The hard thing to judge about this question is the fact that some teams have been around much, MUCH longer than others. For example, 111 has been around since the beginning (except a year off), which means they have had a longer time to prove themselves as one of the elites. Also, the distinction between teams with many championships appearances/wins and teams with many regional wins is highly subjective. As for my own ranking, I will choose teams based on “influence” (how powerful the team was in their good years and how many years they were really good), which is extremely subjective but it is my own personal ranking.
71 - 4 world championships has still been uncontested after over a decade of them NOT winning champs. Plus, great runs in 2007, 2009, 2011 after their main winning era.
67 - Surprised at how “underrepresented” 67 is in this thread. ONLY national winners and Chairman’s simultaneously. 3 Champs wins, including two consecutive. Third most blue banners. Has made it to division finals almost every year for over a decade. This team has been strong from their start in '97 all the way up until now, with few, if any, poor years in that 20 year stretch.
254 - Best team of the modern era. Many Einstein appearances, 2 championships, most blue banners, HOF, long regional win streak. Again, good every year (have won at least 1 regional every season since they started, usually 2)
1114 - Builds consistently strong robots, and again has several Einstein appearances. Relatively young team. Has been the #1 Captain or #1 Pick in their division every year since 2008 (except 2012, when they upset the #1). Second most blue banners. This team creates robots that most teams can only dream of creating.
2056/111/118 - Can’t decide between these three. Regional win streak vs. Many dominant world champs vs. constantly competitive robots.
I don’t think anyone is saying 71 is bad now, just that 71 is no longer consistently achieving that top echelon of results anymore. (Although there was a better climber in Archimedes 2013- 3467)
If I had to rate teams in all time results:
67- 67 won 3 World Championships, two of which were back-to-back in the modern era. Even now, they consistently make division finals at least. The thing that puts them above 71 is their Hall of Fame status, IMO.
71- 4 World Championships, including two back to back.
111- 3 World Championships and Hall of Fame status
254- 2 World Championships, Hall of Fame, and consistently some of the best machines in the world.
2056- No other team has a history of exclusively success in the same way 2056 does. They may not have won a championship yet, but just you wait- OP’s time is coming.
254 has 2 world championships, not 1. Also considering how much flatter the recent FRC field has been, it’s really hard to argue against THREE straight for 1678
Einstein visits, getting better every year. Like for them to get better, they’d probably have to win it all and IRI!
Corrected, was thinking Citrus the whole time and never actually mentioned them! 254 does have two straight visits though (2010-2011), and really close to that third one!
To this list, I would like to add 177, the Bobcats. Their consecutive Einstein appearances (2006 - 2011) and Champions (2007, as the 8th seeded alliance from Newton, and 2010, with 67) were quite the run.
For geographical diversity, I also agree with 111, Wildstang, and of course 71 from the Midwest. 33, 469 (their “GodBot” in Breakaway was frightening) and 67 are also tough choices.
It’s a difficult choice between 118 & 148 in Texas
Florida has also given us 233, The Pink Team, 180, S.P.A.M., and 179 "Children of the Swamp. All of these are perennial contenders.
1114 spawned 2056, so I will give them the tip 'o the hat.
My final list with Geographic diversity in mind, but in no particular order:
254, 67, 177, 233, 118, and 1114 I know, it’s 6, not 5.
They will all be playing matches one week from today.
Hmm… This is why I try to refrain myself from commenting on Chief Delphi. I was just trying to make a comment that 71 just isn’t what they used to be anymore. I didn’t even say that they shouldn’t make it on a top 5 list. In fact, they would probably be 2nd in mine. Truly, I respect them so much, especially as I come out of Indiana. I’ve played with and against them and have come to look up to them as the ideal team. With great spirit, students, mentors, and robots, they are my favorite team by far. I believe almost any Firster aspires to be like them, over anyone else. However, by commenting, I did not expect to get bombarded with negative replies and harsh PMs about how my views are stupid. I just don’t understand this. You may think that I am just a regular student who doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but I’ve been a mentor/referee/volunteer who just took a break for a few years. I just wish I would be able to get some respect and at least a little bit of thoughtfulness in replying to me by at least taking the time to understand what I’m trying to say.
*This links to Jim Zondag’s amazing white paper, “2015 FRC Championship History”, I will use it as a proof for my picks, but everyone that cares about FRC history should look it over. http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/3133?
67- the HOT team is #1 by a clear margin. They have been the definition of greatness their entire existence. Their rookie year they won all stars at champs. They then won 9 regionals, 15 districts(TBA has some missing since they have 27 combined wins, 2nd most behind 254), 4 MSC’s and 3 MSC finalists (thats 7/8 finals at MSC). These stats are more amazing considering crazy high the level of play in FIM and the pre-FIM regionals at Detroit, Midwest and Great Lakes regionals. HOT also has the best overall championship performance of any team ever, even better than team Hammond. Yes, you could make the argument for 71 if you value championships more heavily. (This next part is all in the whitepaper.) However, if you look at the theoretical district points a team makes playing in eliminations, then it shifts to HOT. HOT has had the point lead since 2008. At end of 2015 champs HOT had 577 compared to #2 Poofs at 516. The “time derated points” table is even more convincing. Since 2005 HOT never is worse than 5th best. They have the top score ever at 161 at the end of 2010. They also had the highest “time derated points” for 6 separate seasons. If you don’t like statistics and like “the eye test” HOT may be top in that too. This is purely opinion but HOT did do many amazing things like: won 2010 champs in the last seconds by beating the basically unfair 1114-469 combo, made the bridge auto a thing first in 2012, fed themselves balls all of 2009, combined arguably the best FCS and a 50pt climber in 2013, the pitchfork 2005, caping 1241 at Palmetto 2004, ect… And don’t forget they’re in the Hall of Fame.
71- 4 world champs, dominance at champs and regionals. The Beast.
111- 3 world champs, Hall of Fame, dominance at champs and regionals. Their 2011 robot was the most inspiring one I have ever seen in real life.
254- 2 world champs, 15 SVR’s, 16 other regionals, Hall of Fame. Where does a team even hang 41 blue banners.
1114- 1 world championship, Hall of Fame, 26 regionals, 39 blue banners. It’s Simbotics.
Throughout the history of FIRST, if you took a poll of everyone participating in FRC asking, “Who is the single most iconic team?”, almost every year it would be between 67, 71, 111, 254 or 1114.
If the question is 67 vs. 469, I can’t see what 469 has to counter one additional Championship win and a HoF win. (Granted, 469 has gotten right on the edge many more times–three Einstein silvers to HOT’s one–but to be the man you gotta beat the man.)
118 vs. 2056 is definitely a more philosophical question as they take different paths to immortality. 118 sets the standard for stunning machinery every year, but the robots are definitely hero-or-zero (while they’ve earned a lot of gold, they haven’t taken silver anywhere since 2009). 2056’s robots don’t have the lust factor 118’s do–but it took them a decade to lose one lousy regional (and at 23 regional wins, they’re four ahead of Robonauts in ten fewer years). I personally side with uninterrupted excellence, but I can’t fault someone for picking uninterrupted drool-worthiness that usually ends up with a banner.
