No one has come close to .400 in 30 years.
You know, it wasn’t that long ago that I thought: Nobody’s EVER gonna break Hank Aaron’s record.
And I imagine a lot of people felt the same way about Babe Ruth’s homerun record. But, as they say — records are made to be broken.
Or are they? Here are my Top Ten Records to Break in Sports:
10.) Career Rushing Yards (18,355, Emmit Smith)
Okay, this is probably the most likely to be broken. That’s why it’s no. 10. While several players have trounced Jim Brown’s once coveted mark, Smith set a pretty high bar. If you consider that 1,000 yards in a season is the benchmark for running backs, that means a guy would have to have 18 seasons of that to catch up to Smith. And running backs just don’t stay healthy that long.
9.) Undefeated Season (Indiana University, 32-0, 1976, North Carolina, 32-0, 1957)
Going undefeated in the regular season is tough enough. And even the best NCAA teams get upset in the tournament. The North Carolina season is perhaps more impressive since they had to go through Wilt Chamberlin. Speaking of:
8.) Single season scoring average (Wilt Chamberlain, 50.4 ppg, 1961-62)
Even in his best year, Michael Jordan only scored 37 points per game. Kobe Bryant? Thirty-five. It helped that Chamberlain was a giant when most guys were 5-9, but still . . .
7.) Longest field goal (63 yards, Tom Dempsey, 1970)
Dempsey was born without toes on his right foot, which some say might have helped him kick this boomer. In 1998, Jason Elam equaled the mark, but since it was at Mile High Stadium — where the air is nutty — we won’t count it as much.
6.) Career pitching victories (Cy Young, 511)
Greg Maddux is the closest pitcher in the modern era, and he only has 355 victories. Of course, I’m guessing Cy Young probably didn’t have the luxury of the 4-man pitching rotation, so he likely got a few (hundred) more opportunities.
5.) Most passing yards, game (Norm Van Brocklin, 554, 1951)
I’ve never really heard of Van Brocklin — as.k.a., “The Dutchman” — but he had a whale of a game in ’51. Warren Moon came close (527 in 1990) and so did Boomer Esiason (527 in 1996), but any time a record stands more than 50 years, it’s pretty solid.
4.) Undefeated, career (Rocky Marciano, 49-0)
The fact that so few boxers can call it quits helps Rocky here. But also few boxers are truly as dominant as Marciano. Remember how bad ass everyone thought Mike Tyson was? Even after he made the mistake of getting KO’d by Buster Douglas, Evander Holyfield showed that there’s always somebody better. But even Rocky was smart. After a scare against Archie Moore, who dropped him in the second round, he retired unbeaten.
3.) Longest hitting streak (Joe DiMaggio, 56, 1941)
Dude — it’s hard enough getting a hit in ten straight slow pitch softball games. But to do it 56 games in the bigs? Everyone made a big deal when Pete Rose hit in 44 straight. But he was nowhere close the the Yankee Clipper. Apparently, 1941 was a good year for offense, because . . .
2.) Single season batting average (Ted Williams, .406, 1941)
To hit .400, you have to be on it the entire season. And, well — that just doesn’t happen. George Brett batted .390 in 1980, but he only played in 117 games. Chances are, his average would have slid with more ABs.
But let’s talk about Williams. How incredible was he? Get this: The dude had a career .344 average. In his last year, at age 41, he hit .316, with 29 dingers, earning him the MVP.
Oh, and his last at bat ever? Home run. He and Rocky knew how to go out on top.
1.) Most points per game (Wilt the Stilt, 100, 1962)
No way. Never. This one does not get broken. Sorry, Kobe. Have a seat, LeBron. It can’t be done.
What Wilt did against the Knicks was just . . . unhuman. The century mark, folks. More points than Oklahoma City scores as a team most nights.
Okay, maybe it will be broken — when the NBA welcomes an athletic 8-footer into the league. Until then, this one stands as the greatest record of all time.
What sports record is LEAST likely to be broken?
( online surveys)
Take a look at Jerry Rice’s mark for career receiving yards. Look how far away guys like Owens, Moss and Harrison are. Look at where Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Johnson are.
That might be the safest record of all.
I suspect that if all the Saints come to play next season, Drew Brees could give Norm a run for his money.