The iron men of professional sports

While there are a considerable number of great athletes in the professional ranks, there are very few who have earned the reputation of being iron men in their respective sports. Most of us associate the term iron man with the fictional cartoon superhero who possesses extraordinary abilities that far exceed those of mere mortals. Another mental image that comes to mind when hearing the word iron man is the grueling event in which participants must swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and finish with a 26.2-mile run. The keyword for this event is endurance, and endurance is precisely what distinguishes four athletes from four different sports who have seemingly mastered the art of endurance.

Canadian-born hockey star Jay Bouwmeester belongs on the short list of the longest streaks of active games played with 471. This resilient player has been able to avoid the serious injury that would take him out of the game for an extended period and play through the most minor injuries he has incurred in his career.

In the field of Baseball, Ironman status goes to Ichiro Suzuki. Suzuki is a right fielder for the Seattle Mariners whose record of ten consecutive 200+ seasons is the most of any baseball player. The only other player who can match his streak is Pete Rose and his record is non-consecutive years.

NFL player Ryan Longwell holds the record for the most points scored in his career by kicking 226 field goals in his nine seasons of play. Longwell is currently with the Minnesota Vikings.

Iron man Derek Fisher, current guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, has played in more than 458 consecutive games over a span of 5.4 years, the longest in NBA history.

In sports where injuries tend to be part of the package, these four athletes have had amazing long-term success.