Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

what do you consider the great sports records?

jefhatfield

jefhatfield

Retired
Original poster
Jul 9, 2000
8,803
0
there are so many great records in sports...here's my top five

barry bonds...single season record of 73 home runs
lance armstrong...six consecutive tour de france wins
wilt chamberlin...100 points in an nba game
mark spitz...7 gold medals in one olympics
steffi graf...22 grand slam singles titles

the most coveted record, at least in american sports, is the single season home run record...journalists and sports fanatics don't seem to disagree on this one

i was at a bar with the sports fans in town to see it happen...but i turned my head for a second an missed barry bonds' 71st home run breaking mark mcgwire's incredible record of 70 home runs
 
Duff-Man says....it is hard to imagine anyone ever breaking Wayne Gretzky's 50 goals in 39 games...or his 200+ point seasons.....oh yeah!
 
Duff-Man said:
Duff-Man says....it is hard to imagine anyone ever breaking Wayne Gretzky's 50 goals in 39 games...or his 200+ point seasons.....oh yeah!
Click to expand...
phh...hockey...
i think the great sports record is a perfect 10 in gymnastics. it's been broken several times and isnt really a record but it's just that goal to which everyone aspires
 
homerjward said:
phh...hockey...
i think the great sports record is a perfect 10 in gymnastics. it's been broken several times and isnt really a record but it's just that goal to which everyone aspires
Click to expand...

Don't be dissin' hockey. That is one fast, brutal sport. Fighting on Ice!
I went to a Capitals game a few years back and the girl I was with swore there was no puck on the ice - it was moving to fast for her to see (beer didn't help).

And really...dis hockey and then talk about gymnastics? :rolleyes:
 
jefhatfield said:
there are so many great records in sports...here's my top five

barry bonds...single season record of 73 home runs
lance armstrong...six consecutive tour de france wins
wilt chamberlin...100 points in an nba game
mark spitz...7 gold medals in one olympics
steffi graf...22 grand slam singles titles

the most coveted record, at least in american sports, is the single season home run record...journalists and sports fanatics don't seem to disagree on this one

i was at a bar with the sports fans in town to see it happen...but i turned my head for a second an missed barry bonds' 71st home run breaking mark mcguire's incredible record of 70 home runs
Click to expand...
Lance armstrong is freakin amazing!!!! :eek:
 
The most NCAA wins by a mens basketball team - Kentucky
The most NCAA championships by a mens basketball team - UCLA
The most passing yards in a season NFL - Dan Marino
The most rushing yards in a season NFL - Eric Dickerson
Grand Slams in tennis womens - Steffi Graf
Wimbledon Titles Mens - Pete Sampras
Grand Slam Titles Golf Mens - Jack Nicklaus
Batting .400 for a season MLB - ?forget who was the last?
The most overtimes in an NCAA football game - 7 Arkansas vs Kentucky
The most points scored in a game NBA - 100 Wilt Chamberlain
Most wins in a season team NBA - 72 Chicago Bulls
Most consecutive games started QB NFL - Brett Favre 190+

I do not find the HR record by Bonds impressive. It was impressive when McGwire and Sosa did it b/c they were chasing 50+ years of history. Now with all of the steroid allegations and the link to Bonds (plus his head is 10X bigger than it was 10 years ago, literally) it's not impressive. The balls are juiced b/c baseball had to salvage itself from the '94 strike debacle.
 
homerjward said:
phh...hockey...
Click to expand...
Duff-Man says...hey, watch it. Hockey is a great sport when played properly (as in open, none of this "trap" stuff) ...it is fast and exciting and requires a lot of talent to get to level of the likes of Gretzky, Lemieux, Sakic etc etc etc etc. I have played the game - it is not easy to skate, shoot, pass the puck all the while dodging the other players trying to stop you...oh yeah!
 
yoda13 said:
I personally am impressed with Emmitt Smith's all time rushing record in the NFL.
Click to expand...

smith is the biggest reason the 49ers don't have 7 superbowl rings...the niners, and everybody else for that matter, just could not contain the guy

it will be interesting to see who is the next emmitt smith or barry sanders
 
To me, Michael Jordan is a living, breathing, walking sports record.
 
