Sunday, January 21, 2018

Cities' Finals Appearances As Of Super Bowl LII

Note that this only includes cities that currently have a team in MLB, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL. Not the WNBA, or any soccer league. And if I count Canadian cities, then I'm going to have to go way back into pre-NHL Stanley Cup history, and into that of the Grey Cup, both of which are, to put it politely, complicated. For similar reasons, I'm only counting baseball Pennants won from the 1901 founding of the American League onward, and not the 1914-15 Federal League.

I will also do this for the teams that won the titles of the AFL, the ABA and the WHA, even though they had no chance to play the champions of the established league in their sport.

I will also do this even for the teams that no longer exist. Example: Minneapolis has reached the NBA Finals with the Lakers, who moved to Los Angeles in 1960, so that team is still included; however, the New York State cities of Rochester and Syracuse, though each won an NBA Championship, no longer have a team in any of the 4, and thus are not counted.

With NFL teams, I'm using the calendar year in which the season began. For example, for the Eagles and Patriots, both reaching the Super Bowl today, it will be "2017," not "2018." For all other sports, it's the year in which the season ended: For the Warriors and Penguins, it will be "2017."

Ties will be broken by most World Championships won, and then by most recent appearance.

1. New York (including New Jersey & Long Island), 122:

* 1904, '05, '11, '12, '13, '17, '21, '22, '23, '24, '33, '36, '37, '51 and '54 baseball Giants.

* 1916, '20, '41, '47, '49, '52, '53, '55, '56 Brooklyn Dodgers.

* 1921, '22, '23, '26, '27, '28, '32, '36, '37, '38, '39, '41, '42, '43, '47, '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '55, '56, '57, '58, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '76, '77, '78, '81, '96, '98, '99, 2000, '01, '03 and '09 Yankees.

* 1927, '33, '34, '35, '38, '39, '41, '44, '56, '58, '59, '61, '62, '63, '86, '90, 2000, '07 and '11 football Giants.

* 1928, '29, '32, '33, '37, '40, '50, '72, '79, '94 and 2014 Rangers.

* 1951, '52, '53, '70, '72, '73, '94 and '99 Knicks.

* 1968 Jets.

* 1969, '73, '86, 2000 and '15 Mets.

* 1974, '76, 2002 and '03 Nets -- 1st 2 in ABA, as New York Nets, didn't get to face Celtics; 2nd 2 in NBA, as New Jersey Nets; never yet as Brooklyn Nets.

* 1980, '81, '82, '83 and '84 Islanders.

* 1995, 2000, '01, '03 and '12 New Jersey Devils.

In these various finals, New York has faced Los Angeles teams 11 times, Chicago 9, Boston 7, Philadelphia and Milwaukee-Green Bay 6 each, Baltimore and St. Louis 5, Detroit 4; Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Toronto 3 each; twice each for Atlanta, Cleveland, Denver, Edmonton, Montreal, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, San Francisco-Oakland, Vancouver and Washington; once each for Buffalo, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Phoenix, Rochester, San Antonio, San Diego and Vancouver; and other New York teams 28 times.

2. Boston, 66:

* 1903, '04, '12, '15, '16, '18, '46, '67, '75, '86, 2004, '07 and '13 Red Sox.

* 1914 and '48 Braves.

* 1927, '29, '30, '39, '41, '43, '46, '57, '58, '70, '72, '74, '77, '78, '88, '90, 2011 and '13 Bruins.

* 1936 Redskins, who moved to Washington the next season.

* 1957, '58, '59, '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '68, '69, '74, '76, '81, '84, '85, '86, '87, 2008 and '10 Celtics.

* 1973 New England Whalers, in the WHA, didn't get to face Canadiens, moved to Hartford in 1974 and Carolina in 1997.

* 1985, '96, 2001, '03, '04, '07, '11, '14, '16 and '17 New England Patriots.

3. Chicago, 53:

* 1901, '06, '17, '19, '59 and 2005 White Sox.

* 1906, '07, '08, '10, '18, '29, '32, '35, '38, '45 and 2016 Cubs.

* 1921, '32, '33, '34, '37, '40, '41, '42, '43, '46, '63, '85 and 2006 Bears.

* 1925, '47 and '48 Cardinals, moved to St. Louis in 1960 and Arizona in 1988.

