Al Baker, not Michael Strahan, has most sacks in an NFL season?
New York Giants legend and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan controversially set the official record for most sacks in a season in January 2002 with 22.5 after Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre may or may not have taken a dive to the ground:
It turns out Strahan's mark may be even more illegitimate than critics say.
As Mike Lynch wrote for Sports Reference, the NFL only officially began tracking individual player sacks in 1982, but Pro Football Researchers Association members John Turney and Nick Webster have worked to compile sack numbers from the 1960s through 1981. They found that Al "Bubba" Baker tallied 23 sacks his rookie campaign in 1978, a number never topped by Strahan or anybody else.
Lynch added that roughly two-thirds of sacks have been counted for the 1960 season. Approximately 80% of sacks have been counted for 1961-64, and that number rises to 95% for 1966-69. About 99% of sacks from the 1970 AFL-NFL merger through 1981 have been recorded.
While Baker's record isn't recognized by the NFL and is unofficial, all current and future pass-rushers should know that 23.5 sacks for one season is the number they have to pursue if they want to truly own that particular piece of history.
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