The Age Old Question

[RoboAlum]

Alright so it has been 25 years of FIRST and looking back on those years who are in your opinion the top 5 teams in FRC History and why.
My top 5
1.254- hands down always the top bot every year lately and the most blue banners
2.71- they in the beginning of FRC were the 254 of today, plus the machines that get built withlimited resources they have are top notch every year.
3.1114- one of the most inspirational teams in FRC they are always producing a powerhouse robot.
4.2056- they're 2056 nuff said 23 straight titles, the only reason they're not top 3 is the one banner that always gets away from them.
5.67- the top bot no matter what people say to come out of Michigan every year. Plus the 3 World titles.
On the bubble teams are: 16,987,118,148,359
That's my opinion now what's yours

[Anthony Galea]

No top teams list in FRC history is complete without 469.

My list:

1) 71. Most dominant run in FRC history in the late 90s and 2000s. FOUR world championships.
2) 67. Only team to double blue on Einstein. Also 3 world championships.
3) 254. Always a top contender in the world, always a threat for the championship. 2 championships, 3 championship finalists.
4) 469. Although in 2016 they struggled, they have been nothing short of dominant in FiM every other year. Also, 2 world championships, and 3 times championship finalist.
5) 1114. Always great robots, surprisingly only 1 world championship and 2 championship finalists. Every year is a contender for the best robot in the world.

[GeeTwo]

Certainly a defensible collection!

Personally, I'd have 118 on the list instead of 2056, mostly for repeatedly producing (mostly out-of-the-box) Einstein-level solutions as opposed to being undefeated at regionals for-ff-ing-ever.

[CJ_Elliott]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

Certainly a defensible collection!

Personally, I'd have 118 on the list instead of 2056, mostly for repeatedly producing (mostly out-of-the-box) Einstein-level solutions as opposed to being undefeated at regionals for-ff-ing-ever.

Scoreboard.... outside of winning champs which 118 has only done once... 2056 has 5 more blue banners. But Ill agree that 118's robots are always awesome.

[RoboAlum]

Originally Posted by GeeTwo

Certainly a defensible collection!

Personally, I'd have 118 on the list instead of 2056, mostly for repeatedly producing (mostly out-of-the-box) Einstein-level solutions as opposed to being undefeated at regionals for-ff-ing-ever.

I do believe that I am a firm believer that 118 and 2056 are yin and yang. 2056 produces a by the book robot that can play the game at the highest rate of play but nothing is ever crazy where on the other hand 118 is literally this year a Swiss Army knife and they have the most of our box designs to where you just look and get that what...no...how feeling

[asid61]

1. 254 - Great team on and off the field. Their strategy is intense, especially in how they achieved an OPR of 160 last year and their 2014 win.
2. 1114 - Apart from their great robots, their support of other teams is practically legendary at this point.
3. 33 - Great branding on great robots. I love their media releases as well.
4. 148 - Most creative robots IMO. 2008 was terrifyingly smart, their 2013 climb was interesting to watch, 2015 was the best-executed in its class, etc.
5. 71 - Their YOLO-but-great strategies won championships 4 times. 2002 is my second favorite robot after 469's 2010 bot.

Honorable mentions: 1717 was my favorite team until they dropped out last year. Beautiful swerve drives, incredibly smart controls. Their 2012 robot was so beautiful it was almost a tragedy when they lost.
16 has their swerve drive controls and drivers so good it's unbelievable.

[Billfred]

1) 254. Sustained excellence personified. At least one blue banner, every year, since they started in 1999. Hall of Fame. Five trips to Einstein (01, 05, 10, 11, 14), winning twice.
2) 1114. All the nice things I said about 254, in slightly smaller quantities.
3) 71. Four world titles makes The BEAST the undisputed kings of the pre-modern era game, which was simultaneously easier and harder to dominate. Whichever way you slice it, their 2001 and 2002 robots are infamous in a way hardly anyone is today.
4) 67. The original Triple Crown team. Six trips to Einstein, three world titles (and dunked on the first by winning Chairman's right after), four Michigan state championships (there have only been eight of them).
5) 2056. The Streak. 23 for 24, and even on that one they left with Chairman's. Two trips to Einstein, including 2012 where the world will never know. Undoubtedly, the best team that has yet to win it all--but they've won a hell of a lot.

[Basel A]

I think such a list is simple to construct. First, any list without 67 and 71 is dumb (based on World Championships alone). Next, 1114 and 2056 have been elite more consistently in the last 9 years than any other teams in FRC history have been in that long a stretch of time. To me, those four teams are entirely unquestionable. The last spot is a bit harder. If you're biased towards early FRC history, you go with 47. If you're not interested in the 90s, you go with 254 or 987, or another team of that caliber.

