30 most unbreakable records in sports history

Every year, we see a few records broken across sports. It can be in any sport. Just this past year, we saw the longest Super Bowl in history, LeBron James breaking the all-time scoring record, and Caitlin Clark breaking the all-time NCAA scoring record. Those are just three of the biggest headlines. There are also smaller records, like when Marcus Semien broke the plate appearances record in baseball and Graham Blanks of Harvard broke the 5,000-meter record in the NCAA.

Talking about records is just as fun as watching them break. There are literally thousands of sports records. In fact, the Guinness Book of Records, literally the book that would end debates before Google existed, has over 7,500 sports records listed.

Sometimes, a record is considered unbeatable, like some of the records Wayne Gretzky holds, but now it appears Alex Ovechkin could break the goals record if he plays long enough. This list isn't going over those. These are the records that are truly unbeatable. It could be because the record is so far ahead of second place that it's not conceivable that anyone can reach it, or it could be because the record simply cannot be broken because of new rules or the fact we live in a civilized society (more on that in a moment). So, which records are never, ever going to be broken, ranked from the best chance to break to literally impossible?

30. Tom Brady — 98 touchdowns to different receivers
Second Place: Drew Brees 73 different recevers

Tom Brady holds records up and down football. He has more wins and postseason wins than any quarterback. He also has the most Super Bowls, finishing the season lifting the Lombardi Trophy seven times in his 23-year career. Brady is the only quarterback to beat all 32 NFL teams. Yet, his most unbeatable feat is this one.

Brady has thrown touchdowns to 98 receivers over his career. Rob Gronkowski caught the most, 105 receiving touchdowns between his time in New England and Tampa (which, ironically, is behind the record holders Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison). Twenty-eight players caught exactly one touchdown pass, including star receiver Terry Glenn who caught Brady's first touchdown.

The next closest player on the list is Drew Brees, who threw touchdowns to 73 players over his career. Like Brady, he also had stints with two teams, but his second act happened a lot sooner than Brady's. The reason this is at the bottom of the list is because of the carousel that is Patrick Mahomes' wide receiver room.

29. Martin Brodeur — Wins: 691
Second Place: Marc-Andre Fleury (active) 556

Martin Brodeur is a player who owns literally dozens of goaltending records in the NHL. Many are records that will never be matched, including most career saves (500 more than Roberto Luongo), most 40-win seasons, most wins in a single season, and most shutouts in regular and postseason combined. However, his most famous record is the wins record, passing Patrick Roy with his 552 wins on St. Patrick's Day 2009.

The record has seen its share of publicity lately as Marc-Andre Fleury moves into second place on the all-time wins list. The Minnesota Wild goalie is still more than 100 wins away from Brodeur and he's going to turn 40 years old this season. He would have to go on a Dominik Hasek-like run toward the end of his career, and he would still be a little more than a full season short.

Many will point to Martin Brodeur's insane defense in front of him, led by captain Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, and Ken Daneyko, but he played 10 (mostly) successful seasons after they retired or signed elsewhere. He was a four-time Vezina Trophy winner, given to the best goalie in the NHL. Two of those trophies came after his Hall-of-Fame defensemen were no longer there.

The GOAT debate is hard to quantify in hockey since there are pros and cons to Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek, and Brodeur, but there is no debate about who was the most durable goalie in history. Brodeur played at least 70 games in a season for 10 straight seasons and in 12 of 14 years. The New Jersey Devils never had to ask who was taking them to the Stanley Cup Final, a feat Brodeur accomplished five times. He ended up winning three of them, including one year where he had shutouts in seven games along the way.

28. Buccaneers — 26 straight losses
Second Place: Jacksonville Jaguars 20 straight losses

Quite a few records are in jeopardy as the NFL expands from 16 to 17 games in the regular season. Because of this change, both single-season and career records are now within reach. The single-season receiving record is at the top of conversations every year. If it isn’t Tyreek Hill, it’s Justin Jefferson. However, even with the extra game, some records are still outside of reach.

The complete disappointment that is expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers is going to be impossible to match. In their first season in 1976, the Bucs went 0-14. The Bucs couldn’t even score a point until Week 3. They did not score a touchdown until Week 4, and they were promptly shut out in Week 5. In Weeks 6-8, the Buccaneers came within a score of winning, but they still lost. 

The Buccaneers did not put together a much better offense in 1977. In fact, it might have been worse. The Bucs were shut out six times in 1977. It looked like a mortal lock they would go two straight seasons without a win. 

Then, in Week 13, a miracle happened. After 26 weeks and close to 16 months of losing, there was a victory in Tampa Bay. They beat their future rivals and fellow perennial loser, the New Orleans Saints, 33-14. They shut out New Orleans for three quarters, giving them what no other feeling could: winning. Could another team come in and be this bad? Tanking in football could happen, but with social media and pressure from the 24/7 news cycle, we can’t see a team accepting this fate as the Bucs did.

