Eagles
Alright, this one is a bit of a deep cut, for some. Today I’m going to teach you a player that should be a household name. If he was a household name for you, congrats you grew up in a house that knows ball. We’re got to talk about the one (and truly only kicker like him) Tom Dempsey. Just look at the header photo if you’re wondering why. Not only was this man an absolute unit, you may notice that this man is missing parts of his right hand and foot like it was generated by AI.
This is a 100% real image and one of my favorite eagles picture. Number one being the Chuck Bernardik cigarette and cigar combo. That’s unrelated but doing my part to raise awareness to the serious matters. After all, educating the youngsters is your societal obligation as an adult. We’re going to get back to Tom Dempsey though. If you did already know about him then let’s hope you learn something new or can find a laugh while reading this post.
He’s the stuff of Disney legends by the way. Oh Rudolph you have a birth defect that projects unlimited energy? How about not having functional limbs or appendages on one side of your body. Way more impressive if you ask me. Air Bud? At the end of the day it was a completely intact dog. Sure there was nothing in the rules that said a dog can’t play basketball but there is one against hitting people in the nuts. So if you did know who Tom Dempsey is, at least learn that Air Bud was a dirty player.
In fact, you know he was special because he had a rule created specifically against him. The Tom Dempsey Rule. It’s illegal for kickers to wear anything other than a standard cleat. This means a player can’t have a shoe that helps mold the foot into a hammer shape, even if that’s the foot’s shape. Even back in the day, commissioners were still out to get Philadelphia.
Alright enough rambling, let’s dig into some stats. He held the longest kick record for 43 years. He made a 63 yard field goal. Matt Prater would eventually beat the record in 2013. This was before the field goal posts were moved behind the end zone. That means the 63-yard kick was beyond the teams own 40-yard line. Also there’s a video of it so it must be real.
He spent four seasons with the Eagles. Even after the rule change to his cleats, he still managed to hit a 54 yarder and a league-high 70.6% make percentage. Not exactly a gaudy number by today’s standard but given the era, nothing to scoff at reading. Unfortunately the Eagles weren’t able to take advantage of this generational player. The Eagles didn’t have one winning season during his years.
Unfortunately, Tom passed away in 2020 (April 4th so the date is coming up) but we should not forget him. He was a truly inspiring individual that all people should take time to learn about. Anyway, Go Birds!
Sources: https://www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi/news/tom-dempsey-got-his-kicks-wearing-no-19
Hello, I’m a greater Philadelphia native writing mostly about the Eagles and the rest of the NFL. Articles aren’t … More about Kyle Lavin
Categorized:Eagles
