With a record 17 professional major championships to his credit, Jack Nicklaus was considered the greatest golfer of all time. But few believed he had another major in him when he teed off in the 1986 Masters at the age of 46. After all, he hadn't won a major since the 1980 PGA. "Washed up" was the assessment in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in an article that found its way onto the refrigerator at Nicklaus' rented house in Augusta, Ga. He played his way into contention over the first three rounds, then finished with a sizzling six-under-par 30 on the back nine to win his record sixth green jacket.

A legend of the Negro Leagues, Paige finally got the opportunity to play in the MLB when the Cleveland Indians signed him to a contract on July 7, 1948 — what is commonly referred to as his 42nd birthday (years after his death in 1982, questions still remain as to his actual birthdate). Nonetheless, he went 6-1 in his debut season with a 2.48 ERA, leading to some Rookie of the Year buzz. Although he was unable to replicate his success in future years, he earned a spot on the 1952 and 1953 AL All-Star teams as a member of the St. Louis Browns.

Is there anything Torres can't do? She first burst onto the Olympic scene during the '84 Games in Los Angeles for the first of three straight medal appearances. Her first comeback in 2000 was amazing, but it was her performance in her second comeback in the 2008 Beijing Games that truly inspired, as she became the oldest swimmer to medal, capturing three silvers at the age of 41.

At a time when drivers in NASCAR seem to be getting younger, Mark Martin proves that old dogs can learn new tricks. In 2009, he scored five wins and finished runner-up in the championship — all at the age of 50. In 2010, he had nine top-5 finishes; in 2011, two. And in 2012, in the second event on the Sprint Cup schedule, he won the pole at Phoenix.

No-hitters were nothing new to Nolan Ryan. He had already thrown five before adding two more to his collection at the ripe old ages of 43 and 44. Ryan's no-hitter on June 11, 1990 was followed the next season by another on May 1, 1991 against the Blue Jays. The feat made Ryan the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter in MLB history, according to baseball-reference.com. Not only did Ryan no-hit the Blue Jays that night, he also recorded 16 strikeouts. Ryan retired in 1993, finishing his career with an all-time major-league record of having played 27 seasons.

He wasn't supposed to join this list, if you believed his first two retirements at least. During the 2009 season with the Minnesota Vikings, Favre enjoyed arguably his best statistical season, completing a career-high 68.4 percent of his passes with 4,202 passing yards (most since 1998), 33 TD passes (most since 1997) and career-bests in INTs (7) and QB rating (107.2) — all at the age of 40. His 2010 season? Not such a success.

Twenty years after losing the heavyweight title to Muhammad Ali at The Rumble in the Jungle, Foreman knocked out Michael Moorer to capture the IBF and WBA championships at the age of 45. Not only did he become the oldest heavyweight to win the title, Foreman also established a new mark for longest time between titles.

Winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, Martina Navratilova is often regarded as the greatest women's tennis player of all time. The records she holds include nine Wimbledon singles titles, 167 overall singles titles and 177 in doubles. But one of her most impressive records is her final Grand Slam win — she and American Bob Bryan won the mixed-doubles championship at the U.S. Open. She was a month shy of her 50th birthday.

Blanda holds the record for having the longest professional football career, 26 years total, but it was his 1970 season which will be remembered most of all. At the age of 43, he proved vital as a kicker and backup quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. The team reached the AFC championship, where Blanda became the oldest QB to play in a title game and had an impressive two-TD, two-PAT and one-FG performance in a losing effort. He also went on to win AFC Player of the Year honors that season. Blanda died in 2010 at the age of 83.

Bill Shoemaker became the oldest jockey to win the Kentucky Derby when, at the age of 54, he guided 18-1 longshot Ferdinand to an upset win in the 1986 Run for the Roses. Although Shoemaker was then the sport's all-time leading rider, his abilities had slipped a bit. But that didn't stop "The Shoe" from coming through on horse racing's biggest stage — literally — as he sent Ferdinand through a hole at the rail in midstretch, got the lead and drew off to win by 2 1/4 lengths. Ferdinand was trained by fellow old-timer Charlie Whittingham, who was 73 at the time. Shoemaker died in 2003.

Not too many basketball players hang around the NBA past the age of 40, let alone win a title, but that's exactly what Abdul-Jabbar did during the 1987-88 season. The Hall of Fame center started 80 of 82 regular-season games, averaged an impressive 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and most important, helped the Los Angeles Lakers win back-to-back NBA titles with a Game 7 Finals win over the Bad Boys of Detroit.

There's a reason he's still called Mr. Hockey. Howe started out on the Detroit Red Wings' famed "Production Line" — and then kept playing. In 1974, at the age of 46, he was named the most valuable player in the WHA while skating on a team with his sons Mark and Marty. When the WHA folded, he signed with the NHL's Hartford Whalers in 1979 and played in all 80 games that season — at the age of 51. Sure, his one-game contract with the IHL's Detroit Vipers in 1997 was more a publicity stunt than anything, but it also put him down in the history books as the only professional hockey player to compete in six different decades. Not bad for a guy who was almost 70 at the time.

John Force, 62, is proving he's still a force to be reckoned with in NHRA. He's a 15-time NHRA Funny Car champion with the most recent title in 2010. He is the father of drag racers Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force and Courtney Force. In 2007, John and Ashley Force Hood became the first father/daughter to compete against each other in NHRA history.

Who says the best athletes are under 40? Bernard Hopkins, a world boxing champ at 46, is only the latest example that in sports, winning never gets old.