I would have to say Edwin Moses. From August 1977 to May 1987 he rang up 122 straight victories in the 400 meter hurdles.

I was in a number of meets in which he also competed, but the first time I saw him in person stands out the most. It was a last chance qualifying meet for US championships at UC Irvine in 1987, we had to pay $25 to compete (so it was odd to see Moses who could earn around $15,000 to compete at big name meets). My race (the 110 meter hurdles) was packed and included some big names at the time (Greg Foster, Jack Pierce and I think Tonie Campbell as I recall), but there was only one entry in the 400 meter hurdles... Moses. It was amazing watching him run (alone) and turn in the fastest time in the world that year (at that point in the season). It was the first time he ran that year, but he was like clockwork.

Small aside, I did beat Foster. :D

Pierce false started, and Foster slowed up and stopped at the second hurdle... but there was no second firing of the gun to bring us back.

So I finished (seventh as I recall) and he didn't. Pretty cool considering he ended the season ranked first in the world.

I remember watching a track meet on television where Foster was giving commentary around 2000. Some one had false started in a race and he was talking about how important it was to run as if the race had started and not expect to be called back until you hear the second gun. I wonder where he learned that lesson? ;)
 
Took a few seconds and stood for 23 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Beamon

And here's a "sports record" that isn't as good:

0000030833_170.jpg
 
mlw1235 said:
Favre--Most Consecutive Games started as QB :) :)

btw, We got slaughtered by da bears last week, hopefully this week will be better :eek: :eek:
Click to expand...
God I'm going to be torn on Sunday - also gonna be there :) :D :) Harrison jersey on the body, Nitschke hat on my head.

A few that I think are not only impressive, but will never be broken.
In no particular order -

1. The same season Wilt scored 100 in a game, he averaged 50 points per game for the season.

2. Oscar Robertson, perhaps the greatest basketball player ever to hit the hardwood, averaged a triple double for the entire 61-62 season! - 30.8 pts 12.5 rebounds (as a guard) and 11.4 assists (led league in assists), and he averaged a triple double for the first five seasons he was in the NBA - 30.3 pts 10.4 rebounds 10.6 assists

3. 'Pistol' Pete Maravich's college scoring records -
Holds NCAA career record for most points (3,667, 44.2 ppg, three-year career) in 83 games
Holds NCAA career record for highest points per game average (44.2 ppg)
Holds NCAA record for most field goals made (1,387) and attempted (3,166)
Holds NCAA record for most free throws made (893) and attempted (1,152)
Holds NCAA record for most games scoring at least 50 points (28)
Holds NCAA single-season record for most points (1,381) and highest per game average (44.5 ppg) in 1970
Holds NCAA single-season record for most field goals made (522) and attempted (1,668) in 1970
Holds NCAA single-season record for most games scoring at least 50 points (10) in 1970

With the way the NBA draft is today, I'd venture a guess that NONE of Pete's college records are gonna be broken.
 
jefhatfield said:
smith is the biggest reason the 49ers don't have 7 superbowl rings...the niners, and everybody else for that matter, just could not contain the guy

it will be interesting to see who is the next emmitt smith or barry sanders
Click to expand...

There are a lot of talented runners, but I don't see one that is lined up for it now. Clinton Portis might have a shot though he is off to an up and down start this year. I don't think anyone will break it for a while, or be as great as those two anytime soon. But all records are made to be broken...doesn't mean they will...but they are made to be broken ;)
 
I always talk about relative stats. Bonds and McGuire aren't that much better than everyone else today when more players were hitting 50+ homeruns in the last 10 years than in all the years before that.

