Winning/successful teams that came out of the blue

What a difference a coach makes. After starting 5-17 under head coach Bob Hopkins in 1977-78, the SuperSonics hired Lenny Wilkens. He finished the year 42-18 and then 52-30 in his first full season as head coach in 1978-79 en route to an NBA championship.

The 49ers went 6-10 in 1980. One year later, head coach Bill Walsh turned things around in his third season with the team. San Francisco went 13-3 with new full-time starting quarterback Joe Montana under center. The team went on to defeat the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.

Entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed, the Wolfpack won three of its first four games in the tournament by two points or less. After defeating Georgia in the semifinals, N.C. State wasn't given much of a chance to beat a legendary Houston team in the National Championship Game. The Wolfpack did just that on a tip-in at the buzzer to win the National Championship under head coach Jim Valvano.

Despite finishing the 1983 season with only one loss, BYU entered 1984 unranked in the AP Poll. The Cougars proceeded to go undefeated with a huge season from quarterback Robbie Bosco and won the National Championship after defeating Michigan in the Holiday Bowl.

Finishing the regular season fourth in the Big East, the Wildcats entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed. They made it to the National Championship Game vs. Georgetown and were considered overwhelming underdogs. Under head coach Rollie Massimino, Villanova won 66-64 to pull off the upset.

The Devils backed in to the playoffs as the fifth seed after going 22-18-8 in a shortened season. New Jersey got hot at the right time and was able to sweep an overpowering Red Wings squad in the Stanley Cup Final.

After going 8-4 in 1996, Lloyd Carr's Wolverines ranked 14th in the preseason AP Poll entering 1997. Quarterback Brian Griese and a defense led by Charles Woodson went a perfect 12-0 to win the National Championship.

With star quarterback Peyton Manning off to the NFL following the 1997 season, few expected the Vols to improve in 1998. They entered the year ranked 10th in the AP Poll but were able to maintain an elite offense with quarterback Tee Martin and running back Travis Henry. Tennessee went 13-0, capping off the season with a win over No. 2 Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Rams got used to losing in their first four seasons in St. Louis, bottoming out at 4-12 in 1998. The team did make impact offseason moves entering 1999, including the additions of Trent Green and Marshall Faulk, but after Green suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason, all hope seemed lost. A former Arena Football League quarterback named Kurt Warner emerged at quarterback and produced a record-breaking offense. The Rams went 13-3 during the regular season and defeated the Titans 23-16 in Super Bowl XXXIV. Head coach Dick Vermeil temporarily retired following the incredible season.

The Mariners were a very good team in 2000, finishing with 91 wins and the AL Wild Card. After signing Ichiro Suzuki from Japan the following offseason, however, they performed at another level. Ichiro won both the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year in a record-breaking 116-win season. Unfortunately, Seattle lost in five games to the Yankees in the ALCS.

Starting the year 0-2 in Bill Belichick's second season as New England's head coach, the team had major doubts with starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffering an injury. The Patriots turned to backup Tom Brady, and the rest is history. The 2000 sixth-round pick led the Patriots to an 11-5 (going 11-3 in his starts) regular-season record and a huge upset over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

The Marlins started the 2003 season 16-22 before firing manager Jeff Torborg. They hired veteran manager Jack McKeon, who finished off the season 75-49 to win the NL Wild Card. The team came together in the playoffs, defeating the Cubs in seven games in the NLCS with the infamous Steve Bartman game, followed by a six-game victory over the Yankees in the World Series led by ace Josh Beckett.

Head coach Larry Brown led a Pistons team without stars to a 54-28 regular season. The team easily exceeded its preseason Vegas over/under of 49.5 wins. Huge underdogs to win the NBA Finals vs. the Lakers at +500, the Pistons beat a star-powered L.A. squad led by Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone in five games.

Ozzie Guillen's White Sox improved by 16 wins to go 99-63 during the regular season in 2005. The team cruised through the playoffs, winning 11 out of 12 games, including a sweep of the Astros in the World Series.

George Mason was the second 11 seed in history to make the Final Four, and this came after the media criticized the tournament committee for even giving the Patriots an invitation to the Big Dance. The team was able to take down perennial college basketball powers Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn in the D.C. Regional before falling to eventual champion Florida in the National Semifinals.

While they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, who made an improbable playoff run themselves, the Tigers were the biggest surprise of the 2006 MLB season relative to spring expectations. Their win over/under was set at just 77 in Vegas, but the Tigers claimed the AL Wild Card with 95 wins. They rebounded from 12 consecutive losing seasons with an emerging pitching staff that included Justin Verlander.

The Celtics made big noise in the 2007 offseason by adding Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Paul Pierce, but the expectations were still low after going 25-58 in 2006-07. Boston won 66 games during the regular season and was able to beat the vaunted Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Head coach Shaka Smart's team made a name for itself with a run to the Final Four despite being a No. 11 seed. The Rams won four of five games by double digits before losing to No. 8 seed Butler in the National Semifinals.

The Kings were a huge disappointment in 2011-12, barely making the playoffs as an eight seed. Still, a roster full of talent got hot at the right time, particularly goaltender Jonathan Quick. The Kings defeated the Devils in the Stanley Cup Final in six games, including two overtime victories.

The 2015 Royals won the World Series, but the team from the previous season set the table. The 2014 squad won 89 games to make the playoffs for the first time in 29 years. K.C. made an incredible playoff run with eight straight wins to get to the World Series that included an unbelievable comeback victory over Oakland in the AL Wild Card Game. The Royals didn't quite have enough in the end, losing the the Giants in seven games in the World Series.

The Panthers went from 7-8-1 in 2014 to an elite 15-1 regular season in 2015 behind the heroics of Cam Newton. Newton won the league MVP, but the team fell short in Super Bowl 50 against a stout Broncos defense led by Von Miller.

With new head coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors took a huge step forward from their 51-win 2013-14 season. Stephen Curry turned into one of the league's true stars, as the Warriors went 67-15 during the regular season and beat LeBron James's Cavaliers in six games in the NBA Finals.

The most improbable champs ever? Leicester City had 5,000-1 odds to win the Premier League, but their Cinderella story ended as EPL champs, led by top goalscorer Jamie Vardy.

The Falcons hadn't produced a winning season since 2012, but they had a complete turnaround in head coach Dan Quinn's second season. The offense became elite with an MVP season from Matt Ryan, finishing the regular season 11-5 despite a seven-win over/under in Vegas before the year. The team had a 28-3 lead over the Patriots during the third quarter of Super Bowl LI before New England's epic comeback.

Arizona was the most disappointing team in MLB during the 2015 season, winning only 69 games despite huge offseason acquisitions Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller. The Diamondbacks have rebounded this year and are all but certain to win one of the NL Wild Card spots with a resurgent pitching staff led by Greinke and Robbie Ray, along with an MVP-caliber year from Paul Goldschmidt.