 Albion were one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888 and have spent the majority of their existence in the top tier of English football . They have been champions of England once , in 1919 – 20 and have been runners @-@ up twice but they have had more success in the FA Cup , winning it five times . The first came in 1888 , the year the league was founded , and the most recent in 1968 , their last major trophy . They also won the Football League Cup at the first attempt in 1966 . The club 's longest consecutive period in the top division was between 1949 and 1973 , and from 1986 to 2002 they spent their longest ever spell out of the top division . The 2016 – 17 season is now their eleventh non consecutive season in the top flight since 2002 . 
