There were the memorable back-to-back seventh-placed finishes under Peter Reid and multiple great escapes under Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce.
There has also been relegation seasons too. Sunderland were unable to avoid the drop after disastrous seasons which included stints from managers David Moyes, Mick McCarthey and Howard Wilkinson at varying points before their dismissals.
But where do the Black Cats rank in the all-time Premier League table compared to the likes of Newcastle United and Leeds United since the new division began 30 seasons ago?