In sports (especially in North America), a three-peat is winning three consecutive championships or tournaments. The term, a portmanteau of the words three and repeat, originated with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, during their unsuccessful campaign for a third consecutive championship during the 1988–89 season, having won the previous 2 NBA finals.
The term is a registered trademark owned by Pat Riley, the Lakers' head coach from 1981 to 1990. The original owner and assignor of the underlying THREE-PEAT "mark" was Bijan Khezri, former president of P.d.P. Paperon De Paperoni, a Delaware corporation. Khezri submitted in November 1988 a trademark application for the use of three-peat on shirts, jackets and hats. Around that time, the phrase was being used by members and fans of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, of whom Pat Riley was the head coach, regarding the Lakers' quest that season to obtain what would have been a third successive NBA championship. According to Riley, it was Laker player Byron Scott who cited the term in reference to the team's goal for that season.
After Khezri assigned the trademark to Riley, it remained an entity of Riles & Co., the corporate entity of National Basketball Association (NBA) coach Pat Riley.In 1989, Riles & Co. successfully registered the trademark under U.S. Registration Number 1552980. The Lakers did not win a third consecutive NBA championship in 1989, but the Chicago Bulls did in 1993, and Riles & Co. collected royalties from sports apparel makers who licensed the phrase for use on merchandise commemorating that accomplishment.
Riles & Co. subsequently obtained additional registrations expanding the trademark to cover many other kinds of merchandise in addition to apparel. The company then went on to reap additional profits by again licensing the phrase to merchandisers when the Bulls again won three consecutive NBA championships from 1996 through 1998, as well as when the New York Yankees won three straight World Series championships from 1998 through 2000 and when the Lakers won three straight NBA championships from 2000 through 2002. For the Lakers, it was their second in franchise history, and only the first since moving from Minneapolis. As of 2024, the Lakers are the last team of the 4 major American professional sports (NHL, MLB, NFL, & NBA) to accomplish the three-peat.
While originating in the United States, the three-peat has been replicated all over the world across different sports. In recent times, Spanish association football club Real Madrid notably became the first club of the modern era to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles (2015–16, 2016–17 and 2017–18).
The trademark registration for three-peat has been challenged over the years by those who argue that the term has become too generic in its usage for the trademark to continue to be applicable. However, such arguments have yet to succeed, with the registration continuing to be upheld by the United States Patent and Trademark Office as recently as 2001, in the case of Christopher Wade v. Riles & Co. This challenge documented the transfer of assignment from Khezri to Riles & Co., and upheld the validity of the trademark as originally conceived.
In 2005, a group of individuals attempted to trademark the phrase Three-Pete in anticipation of the (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt that year by the 2005 USC Trojans football team to win a third consecutive national championship. The change in spelling was a reference to the team's head coach, Pete Carroll. However, the Patent Office ruled that the change in spelling was not dissimilar enough from Riles & Co.'s three-peat, and denied the registration. Later that year, U.S.C. fan Kyle Bunch began selling his own "Three-Pete" T-shirts. He discontinued sales once he was notified that he was infringing upon the Riles & Co. trademark.
As of late 2007, the trademark "Three Peat" is still active for shirts, jackets, caps, etc., and for commemorative mugs, plates, etc., and also for posters, bumper sticker, etc. The similar "3 Peat" became a registered trademark of Riles & Co. for blankets and other bedding, as of June 2015. Some of the Riles & Co. trademarks are no longer in effect, e.g. keychains.
In a comedic context, the same play on words, additionally incorporating the name "Pete", is known to have been used as early as 1930 on the radio program Empire Builders. The episode of that program broadcast on December 29, 1930, featured a trio of singers dubbed "The Three Visiting Firemen: Pete, Re-Pete, and Three-Pete".[1]
The Oxford English Dictionary credits an Illinois high school senior, Sharif Ford, with the earliest published use of the word in the March 8, 1989, edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ford's quote uses the term in a sporting context and serves to provide a clear etymology as well:
The Lincoln High Tigers say they want to "three-peat". "You know, kind of like repeat, except doing it for the third time", senior Sharif Ford said.
