The 1989 Montreal Canadiens were three years removed from winning the Stanley Cup. Over those ensuing seasons, they had gone out in the second round of the playoffs each time. Pat Burns took over as head coach for ’89, and Montreal made a run all the way to the Finals. Tough defense—the stingiest in the […]
The Miami Heat were a franchise back on the ascent in 2005. After a string of playoff seasons under Pat Riley (1996-2001), the Heat had slipped in 2002-03. Riley moved up to the front office, Stan Van Gundy became the head coach and Miami got in position to draft Dwayne Wade out of Marquette. In […]
After making the playoffs their first three seasons under Dennis Green, the Minnesota Vikings slipped to .500 in 1995. In 1996, they only modestly improved—but it was enough to get back into the playoffs and start another streak of postseason trips. The franchise was going through some tumult at quarterback. They had acquired the veteran […]
The Philadelphia Eagles came into 1996 building off a season where they won 10 games and advanced to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. That 1995 run was in the first year under head coach Ray Rhodes, who took over a team that had been around .500 the previous couple of seasons. In 1996, even […]
George Seifert enjoyed an exemplary coaching career with the San Francisco 49ers. He was an assistant in the Bill Walsh era that produced three Super Bowl titles, and the defensive coordinator for two of those championships. Upon taking over as boss in 1989, he won a Super Bowl of his own. He won another one […]
The Carolina Panthers entered the league in 1995 and promptly went a respectable 7-9, a remarkable level of success for a first-year franchise. It turned out that was no fluke—in 1996, the Panthers continued their rapid growth and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Carolina’s success was built around a veteran […]
In this new era of the 12-team playoff, it’s impossible for the unbeaten champion of a major conference to be denied the chance to play for a national title. Even in the 10-year era of the four-team playoff (2014-23), it would have been difficult to fathom. It gets even more difficult for a modern audience […]
In the decade of the Big Red Machine, Cincinnati had already produced MVP seasons from Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, and Joe Morgan. Leftfielder George Foster was added to that list when he won 1977 NL MVP award. Here’s a look back at the voting, from the top 5, to some notable action down the ballot. […]
Rod Carew was one of the great contact hitters of his generation and in the history of baseball. Playing first base for the Minnesota Twins, he reached the individual high point of his Hall of Fame career when he won the 1977 AL MVP award. Here’s a look back at the voting, focusing on the […]
The Denver Broncos had been the AFC’s defining franchise in the late 1980s, reaching three Super Bowls. They had gone to the AFC Championship Game as recently as 1991. But they slipped into a comfortable mediocrity. They missed the playoffs in 1992 and parted ways with head coach Dan Reeves. New head coach Wade Phillips […]
The Raider franchise spent 13 successful years in the city of Los Angeles, from 1982-94, a stretch that included a Super Bowl title in 1983. But the team never stopped being identified with their original home of Oakland. They came back in 1995. After going 16-16 the final two seasons in L.A., the Raiders got […]
The Bobby Ross era in San Diego was already an unqualified success. After winning a national title at Georgia Tech in 1990, Ross made the jump to the NFL two years later. In 1992, the Chargers won the AFC West. In 1994, they reached what remains the franchise’s only Super Bowl. The 1995 San Diego […]