February 18, 2021 by Philip Lewenstein

A History of Heartbreak in Minnesota Sports

Super Bowl LV was played on February 7. The Minnesota Vikings did not participate. In fact, 44 years have elapsed since the Vikings last played in the Super Bowl. During that hiatus, the Vikings lost six painful National Football Conference (NFC) championship games.

The Vikings’ failures are highlighted in History of Heartbreak: 100 Events That Tortured Minnesota Sports Fans by Dan Whenesota, with a foreword by KFAN’s Dan Barreiro. As a lifelong, loyal Minnesota sports fan, I am a victim of the torture; I feel the pain. I have watched, sometimes in person, read about, and suffered through most of these events.

This delightful book expands on several events in Whenesota’s blog post, “On This Day in Minnesota Sports Disappointment History,” a calendar (The Calendar of Calamity) of “eye-rolling, face-palming events that happened in our sports past,” he says.

Whenesota’s themes are laughter and hope. “History of Heartbreak is about bravely facing our past and moving forward, all while laughing about it together,” he says. “After all, laughter is the best medicine, and it’s certainly healthier than sadness or anger.

“The book is also about hope. It’s not easy being a Minnesota sports fan. We’re extremely loyal; we stick with our teams through bad times and the good. We know that the chance of getting our hearts broken again is extremely likely, yet somewhere, deep down, we still believe that this could be the year. So we watch. After all, without hope, why bother paying attention?”

The book serves as a concise history of the major Minnesota sports. For each of the events, the book describes what happened, why it hurt so much, and the aftermath. A heartbreak rating of one to five hearts is given. Chapter 1, “The Dirty Dozen,” contains the 12 most-heartbreaking, bizarre, and shocking events in Minnesota sports history, as determined by the author’s unscientific rankings and social- media survey results.

My early years as a sports fan were joyful before the Vikings and Twins began play here in 1961. I cheered for the champion Green Bay Packers and champion Milwaukee Braves. I loved listening to Gopher football on radio and watching the Gophers’ two Rose Bowl games on TV in the early 1960s. And I adored the champion Minneapolis Lakers.

I first experienced sports heartbreak in 1960 when the National Basketball Association directors approved the Minneapolis Lakers’ move to Los Angeles.

Basketball was my favorite sport, and I enjoyed the occasional opportunities to watch the Lakers on our black-and-white television set. The Lakers won six championships in seven years but endured attendance and financial problems. Six Minneapolis Lakers have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

As Whenesota points out, since moving to Los Angeles, the Lakers have won 11 NBA titles and have been led by several hall of famers, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, and now LeBron James. I have continued to be a Laker fan since the move, managing to survive several nightmarish championship series defeats to the Boston Celtics and relishing the subsequent titles.

Of course, one of my biggest heartbreaking events is not in the book. In March 1966, my Duluth East High School basketball team reached the finals of the state tournament and led Edina by eight points with two minutes to play; however, Edina tied the game and won in overtime, 82-75 (“A Memorable Basketball Season 51 Years Ago Comes Back to Life in A Dusty, Scrapbook,” April 5, 2017, www.philsfocus.com).

Despite the history of heartbreak, some perspective is necessary even though the pain, on balance, overshadows the pleasure. The Vikings won four championship games to earn four Super Bowl berths. The Twins won two World Series titles. The North Stars teased fans by competing in but losing two Stanley Cup finals. These successes raised expectations for Minnesota fans, expectations rarely fulfilled.

And then there are the women who are not covered in the book because they have been mostly successful. The Minnesota Lynx won four WNBA titles over seven years. The Gopher women’s hockey, volleyball, softball, and basketball teams have excelled many seasons. “The only disappointing aspect of our women’s sports is that they aren’t celebrated more,” Whenesota says. 

Vikings Broke My Heart Many Times

My most painful fan experiences have been watching the Minnesota Vikings, who lost four Super Bowls in the 1970s: Super Bowl IV to Kansas City in 1974, Super Bowl VIII to Miami in 1974; Super Bowl IX to Pittsburgh in 1975, and Super Bowl XI to Oakland in 1977. The four losses make up #3a through #3d in the “dirty dozen.”

