Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The pure placekicker was a relative rarity in professional football until the 1960s but, from the mid 1930s onwards, players began to specialize more in placekicking. One of the first was "Automatic" Jack Manders, an offensive back, who is also regarded as pro football's first specialist placekicker. With which team did he spend his entire professional career?
2. George Blanda started out as a quarterback who could kick when he started out with the Chicago Bears in the early 1950s, but eventually became known more as a kicker than a passer by the time he retired. Which AFL side was his last professional team?
3. Although Pat Summerall is perhaps best known for his career spent presenting television coverage of the NFL, he spent ten years as a professional player, becoming one of the first to be recognized as a pure placekicker. Which team selected him in the 1952 NFL Draft?
4. Until the 1960s, placekickers in professional football all used the so-called "straight on" style, lining up directly behind the ball and striking it with their toes. In 1964, Pete Gogolak became the first placekicker in pro football to use the "soccer" style, approaching the ball from an angle and kicking with the instep. Ignored by NFL teams, which AFL side selected him in their draft?
5. The action of the "straight on" kicker is regarded as making the art of kicking more difficult than the "soccer style" kicker, as it is often difficult to retain both power and accuracy further from the goalposts. In 1970, Tom Dempsey amazed professional football by making the longest successful field goal ever while playing for which team?
6. Jan Stenerud was the first Norwegian to play professional football in the USA, and one of the first to be drafted and play as a pure placekicker. One of the pioneers of the "soccer" style of kicking, which AFL team selected him in the 1966 draft?
7. During the 1980s, a brief "fad" entered professional football of placekickers who elected to kick the ball with a bare foot. The first of these "barefoot kickers" to enter the ranks of the NFL was Tony Franklin, but which team did he join after the 1979 NFL Draft?
8. The 1982 NFL season was severely shortened due to a 57-day players' strike between Week 3 and Week 10. That season saw the first instance of a placekicker being named as the league's Most Valuable Player, when Mark Moseley picked up the award representing which team?
9. Although it's more likely than not that a placekicker will score rather than miss, it's still not guaranteed that the ball will go over the crossbar for the points. In 1998, Gary Anderson became the first placekicker in the history of professional football to achieve a 100% record in the regular season, scoring every field goal and point after touchdown. With which team was he playing?
10. The 1986 AFC Championship Game between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos is perhaps best known for the 98-yard game tying drive in the fourth quarter. But, as regards the two game's two placekickers, both of whom played major parts, which of the following statements is NOT true?
Source: Author
Red_John
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor
gtho4 before going online.
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