The Oldest Athletes To Play Their Sport in American History

Sports may be a young person's game but some athletes manage to find professional sports success well past the age of expectation. Be it usually strong constitutions, a rigorous diet and exercise schedule, or good genetics, some athletes keep kicking until they become the oldest to play their sport in American history.

Some of the oldest athletes are helped along by the virtue of their sport's physical requirements like professional bowler Carmen Salvino. Others like George Blanda, however, endure the brutality of sports like American football well into their retirement years. Playing any sport long enough is an impressive feat, but some competitors take it to the next level. As such, let's explore some of the oldest athletes to play their sport in American history. (For instances of incredible baseball, discover the greatest moments in baseball history.)

To compile a list of the oldest athletes to play their sport in American history, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of sports and news publications like Oldest.org, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and NBC Los Angeles. Next, we selected players with an unusually long shelf life in their respective sports. After that, we confirmed aspects of each person's biography and career highlights using sites like Olympedia.org and the Guardian.

Born on Nov. 23, 1933, in Chicago, Carmen Salvino remains the oldest bowler in American history. In a poetic moment, Salvino discovered the game at age 11 when he found a bowling pin on the ground in his west-side neighborhood. Curious, he walked inside the nearby building which housed the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America and a private, six-lane bowling alley. He managed to get a job there as a pinboy and started practicing. By the time he was in high school, Salvino became known as "Chicago's Boy Wonder" for his impressive bowling abilities.

Throughout his bowling career, Salvino won 17 PBA Tour titles, including the famous 1962 PBA national championship, where he defeated bowling great Don Carter. Arguably the oldest professional bowler in history, Salvino competed well into his 80s. He credited his athletic longevity to his good health and in-depth study of the game. Though he's taken a back seat in professional competitions, Salvino, now 92, still enters charity games and provides regular commentary for PBA Tournament of Champions matches.

No one quite had a lengthy and celebrated baseball career like Satchel Paige. Born on July 7, 1906, in Mobile, Alabama, Paige found the sport through childhood games of top ball, a baseball variation using sticks and bottle caps. He fell into bad habits like stealing, however, which sent him to an Alabama Reform School at the age of 12. There, school trustee Rev. Moses Davis taught Paige how to pitch. Upon release, Paige played for several semipro teams in Mobile before making a name for himself in the Negro Leagues as a star pitcher for the Chattanooga Black Lookouts. He became famous for his confidence on the mount, sometimes ordering all the infielders to sit down while he struck out consecutive batters.

In 1948, he made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cleveland Indians. At 42, he instantly became the oldest debutant in professional baseball history. By the time he played his last game at 59, another baseball record, he was a two-time MLB All-Star and World Series Champion. Furthermore, he became the first elected of the Negro League Committee to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. For years, confirmation of his age proved elusive, with Paige being the source of numerous purported ages. It was eventually confirmed by Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck after he traveled to Mobile. With the Paige family in tow, he went to the county health department and found Paige's legitimate birth certificate.

The oldest hockey player in American history found his love of the game as a child in his native Czechoslovakia. Born Feb. 15, 1972, in Kladno, Czechoslovakia, Jaromír Jágr showed an incredible aptitude for the ice from an early age, having learned how to skate like an adult by age 3. By the time he reached adulthood, he was already playing on the Czechoslovakia National Team. When the Iron Curtain fell in the late 1980s, Jágr became the first Czech player to be drafted into the NHL without having to defect to the West. He joined the Pittsburgh Penguins and became a key supporting player during the team's back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1991 and 1992.

From there, Jágr enjoyed a long and storied career, playing for many teams including the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames. By the time he retired from the ice, Jágr had played over 2,000 professional games amidst a remarkable 37 seasons, giving him the longest playing career in NHL history. He didn't just show up, either. Jágr still holds the record for the second-most points in history behind legend Wayne Gretzky. Until he transferred back to his native country, Jágr was the oldest player in NHL history and the oldest player to earn a hat-trick. Though he announced his retirement from professional hockey in September 2024 at age 52, Jágr hasn't stepped away from the ice entirely. He currently owns the Rytíři Kladno team in the Czech Extraliga professional league.

Born in the Bronx, New York, on June 4, 1947, Saoul Mamby became the oldest professional boxer in history. During adolescence, Mamby discovered boxing while on vacation with his family in Jamaica. By age 16, he started competing on a higher level, making it to the Golden Gloves level by age 18. After racking up an impressive amateur record of 25-5, Mamby turned pro in 1969. He worked his way up the ranks until he won the WBC Super Lightweight title, a distinction he held on to for two years. The next several decades of Mamby's career saw him travel all over the world to compete in bouts, though he often lost by single points or split decisions from judges. He continued to box well into his 50s. However, the California State Athletic Commission forced him to retire after a notable loss in 2000.

