On Christmas Day 1971, the Chiefs hosted the Miami Dolphins in an AFC divisional playoff game. Thank you very much, coach. The diminutive Brazilian who barely spoke English, and learned most of what he knew about American football by playing Madden won the job. Independence is one of their greatest strengths, but sometimes they're overly frank with others. The reason most kickers don't kick barefoot is that you will not make perfect contact with the football every time. 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 points in that span. Then, alas, theres the 32-yarder he missed with 35 seconds left. Few did at a time Pete Gogolak and Garo Yepremian were the only so-called sidewinders in the professional game. Stenerud is distinguished as being the first . Along with his 13 seasons in Kansas City, Stenerud was a member of the Green Bay Packers for four seasons and the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons until retiring in 1985. Well, why not? Website design & development by americaneagle.com copyright 2021 Pro Football hall of fame all rights reserved, Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. "I was standing three feet deep in my own end zone," he said, his mouth curving into a small boy's grin. Fifty years ago this month, an exotic curiosity named Jan Stenerud signed a lease at the El Camino Real apartments on The Plaza. Get in-depth, sideline coverage of Kansas City area sports - only $1 a month. ", The first kick, with Stenerud using his toe as he had seen the others do, was a flop. When was Jan Stenerud inducted to the Hall of Fame? Jan Stenerud, who was born November 26, 1942, in Fetsund, Norway, was an outstanding ski jumper who attended Montana State on a skiing scholarship. Today my thoughts are with my parents. Over his 14-year career with the Chiefs, he scored 1,466 points still a franchise record and was routinely counted as one of the best in the game. $224.99. Then wife starts to scream, Heidi Gardner coaches Chiefs Travis Kelce in commercial for Saturday Night Live, Ned Yost enters Royals Hall of Fame as epitome of their rise from futility to glory, What a rebuilding year looks like: On Chiefs 2022 season and what it portends, Why Super Bowl victory over Eagles was Andy Reids masterpiece and cements his legacy, On a through-line from Satchel Paige to Patrick Mahomes and a Super Bowl breakthrough, Why Patrick Mahomes second NFL MVP award is more revealing recognition than the first, Brothers keeper: On the poignant stuff beyond the hype surrounding the Kelce Bowl. 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 Stenerud was born on the 26th of November, 1942. A reader suggestion gives us a great opportunity to reflect on Jan Steneruds brief but excellent run in Green Bay. 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. In a perfect world, Stenerud would have scored a touchdown behind the two guards who had pulled. Jan Stenerud is a Sagittarius and his 81st birthday is in, The 80-year-old Norwegian was born in the Silent Generation and the Year of the Horse. But he missed a potential go-ahead field goal with 35 seconds remaining. I didn't even know what a field goal was. 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. "One day of my junior year in 1964, I ran the stadium steps, and the kicker was kicking field goals. He was a seven-time All-Pro and won Super Bowl IV . The thrill of a "Monday Night Football" game, autumn Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, and, of course, the satisfaction of a job well done. Whos the richest Football Player in the world. I didnt know the first thing about a soccer-style kicker.. Its a perfect example of why you should never try and stash a good kicker on your NFL practice squad. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. He is the first pure placekicker to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He'll show you how to put it on. The 6-2, 187-pound Stenerud excelled for 19 seasons and 263 games in pro football. And it came while Stenerud was running on the school track. I did. Lawrence Tynes had the job from 2004 through 2006 but was traded to the New York Giants in 2007. 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. 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. Jan Stenerud, a native of Fetsund, Norway, took a crooked path to football immortality. He kicked only one field goal from beyond 50 yards - a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter of a 37-3 loss at Tampa Bay in 1981 - but he was 59-of-73, or 80.8 percent overall, and also made 115-of-118. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Ski jumping requires concentration and, of course, kicking field goals requires concentration as well. ", Coach Stram wouldn't want Stenerud to drop a single silly superstition. . KANSAS CITY Mo. The Kansas City Chiefs have just concluded their 59th season as a professional football franchise. 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. Your email address will not be published. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. See our ethics statement. 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. Now he hustled up to Stram. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-tenured (19 years) professional football player to have played in the AFL. I always felt if I had two bad games in a row, I would be unemployed. "Whenever the team got to the 50-yard line (the student section) would start yelling, 'Send in Jan!'" Stenerud said with a laugh. "The things I do. After completing a training session, Stenerud noticed some football players kicking field goals and, recalling his background in soccer, he figured hed give it a try. 