Babe Ruth is still the best, despite his broken record. He hit 59 home runs in his 2nd season when the old record was 27, and hit 27 home runs in his 1st season when the old record was 25 or so. He was 2.5x than the 2nd best hitter in baseball history by his 2nd season. Barry beat Ruth and Aaron by a margin, and but played much longer seasons. Also won a few Cy Young (pitching) if I remember correctly, as well as Gold Gloves. Plus he stole home base 3 times.

As much as he's a G*d in Canada, and I love him, there are many reasons to think Gretzky wasn't much better than others around him. He's not "clearly" better than Lemieux or Orr. Bobby Orr was scoring 60-80 points when other great players in his position were scoring 20. Then he scored 100 points as a defensemen, and the position was rewritten.

Also, Paul Coffey scored 48 goals as a defenseman when the highest scoring forward last season had 42 goals, I believe.

Wilt Chamberlain's big season (in '62-63, if I remember correctly) of 50.4 ppg was amazing. Not only that, but he'd get 50 points, grab 20-25 rebounds, AND get 7-10 assists in one game. They say he could have scored whenever he wanted--- more than 50 ppg if he didn't bother involving teammates. In fact, it was his coach that told him to stop scoring so much to get other players involved. Go grab more rebounds and blocked shots. No wonder he grabbed so many rebounds in his prime--- twice the number of today's players.

Again, relative numbers.
 
Eric Gagne ranks up there on my list .... with all those consecutive saves
 
Abstract said:
I always talk about relative stats. Bonds and McGuire aren't that much better than everyone else today when more players were hitting 50+ homeruns in the last 10 years than in all the years before that.

Wilt Chamberlain's big season (in '62-63, if I remember correctly) of 50.4 ppg was amazing. Not only that, but he'd get 50 points, grab 20-25 rebounds, AND get 7-10 assists in one game. They say he could have scored whenever he wanted--- more than 50 ppg if he didn't bother involving teammates. In fact, it was his coach that told him to stop scoring so much to get other players involved. Go grab more rebounds and blocked shots. No wonder he grabbed so many rebounds in his prime--- twice the number of today's players.

Again, relative numbers.
Click to expand...

Yeah relative numbers but make sure you're comparing like to like. Take Wilt for example, sure he's got an amazing scoring record but lets see him try to do that in the modern game. Professional basketball has evolved so much. I'm not just talking about skill level, but also the fitness of modern day players, the intensity of the games, the dedicated approach to tactics and training and on and on. I remember Jordan commenting when he first entered the league about how lax a lot of the players were. I bet if someone like Shaq was around in Wilt's time he'd score for fun too, prob even more so.

So, like you said, it's all relative.
 
Well even at the time, he was more dominant against other people of his era than Jordan was in his era, or Shaq is today. Their play seems believable, but Wilt's?! Damn. Its strange watching classic basketball games of Wilt's on TV.

And I guess you can say the same thing about Babe Ruth and faster pitching with the current seamed hardball. Its true, but back in the day, he was 2 or 3 times the player that others were, and yet they all used the same equipment, and had the same available technologies and training methodologies. I agree that its unfair to compare Bonds to Ruth, for example, but there's no way Bonds is as dominant when compared to players today than Ruth or Chamberlain were in their day.
 
Undoubtledly the greatest single achievement in sport is Steven Redgrave's 4 succesive Olympic gold medals at 4 consecutive games in rowing, to be the best in the world for 2 decades in a sport that requires such extremes of physical strength and endurance is awesome, we will never see the likes of him again.

My personal fav would be Bob Beaman's long jump in the Mexico Olympics, it just seemed like he was never going to come down.

Honorable mentions:

Lance Armstrong (sheer will-power)
Jason Leonard (most capped English Rugby Union player, his last game was winning the World cup last year)
Terry Wogan (longest televised golf putt) (one for the UK crowd)
 
Senna's 65 Pole Positions.
Schumachers 7 World Drivers Championships.
Schumachers 82 Grand Prix wins.
Lance Armstrong's string of consecutive Tour de France wins.
Paula Radcliffe destroying the Womens Marathon time.

All are pretty incredible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back