Just as the act of becoming perfect is nearly impossible in trials of life, the ultimate achievement of an undefeated season in athletics is equally difficult and often thought to be unattainable.

The New England Patriots have made history this year doing just that, recording a perfect 16-0 record during the regular season, a feat that has never been accomplished under the current 16-week NFL schedule.

In a truly remarkable season, the Patriots have broken more than 50 team and individual records, including Randy Moss’ record for most touchdown catches (23) and Tom Brady’s incredible record of 50 touchdown passes in one season.

Of course not everything was perfect this season for the Pats. Last weekend against the New York Giants, New England trailed by 12 points before coming back to escape with a 38-35 victory.

In two consecutive games earlier in the season, they also escaped with narrow victories over the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens. Facing the Ravens in Baltimore, New England trailed 17-0 in the third quarter before putting together a comeback to emerge with a 27-24 victory.

Despite not playing their best in these close games, the Patriots came out victorious securing a perfect record for the regular season.     

Just how amazing is this feat? The statistics and game results are certainly incredible, however a brief look into sports history will put them into perspective.

Four teams in the 87-year history of the NFL have gone undefeated. The 1972 Miami Dolphins were the last to do it, going 14-0 during the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs on way to a Super Bowl victory against the Washington Redskins.

Since the league changed to a 16 game schedule in 1978, four teams have also come very close to perfection with 15-1 records during the regular season, including the 1998 Minnesota Vikings and 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Not surprisingly, in each of the three other major US sports no one team has gone undefeated during the regular season (due to much longer seasons).

The best record in NBA history belongs to the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who were nearly perfect at 72-10 (.878 winning %) during the regular season.

Within the long history of Major League Baseball, the winning mark of 100 games has long been the standard for perfection during a 162 game season. Since the turn of the twentieth century, only 9 teams have won more than 105 games. The best record in history belongs to the 1906 Chicago Cubs with a 116-36 record (.763%).

The sixth best record surprisingly belongs to the 2001 Seattle Mariners with a 116-46 record, followed by the 1927 Yankees sporting a 110-44 record.

The 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings secured the best record in NHL history to-date with a 62-12-7 record (.765%).

Significant achievements in professional sports are widely publicized and celebrated by the large media and fan attention surrounding them. Similar accomplishments on a more local level often occur without fanfare, however.

The sport of polo has seen many premier athletes in Saratoga Springs for decades since it’s inception in Saratoga in 1898.

At the college level, Skidmore has produced national championship teams in both riding (1990) and women’s tennis (1998).

The Thoroughbred men’s golf team has also been successful on a national level, receiving a national championship vote from Golfweek magazine following the 1995-96 season.

In high school sports, the Saratoga Springs area is renown for turning out elite cross-country runners. Both the Saratoga Springs Blue Streak and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Spartan girls’ cross-country teams have achieved annual success on both regional and national levels.

Burnt Hills won the New York state girls cross-country title this fall and competed at the high school national championships in Portland Oregon in early December.

Although many of these local teams may not have gone undefeated in their respective seasons, the achievement of winning on national stages is no doubt incredible against the countless teams they compete against nationwide.

Every team begins the season striving for perfection, however most fall short of the ultimate goal of a perfect, undefeated record - with the exception of this years New England Patriots. Their accomplishments are truly historical, however only time will tell their place in sport history.