There have been numerous instances of teams winning three or more consecutive championships in the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, National Football League, and Australian Football League, most of which occurred prior to the advent of the term three-peat.
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA Finals)
NACDA Director's Cup (overall collegiate athletics)
NAIA National Football Championship
NAIA National Basketball Championship
NCAA Division I Baseball
NCAA Division I Softball
NCAA Division I Football
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)
Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)[6]
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
NCAA Division I Men's Water Polo
NCAA Division I Women's Basketball
NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country
NCAA Division II Women's Basketball
NCAA Division III Women's Basketball
NCAA Division I Women's Soccer
NCAA Division II Football Championship[7]
NCAA Division III Football[8]
U.S. National Collegiate Club Rugby championships
Warhammer 40k American Team Championships[9]
West Australian Football League
Australian Football League Germany
First Division (association football)
Bulgarian A PFG
First Division (Association football):
Costa Rica, American Football 1st Division
Czech National Basketball League
English football First Tier
Iraq Central FA Premier League
Iraqi Futsal Premier League
Russian Football Premier League
Scottish football league system first tier
South Africa
South African Premier Division
Iraqi Basketball Premier League
Iraqi Basketball Perseverance Cup
Israeli Basketball Premier League
Russian Basketball Super League 1 (1992-2010)
Russian Professional Basketball League
Premier A Slovenian Basketball League
Canadian Rugby Union (pre 1958) / Canadian Football League (post 1958) (Grey Cup):
Collegiate women's basketball
Queensland Premier Cricket T20
New Zealand cricket's Plunket Shield
Iraqi Handball Premier League
Slovenian First League of Handball
New South Wales Rugby Football League/Australian Rugby League/National Rugby League
Super League Super League Grand Final
Al Oerter, Men's Discus throw (4-peat) Carl Lewis, Men's Long jump (4-peat)
Usain Bolt, Men's 100m
Anita Włodarczyk, Women's Hammer throw USA, Men's Basketball tournament (7-peat) USA, Men's Basketball tournament USA, Women's Basketball tournament (7-peat) USA, Men's Basketball tournament (5-peat)
Áron Szilágyi, individual men's sabre
Ben Ainslie, Finn
Jin Jong-oh, Men's 50m pistol
Dawn Fraser, Women's 100 metres freestyle Krisztina Egerszegi, Women's 200 metres backstroke Great Britain, Men's Water polo tournament Hungary, Men's Water polo tournament USA, Women's Water polo tournament
Serbia, Men's Water polo tournament
Canada, Men's Ice Hockey tournament (4-peat) Canada, Women's Ice Hockey tournament (4-peat)Unofficial Championships (before 1886)
Pre-FIDE World Championships (1886–1946)
FIDE World Championships (2006–present)
Carl Lewis, Men's 100m Maurice Greene, Men's 100m Usain Bolt, Men's 200m (4-peat) Noah Lyles, Men's 200m Allyson Felix, Women's 200m Michael Johnson, Men's 400m (4-peat)
Hicham El Guerrouj, Men's 1500m (4-peat)
Asbel Kiprop, Men's 1500m Mo Farah, Men's 5000m
Haile Gebrselassie, Men's 10000m (4-peat) Kenenisa Bekele, Men's 10000m (4-peat) Mo Farah, Men's 10000m
Joshua Cheptegei, Men's 10000m Greg Foster, Men's 110m hurdles Grant Holloway, Men's 110m hurdles Moses Kiptanui, Men's 3000m steeplechase Ezekiel Kemboi, Men's 3000m steeplechase (4-peat) United States of America, Men's 4 × 100 m relay (4-peat) Jamaica, Men's 4 × 100 m relay (4-peat) United States of America, Men's 4 × 400 m relay (6-peat) United States of America, Men's 4 × 400 m relay United States of America, Women's 4 × 400 m relay (4-peat) United States of America, Women's 4 × 400 m relay
Mutaz Essa Barshim, Men's High jump
Mariya Lasitskene, Women's High jump
Sergey Bubka, Men's Pole vault (6-peat)
Ivan Pedroso, Men's Long jump (4-peat) Brittney Reese, Women's Long jump Christian Taylor, Men's Triple jump
Yulimar Rojas, Women's Triple jump (4-peat)
Valerie Adams, Women's Shot put (4-peat) Pawel Fajdek, Men's Hammer throw (5-peat) Yipsi Moreno, Women's Hammer throw Anita Wlodarczyk, Women's Hammer throw Dan O'Brien, Men's Decathlon
Tomas Dvorak, Men's Decathlon
Carolina Kluft, Men's Heptathlon Australia (ICC ODI World Cup every 4 years)Gary Anderson could have made a three-peat in 2015–2017 but lost 7-3 to Michael van Gerwen in the final of the 2017 World darts championship.
