54 years ago today, on March 2, 1962, one of the most ridiculous records in sports history occurred, as Wilt Chamberlain dropped 100 points during a game in a tiny gym in Hershey, Pa. And while some refute that it ever actually happened and it’s nothing more than a folk tale, there are too many out there who claim it to be fact.
With no NBA player coming closer than 19 points to Wilt’s 100—Kobe Bryant’s 81-point outburst in 2006—it got me thinking about other sports records that will never be touched, with these 10 topping the list.
10. Oscar Robertson’s 41 Triple-Doubles In An NBA Season
For us 20- and 30-something bros who only hear stories about how lethal Oscar Robertson was at playing basketball, the Big O’s triple-double mark is a good indication of how dominant he was.
That’s because, during the 1961-62 campaign, Robertson put up a nasty 41 triple-doubles over a 79-game schedule, which is 24 more than the player who is second on that list—Magic Johnson in two separate seasons.
Another one of Robertson’s unbreakable records is his averaging a triple-double over the course of that ’61-62 season, which, even if a guy were to put up 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists per game, wouldn’t nearly be as impressive as Oscar’s 30.8/12.5/11.4.
9. Oklahoma Sooners’ 47 Straight Wins
For all the talk about how Lord Saban has built a dynasty down in Tuscaloosa with his Alabama Crimson Tide by winning four national titles since the 2009 season, not even he can touch the 47-straight wins the the Oklahoma Sooners achieved from 1953-57.
There might be teams who scoop the best talent in the country year-after-year and stockpile players at each position, but, with the amount of parity and equal talent at other schools every single weekend, there’s bound to be a slip-up over a three-to-four year period.
8. Philadelphia Flyers’ 35-Game Unbeaten Streak
There have been some astounding wins or points streaks by a team in NHL history—the Chicago Blackhawks’ record-breaking streak to being the 2013 season comes to mind—but there hasn’t been a squad as jaw-dropping as the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers.
Unequaled by any team in any major sport, the Flyers went nearly three months without a loss, running off 35-straight games with collecting at least one point by win or tie.
Sure, Philly didn’t end the season as Stanley Cup champs, but they’re still remembered as one of the best ever because of this freakin’ streak.
7. Barry Sanders’ 14 Straight 100-Yard Rushing Games
This isn’t to say that there aren’t talented running backs in the NFL today, but, c’mon now, no one had it like Barry Sanders back when he played in the league.
In fact, this stat is so insane that the closest any runner has even gotten to touching this mark was in 2010 when Chris Johnson strung together 12 consecutive games of over 100 yards, and even that was still two games short.
With the emphasis on passing in the NFL nowadays and running backs taking a backseat, Sanders’ 100-yard streak isn’t ever getting bumped from the No. 1 spot.
6. Cal Ripken’s 2,632 Consecutive Games Played
To be completely blunt, athletes are nothing but a bunch of pampered pussies these days, with guys hoping to “save their bodies” for the postseason and given days off for no reason other than resting their muscles.
Cal Ripken Jr. would never do such a thing, as he trotted out of the dugout for 2,632 straight games, a record that covered over 16 seasons, refusing to give himself a break during a steamy day in Texas in mid-July or a blistery day in Cleveland in early-April.
Pathetically, the active record for most consecutive games played was at 128-straight during the midpoint of last season, so, yeah, Ripken’s mark is more than safe.
5. Calendar Grand Slam In Golf
In the history of the PGA tour, only six players have even accomplished the career Grand Slam, let alone winning all four majors in the same calendar year, so don’t hold your breath on this happening soon, bros.
Even as dominant as Jordan Spieth was in 2015 when he won the first two majors of the season—the Masters and U.S. Open—he wasn’t able to finish the job at the British Open or PGA Championship, so, really, what was all the fuss about?
The competition is too strong and the sport is too physically and, more so, mentally demanding with all the outside noise for a player to accomplish what Bobby Jones did in 1930.
4. Joe DiMaggio’s 56-Game Hit Streak
When we see a current MLB player get into the 20-plus mark of a hit streak, we all get pretty stoked and start taking notice. Then we remember that he’s not even halfway to the 56-game mark that Joe DiMaggio set during the 1941 season.
Stretching for over two months during that ’41 season, Joltin’ Joe hit an absurd .408 with 15 homers and 55 RBI—which would be an MVP-worthy season for some guys today.
This streak is so unbreakable today that even if a guy hits safely for exactly one-third of the regular season—162 games—he would still be two games behind even tying DiMaggio’s mark.
3. Wayne Gretzky’s Career Points Record
For all the talk about Sidney Crosby, Conor McDavid or anyone else being the “next Wayne Gretzky,” let’s just go ahead and squash such chatter, because there will never be another one like him.
There’s a reason why Gretzky is known simply as “The Great One,” and it’s because his NHL record for most career points—2,857—will never have a neighbor to worry about, as that record is on a private island that have guards protecting outsiders from even looking at.
To put it in perspective, ESPN gave a stat that said a player could “put up 140 points for 20 straight seasons and still not reach Gretzky.” Oh, and the last person to even reach the 140-point plateau in a regular season? Mario Lemieux in 1995!
2. UCLA Bruins’ Men’s Hoops 10 Straight Final Fours
Under the guidance of John Wooden, the UCLA Bruins reached the Final Four in 10 consecutive seasons, doubling the mark of five set by a number of other schools that sit in second place on this list.
Hell, reaching the Final Four in back-to-back years is celebrated these days, so could you imagine how annoying ESPN would be if a team actually got there for a decade straight?
Actually, don’t even bother imagining what it would be like, because it isn’t happening anytime soon in this age of parity and one-and-done players who would rather chase millions than to play college hoops.
1. Boston Celtics’ 8 Straight NBA Titles
Go ahead and drool over what Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have done to the rest of the NBA over the past few seasons, now imagine that going on for six more years! Yeah, that’s hard to imagine.
Well, for those who may have forgotten, the Boston Celtics did just that, putting together a string of 8 straight NBA championships from 1958-66, putting together a combined regular season record of 461-165 in those title seasons.
Maybe more impressive is that, in a 13-year period, the Celts won 11 NBA titles, only missing the Finals once in that span. Good luck ever coming close to that, NBA.