Since then, the Vikings have had six opportunities to return to the Super Bowl but lost NFC championship games to Dallas in 1978, to Washington in 1988, to Atlanta in 1999, to New York in 2001, to New Orleans in 2010, and to Philadelphia in 2018.

Overtime losses to Washington, Atlanta, and New Orleans were especially painful. The loss to the Falcons is the most heartbreaking event in Minnesota sports history based on the author’s “dirty dozen”; the loss to the Saints ranks second.

In 1988, the Vikings, with an 8-7 record, advanced to the NFC championship game January 17 in Washington, D.C., against the Redskins after upsetting New Orleans and San Francisco. Down 17-10, quarterback Wade Wilson led the Vikings on a drive to the Washington six-yard line. With a minute left, on fourth down, Wilson’s short pass to Darrin Nelson at the goal line hit Nelson in the hands. Vikings’ receivers dropped eight passes during the game, and Washington held on to win 17-10. The Redskins defeated Denver 42-10 in the Super Bowl.

Against Atlanta, at the Metrodome on January 17, 1999, the Vikings led 27-20 with 6:07 to play and moved to the Falcons’ 21-yard line on a four-minute drive. Gary Anderson, who had not missed a field goal or extra point all season, missed a field goal wide left. Then, Atlanta tied the game with 49 seconds left. With 30 seconds left, the record-setting Vikings’ offense ran out the clock and lost on an overtime field goal, 30-27.

In New Orleans 11 years later on January 27, 2010, the Vikings gained possession of the ball in a 28-28 tie game late in the fourth quarter. The Vikings moved to the Saints’ 33 yard-line, ready to kick a game-winning field goal with 19 seconds left. However, after a timeout, the Vikings were penalized for too many men in the huddle, pushing the team out of kicker Ryan Longwell’s range. On the next play, quarterback Brett Favre was intercepted. The Saints kicked a field goal in overtime on their first possession and won, 31-28.

Whenesota ranks the 2018 NFC championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on January 21, 2018, as #11 in his 12 most heartbreaking events in Minnesota sports history. After defeating New Orleans in the “Minnesota Miracle,” the Vikings were favored by three points over the Eagles. After the Vikings scored first, the Eagles recorded 38 unanswered points. Philadelphia beat New England in Super Bowl L11 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Based on previous heartbreak, I believed the “Minnesota Miracle “was an anomaly, and I did not expect the Vikings to win in Philadelphia.

Perhaps even more painful for me than the Super Bowl and NFC championship defeats was the 1975 NFC Divisional playoff loss to Dallas, my most despised team. The Vikings led 14-10 with 44 seconds left; Dallas had the ball on its 25-yard line. As Whenesota describes, Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach passed to Drew Pearson at midfield near the Vikings’ sideline. It appeared Pearson came down out of bounds, but the referee ruled that Pearson would have come down in bounds, except Vikings’ defender Nate Wright had pushed him out.

With about 30 seconds left, Staubach threw a deep pass to Pearson, who appeared to push Wright out of his way to catch the ball. Wright fell, and Pearson ran into the end zone for the score. No penalty flags were thrown, but fans threw oranges and a whiskey bottle at the referees. I screamed at the television. The 17-14 Cowboys’ victory ranks sixth in the “dirty dozen.”

“The Vikings were favored by eight points,” Whenesota says. “Of all those legendary ‘Purple People Eaters’ teams in the 1970s, many experts believe this team was the best and would have won the Super Bowl. The football term ‘Hail Mary’ for a desperation deep pass was born when Staubach later claimed that he said a ‘Hail Mary’ after throwing the pass.”

