While he went undrafted in 1967, he signed with the Chiefs, and once he did, he transferred to a National Guard unit in Kansas City. 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. The first Norwegian NFL player, he began his career in the AFL after being selected by the Chiefs during the . 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. What college did Jan Stenerud attend? Kemp will join new Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in the nations capital. In 1969 he made 27. Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs - December 7th, 1969 He's already made two from 52 yards this season. Jan Stenerud is a Football Player, zodiac sign: Sagittarius. I can honestly say that if you havent played football in Green Bay and youve been in the NFL a long time, youve missed out on something special, he said in an interview with Monday Night Football in 2000. Luck is on their side. Though it wasnt his best in terms of accuracy, Steneruds 1983 season might have been his finest in Green Bay. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Jan stayed in college and was a key member of a Bobcats team that won the 1966 Big Sky Conference title. 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. In his postgame press conference, he took a cue from Butkers Twitter handle @buttkicker7, and referred to him as Buttkicker-dot-com.. Jan Stenerud was born on the 26th of November, 1942. "What do you call that?" The 40s also brought us the Slinky, Velcro, Jeep, Tupperware and Frisbee. Stenerud kicked 18 of 33 field goals in two years at MSU. I remember it so well. Arrowheadlines: Mahomes left-handed pass is Andy Reids favorite, Eric Bieniemy has recruited his first Chiefs player to Washington, according to a report. The video below features Franklin kicking in the 1985 AFC Championship game. Hes kicking distances I havent seen before, Jan recalled in an interview. 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. He could have been on the Olympic ski team he had not pursued football. He made his very first field goal inhis first attempt, a 54-yarder against Houston in 1967. "I've been kicking a ball since I was old enough to walk.". But after Lowery left the team, the word consistency hasnt generally been associated with Chiefs placekickers. 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. How much help can you give a guy like that? Thank you very much. If you are ready for it and some kind of occasion presents itself, who knows what can happen? . 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. 4 tight end prospects for Chiefs fans to watch at the NFL Scouting Combine. 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 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. MSU students arrived at Gatton Field early to watch Stenerud kick on warmups. While Santos got off to a rough start, eventually he became an effective (and popular) placekicker, becoming the most accurate field goal kicker in team history, making 84.8 percent of his field-goal attempts. Stenerud had attended Montana State on a skiing scholarship and joined the football team as a senior after getting recognized on campus for his kicking ability. Gold Jacket Spotlight: 'Hey, Kicker' Jan Stenerud The diminutive Brazilian who barely spoke English, and learned most of what he knew about American football by playing Madden won the job. While his field-goal percentage of 66.8 (373 of 558) might seem pedestrian today, he was a revelation in the context of the times. Lowery simply represented excellence. 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.. Meet 2 women who tried to catch him, Super Bowl champ Chiefs players arent happy. Jan Stenerud made a stop in Minocqua, Wisconsin, in 2012. $109.99. Butker had been raised in an environment where such things mattered. He won Super Bowl IV under Chiefs head coach Hank Stram. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 as the first exclusive placekicker to receive the honor. He joined the football team his senior academic year and ended up playing two seasons of varsity football. Clark Hunt, Mark Donovan need to listen | Opinion, Couple stops at gas station for Michigan lottery tickets. Like Succop in 2009, Butker had been picked by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft. With 21 field goals he is only seven shy of both the AFL and NFL records, with six games yet to play. Chiefs' Justin Reid makes field goal in front of Jan Stenerud at OTAs Stram sighed; there was a hitch. When the great kicker, Jan Stenerud was set to attempt a relatively short range field goal that, if good (ode to announcer broadcasting great, Lindsey Nelson) would have yielded a K.C. Gambling problem? In training camp, Butker had a tough battle against veteran kicker Graham Gano and ultimately the Panthers couldnt decide. The Chiefs retired Stenerud's jersey number 3 in his honor. 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. re: Barefoot Kickers Posted on 8/6/10 at 9:30 am to SM6. Stenerud brought stability to shaky kicker position - Green Bay Packers SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. For 27 of those seasons from 1967 through 1993 the Chiefs had only two placekickers: Jan Stenerud and Nick Lowery. Then he was hit hard after kicking a field goal in the Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. But for the Chiefs, the best news might be the spectacular deal they got on Butker. And look at this: 136 out of 153. He is the first pure placekicker to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 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 hear you can kick. are recalled today as Jan steps into the Gold Jacket Spotlight. He had me work from there, and now it's just like kicking from the middle or the left. He kicked with his toe like [50 Greatest Vikings member] Fred Cox," Stenerud explained. Jan Stenerud 25 yard field goal : 19: 22: Game Info. Dustin is like a kicker whisperer, Toub told the media after Butkers first game. When the professional average was 50 percent, Stenerud hit better than 70 percent in his first four years with the Chiefs, and his deep kickoffs were part of a movement to push them back to the 35 (and later the 30). 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. 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. The excitement of the Chiefs-Raiders contests. 