Ultimately, they were passed over for another city with a similar drought, only this city has four teams rather than two. 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. All Rights Reserved. Which NHL team has the longest Stanley Cup drought? 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. Updated 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. Most cities, however, have tasted recent success in a major sport in one form or another. College football's longest conference title droughts, by conference Buffalo has been home to the NFLs Buffalo Bills, the NHLs Buffalo Sabres and the NBAs Buffalo Bison (now Atlanta Hawks) and Buffalo Braves (now Los Angeles Clippers). Boston went 21 years without winning the NBA Finals from 1986-2007. Tom Brady, however, drove the Patriots 37 yards to set up the game-winning Adam Vinatieri 41 yard field goal. Ironically, the 2016 World Series loss to the Chicago Cubs snapped the longest championship drought ever, with the Cubs going 107 years without a title. The Wild has reached the Conference Finals only once getting swept by the Anaheim Ducks in 2003. Over the last 25 years, 62.7% of cities have won a championship in either the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or MLS. Shoutout to the city of Winnipeg, where there's never been a division title in the NHL, but the . Which teams have the longest championship droughts? The Brewers have made it to the playoffs only three times since then. After consecutive first-round losses in 2005 and 2006, the Kings fired Adelman despite a .633 win percentage over 8 years. Kansas City Royals - 6 years. The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins won the series 4-2. A championship appearance is listed as appearing in an NFL Championship (19321969), AFL Championship (19601969), or Super Bowl Championship (1966present). Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts - HotDog.com The Longest Championship Droughts In Sports History 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. Winnipeg has only one active team, the, There have been no championships in Jacksonville history. Required fields are marked *. The Brewers had a 3-2 series lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, as the series moved back to St. Louis. This is a list of current National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season and Super Bowl droughts (multiple consecutive seasons of not winning). Rocky Widner / NBA. Longest championship drought, by sport. The Phoenix Suns have the longest championship drought by a team without a single title. 3) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES - Last NFL Title: 1960. Here are the longest title droughts among the remaining NBA playoff teams, starting with the longest. The NBA returned to Charlotte in 2004 with the expansion Bobcats who reclaimed the Hornets name in 2014. The City of Minneapolis (1991-Present): No Minneapolis franchise has claimed a championship in 25 years, excluding three, maybe four WNBA titles . Cleveland Guardians (MLB) - 73 years. Longest NFL title droughts The Twins win came months after the Minnesota North Stars lost in the Stanley Cup Finals. For these teams, its practically impossible. To make matters worse in Sacramento, the Kings set an NBA record for the longest playoff drought in league history. The Cardinals have the longest active title drought in the NFL (last title: 1947) and one of the longest droughts without a franchise QB. While the Seattle Mariners are far behind some others in the length of their title drought, they are in MLB history for another unfortunate reason. 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. Franchises with the longest championship droughts | Yardbarker Milwaukee since has made two National League Championship Series appearances. Discovery Company. Here are the longest championship droughts in the four major American professional sports. It is also possible that the NHL championship drought will extend to Los Angeles. 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. As a one-sport city, Sacramento lives and dies by its Kings. 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. Phoenix Suns - 53 years. Even with four total franchises between Nashville and Memphis, the state has never won a professional sports title in 25 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. 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. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals . Here are the longest active playoff droughts in the NFL entering the 2022 season. 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. The Seattle Mariners snapped one of the longest playoff droughts ever, making it into the MLB postseason . Longest Playoff Droughts in Sports - Audacy Last year they had the best record in the National League and were one game away from returning to the World Series, but lost Game 7 of the NLCS to the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1. 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. 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. The Detroit Lions, are one of seven teams without a Super Bowl win. The franchise was originally based in Los Angeles, but moved to Oakland prior to the 1982 season. Researchers at HotDog.com ranked US and Canadian metropolitan areas according to active professional sports championship droughts. The Magic came back and won 60 games, but could not get past the 72-win Chicago Bulls who swept the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. 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). AMAZON -- HotDog.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising revenues by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Despite owning a dominant team, the Lakers have yet to win an NBA championship since 1988. Here are some of sports' longest-standing droughts for things other than championships. 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. While the Rays made the postseason for the fourth straight season in 2022, they fell to the Guardians in the Wild Card Series. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Buffalo, who has gone 116 seasons without winning a championship. Jim Hart is the only QB in team history that fits the bill. Here are the US and Canadian metros with the longest active championship droughts. Jacksonville has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Newark was the, The most recent championship for New Orleans was the, There have been no championships in Columbus history. They returned to the AFC Championship in 2002-03, losing to the Oakland Raiders 41-24. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. You can see his writing on low-budget and weird film at, Cities With the Longest Active Championship Droughts, Metros With the Longest Active Championship Droughts, Cities With the Most Professional Sports Championships, Cities With the Longest NBA Championship Droughts of All Time. Seattle then went 20 years without making it back to the postseason, but that streak is now over. Padres: 54 seasons (No titles)An expansion team in 1969, San Diego has yet to bring home a title. Active droughts are listed in bold type 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. The longest currently active championship drought belongs to the city of Last championship in the city: New York Giants (2012), or for Brooklyn specifically, the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. Neither the Reds nor the Bengals have played in a Championship Game since then. Orlando has not won a title since becoming a pro-city in 1989 when the Orlando Magic joined the NBA. 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. Of those 12, they have the longest championship victory or appearance drought. In 2015, the MLS added Orlando FC, which has yet to qualify for the playoffs. 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. With spring training having begun in baseball and basketball and hockey seasons ramping up towards the playoffs towards, hope springs eternal for dedicated fans. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald came within a minute of ending that streak in 2007, but a six-yard Santonio . To make matters worse, a team with 17 championships in its history has just one (2008) in nearly 40 years. Featured Photo Credit: Doug Lemke / Shutterstock. The Sacramento Kings have a historic playoff drought to go along with their historic championship drought. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. Only streaks with consecutive years of professional sports operating within a location were considered. 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. The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are the other NHL teams to go 50-plus years without winning the Stanley Cup. 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. It could be tantalizingly close misses, like the Buffalo Bills run of four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s. Here is a look at the longest active championship droughts, all of which go back to at least 1998. Toronto Star via Getty Images. 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 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. Within two years, the Magic had the best record in the Eastern Conference and reached the 1994-95 NBA Finals. For more information, check out our comprehensive FuboTV review. The Longest NFL Championship Droughts The wait can be miserable. 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. 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. 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. The Cardinals' 70-year championship drought is one year longer than the team the Cubs beat Wednesday. Prior to the 1972 season, the AFL's Oakland Raiders defeated the NFL's Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. After the Kings, the Atlanta Hawks hold the next-longest championship drought, which extends back to 1958. Who are the teams with the longest championship drought? From 1917-67, Toronto won the Stanley Cup finals 13 times, they still have the second-most Stanley Cup wins in NHL history. The Cubs last win came in 1945 against the . The Panthers have reached the Super Bowl twice. Cleveland has not won a title since 1948, but it has come close to winning one several times. Buffalos drought tops the next-highest city by nine years, and only two other cities besides Buffalo have championship droughts longer than 50 years. Tennessee also stands out for its pro sports struggles. (See The Vikings: Tale of Glory and Doom.). 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. 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. The Hornets/Bobcats have made only 10 playoff appearances and have never advanced beyond the second round. Five Pro Sports Cities in a Championship Drought That Deserve a Ring. Welcome to SportsHistory!Today we took look at every single NFL team's championship drought and ranked them in order! Around a quarter (25.5%) have never won a championship. After the Cav's NBA championship last night, the city that's endured the most seasons without a major sport championship is San Diego. Cities With the Longest NBA Championship Droughts of All Time Ranking Lists - Champs or Chumps Finally, the city of Cincinnati had be flummoxed. 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. There are long-suffering franchises and fan bases across American sports. Since then, the team has used four different names and reached just two conference finals, losing both. The Buffalo Bills won AFL championships in 1964 and 1965 prior to Super Bowls between the two football leagues. The Toronto Maple Leafs have played 54 seasons since winning their last championship in the 1966-67 season. It is the second largest city on this list. A look at the five longest active NFC and AFC Championship Game droughts Frank Moraes is Content Editor at HotDog.com. All 32 active NFL teams have qualified for and won a game in the playoffs. 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. 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. 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. Check out our VPN Guide for everything you need to know, including our top pick ExpressVPN. 57 years. The Rochester Royals, now known as the Sacramento Kings, won the NBA Finals in 1951. Longest championship drought, by city (with multiple teams in current pro leagues) City: Most recent title: Seattle made it as far as the American League Championship Series in 1995, 2000 and 01, when it won 116 regular-season games. The As most recent ALCS appearance resulted in a sweep by the Tigers in 06. Following the 2021-22 NBA season, Sacramento has missed the playoff in 16 consecutive seasons. San Jose has only one active team, the, The most recent championship for Chicago was the, There have been no championships in Winnipeg history.