Worst Teams in North American Sports History
Tennis Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova once stated a cold, hard fact: “Whoever said, ‘It’s not whether you win or lose that counts,’ probably lost.”
In the spirit of unlovable losers (and there’s been plenty of them), teams in North American professional leagues have set all kinds of bad records — most losses in a season, worst winning percentage in a campaign, most consecutive losses, fewest points in season, fewest wins in a season, longest stretches of losses and more.
From the four major sports in the United States, to soccer ineptitude, and some alternate leagues, both men’s and women’s sports teams have suffered terrible results. Whether you remember them or not, Navratilova was right about this losing thing.
In most every game or match, someone wins and someone doesn’t. That’s the nature of sports and competition.
But some losers are worse than others.
50. 1990 New England Patriots
The 1990 season was painful for Steve Grogan and the rest of the New England Patriots. Amy Sancetta / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fifth (last) in AFC East
Head coach/manager: Rod Rust
Total home attendance: 311,623
Home attendance per game: 38,953
Bottom line: The Patriots’ minus-265-point differential (181 points scored, 446 points allowed) was the worst total of the 1990s.
After the team started 1-1, they lost their next 13 games, and finished with the worst record in franchise history.
This New England squad ranked last in the league in offense with an average of 11.3 points per game and was racked by the sexual harassment scandal involving reporter Lisa Olson.
49. 2008 Washington Huskies
Washington coach Tyrone Willingham walks off the field after a loss to Notre Dame in 2008. Elaine Thompson / AP Photo
League/sport: NCAA Division I Football
Record/finish: 0-12, 10th (last) in Pac-10 Conference
Head coach/manager: Tyrone Willingham
Total home attendance: 445,479
Home attendance per game: 63,640
Bottom line: The 2008 Huskies were the second winless team in Pacific-10 history (after Oregon State in 1980) and were the first winless team in Power 5 history.
They were outscored 463 to 159 in the season, scoring an average of 13.3 points per game.
Tyrone Willingham was fired after the season, which was the worst in Washington history, despite having a year left on his contract.
48. 1989–90 Quebec Nordiques
The 1989-90 Quebec Nordiques gave up 407 goals in the season, the most in the NHL. oilerfanatic1 / YouTube
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 12-61-7, fifth (last) in Adams Division
Head coach/manager: Michel Bergeron
Total home attendance: 603,200
Home attendance per game: 15,080
Bottom line: Barely half of the players who started the season in Quebec were with the team by the end of the year, thanks to a series of trades and injuries.
The Nordiques finished the regular season last in scoring (240 goals), last in goaltending (407 goals allowed), last in power-play goals allowed (98) and last in penalty-killing percentage (74.35) and with a 5.05 goals against average.
They managed to win only one out of their last 17 games and are the last NHL team to finish the regular season with a GAA above five.
47. 1991 Indianapolis Colts
The 1991 Indianapolis Colts, in white, averaged 8.9 points per game. Classic Sports / YouTube
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fifth (last) in AFC East
Head coach/manager: Ron Meyer (0-5), Rick Venturi (1-10)
Total home attendance: 424,008
Home attendance per game: 53,001
Bottom line: Despite having six-time Pro Bowl running back Eric Dickerson, the Colts could not create any offense, finishing the year with just 143 points, the lowest output of any NFL team in a 16-game season up to that point.
Jeff George started 16 games at quarterback and threw 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Dickerson became so frustrated he told fans even he wouldn’t pay to see them play.
46. 2005 Chivas USA
2005 was a long year for Chivas USA. Matt Sayles / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Soccer
Record/finish: 4-22-6, sixth (last) in Western Conference
Head coach/manager: Thomas Rongen (1-8-1), Javier Ledesma (0-0-1), Hans Westerhof (3-14-4)
Total home attendance: 273,280
Home attendance per game: 17,080
Bottom line: The 2005 team was an expansion squad and had its share of stumbles, both on the pitch and off. Any time you have three different managers in a year, it’s not a sign of stability or consistency.
Chivas USA suffered a minus-36 goal differential, went without a win for three months of the season and finished with just 18 points, the fourth fewest in MLS history.
