Saints kicker made history in 1970
On November 8, 1970, the New Orleans Saints were a dismal 1-5-1. The team’s head coach Tom Fears had just been fired and the playoff-bound Detroit Lions were heading into town. But as the saying goes, “just when you least expect it, expect it.” And that is exactly what happened, as the Saints would go on the beat the Lions in record fashion.
The miraculous win came at the hands – or foot rather – of Saints’ kicker Tom Dempsey. With more than 66,000 Saints fans cheering him on, Dempsey shocked the pro football world by successfully kicking an NFL-record 63-yard field goal, giving New Orleans a 19-17 victory on the final play of the game.
The record-breaking kick was the exclamation point to a back-and-forth battle between the two teams. The Lions appeared to seal a victory after Errol Mann nailed an 18-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. But after the ensuing kickoff, Saints quarterback Billy Kilmer completed a quick 17-yard strike to receiver Al Dodd who ran out of bounds at the Saints 37-yard-line with two seconds left. The rest was history.
The moon shot kick, Dempsey’s fourth field goal of the game, shattered the 17-year-old record of 56 yards set by Baltimore Colts’ kicker Bert Rechichar. Making the feat even more astonishing was fact that Dempsey kicked with a half of foot, a condition he had since birth.
“I don’t think I could kick one that long in practice,” Dempsey later recounted. “There was no wind, but I knew I could kick it long enough. I just hoped I could kick it straight enough.”
Dempsey remained the sole record holder until Denver Broncos’ kicker Jason Elam tied the mark on October 25, 1998 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Longest Field Goals in NFL History
63 Tom Dempsey, New Orleans vs. Detroit, November 8, 1970
Jason Elam, Denver vs. Jacksonville, October 25, 1998
62 Matt Bryant, Tampa Bay vs. Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 2006
60 Steve Cox, Cleveland vs. Cincinnati, October 21, 1984
Morten Andersen, New Orleans vs. Chicago, October 27, 1991
Rob Bironas, Tennessee vs. Indanapolis, Dec. 3, 2006