We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The first Norwegian NFL player, he began his career in the AFL after being selected by the Chiefs during the . Your request appears similar to malicious requests sent by robots. Is that dumb talk when youre 74 or 75?. At first blush, it seems a little odd. He won Super Bowl IV under Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. Few did at a time Pete Gogolak and Garo Yepremian were the only so-called sidewinders in the professional game. "One day I was in school on a ski scholarship, the next I was on the football team. A kicker with three NFL teams from 1966-1985, Stenerud was at the head of a group of foreign-born athletes who revolutionized kicking in the 1960s and 1970s. The season prior to the AFLNFL merger, he also helped the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl IV. If the opportunity knocks, who knows what could happen?. said Stram, jabbing a finger at the charts. I remember it so well. And it came while Stenerud was running on the school track. Everyone in the Hall of Fame was a great player, but only a few were the very best ever at their position. Stenerud promptly picked up where he had left off in his native Norway. They went something like this: "4 out of 5, 25-yard line, right hash mark; 5-5, 25, middle; 5-5, 25, left; 4-5, 40, right; 5-5, 40, middle; 5-5, 40, left; 4-5, 50, left; 4-5, 50, middle; 3-5, 50, right. "I was out with some of the other skiers, getting my legs in shape for the season. I just know getting the ball through the uprights is good, but Dustin he knows the finer points [from] doing it so long as a veteran, and [as] one of the best holders in the league. People of this zodiac sign like freedom, travel, philosophy, being outdoors and dislike clingy people, constrained, off-the-wall theories. A group of receivers are set to make some noise this week. Quiz Jan Stenerud was 6 ft 2 inches, 187 lb (1.88 m, 84 kg). The thrill of a "Monday Night Football" game, autumn Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, and, of course, the satisfaction of a job well done. I wasn't really familiar with the game, but I guess I did OKbecause Coach Sweeney tried to convince me to go out for spring football the next year, which I did. He kicked 11 field goals and 49 extra points (in 50 attempts) to set an NCAA record with 82 points. Nearly 30 years ago, I was recruited from Norway to Montana State on a ski scholarship. Stenerud is distinguished as being the first . ", "It was kind of silly, really," remembers Stenerud, now the Kansas City Chiefs' field goal specialist. Your email address will not be published. He was one of the winningest coaches in all of college football. Inducted: 1991. And look at this: 136 out of 153. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. I'm sure no one in the stands actually thought I'd make it. MSU students arrived at Gatton Field early to watch Stenerud kick on warmups. Sports Illustrated 366K subscribers Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame Kicker Jan Stenerud teaches SI Now host Maggie Gray the proper technique for kicking a field goal. Most coaches don't, or at least I don't think they do. He is best known for being a Football Player. The Kansas City Chiefs were so impressed they selected Stenerud in the third round of the AFL's 1966 Future Draft. A reader suggestion gives us a great opportunity to reflect on Jan Steneruds brief but excellent run in Green Bay. [9][10] Through 2017, the game remains the longest in NFL history at 82 minutes, 40 seconds of playing time, and was also the final football game in Municipal Stadium. Fred Arbanas, the Kansas City tight end, had been watching. Jan is a total Hall of Fame package:productive, consistent and enduring. Stenerud, the middle of Johan and Klara Steneruds three children, was skiing since before he can remember: from the jumps his father built outside their house in Fetsund (population approximately 7,000) to the improvised ones hed contrive like other local kids or at any of a half-dozen venues that lit the town at night. Like many famous people and celebrities, Jan Stenerud keeps his personal life private. He was sincere, had great pride and dedication. On our way there he had us stop off at Indiana State University. Dating & Relationship status She is currently single. I'm even ashamed to tell my wife about it. In his first four seasons with Kansas City, he made 72%of his field goals when the league average was 50%. KANSAS CITY Mo. It was supposed to be a fake, with the ball snapped directly to Stenerud. "The things I do. He always handled himself with class and style, graceand dignity. I wasn't really sure if I had done OKor not. If you think he needed help, let me show you some charts. He made his very first field goal inhis first attempt, a 54-yarder against Houston in 1967. I kicked off five times and two of them went through the goal post and that was from the 40-yard line in those days -- 70 yards to the goal post. We are all very, very proud of you, Jan. Good luck and God bless. And all of a sudden, I realized if I approach this ball at an angle and hit it with the side of my foot, it was more comfortable for me. Forty yards and bull's-eye. George and Lou, your talents were remarkable. 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. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. But I got rid of that one this year. NFL placekicker who became the first pure placekicker to earn an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Late in his sophomore year, Stenerud was spotted kicking a football by the college's basketball coach, who relayed the news of the Norwegian's abilities to the football coach. And I didn't know anything about football. If your browser is out of date, try updating it. ", Stram dug around inside the two huge files in his office, grumbled for a moment when the charts eluded his search, finally came up with the prize. Stenerud had played soccer as a youth in Norway, and his right leg's prowess was observed by basketball head coach Roger Craft, while he walked to the nearby Fieldhouse. Stenerud shrugged, boomed two through from the 40-yard line. He was a consensus All-America selection. Stenerud was one of the first professional football players to be used as a dedicated kicker, because of his excellent "sharpshooting" ball-kicking performance. "When . The Chiefs retired Stenerud's jersey number 3 in his honor. We have Bobby Bell, a great linebacker, Len Dawson, Buck Buchanan, Willie Lanier and, of course, our owner Lamar Hunt, who is also in the Hall of Fame. Few games were played in domes, and there was scant specialized coaching or equipment taken for granted today. But he missed a potential go-ahead field goal with 35 seconds remaining. Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. The diminutive Brazilian who barely spoke English, and learned most of what he knew about American football by playing Madden won the job. Whos the richest Football Player in the world. You made a real impact on me. Up went the ball, up and away, through the two skinny poles called goalposts, out of sight. "You can forget that," says Stram. 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. See our ethics statement. ProFootballHistory.com. At the time this story was made Jan Stenerud was still kicking for the team most people still associate him with: The Kansas City Chiefs. Kemp will join new Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in the nations capital. Jan holds the record for career field goals, 373. In 1969 he made 27. In his first collegiate season, Jan connected on seven field goals more than the Bobcats had converted in the previous three seasons combined. 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. But here he was, kicking with Jackson more and more, when one day basketball coach Roger Craft saw how far the ball was going and alerted football coach Jim Sweeney. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. There was no question that he would help us win, and help us win he did. Those are very kinds words, and I appreciate them very much. So on a blustery day with the punter struggling, Sweeney sent out the field goal unit to get the ball downfield from out of its own end zone. Its a special experience. You were exceptional, and I salute you. Jokingly, he tried anothersoccer-styleoff his instep. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. He was released immediately. 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. He was a total team player. In recent years, Stenerud has been involved in a Kansas City firm involved in designing stadiums and sports arenas. So in 2009, the Chiefs took Ryan Succop with the last pick of the draft. When was Jan Stenerud inducted to the Hall of Fame? The Chiefs had 79-year-old Pro Football Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud out at practice on Thursday. Jan is alive and kicking and is currently 80 years old. In October he kicked a 59-yard field goal against Montana, the longest kick in football history to that point. He had me work from there, and now it's just like kicking from the middle or the left. As I became more and more familiar for this great game, I learned to appreciate the skills necessary to play the various positions. Like just before our first game against Houston this year. 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. I went to the coach and he explained it to me.". 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. Well, why not? Gano was great in 2017 but the Panthers could have had a kicker at $1.935M for the next 3 seasons (2018-2020) if Harrison Butker had been kept instead. It is a job with intense pressure. But that was about to change profoundly because of Stenerud, who revolutionized a major part of the game. Ski jumping requires concentration and, of course, kicking field goals requires concentration as well. Then, alas, theres the 32-yarder he missed with 35 seconds left. This planet represents abundance, prosperity and the principle of expansion. On one of the other days Jan was running steps, a kicker on the football team practicing on his own encouraged Jan to join him. I love you and I appreciate that for the rest of my life. 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. By 2014, Succop had been solid if not great for the Chiefs over five seasons. I dont know anything about this new kicker, said Arrowhead Prides Joel Thorman when the move was announced, but presumably special teams coach Dave Toub signed off on it. The Kansas City Chiefs have just concluded their 59th season as a professional football franchise. Jan Stenerud was born in 1940s. 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. Now, he hates to admit it, but he is a 3-handicapgolfer. Member since Aug 2006. The 80-year-old Norwegian football player has done well thus far. Late in his sophomore year, Stenerud was spotted kicking a football by the college's basketball coach, who relayed the news of the Norwegian's abilities to the football coach. Website design & development by americaneagle.com copyright 2021 Pro Football hall of fame all rights reserved, Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. 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). I'm sure someday he'll make one from 60 yardsheck65 yards away. I can do this, he told the Journal-Constitution. With 21 field goals he is only seven shy of both the AFL and NFL records, with six games yet to play. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. "It's really silly," he says. Chinese Zodiac: Jan Stenerud was born in the Year of the Rabbit. 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. There were many factors in the 27-24 defeat in the last game at Municipal Stadium: The Chiefs committed four turnovers to the Dolphins two, and the defense couldnt keep Miami out of the end zone in the final minutes after taking a 24-17 lead. He won Super Bowl IV under Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. There are two people here today that are great kickers as well as outstanding football players: George Blanda and Lou Graza. Jan Stenerud (born November 26, 1942) is a former professional football player for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs (1967-1969), and the NFL's Chiefs (1970-1979), Green Bay Packers (1980-1983), and Minnesota Vikings (1984-1985). Jan Stenerud has had two reoccurring dreams during his 70 years. With the Chiefs trailing 10-7 at the end of the first half, Butker just like Medlock in 2007 missed his first field-goal; the 46-yard attempt was wide left. I was drafted by Kansas City at the right time. Best-selling Jan Stenerud products on sale for a lim. Meanwhile, even his troubles that day are routinely oversimplified in the shorthand of scapegoating. As Stenerud lined up, he remembered actually eyeing up the goal posts at the other end of the field before asking himself what the hell am I doing? and driving the ball to around the opposing 30.