For today's column you will be taking a pop quiz. Please answer the following questions: Who has slugged the most career home runs in Major League Baseball? Who is the only player to record 100 points in an NBA game? Who holds the career-points record in the NHL? Which running back rushed for the most yards in his NFL career?
Okay, time's up. The correct responses are Barry Bonds, Wilt Chamberlain, Wayne Gretzky and Emmitt Smith, respectively. If you passed this pop quiz, congratulations. But how did you know all the answers off the top of your head? It is because as sports fans, we often remember great individual performances by their records.
Dartmouth athletes have achieved some amazing feats over their careers, so for this week's top 10, I present to you the top 10 most impressive Dartmouth sports records.
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Average points per game in a basketball season 24.2 by Jim Barton '89 in the 1987-1988 season. In a storied career that spanned 104 games, Barton also registered the Dartmouth record for most points in a game.
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Career batting average .402 by Mike Conway '99. Considering only seven Dartmouth players have ever hit over .400 in a season, having a career average of .402 is a remarkable accomplishment. (Keep in mind, the last batter to hit over .400 in an MLB season was Ted Williams in 1941.)
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Football coach winning percentage (minimum 100 games coached) .732 by Robert Blackman from 1955 to 1970. In his 16-year coaching tenure at Dartmouth, Blackman's teams registered a combined 104-37-3 record with seven Ivy League titles and three undefeated teams. Just for comparison, current head coach Buddy Teevens '79 has a career winning percentage of .381 at Dartmouth.
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Most goals scored by a single player in a men's hockey game 12 by Dick Rondeau '44. In a wild game against Middlebury College in 1944, the Big Green had a history-making offensive outburst. Dartmouth scored 30 goals in the game, including 12 by Rondeau, who also had 11 assists that game. (The leading Big Green scorer this year, captain Scott Fleming '11, has 12 goals.)
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Most rebounds recorded in a game by a women's basketball player 30 (twice) by Gail Koziara Boudreaux '82. A dominant center for four years, Boudreau holds the Dartmouth record for most career points scored, most career rebounds, career scoring average and career field-goal percentage. More impressively, she led the Big Green to its first-ever League championship.
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Most goals scored in a game by a men's soccer player Seven by Morton Fletcher '23. In a matchup against Williams College on Oct. 21, 1922, Fletcher recorded seven goals for the Big Green. (The leading scorer on this past year's team was Andrew Olsen '11, who tallied six goals in 20 games.)
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Career runs scored in baseball 182 by Scott Shirrell '04. How many runs did the second-place player score? That would be 143 by James Little '00, almost 40 runs short of Shirrell's record. Shirrell also holds the Big Green career records for hits (226), RBIs (155) and doubles (51).
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Most blocked shots in a game by a men's basketball player 12 by Walter Palmer '90. In a game against Harvard University in the 1987-1988 season, Palmer blocked 12 Crimson shots in one game. Over his career, Palmer registered 225 blocks in 87 games, averaging 2.59 blocks per game. In comparison, block-machine Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks is only averaging 2.21 blocks per game this season.
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Women's hockey career goals 189 by Gretchen Ulion '94. Ulion's career stats are staggering when compared to other great Dartmouth women's players throughout the program's history. The second highest career goals total is 114 by Carly Haggard '03. Ulion also holds the career points lead with 312, almost 100 points more than the second-place holder.
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Second-most rushing yards in a football season 1,133 by Nick Schwieger '12 in 2010. I know I'm cheating a little bit here, but I'm so proud to have a current Dartmouth athlete with such an impressive record. The career single-season rushing leader is Al Rosier '91, who ran for 1,432 yards in the 1991 season. After all of the dismal seasons Dartmouth football has suffered in recent years, Schwieger's performance last year is an encouraging sign for the future. He will undoubtedly be my first overall pick in the 2011 League fantasy football draft.
