How a Norwegian ski jumper revolutionized the art of the football field goal
In short: Jan Stenerud arrived in America on a ski jumping scholarship, unaware he would change professional football. By utilizing a soccer-style kicking technique, this Norwegian athlete became one of the first dedicated specialists to master the gridiron, eventually becoming the first exclusive placekicker inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Stenerud’s journey began in Fetsund, Norway, where he played soccer as a youth. After arriving in the United States as a student at Montana State University on a ski jumping scholarship, his football career emerged by chance. While training on the stadium steps of Gatton Field in 1964, his kicking ability was noticed by basketball coach Roger Craft, who alerted football coach Jim Sweeney. Although ineligible for competition during his first season, Stenerud's talent was undeniable; he later set a college record with a 59-yard field goal in 1965.
As a professional, Stenerud was a pioneer of the 'soccer style' technique, a method recently introduced to the AFL by Pete Gogolak. This specialization proved highly effective. During his first three years in the professional ranks, Stenerud maintained a 70% field goal success rate, significantly outperforming the 53% average of his contemporaries in the AFL and NFL. His precision helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a victory in Super Bowl IV, where he personally accounted for the first nine points of the game by converting three field goals.
Over a 19-season career that spanned from the AFL through the NFL, Stenerud became a cornerstone of the Kansas City Chiefs, also playing for the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. He retired after the 1985 season with 1,699 total points scored. His legacy is cemented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where he was inducted in 1991 as the first specialist to be honored solely for kicking, distinguishing him from other specialists who played multiple positions.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Jan Stenerud
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