Don Bitterlich

Last updated

Don Bitterlich
No. 4
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1954-01-05) January 5, 1954 (age 70)
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

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

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

David Roy Akers is an American former football kicker who played 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">Sebastian Janikowski</span> Polish-born American football player (born 1978)

Sebastian Paweł Janikowski is a Polish-born former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected 17th overall in the 2000 NFL draft by the Raiders, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. During his final season he played for the Seattle Seahawks.

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

Robert Paul Gould III is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Gould was originally signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played with the Bears from 2005 to 2015, earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2006, and became the franchise's all-time leading scorer.

<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 Green Bay Packers selected him in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

Efrén Herrera is a Mexican-American former football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was selected in the seventh round of the 1974 NFL draft. Herrera played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. He also was a member of the Oklahoma Outlaws in the United States Football League (USFL).

The 1976 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's first season competing in the National Football League (NFL). The 1976 season was the team's only one in the NFC until the league realigned divisions before the 2002 season, at which point the Seahawks were once again placed in the NFC West. The Seahawks obtained a future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee from the Houston Oilers, who had drafted receiver Steve Largent in the 4th round in 1976. Largent would go on to be a first-ballot Hall-of-Fame wide receiver, playing in seven Pro Bowls, recorded over 13,000 receiving yards and score 100 touchdowns in a 14-year career with the Seahawks.

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers season was the 60th year for the team overall, and their 56th season in the NFL. They improved their two-win 2004 season by two games.

<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 selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft. Bryant was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals.

<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. He 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 also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.

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

Gregory ZuerleinZURR-line; 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 St. Louis / 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 football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. 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">Brett Maher (gridiron football)</span> American football player (born 1989)

Brett Maher is an American professional football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Since turning professional in 2013, Maher has been a member of nine different National Football League (NFL) teams, and three Canadian Football League (CFL) teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 San Francisco 49ers season</span> NFL team season

The 2014 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 65th in the National Football League (NFL), the 69th overall, and the fourth and final under the head coach/general manager tandem of Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke. It also marked the 49ers' inaugural season playing their home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

<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 New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Clemson.

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

Bradley Alexander Pinion is an American football punter for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was selected 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 "Zane" Gonzalez is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State University and was selected 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.