Greatest Players Who Never Won a Championship

With nearly 16,000 receiving yards, Terrell Owens has the third most receiving yards in NFL history. He made the playoffs eight times as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys, but he never won a title. T.O. came closest in 2005, when his Eagles played the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Many were surprised he suited up for the game since he required surgery for a broken leg he sustained less than two months before the big game. Owens played and played well, but not well enough to secure a ring, as the Eagles lost 24-21.

Ty Cobb is remembered as one of the greatest hitters of all time and the first American League MVP. He batted over .400 three times and won a dozen batting titles on his way to the Hall of Fame. His .366 batting average is still the highest in Major League history. What is often forgotten is that Cobb never won a World Series, losing three straight Fall Classics from 1907 to 1909. In the first two World Series he played, Cobb’s Detroit Tigers lost in five games to the Chicago Cubs. In his final World Series, the Tigers lost in seven to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Patrick Ewing had ample chances to win an NBA championship, making the playoffs 14 times in his 17-year career. But his New York Knicks struggled to beat familiar Eastern Conference foes like Reggie Miller’s Indiana Pacers and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the postseason. He made the NBA Finals just once, in 1994, when his New York Knicks took on the Houston Rockets and lost in seven games. Despite his teams struggles, Ewing generally played well in the playoffs — and his consistent excellence earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Eric Lindros was a superstar — when he was healthy. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP at just 22 years old, but the Flyers center struggled with concussions throughout his career, costing him several shots at the Stanley Cup. In addition to injuries, Lindros missed a season over a contract dispute and sat out with the rest of the NHL for the 2004-2005 season because of a lockout. Lindros helped the Flyers make one Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1997, but his team was outmatched by the Detroit Red Wings and swept in four games.

Offensive linemen are often the unsung heroes on their teams, but Anthony Munoz earned plenty of personal acclaim. The Cincinnati Bengals left tackle made 11 Pro Bowls, nine All-Pro designations, and he was elected to the NFL Hall of Fame. Munoz played for the Cincinnati Bengals his entire career — a team that has never won the Super Bowl. He did help the Bengals make their only two Super Bowl appearances in 1982 and 1989, but they lost to the San Francisco 49ers both times.