Iron man (sports streak)

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.

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.

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. Gehrig's record stood for 56 years until surpassed by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995. After Ripken's record-breaking streak garnered attention from the media, 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. 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. In 2009, Favre would surpass Jim Marshall's starts streak at any position with his 271st consecutive start.

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, 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. Brendon McCullum also started 122 consecutive One-Day Internationals from 2004 to 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.

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

List of streaks

Streaks through now.

Notes

References

References

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4. (December 13, 2010). "Brett Favre set for tests with streak over". ESPN.
5. "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Series All-Time Starts". [[ESPN.com]].
6. (2022-01-25). "Keith Yandle breaks NHL's all-time iron man streak, eclipsing Doug Jarvis' record". Sportsnet.
7. "Joe McGinnity". Society for American Baseball Research.
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11. (6 June 2009). "Randy Smith, N.B.A. Iron Man, Dies at 60". [[New York Times]].
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16. (January 11, 2022). "Tennishead's guide to the 2022 Australian Open".
17. (11 February 2021). "Five phenomenal stats from the Iron Man of majors, Feliciano Lopez". [[Tennis.com]].
18. (26 August 2014). "Tennis' iron man Roger Federer looks to maintain his long-term durability". [[Sports Illustrated]].
19. (September 10, 2024). "Sumo: Iron man Tamawashi sets record for most consecutive bouts". [[Kyodo]].
20. "NASCAR: Martin Truex Jr. Reveals Only Thing Stopping Him Driving Full Time".
21. Kelly, Paul. (August 12, 2023). "Iron Man Dixon Extends Streak With Improbable Win at Indy". IndyCar.com.
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24. (21 November 1997). "Green's Battles in 907 Games Earn Him Ironman Status". [[New York Times]].
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29. [https://sportstalk790.iheart.com/content/2025-03-14-long-snapper-jon-weeks-leaves-texans-as-franchises-longest-tenured-player/ Long snapper Jon Weeks leaves Texans as franchise’s longest tenured player]
30. (23 October 2017). "Cleveland Browns iron man Joe Thomas ends NFL-best streak of consecutive snaps played". [[The Toronto Star]].
31. "NHL Buzz: Gaudreau out for Blue Jackets, consecutive games streak ends".
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35. (27 October 1992). "Iron Man of the Ice". [[Sports Illustrated]].
36. (1 March 2023). "PBA: LA Tenorio's ‘Iron Man’ streak ends at 744 games". [[Philippine Daily Inquirer]].
37. (17 March 2019). "LA Tenorio calls his PBA consecutive-games record a 'miracle'". [[ESPN]].