Besides the devastating playoff losses, Whenesota ranks #5 the Vikings’ October 12, 1989, trade with Dallas for Herschel Walker. The Vikings mortgaged the team’s future by giving up several players and top draft choices. With Walker on the roster, the Vikings were 21-23, including a playoff loss. The Vikings released Walker in May 1992 after failing to trade him. That same season, the Cowboys won their first of three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

I have watched almost every Viking game every week for 60 years except for a few years when I lived out of state. With the decades-long Super Bowl drought and scars from unbearable championship losses, I now watch joylessly with low expectations and dread—expecting blown field goals by our kicker, such as the January 10, 2016, wild-card game versus Seattle when Blair Walsh missed a 27-yard game-winning field goal, or another miraculous, late comeback by our opponent.

Twins Provide Share of Heartbreak despite Two World Series Titles

For the Minnesota Twins, some success has interrupted the heartbreak, but much pain prevails. Heartbreak came October 14, 1965, when the Twins, the American League pennant winner, lost Game 7 of the World Series to the National League champion Los Angeles Dodgers. I attended the game in which Sandy Koufax beat the Twins 2-0 on a three-hit shutout, spoiling a great year for Minnesota.

Heartbreak returned in 1969 and 1970 when the Twins won the American League West title and played the Baltimore Orioles for the American League championship in a best-of-five series. The Orioles swept the Twins 3-0 in 1969, winning the first two games in extra innings; the Twins led 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1. Baltimore also swept the Twins 3-0 in 1970.

The Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991 but did not qualify for the postseason until 2002, beating Oakland in the American League Division Series three games to two but losing to Anaheim four games to one in the American League Championship Series. The 2003 Twins lost the American League Division Series to the Yankees, winning the first game before losing the last three.

In 2004, the Twins defeated the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series, Minnesota’s last playoff victory in a record-breaking stretch that has lasted 16 years. The Yankees won the next three games, and the Twins have lost 18 straight playoff games.

Oakland swept the Twins in three games in 2006 in the American League Division Series. In 2009, the Twins lost three straight to the Yankees in the American League Division Series. In 2010, the Twins again lost three straight games to the Yankees in the division series. Seven years later, in 2017, the Yankees beat the Twins 8-4 in a one-game wild-card game.

In 2019, the Yankees swept the Twins in three games. And last fall, Houston swept the Twins 2-0 in a best-of-three wild-card series. The first game defeat set a North American record for the most consecutive playoff losses by a pro team.

“The record is an embarrassing one,” Whenesota says. “It’s bad enough to set such a deflating record, when every year’s regular-season promise ends with a dud. What’s worse is that 13 of the 18 losses were to the Yankees. If it’s not in the players’ heads, it’s certainly in the heads of the fans. A matchup with the Yankees fills us with hopelessness and dread.”

Minnesota Hockey Teams Still Seeking Stanley Cup

In the State of Hockey, the North Stars and the Wild have never won a Stanley Cup. On February 9, 1966, Minnesota was awarded a new National Hockey League franchise, which was named the North Stars. The first game was played at the new Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington on October 21, 1967.

In May 1981, the North Stars reached the Stanley Cup finals but lost four games to one to the New York Islanders, the defending champions and top overall seed (#7a in the “dirty dozen”). Whenesota notes that fans were devastated as “fate was on our side for most of the playoffs. We were underdogs in every series, yet we overachieved and went on an incredible run. It started to feel like destiny.”

The Stars finished first in its division in two of the next three seasons and reached the conference finals in 1984, losing in four straight games to Edmonton, led by seven future hall-of-famers, including Wayne Gretzky.

In May 1991, the North Stars barely made the playoffs with 27-39-14 record but upset the Chicago Blackhawks in the division semifinals, the St. Louis Blues in the division final, and the defending champion Edmonton Oilers in the conference final in five games. However, Pittsburgh beat the North Starts four games to two for the Stanley Cup (#7b in the “dirty dozen”).

“This truly was a Cinderella story,” Whenesota says. “Nobody expected the North Stars to win the first series, let alone get so far. We were hot at the right time and upset higher-ranked teams, only to turn into a pumpkin before midnight. We didn’t know then, but the team would play only two more seasons here.”

