Don Shula's Dolphins remain the only undefeated Super Bowl champion in history, finishing 17-0. They led the NFL in scoring (27.5 points per game) and scoring defense (12.2 points per game). Their playoff wins weren't quite as spectacular: 20-14, 21-17 and 14-7 over Washington in Super Bowl VII. Also, the Dolphins played the second-easiest schedule in NFL history (since 1972) that season, playing only team with a winning record until the playoffs.
9.
1996 Chicago Bulls
In the first full season after Michael Jordan's return, the Bulls went
72-10, the best record in NBA history. Jordan averaged 30.4 points per
game to lead the league while Dennis Rodman topped the circuit in
rebounding. The Bulls led the NBA in scoring offense, were third in
scoring defense and had an average point differential of 12.2 points per
game. Chicago went 15-3 in the playoffs, dispatching Seattle in six games
in the Finals.
8.
1956 Oklahoma Sooners
Bud Wilkinson's teams dominated college football in the mid-'50s, winning
47 consecutive games from 1953 to 1957. The 1956 squad won a second
straight national championship in devastating fashion, going 10-0 while
scoring 466 points and shutting out six opponents. Halfback Tommy McDonald
and lineman Jerry Tubbs finished 3-4 in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
7.
1968 UCLA Bruins
In three seasons with Lew Alcindor, the Bruins lost only two games and won
three NCAA championships. This team was the best, going 29-1. Alcindor,
the best college player ever, averaged over 26 points per game and
received plenty of support from Mike Warren and Lucius Allen. The only
loss came to Elvin Hayes and Houston, 71-69, a game in which Alcindor was
bothered by an eye injury. The Bruins got their revenge in the national
semifinals, crushing Hayes and Co. 101-69. That was the 13th game during
the season the Bruins scored over 100 points. They beat North Carolina
78-55 in the title game.
6.
1939 New York Yankees
The '39 Yankees capped off the most crushing four-year run in baseball
history, as they led the American League in hitting and pitching for the
fourth consecutive season. They scored 967 runs and allowed just 556. The
next-best totals in the league were 890 and 700. After going 106-45, they
swept the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. Joe DiMaggio hit .381 and
drove in 126 runs. Three others knocked in more than 100. And that doesn't
include Lou Gehrig, who pulled himself from the lineup early in the
season.
5.
1972 Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers went 69-13, including a 33-game winning streak, and went 12-3
in the playoffs. They beat Lew Alcindor's Milwaukee Bucks in the
conference finals and knocked off the New York Knicks in five games for
the title. Led by high-scoring guards Gail Goodrich (25.9) and Jerry West
(25.8), the Lakers averaged 121 points per game and outscored opponents by
an average margin of 12.3 points. Wilt Chamberlain also averaged 14.8
points and led the league in rebounding.
4.
1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers
According to Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings, the two greatest college
football teams since 1956 are the 1995 Cornhuskers and 1971 Cornhuskers.
But, with fewer scholarships, it was a more level playing field in '95,
making this team slightly more impressive. Nebraska rolled to its second
straight national title by averaging more than 50 points per game, topping
70 against Arizona State and Iowa State. They beat four teams ranked in
the top 10 at the time (each by at least 23 points). Led by quarterback
Tommie Frazier and running back Ahman Green, not to mention a
injury-slowed Lawrence Phillips, the 'Huskers rushed for 400 yards per
game. Facing No. 2 Florida in the Fiesta Bowl for the national
championship, Nebraska won 62-24.
3.
1985 Chicago Bears
The Bears went 15-1 in the regular season, losing only a Monday night
encounter to the Dolphins. While the famed "46" defense designed
by Buddy Ryan allowed the league's fewest points (198), the offense was no
slouch, either: the Bears scored 456 points, second only to San Diego's
467. This team oozed with character (Jim McMahon, Mike Ditka, Refrigerator
Perry) and then knocked the ooze out of opponents in the playoffs -- they
beat the Giants 21-0, trounced the Rams 24-0 and then clobbered the
Patriots 46-10 in the Super Bowl.
2.