45. 1996 New York Jets
New York Jets receiver Keyshawn Johnson argues a controversial offensive pass interference call in the end zone late in a game against the Washington Redskins in 1996. Jets quarterback Neil O’Donnell is at right. Ruth Fremson / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fifth (last) in AFC East
Head coach/manager: Rick Kotite
Total home attendance: 397,816
Home attendance per game: 49,727
Bottom line: In 1996, the Jets tried to sign their way to respectability and failed, spending more than $70 million in the offseason to sigh the likes of wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and quarterback Neil O’Donnell.
New York was winless in its first six game before O’Donnell got injured.
The J-E-T-S ended up surrendering 456 points in 16 games and suffering a minus-20 turnover differential.
44. 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates
Singer and movie star Bing Crosby, who was part owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1946 until his death in 1977, plays some pepper at the team’s 1952 spring training in San Bernardino, California. Ellis R. Bosworth / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Baseball
Record/finish: 42-112, eighth (last) in the National League
Head coach/manager: Billy Meyer
Total home attendance: 686,673
Home attendance per game: 8,918
Bottom line: The Pirates went 3-12 in April and never won more than two games in a row. They were eliminated in the first week of August and finished the year 54 1/2 games out of first place.
The team fielded 13 rookies and seven of the eight youngest players in the National League. Its winning percentage and number of losses were the worst for the franchise since the 1890 season.
43. 2009 St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo watches a game against the Arizona Cardinals with players and coaches in 2009. Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fourth (last) in NFC West
Head coach/manager: Steve Spagnuolo
Total home attendance: 441,901
Home attendance per game: 55,238
Bottom line: The Rams scored just 175 points (10.9 per game), the sixth-fewest for a 16-game NFL season.
They threw only 12 combined touchdown passes all season, including one by kicker Josh Brown.
St. Louis quarterbacks were intercepted 21 times, and the Rams were shut out twice, scored 10 or fewer points in nine games and got outscored by 261 points over the course of the season, a franchise record.
42. 1975-1976 Kansas City Scouts
The Kansas City Scouts went 15-54-11 in the 1974-75 season, a year before going 12-56-12. Ray Stubblebine / AP Photo
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 12-56-12, fifth (last) in Smythe Division
Head coach/manager: Bep Guidolin (11-30-4), Sid Abel (0-3-0), Eddie Bush (1-23-8)
Total home attendance: 315,680
Home attendance per game: 7,892
Bottom line: The future New Jersey Devils began as a franchise in the American Midwest. The Scouts won just once in their final 44 games, going through three head coaches in that span.
Kansas City went without a win in its last 27 games. During the summer of 1976, the Scouts left for Denver to become the Colorado Rockies, ending its two-year stint in Kansas City.
41. 2018 Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles allowed 892 runs in the 2018 season, or 5.5 runs per game. Michael Dwyer / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Baseball
Record/finish: 47-115, fifth (last) in AL East
Head coach/manager: Buck Showalter
Total home attendance: 1,564,192
Home attendance per game: 19,311
Bottom line: Somehow, the Orioles finished 2018 without putting together a losing streak over 10 games. Considering Baltimore didn’t win more than nine games in a single month, that’s a feat worth celebrating.
The Orioles were just the second team since World War II to finish more than 60 games out of first place, and the fourth in that span to post a winning percentage below .300.
Baltimore won just 19 games on the road.
40. 1980 New Orleans Saints
The 1980 New Orleans Saints were hard to watch and left many fans thinking, “Say it ain’t so.” AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fourth (last) NFC West
Head coach/manager: Dick Nolan (0-12); Dick Stanfel (1-3)
Total home attendance: 385,238
Home attendance per game: 48,155
Bottom line: The Saints, renamed the “Aints” by fans who wore brown paper bags over their heads, failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season and had the dubious distinction of winning just one game, by a single point against the also woeful Jets.
New Orleans’ had 14 straight losses to begin the year and lost despite a solid statistical season by quarterback Archie Manning.
The Saints’ defense gave up 30.4 points per game, the most in the league.