On March 10, 1993, owner Norm Green announced that he would be moving the North Stars to Dallas. The Stars’ final home game was April 13, 1993 (#4 in the “dirty dozen”). The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999 and lost in the finals a year later. In 1997, Minnesota received an NHL expansion franchise, and the new Minnesota Wild began play in 2000 in St. Paul.

The Wild finished in last place in its division the first two seasons. In its third season, the Wild finished third in the division and entered the playoffs seeded sixth. In the first round, the Wild upset heavily-favored Colorado in seven games, winning the last two games in overtime. Minnesota beat Vancouver in seven games to win the second round, but lost to Anaheim in the Western Conference final in May 2003, scoring only one goal in the series. Over the next eight seasons, the Wild made the playoffs twice and lost in the first round both times.

On July 4, 2012, the Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to identical 13-year, $98 million contracts. In the following seasons, the Wild never won its division but made the playoffs six times, losing in the first round four times and in the second round twice. The team had three general managers and three coaches. In 2019, the Wild missed the playoffs for the first time since the signings.

Timberwolves Establish Miserable Record, Don’t Reach NBA Finals

I waited patiently 29 years for pro basketball to return to Minnesota. Finally, in 1987, Minnesota was awarded an NBA expansion franchise and began play in 1989. I shared season tickets with friends the first few years.

However, the franchise has been an exercise in futility—bad losses, bad draft choices, bad coaches (#12 in the “dirty dozen,” “First Overall Draft Pick Eludes Wolves for 26 Years”). The Timberwolves have reached the Western Conference finals once in 32 years. The team has had a winning record only eight times and has made the playoffs nine times. My expectations have reached an all-time low.

The Timberwolves made the playoffs seven straight years from 1996-97 to 2002-03 but lost in the first round each year.  In the 2003-2004 season, the Timberwolves led by Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell had the second-best record in the NBA, finishing first in the Western Conference at 58-24, best in franchise history.

The Wolves defeated Denver in the first round and Sacramento in the semifinals, advancing to the Western Conference final against the Lakers, losing four games to two. Whenesota attributes the loss to Cassell’s hip injury incurred during his mildly obscene celebratory dance after making a key shot the Game 2 victory over Sacramento. “If Cassell had been healthy, Minnesota was good enough to advance to the NBA finals and possibly win a championship,” Whenesota says.

In 2004-2005, the Timberwolves finished ninth in the Western Conference and missed the playoffs, then went 14 years before reaching the playoffs again, led by Jimmy Butler in 2017-2018. The Wolves lost in the first round.

Gopher Football and Basketball Suffer Painful Setbacks

Gopher football and basketball have provided much to cry about. I grew up listening to Gopher football games every Saturday and was ecstatic with the team’s Rose Bowl appearances in 1961 and 1962. As a student sportswriter at the University of Minnesota, I watched the Gophers finish in a three-way tie for the Big Ten title in 1967. Since then, Gopher football has been mostly dismal.

On September 17, 1983, for example, I watched the Gophers lose by 71 points, 84-13, to Nebraska in the Metrodome—the worst loss in Gopher football history, the most points given up, and the widest margin of defeat.

My most excruciating Gopher football experience came 10 years later on October 10, 2003, when my family and I watched the 17^th-ranked Gophers face 20^th-ranked Michigan in the Metrodome. The Gophers led 28-7 entering the fourth quarter but lost 38-35, choking before 62,374 fans and a national TV audience. Michigan went to the Rose Bowl, losing to USC.

In the 35 seasons that followed Minnesota’s last Rose Bowl appearance, the Gophers qualified for three bowl games: 1977 Hall of Fame Classic, 1985 Independence Bowl, and 1986 Liberty Bowl. In December 1996, Glen Mason was hired as the team’s coach, and he led the Gophers to six bowl games in his first nine seasons despite an overall record of 58-50 and conference record of 29-43.

On December 29, 2006, the Gophers led Texas Tech 38-7 midway through the third quarter in the Insight Bowl, but the Red Raiders overcame the 31-point deficit to win 44-41 in overtime. Two days later, Mason was fired.

