Since then, all three major franchises have experienced misfortune. The Falcons did make it to the Super Bowl following the 1998 NFL season, but the franchise has more double digit losing seasons (21) than playoff appearances (12) throughout the team's existence. In the 67 years since their last title, the Cardinals have won a total of six playoff games. The Minnesota Vikings' last championship title was for the NFL in 1969. The current team doesn't appear to be ready to put an end to this drought. The New York Jets haven't won a Super Bowl since Joe Namath boldly predicted they would beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. The Suns had their chances when the team included Kevin Johnson, Dan Majerle, Charles Barkley and Danny Ainge. They have made it to the big game twice (1981, 1988) but ran into a very determined San Francisco 49ers squad both times. Following his trade to Pittsburgh, Layne allegedly said that Detroit would not win a championship for 50 years. While there is no set formula for deciding when simple bad luck turns into a curse, when the championship droughts last for so long and defy the obvious explanations when people look to the supernatural. They managed to make a Super Bowl appearance debuting as the Titans in 1999. The Indians have a history that dates back to the Cleveland Lake Shores in 1900 and includes only two world championships (1920, 1948) since this time. Up until last year they had the longest run without a championship in the CFL. To be fair, the list above may be a tad misleading. The Chiefs achieved some early success in the AFL, but have been pretty dormant ever since. The Detroit Lions were a very successful NFL football team in the 1950's, last winning a title in 1957. Across North America, fans don the jerseys of their favorite teams and flock to arenas and stadiums to see them play. These are the "diehard fans" of teams that continue to be mediocre year after year or teams that show enough consistency to make the playoffs only to never be able to win the big game. They have yet to even make it back to the Stanley Cup Final since their last championship in 1967. Let's hope for Detroit's sake that was the end of the spell. Since the franchise started off as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, the team has not even won a conference championship. The Jets have had some characters and even a good number of playoff teams, including four trips to the AFC Championship, but futility has been more like par for the course. Fans have been asked to have patience, however, there remains to be very little to get excited about in the immediate future. Their effort was good for a 6th place finish in the Atlantic Division of the NHL. The longest drought in NFL history — and the longest active drought for any North American sports team — belongs to the Arizona Cardinals. The current version of the team is a glorified minor league team at best guided by leadership that is determined to keep payroll costs in check. It remains to be seen if the curse if lifted. The longest drought overall now belongs to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals at 69 years. The Brewers started off in the American League, but moved to the National League in 1998. Astonishingly, divers who thought they had found a human corpse finally found the Colonel Sanders statue on March 10, 2009. The current Chiefs have been a threat to end this title drought, but they must be more consistent to become more than just a threat. Their most gut-wrenching losses include the 1998 NFC Championship, in which Gary Anderson missed a potential game-clinching field goal late and most recently, we saw the Vikings lose a heart breaker to the Saints in the 2009 NFC Championship, where Brett Favre threw a late interception and never got the ball in overtime. In the Chargers' 15 playoff appearances since 1963, they have made it to only one Super Bowl (1994) where they were beaten decisively by the San Francisco 49ers. There was only one problem: they couldn’t find a Japanese person who looked like Randy Bass. Many fans are eager to see their favorite team win the game, in the hopes that win. On September 26, 2014, the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox and clinched a spot in the American League Playoffs.The win ended their 29-year postseason drought, which was the longest active playoff drought in professional sports. The Los Angeles Dodgers exorcized some championship demons by winning the World Series on Tuesday night. Craig enjoys writing about the NFL and NBA, but follows all sports including NCAA football and basketball. The Clippers still have to learn how to beat the Spurs and Thunder before thinking about ending this drought. The current team has one of the best receivers in the league, Calvin Johnson, and defensive players as well, Ndamukong Suh, but still manage to struggle with the consistency necessary to break their streak. The Blues have made it to the Stanley Cup Final three times-- which were their first three years of existence, in 1968, 1969 and 1970, but have never been able to finish with hoisting the cup. Previous championship: 1917 Broke drought: 2005 Total length: 88 years Close calls: The White Sox are the one team on this list that actually threw away a chance to shorten their drought. It's interesting that the team experienced some early success as the Rochester Royals, only to move to Cincinnati and then Kansas City for financial reasons. Their lone trip to the Super Bowl came in the 1998-99 season, defeating the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship, only to be overwhelmed by the Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. The team has only won one playoff game, in 1991, since that last championship in 1957. Bad as that is (especially in a league with only nine teams), it's far from the longest championship drought in sports. And even then, they were pounded by the Detroit Tigers, 