Sports Ironmen: The Athletes Who Never Gave Up
The record-breaking athletes who never took a day off
There have been many athletes throughout history who have been deemed “special”. These athletes are often exhilarating, drawing attention and eyeballs to their skills. Transcendent athletes like Michal Jordan, Babe Ruth, Payton Manning, and Wayne Gretzky come to mind who changed both sports and culture.
There are, however, other athletes who are there each and every day. They are players who can be counted on to be durable, steady, reliable, and dependable. They are players who play through injuries, difficulties in their personal or professional lives, and can be counted on by their teammates and fans to put on the jersey every day and be ready to play. These players are known as ironmen or players who have incredible human endurance and are able to play without missing a game for long periods of time. These athletes provide inspiration for all of us of what the human body is capable of and fill us with hundreds of treasured memories.
Baseball: Cal Ripken, Jr.
On September 6th, 1995 Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played record with his 2,131st straight game played. His streak brought joy back to baseball among the public who had negative feelings as a result of the 1994 players' strike. The fan support at home was so strong that he received a twenty-two-minute standing ovation and took seven curtain calls.
Ripken played 2,632 consecutive games over a sixteen-year span and voluntarily ended his streak before the end of the season so that there would be a lack of controversy over his playing future during the offseason and so that he could do so on his own terms. During that time he overcame injuries like a twisted ankle and a wrenched knee during a benches-clearing brawl.
Ripken’s streak was an inspiration for many people who never missed a day of work or who had perfect attendance in school and they often shared their streaks with him. He attributed his longevity to his competitiveness, strong work ethic, and will which he obtained through the inspiration of his father who was also his sometimes coach with the Oriels.
Football: Brett Favre
In 1999 Brett Favre broke the NFL Quarterback record for consecutive starts when he snapped the 116 game record of former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski.
Favre would go on to play 297 straight games at quarterback and 321 if you count the playoffs. This streak occurred over 18 and 1/2 years and three different NFL teams. During his streak, he overcame shoulder sprains, concussions, strains, bruises, and coughing up blood among other injuries. Additionally, Favre played through other traumatic events including the loss of his father, his wife’s breast cancer diagnosis, and the hurricane-related destruction of his home in Mississippi.
Favre would later claim that one of his major motivations for playing throughout the streak was the fear of losing his job. As many of us can relate to, Favre gained his job because someone ahead of him was injured, and he always feared that someone else would simply step over him should he become injured. Favre continued to go to work and perform at a high level regardless of whatever physical and emotional injuries came his way, reminding us that we can overcome whatever life has to throw at us.
Hockey: Doug Jarvis
Doug Jarvis was an NHL hockey player who played 964 consecutive games and set the record for NHL players in 1979. He successfully avoided major injuries other than a possible concussion which he believes would have today kept him out of the action. Jarvis reminds us that you can’t force a record like this, you just have to take it one day at a time. It is a reminder to all of us who do the right thing each and every day, taking our lunch pail to work one day at a time.
Basketball: A.C. Green
On November 20th, 1982 A.C. Green broke the record for consecutive NBA games played. He was honored on that night by none other than fellow iron man Cal Ripken. Green would go on to play 1,192 consecutive NBA games. He was almost derailed by a vicious attack to his face, but he overcame the obstacle to continue his career.
Green described his dedication this way. “The streak,” he said, “never ends. More importantly, the person behind the streak, what it means, you never lose that. That’ll never end. The numbers will stop rolling up from year to year. At the same time, when you say, ‘persistence,’ when you say, ‘commitment,’ ‘dedication,’ ‘loyalty,’ my name might come up somewhere in there, just for the very fact of being there every single night.” He is an inspiration for each of us who hope to be considered to be someone who matters, who would have the honor of being described as persistent, committed, dedicated, and loyal. A life worthy of those compliments is a great life indeed.
Conclusion
Each and every person, like every athlete, faces tremendous hurdles, both physical and emotional. Some of these hurdles are insurmountable, but the majority can be overcome with true grit and perseverance. Just like millions of people who have no choice but to overcome and go to work every day to feed their families, these athletes overcame injuries and personal demons to be the dependable presence upon which their team relied. Each and every day these ironmen inspire us and we inspire everyone in our lives when we get up every time we get knocked down.
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