Teams That Have Never Won a Championship (And How Close They Came)

Throughout their 40 years in the NHL, the Coyotes Franchise (formerly the Winnipeg Jets) has failed to make the Stanley Cup Finals, only getting as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2012.

Atlanta has lost two Super Bowls — Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999 against the Denver Broncos and Super Bowl LI, when they squandered a 28-3 lead against the New England Patriots in 2017.

The Bills won back-to-back AFL titles in 1964 and 1965, but they haven’t won a championship since joining the NFL. Buffalo suffered four consecutive Super Bowl losses in the 1990-1993 seasons.

The Buffalo Sabres have made it to two Stanley Cup Finals, in 1975 and 1999, losing both in six games.

One of the NFL’s newer teams, the Carolina Panthers have yet to find postseason success. They’ve come close twice, losing Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 on a last-second field goal to the New England Patriots and failing in Super Bowl 50 in 2016 against the Denver Broncos.

In their 29 full NBA seasons, the Charlotte Hornets have made 10 postseason appearances. In those playoff runs, they’ve lost six times in the first round and four times in the second round.

The Cincinnati Bengals lost two Super Bowls in the 1980s, both to the San Francisco 49ers. Their last postseason victory came in 1991 against the Houston Oilers. Since then, they’ve lost eight straight playoff games.

One of the newest MLB teams, the Colorado Rockies have not won a title since their 1993 inception. In their lone World Series appearance in 2007, they were swept by the Boston Red Sox.

Columbus Blue Jackets fans have had little to cheer for in the playoffs, but things are looking up. In 2019, the team won its first-ever postseason series in its fifth playoff appearance before losing in the second round.

The Denver Nuggets have a history of alternating playoff streaks and droughts. Since joining the NBA, Denver has made three Western Conference Finals trips but never made the NBA Finals.

The Florida Panthers have just five postseason appearances in 26 seasons, which likely explains why the team has never lifted the Stanley Cup. The Panthers were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in their lone Finals appearance in 1996.

The newest NFL team is still searching for its first championship. The Houston Texans have made the playoffs three of the past four seasons, but they won only one postseason game over that time.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still searching for their first Super Bowl appearance. The team made the AFC Championship Game three times, losing to the New England Patriots in 1997, the Tennessee Titans in 2000, and the Pats again in 2018.

The 1963 AFL champion Chargers have struggled since joining the NFL in 1970, when the franchise was in San Diego. Their best season ended in a 49-26 drubbing in the Super Bowl at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

Across three different cities and 50 seasons, the Clippers franchise has been a consistent disappointment. The team has never even made the Conference Finals, much less the NBA Finals.

Beginning in 2011, the Memphis Grizzlies made seven straight playoff appearances, but they have never advanced past the Conference Finals.

In over 50 seasons, the Milwaukee Brewers have made the postseason just six times. Their lone World Series appearance came in 1982, when the Brewers lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Beginning in 1997, Kevin Garnett led the Minnesota Timberwolves to eight straight playoff appearances — which ended in seven straight first-round exits before the T-Wolves lost in the 2004 Western Conference Finals. The team has been back to the postseason only once since.

In the early Super Bowl era, the Vikings were a great team. Minnesota made the big game four times — in the 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1976 seasons — only to lose each time. Since then, the Vikings have had several heartbreaking missed field goals that spoiled their title aspirations.

After losing the North Stars to Dallas in 1993, Minnesota got a new team, the Wild, in 2000. In nine playoff appearances, the Wild have yet to make the Stanley Cup Finals.

In their best-ever finish, the Nashville Predators lost a six-game Stanley Cup Finals to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017.

In seven playoff appearances, the New Orleans Pelicans have only advanced past the first round twice, and they never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs.

The Orlando Magic have made the NBA Finals twice, in 1995 and 2009. Both times, they were led by dominant young centers (Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard) and both times the Magic were dominated by more experienced opponents (Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers).

The first iteration of the Ottawa Senators were an NHL powerhouse, winning three titles from 1917 through 1934. The newer Senators, which began playing in the NHL in 1992, have made the Finals just once, losing to Anaheim 4-1 in 2007.

Despite making 29 playoff appearances, the Phoenix Suns have never won an NBA title. They came closest in 1976 and 1993, when they lost in the NBA Finals.

Throughout their 51 seasons, the San Diego Padres averaged about one postseason appearance per decade, and they haven’t made the playoffs since 2006.

San Jose may not seem like a hockey stronghold, but the Sharks have made the postseason in 21 of their 28 seasons. San Jose made the Stanley Cup Finals just once, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Seattle Mariners made the playoffs four times between 1995 and 2001 — but not before or since. They are the only active MLB franchise without a World Series appearance. The 2001 squad won 116 regular season games, but lost in the ALCS.

In their franchise’s first playoff appearance in 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays made it to the World Series, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then, the team has made four postseason appearances.

The Tennessee Titans, once the Houston Oilers, won the first two AFL championships — but nothing else since. In their one Super Bowl appearance, in 2000, the Titans came agonizingly close to a game-tying score at the last second but fell a yard short.

After missing the playoffs in each of their first 35 seasons, the Texas Rangers have made the postseason eight times since 1996. The team made the World Series in 2010 and 2011, losing both times. In game six of the 2011 World Series, the Rangers were twice within a strike of winning it all, but they fell short.

Despite having the dynamic duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone, the Jazz have never brought a title to Utah. The team made back-to-back NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls both times.

Vancouver Canucks fans have suffered through three Stanley Cup Finals losses — in 1982, 1994, and 2011.

The Vegas Golden Knights stunned the sports world by making the Stanley Cup Finals their first season in 2018, losing to the Washington Capitals. Vegas also lost in the first round in the 2019 playoffs.

Once the Atlanta Thrashers, the Winnipeg Jets have struggled to make the playoffs, earning a postseason spot just four times since the 1999-2000 season. Their best season came in 2018, when they made it to the Western Conference Finals.