OT: Sports records that will never be broken

[bballnut90]

I don't agree with the analogy between winning every set in volleyball and winning every quarter in basketball. That's apples and oranges. The win or loss of a set in volleyball creates a far bigger impact on the closeness of a match than, say, closing the gap from 30 to 25 in a garbage-time 4th quarter. Also, sometimes a straight-set win in volleyball can be in essence much closer than say a four-set win (compare winning 27-25, 29-27, 30-28 to winning 22-25, 25-10, 25-12, 25-9).

I agree it isn't quite the same, but they essentially had 1 match all season that was competitive which was the Nebraska match. Aside from that match, the only times all season where Penn State had opponents come within 2 points in a set were vs Stanford and Ohio State. Every single other set was won by 3+, and vast majority were blow outs. Almost every single match had 1-2 sets that were absolute beat downs.

If you compare it to UCONN's best teams during that stretch (IMO 2014/2016) you have:

2016: a couple of games where other teams hung with them through the first half (Notre Dame/DePaul and the game vs. Maryland when they were only up by 4 at home with a minute to go.

2014: played dead even with Maryland and BYU into 2nd half, played very tightly by Baylor through most of 2nd half.

For their overall consistency and never having a threatening game aside from Nebraska, I think Penn State's season as a whole was more dominant than any individual UCONN season, but it's apples and oranges and there's ample room for interpretation. Both programs dominated their respective sport unlike anyone else had ever done during their 6 title stretches.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Connie’s hands were 11.5 inches from tip of little finger to tip of thumb.

One point about Chamberlain. It’s not just having a hand large enough to palm a bowling ball. It’s having the strength to then hold it at arms length. He’s probably the greatest combination of strength and athleticism we have ever seen. Virtually a different species from the rest of us.

 

[LCConnFan]

One point about Chamberlain. It’s not just having a hand large enough to palm a bowling ball. It’s having the strength to then hold it at arms length. He’s probably the greatest combination of strength and athleticism we have ever seen. Virtually a different species from the rest of us.

Also, when Wilt played with the Harlem Globetrotters, one of their antics involved Meadowlark Lemon collapsing to the ground, but instead of Wilt helping him up, he tosses a 210lb. Lemon up in the air and catches him!

 

[Dokey]

You're probably correct about UConn record, what do you think about Plum's NCAA record 3527? Mitchell made a run but came up short. I don't think Chennedy Carter would've gotten there but a non-issue since she skipped her Sr. year. Dyaisha Fair from Buffalo averaged 22 ppg as a Fr., scored 660, but that leaves her a long way to go. I'm not sure if anyone else is even remotely within range to think about it currently. Maybe that record will fall eventually, but it will take a lot. Ryne Howard is only about 1/3 of the way there after 2 years at Kentucky. You have to be a big scorer right out of the gate as a Fr. and then keep upping your scoring average every year. Don't get injured. Get in some post season games.

Sometimes it is a question of minutes. On great teams scorers hit the bench early in runaways.

 

[LCConnFan]

Sometimes it is a question of minutes. On great teams scorers hit the bench early in runaways.

and as we're seeing lately, many aren't even finishing their college careers and turning pro!

 

[Bigboote]

I haven't seen Edwin Moses mentioned yet. He won 122 consecutive races, including 107 finals. He was undefeated in the 400m hurdles for 11 years.

 

[bluedevil]

Wilt never fouled out of an NBA game...that is a record that can't ever be beaten....qed.

 

[Beemer]

Read the Wiki article re the Belmont race and had to run the numbers.

1.5 miles in 2:24 comes out to an average of 37.5 MPH! On dirt, around 2 semi-circles between the straights. And he kept it up for more than 2 minutes, carrying 126 pounds.

Simply mind-boggling.

I clearly remember watching all 3 races (I was 10 at the time). There was a lot of excitement because back then there hadn't been a Triple Crown winner in 25 years.

Horses good enough to run Triple Crown races are special but IMO Secretariat stands out even among them. Not just because he won all 3 but the way he did it. It sounds odd to say but he had the charisma of a rock star. He was a great big red stallion who seemed to actually enjoy being the center of attention, unlike most Thoroughbreds.

 

[BBallF]

1) Jack Chesbro's 41 wins as a pitcher in 1904 2) Rogers Hornsby's .424 batting average for a season 3) Joe D's 56 game hitting streak 4) Johnny Vandermeer's back to back no-hitters 5) UCLA's 7 NCAA titles in a row 6) Wilt's 50 point scoring average for a season 7) Wilt's 27 rebounds per game season average 8) Cy Young's 511 wins 9) Breanna Stewart's 4 Final Four MOP awards( by definition it can only be tied) 10) Secretariat at Belmont