a Yourlist ranking · the crowd decides the order
From worst-to-first miracles to Cinderella title runs, these are the seasons that flipped a franchise's fortunes overnight. Vote for the turnaround that still gives you chills.
What counts: Ranked by the size and drama of the year-over-year improvement plus what the team ultimately achieved with it — a title outweighs a near-miss. Records, standings, and win totals are approximate and drawn from public season summaries.
1999 St. Louis Rams
A team that finished 4-12 the year before turned to an undrafted grocery-store stock clerk named Kurt Warner after Trent Green tore his ACL in preseason, and the 'Greatest Show on Turf' was born. St. Louis scored at will, won 13 games, and capped it with a Super Bowl title over T
Sport/League: NFLPrior Season: 4-12 (1998)Turnaround Season: 13-3 (1999)Outcome: Won Super Bowl XXXIVLegacy: 9.5/10
added by IJRin 4 rankings
1969 New York Mets
The 'Miracle Mets' had never finished better than ninth place in their brief, hapless existence, then suddenly won 100 games and the World Series behind Tom Seaver and a defense-first roster nobody saw coming. Beating the heavily favored Orioles in five games cemented one of the
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 73-89, 9th place (1968)Turnaround Season: 100-62, NL East champs (1969)Outcome: Won World Series over OriolesLegacy: 9.7/10
added by IJRin 3 rankings
1991 Atlanta Braves
Bobby Cox's Braves finished dead last in the NL West in 1990, then rode Terry Pendleton's MVP season and a young pitching core to the pennant in one of baseball's great 'worst to first' stories. They pushed the Twins to a legendary seven-game World Series that included Kirby Puck
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 65-97, last place (1990)Turnaround Season: 94-68, NL West champs (1991)Outcome: Lost World Series in 7 games to TwinsLegacy: 9/10
added by IJR
1991 Minnesota Twins
The flip side of the same historic coin: Minnesota finished last in the AL West in 1990 and then won it all in 1991, making 1991 the only year two last-place teams met in the World Series. Jack Morris's 10-inning Game 7 shutout is one of the sport's defining pitching performances
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 74-88, last place (1990)Turnaround Season: 95-67, AL West champs (1991)Outcome: Won World Series over Braves in 7 gamesLegacy: 9.3/10
added by IJR
2007-08 Boston Celtics
After a 24-win, lottery-bound season, Danny Ainge pulled off the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen trades in one summer, pairing them with Paul Pierce to form the original superteam 'Big Three.' Boston won 42 more games than the year before and beat the rival Lakers in the Finals for b
Sport/League: NBAPrior Season: 24-58 (2006-07)Turnaround Season: 66-16 (2007-08)Outcome: Won NBA ChampionshipLegacy: 9.4/10
added by IJRin 2 rankings
2015-16 Leicester City
A club that had barely avoided relegation the season before opened the year at 5,000-to-1 odds to win the Premier League — longer odds than the Loch Ness Monster being found. Claudio Ranieri's unheralded squad, led by Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, ran away with the title, one of
Sport/League: Soccer (EPL)Prior Season: 14th place, narrowly avoided relegation (2014-15)Turnaround Season: 1st place champions (2015-16)Outcome: Won Premier League title at 5,000-1 preseason oddsLegacy: 9.8/10
added by IJR
2001 New England Patriots
New England went 5-11 in 2000, then Tom Brady replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of 2001 and never looked back, sparking a dynasty nobody predicted. Bill Belichick's underdog roster upset the 'Greatest Show on Turf' Rams in the Super Bowl on Adam Vinatieri's last-second f
Sport/League: NFLPrior Season: 5-11 (2000)Turnaround Season: 11-5, AFC champs (2001)Outcome: Won Super Bowl XXXVILegacy: 9/10
added by IJR
1980-81 Boston Celtics
Red Auerbach's trade for Robert Parish and the draft rights to Kevin McHale turned a 29-win also-ran into an immediate contender around Larry Bird. Boston jumped by over 30 wins and outlasted the '76ers in a classic seven-game conference final before beating Houston for the title
