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Kelly CohenESPN
There are some things that feel really great: finding $20 in your pocket, getting a duvet cover on perfectly the first time you try, breaking a 34-year-old record.
At the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, this week, Donavan Brazier did exactly that. He won the 800 meters with a time of 1:42.3, setting a new American record that had stood strong for a whopping 34 years, a world championship record — and becoming the first U.S. runner to win gold in the event at worlds.
With help from ESPN’s Stats & Information, we put together a list of long-standing records that were eventually broken. These are jaw-dropping.
Most triple-doubles in a single season
Russell Westbrook notched 42 triple-doubles during the 2016-17 season, breaking a record set by Oscar Robertson (41) during the 1961-62 season.
Westbrook, then with the Oklahoma City Thunder and now with the Houston Rockets, recorded his 42nd triple-double in typical Brodie fashion, dropping 50 points against the Denver Nuggets in an April 2017 game. He also scored the Thunder’s final 15 points of that game, which included a buzzer-beater from downtown that won it for them, 106-105.
Most consecutive games with a pass touchdown
Ah Drew Brees, how we miss you in the NFL right now!
The New Orleans Saints quarterback has a slew of records under his belt, and one of those includes 54 consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass.
The record, which ran from Oct. 18, 2009, to Nov. 29, 2012, broke Johnny Unitas’ streak of 47 consecutive games set more than 50 years prior from Dec. 9, 1956, to Dec. 4, 1960.
– Most consecutive games with a Pass TD (54)
– Most career completions— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 9, 2018
Most sacks in a single season
New York Giants legend Michael Strahan tallied 22.5 sacks during the 2001 season, which broke the 17-year-old record set by Mark Gastineau (22) in 1984.
The defensive end played his entire 15-year football career in blue and gray, helping the team win the Super Bowl in 2007 before retiring right after and joining the world of television.
His record-breaking sack came against fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame member Brett Favre. At one point during the unreal 2001 season, Strahan had four sacks in one game, all against St. Louis Rams QB Kurt Warner.
Consecutive MLB games played
Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. played a wild 2,632 consecutive games, which broke a record set by Lou Gehrig 56 years prior.
Known as the “Iron Man,” Ripken played 21 seasons with the Orioles, and set his record from May 30, 1982, to Sept. 19, 1998.
24 years ago today, Cal Ripken Jr. played in his 2,131st straight game, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record.
He went on to play 2,632 consecutive games before finally sitting 😯 pic.twitter.com/7ACKlvenAh
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2019
The Hall of Fame shortstop said in 2015 that he believes the streak will eventually be broken, but so far no one is even close.
Cincinnati Reds shortstop Freddy Galvis played in 349 consecutive games, the most recent longest active streak in the MLB, before his run ended in April 2019.
Single-season home run record
Mark McGwire held it for only a few years until Barry Bonds came along, but when he hit home run No. 62 in 1998, he broke a 37-year-old record set by Roger Maris.
Maris himself had broken Babe Ruth’s record of 60, which was 34 years old at the time he did so.
Career points in the NHL
The Great One spent a lot of his time making other teams wishing they had him on their side.
From 1979 to 1999, Wayne Gretzky scored an unreal 2,857 career points. That broke Gordie Howe’s record set from 1946 to 1980.
Gretzy didn’t just break the record — he smashed it by more than 1,000 points. Howe had a “mere” 1,850 to Gretsky’s 2,857.
Gretzky also finished his storied NHL career with 894 goals.
Wayne Gretzky turns 56 today. He has more assists (1,963) than any other player has points (Jaromir Jagr is 2nd to Gretzky with 1,897 pts). pic.twitter.com/ymSAoZTzdy
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 26, 2017
Most gold medals in a single Olympics
Forever the pinnacle of sports, winning a gold medal in the Olympics must make you feel like you’re on top of Mount Olympus.
Michael Phelps has won a whopping 28 Olympic medals during his storied career, but that isn’t his only historic feat. During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the swimmer made history by scooping up eight gold medals.
The new record broke Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals set more than 30 years prior in 1972.
Michael Phelps turns 34 🥳
One of the most decorated Olympians of all time.
– 28 Olympic medals (most all-time)
– Holds the all-time record for gold medals at 23
– Won 8 gold medals at 2008 Beijing Games pic.twitter.com/KXQ7bW0OFp— ESPN (@espn) June 30, 2019