27. James Morris — 45 rushing attempts in an NFL game
Second Place: Rudi Johnson 43 rushing attempts

This is one that theoretically could be broken, but because of changes to the game, it just doesn’t seem possible. James Morris broke the record for most rushing attempts in a game with 45 in 1988. Can you imagine if a player rushed 45 times in one game in 2024? Players are criticized for rushing more than 25 times. It takes star players three games to hit 45 rushing attempts. 

Morris was looking for an audition to become the starting running back in 1989. The Washington franchise gave him every attempt to take the job from Kelvin Bryant. They were eliminated from postseason contention with a 7-8 record, and they wanted to use the final game of the season as a chance for players to step up. Despite rushing 45 times, and not fumbling once for good measure, he did not win the starting job that next season. 

Breece Hall rushed 37 times in a game against the New England Patriots this past season. That seemed preposterous at the time, and it took the New York Jets running out of competent quarterbacks. Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams actually led the league in average carries. He averaged 19 carries per game. Derrick Henry led the league in total attempts, finishing with 280 on the season. 

It’s just a different league in 2024. Running backs are not only undervalued, but they are underused. Just like the 3-pointer has become the play of choice in the NBA because of its higher likelihood of success, a change in rules has allowed quarterbacks and passing plays to thrive. With that, we never see a team rushing the ball with one player more than 40 times again. 

26. Lance Armstrong — 7 Tour de France Wins*
Four tied with 5

This one is controversial due to the man involved in the conversation. While our discussion of performance-enhancing drugs has changed over the years and it’s not the career ender it was in the early-to-mid 2000s. We basically locked the Hall of Fame to guys like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens, but other players possibly tied to steroids and other PEDs are in the Hall and will be sent to the Hall in the future in multiple sports. 

So, now, let’s talk about Lance Armstrong. It sounds preposterous now, but Lance Armstrong was at a time the most influential American athlete alive. He was bigger than Tiger Woods, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, and Roger Federer. And he did it in this niche sport of cycling. 

People were spending money on bikes to get into competitive cycling. They were wearing body suits and explaining how to reduce wind resistance. Lance Armstrong was making a 23-day bike race in different parts of France in the middle of July must-see TV. His Livestrong initiative sold 80 million bracelets. This generated over $100 million in donations for cancer research. 

Yet, it’s his record* seven Tour de France wins that is a feat* that will not be matched. We add the asterisk because, on the record, Lance Armstrong never cycled in the race at all. After his doping case was revealed, the Tour revoked all seven wins from Lance Armstrong. Still, these wins happened, no matter what Wikipedia and the record books say. 

25. Jorge Masvidal — 5-second knockout
Second Place: Duane Ludwig 6-second knockout

The UFC has had some amazing knockouts in its history. Some of the greatest moments that we still talk about today are these insane knockouts at the beginning of the match. Heck, Ronda Rousey became the biggest star in the sport with these quick knockouts. She was the Mike Tyson of our time, having us pay for a good time but not a long time. Still, breaking the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history will be nearly impossible.  

Jorge Masvidal performed one move and it drilled Ben Askren in the head, leveling him and ending the fight after some hammer fist attempts. This wasn’t a tomato can. Askren is a really good fighter. He was basically traded for former Flyweight Champ Demetrius Johnson with One Championship. He was also undefeated in UFC coming into the fight. This was supposed to be a really fun fight. 

Instead, it will be a moment that lives in UFC history. Heck, it takes five seconds to walk to the middle of the ring. Most fighters have their guard up in the beginning. Look at this knockout. Masvidal sprints to the middle of the ring and drives his knee into Askren’s head. For this to work out, Askren has to duck perfectly and has to be aggressive with his first moves. 

Referees don’t want to stop fights this quickly. They only do it for the safety of the fighter. However, Askren was in clear danger after the knee. The ref made the right decision. It just won’t happen quicker than this. 

24. Aladar Gerevich — 6 consecutive gold medals
Second Place: Sir Steve Redgrave 5 gold medals

Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete ever (and we will get to him in a moment), but he never won six consecutive gold medals. Think about how long someone needs to be the best in the world to win gold medals six times in a row. That’s 24 years! Phelps was dominant from 2000 (his first Olympics at 15) to 2016 (when he came out of retirement to win five gold medals). Yet, this is one of the few Olympic records Phelps does not hold.

Instead, the man with the most consecutive gold medals is fencer Aladar Gerevich. The Hungarian was a part of the male sabre team that won the big prize from 1932 until 1960. For those who are math whizzes out there, you are probably screaming about how this doesn’t equal 24 years. That’s because World War II canceled two sets of Games, which makes this feat even more improbable. 

While Gerevich won this as part of a team, he is considered the best competitive fencer in history. He absolutely dominated some of these events, which is truly a game of speed and skill. In 1936, he went a preposterous 17-2 in matches, leading Hungary to victory. In 1960, his team tried to tell him he was too old to compete at the Olympic level. The tale goes that he went on to beat every single person on his team, and he was allowed to continue to compete. He would lead his team to a sixth gold medal. He is 50 years old.

