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. 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. I felt ridiculous.". The street where he grew up, in the municipality Fetsund, was renamed in his honor. 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. In a game better known for Stram being miked and 65 Toss Power Trap and Len Dawson being chosen MVP and dominant defense, Eller would later say Stenerud psyched us out. "Anytime we get to midfield we're a threat to score three points. Lowery simply represented excellence. Please make sure JavaScript is enabled and then try loading this page again. Super Bowl IV and some of the great coaching with Hank Stram, of course, who won the Coach of the Year title four times. Ten minutes later he was telling Sweeney. Players for the Eagles, Broncos, Rams, and Steelers were all known to kick off their shoes before kicking off the game (except for the Rams - their kicker always wore shoes on kickoffs). Jan was the most accurate kicker in all of pro football from '80 to '84; hemade 82% of this field goals. MONTANA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Stenerud's path from MSU to NFL HOF is Meet the newest member of the Butker family! James Augustine Butker 1/27/19 12:29am9lb 5 oz, 21 inchesSs. But Stram reassured and convinced him that he had much left to give. 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 . Website design & development by americaneagle.com copyright 2021 Pro Football hall of fame all rights reserved, Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. I was drafted by Kansas City at the right time. 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. For 27 of those seasons from 1967 through 1993 the Chiefs had only two placekickers: Jan Stenerud and Nick Lowery. Dating & Relationship status She is currently single. Even on a perfect day, one in which he shoots a 76 in a Pebble Beach Celebrity golf outing. Jan is alive and kicking and is currently 80 years old. "It's really silly," he says. Stenerud went on to a highly successful 19-year NFL career. I found that with regular spikes I couldn't kick a thingthey kept catching in the turf. I'm sure someday he'll make one from 60 yardsheck65 yards away. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Quiz Other kickers had trouble hitting the footballs sweet spot wearing their issued uniform cleats. And that first-half miss from 29 yards out? He went out for spring practice in 1965 and made the team the following fall. We liked him coming out. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Get in-depth, sideline coverage of Kansas City area sports - only $1 a month. But he came into the NFL with a statistical oddity: at Tech, he had been more accurate at long distances than medium distances. Jan Stenerud Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images In training camp, Butker had a tough battle against veteran kicker Graham Gano and ultimately the Panthers couldnt decide. And after watching him that day, we were convinced that he would add the dimension we were seeking. He was sincere, had great pride and dedication. 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. After regularly making field goals of 60 yards in practice, Stenerud became a sensation on campus. Ive been in Atlanta my whole life, now Im in Kansas City a different part of the country. He'll show you how to put it on. The impromptu sessions continued, and one day the Bobcats basketball coach took notice. One day, Stenerud was running stadium steps as part of his ski training and paused to kick a ball around with Bobcats kicker Dale Jackson. His status then was the same as any five-year redshirt. Needless to say, he made a dramatic impact. I am, of course, aware that I am the first person elected to this great shrine based on kicking alone. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-tenured (19 years) professional football player to have played in the AFL. 35% OFF + Free Shipping $100+ *exclusions . At first blush, it seems a little odd. 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 More tangibly, at a time goalposts still were at the goal line, he suddenly made any excursion into the opponents side of the field a threat to score. "No sense complicating this game. Jan Stenerud Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 He was named the Outstanding Offensive Player in the 1972 Pro Bowl. They used skills learned in one sport--soccer -- to become successful in another -- football. Jan Stenerud: The man, the myths | Sports | bozemandailychronicle.com Hed become all the more enchanted with the sport after attending the nearby Oslo Olympics in 1952. He never changed. hurtful thing." (When The New York Times called to ask Stenerud about the kick a year . 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. I hear you can kick. are recalled today as Jan steps into the Gold Jacket Spotlight. By the time he was 20, he was among the best jumpers in the nation and performing in front of 80,000 people at Norways most imposing skiing site, Holmenkollbakken. Jan Stenerud (/stnrud/, Norwegian: [stnrd] (listen); born November 26, 1942) is a Norwegian-American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with Kansas City Chiefs. 