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Perfect Season
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A perfect season is any sports season, including the playoff portion of a season, in which a team remains undefeated and untied. This has been achieved only once in the modern National Football League (NFL) of professional gridiron football, four times in pre-modern NFL football, once in professional the Canadian Football League (CFL), at least once in Canadian amateur football, seven times in American collegiate NCAA men's basketball, and twice in NCCA women's basketball.
A perfect season may also be part of a multi-season winning streak.
e the creation of the modern NFL in 1970, only one team has played a complete perfect season (both playoff and regular season): the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
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Encyclopedia
A perfect season is any sports season, including the playoff portion of a season, in which a team remains undefeated and untied. This has been achieved only once in the modern National Football League (NFL) of professional gridiron football, four times in pre-modern NFL football, once in professional the Canadian Football League (CFL), at least once in Canadian amateur football, seven times in American collegiate NCAA men's basketball, and twice in NCCA women's basketball.
A perfect season may also be part of a multi-season winning streak.
American football
National Football League (1970–Present)
Since the creation of the modern NFL in 1970, only one team has played a complete perfect season (both playoff and regular season): the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The longest winning streak in one season is held by the New England Patriots with an NFL-record 18-game regular season winning streak after a 16-0 regular season in 2007. They lost the Super Bowl though, to finish 18-1.
1972 Miami Dolphins
The 1972 Miami Dolphins won fourteen regular season games and three postseason games, including Super Bowl VII, to finish the season 17–0–0. They extended their winning streak the following season to 18 straight wins, until finally losing to the Oakland Raiders on September 23, 1973. Recently, it has often been reported that the surviving members of the 1972 Dolphins would gather to drink champagne when the final undefeated team lost its first game, or that the team would send a case of champagne to the team that beat the final undefeated team. The head coach of the 1972 Dolphins, Don Shula, denied this in a 2007 interview with ESPN.
Pre-modern era (pre 1970) NFL perfect seasons
Before the modern NFL, American football was played professionally in a number of leagues, including an earlier version of the NFL. During this period, three teams completed perfect regular seasons: the 1934 Chicago Bears, the 1942 Chicago Bears, and the 1948 Cleveland Browns.
1934 Chicago Bears
The Bears are a member of the National Football League, which was founded in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association. In 1934, the Bears played to a 13–0–0 regular season record to become the first NFL team to complete an undefeated regular season without tied games. However, the Bears lost the 1934 NFL Championship Game against the New York Giants.
1942 Chicago Bears
Despite losing several players and head coach George Halas to military service in World War II, the 1942 Bears played a perfect season, finishing 11–0–0. The Bears were again defeated in the NFL Championship Game, this time by the Washington Redskins.
1948 Cleveland Browns
The Browns were a member of the All-America Football Conference, a professional football league that played from 1946 to 1949. In 1948, the Browns won all fourteen regular season games and the 1948 AAFC championship to post a 15–0–0 record. Cleveland's perfect 1948 season was part of a longer string of 29 straight wins, which stretched from 1947 to 1949 and included both the 1947 and 1948 title games. Overall, the Browns won all four AAFC championship games and were accepted into the NFL when the two leagues merged after the 1949 season.
1937 Los Angeles Bulldogs
The Los Angeles Bulldogs were a member of the second American Football League, who joined the league in 1937 after the Cleveland Rams defected to the NFL (the Bulldogs, who had actually defeated an NFL team in 1936, were also candidates to join the NFL but were rejected in favor the Rams). Playing a combination of AFL teams and independent franchises (such as the Providence Steam Roller and the Salinas Packers), the team went 16-0, with 8 of those wins coming against AFL teams. The Bulldogs' dominance is cited as one of the key factors in the AFL's demise, and the next season (then as an independent, running up a 10-2-2 record including a 2-1-2 record against NFL teams), several of the team's players were invited to play on the "Pro All Stars" team in the NFL's first Pro All-Star Game, which was played in Los Angeles. The Bulldogs are considered to be one of the few independent teams to have ever achieved parity with the NFL.
Neither the NFL nor the Pro Football Hall of Fame recognizes the Bulldogs' perfect season.
Ohio League
The NFL's predecessor, the Ohio League, had many perfect seasons. The Massillon Tigers (1904, 1905), Akron Indians (1909), and Dayton Triangles (1918) all had perfect seasons during this era. The caliber of talent was neither as high nor as consistent between teams at the time, the seasons were generally shorter (7 to 11 games), and it was not uncommon for top teams to play all their games at home while lesser teams played all of their games on the road. Thus, it was much easier to earn a perfect season than it would be in later years.