This is why this isn’t getting touched. Can someone not only stay athletically dominant but also do it with the consistency and determination to do it over this ridiculous timeline? Even less athletic sports like equestrian still need a tremendous amount of luck and reaction time to win gold medals. We don’t see anyone dominating like this again. 

23. DaRon Bland — 5 interceptions returned for touchdown in a season
Second Place: Multiple with 4 (including Eric Allen)

Back to football and to the most recent record on this list. DaRon Bland became a household name for the Dallas Cowboys this season, constantly returning interceptions for touchdowns. He was a major reason why the Cowboys defense stayed afloat despite the loss of star cornerback Trevon Diggs. Stephon Gilmore was holding down the fort on one side, and Bland was given ample opportunity to make offenses pay for targeting him. 

Bland didn’t just catch touchdowns with his interceptions. He finished the season with nine total INTs. Again, the Cowboys thought they were going to be missing out on this explosive element of their defense when Diggs went down, but Bland did it even better than the injured star. 

Bland is a great story. He’s a former fifth-round pick who was just waiting for an opportunity to shine with the most popular franchise in the NFL. Not only that but he was also named an All-Pro cornerback and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. His production was unmatched by anyone. 

This is a cornerback who finished the season with more touchdown catches than Hollywood Brown, Michael Pittman, Adam Thielen, and Jaylen Waddle. Bland was incredible, and he gives the Cowboys an unlikely star in the secondary. Three players in history before Bland had four interceptions returned for a touchdown. We considered adding Night Train Lane’s 14 interceptions in a season, but with an expanding schedule, someone could one day beat it. Returning five of them for a touchdown seems more impossible. 

22. Joe DiMaggio — 56-game hitting streak
Second Place: Willie Keeler 45 games

This might be the most famous sports record short of the home run record. Baseball is this nation’s pastime. It’s been the most popular sport in the U.S. for more than a century. While its popularity has waned in recent decades, the records and statistics are still the driving force for baseball. When Aaron Judge was shooting for the American League home run record a few years ago, it brought people back to the sport. 

Joe DiMaggio was a star in the 1930s and 1940s. He was famously married to Marilyn Monroe. He was one of the greatest players ever to play the game, winning the MVP three times while playing center field for the New York Yankees. On top of all this, he lost four years in his prime to serve his country, rising to the rank of sergeant in the Army Air Forces. He even requested to be sent to fight on the front lines, but that request was denied.

This is all to say that DiMaggio is still most well-known for successfully getting a hit for 56 straight games in 1941. With the randomness of baseball, that seems like a record that feels less impossible than it actually is. On paper, this seems like something a player could eventually beat by just going full-on Bezerker mode over a summer. Yet, it hasn’t even come close to breaking in 70+ years since it was originally broken.

Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader, came the closest since the record was broken. He failed to get a hit in his 46th game, and Rose fell more than 10 games short. DiMaggio became a national phenomenon with the streak, with papers writing about it on a daily basis. It wasn’t exactly Sportscenter covering someone 24/7, but it was as much media pressure as someone could face at this time. Yet, DiMaggio continued to succeed and even hit a home run to tie Keeler’s record of 45 games. This one will take a marvel that likely doesn’t exist in baseball anymore. 

21. Floyd Mayweather — 50-0
Second Place: Rocky Marciano 49-0

Floyd Mayweather will always be a controversial name on these lists. However, he was the last boxer people wanted to watch since the Paul Brothers joined the sport a few years ago. For about a decade, people would flock to a Mayweather fight and ignore most of the rest of the sport. That’s because he was undefeated, and that means something in the sport of boxing.

And to this day, Mayweather hasn’t lost a boxing match. He’s fought some of the greatest of all time, including Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao (although we wish this happened sooner), Canelo Álverez, and he even fought Connor McGregor (in an exhibition). Mayweather was regularly getting 4 million PPV buys for all of his fights, many of which wondering if this would be the night he finally lost. 

It never happened. His style was one where he would never get touched. He was only knocked down once in his career, in his 26th professional fight against Carlos Hernandez. He went into the fight injured, and Hernandez caught him with a left hook in the sixth round. Mayweather bounced back and won by unanimous decision.

Mayweather stayed in the sport long enough to break Rocky Marciano’s record, another record that at one point seemed impossible. He had one split decision in his career (against De La Hoya), but for the most part, won all of his fights unanimously. He finished his career with 12 world championships in five different weight classes, another amazing feat in an absurd career.

20. USA — 2,959 Olympic medals
Second Place: Russia/Soviet Union 1,749 medals

Back to the Olympics, where there is one dominant country. The United States of America os the leader in sports if the Olympics is any proof. They dominate the Summer Olympics, having more than 1,500 medals than anyone, all time (if Russia and Soviet Union are separated, which they are officially). America holds so many records at the Olympics, and Michael Phelps will make this list for most gold medals ever. 

