Can North Texas set professional sports history? It’s all up to the Mavericks and the Stars.

Can North Texas make professional sports history?

No city or region in American history has ever won three major sports championships in a 12-month period. However, Dallas-Fort Worth could become the first if the Dallas Mavericks and Stars win their respective league titles and join the Texas Rangers as champions.

The Mavericks advanced to the NBA Finals with their Western Conference championship over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday; the Stars are currently playing the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL Western Conference finals. The Stars enter Sunday’s game, trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Only once has a city made the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB championship in the same year. in 1980 Philadelphia made all four, but won just one. The Eagles lost the Superbowl to the Raiders, the 76ers lost the NBA title to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Flyers lost in the Stanley Cup Finals to the New York Islanders. The Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals for the World Series title.

How many times has a city ever won multiple championships in the same year? No city has ever won more than two titles in America’s major sports.

Cities has won multiple major titles 18 times, the most recent coming in 2020 and no city has pulled off this feat more than New York’s seven times.

New York

Year: 1927

Champions: Giants and Yankees

What to know: The Giants dominated the NFL outscoring opponents 197-20 with 10 shutouts. The Yankees were starting the Murders Row dynasty and swept the Pirates in the World Series.

Year: 1928

Champions: Rangers and Yankees

What to know: The first and only time a city has won multiple championships in back-to-back seasons. The Yankees repeated with a roster that had nine future hall of famers to win back-to-back World Series titles while the Rangers won the Stanley Cup finals in their second year of existence.

Year: 1933

Champions: Giants and Rangers

What to know: With the help of Associated Press Athlete of the Year and NL MVP Carl Hubbell, the Giants overcame the Washington Senators to win the World Series. The Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs for their second NHL title led by captain Bill Cook.

Year: 1938

Champions: Giants and Yankees

What to know: The Yankees finished baseball’s first three-peat after sweeping the Cubs in the Fall Classic. The Giants’ Ed Danowski became the first quarterback in franchise history to win more than one title with the franchise.

Year: 1956

Champions: Giants and Yankees

What to know: Halfback Frank Gifford won the NFL MVP and had 161 rushing and receiving yards in the Giants’ 47-7 title-game win over the Chicago Bears. Mickey Mantle won the Triple Crown, MVP and became the first player since Babe Ruth to hit 50 home runs for the Yankees who beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games.

Year: 1986

Champions: Giants and Mets

What to know: Bill Parcels and 1986 NFL MVP Lawrence Taylor led the Giants to their first-ever Super Bowl title trouncing the Denver Broncos 39-20. Regarded as one of the greatest MLB teams of all time, the Mets won 108 games en route to defeating the Boston Red Sox in seven games.

Year: 2000

Champions: Devils and Yankees

What to know: Scott Stevens would help the Devils defeat the Dallas Stars in the 2000 Stanley Cup before winning the Con Smythe Award for his postseason performance. New York Legend Derek Jeter won the All-Star and World Series MVP beating their crosstown rival Mets in the Subway Series.

Los Angeles

Year: 1988

Champions: Lakers and Dodgers

What to know: The Showtime Lakers’ final title together saw the team beat Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons in a tightly contested seven-game series with James Worthy earning Finals MVP. The Dodgers defeated the Oakland Athletics thanks in part to Kirk Gibson’s legendary pinch-hit walk-off home run.

Year: 2002

Champions: Lakers and Angels

What to know: Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant finished their three-peat dismantling the New Jersey Nets, with Shaq winning finals MVP. The Angels led by a dominant pitching staff won a dramatic World Series over the San Francisco Giants in seven games for their first and only title.

Year: 2020

Champions: Lakers and Dodgers

What to know: Both teams won their titles at the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic with the Lakers winning their first title in a decade after signing LeBron James in the 2018-19 offseason. The Dodgers won their title at Globe Life Field overcoming the Tampa Bay Rays with the help of current Texas Ranger Corey Seager who was awarded 2020 World Series MVP.

Boston

Year: 2004

Champions: Patriots and Red Sox

What to know: The Patriots became the first team since the ‘90s Dallas Cowboys to win three titles in four seasons with their 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Red Sox completed one of the greatest comebacks in MLB history when they beat the Yankees after losing the first three games of the series, becoming the first team to do so.

Year: 2018

Champions: Patriots and Red Sox

What to know: The Patriots were in their third straight Super Bowl and won their second in three seasons beating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a defensive slugfest with Julian Edelman being named Super Bowl MVP. The Red Sox beat the Dodgers four games to one with help from current Rangers pitcher Nathan Eovaldi who went 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA over the postseason.

Detroit

Year: 1935

Champions: Lions and Tigers

What to know: The Lions won their first NFL Championship beating the New York Giants 26-7 and were joined by the Tigers who won their first World Series defeating the Cubs four games to two in the best of seven series.

Year: 1952

Champions: Lions and Red Wings

What to know: The Lions beat the Browns 17-7 in th NF Championship game thanks in part to Jim Doran, who also became the first pro bowler in Dallas Cowboys history. The Red Wings swept the Montreal Canadiens winning the final two games by a combined score of 6-0.

Pittsburgh

Cleveland

Baltimore

Tampa Bay

This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 9:37 AM.

Lawrence Dow

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Lawrence Dow is a digital sports reporter from Philadelphia. He graduated with a master’s degree in journalism from USC. He’s passionate about movies and is always looking for a great book. He covers the Texas Rangers and other sports.