In 2008, Mamby announced a surprise comeback match on Nez Pierce Tribe Reservation land in Lapwai, Idaho. Though the bout was later canceled, Mamby still managed to score a bout with journeyman boxer Anthony Osbourne in the Cayman Islands several weeks later. He lost the fight in a 10-round decision but became one of the oldest boxers to appear in an officially sanctioned match in the process. Presumably seeing the writing on the wall, since he had lost 11 of his last 14 matches, Mamby officially retired. He died at the age of 72 in 2019. A few years later, he was inducted into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame.

J. "Skip" Hall lived several lives before he became one of the oldest athletes in American history. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sept. 9, 1944, Hall joined the U.S. Army upon reaching maturity. Though he served as a typist while stationed in Korea, Hall earned some later controversy by claiming he served in the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War. A 2008 sports profile by NBC Sports writer Mike Chiappetta, however, dispelled these claims. A Freedom of Information Act Request uncovered that Hall had never served in Vietnam, much less in the Army Special Forces. Nevertheless, Hall became something of a novelty when he made his pro-fighting debut at the age of 63.

Standing at 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 205 pounds, Hall attracted considerable attention when he entered the world of MMA. After slugging it out in amateur matches throughout the early 2000s, Hall worked his way up to the big leagues when he faced off against UFC pro Dan Severn at the Jasper City Slugfest in 2006. Though he declared himself the "Oldest Active MMA Fighter in History," which he no doubt was, he did not fare well in competition. After enduring five losses and two meager wins by submission, Hall effectively retired from MMA. He is now 80.

Despite being one of the oldest to hit the links, Gary Player is considered one of the greatest golfers of all time. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Nov. 1, 1935, Player found his love of the game on the Virginia Park golf course outside Johannesburg. At 16, he set his sights high when he announced he would become the No. 1 golfer in the world.

Perhaps Player knew something others didn't because he went pro within a year of his announcement. By 29, he became the only non-American to win four majors in a career after he won the 1965 U.S. Open. This kicked off a lengthy career, which saw Player win nine major championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on the Champions Tour. In 1984, he became the oldest major champion when he came in second at the PGA Championship.

Over a decade later, Player became the oldest golfer in the Masters after he made the cut for the 1998 Masters Tournament. To add to his twilight records, Player became the oldest athlete to ever pose unclothed when he donned his birthday suit in the 2013 version of ESPN Magazine's annual "Body Issue." He credits diet, exercise, and a love of the game for his longevity. Since taking a backseat to professional play, Player has developed a reputation as a world-class golf architect with over 400 design projects brought to fruition on five separate continents. Besides authoring dozens of books on golf, Player was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump in 2021.

The oldest player in NFL history was George Blanda. Born on Sept. 17, 1927, in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, he first made his name as a kicker for the Kentucky Wildcats football team. After several successful years on the team, Blanda became the team's starting quarterback for his last two seasons. He threw for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns. Thanks to these records, the Chicago Bears signed Blanda in 1949 for an impressive $6,000 contract. It took over a decade, however, for Blanda to shine. Once established, he enjoyed an incredibly lengthy career in the NFL while playing for the Houston Oilers and Oakland Raiders.

This saw him earn several notable football accolades including NFL Man of the Year, AFL Most Valuable Player, two-time AFL passing yards leader, and four-time AFL All-Star. When Blanda retired in August 1976, he was the oldest player in football history, a record he still holds. Beyond that, Blanda also holds the record for the most seasons played (26), most career extra points made (943), and most passing touchdowns in a single game (7). He remains one of only three players to play professional American football in four consecutive decades. Upon entering retirement, Blanda appeared in commercials for companies including Schaefer Beer, Chrysler, Brut cologne, and Kellogg's Cereal.

While tennis allows for more longevity than other sports, no one in history has played as long as Gail Falkenberg. Born on Jan. 6, 1947, in Westfield, New Jersey, Falkenberg attended the University of California, Los Angeles, in the early 1960s. There, she played several sports at the varsity level including basketball, tennis, and volleyball. After graduating with a bachelor's and master's in filmmaking, Falkenberg enjoyed a decades-long career as a documentary filmmaker. At 38, however, she had a mindset shift and debuted as a Virginia Slims main draw at the 1986 Brazilian Open. After that, she qualified at the 1988 Australian Open. Upon earning a career-high singles world ranking of 360, Falkenberg retired from full-time pro tennis in 1990.

