Untouchable Sports Records

[Déjà Bru]

According to a writer at The Athletic, that is. I will not link to the article due to their paywall — the thought occurs, why should they get credit for page hits when they deny some of you page views? — but I will summarize it here.

The article was inspired by Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record.

For 31 years, Gretzky reigned as the all-time goalscorer in the NHL with 894 goals. That was before 39-year-old Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals overtook that landmark on April 7. Gretzky still holds a few records widely regarded as untouchable — his ridiculous 1,963 career assists, for instance.

Then he goes on to list these that he considers to be Untouchable Sports Records:

SOCCER

Furthest goal: 96.01 meters (104.9 yards)

Whether intentional or not, in January 2021, Newport County goalkeeper Tom King — with the benefit of a bounce and wind assistance — scored from a goal kick.

Shortest time between two goals: Nine seconds

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. It takes no time at all to rattle off those numbers. Incredible, then, that it took just nine seconds for Wycombe Wanderers to score twice against Peterborough United in September 2000.

Highest scoreline: 149-0

Reigning champions of the Madagascan first-tier Stade Olympique de l’Emyrne (SOE) came to their game against bitter rivals AS Adema salty in November 2002.

In their previous game, SOE felt a penalty decision had gone against them, denying them the opportunity to retain their title as the necessary win was not secured. To compound matters, AS Adema were crowned champions.

In retaliation, SOE threw the next game against Adema as a planned protest against the refereeing they felt had denied them the title. After winning the ball, they proceeded to score 149 own goals at a rate of one every 36 seconds, the sort of drama reality television would be proud of.

OLYMPICS

Gold medals: 23

Michael Phelps might injure his neck if he wore all 23 of his Olympic gold medals.

Women’s 100 meter record: 10.49 seconds

Florence Griffith Joyner, known as ‘Flo-Jo, ’ had experienced glory in the 200m, winning Olympic silver in 1984 and silver again at the 1987 World Championships. But it was in 1988 that she became a global star, breaking the 100m world record and smashing her personal best at the U.S. Olympic trials.

TENNIS

The Calendar Golden Grand Slam

In 1988, Steffi Graf, then aged 19, had the best year possible in tennis. The German achieved the Calendar Golden Grand Slam, winning all four major tournaments — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open — and Olympic gold in the same year.

NBA

Most points in a game: 100 points

One of the most iconic photos in NBA history is a black-and-white shot of Wilt Chamberlain posing with a piece of paper with 100 scribbled on it after his historic night in March 1962.

All-time scorer: 42,170+ points

LeBron James is in his 22nd NBA season. The 40-year-old has spent more than half of his life in the league

FORMULA 1

Most races without a podium finish: 231+

Having raced in 231 grands prix to date, Nico Hülkenberg is one of the most experienced drivers in Formula One history. Yet, he has never had a top-three finish.

Youngest driver to score points: 17 years, 180 days

Someone who knows a thing or two about podium finishes is Max Verstappen. At the time of publication, the four-time world champion has won 64 F1 grands prix races and is the youngest driver, youngest points scorer and youngest race winner in F1 history.

"That's all he wrote." This really is all that he included. I looked for a "Part 1 of X" notice but did not find any.

So, this list seems WOEFULLY inadequate! There's some interesting stuff in here but it's hard to fathom the guy getting paid for this article.

What are some other Untouchable Sports Records, in your estimation? Cy Young, anybody?

[low]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

According to a writer at The Athletic, that is. I will not link to the article due to their paywall — the thought occurs, why should they get credit for page hits when they deny some of you page views? — but I will summarize it here.

The article was inspired by Ovechkin breaking Gretzky's all-time goal scoring record.

Then he goes on to list these that he considers to be Untouchable Sports Records:
"That's all he wrote." This really is all that he included. I looked for a "Part 1 of X" notice but did not find any.

So, this list seems WOEFULLY inadequate! There's some interesting stuff in here but it's hard to fathom the guy getting paid for this article.

What are some other Untouchable Sports Records, in your estimation? Cy Young, anybody?

Immediately off the top of my head...

Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games record and Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by low

Immediately off the top of my head...

Cal Ripken Jr's consecutive games record and Joe DiMaggio's hitting streak.

Good, but low-hanging fruit. What else?

[Westheim]

NASCAR

"King" Richard Petty's 200 Cup wins will surely never be beaten.

The seven Cups championships that Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson tie for are also out of reach in NASCAR's "Let's be RANDOM" era of determining its champion.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Good, but low-hanging fruit. What else?

