As much as the Rays respect metrics, the University of Tampa baseball program remains a Bay Area sports dynasty.
The Spartans (52-8) won their ninth national title, tying them with Florida Southern for the most in Division II history, with an 8-3 victory over Angelo State on Saturday in Cary, N.C. The school has won four times in the past 12 seasons and six times in the past 19 seasons, roughly equaling one every three years in that span.
It was a dynasty even by the strictest definition, and the Spartans had an exclusive pantheon throughout the state.
Very few college and professional sports teams from Florida have achieved dynasty status. Dynasty status is simply defined as a team that performs at an elite or championship level for a significant period of time. There are plenty of such teams among high school programs (too many to list here), but what about the teams at the higher levels?
We’ve pondered that question for a long time and compiled the definitive (or perhaps debatable) list of the state’s college and professional sports dynasties. The list is in chronological order.
Miami Dolphins (1970-1974)
A few years ago, CBS Sports named the 1970s Dolphins the ninth-best dynasty in NFL history. They went to the Super Bowl three times in a row (1971-1973), sandwiching the NFL’s only undefeated season (17-0) in between. During that enchanting stretch, their regular-season record was 36-5-1 for a winning percentage (.857) that would make Tom Brady jealous. Even in the years before and after that three-year run, Don Shula’s teams recorded double-digit win seasons and made the playoffs.
University of Miami Baseball (1978-2008)
