Golden Championship Era

With the KC Royals now likely to make the baseball playoffs and the defending champion KC Chiefs opening the 2024 football season with a victory, I've been thinking about the recent Golden Age for KC-area teams. In the most important competitions that I follow (major league baseball World Series, football Super Bowl, University of Kansas debate and Kansas basketball), these are key results from the last 17 years, 2008-2024:

2024 KC Chiefs win Super Bowl

2023 KC Chiefs win Super Bowl

2022 Kansas Jayhawks win NCAA basketball Tournament

2020 KC Chiefs win Super Bowl

2018 Kansas Jayhawks win National Debate Tournament (NDT)

2015 KC Royals win World Series

2009 Kansas Jayhawks win National Debate Tournament (NDT)

2008 Kansas Jayhawks win NCAA basketball Tournament

That's 8 championship teams!

The Super Bowl victories could be dated for the prior seasons since the overwhelming majority of games occur then, which would make those 2019, 2022, and 2023. That's how Wikipedia lists them. I have listed them by the date of the games, which is the same standard I applied for basketball and debate, which occur through an academic year. 

The last 10 years have been particularly great, but those years could have been even better:

2025 KC Chiefs lose Super Bowl (2nd place)

2025 Kansas Jayhawks lose in finals of NDT (2nd place)

2024 Kansas Jayhawks lose in finals of NDT (2nd place)
2021 KC Chiefs lose Super Bowl (2nd place)

2018 Kansas Jayhawks lose in Final Four of NCAA basketball Tournament 

2016 Kansas Jayhawks lose in finals of NDT (2nd place)

2014 KC Royals lose World Series in 7 games (2nd place)

2012 Kansas Jayhawks lose in finals of NCAA basketball Tournament (2nd place)

That's 6 more near-misses, creating good chances to win a championship 14 times in 18 years!

Additions and updates: I didn't note several Kansas Jayhawk debate appearances in the semi-finals (final four) (2019, 2021, and 2022) or a KC Chiefs AFC Championship loss (2018).  

And I added 2025 successes. Make it 20 chances in 19 years!

It was a bit slower before then. This is from 1980 through 2007, a 28 year period:

2003 Kansas Jayhawks lose in finals of NCAA basketball Tournament (2nd place)

2002 Kansas Jayhawks lose in Final Four of NCAA basketball Tournament 

1993 Kansas Jayhawks lose in Final Four of NCAA basketball Tournament 

1991 Kansas Jayhawks lose in finals of NCAA basketball Tournament (2nd place)

1988 Kansas Jayhawks win NCAA basketball Tournament

1986 Kansas Jayhawks lose in Final Four of NCAA basketball Tournament 

1985 KC Royals win World Series 

1983 Kansas Jayhawks win National Debate Tournament

1980 KC Royals lose World Series in 6 games (2nd place)

That's only 9 opportunities in 28 years, with just 3 championships. 

Addition: I didn't note Kansas Jayhawk debate appearances in the semi-finals (final four) (1994 and 1999) or a KC Chiefs AFC Championship loss (1993). So make it 12 opportunities in 28 years, with just 3 championships. That's a smidge better but nothing like the run of recent success.

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