1977 Montreal Canadiens
The second of four straight Stanley Cup champions from 1976-79, the '77
Canadiens went 60-8-12 to finish with a record 132 points. They went 12-2
in the playoffs, sweeping the Boston Bruins for the title. Montreal
dominated both phases of the game as Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt ranked
first and third in points and Michel Larocque and Ken Dryden ranked first
and second in goaltending. Dryden had 41 wins and 10 shutouts. Eight
members of the team are in the Hockey Hall of Fame as is coach Scotty
Bowman.
1.
1927 New York Yankees
It's been over 70 years now since the team dubbed "Murderer's
Row" claimed their place in history and they're still famous --
reason enough to put them at No. 1. But this team earned it. They went
110-44 and then swept the Pirates in the World Series. Their lineup
featured two guys named Ruth and Gehrig. The Babe hit 60 home runs, more
than any other team in the league; Lou Gehrig hit .373 with 47 home
runs and 175 RBI to win the MVP. Tony Lazzeri was third in the AL with 18
homers. They hit .307 as a team. Four pitchers won at least 18 games. They
led the league with 975 runs and allowed the fewest, 599. In short, they
were the greatest of all time.
| The Best Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Team: 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers Record: 13-0, National Champions Coach: Bob Devaney Notes: Won every game by at least 24 points (except 35-31 victory over Oklahoma); defeated Alabama, 38-6, in Orange Bowl to clinch national title. Scored at least 31 points every game; allowed more than seven points just three times; posted three shutouts. Team receiving the second most votes was the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers. |
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| Each Decade's Best | ||||
| Decade | Team | Notes | ||
| 1900-09 | Yale | Streaks of 22, 21 straight wins; seven national titles | ||
| 1910-19 | Harvard | Streak of 22 straight wins; four national titles | ||
| 1920-29 | Notre Dame | Streaks of 27-1-1, 22-1; two national titles | ||
| 1930-39 | Minnesota | Three national titles, ranked second twice | ||
| 1940-49 | Notre Dame | 39-game win streak; four national titles | ||
| 1950-59 | Oklahoma | 47-game win streak; three national titles | ||
| 1960-69 | Alabama | Streak of 25-0-1; three national titles | ||
| 1970-79 | Alabama | Streak of 36-2; three national titles | ||
| 1980-89 | Miami | Streak of 46-2; three national titles | ||
| 1990-99 | Nebraska | Streak of 37-1; three national titles | ||
| Note: Some
national titles were shared Players
of the Century
|
||||
JOHNNY
RODGERS
DAVE
RIMINGTONInformation About The Voters:
In trying to select a college football team of the century, Scripps Howard turned to a panel of voters with several centuries of combined college football experience: long-time coaches, administrators and media members.
Chief among the 29 voters are six coaches who have won a total of nine national championships. (Voters are generally identified by the job or school with which they are most associated):
- Bob Bradley, former Clemson Sports Information Director
- Hoss Brock, former executive director of the Cotton Bowl
- Frank Broyles, Arkansas athletic director and former head coach
- Beano Cook, ESPN analyst
- Lee Corso, ESPN analyst and former Louisville, Northern Illinois and Indiana head coach
- Ced Dempsey, NCAA executive director
- Dan Devine, former head coach, Arizona State, Missouri and Notre Dame
- Vince Dooley, Georgia athletic director and former head coach
- Bud Dudley, Liberty Bowl executive director
- Wayne Duke, former commissioner of the Big Ten
- Pat Edwards, former sportswriter and wife of BYU coach LaVell Edwards
- Pat Harmon, former sportswriter and former executive director of the College Football Hall of Fame
- Don James, former Washington head coach
- Dan Jenkins, former Sports Illustrated writer
- Bernie Kish, College Football Hall of Fame executive director
- Doug Looney, former Sports Illustrated writer
- Bill Lumpkin, former sports editor of the Birmingham (Ala.) Post-Herald
- Dick MacPherson, former Syracuse head coach
- Bill McCartney, former Colorado head coach
- Chuck Neinas, former executive director of the College Football Association
- Tom Osborne, former Nebraska head coach
- Steve Richardson, Football Writers Association of America executive director
- Rudy Riska, Heisman Trophy executive director
- Pepper Rodgers, former head coach, UCLA
- Darrell Royal, former Texas head coach
- Erik Stover, Lambert Trophy administrator
- Grant Teaff, American Football Coaches Association executive director and former Baylor head coach
- Roger Valdiserri, former Notre Dame Sports Information Director
- Marvin West, former Scripps Howard News Service sports editor.