The Longest Games Ever Played Across All Major US Sports

American sports fans have the luxury of catching high drama year-round in the forms of both professional and college athletics. That drama is what draws viewers in. Tightly contested matchups keeping those tuning on the edges of their seats.

Each sport can provide entertainment, though the process of determining a winner in high-pressure situations differs from league to league. Some games have overtime sessions with preset lengths. Others simply end on the first scoring play following regulation. And in some, two sides can go back and forth until one successfully stops the other.

In any case, these endings produce fireworks. All are enjoyable to watch in their own rights, but the longer a game goes, the more tense the situation becomes.

Here, we’ve taken a look at some of the lengthiest matchups on record across a variety of different leagues. Below are the longest games in history as they apply to each major US sport.

NFL

The longest NFL game on record came in the 1971 postseason between the Chiefs and Dolphins. The AFC Championship contest lasted more than 82 minutes of game time.

Miami won with a field goal in the second overtime session, 27-24. It’s one of just six NFL playoff games to see double overtime.

MLB

The longest MLB game in terms of innings played ended in a 1-1 tie between the Brooklyn Robins and Boston Braves. The game lasted 26 innings before being called for darkness.

As far as actual game time, a 25-inning matchup between the Brewers and White Sox in 1984 ranks first, spanning eight hours and six minutes across two days.

NBA

In 1951, the Indianapolis Olympians beat the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings), 75-73. It remains the only NBA game to ever reach six overtimes.

With no shot clock, two of those extra periods were completely scoreless. The Olympians won the game by outscoring the Royals 2-0 in the final session.

WNBA

On July 3, 2001, the Seattle Storm beat the Washington Mystics by a score of 72-69.

That game is the only WNBA game to need four overtimes to decide a winner.

NHL

The Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons played six overtimes during Game 1 of a 1936 national semifinal.

The contest lasted 176 minutes of actual game time with the Red Wings winning, 1-0.

NCAA Football

Recent overtime rules aided Penn State and Illinois in a nine-overtime game that takes the crown. The Illini won the game, 20-18, in 2021.

Before switching to the new two-point overtime setup, Texas A&M and LSU tied a seven-overtime mark previously set by Buffalo and Western Michigan.

NCAA Basketball

In 1981, the Cincinnati Bearcats beat the Bradley Braves after seven overtime sessions.

Like the previously mentioned NBA record, the lack of a shot clock played a part in the scoring.

NCAA Baseball

The longest college baseball game in terms of innings played came in 2009 between Texas and Boston College. The two teams battled for 25 innings and more than seven hours.

The longest game on record in terms of time came in 2011 with Fresno State outlasting San Diego after seven hours and 12 minutes (22 innings).

Tennis

At Wimbledon in 2010, John Isner beat Nicolas Mahut in a match that lasted 11 hours and five minutes and spanned three days.

The back and forth showing saw a 138-point fifth set as it came before Wimbledon employed its current tiebreaker rule.

Golf

The longest playoff on record came at the 1931 US Open and lasted 72 holes. This came before the implementation of “sudden death” or two/four-hole aggregate rules.

At the time, playoffs lasted 36 holes if players were tied at the conclusion of the tournament. Billy Burke and George Von Elm had to do that twice over after tying in the initial playoff round!