First Down Brown - November 1, 1959/1964
On November 1, 1959, Cleveland Browns’ running back Jim Brown scored five rushing touchdowns in one game, setting an NFL record. Exactly five years later (Nov. 1, 1964), he became the first NFL player to exceed 10,000 career rushing yards.
You think CMC is good? Jim Brown was different. He only played for 9 seasons and made 9 straight Pro Bowls. He was awarded league MVP three times, including his rookie year and his final year. When he didn’t win MVP, he finished top-3 in voting three separate years. He retired at the age of 30, in what was a shock to many, and it left everyone wondering what could have been because he had just rushed for 1,500 yards and 17 touchdowns a few months earlier.
Fun fact: Jim Brown is the only player to average over 100 yards/game over the entirety of a career (min 750 attempts).
The Superdome Duel - November 1, 2015
10 years ago, the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants faced off in what would become the 5th highest scoring game ever (2nd highest 1-score game). Quarterbacks Eli Manning and Drew Brees combined for 13 passing touchdowns to 8 different receivers, including 3 to Odell. Brees had 7 touchdown passes, tying the most of all time. It was the 3rd time in NFL history that both QBs threw for 6+ touchdowns.
New York was down 42-28 heading into the 4th quarter. They rattled off three quick touchdowns, and eventually the game was tied 49-49. With 20 seconds left, the Giants punter, Brad Wing, punted it away. In an attempt to strip the ball, Wing grabbed the returner’s facemask, which pushed the Saints into field goal range, and indirectly won the Saints the game 52-49. The Giants, man.
Baseball’s All-Nighter - October 26, 2018
7 years ago, in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Boston Red Sox in 18 innings, which is the longest game in World Series history (by time) at 7 hours and 20 minutes. Coincidentally, the Dodgers just won another Game 3 in the World Series after 18 innings… Although, this year’s 18-inning bender was only a measly 6 hours and 39 minutes. Both games ended in a walk-off home run - this year by Freddie Freeman, last time by Max Muncy.
The 2018 game featured 18 pitchers and 46 total players, which are both postseason records.
Fun fact: The 2018 game was longer than the entire 1939 World Series where the New York Yankees swept the Cincinnati Reds in 7 hours and 5 minutes of total game time.