After the New York Mets signed Juan Soto to a historic, lucrative contract, he said that he believes this could be the beginning of a dynasty. With 765 million reasons why the team is to start anew, it reminds us of the past sports dynasties that had their periods of success. Can the Mets duplicate it?
Chicago Bulls
Something special was born when the Chicago Bulls won their first championship in 1991, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers. The lineup featured Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Bill Cartwright, John Paxson, and Horace Grant.
The Bulls went on to win six titles in eight years.
Jordan remains the greatest of all time (depending on who you ask) but was the pillar of the dynasty who sported the Bulls uniform.
The world was able to take a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the iconic group of players, coaches, and front-office members during the ESPN/Netflix 10-part series, The Last Dance.
You know … Dennis Rodman, oh – and the memes.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers dynasty took over the 1980s and ’90s.
It was the combination of Hall of Fame players Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana, and Steve Young, along with coaches Bill Walsh and George Seifert.
Dubbed the team of the Eighties, they were a precise machine. This was after the team had a huge decline coming out of the ’70s. That was until Walsh was hired by the 49ers out of Stanford. He created and perfected the West Coast Offense.
It took a while and featured beefing up the defense, but the 49ers eventually began winning. Then, during the 1981 season, the team found themselves going against the extremely competitive Dallas Cowboys, and the stage was set for one of the most iconic plays in NFL history. “The Catch” was born.
The 49ers turned the page and won four Super Bowl titles in the ’80s. They were the first team to win five Super Bowls in total. Their record during the 1980s-90s was 207-72-1.
Your chances of beating the 49ers in the 80s were always low. But on the Sundays when Joe Montana donned his Fuckin’ Forty Niners shirt? No chance. pic.twitter.com/OG8riAq7pu
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) December 7, 2021
There were also countless individual records on the 49ers. Montana became the first player to win three Super Bowl MVP awards. Rice is the team’s all-time leading receiver and scorer. Lott was a game-changer on the defensive side.
The list goes on and on.
New England Patriots
You’ve probably seen the photos. The ones of quarterback Tom Brady holding up all his Super Bowl rings.
The Brady, Bill Belichick era with the Patriots lasted from 2000 -2019. The quarterback and head coach played in nine Super Bowls — more than any other NFL franchise — and won a league-record six titles.
Brady and Belichick also hold the record for most Super Bowl appearances and victories by a player and head coach. The relationship ended when Brady became a free agent and became the quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccanneers in 2020. Brady would go on to win the Super Bowl with his new team.
Tom Brady x Super Bowl rings 💍 https://t.co/DP4T2OnxAq pic.twitter.com/2SjzRGq0kr
— Boston Cream 🍩 (@itsbostoncream) November 16, 2023
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers won five Stanley Cup championships over seven seasons, beginning in 1984.
Wayne “The Great One” Gretzky was there for the first four Cups and became one of the most famed hockey names in the history of the sport. The run was also iconic because the Oilers traded Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 and still won another Stanley Cup title in 1990.
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees had a few dynasties.
I’ll go over the one I was alive for: 1990s Yankees.
Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettite formed the “Core Four” for the Yankees.
Speaking of Four. The Yankees won titles in 1996, ’98, ’99, and 2000 during that era with manager Joe Torre managing.
That was also the time when David Wells threw the second perfect game in Yankees history on May 17, 1998. Jeter hit a walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series and earned the “Mr. November” nickname.
In the 2024 postseason, Yankees players wore vintage turtlenecks in honor of the clothing Jeter, Rivera, and company sported during the dynasty run.
“I saw Jeter wearing it when I was younger,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said. “That’s why I wore it, too.”
Others to mention:
UCLA Men’s Basketball
Boston Celtics
Los Angeles Lakers
Pittsburgh Steelers
Green Bay Packers
Golden State Warriors