39. 1992-93 Dallas Mavericks
Jim Jackson played 28 games in the 1992-93 season, his NBA rookie year, and the Mavericks went 7-21 with him in the lineup. Pat Sullivan
League/sport: National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 11-71, sixth (last) in Midwest Division
Head coach/manager: Richie Adubato (2-27), Gar Heard (9-44)
Total home attendance: 554,724
Home attendance per game: 13,530
Bottom line: The Mavericks started the season 1-15, were 2-30 at one point and had a record of 4-50 when Jim Jackson joined the team in March after a contract dispute.
Dallas had three losing streaks of more than 10 games, including dropping 19 straight at one point, and produced the worst point differential in NBA history at minus-15.2 points per game.
38. 1982 Baltimore Colts
The 1982 Baltimore Colts scored 113 points in nine games with Mike Pagel as the team’s starting quarterback, averaging 12.6 points per game. Joe Giza / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 0-8-1, fifth (last) in AFC East
Head coach/manager: Frank Kush
Total home attendance: 107,646 (four games)
Home attendance per game: 26,912
Bottom line: The Colts were the last team to have a winless season in the NFL until the 2008 Lions usurped them.
They lost two games late in the year by a combined six points to the Bengals and Vikings, eventual 1982 playoff teams, and tied another playoff team, the Packers 20-20. In one game, they even failed to get the ball across the 50-yard line and lost 20-0.
They did benefit from a strike, which shortened the season to just nine games.
37. 1997-98 Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets allowed 100.8 points per game in the 1997-98 season, ranking 26th out of 29 teams in the NBA. David Zalubowski / AP Photo
League/sport: National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 11-71, seventh (last) in Midwest
Head coach/manager: Bill Hanzlik
Total home attendance: 483,791
Home attendance per game: 11,800
Bottom line: Two years removed from being one game away from the Western Conference final, the Nuggets were awful in 1996-97 but even worse the following year.
Denver lost its first 12 games of the year, were 2-38 after 40 contests and endured losing streaks of 23 and 16 games.
The Nuggets avoided finishing with the worst record in NBA history (9-73, 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers) by winning six of their last 19 games.
36. 1960 Dallas Cowboys
The 1960 Dallas Cowboys allowed 2,242 rushing yards, 186.8 yards per game. AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 0-11-1, seventh (last) in Western Conference
Head coach/manager: Tom Landry
Total home attendance: 128,000
Home attendance per game: 21,334
Bottom line: Hard to believe the Cowboys were ever this bad but as an expansion team in 1960, they took their lumps.
Dallas finished last in both points scored (177) and points allowed (369). Its quarterbacks threw an NFL-high 33 interceptions., and the Cowboys’ rushing attack finished last in the league in rushing at 1,049 yards, averaging a paltry 3.4 yards per carry.
Defensively, the team gave up 2,242 yards rushing and allowed five yards per carry, both last in the league.
35. 1935 Boston Braves
Babe Ruth hit .181 with six home runs in 28 games with the Boston Braves in 1935. AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Baseball
Record/finish: 38-115, eighth (last) in National League
Head coach/manager: Bill McKechnie
Total home attendance: 232,754
Home attendance per game: 3,023
Bottom line: The 1935 Braves are infamous for signing an over-the-hill Babe Ruth to boost attendance.
The plan was for Ruth to eventually manage the team but he retired on June 1 after hitting just .181 with six homers, which still ranked second by the time the season was complete.
Boston’s pitching staff allowed 10-plus runs in 19 games, gave up 15 runs in five games, and eight of their pitchers who threw 70-plus innings allowed over 10 hits per nine innings.
34. 1972–73 New York Islanders
The New York Islanders won 12 games in the 1972-73 season. AP Photo
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 12-60-2, eighth (last) in East
Head coach/manager: Phil Goyette (6–38–4), Earl Ingarfield (6–22–2)
Total home attendance: 490,606
Home attendance per game: 11,966
Bottom line: The expansion Islanders were outscored 347-170, earning just 30 points on the year.
The franchise also had to pay a $4 million territorial fee to the New York Rangers after moving into Nassau Coliseum and pilfering some of the Big Apple’s hockey fans.
Unlike most other expansion teams’ general managers, Islanders general manager Bill Torrey didn’t make many trades for veteran players, building through the draft rather than pursuing a “win now” strategy of getting a few veterans to boost attendance.