I had season tickets to Gopher basketball for 30 years and watched some great players such as Lou Hudson, Mychal Thompson, and Kevin McHale. I watched Minnesota win the Big Ten championship in 1982. The highlight came in 1997 when the Gophers made it to the March Madness Final Four. However, the euphoria of that team’s accomplishments was short-lived.

On March 10, 1999, the day before the Gophers were to play their first NCAA tournament game, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that a former University of Minnesota employee did coursework for basketball players, allegedly since 1993, and that University officials –including the coach, Clem Haskins, and an academic counselor—were aware of the situation and encouraged it.

The 1997 Gopher Final Four was vacated on October 24, 2000, and the program was put on probation for four years (#9 in “dirty dozen”).

“Getting to the 1997 Final Four was a big deal for the University and the whole state,”Whenesota said. “It had never been done before in our team’s history. This scandal tainted that team’s legacy and our memories of it.”

This episode was not the first of Gopher violations. In Bill Musselman’s first year as basketball coach, The Gophers appeared in the 1972 NCAA tournament. Three years later, on July 23, 1975, the University received a letter from the NCAA accusing the basketball program of about 100 violations.

On March 9, 1976, the NCAA released its report on the violations and handed down sanctions against the team, including no postseason tournaments or nationally-televised games for two years as well as three years of probation. The 1972 tournament appearance was vacated from the records. Musselman left the University five days later.

On March 7, 1988, the NCAA, citing 40 violations, including the selling of game tickets by players for financial gain, placed the basketball program on probation for two years. In March 1990, University investigative attorneys reported additional violations in the tennis and wrestling programs.

In December 1990, the NCAA started another investigation and, three months later, found the University guilty of 17 rules violations. The entire men’s athletic department was put on probation for two years.

Departure of Many Minnesota Stars Contributes to Our Misery

One of the biggest heart-breaking themes has been the departure of several star players and coaches from Minnesota teams via trade or retirement.

My favorite Viking of all time was quarterback Fran Tarkenton. I was saddened when, on March 7, 1967, the Vikings traded Tarkenton to the New York Giants. Tarkenton had told the Vikings he would no longer play for them and asked to be traded. Coach Norm Van Brocklin, who did not like Tarkenton’s scrambling style of play, resigned the next day, but Tarkenton did not rescind his demand.

“Fans were understandably concerned about the direction of the franchise” Whenesota says. “Tarkenton was the best quarterback in Vikings’ history and a future hall of famer. We managed to bench him, humiliate him, alienate him, and then trade him.”

Tarkenton played five seasons in New York and was selected to four Pro Bowls. On January 27, 1972, the Vikings traded two draft picks and three players to bring Tarkenton back to Minnesota. Under coach Bud Grant, Tarkenton led the Vikings to three Super Bowls; he was the National Football League’s most valuable player in 1975, and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. In l986, he was the first Viking inducted into the pro football hall of fame.

I was crushed when, on January 27, 1984, Grant resigned as coach after missing the 1983 playoffs for the fifth time in his 17 seasons with the team. Wide receivers’ coach Les Steckel was promoted to head coach; Steckel was a failure and was fired on December 17. Grant returned to coach in 1985; he got the team back on track and retired on January 6, 1986.

In all, Grant coached the Vikings for 18 years. He won eleven division titles, one league championship, and three NFC crowns. Grant was my favorite Minnesota coach.

On March 2, 2005, the Vikings traded Randy Moss, one of the best receivers in the NFL between 1998 and 2005, to Oakland. Over those years, his reputation was tarnished by several incidents, including verbally abusing officials and corporate sponsors.

“Moss may have been the most talented receiver that ever played,” says Whenesota. “He was certainly someone who could have helped the Vikings win. It’s too bad his (first) stint had to end the way it did.”

On October 6, 2010, the Vikings brought Moss back to Minnesota in a trade with New England. After three games, coach Brad Childress cut Moss, apparently without the owner’s consent after Moss lashed out at caterers in the locker room, and told owner Zygi Wilf that Childress should be fired.