Close to perfect
Since 1970, five NFL teams have had regular seasons with one loss: the 1976 Oakland Raiders (13-1) and the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, 1985 Chicago Bears, 1998 Minnesota Vikings, and 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers (all 15-1). The 1976 Raiders, 1984 49ers and 1985 Bears all won three more games in the playoffs, including the Super Bowl; the '76 Raiders finishing 16-1 and the '84 49ers and '85 Bears both 18-1. The 1998 Vikings and 2004 Steelers each won one playoff game before losing their respective conference championship games to finish 16-2.
Most of these teams, however, suffered their one regular-season loss early in the year and never made what might be considered a serious run at a perfect season (the Bears came the closest, starting the season 12–0 before losing in week 13, coincidentally to the Miami Dolphins). In fact, besides the 1972 Miami Dolphins' and the 2007 New England Patriots' perfect regular seasons, the best start by an NFL team was 13–0, by the 1998 Denver Broncos and the 2005 Indianapolis Colts. Both teams lost their next two games before winning the final game of the season to finish 14–2; in the postseason, the 1998 Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII, but the 2005 Colts lost their opening playoff game.
Perfectly imperfect
Since 1970, two teams have had "perfect" losing seasons: the first year expansion 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 0–14–0, and the 2008 Detroit Lions, who went 0-16-0. In the strike-shortened 1982 season the Baltimore Colts failed to win, posting an 0–8–1 record.
There have been eleven teams that have won only one regular season game (finishing either 1–13–0 or 1–15–0, depending on the year). The most recent are the 2007 Miami Dolphins, though some of the more infamous include the 1972 and 1973 Houston Oilers (the only franchise to do it in back-to-back years); the 1980 New Orleans Saints (whose fans popularized the practice of wearing paper bags over their heads, out of shame); the 1989 Dallas Cowboys whose only win of the season came during week nine against their division rival the Washington Redskins, the 1990 New England Patriots, the 1991 Indianapolis Colts, the 1996 New York Jets, the 2000 San Diego Chargers, and the 2001 Carolina Panthers (who won their first game and lost the next 15, to set the record for consecutive losses in a season, and all-time).
Canadian football
1948 Calgary Stampeders
As of the 2007 season, a perfect season has been accomplished in professional Canadian football only once. In 1948, under the guidance of their legendary head coach Les Lear, the Grey Cup headed to Western Canada for only the fourth time with the Calgary Stampeders. After running the table with a perfect 12 wins, Calgary faced the Regina Roughriders in a two-game home-and-home playoff series. The first game, in Regina, saw each side with 4 points, leaving the second game as the decider. At home the following week, Calgary outscored their opponents 21–10. Since it was a total points series, the final total and not the initial tie is the important factor for the perfect season. The newly crowned Western Interprovincial Football Union champion Stampeders next journeyed East to Toronto's Varsity Stadium for the 36th Grey Cup against the Eastern Champion Ottawa Rough Riders. On November 27, Calgary completed the perfect season with a six-point victory over Ottawa (12–7), earning the title of Dominion Champions.
While Calgary had only 15 games in their perfect season, the current CFL schedule would require a team to win 20 games (18 regular season, 1 playoff after bye week, and the Grey Cup championship) to post a perfect record, making it a difficult task to accomplish.
The next best records
The next closest team to a perfect season in the CFL (in terms of winning percentage) was the 1981 Edmonton Eskimos. Playing a 16-game regular season schedule, the Eskimos achieved a record of 14–1–1 (losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and tying the Hamilton Tiger-Cats). The Eskimos went on to win the Grey Cup in dramatic fashion, defeating the 5–11–0 Ottawa Rough Riders 26–23 on a last-second field goal and finishing the season with a record of 16–1–1 (total includes playoff and Grey Cup championship).
In the current 18-game CFL regular season format (in use since the 1986 season), the 1989 Edmonton Eskimos came closest to a perfect season, finishing the regular season with a record of 16–2. However, they lost in the Western Final to the eventual Grey Cup Champions, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. A regular season record of 15–3 has been posted many times in the CFL. In the 1990s, six teams achieved that record. The Calgary Stampeders posted a 15–3 record three consecutive seasons (1993, 1994, 1995), but failed to capture the cup. In 1995, the Baltimore Stallions also posted a 15–3 record, and became the first (and only) American team to win the Grey Cup. The last three-loss regular season was posted by the Toronto Argonauts, achieving this feat in both 1996 and 1997, and winning the league championship both years. Doug Flutie quarterbacked both these championships before bolting to the NFL Buffalo Bills.
Under the older 16-game schedule, 5 teams posted two losses during the regular season:
Canadian Collegiate Sports
2003, 2005 Saskatchewan Huskies
In 2003 and 2005, the Saskatchewan Huskies went undefeated in the Regular Season. However though, It should be noted that they lost in the Vanier Cup to the Laurier Golden Hawks in 2005 and lost in The Canada West Semi-Final To Alberta Golden Bears in 2003.
