FIELD GOAL KICKIN A BRIEF HISTORY

By Dean Gearhart (3/2/15)

One Monday evening, late in the 2013 NFL season, I was semi-watching a game
between the Baltimore Ravens and the Detroit Lions. I wasnt paying too much
attention, but it seemed that every time I looked up, Baltimore was lining up for a
field goal.and every time I looked up they made said field goal. This got me to
thinking. The NFL season was nearly over and I couldnt remember seeing hardly
any missed field goals.at all.
I clicked over to pro-football-reference.com and saw that the leagues field goal
percentage was over 85% for the year, and that this percentage was better than
2012, which was better than 2011, which was better than 2010, which was (you
guessed it) better than 2009. That was a pretty clear 5-year upward trend. I even
took the time to post this observation to my Chat with the Fellas thread on
Facebook. This is a years-long running message containing mostly sports
commentary between me and five guys I grew up with in Maryland.
The Monday night game in question was played on 12/16/2013 was won by
Baltimore 18-16 on Justin Tuckers last-minute field goal. It was Tuckers 6 th of the
night in 6 attempts. David Akers went 1-1 for Detroit. Oh, and the game winning
kick was a 61 yarder.
The following is the result of my ensuing investigation:
We all remember the 2013 NFL Season as the Year of the Kicker, dont we? No.
Well, I guess that wasnt featured heavily on the NFL Network or any Fox Pregame
Show. Sure, Petyon Manning led the most prolific offense in NFL history and there
were not one but nine QBs who threw for over 4,000 yards (Manning and Drew
Brees went over 5,000). But, based on all measured statistics, 2013 was the
greatest season in NFL history for kickers.
In the 45 seasons since the NFL merger, athletes have clearly gotten bigger,
stronger and better and it certainly makes sense that this would apply to kickers. I
took it upon myself to chart the numbers on NFL kickers in those 45 years and I find
it to be amusing - albeit not surprising - to see how the numbers have progressed.
THE 1970s
In 1970, when the NFL first merged with the AFL, the rules were quite field goal
friendly. The goal posts were on the goal line and a missed field goal beyond the 20
yard line was given to the other team on the 20 yard line. There was no real
penalty for trying a long one, as the worst case scenario was the same as a
touchback.

During the 1970 regular season, there were 478 successful field goals, 17 were of
the 50+ yard variety. One of those, we know, was for 63 yards by Tom Dempsey.
By 1973, that number had climbed to 543 successful field goal attempts. This
bloated total must have offended the powers-that-be in the NFL, prompting
significant rule changes.
Beginning in 1974, the goal post was moved from the goal line to the back of the
end zone and on a missed field goal beyond the 20 yard line the opposing team
would now take over at the line of scrimmage. If a team missed on a 50 yard
attempt, the other team would take over on the 33 instead of the 20.
The number of field goal attempts immediately dropped from 861 to 553. That is a
36% decrease in just one year. Oh what a difference 10 yards makes. The number
of 50+ yard attempts decreased by over 50% going from 62 in 1973 to only 30 in
1074.
Clearly, the rule change about the spot after a missed kick made NFL coaches think
longer and harder about trotting out the kicker for a long one. Especially, since the
odds back then were not very good of actually making such a kick. In 1974, the
number of successful kicks of 50+ yards in the NFL was four. Thats rightI
said four.
PATs were also affected by the moving of the goal posts. In 1973, NFL kickers
made 98% of these 10 yard kicks. This dropped to 92% in 1974 and pretty much
stayed that way for the rest of the 1970s.
For the years 1970-1979, NFL kickers made good on 61.1% of all field goal
attempts. The percentage was relatively flat for that 10 year period with a high of
64.2% in 1975 and a low of 58.3% in 1977. During this span, the number of
successful kicks of 50+ yards was 103, with 54 of those coming prior to the 1974
rule change. During the first 10 season after the merger, NFL kickers made good on
only 21.7% of their 50+ yard attempts.
Garo Yepremian of the Dolphins led the NFL in field goal percentage three times
during the 1970s. In 1974, Clevelands Don Cockroft went 14 of 16 for 87.5% and
that was the best of the single-season percentage of the decade.
One final note on the moving of the goal posts: In 1973, the average NFL game
featured 4.7 field goal attempts. That average dropped to 3.0 in 1974, and that
number of attempts has not reached 4 per game since then. The number of
attempts in 2013 was 3.9 per game.
THE 1980s
It wasnt until 1980 that one begins to see an uptick in the field goal numbers. That
season, NFL kickers hit on 63.6% of field goals and made 23 of 80 in the 50+

