When no deal could be made, the Panthers cut Butker, held their breath and placed him on their practice squad after he cleared waivers. Is Butker finally the right man for the job? "But really," says Stenerud, "I had my mind made up five minutes after I talked to Stram. Jan Stenerud on the Kansas City bench on Jan. 1, 1976. Meanwhile, back in Kansas City, the Chiefs had drafted Justin Medlock in the fifth round. Stenerud is the first pure placekicker to enter the Hall. The NFL Hall of Famer and Montana State legend's story of growing up a prodigious skier in Norway before transforming into the only kicker in Canton makes it seem like Stenerud has been living a dream all his life. He won Super Bowl IV under Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. Lowery simply represented excellence. Stenerud, who made field goals of 50 yards or more in the pros, normally studied the goal posts before stepping into the ball - saying they looked "narrower" the farther you stood from them. 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. Vahe Gregorian: 816-234-4868, @vgregorian. All Rights Reserved. He told Sweeney, Youve got to take a look at this Norwegian skier out there. Packers Jan Stenerud | Green Bay Packers - packers.com Jan Stenerud's 20-yard field goal with 50 seconds left lifted Green Bay over Washington in the highest-scoring Monday Night game ever. Stenerud kicked away the doubts until the age of 42, when a bad back forced him to retire after booting a league record 373 field goals. If your browser is out of date, try updating it. Kansas Citys star quarterback shattered a record no one thought could be broken. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Now Coach Sweeney did not want to listen to, in Jim's own words, a goofy basketball coach, and a couple of weeks later, however, I was out there again and he summoned me down from the stands and he asked if I could kick off and showed me how to put the ball on the tee. By David Eulitt Fifty years ago this. 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. $169.22. . [8] The Dolphins won 2724 in double overtime on a 37-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). The result was that Stenerud became a football player. His three field goals of 48, 32 and25 yards against the Vikings gave us a 9-0 lead, and his 48-yard kick had a stunning effect on Minnesota. In the season opener, Medlock missed a 30-yard field goal in the first drive. "But it was me it helped, not Jan. He is best known for being a Football Player. After awhile they asked me to try. Stenerud couldn't participate that fall, 1964, because of eligibility rules. The other 42 field goals21 as a rookie last seasonhave been for the Chiefs, who surprised their rivals by drafting Stenerud as a future early in 1966. It was supposed to be a fake, with the ball snapped directly to Stenerud. Now how in the hell was I going to help him if he ever got in a slump if I didn't know what he was doing? Baw Bakery. 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. Thats what you do when The ButtKicker finally finds his way to your team. [3][4], Following the ski season, Stenerud joined the football team for spring drills in 1965 and as a junior that fall he kicked a 59-yard field goal, then a college football record, in a 247 home win over rival Montana. When I grew up in Norway, my dream was to become an outstanding ski jumper. NOW: So I'm talkin' to Jan Stenerud, the Hall of Fame kicker, . Tommy O'Boyle, our Director of Player Personnel, and I went to the game and watched him kick the opening kickoff through the uprights and eight rows into the bleachers. Jan also made a great impact on the American Football Leagueand National Football League,as he helped usher in the age of soccer-style kickers. I also want to tell the football fans and the football organization with the three teams that I played, Kansas City, Green Bay and Minnesota, a heartfelt thank you for your loyalty and support. 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. After the 23-7 victory, Minnesota defensive end Carl Eller pronounced Stenerud the true most valuable player of the game. I didn't even know what a field goal was. Last year I made a point of touching the cleats of my kicking shoe a certain number of times before a kick. pic.twitter.com/3N9Zv2HICJ. Jan Stenerud's extraordinary story should eclipse one bad day | The 11834 posts. Im ready to be a starting kicker in the NFL. Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs - December 7th, 1969 They have AstroTurf there and we worked out on it. After regularly making field goals of 60 yards in practice, Stenerud became a sensation on campus. Now, he hates to admit it, but he is a 3-handicapgolfer. Few games were played in domes, and there was scant specialized coaching or equipment taken for granted today. But that was about to change profoundly because of Stenerud, who revolutionized a major part of the game. He doesn't jump off 90-meter hills, either. You think that didn't help? Barefoot kickers, cats and dogs living together, MASS HYSTERIA. Forty yards and bull's-eye. 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. But for the Panthers, thats all spilt milk. Why barefoot kicking went away is because the rise of the NFL as a big money sport finally created a market for shoe companies to create an athletic shoe designed for kickers. And this one day, I decided to go down and kick a few footballs, and all of us played a lot of soccer, and I guess I had one urge to try this oval ball. 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.. Especially here in Kansas City, where he became a U.S. Citizen in 1976 with his two children walking alongside carrying little American flags, and has long been a gracious part of the community. If you are ready for it and some kind of occasion presents itself, who knows what can happen? . 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. A group of receivers are set to make some noise this week. Kansas City Chiefs Jan Stenerud in action, taking kick from QB Len Dawson vs Miami Dolphins. And Bart, I assume you are listening somewhere,I appreciate that very much. Like snapping my helmet before a third-down play ends. Jan Stenerud Net Worth (Football Player) "Anytime we get to midfield we're a threat to score three points. Lawrence Tynes had the job from 2004 through 2006 but was traded to the New York Giants in 2007. Description MUT20 Ultimate Legends Career Edition: The only Kicker in the Hall-of-Fame, Stenerud was selected to the Pro Bowl six times and scored 1,699 points in 19 seasons. His 373 career field goals and seven seasons of scoring 100 or more points were also NFL records. [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. My favorite Packers: Jan Stenerud, the man who started it all He's already made two from 52 yards this season. 