The Boston Celtics, New York Yankees (Public Enemy No. 1), Dallas Cowboys, University of Southern California Trojans (football) and University of North Carolina Tar Heels (basketball) have one thing in common. They are the most dominant dynasties in their respective sports and at their respective levels. 

I’m also pretty sure we can add to that list the New England Patriots, San Antonio Spurs (two other teams I despise) and my roommate’s “boys” — the Boston Red Sox. Unfortunately, when sports fans think of dynasties, these are the general ones that come to mind. They have no clue what lies underneath all the glory, pageantry and dirty tricks. But I have discovered even better dynasties that people — unless they have lived in the area of the dynasty — have never heard about. And so, to quote a favorite movie character of mine, “here…we…go.” 

Our first dynasty comes straight out of Baltimore, Md., (home of Michael Phelps, by the way) and is the powerhouse that is Johns Hopkins University men’s lacrosse. The team is the most dominant force in college lacrosse history, compiling 44 national titles with nine at the Division I level, 29 with the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association and six as a member of the Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. 

Sticking with the college theme, the next dynasty on my list is the men’s rowing team from the University of Washington. The Huskies have won 12 national titles and 22 Olympic medals, with 15 gold, two silver and five bronze. 

Another major college dynasty people are oblivious to is the Appalachian State University Mountaineers football team. Not only did they topple the Michigan Wolverines in 2007 in “The Big House,” but they also won three straight Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) national championships from 2005 to 2007. The squad also holds 15 conference championships dating back to 1931. 

Out of Alliance, Ohio is a Division III dynasty that is Mount Union College football. The program has won 10 national titles in 1993, ’96, ’97, ’98, 2000, ’01, ’02, ’05, ’06 and ’08. The team has also won 16 Ohio Athletic Conference championships and posted 110 consecutive regular season wins between 1994 and 2005. 

Two other college dynasties are the wrestling programs of the University of Iowa and Oklahoma State University. Iowa has won 21 national team titles since 1975 and Oklahoma State has won 34 national team titles overall.

Now we are going to venture into the world of high school athletics, where the little sports don’t get recognized and football players think of the weight room as a holy land.

The first high school dynasty comes out of Valdosta, Ga., specifically Valdosta High School. The football program at VHS has produced a record of 842-193-34, making it the winningest high school football program in the United States. Also, from 1913 to 2007, the team won six national championships, 23 state championships and 40 region titles. Because of their success, ESPN also named Valdosta “Title Town, USA” in 2008.

Another major high school football dynasty has recently taken shape in Chandler, Ariz. and is from Hamilton High School. The team won state championships in 2003, ’04, ’06 and ’08. Their dynasty started after they ended the dynasty of Mesa Mountain View High School in the 2003 5A state championship game. 

Tucson, Ariz. may be home to Northern Nogales University… I mean, uh, the University of Arizona, but it is also home to the nation’s most dominant high school wrestling dynasty. The Tucson Sunnyside High School wrestling team has won 13 consecutive state championships and shows no signs of slowing down. 

Okay, now that I’ve gotten my Arizona high school sports fix, it’s time to move on to my final high school dynasty, which currently resides in Columbus, Ohio. The women’s tennis team at Columbus High School has won 14 state titles (including four in a row) and has also appeared in 25 straight state tournaments. 

So, there you have it — a list of the some of the most unknown dynasties in the sports world. Pretty freakin’ eye-opening, huh? 

It just goes to show you being part of something large and dominant isn’t always as glorifying as it could be. 

Being a part of something small but powerful should leave you feeling more accomplished. 

After all, it’s harder making David into Goliath than it is to demote Goliath to David.