Hard to find stuff

[JohnTurney]

[Citizen]

Further proof that the position of placekicker has evolved over the past 30 years at a pace beyond any position in football, or maybe any sport. The guys doing it now are simply in another stratosphere from those in Chris Bahr's day.

[BD Sullivan]

Further proof that the position of placekicker has evolved over the past 30 years at a pace beyond any position in football, or maybe any sport. The guys doing it now are simply in another stratosphere from those in Chris Bahr's day.

I'm old enough to remember when a 50-yard+ FG or even an attempt was seen with a certain measure of awe.

[JohnH19]

Anything over 40 was considered long into the 1970s. Old man Blanda's 48 yard kick to tie KC and his 52 yard effort to beat Cleveland were major reasons he won AFC Player of the Year in 1970.

[JohnTurney]

[conace21]

I imagine the onside kicks include the postseason. Of Steve Christie's 4 onside kicks, 2 came in the postseason. The Great Comeback vs Houston (surprise onside that he recovered himself) and the 1998 WC at Miami (Sam Madison rushed forward to grab the ball, but bobbled it. Most of the Bills has run past the ball, but Kurt Schulz, who was the "signal man" for the Bills and didn't rush upfield, managed to squeeze in and recover.)

[Retro Rider]

Very interesting stuff. A few observations from the 1960-79 list:

- Pete Gogolak kicked a 57 yard FG in his first pro (exhibition) game on 8/8/64, but finished 1/18 lifetime from 50+ (beginners luck?)

- Curt Knight only 2/14 from 50+ but hit a big one in the '72 NFC title game

- Fred Cox only 2/24 from 50+ yards. His first 50 yarder came in 1965 (the only NFL kicker with a 50 yard FG that season). His next successful 50 yard attempt didn't come until 1975.

Anything over 40 was considered long into the 1970s. Old man Blanda's 48 yard kick to tie KC and his 52 yard effort to beat Cleveland were major reasons he won AFC Player of the Year in 1970.

John, I know you're a CFL/Blue Bombers fan. Did you ever see George Fleming play in 1963/64? He set an Oakland Raiders record with a 54 yard FG in 1961 and that mark stood until 2003. In 1963 he led the CFL in scoring with 135 points. With Winnipeg he booted a 55 yarder against Saskatchewan on 8/7/64 to break his own CFL record. At one time he owned records for the longest CFL, AFL and Rose Bowl field goals. Injuries cut his career short in 1965. He went on to have a long career in Washington State politics.

George_Fleming.jpg (39.03 KiB) Viewed 16081 times

If I remember correctly Bill King's radio call had Blanda's game winner vs. Cleveland at 53 yards. Years later I discovered that it was 52 yards officially.

Blanda 52yd FG 11-08-70.jpg (161.28 KiB) Viewed 16083 times

[JohnTurney]

[JohnH19]

Very interesting stuff. A few observations from the 1960-79 list:

- Pete Gogolak kicked a 57 yard FG in his first pro (exhibition) game on 8/8/64, but finished 1/18 lifetime from 50+ (beginners luck?)

- Curt Knight only 2/14 from 50+ but hit a big one in the '72 NFC title game

- Fred Cox only 2/24 from 50+ yards. His first 50 yarder came in 1965 (the only NFL kicker with a 50 yard FG that season). His next successful 50 yard attempt didn't come until 1975.

Anything over 40 was considered long into the 1970s. Old man Blanda's 48 yard kick to tie KC and his 52 yard effort to beat Cleveland were major reasons he won AFC Player of the Year in 1970.

John, I know you're a CFL/Blue Bombers fan. Did you ever see George Fleming play in 1963/64? He set an Oakland Raiders record with a 54 yard FG in 1961 and that mark stood until 2003. In 1963 he led the CFL in scoring with 135 points. With Winnipeg he booted a 55 yarder against Saskatchewan on 8/7/64 to break his own CFL record. At one time he owned records for the longest CFL, AFL and Rose Bowl field goals. Injuries cut his career short in 1965. He went on to have a long career in Washington State politics.

George_Fleming.jpg

If I remember correctly Bill King's radio call had Blanda's game winner vs. Cleveland at 53 yards. Years later I discovered that it was 52 yards officially.

Blanda 52yd FG 11-08-70.jpg

I was four years old in 1963 so I never saw Fleming play. In fact, I never heard of him until several years ago when a buddy of mine asked me a trivia question that Fleming was the answer to. I think he asked me what Blue Bomber led the CFL in scoring in 1963. What??? Who the heck is George Fleming and how have I never heard of a guy who led the league with the then amazing total of 135 points??? I immediately purchased two copies of the Fleming card above for my friend and me.

Fleming is a forgotten man in Blue Bomber history. I have never seen or heard a single mention of him in any books, articles, discussions or talk shows. He wasn't included in the 1963 or 64 Topps CFL sets or the 1963 Post cereal set. 1963 and 64 were Bud Grant's only two losing seasons in Winnipeg so they are mostly ignored because of all of the Grey Cup game appearances and victories in the seasons immediately preceding them and then the unexpected return to the championship game in 1965. It's still very strange that he is never mentioned and hardly known to even the most knowledgeable fans.

[Jay Z]

I thought I had heard of George Fleming, but I had him confused with Willie Fleming, a contemporaneous CFL running back. Willie Fleming, who attended Iowa, was subject of an extremely rare CFL/NFL trade.

Bud Grant, in his first year as Vikings coach, traded Vikings back Jim Young, who hadn't played much in two years, to the BC Lions for Fleming. Fleming wound up retiring, then coming back a year later and being cut. Young played in the CFL for 13 years. So score one for the CFL.