9-3, in Game 7, with their starting pitcher lasting only three batters. The Cubs have not made a World Series appearance since 1945, and have not won a championship since 1908, the longest drought in North American sports. The Texas Rangers started out as the Washington Senators before moving to Arlington, Texas prior to the 1972 season. The enormity of this drought is compounded by the fact that Chicago is the third most populated U.S. city as well as third most populous metropolitan area. The Boston Red Sox: The Curse of the Bambino. It’s probably the best-known championship drought in sports history: The Chicago Cubs haven’t won a World Series since 1908. February 1, 2021 by Football History Dude In honor of Super Bowl week, in this episode of “ When Football Was Football ,” we’ll take you back to explore the last championship of the team now known as the Arizona Cardinals. When they reached, and lost, the Japan Series in 2003, local KFC’s bolted down all their statues to prevent another theft. During the victory celebrations, Tigers fans gathered at the Ebisubashi Bridge in Osaka, shouted a Hanshin player’s name, and then threw another fan that looked like the player into the dirty canal under the bridge. The team has gone 71 seasons without winning a league title, with its last coming via the 1947 NFL Championship when … Comments Off on The 10 Longest Active Super Bowl/Championship Droughts in NFL History (Note: Totals are accurate through the end of the 2014 NFL regular season.) A good sports curse is like a fine wine; it usually gets better with age. The result: a team that won five of the first fifteen World Series suffered, and the New York Yankees went on to become the most successful franchise in North American sports. The Indians almost ended the drought with a World Series appearance in 1995. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series on Wednesday night, ending 108 years of futility — and leaving the Cardinals as the team with the longest championship drought in North American sports. Cincinnati: 26 years With the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series and ending a 108-year title drought, the Heat Index decided to take a look at title droughts in the four major pro sports. Major-league baseball has had three teams end long championship droughts in the last 15 years — the Boston Red Sox (85 years), the Chicago White Sox … Despite their storied past, the current Vikings are in no position to end this current title drought. They went on to lose the NFL-AFL Title game (Super Bowl) to the Kansas City Chiefs, making the Vikings title drought more severe. The Sacramento Kings of the NBA had some terrific teams with Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovich, pushing the Lakers in the Western Conference and energizing their fan base, but the franchise has had a long history of coming up short. A 22 year title drought was followed by success as they won 3 Grey Cups in seven years (1984, 1988 & 1990). The lovable Chicago Cubs of MLB have such a loyal fan base for a team that has not won a championship in more than a century (106 years). See the U.S. cities that have gone the longest without winning a major sports title. The Red Sox championship drought lasted between 1918 and 2004, a period of 86 years before Boston finally broke the curse. Longest active championship droughts in sports Now that the Chicago Cubs have won their first World Series in 108 years, the longest active championship drought belongs to ... More Videos Many Super Bowls have passed since Namath's famous remark, but the Jets haven't been successful enough in any year since to be a participant in the big game. Despite launching the careers of Andre Dawson, Tim Raines and others, the Expos were never considered to be a postseason threat. Since its last title in 1961, the team's championship drought has been lengthy but not devoid of successful moments. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp3h7o8u8Fg[/youtube], The Hanshin Tigers: The Curse of the Colonel. The current longest drought of all major New York sports teams, the Knicks are embarking on a new era with Phil Jackson, the new team president. There are many teams tied at droughts of 44 years, but the Clippers' NBA drought is quite severe. Following their 1985 victory, the Tigers went on an eighteen year losing streak, attributed to the lost statue in the canal. Getting their start as the Chicago Cardinals, the team eventually moved to St. Louis, later to Tempe, Arizona and finally to Glendale, Arizona where the team currently resides. The Blues have yet to earn a Stanley Cup, but do have the distinction of making it to the playoffs in 25 consecutive seasons, a steak that ended in 2004. When the Chicago Cubs won the World Series last year, they ended the longest championship drought in North American Sports — 108 years. Before this, though, the Red Sox had a long history of almost making missing the playoffs or losing in the postseason in dramatic fashion. In beating the Tampa Bay Rays, the Dodgers broke a 32-year World Series drought.. Sports. Many fans are eager to see their favorite team win the game, in the hopes that winning the game will give their team a chance to make it to the postseason. The following 25 teams are united by their common mission to end their championship droughts. The current Cardinals have a terrific defense and state of the art stadium but must pick it up on offense in order to have a realistic chance at putting an end to their championship drought. The Lions have had many exciting players on their roster, including the great Barry Sanders, but expectations never seem to be met. The current Bengals team has shown an ability to play with anyone during the regular season. The current Suns team continues the franchise's tradition of having an exciting team, but ending the title drought would be a stretch that extends far beyond a half-court three point shot. Had Carson