Natus Vincere (4-peat: Intel Extreme Masters 2010, ESWC 2010, WCG 2010, and Intel Extreme Masters 2011) Jay Green (1990 tied with Mike DeVito) Mike DeVito (1993 Independence Day, 1993 One-on-one Challenge with Japan, 1994 Independence Day)
Hirofumi Nakajima (1996 One-on-one Challenge with Japan, 1997 and 1998 Independence Day) Takeru Kobayashi (6-peat) Joey Chestnut (8-peat) Joey Chestnut (8-peat) Sonya Thomas Miki Sudo (7-peat) Peter Thomson Walter HagenInternational rules football games are held sporadically, hence the eight-year gap between 1990 and 1998.
Formula One World Drivers' Champion
Juan Manuel Fangio (4-peat) Lewis Hamilton (4-peat)Champ Car World Series auto racing
Sébastien Bourdais (4-peat) Geoff Duke John Surtees Mike Hailwood (4-peat)
Giacomo Agostini (7-peat) Wayne Rainey 1994-1998 Mick Doohan (5-peat) Valentino Rossi (5-peat)Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship
Guido Cappellini (4-peat) Guido Cappellini Alex Carella Philippe Chiappe New Zealand (4-peat) Australia (6-peat)Women's Rugby League World Cup
New Zealand AustraliaIPS World Circuit World Champion
Mark RichardsASP World Tour World Champion
Kelly SlaterASP World Tour World Champion
Winter X Games SuperPipe
Shaun White United States Great Britain United States Australia Australia Australia Australia
Spain Jack Crawford Roy Emerson Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic Daphne Akhurst Cozens Nancye Wynne Bolton[12] Margaret Court (6-peat) Margaret Court Evonne Goolagong Cawley Adrian Quist (5-peat; his partners were Don Turnbull in 1936–37 tournaments, and John Bromwich until 1940)[13] John Bromwich (his partner was Adrian Quist, see above) John Bromwich and Adrian Quist (5-peat) Rod Laver and Bob Mark Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan Sylvia Lance Harper (her partners were Esna Boyd Robertson in the 1923 tournament, and Daphne Akhurst Cozens in 1924–25) Thelma Coyne Long and Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long and Nancye Wynne Bolton Mary Bevis Hawton (her partners were Beryl Penrose in 1954–55, and Thelma Coyne Long in the 1956 tournament) Margaret Court (her partners were Mary Carter Reitano in the 1961 tournament, and Robyn Ebbern in 1962–63) Margaret Court (her partners were Judy Tegart Dalton in 1969–70, and Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the 1971 tournament) Evonne Goolagong Cawley (her partners were Peggy Michel in 1974–75, and Helen Gourlay in the 1976 tournament) Helen Gourlay (her partners were Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1976 and December 1977 (see above), and Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat in January 1977)[14] Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver (7-peat[15])
Natasha Zvereva in the 1997 tournament, Mirjana Lučić in 1998, and Anna Kournikova in 1999) André Vacherot Paul Aymé Max Decugis Max Decugis Björn Borg (4-peat) Rafael Nadal (4-peat) Rafael Nadal (5-peat) Rafael Nadal (4-peat) Adine Masson Kate Gillou Jeanne Matthey Suzanne Lenglen Helen Wills
Justine Henin Iga Świątek Roy Emerson (6-peat: his partners were Neal Fraser in 1960 and 1962, Rod Laver in the 1961 tournament, Manuel Santana in 1963, Ken Fletcher in 1964, and Fred Stolle in 1965) Jeanne Matthey and Daisy Speranza Suzanne Lenglen (4-peat: her partners were Elisabeth d'Aryen in the 1920 tournament, Geramine Pigueron in 1921–22, and Didi Vasto in 1923) Elizabeth Ryan (her partners were Helen Wills in the 1932 tournament, and Simonne Mathieu in 1933–34) Simonne Mathieu (4-peat: her partners were Billie Yorke in 1936–38, and Jadwiga Jędrzejowska in the 1939 tournament) Simonne Mathieu, see