Sport/League: NBAPrior Season: 29-53 (1978-79, pre-Bird rebuild)Turnaround Season: 62-20 (1980-81)Outcome: Won NBA ChampionshipLegacy: 8.5/10
added by IJR
1987 Minnesota Twins
Coming off a losing season, the Twins snuck into the playoffs with a modest 85-77 record and turned the Metrodome into a deafening fortress, going a perfect 4-0 there in the World Series. Frank Viola and Kirby Puckett led a team many considered the weakest World Series champion b
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 71-91 (1986)Turnaround Season: 85-77, AL West champs (1987)Outcome: Won World Series over CardinalsLegacy: 8.3/10
added by IJR
2019 Washington Nationals
Washington stumbled to a 19-31 start in May, prompting fans to chant 'Fire Dave Martinez' and pundits to call the season dead by Memorial Day. The Nationals rallied behind Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, and Stephen Strasburg, sneaking into the Wild Card game and then winning an unpre
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 19-31 start (May 2019)Turnaround Season: 93-69, NL Wild Card (2019)Outcome: Won World Series over AstrosLegacy: 8.8/10
added by IJR
1999 Indianapolis Colts
A year removed from a 3-13 disaster that netted them the No. 1 pick used on Peyton Manning, the Colts exploded to 13-3 in Manning's second season, one of the great sophomore-quarterback leaps in league history. Edgerrin James won the rushing title as a rookie, and the offense ann
Sport/League: NFLPrior Season: 3-13 (1998)Turnaround Season: 13-3, AFC East champs (1999)Outcome: Won division, lost in Divisional RoundLegacy: 7.8/10
added by IJR
2011 San Francisco 49ers
Jim Harbaugh arrived from Stanford and immediately transformed a 6-10 team into a 13-3 NFC West champion built on Alex Smith's efficiency and a punishing defense. It was one of the fastest coaching-driven turnarounds in modern NFL history, falling just short in the NFC Championsh
Sport/League: NFLPrior Season: 6-10 (2010)Turnaround Season: 13-3, NFC West champs (2011)Outcome: Lost NFC Championship GameLegacy: 7.5/10
added by IJR
2007-08 Tampa Bay Rays
The perennial-doormat Devil Rays dropped 'Devil' from their name, brought in Joe Maddon's analytics-forward approach, and vaulted from 96 losses to an AL East title over the mighty Yankees and Red Sox. It remains one of the most stunning organizational reversals in baseball, taki
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 66-96, last place (2007)Turnaround Season: 97-65, AL East champs (2008)Outcome: Lost World Series to PhilliesLegacy: 8/10
added by IJR
1993 Philadelphia Phillies
A ragtag, mullet-and-mustache Phillies squad went from last place in the NL East to the World Series in a single year, powered by John Kruk, Lenny Dykstra, and a bullpen anchored by Mitch Williams. Their unlikely charm made them fan favorites even in defeat, falling to Toronto on
Sport/League: MLBPrior Season: 70-92, last place (1992)Turnaround Season: 97-65, NL East champs (1993)Outcome: Lost World Series to Blue JaysLegacy: 7.7/10
added by IJR
2017-18 Philadelphia 76ers
After years of intentional tanking under 'The Process,' Philadelphia's patience paid off as rookie Ben Simmons and third-year center Joel Embiid finally stayed healthy together, jumping the team from 28 wins to 52. It validated one of the most controversial rebuilding strategies
Sport/League: NBAPrior Season: 28-54 (2016-17)Turnaround Season: 52-30 (2017-18)Outcome: Lost in Eastern Conference SemifinalsLegacy: 7.5/10
added by IJR
2016-17 Houston Rockets
Mike D'Antoni took over a stagnant 41-win Rockets team and reinvented James Harden as a full-time point guard, unleashing a three-point revolution that pushed the team to 55 wins and the league's most explosive offense. Harden's MVP-caliber season became a blueprint copied league
Sport/League: NBAPrior Season: 41-41 (2015-16)Turnaround Season: 55-27 (2016-17)Outcome: Lost in Western Conference SemifinalsLegacy: 7/10
added by IJR
Free account · your comment posts right after signup