The biggest loss in basketball occurred July 31, 2007, when the Timberwolves traded Kevin Garnett to Boston on July 31, 2007, for five players and two first-round draft choices. The following season, Garnett and the Celtics won the NBA championship.

“Garnett was one of the team’s few draft successes,” Whenesota says. “He was a team leader, the fans’ favorite Timberwolf, and the best player in franchise history. At the time of his trade, Minnesota had only been to the playoffs eight times, and Garnett had played on each of those teams. He set team records for total points, assists, rebounds, and several other categories. Many Minnesota basketball fans grew up with Garnett as their hero. To see him traded away really stung.”

Then, there were Kevin Love and Jimmy Butler. On August 23, 2014, thinking Love would opt out of his contract after the upcoming season, the Wolves traded Love to Cleveland. Love won an NBA championship with his new team. A key acquisition for the Wolves was Andrew Wiggins, who never lived up to expectations and was traded to Golden State on February 6, 2020.

In summer 2017, the Wolves traded for all-star Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls, and Minnesota made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. The next fall, Butler, reportedly frustrated with teammates Karl Anthony Towns and Wiggins, demanded to be traded—and he was sent to Philadelphia on November 10. Butler’s Philadelphia team made the playoffs in 2019 as did his Miami team in 2020.

The Twins have traded several key players. One of the most painful was the departure of Rod Carew, an 18-time all-star who won seven batting titles and was elected to the hall of fame in 1991. In 1977, Carew won the American League most valuable player award. He preferred to stay with the Twins but wanted a competitive salary, which penurious owner Calvin Griffith did not offer during negotiations in summer 1977 and spring 1978.

On September 28, 1978, Griffith publicly called Carew a “damn fool,” and made racist comments, suggesting he moved the team from Washington, D.C., to Minnesota because fewer African Americans lived here. On October 1, Carew affirmed that he would never sign another contract with the Twins. Carew was traded to the Angels on February 3, 1979.

After leading the Twins to the World Series championship in 1991, pitcher Jack Morris signed a two-year contract with Toronto on December 18, 1991, for $10.85 million per year. Morris had been paid $3.5 million to play for the Twins. Morris discussed the possibility of staying with Minnesota, but Twins’ owner Carl Pohlad advised Morris to sign with another team because he was saving money to sign Kirby Puckett, according to Whenesota.

“Morris was a hometown (St. Paul) hero, and he wanted to stay,” Whenesota said. “It was a major disappointment that the team didn’t bring him back after such a successful season.” Morris and the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993.

One of the most heart-breaking events occurred on July 12, 1996, when Kirby Puckett retired due to loss of vision (#8 in the “dirty dozen”). “Puckett might be the greatest player ever to put on a Minnesota uniform in any sport,” Whenesota said. “Not only was he a great athlete, but he was also a true leader.”

After the 2002 season, the Twins on December 16 released David “Big Papi” Ortiz rather than pay him the $1.5 million due in salary arbitration. Ortiz signed with the Boston Red Sox on January 22, 2003. He helped Boston win three World Series titles.

On February 2, 2008, the Twins traded two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana to the New York Mets. The previous November, the Twins refused to agree to a five-year deal wanted by all-star center fielder Torii Hunter; Hunter than agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract with the Angels.

Hope arose for the Gopher football program after the 1983 season when Lou Holtz was named coach on December 22. The Gophers improved from 1-10 to 4-7 in Holtz’s first season and to 6-5 the next year, playing in its first bowl game since the 1977 season and generating a resurgence of enthusiasm for the program.

However, on November 27, Holtz was introduced as the coach of Notre Dame. Holtz had three years left on his Minnesota contract, but the contract stipulated that he could leave if a certain team—Notre Dame—sought him.

“After nearly two decades of futility, it was beginning to look like our football program was finally on its way to prominence again,” Whenesota says. “The fact that Holtz included a stipulation about one specific team—and that one team did actually come and get him—is just our luck. This introduced the term ‘Notre Dame Clause’ into the Minnesota sports lexicon, and hearing it still makes us shake our heads in frustration.”