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. There also are a couple of other people I would like to acknowledge that were teammates at Montana State. In 1994, he was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. When the Chiefs were playing the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 1966 season, they invited Stenerud to Miami for a tryout. During a game, Stenerud gives in to assorted superstitions. He attended Montana State University on a ski jumping scholarship. 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: . It is a job with intense pressure. 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. The Norwegian kicked for the Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in a 19-year football career, culminating in becoming the first dedicated kicker inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. 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. The first Norwegian NFL player, he began his career in the AFL after being selected by the Chiefs during the . She is not dating anyone. 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? 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. Generation. 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. The basketball coach saw him kicking and alerted the football coach, Jim Sweeney, who gave Stenerud a tryout. Something went wrong. "Do you want to loosen your leg?" George and Lou, your talents were remarkable. 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 . Jan Stenerud - Wikipedia Its a special experience. This planet represents abundance, prosperity and the principle of expansion. Jan Stenerud is a Football Player, zodiac sign: Sagittarius. Whos the richest Football Player in the world. Jan Stenerud was 6 ft 2 inches, 187 lb (1.88 m, 84 kg). Forty yards and bull's-eye. Chiefs meet with Florida defensive tackle ahead of NFL Draft. Moreover, the crucial practice repetitions among snapper, holder and kicker were afterthoughts. We had the greatest players that anybody had ever seen on the football field. Sign up for the A Norweigan immigrant, Stenerud came to the United States on a ski jumping scholarship to Montana State. Former Bobcat Jan Stenerud, a Hero in Super Bowl IV, Named One of NFL's "Now that tall fellow over there is called a quarterback and those big fat fellows are tackles, and that chalk line you are standing on is called the 50-yard line and, say, why don't you set the ball down and try and kick it way down there through those two skinny poles, which are called goalposts?" 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. "That was pretty darn good," Stenerud said. And the third and the fourth. When training camp arrived and with Succop due a big payday the team brought in competition: free agent Cairo Santos. Fifty years ago this month, an exotic curiosity named Jan Stenerud signed a lease at the El Camino Real apartments on The Plaza. The Kansas City Chiefs selected him with a red shirt draft pick. Three months later, he signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he stayed with for four seasons. His list of outstanding achievements is long. And he knew what he was talking about. Jan Steneruds age is 80. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he's the greatest long-distance field-goal kicker who ever played the game. Stenerud missed the FG but my opine, the wrong choice was made pre-kick. Jan Stenerud, a native of Fetsund, Norway, took a crooked path to football immortality. Having retired in 1985, Stenerud doesn't kick field goals any more. 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. "I've been kicking a ball since I was old enough to walk.". Moseley scored on a then league-record 23 straight field. Thats how the scouts from around the league heard about me, Jan said. Jan Stenerud kicks a field goal in the second quarter of Super Bowl IV against the Vikings in 1970. . The New England Patriots kicker Tony Franklin even made a 59-yard field goal while completely shoeless. He finished the season without missing a single PAT, and made 90.5 percent of his field-goal attempts. [2] Craft notified football head coach Jim Sweeney of the Norwegian ski jumper's kicking abilities, and Sweeney offered him a tryout, which was successful. A group of receivers are set to make some noise this week. After a pause, Sweeney went on. Considering he still blames himself, he cant blame you if you think of him for that missed kick. If you are using a VPN, try disabling it. But it was me it helped, not Jan, Stram told Sports Illustrated in 1968 as he rummaged through files for charts of those kicks. The higher education of Jan Stenerud, a ski jumper from Fetsund, Norway, began one fall afternoon in 1965 when Jim Sweeney, then the head coach at Montana State, held up a bloated object and said, "Son, this is a football." He told Sweeney, Youve got to take a look at this Norwegian skier out there. With 21 field goals he is only seven shy of both the AFL and NFL records, with six games yet to play. His last kick flew 60 yards, cleared the crossbar by five feet. $224.99. Today with these memories and this honor, I got the same feeling, the feeling that my feet are now touching the ground. "I didn't have one thing to do with developing Stenerud as a kicker. He kicked for the Chiefs for 13 years (1967-1979) until his release in the summer of 1980. And he was not just a kicker, he was an athlete. "What do you call that?" He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991. 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. The Game That Keeps Giving - The Washington Post Like Succop in 2009, Butker had been picked by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft.