Erik Affholter

Last updated

Erik Affholter
No. 82
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1966-04-10) April 10, 1966 (age 58)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school: Oak Park (Oak Park, California)
College: USC
NFL draft: 1989  / Round: 4 / Pick: 110
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:7
Receiving yards:68
Touchdowns:0

Erik Konrad Affholter (born April 10, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). As a 16-year-old place kicker during his junior season of high school he broke a national record with a 64-yard field goal, which at the time was the longest field goal kicked at any level. Playing college football for the USC Trojans, he was an All-American and established school records for most receptions in a season, and in a career.

Contents

Early and personal life

He was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Conrad (a salesman) and Ruth Affholter, and is Jewish. [1] [2] In the early 1970s, the family moved to Agoura, California. [3] He later lived in Anthem, Arizona. [4] [5]

High school

Affholter played football at Oak Park High School in Ventura County, California. [5] As a 16-year-old place kicker during his junior season he broke a national record with a 64-yard (59 meter) field goal in 1982, which at the time was the longest field goal kicked at any level. [6] [3] [4] [7] [8] [9] A sportswriter at the game estimated it could have gone 74 yards (68 meters). [10] Asked about his kick, Affholter said: "I'd much rather catch touchdown passes." [1] At the time, as a wide receiver he had caught more touchdown passes than any player in his high school conference. [1]

In addition to kicking field goals and extra points, he played tailback, wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. [11] In 1983 he was a USA Today All-USA high school football first-team All-American, All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and All-State; he was also a Los Angeles Times running back of the year. [9] [12]

College

Affholter played college football at the University of Southern California (USC) for the Trojans as a wide receiver, though he had initially received a scholarship as a kicker. [11] [13] [14] [15] [16] He was athletic, with a 36-inch (910 mm) vertical jump. [11]

On November 21, 1987, he made a controversial memorable fourth quarter winning end zone juggling touchdown catch for a 17-13 upset over Troy Aikman's No. 5-ranked UCLA Bruins that sent the unranked 1987 USC Trojans football team to the 1988 Rose Bowl. [5] [17] [18] [19] [9] He was named a member of the 1988 College Football All-America Team, and a Pac-10 All-Academic selection. [20] [8] [21] [9] In 1988 as a senior he led USC with 68 catches for 952 yards and eight touchdowns. [22] He established USC records for most receptions in a season, and in a career (123). [16] [23] Upon graduation, he became a member of the USC Skull and Dagger Society. [9]

National Football League

He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. [24] [25] On April 23, 1989, the Redskins then immediately traded him and two draft picks to the Green Bay Packers for quarterback Jeff Graham. [26] [9] About a month later he broke his ankle in a pick-up basketball game in New York City, shortly before reporting to Packers training camp. [5] He spent the entire season on injured reserve. [23] He played the 1991 season in the NFL for the Packers. [7]

In 1992, he signed with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. [27] He retired in 1995 due to a career-ending knee injury. [9]

Coaching

Since retiring, he has coached high school and youth football. [9] [28]

Honors

In 2016 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. [29] [2] [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Tuite, James (October 20, 1982). "Plays". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 Ryan Torok (February 9, 2017). "Moving & Shaking: Jewish athletes celebrated, NFL players visit home shul, AIPAC holds gala". Jewish Journal.
  3. 1 2 Rich Tosches (October 23, 1982). "16-year-old high school kicker nails record 64-yard field goal". UPI.
  4. 1 2 3 Eliav Appelbaum (January 26, 2017). "USC football legend will be inducted into hall of fame". Thousand Oaks Acorn.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Jerry Crowe (November 19, 2007). "Memories are something else he can hold on to". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ "Ex-NFL player Erik Affholter tells police missing-hiker report a misunderstanding". Ventura County Star. May 14, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Ex-USC, NFL player Erik Affholter missing in Simi Valley hike". Los Angeles Times. May 14, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Affholter hoping to take long drive to Champions Tour". Ventura County Star. June 12, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "ERIK AFFHOLTER; Football - 2016". Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
  10. ↑ "Scoring". San Bernardino Sun. October 19, 1982.
  11. 1 2 3 Wiley, Ralph (November 30, 1987). "USC ROSE TO THE OCCASION". Sports Illustrated.
  12. ↑ "OPHS Football Awards & Honors". HomeTeamsONLINE.
  13. ↑ Richard J. Shmelter (2014). The USC Trojans Football Encyclopedia.
  14. ↑ Tom Kelly, Tom Hoffarth (2012). Tales from the USC Trojans Sideline; A Collection of the Greatest Trojans Stories Ever Told.
  15. ↑ "If It's Friday, It's Time For A USC Notes Column". Sports Illustrated. July 31, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "42 days to USC football: It's not just Ronnie Lott making No. 42 legendary". July 20, 2019.
  17. ↑ "How the UCLA rivalry has determined USC coaches' fates". Los Angeles Daily News. November 16, 2016.
  18. ↑ "USC football: The best wide receivers". The Orange County Register. October 13, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Wolf: What are the most iconic plays in USC history?". Los Angeles Daily News. December 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Ranking the 15 best USC wide receivers of all-time". April 22, 2019.
  21. ↑ Mal Florence (March 27, 2020). "EXCERPT: 'The Trojan Heritage'". USC Athletics.
  22. ↑ "68 days to USC football: Keith Van Horne wasn't quality enough for Notre Dame recruiting". June 24, 2019.
  23. 1 2 "Packers hope Affholter worth wait". Journal Times. August 15, 1990.
  24. ↑ "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  25. ↑ Mellor, Cam (April 22, 2020). "Every USC Trojan selected in the NFL draft". Conquest Chronicles.
  26. ↑ "The 1989 Green Bay Packers (10-6)". www.packershistory.net. Archived from the original on 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  27. ↑ "Wide Receiver Affholter Signs With Chargers as Free Agent". Los Angeles Times. April 2, 1992.
  28. ↑ Keith Jiron (October 19, 2007). "FHS coach Affholter resigns". Arizona Daily Sun.
  29. ↑ "ERIK AFFHOLTER; Football - 2016". Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
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