2007 Manitoba Bisons
In the ranks of Canadian college football, a perfect season was last attained in 2007 by the Manitoba Bisons, the football squad representing the University of Manitoba, located in Winnipeg, Canada. The Bisons were undefeated in Canada West Universities Athletic Association play during the 8-game schedule. In the playoffs, Manitoba comfortably handled the Calgary Dinos 27–5 in the opening round. The Bisons followed up with a 48–5 defeat of the Regina Rams in the Hardy Trophy and a strong 52–20 showing against the perennial contenders from the University of Western Ontario, the Western Ontario Mustangs, in the Mitchell Bowl. On Friday, November 23, 2007, two days before the 95th Grey Cup game in Toronto, the Bisons defeated the Saint Mary's University squad, known as the Saint Mary's Huskies, 28–14 to claim their first Vanier Cup championship since 1970, and third overall title. That victory capped their perfect 12 win season.
Other North American professional sports leagues
In North America’s three other major professional sports leagues (Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League) it is virtually impossible for a team to play a "perfect" season, primarily because there are substantially more games in the regular season.
Additionally, the style of play and length of schedule in each of these sports leads to less focus on individual games and more on consistency over the course of the year. This is especially true in the postseason, where basketball, baseball, and hockey each use a "best-of" format that allows a team to lose some playoff games while still advancing to the next round.
Major League Baseball
Since the early 1960s, the Major League Baseball season has been 162 games long; prior to that, it was 154 games long.
The most games won by a Major League Baseball team in the regular season is 116, by both the Chicago Cubs in 1906 and the Seattle Mariners in 2001—though because the regular season was shorter in 1906, the Cubs' winning percentage of .763 was higher than the Mariners' .716.
The 1880 Chicago Cubs have probably come the closest to perfection in professional baseball history, having posted a 67–17 record for a .798 winning percentage. Prior to the 20th century, however, the nature of the competition and season schedules varied widely—on occasion, poorly organized teams might drop out of the league and forfeit the remainder of their games, an unthinkable circumstance today—and most professional baseball records only consider achievements realized after 1900.
It is also possible for a pitcher to achieve a perfect season, taking at least one win and any number of no-decisions throughout the year. This has happened 1813 times in baseball's history, though the majority (1171) were 1-0 seasons, mostly by relief pitchers. The best perfect season belongs to Tom Zachary of the 1929 New York Yankees, who posted a 12-0 record in 119.2 innings. No pitcher has ever achieved a perfect season while qualifying for the ERA title.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association’s regular season schedule is 82 games long.
In the 1995–96 regular season, the Chicago Bulls played to a 72–10 record. Their 72 wins, along with their .878 winning percentage, is the closest that any NBA team has ever come to perfection. They swept two playoff series, and lost only 3 games in the entire postseason.
It is worth noting that the 1985–86 Boston Celtics played a nearly perfect home season. That year they were 40–1 (.976) in front of their home crowd. Their only regular-season home loss occurred on December 6, 1985, to the Portland Trail Blazers, by the score of 121–103. The Celtics would also win all 10 of their home games in the postseason.
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League’s regular season schedule is also 82 games long.
The 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings hold the record for most wins in a regular season, having won 62 games.
The 1974–75 Washington Capitals and 1992–93 Ottawa Senators hold the record for fewest wins on the road with 1. The NHL played an 80-game season in 1974–75, whereas in 1992–93 the schedule consisted of 84 games, thus giving the Senators the percentage record for worst road record. The Senators also set a record by losing their first 38 consecutive road games. (The Senators' road statistics include a neutral-site game played in Hamilton, Ontario, in which the Senators were considered the road team.)
Within each season, however, the NHL ranks its teams using a scoring system that awards teams points based on the outcome of each game: A win is worth two points, a loss in overtime or a shootout is worth one point, and a loss in regulation is worth zero points. Prior to 2005, a tie was also worth one point; the shootout was instituted to eliminate the chance of a tie. The point for the overtime loss was instituted for the 1999–2000 NHL season; from that year through 2005, the league's standings used a unique four-column table reflecting wins, losses, ties, and overtime losses. For example, the 1999–2000 Toronto Maple Leafs' record was 45–27–7–3, for 100 points. Prior to 1999, a team losing in overtime received the standard zero points for a loss. As a result of these changes to the NHL's point system, caution must be used in comparing point records between teams of different eras.
Based on the point system, the 1976–77 Montreal Canadiens have come the closest to perfection, winning 60 games but getting 132 points, whereas the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings got 131 points in their record-setting season. The 1974–75 Capitals hold the record for futility, going 8–67–5 for 21 points.
