Two years ago this month, I wrote about the oldest active player in each of the four major U.S. sports. What's amazing is two full years later, half the list remains identical and could be as much as three-fourths the same if an NHL legend signs with a new team.
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COMPARE: NBA Teams | NBA Players
COMPARE: NFL Teams | NFL Players
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There's a saying that Father Time catches up to us all, but he doesn't seem to be nipping at the heels of these men anytime soon.
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RELATED: Tallest NBA Players Ever
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Check out the oldest active professional athlete in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL.
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NBA: Vince Carter – 41 Years Old
On this week back in 2000, Carter turned in a slam dunk performance that is still talked about to this very day. Currently with Sacramento, rumors have been swirling lately that one of the game's greatest dunkers could find himself back home in Toronto if the Kings buy out his contract.
Relive Carter's epic 2000 dunk dominance by watching all of the slams from the evening that helped skyrocket his career.
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NFL: Adam Vinatieri – 45 Years Old
Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen are the only kickers to ever get enshrined by the NFL Hall of Fame. Vinatieri most definitely will be joining these legends in Canton when he becomes eligible.
From key kicks in postseason showdowns like The Tuck Rule Game to winning a pair of Super Bowls at the buzzer, the kicker from little South Dakota State has been an NFL mainstay with both New England and Indianapolis. Despite playing 15 of 16 games last season as a 44-year old, Vinatieri still made 29 of 34 field goal attempts, including 5 from 50-plus yards away.
No stranger to making big kicks in the snow, Vinatieri proved he's still Mr. Clutch with this blizzard of a boot last year against Buffalo.
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MLB: Bartolo Colon – 44 Years Old
It looked like last year might be Colon's last until the Texas Rangers signed the veteran pitcher to a minor league contract in early February. He has an invite to spring training so we'll have to see if he makes the opening-day roster.
Fun Colon fact: He's the last remaining Major League Baseball player to have suited up for the Montreal Expos.
Colon's ineptitude at the plate has become so historic that it's must-see TV every time he steps into the batter's box. A career .085 hitter, let us never the forget the one and only time he went deep.
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NHL: Matt Cullen – 41 Years Old
The oldest player in the NHL had been dominated for years by the ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr until the 45-year-old was let go by the Calgary Flames in January. With Jagr now playing professionally in the Czech Republic, the title of oldest National Hockey League player belongs to Matt Cullen of the Minnesota Wild.
The 35th selection overall in 1996 by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (when they still went by that nickname), Cullen has also played for Florida, Carolina, the New York Rangers, Ottawa, Nashville, and Pittsburgh. At the time of this article's publishing, the center has played in an astounding 1,419 games while totaling 253 career goals and 499 assists.
