Inaugural Addresses

When pro leagues decide to expand, we generally expect the new team to struggle for a few years.  There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, but some of the worst teams in history (1962 Mets, 1974-75 Capitals, 1976 Buccaneers) have been first-year clubs.  That's not always the case, though.  In fact, some newcomers have found immediate success during their debut seasons.

So, in honor of Joe Biden's inauguration as our 46th President, I decided to make today's post about some of the great inaugural efforts sports have seen.  And there have been plenty--both individual (Fred Lynn, 1975) and team (Vegas Golden Knights, 2017-18).  A good inaugural performance can also be attributed to an entire league (WNBA, 1997).  So, with that in mind, here are some of the best...

1950 Cleveland Browns: After dominating the AAFC for that league's entire four-year existence, the Browns proved they belonged in the NFL and then some in 1950.  They went 10-2 in the regular season and won the NFL Championship.  It was their fifth straight title overall, but their first as members of the NFL.  They'd go on to reach the NFL Championship Game in each of their first six seasons post-merger.

1995 Carolina Panthers: Carolina's inaugural NFL campaign wasn't quite as good as Cleveland's.  But, the 1950 Browns were already an established team, and the 1995 Panthers were in their first season of existence.  And that season did set the tone for what would be a run to the NFC Championship Game in their second year.  The Panthers went 7-9, still the most wins for a brand-new expansion team, and set a bunch of other still-standing records during the season.

1998 Chicago Fire: MLS began play in 1996 and DC United won the first two championships.  In 1998, the league expanded for the first time, adding the Miami Fusion and Chicago Fire.  Miami only lasted four years before being dissolved, but Chicago was successful from the start.  The Fire had the third-most points in the league and beat DC United in the MLS Cup.  They went on to add a U.S. Open Cup title, too.

2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights: They're obviously the gold standard by which all other expansion teams will be measured from here on out.  Vegas not only built a competitive team, they built a freakin' good one!  The Golden Knights won 51 games and finished first in the Pacific Division.  They ended up making it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final (where they hosted the first two games) before falling to Washington.

1967-68 St. Louis Blues: Vegas wasn't the first expansion team to reach the Stanley Cup Final, but they were the first one to do so without an asterisk.  In 1967-68, the NHL put all six expansion teams in the same division, guaranteeing one would play for the Cup.  That team ended up being the St. Louis Blues, who were predictably swept by Montreal.  Nevertheless, the Blues made the Stanley Cup Final in each of their first three years of existence.

1926-27 New York Rangers: Yes, I'm going way back here.  And, yes, it was a completely different era.  But, the 1926-27 Rangers were still the first expansion team to win their division (and the only one to do so in a division that wasn't all expansion teams until the Golden Knights).  They lost to Boston in the playoffs, but would go on to win the Cup in 1927-28.

1997 Houston Comets: The WNBA as a whole had an outstanding inaugural season in 1997!  And they're still going strong 25 years later!  I'm singling out the Houston Comets, though, because they were the best team in the league.  Houston went 18-10 and won the WNBA championship.  It turns out the WNBA immediately had a dynasty on its hands.  Because it was the first of four straight titles for the Comets.

1995-96 Colorado Avalanche: While already an established franchise, the 1995-96 Avalanche make the list because it was their first season in Denver after moving from Quebec.  They hadn't had much success as the Nordiques, but they instantly found some in their new home.  The Avalanche won the Stanley Cup and would become one of the top teams in the NHL for the better part of the next decade.

For individuals, it's tougher.  Sometimes rookies burst on the scene out of nowhere and make decent teams good or good teams great, only to never be heard from again.  Then there are the individuals who burst on the scene and leave a lasting impact on their sport.  Such as...

Rafael Nadal (2005 French Open): My frustrations about Rafa's annual French Open victory are well-known by now.  It all started in 2005, when he won the tournament the first time he ever played it.  He won again the next year.  Then again in 2007.  Then again in 2008, by which point his status as one of the two best players in the world and rivalry with Roger Federer had already been well-established.

Chris Evert (1971 US Open): In 1971, a 16-year-old Chris Evert received a wild card to play in the US Open, which would be her Grand Slam debut.  She made the semifinals.  It was the first of 34 consecutive Grand Slam semifinal appearances.  Evert would end up reaching at least the semis in 52 of 56 career Grand Slam tournaments, including 18 titles.

Venus Williams (1997 US Open): Remember how brash the Williams sisters were when they first arrived on the scene?  Venus played her first full pro season in 1997 and lost in the second round at the French Open and first round at Wimbledon.  Then came the US Open, when she blitzed through the field and became the first unseeded woman ever to make the final.  She'd make the semifinals or better in each of her first six US Opens, winning in 2000 and 2001 (having won Wimbledon both years, as well).

Bianca Andreescu (2019 US Open): Prior to 2019, Andreescu had played a grand total of one career Grand Slam match--a first-round loss at Wimbledon in 2017.  She didn't qualify for any of the four in 2018.  In 2019, Andreescu made her US Open debut...and beat Serena Williams in the final to win the tournament!  She became the first player ever to win the title in her US Open debut, which was just her fourth Grand Slam appearance.

There are plenty more examples, especially in individual sports.  So, while still unusual, it's not completely out of the question to see a newcomer go all the way (or almost all the way) on their maiden voyage.  Sometimes, it's just a flash in the pan.  Sometimes, the honeymoon period lasts much longer.  And sometimes, a great debut is just the start of something great.