She spent the better part of the next decade as the men's and women's tennis head coach for the University of Central Florida. Tennis still called to her and Falkenberg began reentering tournaments. In 2016, she attracted media attention for beating 22-year-old Rosalyn Small 6–0, 6–1 in qualifiers at an Alabama competition. She lost to her next opponent, however, world No. 1 junior Taylor Townsend who only conceded 12 points. Remarkably, Falkenberg still enters professional tennis competitions. She set a record when she entered the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour in 2023 at 76 years old. (For other aged Olympians, discover the oldest Olympic athletes in sports history.)

Technically, the oldest player in NBA history is Nat Hickey, who activated himself in a single game for the team he coached, the Providence Steamrollers. He played one more game in the 1948 season before effectively retiring. That said, the oldest player in NBA history who enjoyed a lengthy career is Kevin Willis. Born on Sept. 6, 1962, in Los Angeles, Willis played basketball in high school before playing three seasons at Michigan State University. Thanks to a considerable college career and a height of 7 feet, the Atlanta Hawks drafted Willis in 1984. After nine seasons with the Hawks, Willis played on a variety of teams, including the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Dallas Mavericks.

Spanning 23 years in the NBA, Willis became an NBA champion, an NBA All-Star, and an All-NBA Third Team Player. He is also one of the select few players to score over 16,000 career points and 11,000 career rebounds. When he returned to the Atlanta Hawks for the 2004-2005 season, Willis became the oldest player in the league at age 42. He held this record until he retired two years later at 44. Upon entering retirement, Willis employed his fashion and textiles degree to return to the clothing business. Along with former teammate Ralph Walker, Willis created Willis & Walker, an Atlanta-based company that specializes in custom clothing for big and tall men. In this capacity, Willis designed garments for professional wrestlers like Lex Luger.

Simone Biles made headlines at the Paris Summer Olympics for being one of the oldest American competitors in the sport. Even so, she has nothing age-wise on former gymnast great Marie Hoesly. Born on Nov. 5, 1916, in Perry Township, Wisconsin, Hoesly became the oldest American gymnast in history when she competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. She entered the competition at the age of 35, which is remarkable for a youth-oriented sport like gymnastics.

Hoesly competed in several competitions at that Olympics, including Individual All-Around, Floor Exercise, Horse Vault, and Balance Beam. Though she failed to take home any medals, Hoesly scored a career-high of 56th in the Women's Uneven Bars competition, which was then called rhythmic gymnastics. While it is no longer officially recognized in the Olympics, it resembles modern aspects of gymnastics. After her brief blip on the longevity in athletics radar, Hoesly became a housewife and homemaker. She died on Sept. 30, 2003, at 87.

It's hard to say who the oldest soccer player in American history is since many foreign players spent time at American clubs. That said, it's likely Joseph Maca, who played left back for the United States men's national soccer team. Born on Sept. 28, 1920, in Brussels, Maca played in the Belgian Second Division before serving in the Belgian Army during World War II. When the war ended, Maca moved to the United States and played for the Brooklyn Hispano in the American Soccer League.

At 30, he was selected for the ASL All-Star Team, which contributed to being selected for the United States national soccer team. Though he wasn't a U.S. citizen, he declared his intention to become one which allowed his inclusion on the national team. He stayed with the U.S. team for decades, becoming the oldest player in American soccer history when he faced off against Mexico in August 1975 at 54 years old. A year later, Maca and several of his U.S. teammates were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

While some older athletes score kudos for entering professional competition at a late age, some manage to become the best at their sport well into their twilight years. Take Kelly Slater, for example, arguably the greatest professional surfer of all time. Born on Feb. 11, 1972, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Slater grew up near the water and started surfing at age 5. Within a few years, he began winning age-division events along the Atlantic coast. Upon turning pro in 1990, Slater won the first contest he entered before qualifying for the World Surf League Championship Tour. Though he struggled his first few years as a pro, he's become one of, if not, the greatest surfers of all time.

Since turning pro, Slater has won the World Surf League Championship a record 11 times. Besides a total of 56 Championship Tour Victories, he's won the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year award four times. Now pushing 60, Slater remains the oldest active pro surfer in the world, having won his eighth Billabong Pipeline Masters title at age 58. Besides surfing professionally, Slater has appeared in dozens of films and created several surf training facilities and resorts. (For standout performances in other sports, discover the greatest moments in NFL history.)