SWC75
Bored Historian
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I’ve heard a lot about how the New England Patriots are now the NFL’s greatest dynasty, having won their fifth Super Bowl. I’m not sure how you determine who the greatest is so I decided to look at some raw data on the subject. I’ll see what it seems to be telling me but let the reader make his own decision. I decided to look at NFL franchises that have had at least ten consecutive winning seasons and to see what they accomplished in that stretch. They are listed in chronological order.
Green Bay Packers 1920-32 91-33-15 .734 3 championships
Chicago Bears 1930-44 133-39-13 .773 5 championships
Green Bay Packers 1934-47 109-47-5 .699 3 championships
Washington Redskins 1936-45 77-32-5 .706 2 championships
Cleveland Browns 1946-55 113-20-4 .850 7 championships
New York Giants 1954-63 88-40-5 .688 1 championship
Cleveland Browns 1957-69 120-57-6 .609 1 championship
Dallas Cowboys 1966-85 214-92-2 .699 2 championships
Oakland Raiders 1965-80 169-66-9 .719 2 championships
San Francisco 49ers 1983-98 209-74-1 .739 5 championships
New England Patriots 2001-16 221-65-0 .773 5 championships
These dynasties didn’t quite make the 10 year but are worthy of mention:
Green Bay Packers 1959-67 98-30-4 .766 5 championships
Baltimore Colts 1963-71 98-33-5 .742 1 championship
Pittsburgh Steelers 1972-80 111-38-1 .745 4 championships
Indianapolis Colts 2002-10 118-43-0 .733 1 championship
The most eye-popping run is that of the Browns, the only team to play for a championship ten years in a row. They won 7 of them and in two of the year they didn’t win had the best record in the league at 11-1. Both those teams lost their title games on a long pass late in the fourth quarter. The one off year they had in a decade was 1952 when they went only 8-4 but still won the eastern division and lost to the Lions in the title game 7-17.
The negatives are that the first four years of that run were not in the NFL. They were in the All-American Football Conference, where they went 52-4-3, (.929). They were 61-16-1 (.792) in the NFL portion of that run. But they split the six NFL title games, losing twice to the Detroit Lions who would also beat them in 1957. The greatest dynasty should not be dominated by anyone.
But there’s a flip side to that, too. The AAFC was formed in 1946, when football players were coming back from the war. The teams who hired the coaches who had coached service ball had an advantage: those coaches knew who the best players were. The most successful post war college coach was Frank Leahy, who convinced the best players who had college eligibility left to come with him to Notre Dame. The Irish went undefeated for four straight years and won three national championships. Their 1947 team had 46 of the 47 players on their roster play pro football. Leahy’s equivalent in the pros was Paul Brown who got the best service players who wanted to play for pay. They not only totally dominated the AAFC but when they entered the NFL they played the two time defending NFL champions Philadelphia Eagles in their first game and dominated them, too 35-10, (ironically also the score of the first Super Bowl). I think the browns were probably the best team in pro football from the time they were organized.
They also sustained excellence longer than anybody else . After one losing season, following the retirement of Otto Graham, (5-7 in 1956), they got Jim Brown and were off an running again. They were never dominant again but they ran off another 13 winning seasons, giving them 23 winning seasons in 24 years and total of 8 championships. They were credited with many innovations. Paul brown was the first coach to emphasize film study. The Browns were credited with inventing the passing pocket, the draw play, the screen pass and the trap play, as well as the first team to send a halfback out to become a flanker, (there are other claimants for these inventions). The Paul brown coaching tree is the greatest ever. It includes Weeb Ewbank, coach of the Colts 1958-59 champions, Don Shula, coach of the perfect Dolphins of 1972 and the 1973, Bill Walsh, who created the 49er dynasty, Blanton Collier, coach of the Brown’s 1964 champions, Lou Saban, coach of the Bill’s two AFL champions, Walt Michaels, Lou Rymkus, coach of the Olier’s two AFL champions. Ara Parseghian and Chuck Noll, coach of the four Steler champions in the “Steel Curtain Era”. Brown not only build a champion, but he built something that outlasted his career.
George Halas’s Bears were also innovated, bringing the T formation into pro football and inventing the modern quarterback positon. They also sustained excellence. They went 307 in 1945 with their best players in the service. It was their only non-winning season between 1930 and 1951.
But the most consecutive winning seasons in history is the 20 straight the Dallas Cowboys had from 1966-85.
The Lombardi Packers are the only franchise to win 5 NFL titles in a decade, the 1960’s. But they collapsed when Lombardi left and he didn’t leave much of a coaching tree. He was known for being precise and demanding but not innovative.
The Patriot’s run most resembles that of the 49ers from 1983-98. But it’s now lasted a year longer and the Pats hardly seem done. Bill Belichick’s coaching tree to date has been disappointing.
