As the saying goes “records are made to be broken”, while that might be true for most sports records that exist at the moment, there is a small number – maybe 1% – that will most likely never be broken. These are the records that will probably stand the test of time and see the holders etched into history as not only the best in their field but as the legend who could not be beaten.
The biggest margin of victory in a football match
Image source: footballtimes.com
Nothing beats watching a high-scoring football game between two international teams, but nothing comes close to the 31-0 drubbing the Socceroos put on American Samoa in 2001.
The match – which was a qualifier for the 2002 FIFA World Cup – saw Australia hit the back of the net 31 times without conceding. Archie Thomson scored 13 goals and David Zdrilic scored eight on the way to setting the record for the most goals scored in an international soccer match.
It is highly unlikely that this record will ever be broken. As teams become more professional and invest more in their football programmes, double-digit scores are becoming rarer. One thing is for sure though, if this had been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped it long before the final round.
Michael Phelps’ 28 Olympic medals
Image source: dailymirror.co.uk
American swimmer Michael Phelps is arguably the best athlete to ever have competed at the Olympic Games. Sure, the likes of Usain Bolt are up there, but no one is likely to come close to the 28 medals Phelps has accumulated at the Games.
Phelps was just 15 when he represented the USA at his first ever Olympic Games in 2000. Swimming in just one event, he managed to finish in an unremarkable fifth place and was soon forgotten about. That all changed at the 2004 Olympics where he blew the competition out of the water, winning six gold medals and two bronze medals.
Following that would be an utter domination of the sport for more than a decade. Phelps won a total of 28 medals – 23 of which are gold – meaning he not only holds the record for the most Olympic medals, but also the most gold medals.
Add to that his 39 World Records and 23 Guinness World Records and you can see how difficult it will be for anyone to ever outdo the American.
Boston Celtics’ eight straight NBA titles
Image source: NBA.com
Between 1959 and 1966 the Boston Celtics were absolutely unstoppable in the NBA.
Led by Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones and Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach, the Celtics began the greatest championship winning run in NBA history – one that is not likely to ever be repeated, let alone beaten.
The Celtics would go on to win eight straight NBA titles, eventually losing in 1967 to the Philadelphia 76ers. That didn’t mean that the domination ended, the men from Boston were back at it and winning back-to-back championships the following season.
Three-peats have happened a few times since then, but never has a team managed to win 10 championships in 11 years and no team has ever looked close to taking home eight in a row.
Tampa Bay’s losing streak
Image source: tampabay.com
In 1977, quarterbacked by current South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, the Bucs lost an NFL-record 26 games in a row only managing to win their last two games of the season.
The only other time a team came “close” to breaking the record was back in 2008/09 when the Detroit Lions lost 19 in a row. The 2001 Carolina Panthers lost 15 games in a row to round out the three longest losing streaks in NFL history.
The Bucs’ fortunes started to turn in the 90s and they managed to win the first Super Bowl title in 2003, although it remains their only Super Bowl title to this day.
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