Tom Dempsey: Difference between revisions

Tom Dempsey
No. 19
	Dempsey's special kicking shoe.
Date of birth	January 12, 1947 (age 77)
Place of birth	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Career information
Position(s)	Kicker
US college	Palomar College
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowls	1 (1969)
Career stats
	Playing stats at NFL.com; Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com;

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Revision as of 04:32, 13 September 2011

Thomas Dempsey (born January 12, 1947) 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 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 2010 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 twice, by Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos on October 25, 1998, against the Jacksonville Jaguars as well as Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders on September 12, 2011 against the Denver Broncos. Dempsey used a straight approach to kick the ball as opposed to the "soccer style" used by nearly all place kickers today. Unlike Janikowski, Dempsey was never found in possession of GHB.

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 and no fingers on his right arm. 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. When reporters would ask him if he thought it was unfair, he said "Unfair eh? How 'bout you try kickin' a 63 yard field goal to win it with 2 seconds left an' yer wearin' a square shoe, oh, yeah and no toes either".^[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]

Tom Dempsey was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983

Dempsey has since retired from football and currently resides with his wife Carlene, who teaches history at Kehoe-France, a private school in Metairie, Louisiana. His house was flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.^[5]

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)
^ Lewis, Michael (October 28, 2007). "The Kick Is Up and It's...A Career-Killer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010., 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)
^ Crouse, Karen. "A Favorite Saint," The New York Times, Saturday, January 30, 2010.

External links

Template:Persondata

[1] 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)

[2] Lewis, Michael (October 28, 2007). "The Kick Is Up and It's...A Career-Killer". The New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2010., New York Times, October 28, 2007

[3] "Rules of the Name, or How the Emmitt Rule Became the Emmitt Rule,". Professional Football Researchers Association

[4] "Official NFL Rulebook 2006" (PDF). See Rule 5, Section 3, Article 3 Paragraph (g)

[5] Crouse, Karen. "A Favorite Saint," The New York Times, Saturday, January 30, 2010.

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 '''Thomas Dempsey''' (born January 12, 1947) is a former [[American football]] [[placekicker]] in the [[National Football League]] for the [[New Orleans Saints]] (1969–1970), [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (1971–1974), [[St. Louis Rams|Los Angeles Rams]] (1975–1976), [[Tennessee Titans|Houston Oilers]] (1977) and [[Buffalo Bills]] (1978–1979). He attended high school at [[San Dieguito High School]] and played [[college football]] at [[Palomar College]].
-He is most widely known for his NFL record 63-yard [[Field goal (football)|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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovin|first=Jeff|title=In Search of Trivia|publisher=Penguin Group|location=New York, New York|year=1984|edition=1|pages=408|isbn=0451162501|accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref> This record still stands as of the end of the 2010 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 twice, by [[Jason Elam]] of the [[Denver Broncos]] on October 25, 1998, against the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] as well as [[Sebastian Janikowski]] of the [[Oakland Raiders]] on September 12, 2011 against the [[Denver Broncos]].  Dempsey used a straight approach to kick the ball as opposed to the "[[Football (soccer)|soccer style]]" used by nearly all place kickers today.
+He is most widely known for his NFL record 63-yard [[Field goal (football)|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.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovin|first=Jeff|title=In Search of Trivia|publisher=Penguin Group|location=New York, New York|year=1984|edition=1|pages=408|isbn=0451162501|accessdate=2009-03-23}}</ref> This record still stands as of the end of the 2010 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 twice, by [[Jason Elam]] of the [[Denver Broncos]] on October 25, 1998, against the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] as well as [[Sebastian Janikowski]] of the [[Oakland Raiders]] on September 12, 2011 against the [[Denver Broncos]].  Dempsey used a straight approach to kick the ball as opposed to the "[[Football (soccer)|soccer style]]" used by nearly all place kickers today.  Unlike Janikowski, Dempsey was never found in possession of GHB.
 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]].[http://www.profootballhof.com/hall/release.jsp?release_id=1859]