14. Patriots Win 6th Straight AFC East Title

The New England Patriots are AFC East Champions for the sixth straight season and for the 12th time in the Belichick/Brady era. 

The Pats have also locked up their 12th straight season of ten wins or more, continuing to prove year in and year out to be an incredible model of consistency. 

13. E.C. Matthews

2014 saw the emergence of URI guard E.C. Matthews as one of the superstars in Rhode Island College basketball. 

At the end of the 2013-14 season, Matthews was named A10 Co- Rookie of the year, averaging 14 points per game. 

Prior to the 2014 -15 season, Matthews was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, flagging him as one of the best guards in the country. 

E.C. Matthews has averaged 17 points per game so far this season to lead URI. 

12. RI College Basketball Coaching in good shape

2014 has seen the rise of college basketball in Rhode Island because of the great coaching. 

Led by Ed Cooley, the Providence Friars won the Big East Championship, Brown University, under head coach Mike Martin found it's way back into the post season, qualifying for the Collegeinsider.com tournament. 

Meanwhile, Dan Hurley and Tim O'Shea have URI and Bryant on the rise in their respective conferences. 

It's been a good year to be a Rhode Island basketball fan. 

11. CVS Classic Donates $1.4 Million to Local Charities 

In 2014, the CVS Classic raised a record $1.4 Million and donated it to  80 charities across southern New England. The classic has raised $18 million in total since it started in 1999.

This years field included players such as Matt Kuchar, PGA Champion Jason Dufner, Steve Stricker and Masters Champ Zach Johnson. 

The 2015 CVS Classic will be held from June 28 to June 30 at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington. 

10. Bryce Cotton

The Friars 2013-14 season will never be forgotten, thanks in very large part to Big East Tournament MVP, Bryce Cotton. 

Cotton led the Friars the entire season, playing just about every minute of every game and in some cases willing the Friars to a win. 

Bryce Cotton averaged 21 points and six assists per game including a 36 point performance against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. 

Cotton did not get drafted but did end up signing a contract with the San Antonio Spurs. 

He is currently playing in the NBA D-League with the Austin Spurs. 

9. 25 Greatest Olympic Athletes from RI

Rhode Island may be small, but it has produced its fare share of Olympic athletes. Rhode Island has been home to some of the world’s greatest athletes representing a variety of sports – including rowing, track & field, swimming, hockey, gymnastics, and ice skating.

View the list here. 

8. National Felony League- Patriots

2014 saw former Ravens running back Ray Rice get suspened indefinitly from the NFL for hitting his then Fiance, now wife.  Then just a short time after that, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson got suspended indefinitly for beating his child. 

With all the crimes piling up on NFL players, GoLocal took a look at the crimes committed by New England Patriots while on the team since 2000 - the so called Golden Era. Here is the full list.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was first published September 11th at 2:30 am.

7. FIFA World Cup

The U.S.A. men's national team captivated the country in the summer of 2014 with their run in the FIFA Wold Cup. They nearly beat Portugal in pool play, ending it in a 2-2 tie. 

 Team U.S.A. advanced out of pool play and into the elimination round but lost to Belgium, despite 16 saves from Tim Howard. 

The success of the U.S. continues to help grow the game not only hear in New England, but nationally as well. 

6. Revolution Make it to MLS Cup Final

The New England Revolution advanced to the MLS Cup Final for the fifth time in franchise history after defeating the New York Red Bulls 4-3 on aggregate. 

The Revs faced the LA Galaxy in the final and lost a heartbreaker, 2-1 in OT. 

The Revs run to the finals captivated all of New England and has greatly helped grow the game of soccer. 

5. Friar Legend Marvin Barnes Passes Away

"We just learned that we've lost one of our all-time Friar greats, Marvin Barnes '74, a PC Hall of Famer and an NBA and ABA Legend" read the Providence College Facebook page. 

Marvin Barnes died at the age of 62 in early September. 

PC retired Barnes jersey in 2008 and he still co-holds the single game scoring record with 52 points. 

4. Providence Sky Chiefs

In 2014, Providence saw the arrival of it's first professional basketball team in nearly three decades, the Providence Sky Chiefs. 

The Sky Chiefs are an expansion team to the American Basketball Association (ABA) are owned by Giovanni Feroce, the CEO of BENRUS. 

The Chiefs played, and won their inaugural home opener in early November. 

For more information on the Sky Chiefs, or to get tickets, click here.

3.

3. Cumberland Little League World Series, Dave Belisle Speech

Cumberland Little League made a great run into the Little League World Series and were part of some memorable games in the process. 

After they were eliminated, head coach Dave Belisle gave one of the most memorable speeches of all time to his team. 

The speech went all over the country and helped get Belisle nominated for the 2014 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. 

2. Revs Coming to Prov?

Providence is a city in need of a big idea. It needs an innovative initiative that plays on all of the city’s strengths, builds the economy and aligns Providence’s diversity.

The solution for Providence is to create a new energy for the Capital City -- and the perfect opportunity is to relocate the New England Revolution professional soccer team right in the middle of downtown Providence.  

Read more

1. Providence Friars Win Big East Championship

The top story of 2014 is the Providence Friars men's basketball team winning the Big East Championship for the first time in 20 years, beating Creighton 65-58 at Madison Square Garden in New York. 

Bryce Cotton led the Friars in the game with 23 points and was awarded the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the tournament MVP. 

The Friars went to the NCAA tournament but lost a heartbreaker, 79-77, to North Carolina. 

It was a memorable run nonetheless for the Friars and one that will not soon be forgotten.