U.S.A. holds a Wayne Gretzky-like hold on the medal record. They have more gold medals than any other official country has total medals (1,061 gold medals to the Soviet Union’s 1,010 total medals). They have more than 600 more gold medals than the next closest country. They have 500 more silver medals than any other country. The Star Spangled Banner has played at the end of events literally well over 1,000 times. No wonder why every other country hates the U.S.

Even in the Winter Olympics, while the U.S. is not as dominant, they are still always in the conversation for medal count. Only Norway has more gold medals than the U.S. at the Winter Olympics, and they, along with Germany are the only three countries with more than 100. Norway has the United States beat by 75 total medals, so a really good century could help America catch up.

The U.S. has had at least 100 total medals won at each of the past five Olympics. We don’t expect that to change any time soon, especially with the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028. Still, nothing touches 1904 in St. Louis, when the U.S. won a ridiculous 239 total medals. That one Games is more than Spain, Denmark, Brazil, or Kenya have won in their history. 

19. Jerry Rice — 22,895 career receiving yards
Second Place: Larry Fitzgerald 17,492 receiving yards

While the single-season receiving record held by Calvin Johnson feels like it is in jeopardy now that the NFL has moved to a 17-game season, the all-time career record has never been in doubt. Jerry Rice is the only player to record more than 20,000 receiving yards, and he added another 2,800 for good measure. Even if you completely remove his seasons in Oakland and Seattle, Rice would still best anyone in the history of the NFL. 

Rice was almost too good at football. He is undoubtedly the best player at his position, and it’s not particularly close. He’s led the league in receiving yards six different times. He broke 1,000 yards receiving 11 years in a row. 

His best season came in 1995, back when players who were 30 years or older could still dominate. At 33 years old, he put up 1,848 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished the season second in MVP voting, losing to Brett Favre. It was the closest a wide receiver got to winning the top award in the sport. 

There are so many receivers who are great in the game, but consistency is almost impossible. Consistent greatness is impossible unless you’re Rice. Even Mike Evans, who has 10 straight seasons with 1,000 yards to start his career, is more than 10,000 yards away from Rice’s record. Justin Jefferson would have to average 1,200 yards until he’s 40 years old to break the record. It’s just not happening. 

18. Joey Chestnut — 76 Hot Dogs Eaten
Second Place: Chestnut a bunch more times, but Matthew Stonie had 62 one year

Is eating hot dogs a sport? It’s basically asking if a hot dog is a sandwich. It doesn’t matter, as long as we’re having fun. And there’s not much more fun to be had on July 4 than the hot dog eating contest. It was always this niche entertainment product, but two names made it must-see TV: Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi. 

Of course, Chestnut has become the greatest eater in our history. He holds 55 world records, all in the sport of indulging yourself in tasty treats. In one event, he ate 121 Twinkies. In another, he gorged on 413 chicken wings. The most impressive might be eating 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes. But of course, his most famous world record comes in the form of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. 

Chestnut holds the record multiple times over, but his best appearance was in 2021 when he ate 76 hot dogs and buns in just 10 minutes. That’s just preposterous. 

We’re sure there will be eating contests for the rest of time but we just can’t see anyone eating this many hot dogs and not spontaneously combusting. Chestnut is 1 of 1 when it comes to this type of competition. There will never be another eater like this, especially one who doesn’t end up being 500 lbs. 

17. Nolan Ryan — 7 no-hitters
Second Place: Sandy Koufax 4 no-hitters

The no-hitter is still one of the most exciting games one could see in baseball. Every single out becomes stressful after the sixth inning. The entire team stops talking to the pitcher out of superstition. It’s wild. There have been 322 no-hitters since the dawn of baseball. Thirty-five players have done it more than once. However, nobody has come close to throwing the ridiculous seven no-hitters that Nolan Ryan has thrown. 

Ryan first threw a no-hitter in 1973 with the California Angels. He threw another one exactly two months later. He added a third a little over a year later. By the time we hit New Year’s 1976, Ryan had tied Sandy Koufax’s record. This stretch wasn’t just a few great performances. Ryan was electric in this three-year span. He was second in Cy Young voting in 1973 and third in 1974. 

Fast forward to Ryan’s sixth and seventh no-hitters. He did this at the age of 43 and 44. Ryan was playing out the string to his career with the Texas Rangers, yet he showed he could dig deep and put on an epic performance at least two more times. Ryan played until he was 46 years old, making him one of the oldest players in league history. 

Ryan is a Hall of Famer for a reason. Not only did he have the no-hitters, but his 5,714 strikeouts are also a record that will probably never be broken. Next on the list is Randy Johnson, and he’s about 800 strikeouts behind. The active leader is Max Scherzer, who has 3,367 and is in the twilight of his career. However, the one reason it’s not on the list is the sheer number of hitters that are striking out now. 

16. Richard Petty — 200 Nascar wins
Second Place: David Pearson 105 wins

Driving is stressful, but nobody has driven like Richard Petty. He had one of the most dominant runs in sports from the 1960s through the early 1980s. Petty was a star in NASCAR, winning 200 races in his illustrious career. He won the sixth-ever Daytona 500 in 1964. He would go on to win the biggest race in racing six more times, accounting for seven of his 200 wins. 