Any record with Nolan Ryan's name on it.

[Cobra Mgr]

A new one may have been reached today. Chris Paul became the most tenured player to start all 82 games.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Any record with Nolan Ryan's name on it.

Which would be most career strikeouts (5,714), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.56), and no-hitters (7). But did you know that he also is the leader, by far, in career bases on balls?



Somebody may do better someday in H/9 depending on where they set the qualification but nobody is ever going to break his other records. Not the way they baby pitchers now.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Any record with Nolan Ryan's name on it.

Seconded.

7 no-no's
5714 k's

Unless something drastic happens in the way the game is played, these are untouchable.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

A new one may have been reached today. Chris Paul became the most tenured player to start all 82 games.

Considering he will be age 40 on May 6, that really is something!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Seconded.

7 no-no's
5714 k's

Unless something drastic happens in the way the game is played, these are untouchable.

Wow. That list is much longer than I thought. Still, the age of pitching greats is over.

[thehef]

Cy Young, 511 wins
Cal Ripkin Jr's 2632 consecutive games...
DiMaggio's 56
Nolan Ryan's 7 no-no's
Shula's 347 wins
Derrick Thomas 7 sacks in one game
Wilt averaging 50 ppg (I'd say this is more unbreakable than his 100)
Stockton's 15,806 assists
Byron Nelson's 11 consecutive PGA Tour wins
Martina Navratilova's 74-match win streak
Richard Petty's 200 wins
Usain Bolt's 9.58 in the 100m

Some unusual or quirky ones...

Johnny Burnett's 9 hits in a game (18 innings)
Ryan's 12 one-hitters
Bill Wambganst's most unassisted triple plays in a single World Series, or WS career (one)
Rasheed's 41 techs in a season
Wilt averaging 48.5 mpg in a season
Jameis Winston - 30 TD's AND 30 Int's in a season
Jim Marshall - longest wrong-way pick six return (66 yards)
Shizo Kanakuri – Longest time to finish a marathon: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thehef

Cy Young, 511 wins
Cal Ripkin Jr's 2632 consecutive games...
DiMaggio's 56
Nolan Ryan's 7 no-no's
Shula's 347 wins
Derrick Thomas 7 sacks in one game
Wilt averaging 50 ppg (I'd say this is more unbreakable than his 100)
Stockton's 15,806 assists
Byron Nelson's 11 consecutive PGA Tour wins
Martina Navratilova's 74-match win streak
Richard Petty's 200 wins
Usain Bolt's 9.58 in the 100m

Some unusual or quirky ones...

Johnny Burnett's 9 hits in a game (18 innings)
Ryan's 12 one-hitters
Bill Wambganst's most unassisted triple plays in a single World Series, or WS career (one)
Rasheed's 41 techs in a season
Wilt averaging 48.5 mpg in a season
Jameis Winston - 30 TD's AND 30 Int's in a season
Jim Marshall - longest wrong-way pick six return (66 yards)
Shizo Kanakuri – Longest time to finish a marathon: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days

Now, this is high-hanging fruit! Care to discuss any of these further, you or anyone?

For example, "Wilt averaging 48.5 mpg in a season": I read someplace that "During the 1961-1962 NBA season, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 PPG. [Including the famous 100-point game.] Due to an abundance of games going to OT, he also averaged an insane 48.5 MPG [minutes per game]." Yes, definitely, this qualifies.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Now, this is high-hanging fruit! Care to discuss any of these further, you or anyone?

For example, "Wilt averaging 48.5 mpg in a season": I read someplace that "During the 1961-1962 NBA season, Wilt Chamberlain averaged 50.4 PPG. [Including the famous 100-point game.] Due to an abundance of games going to OT, he also averaged an insane 48.5 MPG [minutes per game]." Yes, definitely, this qualifies.

Wilt's 48.5 mpg average was not so much due to an abundance of games going into OT (7 games, 10 total OT periods), but simply his refusal to exit games. He missed a grand total of 8 minutes(!) that season (all 8 due to an ejection after receiving a 2nd technical foul). Nobody is ever touching that one...

A few other comments...

- If an NFL coach actually put in 20 years and averaged 15 wins, he'd be at 300 wins, 47 short of Shula...
- If a pointguard played 20 seasons & averaged 10 assists per game and 75 games per season, he'd still be 806 assists short of Stockton...
- A Nascar driver would have to average 10 wins per year - that's winning more than every fourth race - over a 20-year career to catch The King...
- All of Ryan's records would require not only an amazingly talented and durable pitcher, but a complete overhaul of starting pitching philosophy that has significantly trended in the other direction over the course of baseball history. Cy Young's 511 wins fits in with that...
- Under the NBA's current rules re technical foul accumulation - which isn't likely to get more lenient - 41 techs in a season would result in 13 suspensions. So, Rasheed's record is safe...

