Iron man (sports streak)

An iron man is an athlete of unusual physical endurance.[1] This durability is generally measured by an athlete's ability to play without missing a game for an extended period of time, sometimes even for an entire career.[2][3] Some of the more notable athletes with significant streaks in sports history include baseball's Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken Jr.,[2] American football's Brett Favre[4] and Joe Thomas,[5] basketball's A. C. Green,[6] stock car racing's Jeff Gordon[7] and hockey's Phil Kessel and Keith Yandle.[8]

This article is about athletic performance. For other uses, see Iron Man (disambiguation).

Background

The term "iron man" as it pertains to sports longevity has origins in Major League Baseball pitcher Joe McGinnity, who was known for pitching in back-to-back doubleheaders and leading his league in innings pitched four times in five seasons from 1900 to 1904. He also played professionally until age 54. His nickname was "Iron Man", although he said the name originated from his off-season work at his family's foundry business.[9]

In 1939, an athlete noted for endurance was recognized as an "iron man" by the Boston Post when Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games ended when he asked his manager to take him out of the lineup because of his fading abilities. Gehrig had been a consistent performer on the field, attaining a yearly batting average of at least .300 throughout his career until the previous season, when he fell to .295.[10]

A common characteristic of an iron man is the ability to play through injury. Gehrig displayed this trait in 1934 when his streak was in jeopardy of being snapped at 1,426 games. He was injured during a game and was pulled from the lineup. The next day, after receiving heat treatments and massages for a stiff back, he was able to get a hit before leaving the contest.[11] Gehrig's record stood for 56 years until surpassed by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995.[12][13] After Ripken's record-breaking streak garnered attention from the media,[14] the NBA's A.C. Green received attention, in 1997, for his streak of consecutive games played, as he was approaching Randy Smith's record.[15][16] In 1999, Brett Favre set the record for consecutive starts by a quarterback when he started his 117th consecutive game, surpassing the mark established by Ron Jaworski.[17] In 2009, Favre would surpass Jim Marshall's starts streak at any position with his 271st consecutive start.[18]

An iron man streak can also end for disciplinary reasons. In 2015, Matt Kenseth was suspended after he caused a crash that ended Joey Logano's race at Martinsville. NASCAR issued a two-race suspension, effectively ending his streak at 571,[19] leaving him ineligible for pursuing Jeff Gordon's 797-race streak.

In international cricket, players can be taken out of the squad for injuries, discipline, poor form, illegal bowling action, or unfavourable conditions for certain bowlers, or simply as a healthy break when they are rested during long tours or in a calendar year with hectic schedules. In 2016, Brendon McCullum finished his international career having started in 101 consecutive tests from debut; this is notable not only because he was never dropped for poor form or poor health, but because New Zealand has a far leaner schedule than Australia and England; even though he is nowhere near Allan Border's actual record of 153, they were not from debut.[20] Brendon McCullum also started 122 consecutive One-Day Internationals from 2004–2010, the same as Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka with 122 each, but the record is held by Sachin Tendulkar whose streak was snapped by an injury.[21]

In the National Football League, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Jake Matthews of the Atlanta Falcons have the longest active streak among quarterbacks and among all players, respectively.

List of streaks
Key
* Broke record on current streak
League Type Player Streak Yrs Eq Held since Surpassed Streak Active pursuant(s) Streak References
ITF Grand slams played Feliciano Lopez 79 19.75 2018 Roger Federer 65 Grigor Dimitrov 51 [22][23][24]
MLB Games played Cal Ripken Jr. 2,632 16.25 1995 Lou Gehrig 2,130 Matt Olson 458
JSA Matches played Aobajō 1,630 22.4 1985 Fujizakura 1,543 Tamawashi 1,523 [25]
MLB Innings played Cal Ripken Jr. 8,264 5.67 1985 George Pinkney 5,152 Several players <1,450 [26]
NASCAR Races started Jeff Gordon 797 23.04 2015 Ricky Rudd 788 Kevin Harvick 735 [7][27]
IndyCar Races started Scott Dixon* 322 19.44 2023 Tony Kanaan 318 — — [28][29]
NBA Games played A. C. Green 1,192 14.54 1997 Randy Smith 906 Mikal Bridges 392 [30][31]
NFL Starts at the quarterback position Brett Favre 297 18.56 1999 Ron Jaworski 116 Josh Allen 77
NFL Starts at any position Brett Favre 297 18.56 2009 Jim Marshall 270 Jake Matthews 150 [32][33]
NFL Games played Jeff Feagles 352 20.71 2005 Jim Marshall 282 Mason Crosby 258 [34]
NFL Snaps Joe Thomas 10,363 10.44 2017 [35]
NHL Games played Phil Kessel* 1,064 12.98 2022 Keith Yandle 989 Brent Burns 761 [8][36]
NHL Starts at the goaltender position Glenn Hall 502 7.09 1959 Tiny Thompson 306 N/A[lower-alpha 1] – [38]
NHL Complete games played Glenn Hall 502 7.09 1959 Alec Connell 257 [39][40]
PBA Games played LA Tenorio 744 2019 Alvin Patrimonio 596 – – [41][42]

See also

Notes
  1. No NHL goaltender has started all his team's games in a single season since Roger Crozier in 1964–65.[37] Additionally, no NHL goaltender has played every minute of all his team’s games in a single season since Eddie Johnston in 1963–64.

References
  1. "Iron Man - Definition of Iron man by Merriam-Webster". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  2. Randy Lutz. "Iron Man Competition: Brett Favre vs. Cal Ripken Jr. vs. A.C. Green". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  3. Matt Larkin (January 24, 2022). "Are all Ironman Streaks Created Equal?". The Hockey News. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. "Brett Favre set for tests with streak over". ESPN.com. December 13, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  5. Joe Thomas' snaps streak ends after triceps injury
  6. "Yearbook, Nov. 20: AC Green's record streak". ESPN.com. November 20, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2016.,
  7. "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site - Sprint Cup Series All-Time Starts". Jayski. ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  8. "Keith Yandle breaks NHL's all-time iron man streak, eclipsing Doug Jarvis' record". Sportsnet. January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  9. Doxsie, Don. "Joe McGinnity". sabr.org. Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  10. "LOU GEHRIG'S CONSECUTIVE GAME STREAK ENDS AT 2,130". Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  11. "Lou Gehrig's Streak Should Have Ended at Navin Field — Not Briggs Stadium". Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
  12. "Today in History for 17th August 1933". OnThisDay.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  13. "Ripken breaks record for consecutive games played". HISTORY.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  14. Lawrence Barreca. "Cal Ripken's 2131 night- A Record That Saved Baseball". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  15. Michael Farber (November 17, 1997). "Move over Cal Ripken. A.C. Green of the Mavericks is working on two streaks: consecutive games played and temptations resisted". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  16. Richard Goldstein (June 6, 2009). "Randy Smith, N.B.A. Iron Man, Dies at 60". New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  17. "Iron Man". Archived from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  18. "Columns". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  19. "NASCAR suspends Matt Kenseth for two races | NASCAR.com". www.nascar.com. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  20. "McCullum's most satisfying ton". Stuff. February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  21. "Records | One-Day Internationals | Individual records (captains, players, umpires) | Most consecutive matches for a team | ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  22. "Tennishead's guide to the 2022 Australian Open". January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  23. "Five phenomenal stats from the Iron Man of majors, Feliciano Lopez". Tennis.com. February 11, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  24. Jon Wertheim (August 26, 2014). "Tennis' iron man Roger Federer looks to maintain his long-term durability". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  25. Gunning, John (September 28, 2022). "'Ironman' Tamawashi gets his due with second Emperor's Cup". The Japan Times. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  26. "Ripken's Record for Consecutive Innings Played - SABR". Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  27. "NASCAR: Kevin Harvick at risk of being suspended?". October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  28. Kelly, Paul (August 12, 2023). "Iron Man Dixon Extends Streak With Improbable Win at Indy". IndyCar.com. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  29. Fryer, Jenna (August 10, 2023). "Scott Dixon didn't expect much as a young New Zealand racer. The Iceman is now IndyCar's Ironman". Associated Press. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  30. Joe Drape (November 21, 1997). "Green's Battles in 907 Games Earn Him Ironman Status". New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  31. Mikal Bridges plays 4 seconds to keep his consecutive games streak alive 💯, retrieved April 9, 2023
  32. "The Drill: Longest sports streaks". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  33. "Iron Man". October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  34. "Giants punter Jeff Feagles retires after 22 seasons and record 352 consecutive games". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  35. Tom Withers (October 23, 2017). "Cleveland Browns iron man Joe Thomas ends NFL-best streak of consecutive snaps played". The Toronto Star. Associated Press. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  36. "NHL Buzz: Gaudreau out for Blue Jackets, consecutive games streak ends". NHL.com. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  37. Weekes, Don (2003). The best & worst of hockey firsts: The unofficial guide. Vancouver: Greystone Books Ltd. p. 102. ISBN 1926685423.
  38. Kreiser, John (October 6, 2016). "Oct. 6: Glenn Hall begins record streak". National Hockey League. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  39. "NHL Records - Goaltending Records". National Hockey League. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  40. E.M. Swift (October 27, 1992). "Iron Man of the Ice". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  41. Jonas Terrado (March 1, 2023). "PBA: LA Tenorio's 'Iron Man' streak ends at 744 games". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  42. Jan Ballesteros (March 17, 2019). "LA Tenorio calls his PBA consecutive-games record a 'miracle'". ESPN. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
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