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YOUR BALANCE
Do You Remember Tom Dempsey
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Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 12:11 PM

of the New Orleans Saints? On Nov.8, 1970, he broke the NFL field goal distance record by making a 63 yard kick. It was tied in 1998 and then Mutt Prater of the Broncos kicked a 64 yard FG in 2013 to break the record. Dempsey had no toes on his right foot and wore a special shoe with a blunt front. I didn't realize it until I did some checking on Dempsey, but he died of coronavirus in early 2020. He was in a nursing home and had other health issues.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 12:15 PM

I do feel that records are meant to be broken, but removing "man with half of a foot kicks NFL's longest ever field goal" from the record books is a bummer any way you look at it.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 12:15 PM

I saw that kick and never thought that distance record would be broken. But then came soccer style kickers and strength and conditioning changed too.

Go Tigers!!

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 12:37 PM

Also, this was back in the day when the goal posts were placed in the end zone with the uprights and cross bar directly above the goal line. So Dempsey's kick, at 63 yards, actually started from 13 yards BEHIND midfield.

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I think that's right. We have seen and will see kicks longer


Jan 15, 2021, 12:49 PM

than Dempsey's, but we will likely never see one kicked from that spot on the field.

Obviously the posts needed to be moved back for safety. But one of the great aspects of having them on the goal line was the risk/reward of the long field goal. Sure, you can kick one from back there, but if you miss it's basically a turnover giving the other team field position.

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Re: I think that's right. We have seen and will see kicks longer


Jan 15, 2021, 1:13 PM

Tom Dempsey's kick was against the Lions, and Alex Karras could have easily blocked the kick. Nobody blocked him. Karras later said he thought trying a kick from that distance was so funny that he just stood there and watched.

One thing for certain; that was the longest FG ever for a straight on kicker.

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Some people have said Dempsey had an advantage due to


Jan 15, 2021, 1:19 PM

the blunt shoe. Maybe. Cut your toes off, get a blunt shoe and we'll see.

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Re: Some people have said Dempsey had an advantage due to


Jan 15, 2021, 7:02 PM

Actually up to the mid 70s you could buy a square toe kicking shoe and use it in games. I had one, a lefty.Also you could tie up you toe with a shoe string on one of the cleats to pull shoe up to an angle. Old school.

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Re: Some people have said Dempsey had an advantage due to


Jan 24, 2021, 7:54 AM

Remarkably, I too had one of those square-toed kicking shoes, also a lefty, and also did as you said, pulling the toe up with a shoe string. I believe Russell Erxleben, who kicked for Texas in the '70s, popularized that technique, or at least that's where I think I saw it first. He and Mark Mosely were the last two straight-away kickers that I can remember.

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Re: I think that's right. We have seen and will see kicks longer


Jan 15, 2021, 1:25 PM [ in reply to Re: I think that's right. We have seen and will see kicks longer ]

I believe at that time, with a missed field goal, the other team got the ball on their 20 yard line so there was no real downside to trying long field goals.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 1:20 PM

I remember Dempsey and that kick. I was sad to see news of his passing last year.
Old school player, IMO.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 1:22 PM

Wonder if anybody on here was there? Probably wouldn't know because weren't most of the fans wearing paper bags over their heads.

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I sure wouldn't want anyone knowing if I were a Saints fan.***


Jan 15, 2021, 2:06 PM



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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 2:25 PM [ in reply to Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey ]

I was watching on TV at grandparents house. It was mind blowing for this 9 year old at the time. I thought the guy must have strongest leg in the world.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 3:05 PM

Whenever I think about him, I also think about this QB/placekicker;

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


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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 8:12 PM

Was looking through some old stuff today.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 24, 2021, 2:37 PM [ in reply to Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey ]

He’s still playing, right? # 12 for Tampa?

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Seems like that was in a "Strange But True Football Stories"


Jan 15, 2021, 4:37 PM

book I had as a kid.

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Re: Do You Remember Tom Dempsey


Jan 15, 2021, 7:36 PM

Funny you should mention that. We were talking about it at church this week. A grou of about five of us were talking about something totally unrelated. (A pastor in our area whom we all know, has only half of one foot.) Two of us made a reference to Dempsey. The other three were so young they had no idea who he was, much less the condition of his foot.


Interesting side note. The HC said afterwards the only reason he let Dempsey they the kick was because he was confused about the yardline. Goal posts were on the goal line. Late in game. Saints threw a pass that was complete to the 45 yard line. Saints 45 yard line. Coach was told "It's on the 45." He thought it was the other 45 so it would be a 53 yard FG. He said "Field goal."

Here's a clip showing the FG, but not the coach's explanation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjqiq4S9bqA

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