33. 2003 Detroit Tigers
Little went the Tigers’ way in 2003. Duane Burleson / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Baseball
Record/finish: 43-119, fifth (last) in AL Central
Head coach/manager: Alan Trammell
Total home attendance: 1,368,245
Home attendance per game: 16,892
Bottom line: The 2003 Tigers had more losses than any other team in American League history and came within one loss of tying the 1962 Mets for the most losses in modern major league history.
The Tigers’ 119 losses record broke the Philadelphia Athletics’’1916 American League record of 117 losses.
Detroit was outscored by 337 runs over the course of the season (928 to 591) and finished 47 games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins.
32. 2000 San Diego Chargers
The 2000 San Diego Chargers looked dazed and confused for most of the season. Denis Poroy / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fifth (last) AFC West
Head coach/manager: Mike Riley
Total home attendance: 433,459
Home attendance per game: 54,162
Bottom line: The Chargers team lost its first 11 games before their only victory of the season against Kansas City (by one point, on a last-second field goal).
San Diego finished with the worst record of any Chargers team in history.
The team had a historically inept ground attack. Its 1,062 total team rushing yards (66.4 per game) is the lowest total of rushing yards by any team in NFL history in a 16-game season.
31. 2003 Southern Methodist University Mustangs
Southern Methodist head coach Phil Bennett in 2004. Douglas C. Pizac / AP Photo
League/sport: NCAA Division I Football
Record/finish: 0-12, 10th (last) in Western Athletic Conference standings
Head coach/manager: Phil Bennett
Total home attendance: 104,609
Home attendance per game: 17,435
Bottom line: SMU had no offense or defense.
The team allowed 40 or more points in five of its losses, and Mustangs quarterbacks combined for just seven touchdowns and 15 interceptions for the entire year.
As a result, SMU averaged 11.2 points per game while surrendering 32.2, a 21-points-per-game differential.
30. 1999 New York/New Jersey MetroStars
Colorado Rapids forward Jorge Dely Valdes goes over the top of New York/New Jersey MetroStars defender Kevin Knight during a game in 1999. Bill Kostroun / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Soccer
Record/finish: 7-25, sixth (last) in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Bora Milutinovic
Total home attendance: 235,301
Home attendance per game: 14,706
Bottom line: Born as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars and now called the New York Red Bulls, this team began the season by trading away five of its best players, including Giovanni Savarese (then the club record holder for goals scored).
They also signed 38-year-old Lothar Matthäus, the German international, in what is still considered to be one of the worst signings in MLS history.
Most every move failed as the club finished the 1999 season last in the table with a goal differential of minus-32.
29. 1934 Cincinnati Reds
The 1934 Cincinnati Reds did not win a game. Amazon
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 0-8 (0-11), eighth (last) in Western Division
Head coach/manager: Algy Clark
Total home attendance: 18,800
Home attendance per game: 4,700
Bottom line: The Reds, founded in 1933, were one of the first football teams to go winless throughout an entire season, going 0-8 as the Reds and 0-3 as the St. Louis Gunners after being suspended for failure to pay league dues.
The Reds scored only 10 points in eight games before their suspension, and the franchise was shut out in 12 of its 18 games over its two seasons.
28. 1909 Washington Senators
A Washington Senators-New York Highlanders game in 1909. Otis Clymer is at bat for Washington, and Red Kleinow is catching for New York. Amazon
League/sport: Major League Baseball
Record/finish: 42-110, eighth (last) place in AL
Head coach/manager: Pongo Joe Cantillon
Total home attendance: 205,199
Home attendance per game: 2,700
Bottom line: These Senators were so bad that even Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson had an abnormally mediocre season despite fashioning a 2.22 ERA and striking out 164.
Washington lost 29 games in July, which is still a major league record for defeats in any single month.
The Senators also wer shut out an American League-record 30 times and scored an AL-low 2.45 runs per game.
27. 2007 Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins quarterback Cleo Lemon went 1-6 as a starter in 2007. Lynne Sladky / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 1-15, fourth (last) in AFC East
Head coach/manager: Cam Cameron
Total home attendance: 577,835
Home attendance per game: 72,229
Bottom line: Miami surrendered a team-record 437 points and ranked No. 30 in the league in scoring defense.
The offense, hampered by injuries and play-calling ineptitude, struggled under a trio of quarterbacks — Cleo Lemon, John Beck and Trent Green — that amassed just 12 touchdown passes all year.
No receiver had more than two scoring catches.
26. 2015-16 Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Browns listens to Ish Smith during a game against the Charlotte Hornets in 2016. Chuck Burton / AP Photo
League/sport: National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 10-72, fifth (last) in Atlantic Division
Head coach/manager: Brett Brown
Total home attendance: 610,121
Home attendance per game: 14,881
Bottom line: This dismal season was a product of “The Process.”
Philadelphia went through one of the worst three-year stretches in NBA history, winning 47 games in three season and culminating with this horrific campaign.
The 76ers lost their first 18 games, which, when combined with a 10-game losing streak from prior season, led to a record 28-game losing streak.
25. 1952-Present Day Washington Generals
Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon prepares to put the moves on the Washington Generals during a game in 1993 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Bebeto Matthews / AP Photo
League/sport: Exhibition foil for the Harlem Globetrotters/basketball
Record/finish: They almost always lose (it’s part of the shtick)
Head coach/manager: Sam Worthen
Total home attendance: N/A (they are never the home team)
Home attendance per game: N/A (see above)
Bottom line: Someone has to play the Globetrotters in their exhibition games, and no one pays to see the clown princes of basketball lose.
The Generals, which also have played under other names, reportedly have won six times in 68 years, but they always make things competitive.
24. 2018 Sky Blue FC
The 2018 Sky Blue FC team got its first win in the last game of the season. Sky Blue FC / YouTube
League/sport: National Women’s Soccer League
Record/finish: 1-17-6 (9 points), last in nine-team league
Head coach/manager: Denise Ready
Total home attendance: 30,372
Home attendance per game: 2,531
Bottom line: Sky Blue FC, based in Piscataway Township, N.J., went winless in 23 straight games and produced the National Women’s Soccer League’s all-time worst wins and points total in 2018.
They even had its share of problems off the field, with the franchise accused of making players practice and work in unsafe, unsanitary and unprofessional conditions.
23. 2018-19 Shanghai Dragons
The 2018-19 Shanghai Dragons. shanghaidragons / Twitter
League/sport: Overwatch League/esports
Record/finish: Lost 42 straight matches
Head coach/manager: We Seong-hwan
Total home attendance: No home arenas, yet
Home attendance per game: See above
Bottom line: The Dragons went 0-40 as an inaugural Overwatch League team and lost their first two game of the 2019 season, before snapping a 42-match losing streak with a 3-1 win over Boston on Feb. 22. The Dragons called the victory an end to the longest losing streak in professional sports history.
Overwatch is billed as the world’s premier esports league, with 20 teams spread across North America, Europe and Asia.
22. 1974-75 Virginia Squires
Julius Erving, once a Virginia Squire, dunks for the New York Nets during an ABA game against the Squires in 1975 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. Harry Harris / AP Photo
League/sport: American Basketball Association
Record/finish: 15-69, fifth (last) in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Al Bianchi, Calvin Mack
Total home attendance: 199,856
Home attendance per game: 4,648
Bottom line: Virginia’s 69 losses in the 1974-75 seasons were a record for the ABA, which from 1967 to 1976 was a real rival to the NBA. The Squires’ longest winning streak was three games, and at one point, they lost 15 straight contests.
A regional team based in Norfolk, the Squires also played home games in Richmond, Hampton and Roanoke. Players on Virginia’s roster through its existence included eventual Pro Basketball Hall of Famers Rick Berry, Julius Erving and George Gervin.
21. 1983-84 Washington Federals
The Washington Federals run the ball against the Los Angeles Express during a 1984 USFL game at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Scott Stewart / AP Photo
League/sport: United States Football League
Record/finish: 7-29, last place in Eastern Conference both seasons
Head coach/manager: Ray Jauch (4-14 in 1983), Dick Bielski (3-15 in 1984)
Total home attendance: 121.500 (1983), 69,300 (1984)
Home attendance per game: 13,800 (1983), 7,700 (1984)
Bottom line: How bad were the Washington Federals? In their first season alone, they missed seven extra-point kicks.