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. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Soon, the Norwegian who came here by way of a skiing scholarship at Montana State prepared for his first Chiefs camp by kicking with coach Hank Stram as his personal holder at the teams facility in Swope Park. "Do you want to loosen your leg?" Former Bobcat Jan Stenerud, a Hero in Super Bowl IV, Named One of NFL's Then, alas, theres the 32-yarder he missed with 35 seconds left. 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. The 40s also brought us the Slinky, Velcro, Jeep, Tupperware and Frisbee. He was one of the winningest coaches in all of college football. Nothing. Jan Stenerud was born on the 26th of November, 1942. Reaching back with his right leg, Stenerud slammed the football so hard with the ball of his right foot that it sounded like two horses colliding. They used skills learned in one sport--soccer -- to become successful in another -- football. Stenerud brought stability to shaky kicker position - Green Bay Packers It is undeniable that a kicker's position is isolated and that the skills that are necessary to become an outstanding kicker are different from those skills required to play most other positions. His status then was the same as any five-year redshirt. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Team Stats. BOBCAT CALENDAR: The life of Jan Stenerud, who was elected to the Big Well, why not? We are all very, very proud of you, Jan. Good luck and God bless. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items. I talked about some of the luck involved. Stenerud is distinguished as being the first . Start date Jan 29, 2018; G. Glenn's take All-American. I did. 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. 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. A free education in what his father considered the greatest country on Earth couldnt be passed up. Jan Stenerud Net Worth Stats 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. The Chiefs have had a long, tortured journey from Nick Lowery to An amateur placekicker attempts to kick a field goal. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. As the Montana State Bobcats practiced for their final home football game in 1964, Jan Stenerud was going through his own fall routine: conditioning his legs for the upcoming ski season by running the stadiums steps. In our Walkthroughs post yesterday, we discussed what players wed bring back from the pre-Wolf/Holmgren/Favre era to improve the 2020 Packers. His career totals for field goals and points scored still rank in the NFLs Top 20, and he did not miss a game due to injury 263 regular-season contests with the Chiefs, Packers and Vikings from 1967 to 1985. He knelt down and held the football for me 50 times for the last few weeks leading up to camp and that told me a lot about Hank Stram. He was named the Outstanding Offensive Player in the 1972 Pro Bowl. He was respected, admired and loved by his teammates and coaches. Jan was the most accurate kicker in all of pro football from '80 to '84; hemade 82% of this field goals. One of the field goals was blocked, for instance. He made five field goals twice against Buffalo the year we won the Super Bowl. When was Jan Stenerud inducted to the Hall of Fame? Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Jans path to pro football falls into the only in America category of strange-but-true stories. Jan Stenerud, Kansas City Chiefs -- 1971 Before the AFC divisional playoff matchup between the Chiefs and Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day became the longest game in NFL history, Stenerud had a chance to end it in regulation. A six-time all-league selection, Stenerud played in two AFL All-Star Games and in four AFC-NFC Pro Bowls. Let me close by going back to where it started: ski jumping. Few did at a time Pete Gogolak and Garo Yepremian were the only so-called sidewinders in the professional game. The story is that when Stenerud heard he had been drafted, he started looking on the map for Vietnam. Jan Stenerud | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site - pfhof Barefoot Kickers | More Sports - TigerDroppings The next day, the Chiefs placed Santos on injured reserve and plucked Harrison Butker off the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. 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. A daily roundup of all your Kansas City Chiefs news from Arrowhead Pride, By submitting your email, you agree to our, Arrowhead Pride | Kansas City Chiefs Schedule, News, Roster and Stats, The Chiefs have had a long, tortured journey from Nick Lowery to Harrison Butker, The hidden Super Bowl record Patrick Mahomes broke in Arizona. Meanwhile, even his troubles that day are routinely oversimplified in the shorthand of scapegoating. Stenerud retired after the 1985 season, his 19th (3 AFL, 16 NFL). "One day I was in school on a ski scholarship, the next I was on the football team. Chiefs' Justin Reid makes field goal in front of Jan Stenerud at OTAs Butker might also have been fortunate to land with the Chiefs, with whom Dustin Colquitt would be holding his kicks, and special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who knows when its time to just get out of the way. An interview with legend Jan Stenerud - The Norwegian American Jan Stenerud Net Worth . Three months later, he signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he stayed with for four seasons. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. ", "Phooey," says Stenerud, in Norwegian. said Stram, jabbing a finger at the charts. Jan Stenerud Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images He had me work from there, and now it's just like kicking from the middle or the left. The next year, though, he took college football by storm. "Jan adds an exciting new dimension to our offense," says Stram. By 2014, Succop had been solid if not great for the Chiefs over five seasons. Soon, Stenerud was running steps during a football practice when he heard Sweeneys gruff voice: Skier, get your butt down here.