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. 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. The basketball coach, of all people, walked across the field and he ran over to the football coach, Jim Sweeney, and informed him that a ski jumper was kicking the hell out of the ball out there. He influenced the Rules Committee to change the field goal and kickoff rules in 1974, his seventh year in the league. Stenerud was a six-time all-star (four NFL Pro Bowls and two AFL All-Star games) during his career, as well as a four-time first-team All-Pro in the NFL and a two-time first-team All-AFL. After three seasons particularly after Santos 2016 overtime kick against the Broncos in Denver doinked off the left upright and slipped in behind the right one to win the game it seemed that the Chiefs might have finally found a long-term solution at the position. As a halfback at Purdue, Stram kicked a 22-yard field goal to beat Pitt 10-7 in 1946. Now, he hates to admit it, but he is a 3-handicapgolfer. Though ineligible for football competition that season, Sweeney encouraged Stenerud to suit up with the team for the final home game of 1964, to help him better understand the unfamiliar American game. In his first college season, he connected on a then-NCAA record 59-yard field goal and scored 82 points. JUMP TO: Jan Steneruds biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos, net worth, and popularity. . He really impressed me. He talks, and he knows exactly what went wrong when [the placekicker] misses. But after Lowery left the team, the word consistency hasnt generally been associated with Chiefs placekickers. In 1969 he made 27. Jan Stenerud is a Football Player, zodiac sign: Sagittarius. 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. When I came to Kansas City in 1967, he went out on the practice field several weeks before training camp started. Height: 6-2; Weight: 187. We had the greatest players that anybody had ever seen on the football field. "The track surrounds the football practice field," said Stenerud. 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. "What do you call that?" 11834 posts. Jan Stenerud. After asking if he could try it. But if I don't hear the click of the snap before the play ends, I get a horrible feeling that I may miss. He didn't have a prima donna bone in his body. The basketball coach saw him kicking and alerted the football coach, Jim Sweeney, who gave Stenerud a tryout. Late in my career, in 1980 when everybody else in the league thought I was washed up, Bart Starr, the great player and then the coach for the Green Bay Packers, took a chance on me, and that paved the way for six more years for me in the league. Jan Stenerud (/stnrud/, 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). "Right down the middle," Reid yelled. The White House was occupied by a B-movie actor, Hollywood seemed to want to make any cocaine-fueled idea for a movie that it could find, and football kickers were punting and scoring field goals in the dead of winter. He was the longest-tenured player in the now-defunct American Football League, playing in the league for 19 years. He was humble and appreciative, and when he signed his contract and received his bonus, he said, "You know, this is more money than my dad made in this lifetime. Like just before our first game against Houston this year. A six-time all-league selection, Stenerud played in two AFL All-Star Games and in four AFC-NFC Pro Bowls. But Stenerud made the most of those opportunities. Jan Stenerud Position: K 6-2 , 187lb (188cm, 84kg) Born: November 26 in Fetsund, Norway (Age: 80-097d) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info Hall of Fame 6x Pro Bowl 1x All-Pro 1x SB Champ 1x AFL Champ 3 10 3 SUMMARY Career G 263 AV 78 FGM 373 FGA 558 XPM 580 XPA 601 Jan Stenerud Overview Game Logs Career Postseason 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). He's already made two from 52 yards this season. Jan Stenerud was born on November 26, 1942 in Norway (80 years old). But it was me it helped, not Jan, Stram told Sports Illustrated in 1968 as he rummaged through files for charts of those kicks. NFL placekicker who became the first pure placekicker to earn an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jokingly, he tried anothersoccer-styleoff his instep. Stenerud was one of the first professional football players to be used as a dedicated kicker, because of his excellent "sharpshooting" ball-kicking performance. Not so, he says. "When . [8] The Dolphins won 2724 in double overtime on a 37-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. Stenerud couldn't participate that fall, 1964, because of eligibility rules. 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 knows a lot more than I know. He was one of the winningest coaches in all of college football. In the AFL, Jan made his first kick - a 54-yard field goal in the 1967 season opener against Houston. [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. 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: . Hes kicking distances I havent seen before, Jan recalled in an interview. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. 