What’s the greatest record in NFL history? Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and his 197 touchdown receptions would be a great place to start the argument.
The record for most career touchdowns prior
to Rice breaking the record was 100 by Steve Largent. Rice extended the
record by 97 TDs, a 97 percent increase over the previous mark. Of the NFL records in major passing, rushing and receiving categories, Rice’s career
touchdown receptions record was the clear winner using this measurement.
Rice’s
other career records were also impressive but did not come close to
reaching the TD mark. His career receptions record of 1,549 catches was a
65 percent increase and his 22,895 career receiving yards were a 75
percent increase.
Records can be broken by the smallest of
increments. Swimming and track records can be broken by a fraction of a
second while basketball and baseball records can be broken by a single
point or a single hit. Records can also be broken in a moment in time or
over many years.
In the case of Rice, other
receivers have also surpassed Largent and closed in on Rice’s all-time
record but it doesn’t take away from the fact that his record beat the
previous mark by nearly 100 percent.
Records can also be broken
by phenomenal increases. Other examples include Dan Marino’s 48
touchdown passes in 1984, Wilt Chamberlain’s 4,029 points in 1962 and
Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857 career points.
So which high school
football record is the greatest of all-time? Using the percentage
increase as a barometer, MaxPreps looked at some of the major records MaxPreps National High School Football Record Book.
Bob Ladouceur, shown here following a section title game victory in 2006, was the architect of the De La Salle dynasty and win streak. Ladouceur retired following the 2012 season with a career record of 399-25-3. (Photo: Dennis Lee)
Top 10 greatest high school football records of all-time
1. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) wins 151 consecutive games
Previous record: 72 straight wins by Hudson (Mich.)
Percent increase: 110 percent
Notes:
Perhaps the most iconic high school football record, De La Salle’s 151
straight wins surpassed the previous record holder by 110 percent. After
topping College Park on Nov. 7, 1997 to break Hudson’s record, the
Spartans didn’t lose again for over seven years.
2. Ken Hall of Sugar Land (Texas) rushes for 11,232 career yards
Previous record: 6,730 yards by W.C. “Dixie” Roberts of McMinville (Tenn.), now Warren County (McMinnville, Tenn.)
Percent increase: 66.9 percent
Notes:
While there is some debate over whether or not Hall actually rushed for
11,232 yards, he is in the record book and he held the record for nearly
60 years. The other mystery is whose record he broke. Players like Dick
Todd of Crowell (Texas), Hubert Bobo of Chauncey-Dover (Ohio) and even
Harold “Red” Grange of Wheaton (Ill.) racked up huge point totals in
their careers and thus could have had high career rushing totals as
well. Unfortunately their career rushing yardage totals are unknown. One player
whose totals we do know is Roberts, who graduated in 1929 and had 6,730
career rushing yards according to the Tennessee Secondary School
Athletic Association. Hall surpassed Roberts sometime during his junior
season and added another 4,000 yards his senior year to outdistance
Roberts by nearly 67 percent.
3. Mike Kemp piles up 1,843 receiving yards
Previous record: 1,326 yards by Kenneth Wallace
Percent increase: 39 percent
Notes:
When Kemp gained 1,843 yards receiving in 1968 at Tallulah Falls (Ga.), which is now closed, no one knew it was a national record for receiving yards in a season.
In fact Kemp’s total wasn’t even in the Georgia record book until
MaxPreps published his total in its football record book in 2022. Kemp’s
performance outdid the previous record holder, Kenneth Wallace of
Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.), by 39 percent.
4. Hubert Bobo of Chauncey Dover (Ohio) scores 890 career points
Previous record: 644 points by Dick Todd of Crowell
Percent increase: 38 percent
Notes:
Ken Hall finished his career with 899 points in 1953 and many
newspapers reported Hall as breaking the previous national record of 644
points by Crowell’s Dick Todd. Except that Bobo had set the national
record the year before with 890 points (also reported as 891). Bobo’s
career scoring stats were a bit confusing during his senior year as
newspapers reported several different career totals before eventually
settling on 891 and then finally 890 as it appears in the Ohio High
School Athletic Association record book.
5. Chris Nessmith’s 39 touchdown receptions
Previous record: 30 by Brandon Greer
Percent increase: 30 percent
Notes:
Nessmith’s name has never appeared in the National Federation of State High School Association’s record book but he had a phenomenal senior season at New Life
Christian (Millford, Ala.), now closed, in 1999. In his only year of 11-man football
(New Life played 8-man the years before), Nessmith crushed the previous
record of 30 by Brandon Greer of Westbrook Christian (Rainbow City, Ala.), set in 1998.
6. J.K. McKay’s 29 touchdown receptions
Previous record: 23 by Scottie Jones
Percent increase: 26 percent
Notes:
The leading receiver for All-American Pat Haden, McKay also earned
All-American status while at Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) before
heading to the University of Southern California, along with Haden, to
play for his father John McKay. The record McKay broke is a bit of a
mystery but Scottie Jones of Elmore (Houston, Texas), now closed, had 23 touchdown
receptions in 1969, which is the highest reported touchdown reception
total at the time.
7. Josh Booty of Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.) has 11,700 career passing yards
Previous record: 9,332 passing yards by Chad Davis
Percent increase: 25 percent
Notes:
While Peyton Manning was an All-American quarterback in Louisiana in
1993, it was actually Booty who set the national record that year for
most career passing yards. Booty became the first high school
quarterback to throw for over 10,000 and 11,000 yards in his career
after surpassing Chad Davis of Mira Mesa (San Diego, Calif.) by 25 percent.
8. J.R. House’s 14,457 career passing yards
Previous record: 11,700 passing yards by Josh Booty
Percent increase: 23.56 percent
Notes:
House broke Booty’s record five years later, surpassing the mark by
2,757 yards, or 23.56 percent. House was known for playing football
during the fall semester at Nitro (W.Va.) and spending his
spring semester at Seabreeze (Daytona Beach, Fla.). His father, a car
salesman, owned dealerships in both states.
9. Dick Todd’s 105 touchdowns scored
Previous record: 85 by W.C. “Dixie” Roberts of McMinnville
Percent increase: 23.52 percent
Notes: There was no mention of national records back in 1934 when Todd reached the end zone 105 times in his career at Crowell. However he did break the record set six years earlier by Roberts, who had 85 in three seasons at McMinnville.
10. John Zinser’s 286 points in a season
Previous record: 232 points by George Brickey of Everett (Mass.)
Percent increase: 23.3 percent
Notes: While Harold “Red” Grange is believed to have set the national record for career scoring in 1921 with 532 points, it was fellow Illinoisan John Zinser of Peoria who set the national single season record the year before in 1920 with 286 points. He eclipsed the mark of 232 points, set by Brickey, by 23 percent.
