Tom Dempsey
Tom Dempsey at NFL.com Thomas John Dempsey (born January 12, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints (1969–1970), Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1974), Los Angeles Rams (1975–1976), Houston Oilers (1977) and Buffalo Bills (1978–1979). He attended high school at San Dieguito High School and he played college football at Palomar College.
He is most widely known for his NFL record 63-yard field goal, kicked in the final two seconds to give the New Orleans Saints a 19–17 win over the Detroit Lions on November 8, 1970[1]. This record still stands as of the end of the 2008 regular season. (In a 2002 pre-season game, Ola Kimrin kicked a 65 yard field goal; as a pre-season game, it is ineligible for the record.) The record has also been officially equaled once, by Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos on October 25, 1998 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Elam kicked his field goal in the thin air of Denver's high altitude Mile High Stadium. Dempsey kicked his at New Orleans' Tulane Stadium which was actually situated below sea level, which implies that the ball was slightly heavier and had heavier air resistance to overcome. He also used a modified shoe which significantly benefited his performance. Because of this there is no evidence that Dempsey's kick was a greater feat of athleticism. If anything Elam is the best. He used a straight approach to kick the ball as opposed to the "soccer style" used by nearly all place kickers today.
Prior to 1974 in the NFL, the goal posts were on the goal lines instead of the end lines. With time running out in the game, the Saints attempted a place kick with holder Joe Scarpati spotting at the Saints' own 37 yard line. The snap from Jackie Burkett was good, and Dempsey nailed the field goal with a couple of feet to spare. The win was one of only two for the Saints in that otherwise-forgettable season. Dempsey's kick shattered the seventeen-year old mark of 56 yards set by Colts' kicker Bert Rechichar.[1]
The hurricane flooded me out of a lot of memorabilia, but it can't flood out the memories
— Dempsey on the effects of Hurricane Katrina
Dempsey was born without toes on his right foot. He wore a modified shoe with a flattened and enlarged toe surface. This generated controversy about whether such a shoe gave a player an unfair advantage.[2] In 1977, the NFL added a rule, informally known as the "Tom Dempsey Rule," that "any shoe that is worn by a player with an artificial limb on his kicking leg must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe."[3][4]
Dempsey has since retired from football and currently resides with his wife Carlene, who teaches history at Kehoe France. His house was flooded by Hurricane Katrina during 2005.[citation needed]
References
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1984). In Search of Trivia (1 ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Group. p. 408. ISBN 0451162501.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ ""The Kick Is Up and It's...A Career-Killer""., New York Times, October 28, 2007
- ^ ""Rules of the Name, or How the Emmitt Rule Became the Emmitt Rule,"". Professional Football Researchers Association
- ^ "Official NFL Rulebook 2006" (PDF). See Rule 5, Section 3, Article 3 Paragraph (g)