Today marks the 75th anniversary of one of the most iconic streaks in all of sports. On this date 75 years ago, Joe DiMaggio didn't get a hit. Why is that noteworthy? Because he had in each of the preceding 56! No one has come anywhere close to a 56-game hitting streak ever since, and it seems highly unlikely that anyone ever will. It's right at the top of the list of "unbreakable" records.
In celebration of DiMaggio's 56, I came up with a list of some of the most impressive individual streaks across all sports. So, you won't be seeing the '72 Dolphins or UConn women's basketball here. This is also regular season streaks only for the team sports, so Reggie Jackson's three straight World Series home runs are also out. (Also, after No. 1, this list is in no particular order other than the order I thought of them.)
Cal Ripken (2,632 games played): If DiMaggio's hitting streak isn't baseball's most iconic record for consecutive anything, Cal Ripken's consecutive games streak is. It started on May 30, 1982, he broke Lou Gehrig's record on Sept. 5, 1995, then he played in 501 more before ending the streak by choice on Sept. 19, 1998. During that span, there was also a streak of 8,243 consecutive innings from June 5, 1982-Sept. 14, 1987.
Johnny Vander Meer (back-to-back no-hitters): Chalk this one up as another of baseball's unbreakable records. There are a handful of no-hitters every year, but it's very rare to have two by the same pitcher in the same season. Most guys don't even throw two no-hitters in their career. Johnny Vander Meer threw two four days apart in 1938, beating the Braves, then the Dodgers (in the first-ever night game at Ebbets Field). He almost threw another one in his next start, too.
Martina Navratilova (74-match winning streak): Navratilova went 86-1 in 1983, losing only in the fourth round of the French Open. That was just a warmup. In 1984, she won 74 straight matches from January-December. She won the first three Grand Slam tournaments that year, giving her six straight over two years (which is tied for the record with Steffi Graf and Maureen Connolly). But Martina's quest for a calendar year Slam ended in the semifinals of the Australian Open (which was held in December then). Oh yeah, and all this was happening while Martina was simultaneously in the middle of a 109-match doubles winning streak with Pam Shriver.
Wayne Gretzky (51 straight games with a point): Gretzky holds 61 NHL records, including 40 regular-season marks, so there were a lot to choose from. But I'm going with his 51 consecutive games with a point from Oct. 5, 1983-Jan. 28, 1984. That's the first 51 games of the season! He had 61 goals in that span, to tie his record for goals in the first 50 games (the slacker only had an assist in the 51st).
Connie Mack (50 seasons as manager): It helped that Mack owned the team, which is the only way this was possible, but his 50 years as manager of the Philadelphia Athletics is another one of those marks that will never be touched. Baseball's all-time winningest manger (also baseball's all-time losingest manager), he famously wore a suit and tie in the dugout from 1901-50.
Drew Brees (54 straight with touchdown pass): Johnny Unitas held this record for a long time, throwing a TD in 47 straight games from 1956-60. It wasn't Brett Favre that broke this record. Or Peyton Manning. It was Drew Brees, who got to 48 on Oct. 7, 2012. He threw a touchdown pass in six more games before going without one against the Falcons on Nov. 29, 2012.
Gordie Howe (25 seasons with one team): I looked thru the most consecutive seasons with one team leaders in all four major sports, and decided whoever's streak was the longest would get the nod. That turned out to be the late "Mr. Hockey," who set too many records to count during his legendary career. Including 25 straight seasons with the Red Wings from 1946-71. Think about that for a second. His streak covered almost the entire Original Six era (which started in 1942) AND the first four seasons after the 1967 expansion.
Eric Gagne (84 consecutive saves): Even those who think the save is an overrated statistic would have a hard time arguing that Gagne's streak isn't impressive. He went 84-for-84 in save opportunities from Aug. 28, 2002-July 5, 2004, including a perfect 55-for-55 in 2003, when he rightfully won the NL Cy Young. Even Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in history, didn't have a two-year run of dominance like that.
Roger Federer (10 straight Grand Slam finals): Which one of Roger Federer's records is the most impressive? He's got consecutive Grand Slam appearances (65), consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals (36; that's nine! years) and consecutive Grand Slam semifinals (23). But there's one streak within those other three that trumps them all. Roger made 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals from 2005 Wimbledon to the 2007 US Open. Then, after losing in the semis of the 2008 Australian Open, he went to eight finals in a row. That's 18 out of 19 Grand Slam finals. Even Novak Djokovic can't say he's done that.
Floyd Mayweather/Rocky Marciano (49-0): Mayweather got to 49-0 with his win over Andre Berto last September. He then promptly retired (whether or not he'll stay retired is a different question), meaning he's one of two boxing champions to end their career a perfect 49-0. The other was the great heavyweight Rocky Marciano, whose record went untouched for nearly 60 years until Mayweather matched it.
Carl Lewis/Al Oerter (4 Olympic golds in same event): Michael Phelps has two chances to add his name to this list in Rio, but, as of now, only Carl Lewis and Al Oerter can say they won the same individual event at four straight Olympics. Lewis won the long jump in 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 to join Oerter in the club. Oerter was the discus champion in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968 (winning Olympic gold on four different continents). Two sailors, Denmark's Paul Elvstrom and Great Britain's Ben Ainslie, have also won individual gold in four straight Olympics, but they both won different classes during their streaks.
Armin Zoeggler (6 Olympic medals in same event): The Winter Olympic equivalent of Lewis and Oerter is probably Italian luger Armin Zoeggler. He's competed in six Olympics--and won a medal in all of them. After winning bronze in 1994 and silver in 1998, Zoeggler won back-to-back golds in 2002 and 2006 (the second of which came on his home track). He followed that up with bronzes in Vancouver and Sochi.
Hubert Raudaschl (9 Olympic appearances): You're forgiven if you don't know who Hubert Raudaschl is. He's an Austrian sailor who competed in every Summer Olympics from 1964-96. The record for Olympic appearances is 10 by Canadian equestrian rider Ian Millar, but Canada boycotted the 1980 Games, so his are stretched over 11 Games. Raudaschl went to nine straight, winning silver medals in 1968 and 1980.
Jared Allen (11 games with a sack): Allen played for the Panthers last season, and it was with Carolina that he finally got to the Super Bowl. But I think most people will remember him as a Minnesota Viking. It was with the Vikings that he set the NFL record for consecutive games with a sack. Allen got one in the final two games of the 2010 season, then started his memorable 2011 campaign with at least obe sack in nine straight, giving him 11 in a row over the two seasons, breaking Simon Fletcher's record of 10 straight games with a sack.
Carl Hubbell (24 wins): Sabermetricians love to tell you how much wins are an overvalued statistic for pitchers. I could go on for days about that, but that's a whole nother discussion. And there's no arguing the value of wins from way back when, when pitchers regularly threw complete games. Which brings me to Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell. He didn't lose a game for nearly an entire year. He won 24 straight from July 18, 1936-May 27, 1937 (16 straight to end 1936 and his first eight decisions of 1937). Hubbell did lose a game to the Yankees in the 1936 World Series, but the streak only includes regular season games, so that one doesn't count.
Courtney Paris (112 straight double-doubles): Very early in her freshman year at Oklahoma, Courtney Paris didn't have a double-double. Nobody thought anything of it at the time. But it would be the last time she didn't until her senior year. Paris had a double-double in 112 straight games until Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols held her to nine points on Feb. 2, 2009. By then, Paris's streak had taken on a life of its own. I remember one game early in that season when Oklahoma was playing in a tournament somewhere like the Bahamas. Paris was only credited with nine rebounds in one of the games, only to have the stats revised a few days later after Oklahoma's staff looked at the video, keeping the streak in tact.
There are plenty of other impressive individual sports streaks out there. Did I miss some? Probably. But, while these may not be as famous as Joe DiMaggio's 56 consecutive games with a hit, you can't argue that they're any less remarkable.
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