* 1931, '34, '38, '44, '61, '62, '65, '71, '73, '92, 2010, '13 and '15 Blackhawks.

* 1947 Stags, NBA, folded in 1950.

* 1991, '92, '93, '96, '97 and '98 Bulls.

4. Los Angeles (including Anaheim), 47:

* 1949, '50, '51, '55 and '79 Rams.

* 1983 Raiders, moved back to Oakland in 1995.

* 1959, '63, '65, '66, '74, '77, '78, '81, '88 and 2017 Dodgers.

* 2002 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

* 1962, '63, '65, '66, '68, '69, '70, '72, '73, '80, '82, '83, '84, '85, '87, '88, '89, '91, 2000, '01, '02, '04, '08, '09 and '10 Lakers.

* 1993, 2012 and '14 Kings.

* 2003 and 2007 Anaheim Ducks.

* The Clippers are the only L.A. team that has never made a Finals. The Chargers reached the AFL Championship Game in 1960, then moved to San Diego the next year, reaching 3 more AFL title games and 1 Super Bowl, and are now back.

5. Detroit, 45:

* 1907, '08, '09, '34, '35, '40, '45, '68, '84, 2006 and 2012 Tigers.

* 1934, '36, '37, '41, '42, '43, '45, '48, '49, '50, '52, '54, '55, '56, '61, '63, '64, '66, '95, '97, '98, 2002, '08 and '09 Red Wings.

* 1935, '52, '53, '54 and '57 Lions.

* 1988, '89, '90, 2004 and '05 Pistons.

6. Philadelphia, 41:

* 1902, '05, '10, '11, '13, '14, '29, '30 and '31 Athletics.

* 1915, '50, '80, '83, '93, 2008 and '09 Phillies.

* 1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets, early NFL, folded 1931.

* 1947, '48, '49, '60, '80, 2004 and '17 Eagles.

* 1947, '48, '55 and '56 Warriors, moved to San Francisco in 1962.

* 1967, '77, '80, '82, '83 and 2001 76ers.

* 1974, '75, '80, '85, '87, '97 and 2010 Flyers.

7. San Francisco (including Oakland), 30:

* 1962, '89, 2002, '10, '12 and '14 Giants.

* 1967, '76, '80 and 2002 Oakland Raiders, 1983 not counted because it was during their 1982-94 L.A. exile.

* 1969 Oakland Oaks, ABA, didn't get to face the Celtics.

* 1981, '84, '88, '89, '94 and 2012 49ers.

* 1972, '73, '74, '88, '89 and '90 Oakland Athletics. Notice that they have won no Pennants since Billy Beane became general manager.

* 1964, '67, '75, 2015, '16 and '17 Golden State Warriors. Named the San Francisco Warriors until moving across the Bay to Oakland in 1971.

* 2016 San Jose Sharks.

8. St. Louis, 29: 1926, '28, '30, '31, '34, '42, '43, '44, '46, '64, '67, '68, '82, '85, '87, 2004, '06, '11 and '13 Cardinals; 1944 Browns; 1957, '58, '60 and '61 Hawks; 1968, '69 and '70 Blues; 1999 and 2001 Rams.

9. Pittsburgh, 24: 1901, '02, '03, '09, '25, '27, '60, '71 and '79 Pirates; 1968 Pipers (ABA, didn't get to face Celtics); 1974, '75, '78, '79, '95, 2005, '08 and '10 Steelers; 1991, '92, 2008, '09, '16 and '17 Penguins.

10. Cleveland, 23: 1920, '48, '54, '95, '97 and 2016 Indians; 1920 Akron Pros (early NFL); 1922, '23 and '24 Canton Bulldogs (early NFL); 1945 Rams (moved to Los Angeles the next year); 1950, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '57 and '64 Browns; 2007, '15, '16 and '17 Cavaliers. No, I'm not counting the Browns' 4 AAFC titles.

11. Milwaukee (including Green Bay), 21: 1929, '30, '31, '36, '38, '39, '44, '60, '61, '62, '65, '66, '67, '96, '97 and 2010 Green Bay Packers; 1957 and '58 Braves; 1971 and '74 Bucks; 1982 Brewers.

12. Washington, 17: 1924, '25 and '33 Senators; 1937, '40, '42, '43, '45, '82, '83, '87 and '91 Redskins; 1949 Capitols (early NBA); 1974, '78 and '79 Bullets (now Wizards); 1998 Capitals. If you count Washington and Baltimore as a single market (but you shouldn't), that's 31, and they move up to 7th.