above) Doris Hart and Shirley Fry Irvin Ann Jones in the 1963 tournament) Margaret Court (her partners were Lesley Turner Bowrey in 1964–65, and Judy Tegart in the 1966 tournament) Françoise Dürr (5-peat: her partners were Gail Chanfreau in 1967 and 1970–71, and Ann Jones in 1967–68)[16] Martina Navratilova (5-peat: her partners were Pam Shriver in 1984–85 and 1987–88, and Andrea Temesvári in the 1986 tournament) Gigi Fernández (5-peat: her partners were Jana Novotná in the 1991 tournament, and Natasha Zvereva in 1992–95) Natasha Zvereva (4-peat: her partner was Gigi Fernández, see above) Anthony Wilding Fred Perry Björn Borg (5-peat) Pete Sampras Pete Sampras (4-peat) Suzanne Lenglen Helen Wills Louise Brough Maureen Connolly Billie Jean King Martina Navratilova (6-peat) Randolph Lycett (his partners were Max Woosnam in the 1921 tournament, James Anderson in 1922, and Leslie Godfree) John Van Ryn (his partners were Wilmer Allison in 1929–30, and George Lott in the 1931 tournament) John Newcombe and Tony Roche Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde Todd Woodbridge and Jonas Björkman Suzanne Lenglen and Elizabeth Ryan (5-peat) Elizabeth Ryan (her partners were Suzanne Lenglen in the 1925 tournament, Mary Browne in 1926, and Helen Wills in 1927) Louise Brough and Margaret Osborne duPont Shirley Fry Irvin and Doris Hart Althea Gibson (her partners were Angela Buxton in the 1956 tournament, Darlene Hard in 1957, and 
Maria Bueno in 1958) Billie Jean King (4-peat: her partners were Rosemary Casals in 1970–71 and 1973, and Betty Stöve in the 1972 tournament) Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver (4-peat) Natasha Zvereva (4-peat: her partners were Larisa Neiland in the 1991 tournament, and Gigi Fernández in 1992–94) Gigi Fernández (her partner was Natasha Zvereva, see above) Richard Sears Oliver Campbell Malcolm Whitman William Larned Bill Tilden John McEnroe Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman Mary Browne
Molla Mallory Molla Mallory Helen Wills Helen Wills Helen Jacobs Alice Marble Pauline Betz Margaret Osborne duPont Maureen Connolly Chris Evert (4-peat) Serena Williams Richard Sears (6-peat: his partners were James Dwight in 1882–84 and 1886–87, and Joseph Clark in the 1885 tournament) James Dwight (his partner was Richard Sears, see above) Holcombe Ward and Dwight F. Davis Holcombe Ward and Beals Wright Fred Alexander and Harold Hackett (4-peat) Maurice McLoughlin and Tom Bundy Bill Tilden (his partners were Vincent Richards in 1921–22, and Brian Norton in the 1923 tournament) George Lott (his partners were John F. Hennessey in the 1928 tournament, and John Doeg in 1929–30) Juliette Atkinson (5-peat: her partners were Helen Hellwig in 1894–95, Elisabeth Moore in the 1896 tournament, and Kathleen Atkinson in 1897-98) Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman (her partners were Edith Rotch in 1909–10, and Eleonora Sears in the 1911 tournament) Mary K. Browne (her partners were Dorothy Green in the 1912 tournament, and Louise Riddell Williams in 1913–14) Eleonora Sears (her partners were Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman in the 1915 tournament, and Molla Mallory in 1916–17) Marion Jessup and Eleanor Goss Sarah Palfrey Cooke (5-peat: her partners were Alice Marble in 1937–40, and Margaret Osborne duPont in the 1941 tournament) Alice Marble (4-peat: her partner was Sarah Palfrey Cooke, see above) Margaret Osborne duPont (10-peat: her partners were Sarah Palfrey Cooke in the 1941 tournament (see above), and Louise Brough in 1942–50) Louise Brough (9-peat: her partner was Margaret Osborne duPont, see above) Shirley Fry Irvin and Doris Hart Louise Brough and Margaret Osborne duPont Darlene Hard (5-peat: her partners were Jeanne Arth in 1958–59, Maria Bueno in 1960 and 1962, and Lesley Turner Bowrey in the 1961 tournament) Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez
Ilie Năstase Novak Djokovic (4-peat) Peter Fleming and John McEnroe (7-peat) Martina Navratilova (4-peat) Serena Williams Novak Djokovic Guy Forget (his partners were Peter Fleming in the 1986 tournament, Yannick Noah in 1987, and Boris Becker in 1988) Guy Forget in 1988 and 1990, and Jakob Hlasek in the 1989 tournament) Andre Agassi Novak Djokovic Serena Williams Serena Williams Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde
Leander Paes (his partners were Lukáš Dlouhý in the 2010 tournament, Mahesh Bhupathi in 2011, and Radek Štěpánek in 2012) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (her partners were Jana Novotná in 1995 and 1996, and Natasha Zvereva in the 1997 tournament) Rafael Nadal (8-peat) Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal (5-peat) Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic (4-peat)In the National Football League (NFL), a Super Bowl championship three-peat has not been accomplished. Two-time defending Super Bowl champions who failed to three-peat include the Green Bay Packers (1968), Miami Dolphins (1974), Pittsburgh Steelers (twice: 1976, 1980), San Francisco 49ers (1990), Dallas Cowboys (1994), Denver Broncos (1999), and New England Patriots (2005). All of these teams failed to return to the title game in the third season (indicated in parentheses).
The Kansas City Chiefs are currently two-time defending Super Bowl champions following their wins in Super Bowl LVII in 2023 and Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
The Buffalo Bills went to 4 consecutive Super Bowls as the AFC champions from 1990 to 1993, which is a feat unmatched in NFL history; however, they lost in every appearance.
The New England Patriots are the most recent team to play in three consecutive Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl LI in 2016 and Super Bowl LIII in 2018, but losing Super Bowl LII in 2017.
In the early years of the NFL, decades before the introduction of either the term three-peat or the Super Bowl, the Packers won three consecutive NFL titles from 1929 - 31. This was achieved without playing any postseason playoff games, as the league title was determined at that time from the season standings. In addition, the Packers won the NFL championship in 1965, at a time when the rival NFL and AFL played separate exclusive championships. They then followed that 1965 championship with their first two Super Bowl victories in 1966 and 1967 (their Super Bowl berths were earned by winning both the 1966 NFL Championship Game and 1967 NFL Championship Game), thereby winning championships three years in a row.
There have been efforts to come up with a similarly clever name for the potential fourth consecutive championship in the year following a three-peat. But attempts such as quat-row have thus far failed to catch on, and most fans simply use the term four-peat. Since the term three-peat came into usage, however, only one team in major American sports has been able to achieve it – Hendrick Racing/Jimmie Johnson NASCAR team, who won 5 championships in a row.
The wordplay of three-peat is clearer if repeat is stressed on the first syllable; this pronunciation is uncommon outside North America. Other English-speaking people may instead talk of a hat trick of championships, or simply a three-in-a-row.
There are also terms for winning three trophies in the same season:
