Duke Blue Devils men's basketball — Unlike the other entries in this list, Duke was highly successful on the court throughout the decade. The Blue Devils were "honored" because of their alleged tendency to flop in order to draw offensive fouls.
2004 USA men's basketball team — Amid a breakdown of team chemistry, Team USA lost more games in the 2004 Olympics (three) than it had in all previous Olympic tournaments combined (two).
Barry Zito — After considerable success with the Oakland Athletics, the left-handed pitcher crossed San Francisco Bay after the 2006 season to play for the San Francisco Giants, signing what was then the richest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. He proceeded to go 31–43 in the next three seasons, never posting an ERA below 4.00.
Charlie Weis at Notre Dame — A successful assistant coach in the NFL, Weis was 35–27 in 5 seasons at Notre Dame, including a record of 16–21 in his last 3 seasons.
Steve Spurrier with the Washington Redskins — A successful coach in the NCAA, Spurrier was 12-20 in his 2 years with the Redskins, and did not make the playoffs in those years.
Ron Zook, first at Florida and then at Illinois — Zook coached Florida for 3 seasons, with a record of 23–14, and did not beat a ranked opponent at home in those years. He was then hired by Illinois and compiled a record of 34–51 in his 7 seasons there.
Matt Millen — In Millen's seven-plus seasons as the general manager of the Detroit Lions, the team went 31–84. He was fired three games into the 2008 season, which would end with the Lions becoming the first NFL team ever to go 0–16.
NFL Network — At the end of 2009, after six years of operation, the NFL's in-house TV network still had not reached carriage deals with many of the nation's biggest cable providers.
For ESPN.com's list of the ten greatest teams of the 20th century (in the U.S.), see footnote.[33]
Footnotes
^Most of these awards and honors were published in the December 28, 2009, print issue of Sports Illustrated and on-line. Some were published only on the Sports Illustrated website.
^Wertheim, L. Jon (December 28, 2009). "The Top Teams". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^Hunt, Ryan (December 22, 2009). "2000s: Top 25 Franchises". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-12-29. Just Missed The Cut: Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Boise State football, Connecticut men's basketball, Dallas Mavericks, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Phillies.
^Jenkins, Lee (December 22, 2009). "2000s: Top 10 Stories". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^Luft, Jacob (December 22, 2009). "2000s: Top 10 Flops". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^Luft, Jacob (December 22, 2009). "2000s: Top 10 Scandals". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^In an "End of the Century" article, ESPN.com listed the following teams as the ten greatest: 1. 1927 New York Yankees; 2. 1977 Montreal Canadiens; 3. 1985 Chicago Bears; 4. 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers football; 5. 1972 Los Angeles Lakers; 6. 1939 New York Yankees; 7. 1968 UCLA Bruins basketball; 8. 1956 Oklahoma Sooners football; 9. 1996 Chicago Bulls; 10. 1972 Miami Dolphins. "The 10 greatest teams". ESPN.com. ESPN. December 31, 1999. Retrieved 2017-01-01.
