Golden ages of sports cities

[MTM]

And 88. Or did you forget this.

Just came back to add that.

And 1980 was a one-game playoff for the NL West, not an NLCS game.

 

[old_tony]

Started thinking about the Bay Area's recent sports success -- the Warriors, the Sharks finally breaking through, the Giants winning a few World Series, the Niners getting good again for a hot minute -- and it seems like a good time to be a sports fan in that area. It's also weird how, when one team in a city gets good others seem to follow in short order.
What are some other "Golden Ages" for cities, in terms of sports success?
Boston, for example, is unquestionably 2001-2014, with all four of their teams winning championships and playing for several more in that span.
Philadelphia was probably 1974-83, with the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies all winning titles and being consistently good, and the Eagles reaching a Super Bowl.

What would be considered some of the others?

I remember thinking as a kid about how some cities had some nice runs.

In the late 1960s and up to about 1971, the Colts and Orioles both won titles. The Bullets were pretty good at that time, also, losing i the finals to the Bucks in 71.

The Mets and Jets both won it all in 1969, with the Knicks winning it all in the 69-70 season.(Though some New Yorkers might only count Yankees and Giants titles in baseball and football -- and there were plenty of those in the late 50s.)

The A's and Raiders were pretty darn good in the early 70s, and the Oakland Oaks of the ABA were pretty good during that time.

Celtics and Bruins were good at the same time in the late 60s, with the Bruins getting it done in 1970 and '72.

These are the ones off the top of my head from when I was a kid. I'll probably think of a few more later.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

It still amazes me that there were virtually no pro sports west of St. Louis until the 1950s.

Well, considering there was little plane travel, and the sports leagues were quite small by today's standards (NHL at one point was just 6 teams), it's not really that surprising.

Also, for a few decades, the Pacific Coast League was seen as nearly on par with the major leagues in terms of fan attendance and player salaries, so it wasn't like there wasn't any pro teams.

 

[Batman]

I didn't even think of college sports when I considered Philadelphia.
The Flyers won the Cup in 1974 and '75, and made the finals in '80.
Sixers only won the one title, in 1983, but made the finals three other times.
The Eagles had a nice run in the late 1970s and made the Super Bowl in 1980, when they got their ass kicked by the Raiders.
Phillies won it all in 1980, and were perennial contenders from 1976-83 when they squeezed out one last run with the "Wheeze Kids" team.
And then Villanova won the NCAA championship in 1985. You had Paul Palmer from Temple finishing second in the Heisman voting in 1986, too, and Jon Chaney turning Temple into a solid team, to extend it out another year or two.
Philadelphia is still the only four-sport city in the pros to send all four teams to the championship series/game in the same season (in 1980).
No wonder, as a kid, I gravitated toward what eventually became a pit of misery.

 

[Batman]

In the late 1960s and up to about 1971, the Colts and Orioles both won titles. The Bullets were pretty good at that time, also, losing i the finals to the Bucks in 71.

Washington is a weird one, since they've only had one or two teams most of the time. Would theirs be, say 1978-87? Bullets won one title and played for another, and then the Redskins won two Super Bowls, played in another, and were contending for them the rest of the time.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

I remember thinking as a kid about how some cities had some nice runs.

In the late 1960s and up to about 1971, the Colts and Orioles both won titles. The Bullets were pretty good at that time, also, losing i the finals to the Bucks in 71.

The Mets and Jets both won it all in 1969, with the Knicks winning it all in the 69-70 season.(Though some New Yorkers might only count Yankees and Giants titles in baseball and football -- and there were plenty of those in the late 50s.)

The A's and Raiders were pretty darn good in the early 70s, and the Oakland Oaks of the ABA were pretty good during that time.

Celtics and Bruins were good at the same time in the late 60s, with the Bruins getting it done in 1970 and '72.

These are the ones off the top of my head from when I was a kid. I'll probably think of a few more later.

Cleveland's peak would have to be from '46 to '57. Browns won those four AAFC titles, plus NFL titles in '50, '54 and '55.

Indians won the World Series in '48, and had one of the all-time best teams in '54 despite losing the Series.

No NBA team, and with only six NHL franchises, the AHL was a bit of a bigger deal back then, and the Barons won the Calder Cup five times between '48-'57.

 

[cjericho]

Washington is a weird one, since they've only had one or two teams most of the time. Would theirs be, say 1978-87? Bullets won one title and played for another, and then the Redskins won two Super Bowls, played in another, and were contending for them the rest of the time.

Caps also were good then. Stuck in the same division as the Islanders during their dynasty and the Flyers also were good through those years.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Hoyas and Terps hoops too.

 

[Huggy]

Toronto: 1992-93, Jays win the World Series both years, Leafs go to the conference final in 93 against the Kings only to get ****ed by Kerry Fraser.

