Rare Air: How Chargers' Cameron Dicker's 57-yard free kick stacks up among sports' rarest feats

Los Angeles Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker reached uncommon aerial successful the Week 16 version of "Thursday Night Football."

As the 2nd 4th coiled down, the Denver Broncos were flagged for a kick-catch interference punishment connected a adjacent catch, resulting successful a 15-yard beforehand for the Chargers. This unexpected telephone gave Los Angeles a unsocial choice: effort a Hail Mary, return a knee aliases effort a free footwear -- a seldom-seen play that allows a section extremity effort from the spot of a adjacent catch.

With the punishment moving the shot into Dicker's range, the Chargers opted for the uncommon opportunity. Dicker roseate to the occasion, drilling a 57-yard free footwear arsenic clip expired successful the half, cutting the shortage to 21-13. This footwear wasn't conscionable clutch; it was historic, arsenic it marked the NFL's first successful free footwear since Ray Wersching's 45-yarder for the Chargers successful 1976, according to Quirky Research.

It was besides Dicker's 16th profession section extremity of 50 aliases much yards, breaking John Carney's grounds for the astir specified kicks successful franchise history. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the past adjacent drawback footwear effort occurred successful 2019, erstwhile Joey Slye's 60-yard effort fell short.

For Dicker, however, the stars aligned perfectly, and sewage america reasoning ... what different achievements successful sports are conscionable arsenic uncommon and difficult to travel by?

NBA

Average a triple-double for full season

In 2016-17, Russell Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists to go the 2nd subordinate to mean a triple-double for a season. Westbrook has done it successful 4 different seasons.

Averaging a triple-double for a play has happened only 5 times successful NBA history. Oscar Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per crippled successful 1962.

Baseball

Batting Triple Crown

The Triple Crown has been accomplished successful Major League Baseball conscionable 16 times, astir precocious by Miguel Cabrera successful 2012. Cabrera led the convention successful batting mean (.330), location runs (44) and runs batted successful (139), becoming the first subordinate since Carl Yastrzemski successful 1967 to subordinate the elusive club. Rogers Hornsby (1922, 1925) and Ted Williams (1942, 1947) are the only players to execute the feat twice.

Pitching Triple Crown

The pitching Triple Crown isn't arsenic uncommon arsenic the batting version, but it's still not a communal achievement. Thirty-eight pitchers person led their respective convention successful wins, strikeouts and earned tally mean successful an MLB season, astir precocious Shane Bieber successful 2020. Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw some did it successful in 2011. That play was the first since 1924 to spot Triple Crown winners successful some leagues.

Immaculate inning

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Max Scherzer connected Sept. 12, 2021, became conscionable the 3rd pitcher successful MLB history to grounds three immaculate innings (three strikeouts connected 9 pitches). He recorded the feat successful the aforesaid crippled he had his 3,000th profession strikeout.

Scherzer is among 7 pitchers to ever propulsion an immaculate inning -- Baseball Hall of Famers Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson positive progressive pitchers Chris Sale and Kevin Gausman. Scherzer, Sale and Koufax are the only pitchers to person 3 immaculate innings.

Hitting .400

Eight players person deed .400 aliases amended for a play a full of 13 times since 1900, but nary since Ted Williams deed .406 successful 1941. In total, 20 players person reached the .400 people successful MLB history, and 5 person done truthful much than erstwhile (for 28 .400 seasons total).

Others person flirted pinch the number since Williams' historical season, including Rod Carew, who vanished astatine .388 successful his MVP play of 1977, and George Brett, who was hitting complete .400 connected Sept. 19 but vanished pinch a .390 mean successful 1980. The subordinate pinch possibly the champion shot, Tony Gwynn, had his quest trim short by the players onslaught successful 1994 and settled for a .394 season.

Multiple awesome awards by rookies

Only Fred Lynn (1975) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001) person won some Rookie of the Year and MVP successful the aforesaid season. Fernando Valenzuela is the only subordinate to person won Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young successful the aforesaid play (1981).

Consecutive no-hitters

A grounds that seemingly will ne'er beryllium broken, Johnny Vander Meer threw no-hitters successful consecutive starts successful 1938. Nolan Ryan, who had 7 profession no-hitters (and took a no-hitter into the eighth inning 23 times) had his champion chance to spell lucifer the feat connected July 19, 1973.

Coming disconnected his 2nd profession no-hitter, a 17-strikeout masterpiece successful Detroit 4 days earlier, Ryan made it done 7 innings against the Baltimore Orioles earlier giving up a deed successful the eighth. In 1947, Cincinnati's Ewell Blackwell threw 8⅓ innings of no-hit shot successful the commencement aft a no-hitter, the closest anyone has travel to matching Vander Meer.

Postseason cleanable games

Of the 23 cleanable games recorded successful awesome convention history, only Don Larsen's successful 1956 came successful the postseason. The New York Yankees right-hander struck retired 7 and needed only 97 pitches to decorativeness the game.

His cleanable crippled remained the only no-hitter of immoderate type sounded successful postseason play until the Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds connected October 6, 2010, successful Game 1 of the NLDS. Led by Christian Javier's six no-hit innings, Houston Astros besides mixed for a no-hitter during the 2022 World Series.

NFL

2,000-yard rushing season

Only Eric Dickerson, Jamal Lewis, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, Chris Johnson, O.J. Simpson, Adrian Peterson and, astir recently, Derrick Henry person rushed for much than 2,000 yards successful a azygous season. Henry ran for 2,027 yards successful 2020, fifth-most successful NFL history. Dickerson holds the rushing grounds for 2,105 yards successful 1984, his 2nd play successful the league.

College football

Winning the Heisman Trophy twice

Ohio State's Archie Griffin is the only man to person won the Heisman twice, going back-to-back successful 1974 and 1975. There person been immoderate somewhat adjacent calls recently. Lamar Jackson gave it a run, winning the grant successful 2016 and finishing 3rd successful voting successful 2017. Baker Mayfield won successful 2017 aft placing 3rd successful 2016. Tim Tebow took the grant successful 2012 and was 3rd successful 2013.

Winning the Heisman and nationalist championship

Only 17 Heisman Trophy winners person besides won the nationalist title successful the aforesaid season, pinch the astir caller being Alabama's DeVonta Smith during the 2021 campaign.

Golf

Teenage winners connected PGA Tour

Jordan Spieth's triumph astatine the 2013 John Deere Classic made him conscionable the 4th golfer to triumph arsenic a teen connected the PGA Tour and first since 1931. Only Harry Cooper (19 years, 4 days; 1923 Galveston Open), Ralph Guldahl (19 years, 8 months, 3 days; 1931 Santa Monica Open) and Johnny McDermott (19 years, 10 months, 14 days; 1911 U.S. Open) won astatine younger age.

Note: Tom Morris, Jr. won the 1868 The Open Championship astatine property 17 years, 5 months, 8 days. He repeated successful 1869 (18 years, 4 months, 27 days) and 1870 (19 years, 4 months, 26 days).

Men's Grand Slam

Only Bobby Jones successful 1930 has completed the single-season Grand Slam, winning the British Open, British Amateur, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur. None person completed the modern era Grand Slam, pinch conscionable 5 successful the Masters era completing the profession Grand Slam (Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen).

Woods accomplished the "Tiger Slam," holding each 4 modern awesome championships simultaneously -- the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship successful 2000 and the 2001 Masters -- though not successful the aforesaid almanac year.

PGA Tour winners 50 aliases older

Sam Snead (52; 1965 Greater Greensboro Open), Art Wall (51; 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open), Davis Love III (51; 2015 Wyndham Championship), Jim Barnes (51; 1937 Long Island Open), John Barnum (51; 1962 Cajun Classic), Fred Funk (50; 2007 Mayakoba Golf Classic), Phil Mickelson (50; 2021 PGA Championship) and Craig Stadler (50; 2003 B.C. Open) are the only players to person earned PGA Tour wins astatine property 50 aliases older.

Tennis

Singles Grand Slam successful a azygous season

It has been accomplished successful men's tennis only 3 times (Don Budge, Rod Laver twice), and women's tennis 3 times (Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court and astir precocious Steffi Graf successful 1988).

Auto racing

Winner of some the Daytona 500 and Indy 500

Only Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt tin opportunity they person won some the Daytona 500 and Indy 500. Andretti is the only racer to triumph the Daytona 500 (1967), Indianapolis 500 (1969) and a Formula 1 world title (1978). Foyt is the only driver to triumph the Indianapolis 500 (1961, 1964, 1967, 1977), Daytona 500 (1972), 24 Hours of Le Mans (1967) and the 24 Hours of Daytona (1983, 1985).