San Francisco Giants Win the World Series: Ranking San Francisco's Sports Titles
The Giants have just won their first World Series since moving to San Francisco. San Francisco has been a fairly good sports town and has seen 14 titles between college and professional teams.
See where the Giants' victory ranks amongst the top 10 San Francisco sports championships. Does the Giants' win top any of the 49ers' victories?
10) 1949 San Francisco Dons NIT Championship
1 of 10
Back in 1949, the NIT was the most prestigious college basketball tournament. The Dons, led by legendary coach Pete Newell, beat Loyola in the championship game.
The team was led by All-American Dan Lofgran, who was eventually drafted into the NBA by the Syracuse Nationals.
9) 1976 San Francisco Dons Men's Soccer NCAA Championship
2 of 10
Many people might not be aware of the fact that the Dons have won the fourth most men's soccer championships in NCAA history.
The 1976 team was the best of all these teams. The team featured Peter Arnautoff, who did not allow a goal in the 1976 NCAA championship tournament. He was eventually selected to the USF Hall of Fame.
The team also had Andy Atuegbu. Atuegbu was on the Nigerian national team in 1976. He also was a first team All-American, scored the game-winning goal in the finals and was named MVP of the 1976 Finals.
Atuegbu was also named to Soccer America's College Team of the Century in addition to being elected to the USF Hall of Fame.
8) San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XVI Victory (1981)
3 of 10
The 49ers entered the playoffs with a league-best 13-3 record. No one had expected this, as they had just finished 6-10 the previous season.
The 49ers were led by the emerging Joe Montana. In just his third season in the NFL, Montana was able to lead the 49ers to a 26-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Montana was named the game's MVP after throwing for 157 yards and a touchdown.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7) San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XIX Victory (1984)
4 of 10
The 49ers came into Super Bowl XIX with a 17-1 record. However, they were only a 3.5-point favorite because they were going up against Dan Marino and the 16-2 Dolphins. The teams' 33 combined wins coming into the game were a record.
This game also had a lot of hype due to the two quarterbacks. Montana and Marino did not disappoint. This was the first Super Bowl in which both quarterbacks threw for over 300 yards. The teams also set a record (which has since been broken) with 851 total yards.
Montana led the 49ers to their second Super Bowl victory by a final score of 38-16. And he was named Super Bowl MVP after going 24-of-35 with a Super Bowl-record 331 yards and three touchdowns in addition to 59 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.
6) 2010 San Francisco Giants World Series Victory
5 of 10
It appeared uncertain that the Giants would even make the playoffs this season. They were in a tough race with the San Diego Padres and eventually won the NL West by two games.
The Giants were helped in part by the emergence of rookies Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. The Giants appeared to be dominant throughout the series and it looked like the Texas Rangers never had a chance. The Giants closed out the series to win four games to one.
5) 1955 San Francisco Dons NCAA Men's Basketball Championship
6 of 10
This was the first in a pair of back-to-back championships for the Dons. The Dons were led by an under-recruited player by the name of Bill Russell. They were also led by coach Phil Woolpert, who won the Coach of the Year award in 1955.
Russell was a defensive standout and was an absolute terror for other teams in the paint. He won the Preseason NIT MVP award during the 1955 season. The Dons finished the season with a 29-1 record and Russell was selected as a first-team All-American.
4) 1956 San Francisco Dons NCAA Men's Basketball Championship
7 of 10
The 1956 championship team was even better than the 1955 team. It finished the season an undefeated 29-0.
Coach Woolpert once again won Coach of the Year honors and Bill Russell was also named a first-team All-American. The Dons also had K.C. Jones, who played with Russell on the 1956 gold medal-winning US Olympic team. Jones also garnered first-team All-American honors in 1956.
The team ended the season with a 55-game winning streak dating back to 1955.
Both Russell and Jones were eventually elected to the NCAA Hall of Fame. Each man won numerous titles with the Boston Celtics in the NBA (eight for Jones and 11 for Russell).
3) San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIX Victory (1994)
8 of 10
Until the Giants' World Series win, this had been the last professional sports championship in San Francisco.
The 49ers entered the game with a 15-3 record and faced the San Diego Chargers. The game cannot be described as anything other than a blowout. The Niners looked dominant and won by a score of 49-26.
Super Bowl MVP Steve Young threw for a record six touchdowns. He also had 325 yards passing and 49 yards rushing. He was the first player in Super Bowl history to be the game's leading passer and rusher.
This was the 49ers' fifth and most recent Super Bowl victory.
2) San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIV Victory (1989)
9 of 10
This was the second consecutive Super Bowl win for the 49ers. They entered the game at 16-2 and faced the 13-5 Denver Broncos.
The 49ers dominated every aspect of the game, and it showed in the final score. The 49ers put a 55-10 beating on the Broncos. The 49ers' 55 points were a Super Bowl record, as was their 45-point margin of victory.
Joe Montana collected another Super Bowl MVP award as he threw for 297 yards and a then Super Bowl-record five touchdowns. He also set a record by completing 13 consecutive passes during the game.
The 49ers were coached by George Seifert, who became the second rookie head coach to win a Super Bowl.
1) San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XXIII Victory (1988)
10 of 10
This game is widely considered the greatest Super Bowl of all time. The 12-6 49ers came into the Super Bowl against Boomer Esiason and the 14-4 Cincinnati Bengals.
This game is remembered for Joe Montana's game-winning fourth quarter drive. With 3:10 left on the clock and facing a 16-13 deficit, Montana was able to lead the 49ers 92 yards down the field for a game-winning touchdown. Montana completed a pass to John Taylor with just 35 seconds left to give the Niners the lead.
This was the last game coached by legendary coach Bill Walsh. Jerry Rice was named the game's MVP after catching 11 passes for a Super Bowl-record 215 yards and one touchdown.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
