The Roller Coaster Ride Of The 1986 New York Jets
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.
Sports History Articles
The 1980 Philadelphia Phillies Bring An End To Frustration
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 1980 Philadelphia 76ers: Done In By A Magic Trick
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.
1980 Philadelphia Flyers: A Finals Loss That Begins A Pattern
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.
1980 Philadelphia Eagles: A Blazing Comet & A Surprising Fade
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.
The Roller Coaster Ride Of The 1978 New England Patriots
The 1978 New England Patriots entered the season with a dark cloud hanging over them. Wide receiver Darryl Stingley suffered a horrific injury in the preseason, a broken neck that left him paralyzed for life. After an inspiring season that saw them exceed expectations, the Patriots managed to end the year with a series of self-inflicted wounds.
1978 Boston Bruins: A Team That Came Back For More But Not Quite Enough
The 1978 Boston Bruins were coming off a year where they reached the Stanley Cup Finals, but were pounded decisively by their archrival, the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins came back for more in 1978, and they did get a little bit more…but in the end it wasn’t quite enough.
1978 Boston Red Sox: Another Race Ends Badly In Boston
The season was a noble effort, one that marked the Red Sox the second-best team in baseball (their 99 wins exceeded that of every other division winner and the Yanks went on to win the World Series) and the Sox had no quit in them. That’s a thin reed to hold onto when the best team is your archrival, when you had a 14-game lead after the All-Star break and you have to watch them celebrate on your home field.
1979 Pittsburgh Steelers: The First Team To Four Super Bowl Wins
The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers were already the greatest dynasty of the still-new Super Bowl era that began thirteen years earlier. The Steelers were the only team with three Super Bowl victories to their credit, and in ’79 they added another.
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates: Don't Ever Take Sides Against The Family…Ever
The 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates were a franchise on a good run. They won World Series titles in 1960 and 1971. And since the expansion and realignment of 1969, they had been the pre-eminent power in the old NL East, winning five division titles from 1970-75. Even though the Philadelphia Phillies won the division each year from 1976-78, the Pirates were still on everyone’s radar and in 1979 they came back with the biggest of splashes behind a team whose cohesiveness was captured by their rallying to the song “We Are Family.”
1983 Baltimore Orioles: The End Of The Frustration
The 1983 Baltimore Orioles were a franchise that was as consistently in the hunt as anyone in baseball, but for the past thirteen years had not been able to win a championship.
In 1979, Baltimore led the Pittsburgh Pirates three games to one in the World Series, before losing three straight, the last two at home. One year later the Orioles won 100 games…but the Yankees won 103. In 1982, the final season for legendary manager Earl Weaver they’d nearly staged one of the great late-season rallies in baseball history before losing a winner-take-all regular season finale to the Milwaukee Brewers
The 1983 Philadephia 76ers: Bridesmaids No More
The 1983 Philadelphia 76ers were hungry for a championship. The Sixers had reached the Finals in 1977, 1980 and 1982 and come up short in six games each time, the last two at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers. 1981 was perhaps even more agonizing, because Philly blew a 3-1 series lead to Boston and cost themselves a Finals trip against a mediocre Houston Rockets team and an almost sure championship. That Rockets team had only center Moses Malone. The 76ers had vulnerabilities down low that were consistently exposed each spring. Malone was who the Sixers coveted as the 1982-83 season approached and they swung a deal to get him north.