Hall of Champions: 1991
1991 World Series
Minnesota Twins 1, Atlanta Braves 0 (10)
Twins win series 4 games to 3 (5-2, 3-2, 4-5 (12), 2-3, 5-14, 4-3 (11),1-0 (10)).
The 1991 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1991 season, and the 88th edition of the World Series. It featured the National League (NL) champion Atlanta Braves (94-68) against the American League (AL) champion Minnesota Twins (95-67). ESPN selected this championship as the "Greatest of All Time" in their "World Series 100th Anniversary" countdown, with five of its games decided by a single run, four decided in the final at-bat and three going into extra innings.
Game Date
Sunday, October 27, 1991
View more cards from key players from this matchup
Game 7 was a scoreless tie through nine innings, and went into extra innings; Minnesota won 1–0 in the 10th inning, with their starting pitcher, Jack Morris, pitching a complete game. Morris was named the MVP for the series.
View all the Baseball cards from 1991 in the Gallery
Next Up...
1992 World Series
Tim McCarver consoled Atlanta fans by stating that this was an excellent team and that he expected they would "be around" for some time to come. In fact, the Braves would win an unprecedented 14 consecutive division titles.
- The '91 series was unique because of the standings of the two participating teams in the previous season: both finished the 1990 season in last place; before 1991, no league champion had ever finished the previous season in last place.
- In 1991, the Twins got breakout seasons from pitchers such as Scott Erickson and Kevin Tapani and a Rookie of the Year-winning performance from second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.
- Only 39-40 at the All-Star break, the Braves season, aided by MVP third baseman Terry Pendleton and Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine, 1991 was the franchise's best season since 1957.
- Kirby Puckett won Game 6 for the Twins, hitting a pitch into the left-center-field seats for a dramatic game-winning home run that tied the Series at 3 games apiece. Jack Buck famously called the home run with the line "And we'll see you tomorrow night!"
©CCM Mar 1 2022
1991 NFL Season: Super Bowl XXVI
Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Attendance 63,130.
1991 NFL Season: Super Bowl XXVI featured the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins (14-2) against the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills (13-3). Washington head coach Joe Gibbs entered the game seeking his third Super Bowl victory with the team, but with his third starting Super Bowl quarterback, Mark Rypien. Quarterback Jim Kelly and the Bills' "K-Gun" no-huddle offense were back, however, their defense ranked second to last in the league in total yards allowed.
Game Date
Sunday, January 26, 1992
View more cards from key players from this matchup
'Skins quarterback Mark Rypien, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, was named Super Bowl MVP. He had led the NFC during the regular season in passing yards (3,564) and touchdown passes (28).
View all the Football cards from 1991 in the Gallery
Next Up...
1992 NFL Season: Super Bowl XXVII
Bills defensive line coach Chuck Dickerson mocked the Redskins' famed offensive line, "The Hogs" in a television interview. Dickerson said Redskins tackle Joe Jacoby was "a Neanderthal – he slobbers a lot." Dickerson was fired 3 days after the game.
- Early in the second quarter, the Redskins jumped out to a 17–0 lead from which the Bills could not recover. Washington also sacked Kelly 4 times and intercepted him 4 times. Safety Brad Edwards recorded 4 tackles, broke up 5 passes, and had 2 picks.
- Washington's defense, which ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed (4,638), was led by All-Pro defensive back Darrell Green, who was one of the fastest players in the NFL, and Pro Bowl linebacker Wilber Marshall.
- Redskins running back Ricky Ervins was the top rusher of the game with 72 yards. Earnest Byner (who had gained 1,048 yards in 1991) recorded 49 rushing yards, and 3 receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown.
- In a losing effort, James Lofton was the top receiver for the Bills with 7 catches for 92 yards, but wideout Andre Reed was limited to just 5 catches for 31 yards. Thurman Thomas ran for only 13 yards, after rushing for 1,407 yards during '91.
