He always handled himself with class and style, graceand dignity. He is the first pure placekicker to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kansas City Chiefs Jan Stenerud in action, taking kick from QB Len Dawson vs Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs lead their division with a 7-1 record and he leads the American League scoring race with 83 points. He also worked as a commentator for Scandinavian TV channel TV3's Super Bowl Sunday coverage in the 1990s, and still maintains strong ties with his native Norway. Football practice hadn't yet started that afternoon and some of the players, most of them fellows I knew, were fooling around kicking field goals. During a game, Stenerud gives in to assorted superstitions. The White House was occupied by a B-movie actor, Hollywood seemed to want to make any cocaine-fueled idea for a movie that it could find, and football kickers were punting and scoring field goals in the dead of winter. Everyone in the Hall of Fame was a great player, but only a few were the very best ever at their position. Sign up for the When training camp arrived and with Succop due a big payday the team brought in competition: free agent Cairo Santos. Tynes would go on to kick game-winning overtime field goals in two different NFC Championship games, sending the Giants to the Super Bowl in both 2007 and 2011. But Stenerud set another college record which should stand forever: a 113-yard field goal try. His first, a 48-yarder, was the longest field goal in a Super Bowl for 24 years, exceeded by Steve Christie of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII in January 1994. Quiz This is the land of opportunity, Stenerud remembered thinking. "I was out with some of the other skiers, getting my legs in shape for the season. Jan, thanks very much for the honor of permitting me to present you here today and have you joinour other great players and Lamar Hunt in the National Football League Hall of Fame:Bobby Bell, Lenny Dawson, Buck Buchanan, Willie Lanier. As Stenerud recalls it now, after badly topping his first attempt, he boomed several some 70 yards. "It's really silly," he says. MSU students arrived at Gatton Field early to watch Stenerud kick on warmups. A daily roundup of all your Kansas City Chiefs news from Arrowhead Pride, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Arrowhead Pride | Kansas City Chiefs Schedule, News, Roster and Stats, The Chiefs have had a long, tortured journey from Nick Lowery to Harrison Butker, The hidden Super Bowl record Patrick Mahomes broke in Arizona. The underdog Chiefs won 237, and Stenerud kicked three field goals, scoring the first nine points of the game. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Odds & lines subject to change. Gambling problem? ", "Phooey," says Stenerud, in Norwegian. Stenerud joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 1967, and in his first three seasons he made 70% of his field-goal tries, while the other kickers in the NFL and AFL combined for 53%. I dont know anything about this new kicker, said Arrowhead Prides Joel Thorman when the move was announced, but presumably special teams coach Dave Toub signed off on it. Thank you very much. Up went the ball, up and away, through the two skinny poles called goalposts, out of sight. Not only did Butker make two more field goals in that game including the game-winning 43-yard attempt with eight seconds left he also didnt miss either a PAT or a field goal for the next two months. win and I believe a home title tilt (certainly with the next day's "Balti" win at Cleveland, it would have manifested), it was certainly very possible, a . I did. "That was pretty darn good," Stenerud said. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, Young man, what are you doing tomorrow?. Because of his strong leg and long kicks, he reduced the size of the playing field. [3][4], Following the ski season, Stenerud joined the football team for spring drills in 1965 and as a junior that fall he kicked a 59-yard field goal, then a college football record, in a 247 home win over rival Montana. Im so used to seeing Carolina blue and Panthers stuff having been in Charlotte and now its red, which is weird, having gone to Georgia Tech.. Since, Stenerud has kicked four against New York, two against Denver, two against Miami, four against Buffalo, two against Cincinnati, one against Oakland and two against San Diego. Kicker: 1980-83. I wasn't really familiar with the game, but I guess I did OKbecause Coach Sweeney tried to convince me to go out for spring football the next year, which I did. ", Coach Stram wouldn't want Stenerud to drop a single silly superstition. Maybe, maybe not, but thats not really the point. Back then, a field goal that fell short was merely considered a live ball. He is best known for being a Football Player. "He brought me in a month early before my first season. Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. Kansas Citys star quarterback shattered a record no one thought could be broken. To keep in shape for the ski season, I would always run the stadium steps at Montana State to get ready for the long, hard ski season, and the football team was always practicing. Heard you can kick!. They snagged a drafted rookie without expending any draft capital, and will end up having him on a minimum-cost contract for almost four full seasons a point former sports agent Joel Corry noted last January. Thirty years later, Jan Stenerud still isn't over The Christmas Day Game. In training camp, Butker had a tough battle against veteran kicker Graham Gano and ultimately the Panthers couldnt decide. As of 2017, only four kickers have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: George Blanda, Lou Groza, Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen, and among them, Stenerud and Andersen are the only ones who did not also play another position. After awhile they asked me to try. This page is updated often with new details about Jan Stenerud. Jan Stenerud is part of the Silent Generation, which followed after the G.I. Last year I made a point of touching the cleats of my kicking shoe a certain number of times before a kick. When the Chiefs were playing the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 1966 season, they invited Stenerud to Miami for a tryout. If the opportunity knocks, who knows what could happen?. Needless to say, he made a dramatic impact. Jan Stenerud on the Kansas City bench on Jan. 1, 1976. His career totals for field goals and points scored still rank in the NFLs Top 20, and he did not miss a game due to injury 263 regular-season contests with the Chiefs, Packers and Vikings from 1967 to 1985. Shortly after receiving a recruitment letter from Montana State Bobcats ski coach Bob Beck, Jan Stenerud set foot on American soil to begin his college athletic career. This one could hurt.. The whole time, Im thinking, Im ready for this. Fifty years ago this month, an exotic curiosity named Jan Stenerud signed a lease at the El Camino Real apartments on The Plaza. It all recalls the nickname Andy Reid gave him after his first game as a Chief. I talked about some of the luck involved. His name was Jim Sweeney. A free education in what his father considered the greatest country on Earth couldnt be passed up. "What do you call that?" The Kansas City Chiefs were so impressed they selected Stenerud in the third round of the AFL's 1966 Future Draft. The Chiefs retired Stenerud's jersey number 3 in his honor. Jan Steneruds age is 80. She's still explaining the game to me.". Please ignore . It is a job with intense pressure. I did. I'm even ashamed to tell my wife about it. KANSAS CITY Mo. Why I could miss that kick, I dont understand it If I can make a goddamn 31-yard field goal, we win the game, he said, So I hold myself completely accountable for that. Following the end of the war, it was the start of the Baby Boomer years and technology advancements such as the jet engine, nuclear fusion, radar, rocket technology and others later became the starting points for Space Exploration and Improved Air Travel. Also, it can get really cold out there. The strengths of this sign are being generous, idealistic, sense of humor, while weaknesses can be to promise more than can deliver, impatient and say anything no matter how undiplomatic. We will continue to update information on Jan Steneruds parents. "The track surrounds the football practice field," said Stenerud. In the season opener, Medlock missed a 30-yard field goal in the first drive. And Bart, I assume you are listening somewhere,I appreciate that very much. It is unbelievable. Now he hustled up to Stram. "Jan adds an exciting new dimension to our offense," says Stram. Mark Moseley, who kicked four field goals, had a chance to . With 21 field goals he is only seven shy of both the AFL and NFL records, with six games yet to play. Does all that add up to a player worth swapping for Mason Crosby? The other 42 field goals21 as a rookie last seasonhave been for the Chiefs, who surprised their rivals by drafting Stenerud as a future early in 1966. Passing, Rushing, & Receiving. We liked him coming out. He could have been on the Olympic ski team he had not pursued football. Over the years, Stram and Dawson (the holder) and Bobby Bell (the snapper) have told a handful of interviewers about the miscommunication: Stenerud was so intent on selling the fake that Bell worried he didnt know it was on. Players for the Eagles, Broncos, Rams, and Steelers were all known to kick off their shoes before kicking off the game (except for the Rams their kicker always wore shoes