[scott.smith]

First, I would put 254 at the top, for the sheer amount of blue banners they have gotten throughout the years. Their robots are consistently the best every year. The obligatory 71 for being so dominant before. (4 CMP titles!!) Next I would say 1114 for being such a good team on and off of building robots. Next then I would say 118 and 2056. 118 produces such ridiculously complex and brilliant robots that are so good that I cannot believe that they have only won one championship title. Some people would disagree for putting them this high on the list but they are a personal favorite of mine. Tied for 4th is 2056. Their now-ended streak was the best in first history, and their robots are not complex, just the best you can possibly get. Teams that are very close to this list include 148, 1241, 469, 67, 359, 1678.

[Aaron (Awe-Sum)]

I think most people will let recent success change their opinion of teams, but I would personally put 469 above 2056. Call it Michigan bias, but as much as I respect OP for the 23 consecutive regional wins, I put more stock into 469 for their repeat appearances in the finals on Einstein.

My list looks like this:

1. 254
2. 71
3. 67
4. 469
5. 1114

[Theseusgoats]

The thing is that 71 definetly is one of the tip, if not the top team in FRC over history, but in reality, over the past 5ish years, they have been pretty poor for their championship winning standards. I mean, they failed to qualify for champs this year.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Theseusgoats

The thing is that 71 definetly is one of the tip, if not the top team in FRC over history, but in reality, over the past 5ish years, they have been pretty poor for their championship winning standards. I mean, they failed to qualify for champs this year.

The question was over ALL of FRC history. Not over recent FRC history. If all you can do is bring up the last 5 years as why they shouldn't be on the lists, when they are the ONLY 4-time Champion (1997, 2001, 2002, 2004)--and it's an exclusive club that has 3, and having more than one is considered really really good--then maybe you should put the effort into telling us what your 5+ team list is instead.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Theseusgoats

The thing is that 71 definetly is one of the tip, if not the top team in FRC over history, but in reality, over the past 5ish years, they have been pretty poor for their championship winning standards. I mean, they failed to qualify for champs this year.

Yeah, you're wrong.

Being the first team to win multiple world championships then winning 4 (including back to back) 4 years before anyone would win a second one? Being one tube away from a 5th (again before anyone else had won a second one)? 12 years after their last world championship they are STILL held up as one of the most dominant teams in FRC history.

Yeah, you're just really wrong. Normally I'm ok with whatever on these sort of discussions but any "best teams" list that doesn't include 71 is just plain missing data.

[RoboAlum]

Originally Posted by Theseusgoats

The thing is that 71 definetly is one of the tip, if not the top team in FRC over history, but in reality, over the past 5ish years, they have been pretty poor for their championship winning standards. I mean, they failed to qualify for champs this year.

past 5 years as a student who was on 71 from that time frame 2011: curie finalists only cause the pot on our swerve drive broke. 2012: yes bad year due to design flaws 2013: the top climber in our division at worlds and the most consistent 2014: wasnt there but 2015: finalist at the indiana district event 2016: great def and low goal and again consistent climber. Just cause they now focus on usually one aspect of the game instead of trying to be a powerhouse doesnt make them a bad team

[EricH]

Top 5 teams in all of FRC history? That's a tough one...

71: Any top 5 list that leaves off the only 4-time World Champion is deserving of being the Rough Terrain--run over very often. They also have a World Finalist to their credit, and some RCAs as I recall. Oddly enough, only the Finalist came in the 3-team-alliance-on-the-field era.

254: HoF team, 1 World Championship, and on top of that has one of the most impressive streaks at a single event, with only one non-win at SVR dating back to 1999.

2056: They've won everything except the World Championship... except that one regional this year . There are those that say they should have filled that hole in 2012.

1114: Not as dominant as 2056, but still a force to be reckoned with.

And the last spot goes to... TIE!

67: Dominant every year, and still the only team to pull off a World Championship and a CCA at the same time.

47: I never got to see this team in person, but they are LEGENDARY. Pioneers of swerve drive, powerhouse when 71 was on the rise... and if it wasn't for this HoF team, this website wouldn't exist. (Their legacy lives on in FRC0051, which is a combination of FRC0047 and FRC0065.)


And a couple of Honorable Mentions...

191 is the only team with a guaranteed 3 berths at Championship. One for being a Legacy team, and one for each of their TWO Championship Chairmans' Awards. They are the only team with more than one CCA. (And yes, they only use one of those berths.)

111 is another legendary team, with that unforgettable tie-dye and a history of "just complex enough for the job" robots--OK, so maybe a 7-DOF arm is a little overkill for most teams...