In the game of football, players are always reaching new heights. With so many talents playing day in and out, every statistical record is constantly at risk of being broken. However, there are plenty of unique events which still remain unbeaten or unrepeated.
Rules evolve, styles shift and the environment in which these records were set to tend to change, but some old records still stand.
- 104-yard kick return… without scoring!
So many deep kick-offs end with a touchback these days. However, in 2011 Minnesota Viking Percy Harvin took matters into his own hands and returned a kick-off for an impressive 104 yards. Before he could reach the end zone, a member of the opposing Falcons squad stopped Harvin at the 3-yard line with a perfectly-angled sprint and diving tackle.
This is the longest non-scoring play in history… and in 2015 Detroit Lion Ameer Abdullah repeated this feat with another 104-yard return with no score!
- Most shutouts
The NFL saw an incredible shutout record back in 1920 and 1921. The now-defunct team, Akron Pros outscored their opponents by an incredible 175-0 for over 13 games, with 3 draws.
With today’s rules and player ability, this record is nearly impossible to match. Since the 20s, the longest shutout has been accomplished once by the Cardinals and twice by the Steelers – three games.
- Most receiving yards
22,895. Thanks to amazing longevity and consistency, that’s how many receiving yards Jerry Rice was able to rack up throughout his career. The reason Rice was able to stack up these numbers is primarily because he began to peak after his 30s – an age when most players fall off!
There are plenty more from where this came from! Have any untouchable football records you’d like to share?