The 1984 Georgetown Hoyas were an intimidating force and physically manhandled opponents en route to a national title. Patrick Ewing, the 7’0” center, whose defense defined every game, was in his junior year, and the team looked like it had in 1982, with a very deep team surrounding him. They played defense, hit the boards and were the #1 seed in the West by NCAA Tournament time.
The 1982 Georgetown Hoyas were a program steadily on the rise in a Big East Conference that was much the same. With big John Thompson, the 6’10” head coach, patrolling the sidelines, the Hoyas made a regional final in the 1980 NCAA Tournament before losing by one point to Iowa. Then Thompson made a huge splash when he signed stud freshman center, 7’0” Patrick Ewing, the nation’s most coveted recruit. The stage was set for great things.
Quarterback Joe Theisman led an explosive offense. The Redskin run under Joe Gibbs from 1982-91 would be ultimately defined by “The Hogs”, the big offensive line, and in the early 1980s, the work of power running back John Riggins. But Theisman was always instrumental in leading the passing game and he had the best year of his career in 1983, en route to an MVP award.
The NFL season of 1982 was overshadowed by labor difficulties and after two games, the season was temporarily shut down with a players’ strike. Play would not resume until November 21 with plans for a truncated nine-game schedule and divisional distinctions abandoned for playoff purposes. Nothing—not the strike, not broken momentum, not anyone in the NFL could stop the 1982 Washington Redskins, as they won the franchise’s first Super Bow
The 1989 San Francisco 49ers came into the NFL season as a rare breed—a defending champion in a transitional state. Under the leadership of Bill Walsh and the quarterbacking of Joe Montana, they won the Super Bowl in 1981, 1984 and again in 1988. Even though Walsh had retired after the come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Bengals to cap the previous year’s title run, the expectations at Candlestick Park were the same—to repeat. George Seifert had been elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach.
The 1989 San Francisco Giants lineup was anchored by first baseman Will Clark and leftfielder Kevin Mitchell. Clark was one the really good pure hitters of this time, able to hit for contact without compromising his power stroke. His productive years ended prematurely, as his upper body wasn’t built to last, and there’s no evidence he used steroids at the time everyone else was trying out the new fad. Mitchell had been a part of the Mets’ 1986 championship team and was one of the game’s top power hitters, as his 47 home runs, .635 slugging percentage and NL MVP award in ’89 would attest.
…finally, at long last, the Mets had survived 8-5. It had been a road that was extraordinarily easy in the regular season and extraordinarily difficult in October. But they were champions.
It’s hard to imagine a year with more wild ups and downs than what the 1986 New York Jets experienced. The season didn’t end the way the fans wanted, but no one could say it was boring.
The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies carried the banner for a franchise and a fan base that was marked with frustration, both short-term, long-term and even beyond the baseball diamond. The Phillies had not won a World Series since 1915. They had lost the National League Championship Series each year from 1976-78.
The Philadelphia 76ers were a franchise that was now established as a consistent contender. The Sixers were led by Julius (“Dr. J”) Erving, a spectacular small forward, and they reached the NBA Finals in 1977 and were in the mix each of the next two seasons. But Philadelphia never got over the hump—whether it was Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers or the Washington Bullets, the Sixers didn’t reach the throne room. The 1980 Philadelphia 76ers got themselves close to doing that, but were dispatched with a dose of Magic.
The 1980 Philadelphia Flyers enjoyed a tremendous regular season, racking up 116 points and winning the old Patrick Division title, beating out the New York powers, the Islanders and Rangers. There was no one great star among the regular starting five for Philadelphia. Winger Reggie Leach was the one counted on to light the lamp, and he got help from fellow wingman Brian Propp and center Ken Linesman.
Expectations were sky high for the 1980 Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were coming off two consecutive playoff appearances that saw progressive improvement. They lost in the wild-card round in 1978, giving up a fourth-quarter lead in Atlanta. The following year, Philadelphia went one round further, beating Chicago in the first round before losing to Tampa Bay in the divisional playoff.
