Panthers quarterback Vinny Testaverde, all 43 years of him, started Sunday in a 25-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals. With starter Jake Delhomme out for the season and backup David Carr injured as well, the Panthers signed the veteran Wednesday. The victory makes Vinny the oldest quarterback to win a game in NFL history. In honor of his fine performance, here are 10 more athletes who, frankly, are way too old for their respective sports.
10. Junior Seau. After 12 career Pro Bowl selections with the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins, the 38-year-old linebacker retired for four days, only to sign with the New England Patriots for the 2007-2008 season. So far in his 18th season, the six-foot-three, 250-pound veteran has recorded 24 tackles and picked off three passes.
9. Jamie Moyer. The 44-year-old lefty is still going strong with the Philadelphia Phillies. He pitched six strong innings in Game 3 of the NLDS versus the Colorado Rockies, giving up only one earned run. The former Seattle Mariners ace first came into the league in 1986. Phillies ace Cole Hamels was three years old.
8. Kenny Lofton. Months after his 40th birthday, Lofton is still stealing bases. He racked up 23 of his 622 career steals this season, he's hitting .346 in the postseason this year for the Indians, and tacked on one more theft during the Tribe's ALDS against the Yankees. He also homered off of Daisuke Matsuzaka last night at the age of 40 years, five months and 15 days.
7. Chris Chelios. Being the oldest active player in the NHL at age 45 can come with many perks, such as holding the record for most penalty minutes. The former Blackhawks superstar and current Red Wings defenseman has been a longtime stalwart for the USA national team as well. Detroit seems to be a haven for old timers, as 42-year-old goalie Dominik Hasek also is on the roster.
6. Brett Favre. Just when everyone thought he was washed up, the 39-year-old Packers quarterback has led his team to a 5-1 start and reemerged as possibly the best quarterback in the NFC. After posting passer ratings in the 70s each of the last two years, his is close to 90 so far this year, as he's thrown for 1,715 yards and nine touchdowns in just six games.
5. Roger Clemens. The 45-year-old Rocket decided to stick around for one more year in the big leagues when he signed for the Yankees for one year this season... for $28 million. Not bad compared to his $140,000 salary when he first started pitching in the big leagues with the Red Sox in 1985.
4. Dikembe Mutombo. The Congo native and former Georgetown University star is still wagging his finger and blocking shots at the age of 41. Mutombo is the oldest current player in the NBA, backing up Yao Ming for the Rockets. Mutombo's career is now getting to be almost as long as his name: Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo.
3. Morten Andersen. The NFL's all-time leading scorer, "Mr. Automatic" was signed by the Falcons two games into the season. Now 47, Andersen has been splitting the uprights for a quarter of a century, and is older than his new coach Bobby Petrino. But hey, he was named to the NFL All-Decade team - in the 80s.
2. Danny Almonte. A former Little League superstar at age 14, Almonte caused quite a stir when he threw a no-hitter in the 2001 Mid-Atlantic Regional finals, and then threw the first perfect game in LLWS history since 1957. But maybe he should go pick on someone his own size...
1. Julio Franco. Julio Franco is like Michael Myers, the Energizer Bunny, and the Simpsons rolled into one. He just won't go away. Though he was jettisoned by the Mets earlier in the year, the 49-year-old signed with the Braves to continue his 23-year career. (Cal Ripken was a rookie in 1982, the same year Franco broke into the majors.) Here's hoping we see Julio next year at age 50.
-by Tim Judson and Ethan Landy
