Where does the 34-4 (21 staight) streak rank?

[jbb9s]

I'd say it probably got to be in the top 7 or 8 in terms sporting accomplishments in the last 30 years. Trying to pick one from each league and than consolidate the list. Would you move Pats Dynasty up or down?

6. Tyson heavyweight champion at age 20
5. UMich Fab 5 as frosh making it to championship NCAA game ties with Arizona beating 3 #1 seeds in championship run ('97)
4. FSU finishing in top 4 for 15(?) straight years
3. 34-4 run, including 21 straight in salary cap era considering injuries and SOS
2. Gretzy shattering points record (212) in '81-'82 (by 50%?)
1b. Jordan 6 championships
1a. 2004 ALCS comeback

 

[PATRIOT64]

I'd say it probably got to be in the top 7 or 8 in terms sporting accomplishments in the last 30 years. Trying to pick one from each league and than consolidate the list. Would you move Pats Dynasty up or down?


6. Tyson heavyweight champion at age 20
5. UMich Fab 5 as frosh making it to championship NCAA game ties with Arizona beating 3 #1 seeds in championship run ('97)
4. FSU finishing in top 4 for 15(?) straight years
3. 34-4 run, including 21 straight in salary cap era considering injuries and SOS
2. Gretzy shattering points record (212) in '81-'82 (by 50%?)
1b. Jordan 6 championships
1a. 2004 ALCS comeback

How about Cal Ripken Jr. breaking MLB's playing streak record years ago? That's gotta be in top 3 - NEVER will be repeated again in any of our lifetimes.

 

[stinkypete]

Hard to compare team achievements with individual achievements.

As far as a team achievement goes, the 21 game winning streak is the longest in the game's history. During that stretch we beat (I forget) 6 different playoff teams in the regular season? A Super Bowl. 3 wins against Indy.

The '03-'04 streak may be the greatest team accomplishment in NFL history. Only the '72 Dolphins have a right to argue that. Period.

 

[dolphinx]

just felt the need to point out 72/73 dolphins went 32 and 2 you decide which is better. As far as injuries and sos remember miami lost bob griese for most of 72.

 

[Lifer]

I'd say it probably got to be in the top 7 or 8 in terms sporting accomplishments in the last 30 years. Trying to pick one from each league and than consolidate the list. Would you move Pats Dynasty up or down?

6. Tyson heavyweight champion at age 20
5. UMich Fab 5 as frosh making it to championship NCAA game ties with Arizona beating 3 #1 seeds in championship run ('97)
4. FSU finishing in top 4 for 15(?) straight years
3. 34-4 run, including 21 straight in salary cap era considering injuries and SOS
2. Gretzy shattering points record (212) in '81-'82 (by 50%?)
1b. Jordan 6 championships
1a. 2004 ALCS comeback

6. Marciano went undefeated for his career
5. UCLA won 88 straight games
4. that was a good one!
3. love that!!!!
2. Bobby Orr, a defenseman, scoring 46 goals in 74-75
1. Bill Russell won 11 titles

 

[richpats]

Typically I'd rank them by the amount of time taken so anything that took 10+ years (like Ripken's streak, Wooden's UCLA dynasty, Celtics dynasty) would rank pretty high.

If you want to rank it by pure improbability, it is without question Chaminade's upset of #1 UVA (and Ralph Sampson) in 1982. Today it would be equivalent to a Division III basketball school beating Florida.

 

[sieglo]

Cal Ripken sucked. One half decent semi-athlete (baseball) managing to stay healthy for a long time is no big deal. Comparing it the Bill Russell era of the Celtics, the 72 Dolphins, or whatever is just insanity.

 

[godef]

Edit: I failed to consider postseason for teams other than the Patriots...

If you're going multi-season, then you're actually talking about a 33-2 streak... 21 straight, a loss at Pitt, 6 straight, a loss at Miami, then 6 straight through the 2005 opener. This can't be stretched further to get a better record.