Palmer remained healthy this season, the Cardinals likely would've been seen as Super Bowl favorites. The Phoenix Suns were established in 1968 and have made it to the NBA Finals twice, but have no titles to show for their efforts. The Cleveland Indians have endured a 66-year championship drought to lead the city in sports futility. This included titles won in … The current team with its problems at the quarterback position doesn't appear to be in the best position to break this championship drought. They made the NFC championship game last year, had a good core and a … To determine which team has suffered the longest championship drought in each current conference, we assessed date of last title for all current FBS teams. The Kansas City Chiefs have struggled since winning the AFL Championship and Super Bowl IV many years ago. The Arizona Cardinals are one of the charter members of the NFL, which was established in 1920. The Curse of the Billy Goat has manifested itself many times, most recently in the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins, where fan Steve Bartman infamously obstructed a Cubs player from catching a foul ball late in the game in a crucial situation. Willie Ways made one of the most famous catches of all time against the Indians in the 1954 World Series, and in 1997, the Indians lost the World Series despite winning for most of Game Seven. Hopefully Manziel's horrific debut will prove to be early growing pains and not the norm for the next few years. The city of Cleveland might have LeBron James and Johnny Manziel, but championships have been hard to come by. Furman (SoCon) Last appearance: 1980 Autobid odds: 27.8% KenPom, 28.3% T-Rank Furman has been close to breaking the drought … A legend arose that the team won’t win until the statue is recovered, long considered impossible. The early Brewers had some success with Robin Yount, but have only one World Series appearance to show for this era. But other than the Blues and the three MLS clubs, all … Previous championship: 1908 Broke drought: 2016 Total length: 108 years Close calls: The Cubs lostthe World Series seven times after their first title, only one of which lasted seven games. The Cleveland Browns have not won a title since capturing an NFL Championship in 1964. Moreover, the team hasn’t appeared in a World Series since 1945 (they lost to the Detroit Tigers). Their big issue now is in just making it to the playoffs. The first true championship won by the Cardinals came in 1947. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The supposed curse came after the Lions traded the legendary Bobby Layne after he'd led the Lions to three straight NFL Championships. Hawks fans did get to enjoy "The Human Highlight Film", Dominique Wilkins, throughout the 80's and 90's, but not much else. The current edition of the team is competitive, but not that much closer to ending the team's longstanding championship drought. The second-longest drought in the big leagues isn’t nearly as long. Despite making it to the playoffs 20 times since winning their last NFL championship in 1960, the Eagles have failed to bring another title home to its fans in Philadelphia. The Maple Leafs have struggled to finish seasons with a positive goal differential, even though they have been fortunate enough to win their share of close games. This is a list of current National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season … Despite having some talented players come through its ranks, the Rangers have struggled to put it all together in one season of play. What You Don’t Know About Weekend Adventure Holidays, The New Fuss About Great Adventure Holidays, Rumored Buzz on Weekend Adventure Holidays Uncovered, Best Essay Writing Service: No Longer a Mystery, 101 Movie One-Liners Everyone Should Know, All Grown Up: The 23 Hottest Former Child Stars, Ready Your Shift Key: 30 Classic PC Games That Still Rule, 50 Drinking Games Guaranteed to Get You Hammered. The curse was penned after the Red Sox lost the 1986 World Series, highlighted by the famous ball through the legs of Bill Buckner in Game Six. Their drought since then includes four consecutive Super Bowl appearances (1990-1993) where they where left knocking on the door with teams that included Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. The current team has a good nucleus on offense, but the defense and team's ability to overcome injuries is still rather suspect. On his way out, Sianis said, “ Them Cubs, they aren’t gonna win no more.”. Eerily enough, 50 years after the trade is when the Lions went 0-16. Michael Jordan even got in the fun by owning the Cleveland Cavaliers with his famous shot in the 1989 NBA Playoffs. The Padres face the reality of being a small market team, so don't look for a quick change or end to this drought. Unbelievably, the Clippers have had only two divisional championships, which were won recently in 2013 and 2014. The Buffalo Bills got their start in the AFL, where they won two consecutive titles in 1964 and 1965. The 68-year-old was actually part of the Knicks' last championship as a player back in 1973. It does show the longest drought in each sport. The NBA franchise was successful in the late 1950's and early 1960's when the team won a title over the Boston Celtics when it represented St. Louis in 1958. The record for the longest drought ever goes to the New York Rangers who went 54 years (1940 to 1994). There are 12 NBA teams that never have won a championship. The Vikings have had Fran Tarkenton, the "Purple People Eaters" and their share of great players of the past and even present (Adrian Peterson), but they have struggled to win the big games. The Padres not only have a lengthy title drought, but also have the distinction of being the only MLB team yet to have a no-hitter thrown. What is the Longest Championship Drought in Professional Sports? He will stop all activities to watch San Francisco 49er games and has