[thehef]

Originally Posted by thehef

Wilt's 48.5 mpg average was not so much due to an abundance of games going into OT (7 games, 10 total OT periods), but simply his refusal to exit games. He missed a grand total of 8 minutes(!) that season (all 8 due to an ejection after receiving a 2nd technical foul). Nobody is ever touching that one...

Consider the seasons before and after Wilt avg'd 48.5 minutes:

1960-61: Wilt averaged 47.8 minutes, missing just 19 minutes all season.
1962-63: 47.6, 32 minutes missed

Over the span of three full NBA seasons, he sat for only 59 minutes. I'm pretty confident in predicting that none of Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, nor Ben Simmons will be approaching that accomplishment...

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thehef

Wilt's 48.5 mpg average was not so much due to an abundance of games going into OT (7 games, 10 total OT periods), but simply his refusal to exit games. He missed a grand total of 8 minutes(!) that season (all 8 due to an ejection after receiving a 2nd technical foul). Nobody is ever touching that one...

Yes, I guess whoever wrote that comment had to explain how someone could average a half-minute more than the length of a regulation game!

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thehef

- If an NFL coach actually put in 20 years and averaged 15 wins, he'd be at 300 wins, 47 short of Shula...

Well, I think this one's in jeopardy, or it will be someday. Shula's record is remarkable in that he accomplished it with (all? mostly?) 14-game seasons. With the NFL having gone to 16 and 17 (and back in December, Goodell was talking about going to 18!), someone is going to come along and eclipse Shula. It won't be Belichick — he's in North Carolina now — but Andy Reid has a good shot.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by thehef

- Under the NBA's current rules re technical foul accumulation - which isn't likely to get more lenient - 41 techs in a season would result in 13 suspensions. So, Rasheed's record is safe...

So is Karl Malone's career record for T's. Over time, he and Charles Barkley were badder boys than Wallace.

Who has the most NBA technical fouls in the last 50 years?

They echo what you said about the NBA rules change making Malone's career total an Untouchable Sports Record:

It seems extremely unlikely that any player will be able to surpass Karl Malone as the all-time leader in technical fouls. It was a game-changer when the NBA began suspending players who reach 16 technical fouls in a single season. These days, it's tough for players to rack up the number of technicals that Malone and his peers were able to accumulate during their playing days. Malone was a physical player with a nasty streak and sharp elbows who refused to back down from opponents or officials.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Yes, I guess whoever wrote that comment had to explain how someone could average a half-minute more than the length of a regulation game!

Yup. For the three-year span covering the 1960-61 thru 1962-63 seasons, Wilt averaged 47.954 minutes per game. Wow.

I asked ChatGPT who would come in second for the most-durable (or stubborn?) three-year span in NBA history:

a) Oscar, from 1961-62 thru 1963-64, 44.3, 45.1, 44.6, playing approximately 92.5% of all minutes. But he missed a few games.

b) Elvin Hayes, from 1970-71 thru 1972-73, 44.7, 44.5, 44.1, approx 93.3% of all minutes, playing all 82 games each season.

c) For some reason ChatGPT was impressed with Allen Iverson's three-year run (2001-02 thru 2003-04) of averaging 43.7, 42.5 & 42.5. But AI missed 56 games in that span!

Oscar & Elvin's runs are impressive, for sure. But they don't stand out significantly from many other guys' three-year stretches (Bill Russell played over 44 mpg in 5 straight years). Wilt was head-and-shoulders () above everyone else...

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, I think this one's in jeopardy, or it will be someday. Shula's record is remarkable in that he accomplished it with (all? mostly?) 14-game seasons. With the NFL having gone to 16 and 17 (and back in December, Goodell was talking about going to 18!), someone is going to come along and eclipse Shula. It won't be Belichick — he's in North Carolina now — but Andy Reid has a good shot.

Maaaaybe someday, but probably not, IMO. Coaches just don't coach that long anymore. And again, that's averaging 15 wins over 20 years. Even factoring in an 18-game regular season, a more-realistic average of a successful coach might be 12 wins. To get to 300 that would take 25 seasons. So I'm pretty confident this one is safe

[mytreds]

Bonds has a number of records that probably won’t be touched for awhile.