Forget the Yankees and UCLA- greatest streak in sports needs more attention

By Sean Quinn

After Michael Jordan retired in 1998, the Chicago Bulls fell apart faster than Michael Jackson’s latest nose.  More recently, after Shaquille O’Neal’s departure from Hollywood, the Los Angeles Lakers crumbled like a cupcake in the mammoth claws of Rosie O’Donnell.  

Sports teams, professional and collegiate, aren’t built to dominate for long periods of time.  When they do, though, it’s often due to one player, and fans relish these dynasties for as long as they can because, like a Jennifer Lopez marriage, they don’t last.  That’s why the Yankees are so special.  That’s why the run by the UCLA men’s basketball team in the 60s and 70s is so spectacular.  Perhaps the most impressive, but unheralded streak is buried beneath the wintry weather and smothering snowfall in upstate New York, where Syracuse’s 22-year run of consecutive lacrosse Final Fours, came to an end earlier this week.
The No. 9 ranked Orange lost to No. 8 Massachusetts in the first round of the men’s lacrosse tournament, 16-15.  For the first time since 1982, Syracuse and head coach John Desko won’t be in the national semifinals.

Folks, 22 years is a long time.  You can do a lot of things in 22 years. You can complete grammar school, middle school, high school and college in 22 years. Oprah decided to go on about 22 diets, followed closely by 22 excessive eating expeditions.  The Syracuse men’s lacrosse team did a lot in those 22 years – they played at the highest level, day in and day out.

This hard work and unprecedented streak went under the radar, though.  Perhaps because the sport of lacrosse hasn’t gained national prominence and popularity until recently.  Or maybe because lacrosse wasn’t even considered a major college sport.  Four quarters of non-stop action, passing, hitting, defending, throwing, blocking, more hitting, and more running doesn’t sound like a sport, it sounds like a gladiator competition.  And in this sport, Syracuse takes on the role of Goliath, multiplied 22 times.

That number of 22 is interesting in itself.  Since Gary Gait started wearing No. 22 in 1988 for the Orange, it has become a tradition.  All the greats since then have worn it.  The latest and greatest coming from the trio of Powells, Casey, Ryan and Mike.  It only seems fitting that the streak would end at 22.  Or does it seem unfitting (a little tailor humor) considering no SU player had No. 22 on his jersey this season.

The number deserved the year off, though.  It admires No. 1 as being the loneliest number and would gladly take its spot after all the years of popularity it has gained at SU.

The number had been etched over the name Powell since the 1995 season.  It was the number associated with the nation’s top attack man for six out of the past seven years before the 2005 season.  The Powells are to lacrosse what the Kennedy’s are to politics, without the affairs or the excessive binge drinking and devilish grooming of Ted Kennedy.  The Powells have been a staple of Syracuse lacrosse until this year because of Mike Powell’s graduation in 2004.  Each of the Powells earned player of the year awards and All-America honors.  Syracuse captured nine national titles during their 22-year run, including titles in 2000, 2002 and 2004.  The No. 22 wanted a year off and it is well deserved.

With more and more lacrosse programs gaining popularity and prominence at their respective schools, it was only a matter of time before Syracuse would end its season before the end of May.  For the past 22 years the Final Four has become the Final Three.  Each year teams knew there were three spots to compete for and the fourth spot would go to Syracuse.  That is how dominant they were.

Match this run to any other team streak in any sport.  The Yankees are good, but their 26 World Championships have come over the course of nearly a century.  The Patriots 21-game winning streak that was finally snapped by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2004 season doesn’t compare because it included regular season, below-average opponents.  The closest run by John Wooden’s kids of 11 consecutive Final Fours is right up there with SU’s lacrosse run.  It might even deserve more accolade considering there are only 16 teams in the lacrosse tournament, compared to 64 in the men’s basketball tournament.

The measuring stick for streaks is time.  After every team winning streak or individual streak, we always see if someone can break it over time.  Well, someone forgot to tell Syracuse that 22 years is too long and too long to be dominating.