Michigan football recently snapped their 75-year championship drought by defeating Washington in the national championship game. The Wolverines battled no shortage of adversity throughout the season, including a pair of suspensions for head coach Jim Harbaugh, but Michigan never gave up and ultimately reached the pinnacle of college football.
How did Michigan's journey compare with the hardships other recent drought-breakers had to overcome? Read on to find out.
NFL
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles won the championship in 1960, shortly before the start of the Super Bowl era. Philadelphia would not see their football team win the Super Bowl trophy until 2017, however.
The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in the 2017 Super Bowl. Carson Wentz was Philadelphia's primary quarterback for most of the regular season but tore his ACL in Week 14. Nevertheless, backup QB Nick Foles and Philadelphia made a memorable run.
Upsetting Tom Brady and the Patriots was always going to prove to be a challenge to say the least. The Super Bowl was a high-scoring affair that saw Foles outduel his legendary opponent as the Eagles emerged victorious with a 41-33 win.
Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. He also caught a touchdown pass from tight end Trey Burton — a play which became famous as the "Philly Special". Running back Corey Clement finished the game with 100 receiving yards, while Nelson Agholor had nine receptions for Philadelphia's offense.
Despite the odds, and with a backup quarterback under center, the Eagles had snapped their 56-year championship drought.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs have built a dynasty so strong that many younger fans may not even remember that Kansas City endured a championship drought of their own.
Kansas City's drought lasted from 1970-2019, for a total of 49 years. After years of rebuilding and searching for reliable superstars, Kansas City built a team around quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City fans began to get excited after the team clinched the AFC West, though they'd reached that hurdle in the three previous seasons, including two before Mahomes took over. Things looked to be heading south after the Texans took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter of their Divisional Round matchup, but Mahomes led the Chiefs to 51 points in a comeback victory and then came from behind to beat the Titans to book a ticket to the big game.
The Chiefs ultimately defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, earning a 31-20 victory. Mahomes finished the game with 286 passing yards and two touchdowns. Tyreek Hill had 105 receiving yards and nine receptions, while Travis Kelce added 98 yards and five catches through the air.
NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers were founded in 1970. Yet, it took them 45 years to clinch an NBA Finals victory. Cleveland sports has endured its share of struggles when it comes to winning championships, but in 2016, the Cavs finally gave the city something to be excited about.
The Cavs and Golden State Warriors met in four consecutive NBA finals from 2015 to 2018. Golden State won the first matchup in six games and was on the verge of a repeat in 2016 after taking a 3-1 series lead.
Cleveland did not lose hope, though. Warriors forward Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 due to flagrant fouls, which sparked a Cavalier comeback. The series concluded with an all-timer of a Game 7, in which LeBron James had an epic chase-down block against Andre Iguodala in the closing minutes before Kyrie Irving hit one of the most clutch shots in NBA history to propel the Cavs to their first championship.
The series was about more than statistics. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had brought a championship to a city that had not seen much winning over the years.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets won their first championship in franchise history during the 2022-23 campaign, ending a run of 55 years without a title.
Nikola Jokic, who had won back-to-back MVP awards, led Denver once again in 2022-23. Jamal Murray also played a pivotal role, and Denver had a number of key role players as well. Their deep roster and star power made them an intimidating threat.
In contrast to the previous teams covered in this article, the Nuggets' playoff run was not all that exciting. Instead, Denver made it look easy, losing a total of four games across four playoff series. They cruised through the postseason and ultimately defeated the Miami Heat in five games to clinch the NBA championship.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are the only NBA team in this article that had actually won an NBA title prior to snapping their drought. Milwaukee won a championship in 1971, and then went 50 years before earning another NBA Finals victory in 2021.
The Nets and Hawks gave Milwaukee some trouble during the Eastern Conference playoffs, with Brooklyn in particular pushing them to seven games. The Bucks were then tasked with playing against a talented Phoenix Suns team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was arguably the best player in the NBA that season, and Milwaukee felt confident heading into the series. However, Phoenix jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Bucks found their footing in Game 3 and never looked back, going on to win the series in six games.
It was quite the journey for Milwaukee, but Giannis managed something nobody had done since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, leading the Bucks to their second title in franchise history.
MLB
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox won their second World Series in 1917, but after the Black Sox scandal two years later, they wouldn't win again until 2005.
The 2005 White Sox were a fun team. Led by manager Ozzie Guillen and stars Paul Konerko and Mark Buehrle, Chicago reached the playoffs with high expectations.
The White Sox did not deal with much adversity in the postseason. In fact, they only lost one single postseason game, Game 1 of the ALCS versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (now Los Angeles Angels). Chicago went on to sweep the Houston Astros (who were still in the National League at the time) in the World Series.
Boston Red Sox
The 2004 Boston Red Sox are one of the most memorable teams not just in MLB history but all of sports history.
Boston's World Series title prior to 2004 came all the way back in 1918. The Red Sox also happened to trade Babe Ruth after the 1919 season. As a result, Boston's championship drought was often referred to as the Curse of the Bambino.
In 2003, the Red Sox suffered a heartbreaking ALCS defeat against the New York Yankees, losing in seven games. And in 2004, it appeared that the Red Sox were headed for more frustration after falling down 3-0 to their hated rivals at the same hurdle.
Boston did not give up, though. In Game 4, the Red Sox trailed the Yankees 4-3 in the 9th inning, and New York turned to All-Star closer Mariano Rivera. Kevin Millar drew a walk and Dave Roberts pinch-ran for Millar.
Roberts narrowly stole second base and Bill Mueller singled to drive him in. Boston went on to win Game 4 in 12 innings and Game 5 in 14 frames before completing the comeback with a pair of wins at Yankee Stadium.
The Red Sox then took care of business against the Cardinals in the World Series with a somewhat anticlimactic four-game sweep, snapping their 86-year championship drought.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians (now Cleveland Guardians) both entered the 2016 season with long championship droughts. Cleveland hadn't won a World Series since 1948, while Chicago had failed to win a championship since 1908.
When the two teams met in the '16 World Series, something had to give. Cleveland jumped out to a 3-1 series lead and it appeared that the Cubs' 108-year title drought would continue. Chicago battled back, though, leading to a Game 7 showdown. The Cubs looked sharp in the early innings and took an early lead in Cleveland.
Chicago turned to star closer Aroldis Chapman with two outs in the bottom of the 8th inning. With a runner on second base, outfielder Rajai Davis stepped to the plate. Davis wasn't exactly known for his power, but he had one of the biggest swings in MLB history on that Autumn night. Chapman threw a 2-2 fastball down and in on Davis, and the Cleveland outfielder took a short swing and pulled the ball over the left field fence for a home run to tie the game.
The Cubs weren't done, however. A rain delay stunted Cleveland's momentum and a big Ben Zobrist RBI hit in the 10th inning gave Chicago a lead. Cleveland made things interesting in the bottom of the 10th, but the Cubs earned an 8-7 Game 7 victory, snapping one of sports' longest championship droughts.