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. Something went wrong. IT'S A GAME OF INCHES . . . AND FEET - Chicago Tribune 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. Your request appears similar to malicious requests sent by robots. "Right down the middle," Reid yelled. He didn't have a prima donna bone in his body. He would later go on to kick for the Green Bay. And Bart, I assume you are listening somewhere,I appreciate that very much. Weeks after his collegiate debut in 1965, Stenerud kicked a then-NCAA record 59-yard field goal also 3 yards longer than the then-NFL record. When the Packers signed Norway native Jan Stenerud before the 13th game of the 1980 season . Butkers field goal tied the game, but then this happened as time expired. Jan Stenerud Net Worth Stats . The 6-2, 187-pound Stenerud excelled for 19 seasons and 263 games in pro football. 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. He told Sweeney, Youve got to take a look at this Norwegian skier out there. $346.14. Meanwhile, back in Kansas City, the Chiefs had drafted Justin Medlock in the fifth round. Jan Stenerud | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site - pfhof A free education in what his father considered the greatest country on Earth couldnt be passed up. [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. In the season opener, Medlock missed a 30-yard field goal in the first drive. "That was pretty darn good," Stenerud said. Field conditions generally werent as accommodating, and the ball wasnt as aerodynamic. Stenerud went on to a highly successful 19-year NFL career. NFL might experiment with making extra-point attempts longer Jans path to pro football falls into the only in America category of strange-but-true stories. 35% OFF + Free Shipping $100+ *exclusions . All Rights Reserved. Jan Stenerud Enshrinement speech - Pro Football Hall of Fame Against archrival Montana, he boomed a 59-yarder, shattering the NCAA record, in a 24-7 win. He scored 100 or more points in seven different seasons. Jan Stenerud's extraordinary story should eclipse one bad day | The 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. 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 . The strengths of this sign are being generous, idealistic, sense of humor, while weaknesses can be to promise more than can deliver, impatient and say anything no matter how undiplomatic. 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. He began to laugh. Jan Stenerud attended Montana State University. Jan Stenerud has had two reoccurring dreams during his 70 years. 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. Moseley scored on a then league-record 23 straight field. Jan Stenerud was selected to the Pro Bowl six times. While Stenerud remains anguished and unreasonably stigmatized in some circles by a miserable day in 1971, its time to help him let that go by commemorating his improbable story a half-century after it began here. We had the greatest players that anybody had ever seen on the football field. NFL placekicker who became the first pure placekicker to earn an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 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. Considering he still blames himself, he cant blame you if you think of him for that missed kick. With 1,699 points, he ranked behind only the fabled George Blanda in all-time scoring at the time of his retirement. He also looked within and told himself that everyone gets knocked down, but some people dont get back up, and that he would have been ashamed of himself if he had been so weak as to surrender before a career that was just beginning and would continue to flourish. Monday Night Football - Oct. 17, 1983 -- Washington at Green Bay - ESPN 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. Former Bobcat Jan Stenerud, a Hero in Super Bowl IV, Named One of NFL's Jan Stenerud | American Football Database | Fandom Stenerud, the Kansas City . 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. Jan Stenerud Phone Number, Address, Age, Contact Info, Public Records When is Jan Steneruds birthday? Jan is alive and kicking and is currently 80 years old. Jan Stenerud kicks a field goal in the second quarter of Super Bowl IV against the Vikings in 1970. . Dating & Relationship status She is currently single. He dropped back to midfield: same thing. If you think he needed help, let me show you some charts. This and his excellent academics explain how Stenerud came to be offered a skiing scholarship to Montana State and why his parents insisted he accept it, particularly because they could not afford higher education in Norway at the time. 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. And now I would like for you to meet the most important people in my life, Shane, Clancey, Betsy and of course, my wife, Lindy. The next day, the Chiefs placed Santos on injured reserve and plucked Harrison Butker off the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. "Ah, never mind, son," said Sweeney. When we got to Houston I got a special pair of shoes. The Kansas City Chiefs were so impressed they selected Stenerud in the third round of the AFL's 1966 Future Draft. 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. The season prior to the AFLNFL merger, he also helped the Chiefs win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl IV. Stenerud retired after the 1985 season, his 19th (3 AFL, 16 NFL). I can do this, he told the Journal-Constitution. The Chiefs have had a long, tortured journey from Nick Lowery to The early 1940s were dominated by World War II. Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In the AFL, Jan made his first kick - a 54-yard field goal in the 1967 season opener against Houston. 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, whose elevation exceeded 4,900 feet (1,495 . As of 2017, only four kickers have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame: George Blanda, Lou Groza, Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen, and among them, Stenerud and Andersen are the only ones who did not also play another position. Nothing. In his first collegiate season, Jan connected on seven field goals more than the Bobcats had converted in the previous three seasons combined. "The track surrounds the football practice field," said Stenerud. 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. His father (also Harrison) favors the Georgia Bulldogs, and his mother Elizabeth is a Georgia Tech fan. Jan Stenerud Wiki - Everipedia His 373 career field goals and seven seasons of scoring 100 or more points were also NFL records. His last kick flew 60 yards, cleared the crossbar by five feet. He kicked 11 field goals and 49 extra points (in 50 attempts) to set an NCAA record with 82 points. 