Tom Dempsey, NFL kicker who set a record for the longest field goal, dies of coronavirus

[Auggie]

(CNN)Tom Dempsey, a journeyman NFL kicker who despite missing the toes on his right foot set a field goal record that stood for more than four decades, has died of coronavirus, according to reports.

SNIP

He was born without toes on his right foot and with no fingers on his right hand. To compensate, he wore a custom, flat-front kicking shoe that ended where his toes were supposed to begin.

On November 8, 1970, Dempsey's basement-dwelling Saints were losing 17-16 to the playoff-bound Detroit Lions at home in Tulane Stadium. With only seconds left, safety Joe Scarpati took the snap and Dempsey booted a 63-yarder, shattering Bert Rechichar's record of 56 yards, which had stood for 17 years.

Some claimed his specially designed $200 shoe gave Dempsey an unfair advantage, but he shrugged off the critics, according to "Game of My Life Detroit Lions: Memorable Stories of Lions Football."

MORE: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/05/us/tom-dempsey-nfl-kicker-dies-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

[oswaldactedalone]

1. The Saints were so poorly run

and coached in their first decade or so that they were often referred to as the ‘aints. Their fans became famous for wearing paper bags over their heads when attending games.

The story behind the 63 yard FG attempt is that following the Detroit kickoff, the Saints had time for 2 pass plays which took the ball to their own 44 yard line. The coach thought that the ball was on the Detroit 44 rather than their own 44. As a result, instead of what he thought would be a 51 yd. FG try instead became a 63 yd. attempt. Keep in mind that in those days the crossbar was above the goal line rather than the endline.

Alex Karras, the Hall of Fame lineman from Detroit, who later became an actor, said that he and his teammates started laughing about a FG try from such a distance and the laughing went on for the first 62 yards of the kick!

[Auggie]

2. Interesting history on the Saints...

First the brainchild of local sports entrepreneur Dave Dixon, who later built the Louisiana Superdome and founded the USFL, the Saints were actually secretly born in a backroom deal brought about by U.S. Congressman Hale Boggs, U.S. Senator Russell Long, and NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle. The NFL needed congressional approval of the proposed AFL–NFL merger.

Dixon and a local civic group had been seeking an NFL franchise for over five years and had hosted record crowds for NFL exhibition games. To seal the merger, Rozelle arrived in New Orleans within a week, and announced on November 1, 1966, that the NFL officially had awarded the city of New Orleans an NFL franchise.

The team was named for the great jazz song most identified with New Orleans – "When the Saints Go Marching In", and it was no coincidence that the franchise's official birth was announced on November 1, which is the Catholic All Saints' Day. When the deal was reached a week earlier, Dixon strongly suggested to Rozelle that the announcement be delayed until then. Dixon told an interviewer that he even cleared the name with New Orleans' Archbishop Philip M. Hannan: "He thought it would be a good idea. He had an idea the team was going to need all the help it could get."

Boggs' Congressional committee in turn quickly approved the NFL merger. John W. Mecom Jr., a young oilman from Houston, became the team's first majority stockholder. The team's colors, black and gold, symbolized both Mecom's and New Orleans' strong ties to the oil industry. Trumpeter Al Hirt was part owner of the team, and his rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" was made the official fight song.

The inaugural game in 1967 on September 17 started with a 94-yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam, but the Saints lost that game 27–13 to the Los Angeles Rams at Tulane Stadium, with over 80,000 in attendance. It was one of the few highlights of a 3–11 season, which set an NFL record for most wins by an expansion team.

For most of their first 20 years, the Saints were the definition of NFL futility. They did not finish as high as second in their division until 1979. The 1979 and 1983 teams were the only ones to even finish at .500 until 1987.

In 1980, the Saints lost their first 14 games, prompting local sportscaster Bernard "Buddy D" Diliberto to advise Saints supporters to wear paper bags over their heads at the team's home games; many bags rendered the club's name as the "'Aints" rather than the "Saints."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Orleans_Saints

Funny story from Karras. Thanks for sharing.

[twogunsid]

3. Mr. Dempsey is why I became a Dolphins fan...

...growing up in the Detroit area and watching the Lions lose to the struggling Saints and in the playoffs to the Cowboys 5-0. A Field Goal and a Safety. Jesus, they were a poorly run team and still are. Thanks, Mr. Dempsey. Phins Up. Phoes down.