Bill Clinton was president of the US, John Major was UK prime minister, Braveheart was a box-office smash and the Queen visited South Africa for the first royal visit in nearly 50 years the last time Aberdeen Football Club celebrated cup victory.
Yesterday, the Dons made up for the long wait in a triumphant show of glory which culminated with the players and manager Derek McInnes displaying the League Cup from the balcony of the Town House.
Last time the team gathered for such a celebration was to show off the Scottish FA Cup and it was held aloft by Hampden goal heroes John Hewitt and Billy Stark, then-manager Alex Ferguson and former Lord Provost Henry Rae.
This time, Russell Anderson did the honours, accompanied by Lord Provost George Adam, who said it would “without doubt” be one of the highlights of his time in office.
He said: “It was just a great moment.
“When I stepped out on the balcony, it was the first time I got a glimpse of all the people there and it took my breath away.
“That was my first reaction and after that it was a great sense of pride on behalf of the city that we are here honouring the club and what they have done.”
Mr Adam added: “It was fantastic. It was just brilliant to see so many people out on the streets just coming to show their support for Aberdeen Football Club and just to celebrate Aberdeen.
“I think the whole event went tremendously well and I would like to pay tribute to all the Aberdeen City Council staff who worked closely with the football club to make this happen.
“They organised an excellent event.”
Mr Adam also hosted a civic reception for players, team officials and invited guests at the Town House.
He said: “It was a huge success and everybody got a chance to speak to the players and get their photo taken with the trophy.”
Council leader Barney Crockett also praised yesterday’s event, adding: “I think it was an inspiration and there was such a positive feeling for everything going on.
“It shows the supporters are the very best possible ambassadors for the city and I think the players set a great example.”
Police Scotland said the celebrations went off without a hitch and were a credit to Aberdeen fans.
Chief Inspector Graeme Mackie said: “The event went extremely well from a policing perspective and it was fantastic to see the fans enjoying such a great atmosphere in a responsible manner.”