So where does this ranks among NFL streaks? Of course, the 21 game win streak is the greatest ever, so this is piling on to the record, but...

From mid 1971 to mid 1974, the Miami Dolphins had a 35-game streak of 31-4. Bzzzzzt! Not quite. Edit: Add the '72 and '73 postseason wins, and they TIE the Patriots at 33-2.

From late 1984 to early 1987, the Chicago Bears went 32-3. Bzzzzzt! Closer, but still not quite. Edit: Only change: 1985 through 1986: three post-season wins in '85 bumps 3 victories in first 3 '87 games. '84 playoff loss pinches the end of that year.

The Canton Bulldogs from early 1921 to mid 1925 (they didn't play in 1924) were 28-2-4. Of course, we play OT now. Without OT, the streak would be 31-2-2. With OT, Canton would have ranged between 28-6 to 32-2. But that's 34 games; a loss would be added to get to a 35th game. Edit: no postseason.

The Chicago Bears from late 1940 to late 1943 compiled a 31-1-1 record, which stretch 2 more games in 1943 would be 32-2-1. So in fact, the Bears have the best 33 game streak in NFL history. If you want to give them the benefit of a doubt and suppose they would have won that 1 tie in OT, then they would tie the Pats for the best 35 game streak; otherwise the Pats nip the Bears by a half game. But again, if OT didn't exist in modern football, the Pats streak is 31-2-2 to the Bears 32-2-1. It's hard to compare, so I call it a tie. Edit: 3 postseason wins in '40 and '41 gives the Bears a 33-2 record.

A caveat about those 40s Bears: they played in an era when NFL roster were depleted due to war, which might have made dominance easier to achieve by a single team.

Edit: 3 way tie at 33-2 for the 2003-05 Pats, 1940-42 Bears and the 1971-73 Dolphins.

 

[rabthepat]

6. Marciano went undefeated for his career
5. UCLA won 88 straight games
4. that was a good one!
3. love that!!!!
2. Bobby Orr, a defenseman, scoring 46 goals in 74-75
1. Bill Russell won 11 titles

I am glad you noted Bill Russell's 11 Championships. One was as player coach. He is usually forgotten when people talk greatest sports players or streaks.

I'd put the 21 in a row as the NFL's #1 streak. Even above Miami's undefeated season. It is statistically harder to have done the 21 in a rwo versus the 17.

 

[brdmaverick]

Celtics 8 straight Championships is pretty impressive, and something like 11 in 13 years

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

I know it is a woman's sports record but the UConn women's basketball team won three national titles in a row, 70 straight games, 9 straight big east tournament titles, and 29 straight big east tournament games. That is fairly impressive no matter the competition.

 

[richpats]

Cal Ripken sucked. One half decent semi-athlete (baseball) managing to stay healthy for a long time is no big deal.

Try standing (or sitting) around for a couple of hours and then try to beat out an infield grounder. Runners are less likely to get injured than baseball players.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Cal Ripken sucked. One half decent semi-athlete (baseball) managing to stay healthy for a long time is no big deal. Comparing it the Bill Russell era of the Celtics, the 72 Dolphins, or whatever is just insanity.

O.K. Maybe you are not an Orioles fan but teres really no reason to disrespect Cal

No other athlete in any sport remained as healthy and active as he was for such a long consecutive period of time,whether its baseball or any other sport..

I am sure many times along the way he played with injury,the flu ect and all without missing a beat

You are talking about an athlete NOT MISSING A GAME 15 YEARS consecutively!

That equals the 2,632 consecutive games he played in or dividing it into 8,243 consecutive innings!

For you to say he sucked means one of two things - You personally hated him for some reason or you hated the Orioles in general

Theres no other way you can disrespect this guy without a true effort of argument for what he accomplished in his career,Can't see any.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Hard to compare team achievements with individual achievements.