I’m probably bias, having grown up as a (Jimmy) Browns fan, but I’ve still got to go with the Browns as having the greatest dynasty. But as noted, the Patriots have one thing above the other dynasties on this list: they aren’t done.
Green Bay Packers 1920-32 91-33-15 .734 3 championships
Chicago Bears 1930-44 133-39-13 .773 5 championships
Green Bay Packers 1934-47 109-47-5 .699 3 championships
Washington Redskins 1936-45 77-32-5 .706 2 championships
Cleveland Browns 1946-55 113-20-4 .850 7 championships
New York Giants 1954-63 88-40-5 .688 1 championship
Cleveland Browns 1957-69 120-57-6 .609 1 championship
Dallas Cowboys 1966-85 214-92-2 .699 2 championships
Oakland Raiders 1965-80 169-66-9 .719 2 championships
San Francisco 49ers 1983-98 209-74-1 .739 5 championships
New England Patriots 2001-16 221-65-0 .773 5 championships
These dynasties didn’t quite make the 10 year but are worthy of mention:
Green Bay Packers 1959-67 98-30-4 .766 5 championships
Baltimore Colts 1963-71 98-33-5 .742 1 championship
Pittsburgh Steelers 1972-80 111-38-1 .745 4 championships
Indianapolis Colts 2002-10 118-43-0 .733 1 championship
The most eye-popping run is that of the Browns, the only team to play for a championship ten years in a row. They won 7 of them and in two of the year they didn’t win had the best record in the league at 11-1. Both those teams lost their title games on a long pass late in the fourth quarter. The one off year they had in a decade was 1952 when they went only 8-4 but still won the eastern division and lost to the Lions in the title game 7-17.
The negatives are that the first four years of that run were not in the NFL. They were in the All-American Football Conference, where they went 52-4-3, (.929). They were 61-16-1 (.792) in the NFL portion of that run. But they split the six NFL title games, losing twice to the Detroit Lions who would also beat them in 1957. The greatest dynasty should not be dominated by anyone.
But there’s a flip side to that, too. The AAFC was formed in 1946, when football players were coming back from the war. The teams who hired the coaches who had coached service ball had an advantage: those coaches knew who the best players were. The most successful post war college coach was Frank Leahy, who convinced the best players who had college eligibility left to come with him to Notre Dame. The Irish went undefeated for four straight years and won three national championships. Their 1947 team had 46 of the 47 players on their roster play pro football. Leahy’s equivalent in the pros was Paul Brown who got the best service players who wanted to play for pay. They not only totally dominated the AAFC but when they entered the NFL they played the two time defending NFL champions Philadelphia Eagles in their first game and dominated them, too 35-10, (ironically also the score of the first Super Bowl). I think the browns were probably the best team in pro football from the time they were organized.
They also sustained excellence longer than anybody else . After one losing season, following the retirement of Otto Graham, (5-7 in 1956), they got Jim Brown and were off an running again. They were never dominant again but they ran off another 13 winning seasons, giving them 23 winning seasons in 24 years and total of 8 championships. They were credited with many innovations. Paul brown was the first coach to emphasize film study. The Browns were credited with inventing the passing pocket, the draw play, the screen pass and the trap play, as well as the first team to send a halfback out to become a flanker, (there are other claimants for these inventions). The Paul brown coaching tree is the greatest ever. It includes Weeb Ewbank, coach of the Colts 1958-59 champions, Don Shula, coach of the perfect Dolphins of 1972 and the 1973, Bill Walsh, who created the 49er dynasty, Blanton Collier, coach of the Brown’s 1964 champions, Lou Saban, coach of the Bill’s two AFL champions, Walt Michaels, Lou Rymkus, coach of the Olier’s two AFL champions. Ara Parseghian and Chuck Noll, coach of the four Steler champions in the “Steel Curtain Era”. Brown not only build a champion, but he built something that outlasted his career.
George Halas’s Bears were also innovated, bringing the T formation into pro football and inventing the modern quarterback positon. They also sustained excellence. They went 307 in 1945 with their best players in the service. It was their only non-winning season between 1930 and 1951.
But the most consecutive winning seasons in history is the 20 straight the Dallas Cowboys had from 1966-85.
The Lombardi Packers are the only franchise to win 5 NFL titles in a decade, the 1960’s. But they collapsed when Lombardi left and he didn’t leave much of a coaching tree. He was known for being precise and demanding but not innovative.
The Patriot’s run most resembles that of the 49ers from 1983-98. But it’s now lasted a year longer and the Pats hardly seem done. Bill Belichick’s coaching tree to date has been disappointing.
I’m probably bias, having grown up as a (Jimmy) Browns fan, but I’ve still got to go with the Browns as having the greatest dynasty. But as noted, the Patriots have one thing above the other dynasties on this list: they aren’t done.