The 1985 Boston Red Sox Flash Hope & Then Collapse In August
The 1985 Boston Red Sox showed the flashes of hope that would ultimately manifest themselves into a pennant a year later, but the ’85 team was done in by an August collapse
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Night At The Museum: What's New In The Collection Of Sports History Articles
TheSportsNotebook’s historical museum, its extensive collection of sports history articles, is constantly growing. It’s not always directly visible on the home page, so for our regular readers, we want to provide an update on what’s going on and what’s been regularly added to the museum
2002 Notre Dame Football: The Willingham Era Begins With Promise
It was a fresh start for football in South Bend, as head coach Ty Willingham came over from Stanford to coach the 2002 Notre Dame football team. Willlingham had taken the Cardinal to a Rose Bowl in 1999, and a strong first year—including briefly sniffing a possible national championship—raised hopes that Notre Dame finally had the right man.
The 1968 Minnesota Vikings Bring Playoff Football To The Twin Cities
The Minnesota Vikings had come into the NFL in 1961, and were waiting for their first trip to the playoffs. The arrival of new head coach Bud Grant in 1967 put the team on a solid footing. And the 1968 Minnesota Vikings, while far from a great team, were able to give the Twin Cities playoff football for the first time.
1972 Washington Redskins: A Super Bowl Trip For A Hungry Coach & Fan Base
The arrival of George Allen in the nation’s capital had brought winning football for the first time since World War II, as Allen led the Redskins to the playoffs in 1971. But Allen had still never won a playoff game, either here or in an otherwise successful run with the Los Angeles Rams. The city of D.C. was thirsting for more. The coach and the fan base got more, when the 1972 Washington Redskins became the first team in franchise history to reach the Super Bowl.
2000 Notre Dame: A Major Bowl Bid Shrouded By The Shadows
The first three years of the Bob Davie era at Notre Dame hadn’t gone well, and they hit a low point in 1999 with the program’s first losing season in fourteen years. Davie turned things around immediately and answered with his best season in South Bend. But even though the 2000 Notre Dame football team made a major bowl game, the warning signs continued to abound.
2001 San Antonio Spurs: A Strong Season Derailed By A Shaq Attack
The 2001 San Antonio Spurs spent the regular season and two rounds of the postseason looking like they were ready get back on top of the NBA world. In the end, they ran into a historic steamroller in the conference finals, but the Spurs continued to establish themselves as a permanent fixture in the NBA’s elite in 2001.
1984 Boston Red Sox: Rocket Launch & A Quiet Winning Season
The first half of the 1980s are generally not seen as a high point in the history of the Boston Red Sox, and that characterization is, for the most part, fair. There were no division titles, nor even a noteworthy near-miss. But there were examples of some overachievement and teams that deserve to be remembered well. The 1984 Boston Red Sox were just such a team.
1971 Washington Redskins: The George Allen Era Begins With A Playoff Trip
George Allen was an established winner as a coach. Allen had been the defensive coordinator for George Halas and the Chicago Bears’ 1963 NFL champs. Allen got his opportunity to be a head coach for the Los Angeles Rams and from 1966-70 he went 40-13-1. But a power clash and playoff losses left him without a job. The Washington Redskins had a franchise on hard times and needed a coach
1967 Minnesota Vikings: Bud Grant Lays The Foundation For Excellence
One thing they were not marked by is winning—after Van Brocklin’s first good year in 1964, the team regressed to 7-7 in 1965 and 4-9-1 in 1966. It was time for new leadership and the change that came would alter the trajectory of franchise history. Bud Grant became the new coach, and while the 1967 Minnesota Vikings did not have a good record, they got the pieces in place for a lot of winning in the years to come.
1977 Chicago Sports: A Sizzling Summer Flames Out
The sports fans of Chicago were on top of the world in the sizzling summer that was 1977 Chicago sports. The Cubs and White Sox were each flying way, in first place by comfortable margins. A Windy City Series was more than just the talk of the locals, it was very much on the baseball radar. Then it all went down to the tubes.
Walter Payton Carries The 1977 Chicago Bears To A Long-Awaited Playoff Berth
Chicago was led by running back Walter Payton, the dynamic 24-year old running back who rolled up 1,852 yards in what was still a 14-game schedule (the league went to 16 games in 1978). Payton won the MVP award as he carried an offense that ranked 13th in the NFL in points scored.