Talk about your forgotten record-holders! Has anyone ever heard of Jim Benton? The split end for the Cleveland Rams (that's no typographical error, kids) was the first NFL player to gain 300 yards receiving in a single game. Benton snared ten passes for an astonishing 303 yards in a 28-21 victory over the Detroit Lions on November 22, 1945. But he's completely forgotten now.
Many people are aware that Wilt Chamberlain never fouled out of an NBA game, but at the other end of the spectrum is the obscure figure of Don Otten, who, while playing for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in a November 24, 1949 game against the Sheboygan Redskins, committed EIGHT personal fouls, setting an NBA record for hackery that will never be approached as long as the six-foul disqualification rule remains in effect.
Eleven years, to the day, later - November 24, 1960 - Chamberlain set one of his many records by pulling down an astonishing fifty-five rebounds in a game against the Boston Celtics. Does anyone out there think that record will ever be broken?
One of the most amazing records in all of major league baseball history belongs to Owen "Chief" Wilson, who while playing for the 1912 Pittsburgh Pirates banged out 36 triples, a record which on the surface may seem breakable, but which has stood the test of time - 88 years, to be exact. The truth is, no one since Wilson has ever come even remotely close to that total for three-baggers. In fact, the last time a player even had as many 25 in a season was in 1925, when Hall-of-Famer Kiki Cuyler registered 26 triples, once again for the Pirates. But not only is Wilson virtually forgotten by all but the most avid baseball historians, the record is rarely even mentioned, possibly because unlike most other long-standing marks, it's never seriously threatened!
By Charles Jay
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