Top sports teams of the 80s

We're in the "Dead Zone" of the sports business right now. Meaningless hockey and NBA games (is there any other kind), no baseball and the Super Bowl is still more than a week away.

So what better time to discuss -- the most memorable championship teams of the 80s.

When you think of sports in the 80s, which players and teams come to mind? Joe Montana and the 49ers? The "Frig" and the Bears. Maybe even Kurt Gibson and the L.A. Dodgers? Which team deserves to be crowned as the "team of the 80s?"

Here are some options:

1985 CHICAGO BEARS: Despite losing that one game to the Miami Dolphins, the Bears were simply unstoppable that year. They had talent and charisma at every position (including the head coach). And the flattened the New England Patriots during the final game. (I watched it from my freshman dorm lounge with a frosty keg of beer sitting next to me. Good times.)

1986 NEW YORK METS: With 108 wins, the Mets should be remembered for being one of the dominant teams of the decade. Instead, they're remembered for Red Sox's Bill Buckner's error in Game 6. Either way, an unforgettable team.

EDMONTON OILERS and NEW YORK ISLANDERS: Each team took home the Stanley Cup four times during the 80s. How have they done since the 80s? Not so good. (Of course, the Oilers had the help of some guy named Wayne Gretzky.)

MIAMI HURRICANES: It pains me to write this, because they're the sworn enemy of my beloved Gators. But Miami won three national titles in the 80s. My favorite Miami memorable though: Watching Doug Flutie's "Hail Flutie" pass beat Miami 47-45 back in 1984.

Add your own teams and share your opinion: Who was the ultimate sports champion of the 80s?

[AP photo]

Comments

[Walter Cox]

Who can forget that Hickory team winning the state championship in basketball?

[Marissa]

Other than the 1985 Chicago Bears, you'll get a big, blank stare from me regarding sports. Insert cricket sound here.

[jane]

Five words.

Bird.
McHale.
Parrish.
Ainge.
Johnson(RIP).

The '80s era Boston Celtics are my fave pro team of all time. Period. And don't even get me started on what might have been if Len Bias (dumb a**) hadn't died. Yes, I'm still mad.

And I remember watching the Bears' (who would soon feature my classmate/pal Neal Anderson) super bowl win at a house party in the student ghetto in Gainesville. Keg of beer along side.

[DenverMatt]

Chicago for being memorable only won a single championship

My Broncos lost 3 Superbowls in the 80s.

Although the topic is teams. Let not for get the Olympics.

[Ron]

The San Francisco 49er's won three super bowls during the 1980's, plus the 1990 Super Bowl, which was the culmination of the 1989 season.
Good call on my beloved, once-mighty Miami Hurricanes. They started their NCAA record 58 game home winning streak in 1985.

[Spears]

I figured someone else would jump in with an NBA team. I couldn't name a 80s champion to save my life.

We should do another list on the saddest runner-up's of the 80s: Broncos, Red Sox, Bengals, etc.

[jane]

I basically stopped following the NBA in the late '80s, after my Jolly Green Giants had either retired or gone to other teams. But that era remains my favorite in basketball.

And you can't have a discussion of saddest runners-up without mentioning the Buffalo Bills -- i think they had some of those four super bowl losses in the '80s, didn't they? I'm on my ipod touch or else I'd google to make sure.

[Jonathan]

THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS WERE THE 1980'S.

The "Showtime" era epitomized everything great about the 80's - Magic Johnson changed the game and his battles with Larry Bird beginning in the 79 NCAA National Championship made it a great time to be a basketball fan. Not to mention, LA had all of the star power off the court to really make them the best of the 80's! I was 8-18 years old back then and I don't think I've ever seen a Diane Cannon movie, but I could pick her out of a line-up more likely than Nancy Regan (Pre-Different Strokes appearance)!!

[bassnote]

NBA - Celtics and Lakers

Baseball - the only team to win more than one Series in the 80s was the LA Dodgers. (1981 & 1988) Every other year had different teams winning; 80-Philladelphia, 82-St. Louis, 83-Baltimore, 84-Detroit, 85- Kansas City, 86- NY Mets, 89-Oakland. NO YANKEES!

Football - Bears & 49er's

[Tonianne]

Ah, glory days. When that ball rolled between Buckner's feet....talk about schadenfreude. Frank Cashen was genius - what a bunch of insanely talented albeit bad-boy rock stars "The Muts" were. Newsweek's Jeff Pearlman nailed it in his book "The Bad Guys Won." Alcoholism? Check. Drugs? Check. Sexual harassment? Check. Domestic violence? Check. The Wall Street guys seated behind us at Shea, plied with one too many Molson's chanted, "Beat your wife Darryl, beat your wife, hey hey" at every game.

Along with the '94 Rangers (if I didn't have a heart attack during game 7 of the Finals, I never will), the '86 Mets solidified my hometown loyalty, no matter where I might be living or how crappy NY is playing.

[Greg Jones]

As a native Atlantan, and a resident during much of the 80s, I say you have to recognize the Atlanta sports teams during the 80s. Despite being called Loserville by SI in 1977, and losing the Flames in 1979, the 80s were fairly decent. The Falcons had playoff teams in the first couple of years, then the Braves had 3 exciting years, then the Hawks took over and were perennial playoff/title contenders through the balance of the decade.
Not too shabby for southern professional sports at that time.

