Sherman: 1884 St. Louis Maroons were the last sports team to start 20-0
From Rodger Sherman at SB Nation on December 3, 2015:
[Last] Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets to move to 20-0. They became the first NBA team ever to win the first 20 games of their regular season.
There’s never been an NFL team that won the first 20 games of their regular season, because the regular season isn’t 20 games long. There’s never been an MLB team that won the first 20 games of its regular season. There’s never been an NHL team that’s won the first 20 games of its regular season — the Blackhawks had a 24-game points streak to start the 2012-13 season with 21 wins and three shootout losses, but, well, that includes three shootout losses.
Only one pro team in any major American sport has ever won 20 straight games to start the season. The 1884 St. Louis Maroons of the Union Association, an early pro baseball league.
The Maroons’ 20-0 start was not a fluke, as they’d win the Union Association that year. But they moved to Indianapolis in 1886 and folded in 1888, vanishing into history until we started talking about them now.
Read the full article here: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/12/3/9841638/golden-state-warriors-undefeated-start-20-0-st-louls-maroons
Originally published: December 7, 2015. Last Updated: December 7, 2015.