been an avid fan of UCLA basketball for most of his life. For the 54 seasons of the franchise's existence, the team has only two World Series appearances (2010, 2011) and six playoff appearances. The Bengals have had 12 playoff appearances as well as their fair share of productive players, but the NFL championship has been elusive. However, after their busy winter a lot of people are expecting that to come to an end this year. Among teams … The fans found the next best thing; they went their local KFC and tore loose a statue of Colonel Sanders, the only white guy they could find. Cleveland's last World Series win dates back to 1948, and since that time the team has come up short in a few World Series. In most cases, a victory is far from assured and the postseason will have to wait for yet another year. The Chiefs' last playoff appearance before this drought began was a two-overtime loss on Christmas Day in 1971 to the Miami Dolphins in the longest NFL game ever played. In the 1985 Japan championship series, the Hanshin Tigers defeated the Seibu Lions largely from the bat of American star Randy Bass. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqQoocSnzsk[/youtube], 12 Unconventional Holiday Movies You’ll Want to Watch Before Xmas. The Falcons get a nod over the Bills due to the fact that they entered the league as an expansion franchise in 1966. Don't look for this championship streak to end any time soon. The Curse of the Colonel is an interesting curse from the realm of Japanese baseball. It seems like training camp just opened, and we’ve already put another NFL regular season in the books. Short-term sporting woes can usually be explained away by a litany of excuses, from poor management to plain bad luck. It is hard to imagine rooting for a team that hasn't won a title in over 100 years, but that continues to happen in one major U.S. city. The "Nats" have as good a chance of any on this list of ending this title drought sometime soon. The Chiefs with Len Dawson, Willie Lanier, Marcus Allen, Joe Montana and more players of note have only had 17 playoff appearances since coming into the AFL as the Dallas Texans in 1960. It seems like the Browns haven't been able to draft an elite quarterback or productive running back who could enable them to get over the hump. They have not won a playoff game since 1990, going one-and-out five times since then. Two years later they came painfully close to ending it, when they were two outs away in Game 7 of the World Series, before the Marlins tied the game on a sacrifice fly and won in extra innings. This curse was placed on the Cubs in 1945 by one Billy Sianis, who was asked to leave a World Series game because his stinky pet goat that he brought with him to the game was bothering other fans. The Washington Nationals are by far the most futile of the three MLB teams whose title droughts equal 46 years. Here are the longest current championship droughts in the NBA. The Cardinals have had some close encounters with success, more recently with Kurt Warner, but remain the NFL team with the longest active championship drought of 67 years. Offense has historically been the team's strong point. The current Sacramento team has had similar financial issues, despite having a loyal fan base and talented young roster that would probably make them a playoff team in the East. The Cincinnati Bengals entered the NFL in 1968 and have yet to win a championship. Longest active title droughts in sports foxsports Oct 20, 2016 at 4:58p ET share url email fbmsngr whatsapp sms The San Diego Padres get a slight nod over the Brewers only because they have spent all their time of futility in one city. The Indians have played much better since manager Terry … If you did a top ten list of cities having at least two Big Four pro sports teams with the longest championship droughts, it would be: San Diego 1963 Cleveland 1964 Buffalo 1965 Milwaukee 1971 Cincinnati 1990 Minneapolis-St. Paul 1991 Washington DC 1992 Toronto 1993 Atlanta 1995 Houston … So here they are: The cities (counting only those with two or more teams from the big four leagues) that are in the middle of longest championship droughts: 1. The Suns have also seen the likes of Paul Westphal as a player and coach, Sir Charles Barkley, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, only to come up short during the playoffs. Cardinals (1947): The Cardinals seemed close to breaking the longest drought in pro sports. Despite having major sports franchises in baseball, football, and basketball, the city of Cleveland has not won a major sports championship since 1964. The Nationals, on the other hand, have achieved more success in 1o years than the Expos have achieved in their first 36 years in the league. Cleveland is so cursed there are multiple curses. The Vikings have had 27 playoff appearances and 18 division championships since becoming a member of the NFL in 1961. They also have a lot of difficulty closing out games, and despite making it to the playoffs  in four of the last six seasons, they won just one playoff game in that stretch. The Atlanta Hawks have represented the city of Atlanta since 1968 and despite the long tenure, they have not been able to bring a victory parade to the city's downtown. Since then, the franchise has endured six decades of losing seasons and the longest championship drought among active NFL franchises. The San Diego Chargers have a long championship drought that goes back to the AFL days, where the Chargers won their last title in 1963. It still seems pretty likely that this season will not bring an end to this championship drought. The St. Louis Blues are members of the original six-team expansion that doubled the size of the NHL in 1967. Twenty haven't won one in the past 20 years. The Bills haven't even been capable of doing that lately, with their last playoff appearance occurring all the way back in 1999, a game they lost thanks to the famous Music City Miracle.