[jane]

good point, Greg, regarding the Atlanta sports teams. I had a mad crush on David Archer back in the day and watched Spud Webb and Dominique Wilkens play my Celts many times. My brother was a long-suffering Braves fan from the '70s, so I spent many a summer evening there cheering on Dale Murphy, Bob Horner and Biff Pocaroba.

[Jeff in Cuba]

As a Broncos fan, my sports memory of the 80's begins and ends on January 11, 1987.

The Broncos muff a kickoff and find themsleves on their own 2-yard line, down by 7 points to the Browns in the AFC championship game, on the road with 5:32 on the clock.

98 yards and 4 minutes, 55 seconds later, John Elway hits Mark Jackson to tie the game.

"The Drive" was the most intense football I've ever watched, and is burned onto my brain forever.

[Douglas Arthur]

All of the Bills Super Bowl losses came in the 90's, though technically, the first one was after the '89 season. The playoffs and Super Bowl spill into the next year. So that one doesn't really count unfortunately, or fortunately for those of us who wish not to relive that ugly memory of Scott Norwood's kick just missing to the right. :(

I agree with the Celtics/Lakers in the NBA, 49ers and Bears in the NFL, Mets/Red Sox in '86, and the Oilers/Islanders dynasties.

The '84 Olympics in LA were awesome, and let us not forget the Miracle On Ice game in Lake Placid in 1980! Quite possible the greatest sporting event ever given the political climate in the world at that time.

[Tonianne]

Excellent point, Douglas regarding the Miracle on Ice game! Watching the olympics just hasn't been the same since the Wall came down.

I lived in Iowa for four, long, unfortunate years. The 1985 Bears still live on in the hearts of Midwesterners. The image of that team is very strong up there. Other than the Bulls (who were winning at the time), the Bears were the team they worshipped.

[Ian from Down Under]

Without a doubt the great AFL team Essendon Bombers of 84-85 were the team of the 80's for me. But since we are so far from the U.S. I guess it means nothing to you guys. So for the purpose of the post, my team of the 80's has to be the 1983 Americas Cup winning team of Australia II. I know sailing isn't the biggest team sport going around, but we did break a 132 year (the longest sporting winning streak) USA stranglehold of the Auld Mug. And hey, after all is said and done, their theme song was Down Under by Men at Work (that's a subliminal reminder Mr Spears. MEN AT WORK PODCAST MEN AT WORK PODCAST MEN AT WORK PODCAST)

[Jeff in Cuba]

Ian,

I was a big North Melbourne fan in the 80's. They weren't any good, but I loved the Krakouer brothers and the fact that their fans were so bonkers. I even have an 80's era 'Roos jumper in my closet.

[Al]

Oh, Tonianne! I cried for 10 minutes after Game 7 in 1994 when my Canucks lost. Sigh. The game isn't the same now.

Steve, thanks for bringing up the Oilers/Islanders. Ironically, the Isles probably wouldn't have won their 1st Cup if they hadn't had a blown off-side call go their way on an over-time goal.

Denis Potvin on Defense, Bossy on the wing, Clark Gilles, Billy Smith hacking guys in front. The Isles had a great coach, too, Al Albour.

Gretz was a great player, but Edmonton had many other greats too. Jarri Kurri on the wing, Grant Fuhr in net, etc.

So who deserves the team of the '80's Title in hockey? I would give it to Edmonton, since they lost to the Isles for NY's 4th Cup. The next year, Edm won Stanley vs. NY, starting the Oilers on their way.

On the other hand, NY did it consecutively. But Edm won Stanley in 1990, after Gretz left for L.A. in the biggest trade in hockey history. So my vote for Edm, though I cannot stand the Oilers.

[jane]

Thanks, Douglas, for the timeline clarification on the Bills' losses. A big old 'duh' for me, as I was actually at the game in '91 when they lost heartbreakingly to the Giants. That was a wild one, because Desert Storm had just started and security was unbelievable. But I digress.

[Jeff in Cuba]

I was watching the Bills/Giants Super Bowl in an airport bar about to catch a flight to an embarkation school on my way to Desert Storm. As Norwood was lining up for the field goal, the flight attendant yelled at me to "get on plane, or we're closing the door and leaving without you!"

So my memory of one of the Super Bowl's signature moments is the toneless voice of the pilot on the PA:

"Wide right. Giants win. No smoking in the lavatories."

[Douglas Arthur]

I would say that sucks Jeff, but having witnessed it first hand, I have to say it was every bit as gut-wrenching as watching the ball scamper between Buckner's legs in game six of '86 Series.

[Carla]

Being that I was a pre-teen/teenager growing up in Northern California, it was the 49ers all the way. Pure magic!

[Ian from Down Under]

Jeff,
I work not more than 2 minutes from North Melbourne's home ground. They have had a bit of a struggle this year, as the AFL want them to move to the Gold Coast in Queensland. But they have resisted and will remain in Melbourne. I'll let them know that they have a fan in Cuba. They need all they can get. By the way, they finished 3rd last year, so maybe they can go one or two better this year.