You don’t have to agree with this list, but it’s sure to stir up some fond memories. Here is our attempt to rank the greatest Texas sports teams of all time.
1992-93 Dallas Cowboys
This downright dominant team started the Cowboys’ football dynasty in the 1990s. After rolling to a 13-3 record in the regular season behind the league’s top-ranked defense, Dallas throttled the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs before beating the Buffalo Bills 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII. The talented offensive trio of quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin would lead the Cowboys to two more Super Bowl wins in the next three seasons.
2013-14 San Antonio Spurs
With their five titles from 1998 to 2014, it’s hard to pick just one standout Spurs’ season, but here’s our best effort. After dominating the Western Conference during the regular season to the tune of a 62-20 record, the 2013-14 Spurs were monsters in the postseason, punctuating a dominant run by destroying LeBron James and his Miami superteam 4-1 in the NBA Finals. Led by a young Kawhi Leonard and aging stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili, San Antonio tore opponents apart with their team-first brand of basketball.
1965-66 Texas Western Miners
No team stacks up with the Miners in terms of historical significance. Texas Western College, now called The University of Texas at El Paso, not only won an NCAA championship in 1965-66, but it did so by defeating Kentucky with an all-Black starting lineup in the title game. This was a first in college basketball history – and it came at the height of the civil rights era. As dominant as the Miners were on the court, their legacy extends far beyond basketball. Their story was also chronicled in the 2006 film “Glory Road.”
2005 Texas Longhorns
There are few bigger legends in Texas football history than Vince Young – and few teams more celebrated than his 2005 Texas Longhorns. Young passed for 3,000 yards and rushed for 1,000 in leading the Longhorns to a 13-0 season. His 8-yard touchdown run to beat USC with 19 seconds left in the Rose Bowl remains one of college football’s most iconic plays. And those 2005 Longhorns were an iconic team, becoming one of the sport’s few champions with a perfect record while setting a then-NCAA record for most points scored in a season (652). Head on over to the Anatole on Briarwood blog for more fun reads and for places to check out in and around Midland, Texas.
Head on over to the Anatole on Briarwood blog for more fun reads and for places to check out in and around Midland, Texas.