Strutting. Showboating. Self-congratulation. Self-promotion. A sense of entitlement. Too much money. Too much talent. Bandwagon fans. Criminal behavior. Dirty play. These are just some of the things that made the 25 single-season teams on this list so insufferable, and their most egregious sin may have been winning or, in some cases, their failure to win enough. Of all the passions that teams ordinarily inspire, widespread hatred is a pretty notable achievement. Hearty contempt for rivals is a natural part of the sports landscape, but every so often a team unleashes a massive dose of loathing that consumes everyone but its own fans.And the #1 team? Drum Roll please . . .
1986 University of Miami footballI know it made me very happy.
His players were visionaries, early practitioners of an in-your-face brand of football that went out of its way to belittle and intimidate opponents. It was, in a lot of ways, the opposite of sportsmanship. It was a 'Cane thing. To say that Jimmy Johnson (pictured, left, with Michael Irvin) gave his players free reign was an understatement. The '86 Hurricanes were caught up in "fights and fraud and alleged shoplifting and other unsavory shenanigans involving more than 40 players," wrote SI's Rick Reilly. "Miami may be the only squad in America that has its team picture taken from the front and from the side." It was also flat-out loaded, an NFL developmental squad, and not inclined toward modesty. The top-ranked 'Canes showed up in Tempe, Ariz., for the national title game rocking military fatigues, in stark contrast to the coats and ties sported by the charges of "St. Joe" Paterno, as Johnson dubbed his counterpart. In that famed Fiesta Bowl game, Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde threw five picks and Miami turned the ball over seven times in a 14-10 Penn State upset that made a lot of people across the republic very, very happy. -- Austin Murphy
Interestingly enough, Jimmy Johnson and Michael Irvin make the list twice as the 1992 Dallas Cowboys came in at #3. That's two spots in the top 3!
Also of note . . .
11. 1990 University of Miami football
12. 1991-2 Duke basketball
15. 2005 USC football
17. 1993 Notre Dame football
23. 1983-4 Georgetown basketball
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1 comment:
The U really embodied ever thing that could go wrong at college program. Agents, drugs, boosters, egos, etc. They definitely deserve the top spot.
On another note, I was hoping to get in touch with you about a partnership for the site. Could you drop me a line at ben at bloguin dot com. I think you'd be very interested in working with us to improve your site.
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