# Teenagers leading major sports competitions in history **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051 "2007-04-14T03:00:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/1 "2007-04-14T03:00:14Z")
The NHL pregame show on Vs. (PLEASE no playoff spoilers–I’m watching the games on DVR) called that Sydney Crosby “the first teenager to win a scoring title in major professional sports” with 120 points at age 19. Having just watched Liverpool put the final nail in PSV’s coffin in the UEFA Champions League, I was immediately struck by the realization that they probably meant “American major professional sports”\*\*, probably including only MLB, the NFL, the NHL, and the NBA. OK, that’s believable. So, I have three questions for the GQ crew. For the purposes of these questions, “major league” means any pro sports league that’s ever had truly substantial nationwide coverage. This includes the Finnish elite hockey league and the Ukrainian premier soccer league just as much as it does the NBA and the NFL. It doesn’t have to be its region’s biggest league in its sport at the time; for example, I would consider the WHA, ABA or AFL to be “major leagues” in their glory days. But all ages must theoretically be able to play–for example, a 19-year-old taking the scoring lead in a U-20 World Cup would be a lot easier than taking the scoring lead in the English Premier League. 1. Has any teenager ever led a major league in goals? Assists? 2. Has any teenager ever led MLB or the Japanese equivalent league in a more significant baseball stat, like batting average, home runs or (for a pitcher) strikeouts etc.? I assume the Vs. definition of “scoring” is total runs scored in this case, which isn’t nearly as highly regarded as hockey’s point scoring statistic is. 3. Has any teenager ever led a major league _tournament_ (playoffs, UEFA Champions League, World Cup, etc.) in scoring or a similar stat? Thanks! \*\* The NHL’s status as a Canadian league is merely a technicality, to be dispensed with for the purposes of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![zuma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9c0ed/32.png) [@zuma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuma)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/2 "2007-04-14T04:09:03Z")
Dwight Gooden led the NL (actually all of MLB) in strikeouts in 1984 when he was 19. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/3 "2007-04-14T06:10:32Z")
Good one! How could I forget? Having been born in 1986 helps. But I knew that one! Honest! ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/4 "2007-04-14T06:24:22Z")
Bob Mathias won the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon in 1948 and 1952, earning the title of (arguably) the “Best Athlete in the World”. He was 18 in 1948. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/5 "2007-04-14T15:06:41Z")
Bob Feller lead the American League in strikeouts at the age of 19. He had 240 in 1938. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/6 "2007-04-14T15:15:23Z")
Pele led Brazil to the 1958 World Cup when he was 17, with the only goal in the quarterfinal game, 3 in the semis, and 2 more in the championship game. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/7 "2007-04-14T16:05:02Z")
I think you’ll find hundreds of examples of Olympic champions who were teenagers. The youngest medalist was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who was just ten when he won a bronze in the parallel bars event. Some Olympic historians believe that a seven year old was part of a Dutch rowing team that won the gold in 1900. The team substituted a young french boy for their coxswain in order to get under the weight limit. Although photographs document that this event occured, there is considerable debate about whether the boy should be considered a medal winner. Tennis has been dominated by young players for the last forty years, especially on the women’s side. Martina Hingis won the Australian Open at 16 in 1997. She also won the women’s doubles at Wimbledon a year earlier when she was just 15. The youngest NBA player to lead the league in scoring was Bob McAdoo at 22 years old in the 1973-74 season. Al Kaline was baseball’s youngest batting champion, just 20 years old when he paced the AL in 1955. Tony Conigliaro was twenty when led the American League in homers in 1965, the youngest player to wear that crown. The youngest NASCAR Champion was 21-year old Bill Rexford in 1950. Youngest in the modern era was Jeff Gordon at age 24 in 1995. Mike Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion at 20. There are no teenagers in pro football, not during the modern era anyway. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/8 "2007-04-14T16:14:18Z")
Sorry… I forgot about golf & horse racing. Morgan Pressel became the youngest golfer to win an LPGA major just two weeks ago. She was 18. Youngest male golfer to win a major was Johnny McDermott, 19 when he won the US Open in 1911. Steve Cauthen was the youngest jockey to win a triple crown race – he won all three in 199 at the age of 17. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/9 "2007-04-14T23:36:21Z")
[QUOTE=anson2995] I think you’ll find hundreds of examples of Olympic champions who were teenagers. The youngest medalist was Greek gymnast Dimitrios Loundras, who was just ten when he won a bronze in the parallel bars event. Some Olympic historians believe that a seven year old was part of a Dutch rowing team that won the gold in 1900. The team substituted a young french boy for their coxswain in order to get under the weight limit. Although photographs document that this event occured, there is considerable debate about whether the boy should be considered a medal winner. Tennis has been dominated by young players for the last forty years, especially on the women’s side. Martina Hingis won the Australian Open at 16 in 1997. She also won the women’s doubles at Wimbledon a year earlier when she was just 15. The youngest NBA player to lead the league in scoring was Bob McAdoo at 22 years old in the 1973-74 season. Al Kaline was baseball’s youngest batting champion, just 20 years old when he paced the AL in 1955. Tony Conigliaro was twenty when led the American League in homers in 1965, the youngest player to wear that crown. The youngest NASCAR Champion was 21-year old Bill Rexford in 1950. Youngest in the modern era was Jeff Gordon at age 24 in 1995. Mike Tyson was the youngest heavyweight champion at 20. There are no teenagers in pro football, not during the modern era anyway. [/QUOTE] Here comes one > **[NFL Latest Updates - Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news/?slug=ap-nflcombine-notebook&prov=ap&type=lgns)** > > Sports News, Scores, Fantasy Games ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/10 "2007-04-14T23:41:39Z")
At 19, Wayne Gretzky tied for the scoring lead in the NHL(with 137 points) and won the Hart Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/11 "2007-04-15T04:41:54Z")
Last summer, Marco Andretti, son of Michael Andretti and grandson of Mario Andretti, became the youngest person to win an Indy Car-style race, winning the Infineon Indy Grand Prix at the age of 19 years, 5 months and 14 days. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/12 "2007-04-15T16:22:38Z")
Nadia Comonech(excuse spelling)the 15 year old Rumanian gymnast who was the first person ever to receive a 100% mark from Olympic judges. ---
**Author:** ![MrFloppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@MrFloppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFloppy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/teenagers-leading-major-sports-competitions-in-history/400051/13 "2007-04-15T19:40:38Z")
Here in Maryland we have a couple of local teen celebs: [Kimmie Meissner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimmie_Meissner) is the 2006 Figure Skating World Champion and the 2007 US Champ at age 17. She literally lives up the street from the Floppys. [Michael Phelps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps) is/was World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006. At the 2004 Olympics, he won 8 medals including 6 golds at age 19.