In 1984, the Federals offered free T-shirts to the first 10,000 fans through the turnstiles for a game against the Oklahoma Outlaws. Only 6,075 showed up.
20. 2007-2009 New Jersey Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Justin Garris, left, and Dan Stonkus, center, try to block a shot by Rutgers’ Mike Coburn during an NCAA game in 2007. Bill Kostroun / AP Photo
League/sport: NCAA Division I basketball
Record/finish: Had 51-game losing streak
Head coach/manager: Jim Casciano
Total home attendance: Not applicable
Home attendance per game: Not applicable
Bottom line: The Highlanders went 0-29 in the 2007-08 season, an NCAA record, and the losing streak reached 51 before a victory in January 2009.
The closest they came to a win in the 2007-08 season were two nine-point losses, 62–53 to Stony Brook and 67–58 to Lehigh.
19. 1989-98 Prairie View A&M Panthers
Prairie View A&M coach Greg Johnson gets doused after his Panther team beat Langston 14-12 in 1998 to end its NCAA-record 80-game losing streak. Jerry Laizure / AP Photo
League/sport: NCAA football/FCS subdivision
Record/finish: Lost 80 straight games
Head coach/manager: Greg Johnson (1998)
Total home attendance: Not applicable
Home attendance per game: Not applicable
Bottom line: It’s almost unfathomable to imagine what Prairie View A&M went through for almost a decade.
After losing it final nine games of 1989, the Panthers dropped football in 1990, went 0-11 every year from 1991 to 1996, then went 0-9 in 1997, before losing their first three games in 1998.
Now, that’s a losing streak.
18. 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers battle the Toronto Raptors in 2011. Tony Dejak / AP Photo
League/sport: National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 19-63, 15th in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Byron Scott
Total home attendance: 824,595
Home attendance per game: 20,112
Bottom line: With LeBron James playing in Miami, the Cavaliers swooned to the bottom of the Eastern Conference and ended up with the second-worst record in the league (the Timberwolves lost 65 games).
Cleveland had a 26-game losing streak, setting a record for the most consecutive losses in a single season (eventually tied by the 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers).
17. 2011 Tulsa Shock
Tulsa Shock guard Ivory Latta drives against Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen during a 2011 WNBA game in Minneapolis. Andy King / AP Photo
League/sport: Women’s National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 3-31, sixth (last) in Western Conference
Head coach/manager: Nolan Richardson (1-10), Teresa Edwards (2-21)
Total home attendance: 82,076
Home attendance per game: 4,828
Bottom line: The Shock were pretty good when they played in Detroit, going to the WNBA Finals in 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2008 as the Eastern Conference representative.
The team moved to Tulsa in 2010 and managed a league-record low three wins in 2011, its second of six seasons in Oklahoma.
16. 2013 D.C. United
D.C. United defenders Brandon McDonald, left, and Chris Korb, right, converge on Columbus Crew midfielder Eddie Gaven in a 2013 MLS game. Nick Wass / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Soccer
Record/finish: 3-24-7, 10th (last) in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Ben Olson
Total home attendance: 231,982
Home attendance per game: 13,646
Bottom line: United set the record for fewest wins in a 34-game MLS season and finished the year on a 12-game winless streak.
The team scored multiple goals just three times and became the fifth team in MLS history to go winless on the road.
15. 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny
Tampa Bay Mutiny’s Carlos Valderrama, center, is tripped up by Los Angeles Galaxy midfielders Mauricio Cienfuegos and Peter Vagenas, right, during a 2001 MLS game. Chris O’Meara / AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Soccer
Record/finish: 4-21-2, fourth (last) in Central Conference
Head coach/manager: Alfonso Mondelo, Perry Van der Beck
Total home attendance: 146,704
Home attendance per game: 10,749
Bottom line: The team set and holds the record for fewest amount of points in an MLS season (14).
In 1994, the Mutiny were established as one of the founding teams in MLS after the success of the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the old North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 80s.
This woeful season — their last — was one of only two losing campaigns in the franchise’s six-year existence.