Petty had some insane seasons. In 1967, he won a still-standing record 27 races. He won more than half of the races on the schedule. He also won 21 races in 1971. Petty was as sure a bet to win as any in sports. 

There is nobody who had this level of dominance in the sport. Petty lost his last 241 races, but he was still by far the best driver ever. Kyle Busch leads active drivers in wins with 63. While that is in part because of increased competition in racing, it shouldn’t take away from the dominance that is Richard Petty.

Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson both have the same seven championships as Petty, but they don’t come close to his wins record. Petty was dominant every single week. He’s a record-breaker beyond anyone’s comprehension.

15. UCLA — 7 NCAA Basketball championships in a row
Second Place: Multiple schools with two

March Madness is happening as of this writing. Teams are looking to make dreams come true with their college years, winning brackets and living in infamy with a big run to the Final Four. Any team can win the NCAA Championship. Since the year 2000, 13 different schools can say they have been champions. Anything can happen in college basketball.

However, that wasn’t how it was when John Wooden was running UCLA basketball. Nobody was better than the Bruins, and they were the best bet in sports. In 1967, UCLA went 30-0 and won the NCAA Championship, beating Dayton in the final. Another team wouldn’t claim a championship until 1974 (and then UCLA took another title for good measure in 1975).

That is seven championships in a row. March Madness might be the hardest set of playoffs in sports. Even back in the 1970s, the tournament kept changing by adding more teams. It didn’t go to 32 teams until 1975, but UCLA still needed to win four games in a row against progressively better opponents to win each season. 

If UConn wins the tournament this year, they will have won two in a row, tying them for second all time. No team besides this UCLA run has ever won three. Thinking another team can win seven in a row with NIL, transfer portal, one-and-done NBA Draft picks, and other factors will keep different schools winning titles. 

14. John Stockton — 15,806 all-time assists
Second Place: Jason Kidd 12,091 assists

John Stockton and Karl Malone were the one-two punch that felt unstoppable in the 1990s (unless you’re Michael Jordan). They just worked so well together. Their connection was palpable. Stockton’s passing was unparalleled. He could find anyone on those Utah Jazz teams. Stockton averaged double-digit assists per game over his career. 

Most people know John Stockton's story by now, but in case you don’t, it’s one of perseverance. He was a star at Gonzaga, but this was before Gonzaga became the powerhouse it’s become under Mark Few. He assumed he would go undrafted after four years in college, but after a great showing at Team USA camp in 1984, he rocketed up the NBA Draft. 

Stockton’s greatest asset was his consistency. He led the league in assists for a record nine straight seasons, five of which are included in the top six assist-per-game marks in NBA history. Before Stockton, nobody had ever recorded more than 10,000 assists. Stockton passed Magic Johnson in 1995, and he would go on to add close to 6,000 more assists before calling it a career.

There have been so many great passers since Stockton retired. Jason Kidd drove teams to the NBA Finals on multiple occasions by dishing the rock. Chris Paul made it his mission to make his teammates look great. No one has come close to Stockton’s assist totals, and we just don’t see anyone coming close.

13. Rickey Henderson — 1,406 stolen bases
Second Place: Lou Brock 938

There are a ton of baseball records on this list, and there could be so many more. For a very long time in this country, the greatest athletes would play baseball. It paid the best, and it was the sport with the most eyes without the plethora of injuries. However, it’s hard to imagine any athlete like Rickey Henderson. 

Henderson legitimately felt like the fastest man alive. Legend has it that he once ran the 100-yard dash in 9.5 seconds (the world record held by Usain Bolt around the same time). Henderson could have done anything in any sport with that speed. He could have probably won Olympic gold if he really focused on it. Instead, he stole bases and hit leadoff home runs. 

Henderson has more stolen bases than teams did. The 2023 New York Yankees as a team had 100 stolen bases on the season. He had 100 or more stolen bases in a season three times. The former MVP led the league in stolen bases 12 times, including in 1998 with the Oakland Athletics. He was 38 years old at the time. 

Henderson has almost 500 stolen bases more than the next guy, who was the insanely fast Lou Brock. The active stolen base career leader is 35-year-old Starling Marte, who has 338. Ronald Acuna, who was last year’s stolen base leader, has 180 on his career. The game is just different, and bases tend to get stolen less. Even if stolen bases become a central part of the game, there will never be a player who does it like Henderson.

12. Tiger Woods — 142 consecutive cuts
Second Place: Byron Nelson 113 consecutive cuts

Tiger Woods had to find a place on this list. His run in the late 90s and early 2000s made him the biggest athlete in the world. Everyone started watching golf to see what Tiger Woods was going to do. Even today, more than two decades later, Woods still draws the biggest crowds at every event he participates in. He’s no longer the dominant golfer who stares his opponents down before hitting a putt from 15 feet. However, Woods is still golf’s biggest draw.

That’s because there was nothing golf had ever seen at Woods’ peak. There are dozens of reasons why Woods was as great as he was. Wearing the red Nike polo is now associated with vigilant dominance when it matters. That’s because Woods so often won tournaments wearing the polo. He got there because he made it past the first two days of tournaments.

At the 1998 Buick Invitational, Woods made the cut as a 22-year-old. He did that until the 2005 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Ironically, the namesake holds second in this stat. That is 142 cuts made, 36 PGA Tour wins, and eight major championships. 

Woods holds too many records to count, and despite his struggles, he still holds the lowest scoring average in PGA Tour history. He may never break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins (he’s second all-time with 15), but he is still considered the best man to ever hold a driver. His consecutive cuts streak is at the top of the list as to why.

11. Aleksandr Karelin — 13 years unbeaten at amateur wrestling
Second Place: Jordan Burroughs 69 wins in a row

There are famous unbeaten streaks in wrestling. Bill Goldberg famously went 173-0. Andre the Giant was undefeated for nearly 15 years. The Undertaker had a Wrestlemania winning streak that lasted more than two decades. Yet, none of that actually mattered because it was for a TV show. What really matters is Aleksandr Karelin's undefeated streak. For 13 years, he never lost a Greco-Roman-style wrestling match. 

This is the greatest wrestler in history. He was dominant in his style and defense. He once went six years without a single point scored against him. That might be the streak that deserves to be on this list, but this one is much easier to track. Over his entire career, Karelin lost two matches, both by very controversial finishes (now that’s very WWE). 

Karelin went undefeated at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games, winning the gold medal for his country (Soviet Union for the first, Unified Team for the second, and Russia for the third). He also never lost a match at the World Championships. He finally lost a match at the 2000 Olympics in the gold medal match. Rulon Gardner beat him with a strategy that amounted to waiting until Karelin was forced to do something at the very end and then take advantage. 

While controversial, the decision ended decades of dominance from the best to ever put on a singlet. He lost one of the greatest undefeated streaks in sports, both real and scripted, due to a rule change. Yet, we will always remember him for going decades dominating heavyweight wrestling. 

10. Antonio Cromartie — Longest return (109.9 yards)
Second Place: Cordarrelle Patterson 109-yard return

Antonio Cromartie received a missed field goal with his foot straddled in the back of the endzone, tip-toeing to stay inbounds. He then got his footing and ran the ball back almost 110 yards for a touchdown. 

A lot had to fall into place for this play to happen. Minnesota Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell came onto the field to attempt a 58-yard field goal to end the first half. If it wasn’t the end of the half, we doubt Cromartie even attempts to catch the ball, let alone stay in bounds and return the ball to the endzone. The Vikings likely don’t attempt such a long field goal with the game in a different situation. Yet, all of this happened, and it gave us the longest play in NFL history.

It’s literally impossible to beat the record. Cromartie was as far back in the endzone as humanly possible. Again, he was straddling the back endzone line. How could someone make a longer return? The NFL would have to somehow make the fields larger. While the league likes to change just about everything, we don’t see much money being made in making it harder to score a touchdown. 

Cromartie is one of the more underrated players from that era. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and led the league in interceptions in 2007. However, his legacy is this one play where he took a chance by standing near the goalline during a field goal attempt, and he turned it in for six. 

9. Wayne Gretzky — 2,857 points 
Second Place: Jaromir Jagr 1,921 points

This is one of the many records people are specifically looking for on this list. Wayne Gretzky very famously destroys all scoring records in the NHL. He is the undisputed greatest hockey player ever. Even considering that he played in the high-scoring 80s, Gretzky’s records are beyond comprehension. 

He led the league in points 11 times in his career. Gretzky won the Hart Trophy (given to the NHL MVP) eight times in a row. He wasn’t even a power-play merchant. For the superstar Oilers of the 80s, Gretzky regularly led the league in shorthanded goals (goals scored when the other team was on a power play). This player was dominant on another level from every other dominant player. 

Gretzky has more assists than anyone else and more goals and assists combined. He currently also holds the NHL record for career goals, although Alexander Ovechkin is coming on strong. 

It’s not like Gretzky played until he was 45 years old to build these ridiculous records. He retired with the New York Rangers when he was just 38. He didn’t even get the luxury of 3v3 overtime. Imagine Gretzky at his peak with that much space to work. He might have another 20-30 goals on that resume, even if we’re just talking about overtime. He has almost 1,000 more points than any player in history. No other player ever had 200 points in a season. Gretzky did it four times. What more can we say? Nobody is touching this record. Ever. 

8. Cal Ripken — 2,632 Consecutive games played
Second Place: Lou Gehrig 2,130 games played

Here comes another VERY famous record. When Cal Ripken was making his run for Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played record in 1995, the entire nation was glued to their TV. It had nothing to do with a certain feat of strength or athleticism. Ripken just had to show up to work over and over again. He won the perfect attendance award for 15 years to beat the “luckiest man on the face of this Earth.” 

