| No. 82 | |||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | April 10, 1966 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Oak Park (Oak Park, California) | ||||||
| College | USC | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1989: 4th round, 110th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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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. In 2020, he wrote a book named "America's Miracle". [1]
He was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Conrad (a salesman) and Ruth Affholter, and is Jewish. [2] [3] In the early 1970s, the family moved to Agoura, California. [4] He later lived in Anthem, Arizona. [5] [6]
Affholter played football at Oak Park High School in Ventura County, California. [6] 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. [7] [4] [5] [8] [9] [10] A sportswriter at the game estimated it could have gone 74 yards (68 meters). [11] Asked about his kick, Affholter said: "I'd much rather catch touchdown passes." [2] At the time, as a wide receiver he had caught more touchdown passes than any player in his high school conference. [2]
In addition to kicking field goals and extra points, he played tailback, wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. [12] 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. [10] [13]
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. [12] [14] [15] [16] [17] He was athletic, with a 36-inch (910 mm) vertical jump. [12]
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. [6] [18] [19] [20] [10] He was named a member of the 1988 College Football All-America Team, and a Pac-10 All-Academic selection. [21] [9] [22] [10] In 1988 as a senior he led USC with 68 catches for 952 yards and eight touchdowns. [23] He established USC records for most receptions in a season, and in a career (123). [17] [24] Upon graduation, he became a member of the USC Skull and Dagger Society. [10]
He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins. [25] [26] On April 23, 1989, the Redskins then immediately traded him and two draft picks to the Green Bay Packers for quarterback Jeff Graham. [27] [10] 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. [6] He spent the entire season on injured reserve. [24] He played the 1991 season in the NFL for the Packers. [8]
In 1992, he signed with the San Diego Chargers as a free agent. [28] He retired in 1995 due to a career-ending knee injury. [10]
Since retiring, he has coached high school and youth football. [10] [29]
In 2016 he was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. [30] [3] [5]