Don Bitterlich

Last updated
Don Bitterlich
No. 4
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1954-01-05) January 5, 1954 (age 69)
Warminster, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight:166 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school: William Tennent
College: Temple
NFL Draft: 1976  / Round: 3 / Pick: 92
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Field goals:1
Field goal attempts:4
Field goal %:0.25
Longest field goal:27
Player stats at NFL.com

Donald Bitterlich (born January 5, 1954) is a former professional American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks. Bitterlich kicked the first field goal in the expansion Seahawks history, also the first points ever scored by a Seahawks player.

Contents

College career

A graduate of William Tennent High School, [1] Bitterlich was scouted by Temple Owls football head coach Wayne Hardin during his junior year. During his first tryout with the team, Bitterlich left early as he was scheduled to play accordion in a musical performance at Vitale's Restaurant in Bustleton, Philadelphia. [2] He attended the school with a soccer scholarship, and wanted to major in music, but as athletes were prohibited from doing so, he majored in civil engineering. With the Owls, Bitterlich set six NCAA records. [3] In 1974, Bitterlich was second in the nation for points scored on kicks. [4] The next year, Bitterlich set the record for the longest field goal in Temple history, with a 56-yard field goal. [5] During the year, against Drake, he also broke the NCAA record for the most consecutive conversions with 82, along with tying the NCAA record of for total kicking points with 84. [6] He was inducted into the Temple Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. [3]

Professional career

Bitterlich was selected with in the third round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Seahawks with the 92nd overall pick, the final selection of the round. [7] In the team's first game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Bitterlich scored the first points in Seahawks history with a 27-yard field goal. [8] However, he would miss three kicks later in the season against the San Francisco 49ers, [9] and was released after three games. [3] After being released by the Seahawks, Bitterlich tried out with the Philadelphia Eagles and two other teams, but was not signed. [3]

Personal life

Bitterlich has a German ancestry. [1] Bitterlich is currently a project manager for the Daniel J. Keating Company. [3] Bitterlich is also an accordionist, an instrument he had been playing since he was 7. [2] A Christian, Bitterlich was a Sunday school teacher for 27 years. [3] He and his wife, Ellen, [2] have two daughters: Lisa, a Fellowship of Christian Athletes missionary, and Elizabeth, a J.Crew Boston store manager. [3]

Related Research Articles

A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Akers</span> American football player (born 1974)

David Roy Akers is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. He began his career in 1998 with the Washington Redskins after not making the main roster of the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. The following year, he signed with the Eagles, where he spent 12 seasons. Akers was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions before retiring in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Rackers</span> American football player (born 1976)

Neil Wilmpom Rackers is a former American football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. He played college football for the University of Illinois. Rackers was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, and also played for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, and Washington Redskins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robbie Gould</span> American football player (born 1982)

Robert Paul Gould III is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Gould was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Penn State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Bryant</span> American football player (born 1975)

Steven Matt Bryant, nicknamed "Money Matt", is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000. A Pro Bowler with the Falcons in 2016, he has also been a member of the New York Giants, Frankfurt Galaxy, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Florida Tuskers, and is among the most-accurate kickers in NFL history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason Crosby</span> American football player (born 1984)

Mason Walker Crosby is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Colorado, and earned unanimous All-American honors. The Packers chose him in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Packers' Super Bowl XLV championship team against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field goal</span> Means of scoring in gridiron football

A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges. American football requires that a field goal must only come during a play from scrimmage while Canadian football retains open field kicks and thus field goals may be scored at any time from anywhere on the field and by any player. The vast majority of field goals, in both codes, are place kicked. Drop kicked field goals were common in the early days of gridiron football but are almost never attempted in modern times. In most leagues, a successful field goal awards three points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Bryant</span> American football player (born 1984)

Joseph Anthony "Red" Bryant is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Texas A&M, and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Bryant also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Hauschka</span> American football player (born 1985)

Stephen Theodore Hauschka is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Bailey (American football)</span> American football player (born 1988)

Dan Bailey is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). Bailey grew up in the Oklahoma City area and played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Following the 2011 NFL Draft, Bailey signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. He spent seven years in Dallas, where he became the franchise's all-time leader in field goals made. Bailey also played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2018 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Maxwell</span> American football player (born 1988)

Byron S. Maxwell is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, where he was a member of the Seahawks' defensive group known as the Legion of Boom. Maxwell has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raheem Mostert</span> American football player (born 1992)

Dominique Raheem Mostert is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Zuerlein</span> American football player (born 1987)

Gregory Zuerlein, nicknamed "Greg the Leg" and "Legatron", is an American football placekicker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, he played college football at Nebraska-Omaha and Missouri Western. He previously played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blair Walsh</span> American football player (born 1990)

Blair Richard Walsh is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). Walsh played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandler Catanzaro</span> American football player (born 1991)

Chandler Catanzaro is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and later played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Clemson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Boswell</span> American football player (born 1991)

Christopher Lynn Boswell is an American football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rice and was signed by the Houston Texans in 2014 as an undrafted free agent and has also spent time with the New York Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Pinion</span> American football player (born 1994)

Bradley Alexander Pinion is an American football punter and kickoff specialist for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Myers</span> American football player (born 1991)

Jason Myers is an American football placekicker for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Marist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zane Gonzalez</span> American football player (born 1995)

Holden Fortunato Gonzalez is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State University and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Gonzalez holds the NCAA Division I record for field goals made in a career. He was a unanimous All-American in 2016. He was awarded the Lou Groza Award in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bitterlich Kicks His Way Into Record Books". Suburban One Sports. June 13, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Fleischman, Bill (October 5, 1995). "Owls Football Accordion To Ex-kicker Bitterlich". Philadelphia Media Network . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Getting a Kick Out of Construction Project Management". Temple University . September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  4. ↑ "19Th Hole: The Readers Take Over". Sports Illustrated . November 10, 1975. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  5. ↑ Gelston, Dan (September 3, 2010). "Temple beats Villanova 31-24 on late 43-yard FG". Boston.com . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  6. ↑ Wieskopf, Herman (December 1, 1975). "Football's Week". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ "1976 NFL Draft Pick List and Results – Round 3". ESPN . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  8. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals 30 at Seattle Seahawks 24". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  9. ↑ "San Francisco 49ers 37 at Seattle Seahawks 21". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved September 10, 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.