on kickoffs). But I got rid of that one this year. [Football] is so important to the people of the community and the people of the state. Odds & lines subject to change. She is not dating anyone. Jan Stenerud's 20-yard field goal with 50 seconds left lifted Green Bay over Washington in the highest-scoring Monday Night game ever. He is best known for being a Football Player. The Chiefs have had decades of missteps after decades of excellence. He was one of the winningest coaches in all of college football. . Height: 6-2; Weight: 187. Jan Stenerud was 6 ft 2 inches, 187 lb (1.88 m, 84 kg). The first Norwegian to play in the NFL, Stenerud pioneered the soccer-style kicking that is used by all modern placekickers and was the first pure kicker to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall . Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Then, alas, theres the 32-yarder he missed with 35 seconds left. Thinking back to his time on the Panthers practice squad, Butker said he always had confidence he could succeed in the NFL. When I grew up in Norway, my dream was to become an outstanding ski jumper. Jan Stenerud Net Worth To this day, Stenerud rather nobly declines to comment on that play. He was hooked. When no deal could be made, the Panthers cut Butker, held their breath and placed him on their practice squad after he cleared waivers. Once more details are available on who he is dating, we will update this section. And it. Whos the richest Football Player in the world. But I did get the ball out to mid-field. The reasons some kickers preferred a barefoot kick were twofold: kickers believed they could control their kicks better with their feet than they could wearing kicking cleats of the time period. The 80-year-old Norwegian football player has done well thus far. Is Butker finally the right man for the job? After asking if he could try it. The greatest overall compatibility with Sagittarius is Gemini and Aries. He retired after the 1985 season. And in the meantime, some of my teammates at Montana State had informed me that they see a guy on television from the Buffalo Bills, Pete Gogolak, who had been kicking in the same style that I had displayed, and they also had convinced me to go out for the team. He began to laugh. Jan Steneruds birth sign is Sagittarius and he has a ruling planet of Jupiter. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Jan Stenerud kicks a field goal in the second quarter of Super Bowl IV against the Vikings in 1970. . A lot of things happened to me that I had no control over. On our way there he had us stop off at Indiana State University. Stenerud had attended Montana State on a skiing scholarship and joined the football team as a senior after getting recognized on campus for his kicking ability. Whos the richest Football Player in the world? Why barefoot kicking went away is because the rise of the NFL as a big money sport finally created a market for shoe companies to create an athletic shoe designed for kickers. The basketball coach, of all people, walked across the field and he ran over to the football coach, Jim Sweeney, and informed him that a ski jumper was kicking the hell out of the ball out there. Hes kicking distances I havent seen before, Jan recalled in an interview. I felt ridiculous.". If you think he needed help, let me show you some charts. There were many factors in the 27-24 defeat in the last game at Municipal Stadium: The Chiefs committed four turnovers to the Dolphins two, and the defense couldnt keep Miami out of the end zone in the final minutes after taking a 24-17 lead. The reason most kickers don't kick barefoot is that you will not make perfect contact with the football every time. A Norweigan immigrant, Stenerud came to the United States on a ski jumping scholarship to Montana State. "Do you want to loosen your leg?" ", Stram dug around inside the two huge files in his office, grumbled for a moment when the charts eluded his search, finally came up with the prize. Website design & development by americaneagle.com copyright 2021 Pro Football hall of fame all rights reserved, Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. How much help can you give a guy like that? He quickly noticed that he booted it farther than the team's kicker. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Colonel Paris Davis received the Medal of Honor nearly 60 years after he earned it in Vietnam, Partially paralyzed sailor finds release in adaptive sports, The top 10 most patriotic moments in sports history, Ray Didinger On Tony Franklin, The Barefoot Cannon, For Former Kicker, the Price of Fearlessness - The New York Times, The Era of the Barefoot Kicker | NFL Films Presents - YouTube. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Majority of Jans money comes from being a football player.