In 1969 he made 27. newsletter, before giving way to 18-year veteran John Carney, learned most of what he knew about American football by playing, overtime kick against the Broncos in Denver, placed Santos on injured reserve and plucked Harrison Butker off the practice squad, more accurate at long distances than medium distances, Toub told the media after Butkers first game, scored a four-year, $17 million deal with the Panthers last spring, Butker and his wife Isabelle informed the world. General 73 SPD 77 ACC 64 AGI Kicking 99 KPW 93 KAC Fake 37 SAC 33 MAC 38 THP 23 RUN She is not dating anyone. [Football] is so important to the people of the community and the people of the state. Though it wasnt his best in terms of accuracy, Steneruds 1983 season might have been his finest in Green Bay. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. In a game better known for Stram being miked and 65 Toss Power Trap and Len Dawson being chosen MVP and dominant defense, Eller would later say Stenerud psyched us out. Jan Stenerud was 6 ft 2 inches, 187 lb (1.88 m, 84 kg). And while that may be true, Steneruds story might be worth bringing him through our hypothetical time portal. He's already made two from 52 yards this season. I'm sure someday he'll make one from 60 yardsheck65 yards away. 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. The ball curved upward at about 90 m.p.h. said Hank Stram, the Chiefs' burly little coach. He wasn't only one of the greatest quarterbacks of all times, he was my holder, of course, my first 19 years in the NFL, and he was very instrumental in my success. But I did get the ball out to mid-field. I always felt that we would win or lose about four to six games a year with the kicking game. I'm sure no one in the stands actually thought I'd make it. My dad, who passed away two years ago, always had ambitious dreams and goals, while my mother had always been a realist. Jan Stenerud, a native of Fetsund, Norway, took a crooked path to football immortality. He doesn't jump off 90-meter hills, either. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 as the first exclusive placekicker to receive the honor. From 1994 until Ryan Succop joined the team in 2009, only one kicker had stayed with the team longer than three seasons: longtime Miami Dolphins placekicker Pete Stoyanovich handled placekicking from 1996 into the 2000 season. There was no question that he would help us win, and help us win he did. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. "Whenever the team got to the 50-yard line (the student section) would start yelling, 'Send in Jan!'" Stenerud said with a laugh. Every day he had me out there kicking 50 ballsand he was doing all the holding. Jan Stenerud on the Kansas City bench on Jan. 1, 1976. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). How much help can you give a guy like that? When I mentioned my teammates earlier I didn't say much about Lenny Dawson, a great guy from Alliance, Ohio, which you all know. Sign up for the He was a great competitor, and no one was better than Jan when the game was on the line. One of the field goals was blocked, for instance. At Montana State I had a coach, I mentioned him earlier, but I need to recognize him more. There also are a couple of other people I would like to acknowledge that were teammates at Montana State. 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 of Fame. 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. Stenerud was one of the first professional football players to be used as a dedicated kicker, because of his excellent "sharpshooting" ball-kicking performance. Jan Stenerud (/stnrud/, Norwegian:[stnrd] (listen); born November 26, 1942) is a Norwegian-American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with Kansas City Chiefs. After asking if he could try it. Dustin is like a kicker whisperer, Toub told the media after Butkers first game. Odds & lines subject to change. Jan holds the record for career field goals, 373. But after Lowery left the team, the word consistency hasnt generally been associated with Chiefs placekickers. Stenerud, the Kansas City . Hes a good kicker. Hall of Fame kicker Jan Stenerud was reliable and productive in Green Bay, Friday NFL Scouting Combine Review: WR/TE interviews, DB workouts, 4 receivers to look out for in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Dynamic slot receivers will be available in the middle of the first round, he said in an interview with Monday Night Football in 2000, Packers WR Randall Cobb has ankle surgery ahead of free agency, Thursday NFL Scouting Combine Review: DB interviews, DL/LB workouts, Panthers have called Packers about possible Aaron Rodgers trade, per report, 3 top defensive back prospects have formal meetings with Packers at NFL Combine. Jan Stenerud has had two reoccurring dreams during his 70 years. We are all very, very proud of you, Jan. Good luck and God bless. He always handled himself with class and style, graceand dignity. On top of the list we put together, our readers suggested a few great names in the comments. Website design & development by americaneagle.com copyright 2021 Pro Football hall of fame all rights reserved, Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. When I came to Kansas City in 1967, he went out on the practice field several weeks before training camp started. Hes kicking distances I havent seen before, Jan recalled in an interview. That day, he was cooling down from a workout by kicking a football with injured halfback Dale Jackson. A junior ski jump champion in his native Norway, Jan was recruited to Bozeman and already had earned all-conference and All-American honors as a member of the universitys ski team. Stenerud is the first pure placekicker to enter the