Franchises Try to Leave Minnesota

Another heart-breaking aspect to Minnesota sports has been challenges to the sustainability of several teams, starting with the Lakers’ departure in 1960.

With no hope for getting a competitive facility in Minnesota, North Stars’ owner Norm Green  announced on March 10, 1993, his decision to move the team to Dallas.

“Minnesota is known as the ‘State of Hockey,’” Whenesota said. “The sport is arguably more popular here than anywhere else in the country, and Minnesotans loved our North Stars. Even before 1993, the team almost left several times—only to be saved at the last minute. This time, nobody came to the rescue. Worse yet, the person who fans thought would keep the team here instead sent the North Stars away forever.”

In 1971, the World Hockey Association (WHA) was formed, and the Minnesota Fighting Saints were among 10 franchises that started play in the league’s first season in 1972. On February 28, 1976, some players did not show up for a flight to Cincinnati, and those who showed up voted to quit the team. On August 9, 1976, the Cleveland Crusaders came to Minnesota and became the new Fighting Saints; that team folded on January 20 1977.

After the Minneapolis Lakers moved to Los Angeles, professional basketball returned to Minnesota in 1967 when the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed with headquarters in Minneapolis. Minnesota was awarded one of the league’s first franchises, the Muskies, according to Whenesota. Because of low attendance and financial problems, the team moved to Miami after the season. On June 28, 1968, the ABA’s Pittsburgh Pipers moved to Minnesota but moved back to Pittsburgh on June 21, 1969.

The Timberwolves began play in 1989, but on May 23, 1994, the original owners, Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson, tried to sell the team to New Orleans. However, on June 15, 1994, the NBA blocked the sale, forcing the team to play the next season in Minneapolis. Then, current owner Glen Taylor agreed to buy the team on August 4.

On October 3, 1997, Twins’ owner Carl Pohlad signed a letter of intent to sell his team to North Carolina businessman Don Beaver who planned to move the Twins to North Carolina. However, on May 5, 1998, North Carolina voters rejected a referendum to pay for a stadium, effectively killing the deal, according to Whenesota. On July 22, the Twins reached a new lease agreement with the Metrodome.

In 2001, there were reports of contraction (elimination) of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams; on November 6, owners voted 28-2 to eliminate two franchises. The same day, the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) sued to force the Twins to honor their Metrodome lease (#10 in the “dirty dozen”).

A Minnesota judge on November 16, 2001, granted the injunction filed by the MSFC to force the Twins to stay for the 2002 season. The Twins and MLB appealed the decision; on January 22, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled for the MSFC; on February 4, the State Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the Minnesota Court of Appeals’ decision.

MLB called off contraction the next day. In April, the Star Tribune reported that the Twins had been discussing contraction as early as April 2001, and owner Pohlad admitted to volunteering the team for contraction. In February 2006, a Hennepin County District judge gave Pohlad permission to sell or move the team.

“Minnesota had already endured two teams leaving: the Lakers and North Stars,” Whenesota says. “The Timberwolves also threatened to go. It felt like the Minnesota sports scene was getting turned on its head.”

Prosperity for the Gopher men’s hockey team declined when the Big Ten on March 21, 2011, announced it would form its own hockey conference to start in 2013. As a result, the Gophers ended their long affiliation with the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference after the 2012-2013 season.

For the most part, this change ended the Gophers’ traditional rivalries with colleges like North Dakota and Duluth. With the realignment, attendance has dropped precipitously. Gopher hockey is not the same.

Recounting the history of heartbreak, as chronicled by Whenesota, has been more painful than enjoyable. The hurt from his 100 events lingers. Overcoming the heartbreak may not be imminent. The 2020 Vikings failed to make the playoffs. The Wild has been reconstructing its lineup, and the Timberwolves are pathetic. The Twins have been making the playoffs but can’t win a playoff game.

But I will try to follow Whenesota’s advice. I will continue to laugh and have hope.