random sports stats/facts that surprise you when you first hear them

[Assani Fisher]

I'll concentrate on NBA and NFL. Feel free to add to the list....


NBA
Christian Laettner is a former NBA All Star

Jerry Stackhouse is a former single season league scoring leader

In 13 out of 18 seasons, Reggie Miller did not make the All Star team(taken from Celtics thread)

Kevin Garnett is 10th among active players in career assists

No active NBA player is in the top 15 of career rebounds per game

Stephon Marbury is 2nd among active players in assist per game, ahead of both Nash and Payton. And neither Nash or Payton are 3rd either.

Ben Gordon is the 9th best 3pt shooter in NBA shooter in NBA history if you go by 3pt FG%, 2nd only among active players to Steve Nash.

Nate Robinson has a better career 3pt FG% than Reggie Miller.


NFL
Billy Volek had more passing yards in the first 10 games of his career than any other QB in the past 25 years.

Before last season, Ladanian Tomlinson had never been the #1 overall RB in basic fantasy football scoring

Since 1990 the league leader in receptions has had 100 or more in every year except one. In 1998, OJ McDuffie led the league with only 90 receptions.

Keenan McCardell is 9th in career receptions

The league leaders in rushing TDs from 1985 to 1990 were: Jim Morris, George Rogers, Charles White, Johnny Hector, Greg Bell, Derrick Fenner, and Cleveland Gary(note that theres more than 6 listed due to ties some years). None of them rank in the top 40 of career TD leaders, and only one of them is in the top 50.

In 1996, Michael Jackson and Tony Martin tied for the league lead in receiving TDs.

In 2000 Marhsall Faulk set the record for most TDs in a season. In 2003 Priest Holmes broke it. In 2005 Shaun Alexander broke it. In 2006 Ladanian Tomlinson broke it.

The 1987 Super Bowl only had 6 pro bowlers total on either teams' roster. By comparison, last year's SD Chargers team which didn't win a playoff game had 10 selections.

[Green Kool Aid]

" NBA
Christian Laettner is a former NBA All Star"

Try Wally Sczcerbiak and Jamaal Magloire as well!

[mattsey9]

At the time of his retirement, the National League's all-time home run leader for switch-hitters was Howard Johnson.

[kidcolin]

wow.. HoJo is surprising. Didn't know that.

[boc4life]

I guess it's not really surprising anymore because pretty much everyone knows about it at this point, but that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never returned a kickoff for a touchdown in franchise history is a pretty astounding fact

[Triumph36]

yeah along with that one, there's never been a no-hitter thrown at shea stadium.

[tereg]

[ QUOTE ]
At the time of his retirement, the National League's all-time home run leader for switch-hitters was Howard Johnson.

[/ QUOTE ]

This one really surprised me.


Let's just take a quick browse through Tim Kurkjian's archive and see what I can pull up:

Eddie Murray holds the all time sacrifice-fly record with 128 followed by Cal Ripken with 127.

Don Mattingly is tied with Travis Hafner for the single season record for grand slams (6). Mattingly did not hit a grand slam after the season in which he hit 6.

Robin Ventura had 19 career grand slams in 294 career grand slams. Willie Mays with 660 career homers had 8 grand slams.

Dom DiMaggio led the AL in steals in 1950 with 15.


I'll find some more later...

[RickAstleyFan]

This thread is cool. Nice going OP.

[DrewDevil]

At the 1968 Olympics, Bob Beamon set a new world record in the long jump with a leap of 29 feet, 2 1/2 inches.

It was the first time anyone had ever exceeded 28 feet in the long jump, much less 29 feet.

Other than the gold medal leap, Beamon's best career long jump was 27 feet, 4 inches, and he never jumped farther than 26-11 after the '68 Olympics.

[RedBean]

Tom Glavine was drafted by the LA Kings of the NHL.

Mike Vick was drafted by the Colorado Rockies.

JD Drew was drafted 3 seperate times in the MLB draft: 1994 by the Giants, 1997 by the Phillies, and 1998 for the Cardinals.

Danny Ainge played 3 seasons for the Toronto Blue Jays before quitting baseball to join the Celtics.

Dave Winfield was drafted by the Padres of MLB, the Vikings of NFL, the Hawks of the NBA, and the Stars of the ABA.

The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day after the Major League All-Star Game.

Deion Sanders middle name is "Luwynn". It is pronounced "Lou-Anne".

Adrian Peterson of the Chicago Bears is the all-time leader in career rushing yards for NCAA Division I football.

The NBA was the last major sport to allow blacks to play.

The first black NFL head coach was hired in 1921.