⚾ MLB: 1894-2021
128 4
One of the eight original American League teams beginning with the 1901 season.
Left Washington DC to relocate to Minnesota to begin the 1961 season.
🏈 NFL: 1961-2021
61 1
Professional football in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area (the "Twin Cities") began with the Minneapolis Marines/Red Jackets, an NFL team that played intermittently in the 1920s and 1930s. However, a n...
🏀 NBA: 1990-2021
32
Founded in 1989, the team is owned by Glen Taylor who also owns the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. The Timberwolves play their home games at Target Center, their home since 1990.
Like most expansion teams, t...
NHL: 2001-2021
21
The Wild were founded on June 25, 1997, but did not start play until the 2000–01 season. The Wild was the first NHL franchise in Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993. They...
Defunct Teams
Teams that have folded or moved away from the Minnesota area.F i l t e r & S o r t Filter & Sort
NHL: 1968-1993
26
The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. Before the beginning of the 1978–79 NHL season, the team merged with the Cleveland Bar...
WHA: 1973-1977
5
Founded in November 1971, the first Fighting Saints team played four seasons beginning in 1972–73 under the ownership of nine local businessmen. (St. Paul attorney Wayne Belisle purchased the team lat...
🏀 ABA: 1969-1969
1
Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team played their home games in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.
The Pipers were on...
🏀 ABA: 1968-1968
1
The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians...
🏀 NBA: 1948-1960
13 7
The franchise began with the 1947 purchase of a disbanded team, the Detroit Gems of the National Basketball League (NBL). The new team began playing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, calling themselves the M...
🏀 NPBL: 1948-1951
4
The Waterloo Hawks were founded in 1948, playing in the National Basketball League. In 1949, the National Basketball League was absorbed by its rival, the Basketball Association of America, forming th...
🏈 NFL: 1921-1930
10
The Minneapolis Marines were an early professional football team that existed from 1905 until 1924. The team was later resurrected from 1929 to 1930 under the Minneapolis Red Jackets name. The Marines...
🏈 NFL: 1923-1927
5
The Duluth Eskimos were a professional football team from Duluth, Minnesota in the National Football League (NFL). After spending most of their time as a traveling team, they withdrew from the league ...
⚾ Negro: 1907-1916
10
Small club of black baseball players formed in St. Paul, Minnesota. Like other barnstorming teams of the time, they put considerable pressure on the desegregation of baseball.
⚾ Negro: 1908-1911
4
Many researchers do not consider the Keystones a "formal" Negro league team. However, like other barnstorming teams of the time, they had considerable impact on the desegregation of baseball.
⚾ AL: 1894-1899
6 1
One of the eight original American League teams beginning with the 1901 season.
⚾ UA: 1884-1884
1
Joined the Union Association in late September 1884 to replace the Pittsburgh Stogies.
Disbanded when the Association folded at the end of the season.
The early history of sports contains hundreds of teams that appeared for only 1 or 2 seasons before folding. Most of these teams have no historical photographs or articles, so are omitted from this list to reduce clutter. To view a comprehensive list of all defunct teams, browse to the early leagues section for baseball, football, basketball, or hockey.