14. 2012-13 Grambling State Tigers
Grambling State’s Derron Hobbs drives past Arkansas defender Marvell Waithe during a 2010 exhibition game. Beth Hall / AP Photo
League/sport: NCAA Division I basketball
Record/finish: 0-28, last in SWAC
Head coach/manager: Joseph Price
Total home attendance: Not available
Home attendance per game: Not available
Bottom line: The Tigers are the eighth and most recent Division I men’s basketball team to end a season winless.
Only once in the 2012-13 season — a 59-51 loss to Alabama A&M in the quarterfinals of the SWAC tournament — did Grambling State fall by less than double-digits.
13. 2003 Army Black Knights
An Army defender pulls down Navy quarterback Craig Candeto in the the 104th Army-Navy football game on Dec. 6, 2003. Rusty Kennedy / AP Photo
League/sport: NCAA Division I football
Record/finish: 0-13
Head coach/manager: John Mumford (0-7), Todd Berry (0-6)
Total home attendance: 184,227
Home attendance per game: 30,705
Bottom line: The only Division I team in NCAA history to lose all 13 of its games.
Unlike today’s Army teams, this squad ran a pass-heavy offense, throwing for 2,391 yards on the season. But the Black Knights scored over 21 points only three times and lost 11 of their games by 15 points or more.
12. 1980-81 Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg Jets fans kept the faith despite the team’s 30-game winless streak in the 1980-81 NHL season. CBC / YouTube
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 9-57-14, sixth (last) in Smythe Division)
Head coach/manager: Tom McVie (1-20-7), Bill Sutherland (6-20-3), Mike Smith (2-17-4)
Total home attendance: 557,046
Home attendance per game: 13,263
Bottom line: The Jets set a modern sports record in their second year in the NHL by going 30 games without a win. Winnipeg finished 75 points behind the division-winning St. Louis.
The team scored 246 goals (61 below the league average), conceded 400 (93 above the league average) and ended up with just 32 points, 42 points behind Edmonton for the final playoff position in the Smythe Division.
11. 1992-93 Ottawa Senators
Neil Brady scored the first goal for the Ottawa Senators in 1992. Sportsnet / YouTube
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 10-70-4, sixth (last) in Adams Division
Head coach/manager: Rock Bowness
Total home attendance: 440,370
Home attendance per game: 10,485
Bottom line: Ottawa was an expansion team in this campaign, and it showed.
The team lost its first 38 road games before finally winning one, and the Senators finished 1-41 away from home, the NHL’s worst full-season road record.
They weren’t much better at home, dropping a record 11 straight.
10. 1992–93 San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks co-owner and chairman George Gund III unveils the team’s colors and logo in 1991. John G. Mabanglo / AP Photo
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 11-71-2, sixth (last) in Smythe Division
Head coach/manager: George Kingston
Total home attendance: 463,890
Home attendance per game: 11,045
Bottom line: San Jose set the NHL record by losing 71 games, including 17 in a row at one point, and allowed the most goals of any team in the league (414).
The Sharks were shut out six times, also the most in the league.
9. 1974-75 Washington Capitals
League/sport: National Hockey League
Record/finish: 8-67-5, ninth (last) in Wales Conference
Head coach/manager: Jim Anderson (4-45-5), Red Sullivan (2-16-0), Milt Schmidt (2-6-0)
Total home attendance: 420,168
Home attendance per game: 10,004
Bottom line: The Capitals are widely considered to be the worst team to ever lace up skates.
Washington had 21 points on the season, and its .131 winning percentage is the worst in NHL history.
The team was so bad that it lost four games by 10 or more goals.
8. 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Steve Spurrier goes down in a pile of Kansas City Chiefs in 1976. AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 0-14, last in NFC Central
Head coach/manager: John McKay
Total home attendance: 312,538
Home attendance per game: 44,648
Bottom line: The Buccaneers are the worst expansion team in NFL history. Tampa Bay’s “dreamscicle” orange uniforms surely didn’t create fear in its opponents.
The Bucs were shut out in five games, did not score until their third game and did not score a touchdown until their fourth. They lost by more than a touchdown 11 times.
Tampa Bay also lost its first 12 games of the 1977 season.