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. Jan Stenerud was born in Fetsund, in the county of Akershus, Norway. During his first three years as professional, the last seasons for the AFL, Stenerud hit 70% of his field goals, compared with a 53% average for the other kickers in the AFL and NFL. The first Norwegian NFL player, he began his career in the AFL after being selected by the Chiefs during the 1966 draft and joined the NFL following the AFLNFL merger. The result was that Stenerud became a football player. 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. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Colonel Paris Davis received the Medal of Honor nearly 60 years after he earned it in Vietnam, Partially paralyzed sailor finds release in adaptive sports, The top 10 most patriotic moments in sports history, Ray Didinger On Tony Franklin, The Barefoot Cannon, For Former Kicker, the Price of Fearlessness - The New York Times, The Era of the Barefoot Kicker | NFL Films Presents - YouTube. Gambling problem? Sure it helped. 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. 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. He was a total team player. Majority of Jans money comes from being a football player. Its a perfect example of why you should never try and stash a good kicker on your NFL practice squad. He knows a lot more than I know. 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. In October he kicked a 59-yard field goal against Montana, the longest kick in football history to that point. Born in Fetsund, in the county of Akershus, Norway to parents Johan Stenerud, and Klara (Kjustad) Stenerud, Stenerud came to the United States as a college student, on a ski jumping scholarship to Montana State University in Bozeman. Maybe, maybe not, but thats not really the point. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he's the greatest long-distance field-goal kicker who ever played the game. Jokingly, he tried anothersoccer-styleoff his instep. Stenerud is the first pure placekicker to enter the Hall. 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. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Stenerud loved soccer as a child, and played it well, but he was baffled by football and its odd pace. "But it was me it helped, not Jan. May 20, 2012 11,113 12,747 113. Jan Stenerud | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official Site The next year, though, he took college football by storm. And he knew what he was talking about. 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. 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. "Do you want to loosen your leg?" Three months later, he signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he stayed with for four seasons. 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. 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. He went out for spring practice in 1965 and made the team the following fall. It all recalls the nickname Andy Reid gave him after his first game as a Chief. I wasn't really sure if I had done OKor not. Always have, always will., It wasnt easy to overcome a game he still says kills me adding, I didnt want to play any more.. He was released immediately. When I mentioned my teammates earlier I didn't say much about Lenny Dawson, a great guy from Alliance, Ohio, which you all know. "But really," says Stenerud, "I had my mind made up five minutes after I talked to Stram. Jan Stenerud, who was born November 26, 1942, in Fetsund, Norway, was an outstanding ski jumper who attended Montana State on a skiing scholarship. He led the league with 21 field goals, a new Chiefs record, and scored 108 points, trailing only future Hall of Famer George Blandas 116 points. As Stenerud recalls it now, after badly topping his first attempt, he boomed several some 70 yards. JUMP TO: Jan Steneruds biography, facts, family, personal life, zodiac, videos, net worth, and popularity. Ten minutes later he was telling Sweeney. His list of outstanding achievements is long. I didn't know the first thing about a soccer-style kicker. Jan Stenerud Is No Football Player But He Wins Foot all Games 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. I had gone to a couple of games, but my girl [now Loni Stenerud] had to explain what was happening." And in the 2018 postseason, Butker was perfect including a 39-yard field goal with 11 seconds left that sent the AFC Championship into overtime. Thirty years later, Jan Stenerud still isn't over The Christmas Day Game. 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. 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. Bookmark this page and come back often for updates. When no deal could be made, the Panthers cut Butker, held their breath and placed him on their practice squad after he cleared waivers. 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. When you get off that ramp and you fly through the air for a moment, you feel as though you have conquered the world as you are soaring high above the ground. [6] He was named an All-American by The Sporting News as a senior in 1966,[4] and was also an All-American in ski jumping and a three-time Big Sky champion.[7]. But he came into the NFL with a statistical oddity: at Tech, he had been more accurate at long distances than medium distances. 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. And after watching him that day, we were convinced that he would add the dimension we were seeking. 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. It All Changed, 50 Years Ago, When Jan Stenerud Missed He didn't just talk to me about signing, he talked about kicking. [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. The official source for NFL news, video highlights, fantasy football, game-day coverage, schedules, stats, scores and more. In our Walkthroughs post yesterday, we discussed what players wed bring back from the pre-Wolf/Holmgren/Favre era to improve the 2020 Packers. I found that with regular spikes I couldn't kick a thingthey kept catching in the turf. At first blush, it seems a little odd. ", "It was kind of silly, really," remembers Stenerud, now the Kansas City Chiefs' field goal specialist. Packers Jan Stenerud | Green Bay Packers - packers.com