©CCM Mar 1 2022
1992 Stanley Cup Finals
Pittsburgh Penguins 6, Chicago Blackhawks 5
Penguins win the series 4 games to 0 (5-4, 3-1, 1-0, 6-5).
The 1992 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1991-92 season, and the culmination of the 1992 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series featured the Clarence Campbell Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks (36-29-15), and the Prince of Wales Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins (39-32-9). The Blackhawks were appearing in their first Finals since 1973. After the Blackhawks jumped to an early 4–1 lead in the first game of the series, Mario Lemieux and the Penguins came back to win the game, sweep the series in four games, and win their second consecutive and second overall Stanley Cup.
Game Date
Monday, June 1, 1992
View more cards from key players from this matchup
The Penguins' Mario Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the second consecutive year, becoming only the second player in NHL history to do so.
View all the Hockey cards from 1991 in the Gallery
Next Up...
1993 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1991-92 season was interrupted by a players' strike for the first 10 days of April, pushing the start of the playoffs back to April 18.
- Chicago set an NHL playoff record in winning 11 games in a row to reach the finals. The Blackhawks were led by captain Dirk Graham, head coach Mike Keenan and goaltender Ed Belfour.
- Pittsburgh had won seven in a row entering the finals and swept Chicago in four games to tie Chicago's record. The Penguins were led by captain Mario Lemieux, coach Scotty Bowman, and goaltender Tom Barrasso.
- The Penguins, along with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, had five 30-goal scorers (Kevin Stevens (54), Mario Lemieux, Joe Mullen, Mark Recchi, and Jaromir Jagr).
- The Hawks added Brent Sutter, Steve Smith, Bryan Marchment, and Brad Lauer in '91-92. Dominik Hasek showed flashes of the brilliance that would later define his Hall of Fame career. Hasek earned All-Rookie honors at 10-4-1.
©CCM Mar 1 2022
1992 NBA Finals
Chicago Bulls 97, Portland Trail Blazers 93
Bulls win the series 4 games to 2 (122-89, 104-115 (OT), 94-84, 88-93, 119-106, 97-93).
The 1992 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the 1992 NBA Playoffs, which concluded the National Basketball Association 1991-92 season.The defending champion Chicago Bulls (67-15) from the Eastern Conference were matched with the Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers (57-25). The two teams appeared headed to face each other for most of the season and comparisons were made between Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan throughout the season. A month earlier Sports Illustrated had even listed Drexler as Jordan's "No. 1 rival" on a cover the two appeared on together before the playoffs.
Game Date
Sunday, June 14, 1992
View more cards from key players from this matchup
The Bulls' Michael Jordan was named Finals Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, to go with his sixth straight regular season scoring title. He had two steals in Game 6 and converted them to hoops to give Chicago a permanent lead.
View all the Basketball cards from 1991 in the Gallery
Next Up...
1993 NBA Finals
Reserves Scott Williams, B.J. Armstrong, Bobby Hansen and Stacey King turned the tide in Game 6, outscoring Portland 14-2 to open the final quarter. Bulls coach Phil Jackson said, “We needed a different matchup,That’s what we got from those young guys."
- Michael Jordan won his third MVP during '91-92, but he averaged only 30.1 ppg, his lowest average in 6 seasons. More than ever, Jordan worked to capitalize on the burgeoning talents of Scottie Pippen (21 ppg) and Horace Grant (14.2 ppg, 10 rpg).
- Portland had Clyde Drexler, who averaged 25.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Terry Porter averaged 18.1 points, while Jerome Kersey and Buck Williams cleaned the boards.
- The media, hoping to recreate a Magic Johnson–Larry Bird type rivalry in Michael Jordan-Clyde Drexler, compared the two throughout the pre-Finals hype, but Drexler would remain in Jordan's shadow.
- Game 5 saw Michael Jordan, who briefly sat with a bad ankle, finishing with 46 points on 14-of-23 from the field and 16-of-19 from the line. Scottie Pippen fell just short of a triple-double, with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.
©CCM Mar 1 2022