Of course, Gehrig is a figure bigger than baseball. He was forced out of the game due to his battle with ALS, now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He walked away from the game after replacing Wally Pipp in 1925. He didn’t give up his spot on first base until he walked away from the game in 1939. 

Ripken’s story isn’t nearly as tragic. However, just like Gehrig, Ripken was more than just a steady hand. He was the Baltimore Orioles star. Not only that, but he remains one of the most well-liked figures in baseball history.

When Ripken officially broke the record in the fifth inning (a baseball game does not count if it goes less than five innings), the fans gave him a 22-minute standing ovation. That is how much this man meant to Baltimore, to baseball, and to motivation in sports. The “Iron Man” continued to play until September 20, 1998. Ripken didn’t get hurt or suffer some sort of sickness. He just felt it was time to take a day off. 

7. Wilt Chamberlain — 50.4 points per game in one season
Second Place: Elgin Baylor (outside Wilt) 38.3 points per game

There is one record that Wilt Chamberlain is most well-known for. He once scored 100 points in a game for the Philadelphia Warriors. The picture of him holding the piece of paper with just “100” scribbled on it is iconic today. The record hasn’t been matched yet, but players have flirted with it. Kobe Bryan scored 81 points against the Raptors in 2006. Luka Doncic had 73 points in 2024. That seems like it’s pretty far from 100, but it feels like, eventually, there will be a multi-overtime game or just a ridiculous hot streak that ends up beating.

You know what will never be touched? His 50.4 points per game he scored for Philadelphia in 1961-62. Can you imagine a player averaging 50 points? If someone scores 50 points in a game today, it usually leads Sportscenter. It’s a feat of brilliance to do it once. Chamberlain did it on average. 

Chamberlain was playing like a madman that season. First, he averaged 48.5 minutes per game (there are 48 minutes in a regulation NBA game). The only time he missed all season was when he was ejected following a second technical foul against the Lakers. Besides that, he played every single minute of every game, giving him ample opportunity to score. 

Chamberlain is also the only player to average over 40 points per game in a season, so there is just no way this record will be in jeopardy. It would take major rule changes, like increasing the time of a game to 60 minutes, for anyone to even come close. Even with that, with dedication to rest and players tending to get hurt more often, this record will be in place when our children’s children’s children are watching the NBA.

6. Isner Vs. Mahut — Wimbledon's longest match (11 hours and five minutes)
Second Place: Anderson beat Isner - (6 hours and 36 minutes)

Wimbledon. Just the name itself screams prestige and honor. Winning at Wimbledon is what tennis players dream of their whole lives. And some matches take a lot more than others. That was the case on June 22, 2010. American John Isner took on Nicolas Mahut out of France. Mahut, who was ranked 148th in the world at the time, was trying to upset the 19th-ranked Isner, but neither man would go down without the biggest fight in tennis.

This first-round match is now considered not only Wimbeldon’s longest match but also the longest tennis match in history. The first two sets went on like any normal set we’ve seen. Isner won the first set 6-4. Mahut won the second set 6-3. We were on to the third set of the match, and this is when things started to get hairy. The two needed 16 tie-breaker points after tying 6-6, with Mahut taking another set. With his back against the wall, Isner won the fourth set after tie-breakers as well.

In the final set, they had to reset because it had become too dark to play. So, the two men came back the next day thinking they’d play a set and move on. While technically true, the two played to another tie-breaker. That tie-breaker went all the way to 59-59 before the play was forced to reset again. Now on day three of the same match, the two played for 20 more sets before Isner finally won. Eleven hours and five minutes in the same match, and Isner was finally able to move on. Ironically, Isner was also in the second-longest Wimbledon match ever, losing to Kevin Anderson after 6 ½ hours. After these long matches, rules were changed on tie-breakers, so we will likely never see games this long ever again.

5. Michael Phelps — 23 Olympic Gold Medals
Second Place: Multiple others with 9 (including Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis)

Michael Phelps very well might be the greatest athlete in history. His story has been told in every possible way. Every four years, we were in the presence of greatness, as Phelps would dominate the pool. He participated in the Olympics in 2000 in Sydney at just 15 years old. He kept going until the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. That year, he won five gold medals, giving him 23 for his career.

Phelps already smashed the record for gold medals in one athlete’s history. As you can see, multiple people have nine, but Phelps is the only person with double-digit gold medals, and he has more than double second place. Phelps has more gold medals to himself than the U.S. has all time in tennis, weightlifting, archery, or beach volleyball.

This man was swimming. This is one of the most popular Olympic sports. There are always great swimmers that we lift up, especially Americans. Whether it's Mark Spitz, Ryan Lochte, or Katie Ledecky, swimming brings eyes to the Summer Olympics. 

This just isn’t getting touched. Unless the rest of the world gets really bad at one sport with quite a few gold medals in every Olympics, this record will hold until the end of time. Phelps is the greatest Olympic athlete ever. He deserves every accolade he gets. It was an awe-inspiring performance, and we will explain it to our kids if they weren’t around when it happened. 

