Dec 19, 2024, 10:25 PM ET
Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker reached rare air in the Week 16 edition of “Thursday Night Football.”
As the second quarter wound down, the Denver Broncos were flagged for interference on a fair catch, resulting in a 15-yard advance for the Chargers. This unexpected call gave Los Angeles a unique choice: attempt a Hail Mary, take a knee or try a free kick — a seldom-seen play that allows a field goal attempt from the spot of a fair catch.
With the penalty moving the ball into Dicker’s range, the Chargers opted for the rare opportunity. Dicker rose to the occasion, drilling a 57-yard free kick as time expired in the half, cutting the deficit to 21-13. This kick wasn’t just clutch, it was historic, as it marked the NFL’s first successful free kick since Ray Wersching’s 45-yarder for the Chargers in 1976, according to Quirky Research.
It was also Dicker’s 16th career field goal of 50 or more yards, breaking John Carney’s record for the most such kicks in franchise history. According to Elias Sports Bureau, the last fair catch kick attempt occurred in 2019, when Joey Slye’s 60-yard effort fell short.
For Dicker, however, the stars aligned perfectly, and got us thinking. What other achievements in sports are just as rare and hard to come by?
NBA
Average a triple-double for entire season
In 2016-17, Russell Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists to become the second player to average a triple-double for a season. Westbrook has done it in four different seasons.
Averaging a triple-double for a season has happened only five times in NBA history. Oscar Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game in 1962.
Baseball
Batting Triple Crown
The Triple Crown has been accomplished in Major League Baseball just 16 times, most recently by Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Cabrera led the league in batting average (.330), home runs (44) and runs batted in (139), becoming the first player since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967 to join the elusive club. Rogers Hornsby (1922, 1925) and Ted Williams (1942, 1947) are the only players to accomplish the feat twice.
Pitching Triple Crown
The pitching Triple Crown isn’t as rare as the batting version, but it’s still not a common achievement. Thirty-eight pitchers have led their respective league in wins, strikeouts and earned run average in an MLB season, most recently Shane Bieber in 2020. Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw both did it in in 2011. That season was the first since 1924 to see Triple Crown winners in both leagues.
Immaculate inning
According to ESPN Stats & Information, Max Scherzer on Sept. 12, 2021, became just the third pitcher in MLB history to record three immaculate innings (three strikeouts on nine pitches). He recorded the feat in the same game he had his 3,000th career strikeout.
Scherzer is among seven pitchers to ever throw an immaculate inning — Baseball Hall of Famers Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson plus active pitchers Chris Sale and Kevin Gausman. Scherzer, Sale and Koufax are the only pitchers to have three immaculate innings.
Hitting .400
Eight players have hit .400 or better for a season a total of 13 times since 1900, but none since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. In total, 20 players have reached the .400 mark in MLB history, and five have done so more than once (for 28 .400 seasons total).
Others have flirted with the number since Williams’ historic season, including Rod Carew, who finished at .388 in his MVP season of 1977, and George Brett, who was hitting over .400 on Sept. 19 but finished with a .390 average in 1980. The player with perhaps the best shot, Tony Gwynn, had his quest cut short by the players strike in 1994 and settled for a .394 season.
Multiple major awards by rookies
Only Fred Lynn (1975) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001) have won both Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season. Fernando Valenzuela is the only player to have won Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young in the same season (1981).
Consecutive no-hitters
A record that seemingly will never be broken, Johnny Vander Meer threw no-hitters in consecutive starts in 1938. Nolan Ryan, who had seven career no-hitters (and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning 23 times) had his best chance to go match the feat on July 19, 1973.
Coming off his second career no-hitter, a 17-strikeout masterpiece in Detroit four days earlier, Ryan made it through seven innings against the Baltimore Orioles before giving up a hit in the eighth. In 1947, Cincinnati’s Ewell Blackwell threw 8⅓ innings of no-hit ball in the start after a no-hitter, the closest anyone has come to matching Vander Meer.
Postseason perfect games
Of the 23 perfect games recorded in major league history, only Don Larsen’s in 1956 came in the postseason. The New York Yankees right-hander struck out seven and needed only 97 pitches to finish the game.
His perfect game remained the only no-hitter of any type pitched in postseason play until the Philadelphia Phillies’ Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on October 6, 2010, in Game 1 of the NLDS. Led by Christian Javier’s six no-hit innings, Houston Astros also combined for a no-hitter during the 2022 World Series.
NFL
2,000-yard rushing season
Only Eric Dickerson, Jamal Lewis, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Chris Johnson, O.J. Simpson, Adrian Peterson and, most recently, Derrick Henry have rushed for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. Henry ran for 2,027 yards in 2020, fifth-most in NFL history. Dickerson holds the rushing record for 2,105 yards in 1984, his second season in the league.
College football
Winning the Heisman Trophy twice
Ohio State’s Archie Griffin is the only man to have won the Heisman twice, going back-to-back in 1974 and 1975. There have been some somewhat close calls recently. Lamar Jackson gave it a run, winning the award in 2016 and finishing third in voting in 2017. Baker Mayfield won in 2017 after placing third in 2016. Tim Tebow took the award in 2012 and was third in 2013.
Winning the Heisman and national championship
Only 17 Heisman Trophy winners have also won the national championship in the same season, with the most recent being Alabama’s DeVonta Smith during the 2021 campaign.
Golf
Teenage winners on PGA Tour
Jordan Spieth’s win at the 2013 John Deere Classic made him just the fourth golfer to win as a teenager on the PGA Tour and first since 1931. Only Harry Cooper (19 years, 4 days; 1923 Galveston Open), Ralph Guldahl (19 years, 8 months, 3 days; 1931 Santa Monica Open) and Johnny McDermott (19 years, 10 months, 14 days; 1911 U.S. Open) won at younger age.
Note: Tom Morris, Jr. won the 1868 The Open Championship at age 17 years, 5 months, 8 days. He repeated in 1869 (18 years, 4 months, 27 days) and 1870 (19 years, 4 months, 26 days).
Men’s Grand Slam
Only Bobby Jones in 1930 has completed the single-season Grand Slam, winning the British Open, British Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur. None have completed the modern era Grand Slam, with just five in the Masters era completing the career Grand Slam (Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen).
Woods accomplished the “Tiger Slam,” holding all four modern major championships simultaneously — the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2000 and the 2001 Masters — although not in the same calendar year.
PGA Tour winners 50 or older
Sam Snead (52; 1965 Greater Greensboro Open), Art Wall (51; 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open), Davis Love III (51; 2015 Wyndham Championship), Jim Barnes (51; 1937 Long Island Open), John Barnum (51; 1962 Cajun Classic), Fred Funk (50; 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic), Phil Mickelson (50; 2021 PGA Championship) and Craig Stadler (50; 2003 B.C. Open) are the only players to have earned PGA Tour wins at age 50 or older.
Tennis
Singles Grand Slam in a single season
It has been accomplished in men’s tennis only three times (Don Budge, Rod Laver twice), and women’s tennis three times (Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and most recently Steffi Graf in 1988).
Auto racing
Winner of both the Daytona 500 and Indy 500
Only Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt can say they have won both the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. Andretti is the only racer to win the Daytona 500 (1967), Indianapolis 500 (1969) and a Formula 1 world title (1978). Foyt is the only driver to win the Indianapolis 500 (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Daytona 500 (1972), 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) and the 24 Hours of Daytona (1983, 1985).
