-3 deficit to win 17-13. 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. 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. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Los Angeles Clippers - 52 years. As for the Detroit Lions, they can end their playoff drought and earn the No. 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. 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. 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 . 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 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 team would move to Dallas in 1993, with the Minnesota Wild debuting in 2000. 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. The Padres were the last San Diego team with a shot at a title. . After the Cav's NBA championship last night, the city that's endured the most seasons without a major sport championship is San Diego. 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. The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. Others, meanwhile, are annually telling themselves Maybe next year just to repeat the cycle. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. Seattle tied the record for the most wins in an MLB season (116), but lost in the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees. New York then lost in the Finals three times from 1999 to 2002. Each sports season is referred to by the year that the season started. But there is one important caveat: most of these cities have not had pro sports franchises for very long. With the Mariners getting the monkey off their back, here are the 12 active longest postseason droughts between the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL . Pottsville won the game 21-7, a win that should have secured the championship. In 2008-2009, the Arizona Cardinals came back from a 20-7 fourth quarter deficit to go ahead 23-20 with only 2:47 remaining in Super Bowl XLIII but Santonio Holmes amazing end zone catch gave the Pittsburgh Steeles the 27-23 win. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. Note that for continuity purposes, the Cleveland Browns are officially considered to have suspended operations for the 1996, 1997, and 1998 seasons. 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). 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. The city of Los Angeles has the longest championship drought of any NBA city. Of course, some have it worse than others. With C-Town now anointed NBA champions, let's . Only locations with at least one currently active professional sports team were considered in the analysis. We have seen one of the longest Stanley Cup droughts end in recent years. Neither team has been crowned the NHLs champions since entering the league in 1970. The club they defeated, the Indians, still maintains the record for the longest World Series drought in baseball history. 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. In their second season in Nashville, the Titans reached the Super Bowl for the only time in an amazing season that included surviving a near upset in the Wild Card game thanks to the infamous Music City Miracle 75-yard kick off return. Whether curses are to blame or just bad management and worse luck, fans put up with a lot. 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. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. 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. In 2015-16, Cam Newton would lead the Panthers to a 15-1 season that was capped off with a 49-15 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game. Pittsburgh Pirates - 6 years. . (SeeThrowback Thursday: Bucks wintitle.). Here's a look at the longest championship droughts for teams still in their original cities. Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Atlanta Hawks - 63 years. 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. Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. The Mariners last made the playoffs in 2001, an unforgettable season for the team. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. 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. Further ties were broken by the team with the most active professional sports franchises. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ten Major Cities With Longest Championship Droughts. To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. 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Teams that have never made it beyond each successive milestone are listed under the year in which they began NFL play. 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. In their last appearance, the Vikings were playing for a chance to play in the Super Bowl to be held in Minneapolis. This list only shows droughts of 30 or more seasons for teams. Longest playoff drought - New York Jets: With the Browns and Bucs both having made the playoffs in 2020, the Jets now own the longest drought, not having appeared in a postseason contest since the 2010 AFC Championship Game. The franchises most recent Hall of Famer, Mike Piazza, was 18 years old when the Mets won it all in 86. Longest championship title droughts in NBA history. Discovery Company. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are the other franchises that were in existence before the Super Bowl era that have yet to take home the Lombardi Trophy. Basketball fans must go all the way back to the 1051 NBA to find the last Kings championship. . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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 Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. 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. But the Red Sox swept the Rockies that year in the franchises closest title attempt. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Tom Brady, however, drove the Patriots 37 yards to set up the game-winning Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. After the Maple Leafs, the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks share the second-longest Cup drought at 51 years. The closest Milwaukee came to a title since 1971, however, was in 1982 when the Harvey Wallbanger Brewers won their only pennant in their 50-year history. 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. 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. 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. Its also an essential tool for getting the most out of your streaming services. Sacramento is the 27th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,324,884. San Jose has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Chicago was the, There have been no championships in Winnipeg history. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 years. (61), Milwaukee Brewers (53) and San Diego Padres (53). Required fields are marked *. If you value privacy, security, and access, you need a quality VPN. Photo Credit: The Speedy Butterfly / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Natalia Pushchina / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: nikitsin.smugmug.com / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Songquan Deng / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Andriy Blokhin / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Christopher Penler / Shutterstock, Photo Credit: Richard Cavalleri / Shutterstock. 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). 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. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. While they have had some success in Memphis, they have only reached the conference finals once in 2013 where they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Manchester United are middle of the pack when it comes to the longest trophy droughts ever suffered by the 20 current Premier League clubs. 12. Charlotte has been a professional city since 1988 when the NBA expanded with the Charlotte Hornets. The team has two WNBA Finals appearances in its history: 2008 and 2020. 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. They returned to the AFC Championship in 2002-03, losing to the Oakland Raiders 41-24. NFL. This . The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. The Sacramento Kings have the longest championship drought in the NBA and one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. Entering Week 18, the Giants have only their second winning season in 10 yers. The Twins havent advanced past the LDS round since 02. For current droughts, Minnesota leads all states in the U.S. for the longest championship drought. Cincinnati is the 29th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 2,179,082. 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. 2. The Predators, after missing the playoffs their first five seasons, have made the playoffs 12 of the 15 seasons since then. This is a list of current National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season and Super Bowl droughts (multiple consecutive seasons of not winning). Mike Bibbys game-winning shot in Game 5 put them up 3-2 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Time flies by and those same fans are capturing their children and even grandchildren in that same feeling. The second came in 1948 with manager Lou Boudreau calling the shots and Bob Lemon and Bob Feller manning the mound. Under Coach Tom Coughlin, the Jaguars were a remarkably successful expansion franchise. Active droughts are listed in bold type. For more information, check out our comprehensive FuboTV review. 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. DID YOU KNOW?FuboTV offers 38+ sports-oriented channels, which is why it might be the best option for live TV for sports fans. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. While it certainly isnt one of the longest championship droughts in sports, the 14-year stretch is one of the longest in franchise history. Some believe a curse is a reason for this title drought. 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). June 20, 2016 2:16 pm. Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. The Chargers traveled to Pittsburgh where, unlike the Freezer Bowl in Cincinnati, it was a balmy 59 degrees. 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. Of course, the Cardinals arent the only franchise with a championship drought beyond 50 years. They have two teams but took a World Series home in 1990. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. Since 1984, a drought has existed in the United States. Nashville is the nations 36th largest metropolitan area with a 2017 population of 1,903,045. Total professional sports championships: 18. In 1991, the Minnesota Twins went from finishing in last place the year before to winning the World Series in a dramatic Game 7. 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. 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. 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. It is the largest city on the list and the only one with teams in all major leagues. Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are now at a 27-year championship drought. After losing in the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics have now gone 14 years without winning a title. The Las Vegas Aces organization also has never won an WNBA title in its 25-year history.