Am putting this in the General Sports forum because I'm hoping it will generate discussion that will span a multitude of sports.
I've seen many records set and broken in my lifetime, and I've read of others before my time. It got me to thinking what records might be out there that will never be broken.
In some ways the improved athleticism of the participants, and in other ways the dynamics or evolving rules of the contest itself have contributed to the ever-increasing levels of performance.
But for my nomination, just the opposite is true - especially as it relates to the rules of the contest, which actually held down what otherwise would have been an even greater performance:
Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring record of 3,667 points in NCAA Div I basketball. His 3-year [varsity] career average was 44.2 PPG.
Two rules held him back from reaching even greater heights:
1) At the time, freshman were not permitted to participate in varsity sports. Thus, his career consisted of only 3 years.
2) There was no 3-point line when he played college ball. Supposedly, LSU coach Dale Brown plotted the Pistols' entire shooting history (I've not been able to track down a copy of the summary) and calculated that had the 3-point line been in play, Maravich would have averaged a jaw-dropping 13 3-pointers and 57 PPG.
The type of talent that could produce this level will surely opt for the NBA after one or two years in the future. It's a record that will never be broken.
As a second place: Oklahoma State's total of 35 national championships in wrestling.
I'd like to hold the discussion to college and pro sports. Otherwise, we introduce the likelihood of endless possibilities, such as Washington HS (Sioux Falls, SD) record 35 state football championships.
I've seen many records set and broken in my lifetime, and I've read of others before my time. It got me to thinking what records might be out there that will never be broken.
In some ways the improved athleticism of the participants, and in other ways the dynamics or evolving rules of the contest itself have contributed to the ever-increasing levels of performance.
But for my nomination, just the opposite is true - especially as it relates to the rules of the contest, which actually held down what otherwise would have been an even greater performance:
Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring record of 3,667 points in NCAA Div I basketball. His 3-year [varsity] career average was 44.2 PPG.
Two rules held him back from reaching even greater heights:
1) At the time, freshman were not permitted to participate in varsity sports. Thus, his career consisted of only 3 years.
2) There was no 3-point line when he played college ball. Supposedly, LSU coach Dale Brown plotted the Pistols' entire shooting history (I've not been able to track down a copy of the summary) and calculated that had the 3-point line been in play, Maravich would have averaged a jaw-dropping 13 3-pointers and 57 PPG.
The type of talent that could produce this level will surely opt for the NBA after one or two years in the future. It's a record that will never be broken.
As a second place: Oklahoma State's total of 35 national championships in wrestling.
I'd like to hold the discussion to college and pro sports. Otherwise, we introduce the likelihood of endless possibilities, such as Washington HS (Sioux Falls, SD) record 35 state football championships.