Breakable and Unbreakable records

[CSKreager]

2 records that I consider unbreakable given how teams are less reckless and more careful with the ball nowadays:

Most turnovers in a season: 63, 1978 49ers

Most takeaways in a season: 63, 1984 Seahawks

[RichardBak]

Boris Shlapak holds a record that will never be broken. The former Michigan State placekicker played one year in the NFL with the 1972 Baltimore Colts. He holds the record for lowest field goal percentage with at least eight attempts. His 1972 and career totals were eight attempts with none made for a percentage of .000. Considering the quality of today's kickers there is no way a placekicker would be around to try number nine. Mr. Shlapak has etched his name in the NFL record book for all time!

I was a big Colts fan back then (then they left Baltimore, so screw 'em). Anyway, I remember the story from that '72 team. The Colts' kicker was Jim O'Brien, who had originally been drafted in 1970 as a wide receiver. The Colts discovered O'Brien also could kick, so the rookie end wound up being their everyday kicker and booting the winning FG in Super Bowl V against Dallas. By 1972 the Colts were using O'Brien as originally intended, but doing double-duty was affecting both his receiving and his kicking.(O'Brien was no Gino Cappelletti.) So they brought in Shlapak (whose parents were Ukrainian immigrants) to ease the burden. He was used for long-distance FGs only, so all 8 of his failed attempts were from 40+ yards w/ 3 of them being from over 50 yds. O'Brien continued to be used for XPs and shorter FG tries.

Funny thing is, Shlapak never practiced with the team. He was still attending classes at Michigan State, so he'd fly in on game days to kick, then go back to East Lansing.

For the record, Shlapak made all 4 of his XPs.

By the following year both O'Brien and Shlapak were gone from Baltimore (as were some of my other old Colts favorites like Unitas and Matte). O'Brien came here to Detroit for his final NFL season while Shlapak changed his name and played either pro soccer or maybe the WFL.

Still have a 1970 Colts pennant on my basement wall, bought through Pro Football Digest for probably $2.99. Good memories of those days, even of ol' Boris Shlapak.

[JuggernautJ]

According to PFR Jim Brown still holds the record for average yards rushing per game at 104.3.
Has anyone else ever averaged >100 yards per game over the length of their entire career?
Who has come closest to Brown?

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Barry Sanders is oh-so-close with 99.8. Terrell Davis and Eric Dickerson are the only others with 90+ via a Stathead search.

BUT - one player has 115 y/g avg. He only played three games for Washington in 1987. His name is Lionel Vital. Anybody know anything about him? He played the first 3 games of the season and had a 120+ and 130+ games. It's coincidental that he holds that stat in the year that Timmy Smith went crazy in the Super Bowl.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... taLi20.htm

[Citizen]

Vital was drafted in the seventh round by Washington in 1985. He didn't make the team, was cut by the Giants just before the start of the '86 season, was waived by Buffalo early in the 1987 season, was brought in for Washington's scab team, was picked up again by Buffalo after that, and was cut by them toward the end of the season. He later worked in scouting for the Falcons and the Browns.

I don't know why he got on such a tear during the strike; AFIAK not many Washington players crossed the picket line. But the 'Skins won all three of their scab games with Vital carrying the ball. I hope he at least got a Super Bowl ring out of the deal.

[conace21]

Vital was drafted in the seventh round by Washington in 1985. He didn't make the team, was cut by the Giants just before the start of the '86 season, was waived by Buffalo early in the 1987 season, was brought in for Washington's scab team, was picked up again by Buffalo after that, and was cut by them toward the end of the season. He later worked in scouting for the Falcons and the Browns.

I don't know why he got on such a tear during the strike; AFIAK not many Washington players crossed the picket line. But the 'Skins won all three of their scab games with Vital carrying the ball. I hope he at least got a Super Bowl ring out of the deal.

There was a 30 for 30 episode "Year of the Scab" about the 1987 strike, with a focus on Washington, and their shocking upset against a Dallas team that had Danny White, Tony Dorsett, and Randy White.
I remember it was brought up that the replacement players did not receive Super Bowl rings. But the episode launched a mini-movement, and the following year, the team announced that all replacement players would receive rings. (I may be mis-remembering, but I think additional footage was shot,, showing the players receiving their rings, or posing with their rings. It was added to the end of the 30 for 30 documentary.)

[Brian wolf]

For Walter Payton to average 88 yrds per game, play 13 seasons and miss only one game ... that will never happen again.