4. Barry Bonds — 688 intentional walks
Second Place: Albert Pujols 316 intentional walks

There are so many Barry Bonds records we could name here. His most famous record is 73 home runs in a season, and that seems safe in the post-steroid era of baseball. He also owns the record for most home runs in a career with 762. While it’s hard to see those records broken, it definitely doesn’t feel impossible. However, the sheer amount of times Barry Bonds was intentionally walked doesn’t seem like something that will ever be matched.

Pitchers decided it was best to give Barry Bonds his base 688 times. At his peak, pitchers were purposely walking Bonds with the bases loaded. They’d rather live another day with the guy behind him and add a run to the scoreboard over giving Bonds a chance to crush them. Bonds holds the record with 120 IBBs in 2004 when he was 39 years old. That’s pure insanity.

Before Bonds, nobody had ever even had 50 intentional walks in a season. It’s a testament to a time when pitchers would do their own analytics and decide if facing Bonds was worth it. The only active player in the top 30 in intentional walks in his best season is Paul Goldschmidt, and he had just 29 in 2015. 

Last year, Jose Ramirez led the league in IBBs with 22. Freddie Freeman led the National League with 12. It’s just a different league today. Teams prioritize keeping players off first base. They will take the chance on these huge hitters unless the situation calls for different (like a man on second base with first base open). Bonds was the most feared athlete in recent history. Obviously, there’s some controversy behind that, but we can’t ignore how great he was on the baseball diamond (like the Hall of Fame does). 

3. Usain Bolt’s — 9.58-second 100-meter dash
Second Place: (After Bolt) Tyson Gay 9.69 seconds

Usain Bolt is the fastest man alive or dead. The term “he’s built different” should be specifically for him. He’s broken numerous Olympic and world records during his career. He’s one of the most popular athletes because of these pure feats of speed. He holds many impressive ventures, but it’s his performance in the 100-meter dash that stands out.

Many might say this is too high because others on this list will never be broken due to regulations or just the impossible nature of the statistic itself, but this is just a feat so impressive that we can’t see a normal man coming close. Bolt (properly named) broke the record at the Berlin World Athletics Championships in 2009. 

At this point, Bolt was breaking his own world record. He originally broke it at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He beat that time by more than a tenth of a second.

Could someone technically beat the record? Sure, we guess. There will always be new technology in footwear that could help, and a runner could get lucky with wind speed at their back. Heck, we might even see human evolution change athletics. Yet, this record seems pretty safe. 

2. Cy Young — 511 wins
Second Place: Walter Johnson 417 wins

Often mentioned as the most unbeatable record in sports, Cy Young is the namesake for the best pitcher of the year award for a reason. Young holds many accumulation records that will never be touched, especially his 749 career complete games, but we wanted to go with the most famous record since none of these are getting touched. 

Over his 22 year career that started in 1890, Young won 511 games. In his career, he faced 29,565 batters (obviously another record). Walter Johnson is second on the wins list with almost 100 fewer wins than him. Now, we can’t even get pitchers to the illustrious 300 wins mark. Justin Verlander has been a superstar pitcher for two decades, winning three Cy Young awards along the way. He has 257 wins in his career and he’s about to be 41 years old. 

When Young was 41 years old, he won 21 games for the Boston Red Sox with a 1.26 ERA. Young was crazy good for longer than most of us can fathom. He even did it on bad teams. He often doubled the win totals of any other pitcher on his team. 

This wasn’t just a player who outlasted people in a strange era of sports. He led the league in wins five times and broke 30 wins five times. From age 24 to age 37, he never had fewer than 20 wins. He also added two more 20-win seasons in his 40s and led the league in shutouts seven times. Young crushed his opponents, and that is why he had so many wins, and nobody else will ever come within 100 again. 

1. Longest Boxing Match Ever — 110 rounds between Andy Bowen and Jack Burke

This one is not a typo. The longest boxing match in history saw Andy Bowen take on Jack Burke in 1893. The country was in disarray again, and boxing became a point of joy for the people. They were looking forward to this tilt in New Orleans. 

Bowen and Burke were considered national icons at this time, similar to the biggest athletes of today. Bowen was well-known for going through grueling bouts. Burke, on the other hand, was known as the flashy boxer who used agility and footwork to win. The matchup brought 8,500 people to watch. Every three minutes, another round went by, and before they knew it, the two men had been fighting for over seven hours. It was so long, some of the spectators fell asleep. 

In Round 108, referee John Duffy declared that the fighters had two more rounds to come up with a winner or this would be a “no contest.” Both fighters would not relent through Round 110, and the referee was forced to call the match with no winner. Fans waited that long just to see the fight end in no contest.

The aftermath was brutal. One of the fighters was bedridden for six weeks and broke all the bones in his hands (there are reports this was Bowen and Burke, so not clear the reporting on this). Bowen would tragically lose his life in a boxing match a year later after hitting his head on a wooden floor in the 18th round.