13. Dallas, 15: 1962 Texans (AFL Champs didn't get to face the Packers, became the K.C. Chiefs the next year); 1970, '71, '75, '77, '78, '92, '93 and '95 Cowboys; 1999 and 2000 Stars; 2006 and '11 Mavericks; 2010 and '11 Texas Rangers.

14. Baltimore, 14: 1948 and '71 Bullets; 1958, '59, '68 and '70 Colts; 1966, '69, '70, '71, '79 and '83 Orioles; 2000 and '12 Ravens.

15. Minneapolis, 14: 1949, '50, '52, '53 and '54 Lakers; 1965, '87 and '91 Minnesota Twins; 1969, '73, '74 and '76 Minnesota Vikings; 1981 and '91 Minnesota North Stars. The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Minnesota Wild haven't yet made the Finals.

16. Miami, 13: 1971, '72, '73, '82 and '84 Dolphins; 1996 Panthers; 1997 and 2003 Marlins; 2006, '11, '12, '13 and '14 Heat.

17. Cincinnati, 11: 1919, '39, '40, '61, '70, '72, '75, '76 and '90 Reds; 1981 and '88 Bengals.

18. Denver, 11 : 1977, '86, '87, '90, '97, '98, 2013 and '15 Broncos; 1996 and 2001 Colorado Avalanche; 2007 Colorado Rockies. The Denver Nuggets reached the 1976 ABA Finals, but never the NBA Finals.

19. Houston, 10: 1960 and '61 Oilers (AFL, didn't get to face the '60 Eagles or the '61 Packers); 1974 and '75 Aeros (WHA, didn't get to face the Flyers either time); 1981, '86, '94 and '95 Rockets; 2005 and '17 Astros.

20. Seattle, 9: 1917, '19, '20 and '22 Metropolitans (Stanley Cup); 1978 and '79 SuperSonics; 2005, '13 and '14 Seahawks.

21. Buffalo, 8: 1964, '65, '90, '91, '92 and '93 Bills (1st 2 in AFL, didn't get to face '64 Browns or '65  Packers); 1975 and '99 Sabres.

22. Atlanta, 7: 1991, '92, '95, '96 and '99 Braves; 1998 and 2016 Falcons. The Hawks haven't reached an NBA Finals since 1961, when they were still in St. Louis.

23. San Antonio, 6: 1999, 2003, '05, '07, '13 and '14 Spurs.

24. Kansas City, 6: 1966 and '69 Chiefs; 1980, '85, 2014 and '15 Royals.

25. Indianapolis, 6: 1970, '72, '73 and 2000 Pacers (the 1st 3 in the ABA, unable to meet the '70 or '73 Knicks or the '72 Lakers); 2006 and '09 Colts.

26. Phoenix, 4: 1976 and '93 Suns, 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, 2008 Arizona Cardinals (named the Phoenix Cardinals from 1988 to 1992).

27. Portland, 4: 1916 Rosebuds (Stanley Cup); 1977, '90 and '92 Trail Blazers.

28. San Diego, 4: 1963 and '94 Chargers (AFL Champs, didn't get to face the '63 Bears, and are now back in Los Angeles), 1984 and '98 Padres.

29. Carolina, 4: 2002 and '06 Hurricanes, 2003 and '15 Panthers. I'm counting Raleigh in with Charlotte. The Charlotte Hornets have never made the NBA Finals.

30. Tampa Bay, 3: 2002 Buccaneers, 2004 Lightning, 2008 Rays. If you want to count Orlando in a united "Central Florida," it rises to 5.

31. Salt Lake City, 3: 1971 Utah Stars (ABA, didn't get to face Bucks), 1997 and '98Utah  Jazz.

32. Nashville, 2: 1999 Titans, 2017 Predators. This total does not rise if you count Memphis.

33. Orlando, 2: 1995 and 2009 Magic.

34. New Orleans, 1: 2009 Saints.

35. Oklahoma City, 1: 2012 Thunder.

36. Jacksonville, none. The Jaguars could have made it 1 today, but they lost to the Patriots.

37. Memphis, none. Rank ahead of Sacramento due to fewer combined major league seasons.

38. Sacramento, none.

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