Hall. Stenerud is still the only pure kicker elected to the Hall of Fame, but this was to be the worst day of his 19-year NFL career. Robert Holmes 3 yard rush (Jan Stenerud kick) 3: 7: 2: Chiefs: Jan Stenerud 52 yard field goal : 3: 10: Chiefs: Jan Stenerud 8 yard field goal : 3: 13: 3: Bills: Bruce Alford 34 yard field goal : 6: 13: . The first time I saw Jan, he was kicking 40-yard field goals like they were extra points in the preseason, pre-warm up game against Tulsa and Montana State in Tulsa, Okla., in 1966. Fred Arbanas, the Kansas City tight end, had been watching. You dont see barefoot kickers in the National Football League anymore but there was a time when kicking with their shoes off was so common, it was cause for zero notice. Today with these memories and this honor, I got the same feeling, the feeling that my feet are now touching the ground. That's why I got out there every day; I was the guy doing the learning. ", Former ski jumper Jan Stenerud of the Kansas City Chiefs has become the best field-goal kicker in a sport he hardly understands, 2023 ABG-SI LLC. He was one of the first placekickers to use the "soccer style", a technique the Hungarian-born Pete Gogolak had recently introduced in the AFL. He is the first pure placekicker to be. He won Super Bowl IV under Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. While we don't know Jan Stenerud birth time, but we do know his mother gave birth to his on a Thursday. It is a job with intense pressure. You play to win, not merely prevail. Like Succop in 2009, Butker had been picked by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft. [fetch instagram= display=posts show=2 ]. He was elected in his first year of eligibility after a pro career in which he converted 373 out of 558 field goals (67%) and 580 out of 601 extra points (97%) for a total of 1,699 points scored. Jan Stenerud's 20-yard field goal with 50 seconds left lifted Green Bay over Washington in the highest-scoring Monday Night game ever. The greatest overall compatibility with Sagittarius is Gemini and Aries. If you see something that doesnt look right, contact us. Member since Aug 2006. ", "Sure it helped," said Stram, grinning. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. I am just thrilled to death that I got that opportunity.. Height: 6-2; Weight: 187. It was supposed to be a fake, with the ball snapped directly to Stenerud. "But really," says Stenerud, "I had my mind made up five minutes after I talked to Stram. "Anytime we get to midfield we're a threat to score three points. Jan Steneruds age is 80. And painfulhe was wearing tennis shoes. Most positions require skill, strength, speed, intelligence and mental toughness. Eighteen of them were for Montana State, the most spectacular of which was a 59-yarder, an NCAA small college record later broken by Bill Shear of Cortland State. Passing, Rushing, & Receiving. well your foot will feel like you nailed a cinder block. ", "How's that?" The coach thought I'd do better with my style of kicking. Super Bowl IV and some of the great coaching with Hank Stram, of course, who won the Coach of the Year title four times. What college did Jan Stenerud attend? But from virtually the time he made his first attempt with the Chiefs (from 54 yards away) to stints with the Packers and Vikings before the end of his career in 1985, Stenerud was the best kicker in the game. Forty yards and bull's-eye. The 1980s were a crazy time for America and its institutions. He is best known for being a Football Player. He was respected, admired and loved by his teammates and coaches. Stenerud kicked 18 of 33 field goals in two years at MSU. . Its not an exaggeration to say he was one of the leagues most accurate kickers during that time period. As a halfback at Purdue, Stram kicked a 22-yard field goal to beat Pitt 10-7 in 1946. He was very demanding of himself and had a super attitude. Because of his strong leg and long kicks, he reduced the size of the playing field. The Chiefs had 79-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud out at practice on Thursday. I mentioned Hank earlier, and you know his coaching record, but one thing you don't know about Hank that made the biggest impact on me. Is that dumb talk when youre 74 or 75?. The street where he grew up, in the municipality Fetsund, was renamed in his honor. But the most glaring and, thus, lingering elements were three field goals that Stenerud didnt make, something that over the years he has alternately attempted to joke about, expressed incredible pain over or declined comment on. "Well I'll be a" said Craft, who had been watching from the bleachers. To make the sea change clear, compare those figures to the career numbers of Jan Stenerud, who remains the only player enshrined in the Hall of Fame solely for his placekicking abilities.. He did just that with three field goals in the first half of Super Bowl IV that in themselves would have been enough to beat the Vikings. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. People born under this sign are seen as warm-hearted and easygoing. [8] The Dolphins won 2724 in double overtime on a 37-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. Jan recalls what went through his mind when Sweeney invited him to join the 1964 team on the Montana State sidelines: This is America. After living in Colorado working in business development for HNTB Architecture, he and his wife, Patty, returned a few years ago, and its been a remarkable life even if he dwells more than anyone ought to on one dark moment. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. hurtful thing." (When The New York Times called to ask Stenerud about the kick a year . I'm even ashamed to tell my wife about it. In 1967, Norwegian kicker Jan Stenerud was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs and began a journey that earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No one has more respect for the people seated behind me that are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He isKansas City's record-holder in career points. Stenerud promptly picked up where he had left off in his native Norway. As a 24-year-old, I would love to line up against anybody in the league (now) and kick the football, Stenerud said, smiling as he recovers from a broken kneecap from a recent fall. Stenerud retired after the 1985 season, his 19th (3 AFL, 16 NFL). See our ethics statement. He had been listed as a senior the year before, but purposely fell seven credits short of graduation in order to take another crack at this crazy game called football. In 1981, when he was with the Green Bay Packers, he made 22 of 24 field goals, a league record of 91% -- 91.7 -- and he had an impact also on the Hall of Fame because he was the very first specialist to enter Pro Football's Hall of Fame. 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. Generation. People born on a Thursday are naturally well-meaning and open. In the Chiefs' upset victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV, Stenerud's three field goals, including a then-Super Bowl record 48-yarder, accounted for the first nine points. He quickly noticed that he booted it farther than the team's kicker. Whos the richest Football Player in the world? That year he made 21 of 26 field goal attempts and knocked through all 52 of his extra point attempts as Lynn Dickey, James Lofton, and the rest of the Packers offense rolled up touchdown after touchdown. Gambling problem? But that was about to change profoundly because of Stenerud, who revolutionized a major part of the game. He got me started in this great American game, and Coach, without your enthusiasm, your intensity and desire to win, obviously I wouldn't be here today. He won Super Bowl IV under Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. Let me close by going back to where it started: ski jumping. An example - Stram played percentages having Stenerud try a FG near end of regulation, 1971 playoff game vs MIA (Jan made Pro Bowl over Yepremian that year but the Dolphin actually had the better season.) Soon, Stenerud was running steps during a football practice when he heard Sweeneys gruff voice: Skier, get your butt down here. And nowadays teams have so much invested in their players, kickers and punters included, that kicking a ball barefoot poses an undue risk for a potentially season-ending toe injury, to say nothing of the idea that the opposing team always seems to fight their way to the kicker these days. Considering he still blames himself, he cant blame you if you think of him for that missed kick. It gives me, of course, a sense of pride and accomplishment, but most of all I feel very, very lucky. I'd be better off to get rid of all those small and foolish things. But I got rid of that one this year. A free education in what his father considered the greatest country on Earth couldnt be passed up. Meet 2 women who tried to catch him, Super Bowl champ Chiefs players arent happy. Luck is on their side. Moreover, the crucial practice repetitions among snapper, holder and kicker were afterthoughts. The 80-year-old Norwegian football player has done well thus far. 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. Thank you, American football, for giving me this truly unbelievable moment. Still Salvy after all these years: Stolen base symbolizes Sal Perezs endless energy, Jackson Mahomes accused of assault by Overland Park restaurant owner and waiter, Is Travis Kelce Chiefs most eligible bachelor? Thank you very much, coach. Down went the ball. The discovery that the star ski jumper (three-time Big Sky champion) was a super football kicker was made, naturally enough, by Montana State's basketball coach, Roger Craft. In the season opener, Medlock missed a 30-yard field goal in the first drive. He was enjoying life in America immensely, fascinated by all things unfamiliar, including a peculiar sport played with an oval ball (as he put it). He never missed a game because of injury or illness. The underdog Chiefs won 237, and Stenerud kicked three field goals, scoring the first nine points of the game. He went on to help us become one of the winningest teams in the National Football League with two divisional championships, three playoffs and a Super Bowl win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. When we got to Houston I got a special pair of shoes. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. He was sincere, had great pride and dedication. He didn't just talk to me about signing, he talked about kicking. The season prior to the AFLNFL merger, he also helped the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl IV. And it came while Stenerud was running on the school track. The Chiefs were the final AFL champions in 1969, and they met the NFL Champion Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV in New Orleans. When I think of Jan, I think of impact, and impact defined is "an instantaneous stroke communicated through a body in motion." Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. He was hooked. My dad, who was never afraid of thinking big, and my mother, who realized that goals could not be reached without an all-out effort. In 2008, free agent Nick Novak didnt last the season, either; he was replaced by Connor Barth after just six weeks. He never changed. Stenerud played parts of four seasons in Green Bay from 1980 to 1983, converting 59 of 73 field goal attempts and 115 of 118 extra. The 6-2, 187-pound Stenerud excelled for 19 seasons and 263 games in pro football.