In recent weeks, much has been made of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre’s streak of 292 regular-season NFL starts.

As the 41-year-old battles through a broken ankle, his record is often compared to the 2,632 consecutive games Cal Ripken Jr. played for the Baltimore Orioles. Favre’s streak, which began in the fourth game of 1992, is now in its 19th season, while Ripken’s streak spanned the better part of 17 seasons.

One professional streak that has gone unmentioned in those comparisons is the 275 consecutive Built Ford Tough Series events that Luke Snyder rode in from the time he debuted in the PBR in 2001 until earlier this year.

“They’re all three impressive,” Snyder said, “and I wouldn’t say mine is any tougher, because to tell you the truth, in any sport your body is going to hurt, and at a professional level you have to go out there and perform at a professional level even when you are hurting.”

One athlete who has firsthand knowledge of both the NFL and the PBR is Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington.

The 34-year-old is in his 11th season in the NFL and also owns several bucking bulls, including the recently retired Cat Man Do.

“I think Luke’s streak doesn’t get as noticed or recognized obviously because bull riding hasn’t become a mainstream sport,” Pennington said. “If it had or if it ever does, a streak like that would definitely be something that would be talked about more.”

“You can certainly draw some comparisons, because I think both football and bull riding have such a high risk of injury. … It’s similar, and as a matter of fact, I would say that bull riding poses a high risk of injury from one performance to another even more than playing quarterback in the NFL. Sometimes you can go through a game and not have to deal with too much physical contact, but there’s no avoiding physical contact when you’re bull riding.”

In addition to the 275 BFTS events, Snyder also rode in 20 to 30 lower-level events each season during his streak. That would amount to another 30 to 50 bulls a year, many of which are the same bulls who perform in the BFTS.

“I think both streaks really show the physical toughness,” said Pennington of both Favre and Snyder, “and – probably even more – the mental toughness, because I know for a fact both of them had to perform with injuries while they were keeping their streaks alive, and have to fight through some pain and what most would consider major injuries.”

Snyder rode through a torn rotator cuff, a broken wrist, a broken leg, and knees that needed to be surgically repaired, as well as four or five concussions, rib injuries, a laceration to his chin and other ailments.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be able to go that long,” Snyder said. “I am not any tougher than the next guy out there. We’re all tough and we all know what it takes to do this.”

Favre is among the career leaders in nearly every statistical category and expected to a first-ballot Hall of Famer upon his retirement from the NFL. Ripken, who was a 19-time All-Star selection, was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Snyder was the 2001 PBR Rookie of the Year and won the 2001 PBR World Finals event title.

“To be able to have those streaks and for those streaks to be such high numbers at the pinnacle of each sport, the pinnacle of each profession, it’s absolutely amazing,” said Pennington, who noted that all three played through injuries that “your everyday person would not be able to cope with.”

“That shows the type of mental toughness that an athlete has to have regardless of the sport, to be able to fight through injury and deal with pain and play with pain. Not only deal with pain or play with pain, but perform at a high level and be able to win events and win football games and help win baseball games.”

“What do those linebackers weigh?” asked Snyder. “It’s definitely a lot different than 2,000 pounds, so it’s going to hurt a lot more when a bull jumps on you. [Favre]has his linemen out there protecting him, and I have bullfighters protecting me.”

“It would be interesting to compare and see what would be the equivalent baseball games to either 275 bull riding events or with Favre’s streak,” Pennington said, “because obviously the risk of physical injury is much less in baseball.”

Snyder added, “It’s something where if Brett Favre would have been born and raised around this, he could have done it, but it’s two guys growing up with different sports backgrounds. We both have the grit and the toughness to get out there and show up every weekend.

“You put Brett Favre in a smaller body and have that same determination he’d do the same thing.”

NEWS AND NOTES

FORD TRUCKS brought Guillermo Rodriguez to the Finals to film a special segment for “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Guillermo came to Las Vegas with the intention of riding a bull, but after a rough go of it with Travis Briscoe and Super Duty, he thought better of the idea. He spent time with bullfighter Shorty Gorham before getting on stage with Flint Rasmussen during one of the commercial breaks. The segment can be seen on ABC on Tuesday, Nov. 9 (Please note this is an updated air date). Check local listings for show times.

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright