carolina posada History of three-peats in sports: Here's the last time NBA, MLB, NHL and more teams won three straight titles

The Kansas City Chiefs are attempting to win three Super Bowls in a row when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Feb. 9 in New Orleans. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will be looking to attempt what very few professional teams have been able to do — pull off a three-peat and win three straight championships in a row. 

As the Chiefs prepare to take on the Eagles in Super Bowl 59 in the Superdome, Kansas City is a slight 1.5-point favorite. Although Philadelphia boasts a dominant run game and punishing defense, this Kansas City team has been finding new ways to win throughout the season.   

Let’s take a look at some of the past three-peats in sports, including whether it’s ever been done before in the NFL. 

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History of three-peats in sports

Teams winning three in a row is pretty rare. Each and every season, it gets harder and harder to keep rosters and coaching staffs together, especially in today’s modern NFL. While we haven’t seen a three-peat in a major sport since the early 2000s, it’s been done before in the NBA, NHL, MLB and WNBA.  

Last three-peat in the NBA

The last three-peat we saw in the NBA came in 2000-2002 by the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.

In head coach Phil Jackson’s first three seasons in Los Angeles, he led the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals, defeating the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets. Los Angeles lost just three games in each of those three consecutive finals appearances, too.  

Last three-peat in MLB

The last team to win three World Series in a row was the New York Yankees, from 1998-2000. The Yankees defeated the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets over those three seasons. 

New York even swept the Padres and Braves in four games, losing just one to the Mets. It was an impressive run for manager Joe Torre, who managed the likes of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. 

Last three-peat in NHL

The last team to three-peat in the NHL was the New York Islanders, which won three Stanley Cups in 1980, 1981 and 1982. The Islanders actually won a fourth title in 1983, as well.  

Those teams included stars like Denis Potvin, Mike Bossy, Bob Nystrom, Bryan Trottier, Clark Gillies and Billy Smith. New York is also just one of three four-peat teams in NHL history.  

Has an NFL team ever three-peated?

No, there has never been an NFL team that has three-peated. Technically the Green Bay Packers won three World Championships in a row from 1965-1967, but the Super Bowl wasn’t implemented until the 1966 season. 

There have been teams that have attempted to three-peat but failed. The Miami Dolphins failed to three-peat after back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973. The Pittsburgh Steelers couldn’t win three in a row after winning the Super Bowls in 1974 and 1975, and they failed again after winning in 1978 and 1979. 

The San Francisco 49ers won two straight in 1988 and 1989 but lost in the NFC championship game to the New York Giants in 1990. The Cowboys won two in a row in 1992 and 1993, but lost to the 49ers in the NFC championship that year. The Denver Broncos finished 6-10 in 1999 after winning back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998, and the New England Patriots failed to win three straight after back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004.  

There have also been teams that have made the Super Bowl three seasons in a row, but haven’t won all of them. The Patriots won Super Bowls 51 and 53, but lost to the Eagles in 52. The Buffalo Bills infamously played in four straight Super Bowls from 1991-94, but lost all four. 

Notable three-peats in other sports

Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan had multiple three-peat seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The first came from 1991-1993, as the Bulls beat the Lakers, Portland Trailblazers and Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals. Chicago’s second three-peat came in 1996-1998, as the Bull defeated the Seattle SuperSonics and Utah Jazz in the finals. 

In WNBA, the league’s first dynasty was the Houston Comets. Led by the legendary Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson, the big-three won three titles from 1997-2000. That was during the WNBA’s first three seasons, when it had just eight teams. 

The Oakland Athletics won three World Series titles from 1972-1974, under manager Dick Williams. 

The Boston Celtics won eight championships in a row from 1959-1966 under head coach Red Auerbach. 

There have also been multiple consecutive championships in the NHL back in the day:

• Canadiens: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 
• Maple Leafs: 1962, 1963, 1964 
• Canadiens: 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960
• Maple Leafs: 1947, 1948, 1949

History of three-peats in sports

As you can see, three-peats in recent history are incredibly rare. But they have happened before in sports. We’ll see whether the Chiefs can become the first-ever NFL team to win three in a row at Super Bowl 59.