 

[RubberSoul1979]

The Bay Area set a high standard from 1987-1992: Four pennants and a World Series win for the A's, the third and fourth of the five Super Bowls the 49ers won during Eddie DeBartolo's ownership, two division titles and a pennant for the Giants (who didn't win anything from 1971-1987) and three playoff series victories for the Warriors. What a collection of personalities to watch while growing up: Run TMC, the Bash Brothers, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Bill Walsh, Rickey Henderson, Will Clark.

 

[Ace]

What about cities that have never had Golden Ages?

In Houston, the Oilers reached their peak in the mid-70s (but were never as good as the Steelers)

The Rockets basically have had two great seasons in 1994 ad '95.

The Astros didn't even make the playoffs until 1980 but were in the NL Championship and WS in 2004-05.

Never even had a decade with two teams winning or competing for championships.

 

[RubberSoul1979]

Growing up in Los Angeles from 1970 through the 80s, I saw a lot of success. I'll admit, some was from the sheer number of teams.

There was the end of the UCLA basketball dynasty, three USC football national titles, two World Series titles in five appearances from the Dodgers, Lakers showtime, very good Rams teams, but just one Super Bowl, an LA Raiders Super Bowl win and the 1984 Olympics.

Between the Dodgers and Angels, there were postseason baseball games in the region in 74, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 85, 86 and 88 (thanks BYM).

Don't forget FernandoMania, USC Football's McKay/John Robinson years (two Heisman winners, three national titles). I'm sure you appreciate the flip side of this Golden Age: absolute domination of Bay Area teams:

- The 49ers went 3-23-1 against the Rams from 1967-1980.
- Cal lost 52 straight (!) to UCLA in basketball until 1986, and 18 straight (1972-89) in football.
- Between 1972-1985, the Giants finished beyond fourth place just twice while the Dodgers finished lower than second just twice.
- USC won at Stanford Stadium every year between 1970 and 1992.

 

[MisterCreosote]

What about cities that have never had Golden Ages?

Atlanta immediately comes to mind. Unless the '90s counts for one title and a bunch of good regular seasons, which it shouldn't.

Also, San Diego. No championships at all for the Padres and Chargers, IIRC. Plus, two NBA teams that each bolted within a few years.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

What about cities that have never had Golden Ages?

In Houston, the Oilers reached their peak in the mid-70s (but were never as good as the Steelers)

The Rockets basically have had two great seasons in 1994 ad '95.

The Astros didn't even make the playoffs until 1980 but were in the NL Championship and WS in 2004-05.

Never even had a decade with two teams winning or competing for championships.

Seattle comes to mind.

In the 80s, the Mariners sucked, the Seahawks had a good stretch, but never won a title and the Sonics were usually in the playoffs, but were stuck below the Celtics/Lakers/Sixers/Pistons group.

In the 90s,the Mariners were better, the Seahawks were meh and the Sonics again were mostly stuck below the elite.

 

[Batman]

What about cities that have never had Golden Ages?

In Houston, the Oilers reached their peak in the mid-70s (but were never as good as the Steelers)

The Rockets basically have had two great seasons in 1994 ad '95.

The Astros didn't even make the playoffs until 1980 but were in the NL Championship and WS in 2004-05.

Never even had a decade with two teams winning or competing for championships.

The period from 1980-86 was pretty good for Houston. The Astros won the division twice and the Rockets made the NBA finals twice. I think the Oilers might have been in the playoffs once or twice, too, although they were between the Luv Ya Blue and Run and Shoot eras and we're never very memorable.
Still pretty bleak.

 

[BTExpress]

Also, San Diego. No championships at all for the Padres and Chargers, IIRC. Plus, two NBA teams that each bolted within a few years.

Yeah, but they get to live in San Diego. So their fans get no sympathy from me.

 

[Batman]

What about cities that have never had Golden Ages?

Miami has had a couple rosy periods, with the Dolphins in the 1970s and the Heat over the past decade, but never across the board success with all of their teams at once. There was also a lot of suck in between.

Detroit is the same way. There was a period in the 1980s (from '84 to '90) when the Tigers and Pistons were both good, but the Red Wings and Lions sucked. Then the Red Wings were dominant in the 90s, and everybody else was meh at best.

There's a corollary to the golden age, too, when one team is so popular and so successful that the others don't matter. I'd put Milwaukee (which claims the Packers as their own), Miami (Dolphins in the 70s, Heat in the 2000s) and Seattle (Seahawks in the 2010s) in that category.

 

[Starman]

The nearest thing to a true golden age for Detroit was the 1935-36 season:

The Tigers won the World Series in October, the Lions won the NFL title in December, and the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in April.

Since the arrival of the NBA Pistons in 1957, it's been damn rare for all 4 teams to even make the playoffs at the same time, much less win titles.

In the early 2000s when both the Pistons and Red Wings were good at the same time, the Lions and Tigers sucked.

 

[tapintoamerica]

How about the Golden Age of OKC sports? Oh yeah. That ended last night.

 

[HanSenSE]

How about the Golden Age of OKC sports? Oh yeah. That ended last night.

Seattle agrees.