Other professional sports
For other sports leagues for individuals, such as the PGA Tour or NASCAR, this would amount to winning every tournament all season long. Considering the number of tournaments or races in those leagues, and the fact that each individual faces over 40 opponents as opposed to one, a perfect season is almost impossible. Golf instead considers the Grand Slam, deemed to be the four most difficult contests in professional golf, to be analogous to perfection; since 1934, when The Masters was added as a major, no player has won all four in one year. Tiger Woods came closest, winning four consecutive professional majors over two years in 2000 and 2001.
The three golfing seasons that could be deemed closest include Bobby Jones winning all four majors in 1930 (when the Amateur Championship was still considered a major), Byron Nelson winning 11 consective tournaments he played in (and 18 in one year) in 1945, and Woods' aforementioned four consecutive majors in 2000 and 2001. Professional motorcycle racer Ricky Carmichael had perfect seasons in 2002 and 2004. In 1997, road racer Tommy Kendall started the 13-race SCCA Trans-Am Series season 11–0, the longest documentable win streak in world-wide professional road racing.. In the 12th race, he was battling for the lead on the final lap, but spun out and finished second. The feat would be extremely difficult in NASCAR, because of the length of the season (currently 36 races). Richard Petty holds the record for best all-time winning percentage in a single season, when he won 27 out of 49 races in 1967 (0.551). He also holds the record in the NASCAR's modern era after winning 13 of 30 races (0.433) in 1975..
American collegiate sports
NCAA Football
Due to relatively short seasons through most of college football history, the list of undefeated Division I football teams includes dozens of teams. The highest level of college football, the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision does not use a play-off to determine a champion, instead relying on a combination of polls and computer rankings to choose two teams to play one title game in a system known as the Bowl Championship Series. A weakness to this season is that it is rare for there to be exactly two undefeated teams at the end of the regular system. That means the choice of the two top teams is a relatively arbitrary decision.
The University of Washington's Division I-A record 63 game unbeaten streak included 5 consecutive perfect seasons from 1909–1913. The University of Oklahoma's Division I record 47 game winning stream included 3 consecutive perfect seasons from 1954–1956. The record for most wins in an undefeated season is Ohio State's 14-0 season in 2002.
NCAA Basketball
There have been 7 NCAA basketball champions with perfect records:
The UCLA Bruins are the only team to have back-to-back perfect seasons (1972–1973) respectively creating a record of 60–0 technically.
The most recent Final Four to feature two undefeated teams was 1976 (Indiana and Rutgers).
Some teams have finished the regular season undefeated, but lost in the NCAA Tournmament:
In addition, NC State finished their season undefeated in 1973, but were ineligible for postseason competition due to rule violations earlier that season.
NCAA Hockey
The 1970 Cornell Big Red are they only Division I men's NCAA ice hockey team to record an unbeaten, untied season.
ACHA Hockey
The 2007-2008 University of Illinois Fighting Illini are the only American Collegiate Hockey Association team to record a perfect season with a record of 38-0-0.
Association football (soccer)
Domestic teams
Many association football teams have also had perfect seasons, such as Hamburger SV who won all 11 of their matches in the 1927–28 season. However, winning every match in a season of 20 or more matches is very rare; clubs to have done so include Dresdner SC of Germany in 1942–43 (23 wins out of 23), Ferencvárosi of Hungary in 1931–32 (22), Sunrise Flacq United of Mauritius in 1995–96 (22), and Nacional of Uruguay in 1941 (20). The longest winning streak of any team over multiple seasons was Sparta Prague's run of at least 51 wins in a row, between 1920 and 1923.
Teams finishing a season unbeaten (i.e. having won or drawn every match) are more common. In Serie A, Italian club Perugia went the entire 1978–79 Serie A season without losing a game. A.C. Milan did the same in the 1991–92 Serie A season. A similar feat was achieved by Arsenal in the 2003–04 English Premier League season, after finishing with no losses from 38 games, equalling Preston North End's record from 1889–90, the year Preston also won the FA Cup undefeated. However, it is worth noting Preston only played 22 league games in the 1889–90 season, compared to the 38 of Arsenal. Arsenal continued their unbeaten run until they were stopped at 49 by Manchester United .
FIFA World Cup
The likelihood of a national team in the FIFA World Cup to win all of its group stage matches, as well as every knockout game, to become the champion is higher than most domestic teams, given this unofficial "season" is only seven games maximum, and the last four wins are necessary for progress. This is not counting the qualifying round of the tournament, which lasts over a year and has had a varied format since 1934. Only one team, the 1970 World Cup champion Brazilian team has won every game in all both qualification and finals, without being the host country or defending champions (which allows a team to skip qualifying rounds), in this case, a total of 13 games.
The 1990 West German team was the last to be a champion while incurring no losses in all rounds; they had 9 wins and 4 ties. The last team to win with no losses or ties in the last two rounds (group round and knockout round) was the Brazilian team at the 2002 World Cup.
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