All-Time Losing Streaks: Buccaneers, 76ers, Sharks And More

Caltech Baseball: 228 Games

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Also the owner of the longest losing streak of conference basketball games at 310, Caltech tops the list of consecutive losses with a nearly decade-long slide on the diamond that began in February 2003 and lasted until February 2, 2013, when the Beavers beat Pacifica, 9-7, before a crowd of 87. According to the New York Times, senior Mason Freedman played on both the spiraling basketball and baseball teams. Since snapping the streak three years ago, Caltech's baseball team has won one game in 2014 and two each in 2015 and 2016.

Prairie View A&M Football: 80 Games

Prairie View A&M

Owners of the longest losing streak in any division in football, Prairie View compiled an 80-game skid. That is almost twice as long as the next Division I losing streak, which belongs to Columbia (44). Ironically, Prairie View’s slide started and ended in the same place. The November 1989 loss at Langston (Oklahoma) State kicked off the streak, which ended on September 26, 1998 at Langston State (14-12 win). Prairie View churned through four coaches during the streak. It took nearly another decade for the once-proud program (it won five national historically black college titles between 1953-64) to return to power – the Panthers went 9-1 in both 2008 and 2009 to win the SWAC.

Towson Basketball: 41 Games

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The longest losing streak in NCAA basketball history, this slide s spanned two NCAA basketball seasons, starting January 3, 2011, with a loss to Old Dominion. According to ESPN, the Tigers lost by an average of 16.5 points per game and lost in 10 states. Towson snapped its streak January 28, 2012, with a 66-61 victory against UNC-Wilmington.

Northwestern Football: 34 Games

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Between 1979-1982, Northwestern put together the longest losing streak in NCAA Division I-A (now FBS) football history. The next longest FBS losing streak is 28, shared by Virginia (1958-1961) and Kansas State (1945-1948). Likely the worst season of the slide was 1981, when the Wildcats were outscored 505-82. Oddly, Northwestern embraced the losing streak, as fans were known to shout "We're the worst!" after losses. The Wildcats snapped the streak with a 31-6 victory against Northern Illinois on September 25, 1982.

Philadelphia 76ers: 28 Games

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This is an NBA record that bridges two seasons, covering the end of 2014-15 season and the start of 2015-16. Philadelphia finished one season on a 10-game losing streak, only to open the following season 0-18 before finally snapping the skid December 1, 2015, with a victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Philadelphia 76ers/Cleveland Cavaliers: 26 Games

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The Cavaliers were the first to get 26 consecutive losses in a single season. The 2010-11 streak started December 20, 2010, with a loss to Utah and ended two months later with a victory against the Clippers. The Cavs owned that streak alone for only a couple of seasons before the 76ers tied it in 2013-14.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 26 games

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The Bucs didn't exactly make a big splash when the NFL expanded in 1976. In fact, Tampa Bay crashed, starting its franchise history by putting together a string of 26 consecutive losses before finally winning at New Orleans, 33-14, in Week 13 of its second season. While the Bucs hold the NFL record for consecutive losses, after the Lions went winless in 2008, Detroit took over the mantle of losing-est franchise in the NFL. (The Lions were 0-16 while the Buccaneers could only go 0-14 as the NFL didn't expand to a 16-game regular season until 1978.) The Bucs have rebounded nicely since that awful start, winning Super Bowl XXXVII as well as advancing to the postseason 10 times.

Philadelphia Phillies: 23 games

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The Phillies own Major League Baseball's modern-day longest losing slide, but are tied with the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, who had a 23-game skid in 1890. During the Phillies' skid, they were outscored, 133-54, and lost eight games by a single run, according to Philly.com. The streak began July 29, and could easily have been 29 games – the Phils were on a five-game losing streak entering a doubleheader against the Giants on July 28, but won the second game. The next closest modern-day slide belongs to the Orioles, who lost 21 consecutive in 1988. (In 1889 Louisville Colonels of the American Association had a 26-game losing streak, the longest in pro baseball.)

San Jose Sharks, Washington Capitals: 17 Games

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Both the Sharks and the Capitals ultimately went on to play for the Stanley Cup, but neither had a great start in the NHL. During the Capitals' inaugural season in 1974-75, they went 8-67, highlighted by a 17-game losing streak and lost 37 consecutive on the road. The Caps made their one-and-only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 1997-98, when they lost to the Detroit Red Wings. Life for the Sharks didn't begin much better, though the biggest struggles didn't come until Year 2, when San Jose not only put together a 17-game losing steak, but also lost an NHL-record 71 games during the 1992-93 season. The Sharks did finally win the Western Conference by beating the St. Louis Blues earlier this year, but lost to the Penguins in a six-game Stanley Cup Final.