7. 2008 Detroit Lions
The 2008 season was a long year for Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli and his players. Paul Sancya / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 0-16, fourth (last) in NFC North
Head coach/manager: Rod Marinelli
Total home attendance: 434,979
Home attendance per game: 54,372
Bottom line: Detroit’s biggest issue was it couldn’t stop anyone. The Lions were last in the NFL in run defense and 27th in pass defense, allowed 32.31 points per contest, and lost 10 of their 16 games by double-digits.
They followed up their winless 2008 campaign with a 2-14 season in 2009.
Detroit also had a winless season in 1942, when the team lost all 11 of its games.
6. 2017 Cleveland Browns
A Cleveland Browns fan holds up a sign during the “Perfect Season” parade on Jan. 6, 2018. Tony Dejak / AP Photo
League/sport: National Football League
Record/finish: 0-16, fourth (last) in AFC North
Head coach/manager: Hue Jackson
Total home attendance: 511,060
Home attendance per game: 63,883
Bottom line: The Browns became the second team in NFL history to lose 16 games in a season, joining the 2008 Detroit Lions in the shameful loser’s club.
Cleveland went 1-15 in 2016 to produce the worst overall record over two consecutive seasons in NFL history.
It was a new low for the Browns, who experienced nearly two decades of disgrace after returning as an NFL expansion franchise in 1999.
5. 1948 Providence Steam Rollers
Brady Walker, a member of the 1948 Providence Steamrollers. Wikipedia
League/sport: Basketball Association of America/National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 6-42, fourth (last) in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Albert Soar (2-17), Nat Hickey (4-25)
Total home attendance: Not available
Home attendance per game: Not available
Bottom line: The Steamrollers garnered the fewest wins in a full BBA/NBA season.
They were one of 11 charter franchises in the Basketball Association of America, the precursor to the NBA, and lasted just three years.
It got so bad for the team that Nat Hickey, the coach, activated himself on Jan. 28, two days shy of his 46th birthday, becoming the oldest player in the history of the league.
4. 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats
Milwaukee Bucks point guard Brandon Jennings, left, knocks the ball from Charlotte Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin during a 2011 game. Chuck Burton / AP Photo
League/sport: National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 7-59, 15th (last) in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Paul Silas
Total home attendance: 486,984
Home attendance per game: 14,757
Bottom line: Charlotte racked up the worst winning percentage in NBA history (.106) in this strike-shortened year.
The Bobcats won their season opener (by one point), but then dropped an unfathomable 26 of their next 28 games, leaving them with a 3-26 record midway through February.
They ended the season on a 23-game losing streak.
3. 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers play against the Buffalo Braves in Philadelphia in 1973. BH / AP Photo
League/sport: National Basketball Association
Record/finish: 9-73, eighth (last) in Eastern Conference
Head coach/manager: Roy Rubin (4-47), Kevin Loughery (5-26)
Total home attendance: 182,921
Home attendance per game: 5,901
Bottom line: This team has the dubious honor of having the most losses and worst winning percentage in a full NBA season.
The 76ers lost their first 15 games and a few months later set a then-record 20-game losing streak in a single season.
Philadelphia finished an NBA-record 59 games behind Atlantic Division champion Boston.
2. 1962 New York Mets
The 1962 New York Mets at the Polo Grounds in New York City. AP Photo
League/sport: Major League Baseball, post-World War II
Record/finish: 40-120 (.250), 10th (last) in National League
Head coach/manager: Casey Stengel
Total home attendance: 922,530
Home attendance per game: 11,532
Bottom line: The 1962 New York Mets have the most losses, and worst winning percentage in a modern MLB season (162 games).
The Mets were rained out twice, denying them a chance to be even worse.
1. 1916 Philadelphia Athletics
Joe Bush lost 24 games in 1916, the most of any Philadelphia Athletics pitcher. Harris & Ewing / Library of Congress
League/sport: Major League Baseball, pre-World War II
Record/finish: 36-117 (.235), eighth (last) in American League
Head coach/manager: Connie Mack
Total home attendance:184,471
Home attendance per game: 2,396
Bottom line: These A’s were as bad as it gets.
They amassed the worst winning percentage in a full MLB season (when the season was 154 games) and most losses in an American League campaign.
The standard for ineptitude stood for 87 years until the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who played a 162-game season, lost 119 games.