category. The most successful 50+ yarders in a season in the previous decade had
been 17 in 1970.
1983 saw the NFL break the 70% barrier (71.5% to be exact) and when all was said
and done the final tally for the 1980s was a 69.7% success rate. The total number
of 50+ yard field goals more than doubled from 103 in the 70s to 250 in the 80s,
with a much-improved success rate of 35.6%. There was no doubt that kickers had
gotten bigger, stronger and better.
On the PAT front, 1980 saw the percentage hit 95% and it was just a tick under 98%
by 1989. PATs were at 96.3% for the decade.
Your big names in the 80s were Mark Moseley, Nick Lowery, Morten Andersen and
Eddie Murray. Moseley actually captured the 1982 NFL MVP award, connecting on
20 of 21 field goals for the world champion Redskins.
In 1981, 38 year old Jan Stenerud, become the first kicker to play an entire season
and led the league with a field percentage over 90%. Stenerud was 22 of 24 for
Green Bay that year. 1987 would be the last time that a kicker led the NFL with a
percentage of less than 90%.
THE 1990s
The steady progression of NFL kicking stats continued into the 1990s. Field goal
percentages for the decade finished at 77%, with an impressive 47.8% success rate
on the long ones.
The number of 50+ yard attempts continued climbing spiking to 120 in 1993. The
previous high had been 94 such attempts in 1991. This caused one final tweak in
the rules. Beginning in 1994, a missed field goal over 20 yards was given to the
opposing team at the spot of the kick. Now a missed 50 yarder would be turned
over to the other team at the 40 yard line.
Once again, NFL coaches thought longer and harder and the number of 50+ yard
attempts dropped dramatically down to 66 in 1994. This was but a mere speed
bump as more and more kickers with stronger and stronger legs made their way to
the NFL.
1991 saw what no one would have ever believed a decade or so before. Tony
Zendejas (of the kicking Zendejas) finished a full year with the Rams going 17 for
17 in field goal attempts. He did miss an extra point.
In 1998, Gary Anderson turned in the first truly perfect regular season. Gary, in his
17th season and playing for Minnesota made all 35 field goals he attempted as well
as all 59 PATs. No kicker had ever ended a season without missing anything.
Sadly, Anderson did miss a field goal in the NFC Championship game and it cost his
team a trip to the Super Bowl.

Y2K (and beyond)

Since 2000, NFL kickers have converted nearly 82% of all field goal attempts and
are an impressive 57% on those 50+ yarders. In the past three seasons (20122014), the average number of 50+ yard attempts is 149 per year.
PATs are at 99%, with an average of only 12 missed PAT kicks per year. Compare
this to 1979, when there was an all-time high of 94 misses. The obvious ease of
converting the extra point has caused the NFL to discuss tinkering with the
rules..some even suggesting that kicking an extra point become extinct.
The league leaders continued to stay above the 90% mark, with Mike Vanderjagts
2003 season with the Colts ranking as the best (37 for 37, 46-46 on PATs). In 2008,
Saints rookie Garrett Hartley had a perfect season, although he was a mere 13 for
13.
Of course, the poster boy for the kickers of the era is Adam Vinatieri. Adam has led
the league in field goal percentage three times (2002, 2004 & 2014) and has not
one but four Super Bowl rings. Two of those rings were earned thanks to his own
last second game winning field goals.
2013..The Year of the Kicker
Here are the stats to support my earlier contention. The 2013 regular season saw:

the
the
the
the
the
the

most field goals made (863)

highest percentage of field goals made (86.5%)
most field goals of 50 yards or more made (96)
highest percentage of field goals over 50 yards made (67.1%)
most extra points made (1,267)
fewest extra points missed (5)

A few entertaining contrasts:

1970s pct. of all Field Goals Made: 61.1% / 2013 Season pct. of 50+ Yard
Field Goals Made: 67.1%
1970-1979 50+ Yard Field Goals Made: 103 / 2013 Season 50+ Yard Field
Goals Made: 96
1979 Season PATs Missed: 94 / PATs missed over 9 seasons (2005-2013):
93

CONCLUSION
The numbers above clearly show the difference between todays NFL and the one I
grew up watching. Im sure there is much to discuss on the specialization of kickers
and how kicking is now a weapon rather than what you settle for after not making it
on third down.

I could also get in to the how the overall attitude toward kickers has changed. Boys
in the 1970s and 1980s could grow up with the dream of being an NFL kicker,
whereas such a dream would have been frowned upon for a kid growing up in the
1960s. This change in the NFL parallels the change in the role of the relief pitcher
in baseball (both in concept and in timeframe).
But, the real moral of this story for me is that the field goal process has become too
automatic. The defense and, more importantly, the fan of the team on defense no longer has a fighting chance. When I was growing up, and kickers were making
only 60% of their kicks, it was a roll of the dice. You had hope. If the other team
was bold enough to line up for a 50+ yarder, you would scoff at them. Yeah, right.
Good luck with that!
A field goal attempt in 2014 doesnt even have any suspense to it. Gone are the
days where a kick would head slowly for the upright and if it was your guy you were
praying for that little hook to bring it inside. And if it wasnt your guy you did all you
could to will it wide.
These guys dont just make every kick, they drill them right down the f#$%ing
middle with plenty of room to spare. These kickers are like machines and when his
parts (or his psyche) show a little wear, another one is brought out who looks and
kicks just like him.
There is no drama anymore. It is but a forgone conclusion.
To paraphrase Crash Davis, Todays kickers are fascist. In the old days they were
more democratic.
The next two pages chart the NFL kicking stats from 1970 through 2014. All stats
obtained from pro-football-reference.com.

Now you kids get out of my yard!