As far as a team achievement goes, the 21 game winning streak is the longest in the game's history. During that stretch we beat (I forget) 6 different playoff teams in the regular season? A Super Bowl. 3 wins against Indy.

The '03-'04 streak may be the greatest team accomplishment in NFL history. Only the '72 Dolphins have a right to argue that. Period.

Not quite. It is a Serious record however. it wasn't the longest unbeaten streak though in pro football. That still belongs to Paul Brown's Browns.

They went 28 games without getting defeated. The NFL tossed out the AAFC records and kept the Bears records dear to Papa Halas. Of course the Browns did not win more than 18 straight, as they were tied twice over the 28 games that they went unbeaten.

 

[Bertil]

just felt the need to point out 72/73 dolphins went 32 and 2 you decide which is better. As far as injuries and sos remember miami lost bob griese for most of 72.

The number of "Quality Wins" (wins over teams with a better than .500 record) recorded by the Pats greatly exceeded that of the 72 'Phins. CHFF documented this thoroughly, so it can be argued that the Patriots beat far better opponents, therefore they were better. It's all conjecture, but that's what makes sports fun.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I am glad you noted Bill Russell's 11 Championships. One was as player coach. He is usually forgotten when people talk greatest sports players or streaks.

.

oh and an Olympic gold medal and two NCAA championships and a few high school ones IIRC....

 

[jbb9s]

My original parameters were "the last 30 years." Basically, I thinking the 80's, 90's and this decade. That narrows this conversation down a bit and makes it more reasonable.

The UVA game when they were #1 with Ralph Sampson needs to be taken in context: it happened at the beginning of a season. I weight post season/championship accomplishments way ahead of that. I'd say the George Mason run two years ago was way bigger. In fact, that may now make my list.....

 

[sieglo]

O.K. Maybe you are not an Orioles fan but teres really no reason to disrespect Cal

No other athlete in any sport remained as healthy and active as he was for such a long consecutive period of time,whether its baseball or any other sport..

I am sure many times along the way he played with injury,the flu ect and all without missing a beat

You are talking about an athlete NOT MISSING A GAME 15 YEARS consecutively!

That equals the 2,632 consecutive games he played in or dividing it into 8,243 consecutive innings!

For you to say he sucked means one of two things - You personally hated him for some reason or you hated the Orioles in general

Theres no other way you can disrespect this guy without a true effort of argument for what he accomplished in his career,Can't see any.

Actually,I'm not even a serious baseball fan. I could care less about the Orioles. I just think there would probably be other Cal Ripkens in athletically challenged sports like baseball if other people decided to put their entire life on a back seat in order to keep a streak alive. Missing things like family funerals in order to extend your streak isn't respectable. It's contemptable. So I don't think Cal Ripken is a big deal.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

The UVA game when they were #1 with Ralph Sampson needs to be taken in context: it happened at the beginning of a season. I weight post season/championship accomplishments way ahead of that. I'd say the George Mason run two years ago was way bigger. In fact, that may now make my list.....

George Mason, two words not allowed to be uttered in my house. That was one of the worst days of my life. It was up there with this past year's AFCCG.

 

[richpats]

The UVA game when they were #1 with Ralph Sampson needs to be taken in context: it happened at the beginning of a season. I weight post season/championship accomplishments way ahead of that. I'd say the George Mason run two years ago was way bigger. In fact, that may now make my list.....

The balance of power is shifting towards the mid-majors in college b-ball. Mason's run was historic but they won't be the only mid-major to get to a Final 4. Gonzaga has been to the Elite 8. Butler was ranked in the top 10 last year.

For the UVA game, reporters kept checking sources to see if the score was a hoax. It was THAT improbable. An 800-student NAIA school in Hawaii had beaten the #1 team in the nation. BTW, UVA had just come off victories against Ewing and Georgetown and Phi Slamma Jamma in Houston.