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. Most positions require skill, strength, speed, intelligence and mental toughness. I hear you can kick. are recalled today as Jan steps into the Gold Jacket Spotlight. The sentences, yelled by Montana State football coach Jim Sweeney Hey, skier, get down here! But for the Panthers, thats all spilt milk. Other kickers had trouble hitting the footballs sweet spot wearing their issued uniform cleats. Kansas City, MO 10/8/1967 CREDIT: Rich Clarkson Football: Super Bowl IV, Kansas City Chiefs Jan Stenerud and QB Len Dawson in action vs Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans, LA 1/11/1970 Does all that add up to a player worth swapping for Mason Crosby? Jan Stenerud" Jan Stenerud" ( born November 26, 1942 ) is a former professional American 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 ) Stenerud came to the United States on a ski jumping scholarship to attend Montana State University . "Well I'll be a" said Craft, who had been watching from the bleachers. He kicked a 59-yard field goal against the Grizzlies at Gatton Field that fall, and eventually set NCAA kick scoring and field goal . 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. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Jan is alive and kicking and is currently 80 years old. Stenerud retired after the 1985 season, his 19th (3 AFL, 16 NFL). The next day, the Chiefs placed Santos on injured reserve and plucked Harrison Butker off the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. Most coaches don't, or at least I don't think they do. Im so used to seeing Carolina blue and Panthers stuff having been in Charlotte and now its red, which is weird, having gone to Georgia Tech.. Stenerud went on to a highly successful 19-year NFL career. His name was Jim Sweeney. His last kick flew 60 yards, cleared the crossbar by five feet. 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? Jan Stenerud was born in Fetsund, in the county of Akershus, Norway. It gives me, of course, a sense of pride and accomplishment, but most of all I feel very, very lucky. Went down and tried a few with toes like everybody else kicked those days. Needless to say, he made a dramatic impact. Subscribe to. In his first collegiate season, Jan connected on seven field goals more than the Bobcats had converted in the previous three seasons combined. While we don't know Jan Stenerud birth time, but we do know his mother gave birth to his on a Thursday. 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. He converted 373 out of 558 field goals (67 percent) and 580 out of 601 extra points (97%) for a total of 1,699 points scored. But I never dreamed that my greatest jump of all would be to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 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. During a game, Stenerud gives in to assorted superstitions. Nearly 30 years ago, I was recruited from Norway to Montana State on a ski scholarship. Gano due to the contract that former Chief kicker Ryan Succop had just negotiated with the Tennessee Titans scored a four-year, $17 million deal with the Panthers last spring, while the Chiefs still have Butker on an inexpensive deal for two more seasons. He never missed a game because of injury or illness. Oops. Sure it helped. Baw Bakery. 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. [3][5] In 2013, Stenerud recalled that he had a significant tail-wind aiding him on that kick in Bozeman; the ensuing kick-off went over the end-zone bleachers at Gatton Field,[4] whose elevation exceeded 4,900 feet (1,495m) above sea level. 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. To keep in shape for the ski season, I would always run the stadium steps at Montana State to get ready for the long, hard ski season, and the football team was always practicing. Why I could miss that kick, I dont understand it If I can make a goddamn 31-yard field goal, we win the game, he said, So I hold myself completely accountable for that. I talked about some of the luck involved. 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. If you mis-hit the ball while kicking barefoot . Best-selling Jan Stenerud products on sale for a lim. The MSU basketball coach, Roger Craft, noticed Stenerud booming kicks straight and long toward the goal posts and told the football coach, Jim Sweeney, what he had seen. Once more details are available on who he is dating, we will update this section. Well, I didn't know that until Stram pointed it out. Ive been in Atlanta my whole life, now Im in Kansas City a different part of the country. When we got to Houston I got a special pair of shoes. It all recalls the nickname Andy Reid gave him after his first game as a Chief. "I was out with some of the other skiers, getting my legs in shape for the season. After regularly making field goals of 60 yards in practice, Stenerud became a sensation on campus. Gambling problem? He was a consensus All-America selection. When is Jan Steneruds birthday? well your foot will feel like you nailed a cinder block. Jan Stenerud has had two reoccurring dreams during his 70 years. And he knew what he was talking about. I will also be grateful for the opportunity to play professional football." Jan Stenerud was born in 1940s. Jan was the most accurate kicker in all of pro football from '80 to '84; hemade 82% of this field goals. Stenerud came to the United States on a ski jumping scholarship to attend . He could have been on the Olympic ski team he had not pursued football. Once they saw Stenerud kick, all doubts were erased. I remember it so well. 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. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he's the greatest long-distance field-goal kicker who ever played the game. I love you and I appreciate that for the rest of my life.