No. 7 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | April 8, 1952||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 194 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | White Bear Lake (White Bear Lake, Minnesota) | ||||||||||
College: | Sioux Falls | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 1974 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Rick Danmeier (born April 8, 1952) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Sioux Falls Cougars.
Danmeier attended White Bear Lake High School, in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. He later attended Lakewood State Junior College, and then Sioux Falls College (now the University of Sioux Falls), where he played college football. [1]
Danmeier tried out for the Vikings in 1976, then caught on with them in 1977, appearing in one game and kicking off one time, after which he was placed injured reserve due to an injury to his hand, in which his finger was amputated. His best season was 1981, when he missed only two field goals from inside the 40, and converted on 21 of 25 field goal attempts. He appeared in nine games for the Vikings in 1982, his last season with the team. [2]
Danmeier was one of the last kickers to employ the straight-on style of kicking. His 1983 season came to an abrupt end late in the preseason when he suffered a herniated disk in his back that required surgery, and he was placed on injured reserve. He returned in 1984, attempting to win his job back, but the Vikings had also brought in Hall of Fame soccer-style kicker, future Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud to compete with Rick and Benny Ricardo (the kicker from the previous season) and Stenerud won the competition.
Danmeier's inactivity left Washington Redskins kicker Mark Moseley as the only remaining full-time placekicker in the NFL to employ the style; all NFL kickers today employ the "soccer-style", in which the kicker approaches the ball at an angle and kicks it with the instep, which was first introduced by the Hungarian brothers Pete and Charlie Gogolak.
Danmeier was inducted to the University of Sioux Falls Cougars hall of fame in 2000. He works as a sales representative in sporting goods.
Morten Andersen, nicknamed "the Great Dane", is a Danish-American former professional football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. Following a career from 1982 to 2007, Andersen holds the NFL record for regular season games played at 382. He also ranks second in field goals (565) and points scored (2,544). In addition to his league accomplishments, he is the Saints all-time leading scorer at 1,318 points. Andersen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. Along with Jan Stenerud, he is one of only two exclusive kickers to receive the honor.
Jan Stenerud is a Norwegian-American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Kansas City Chiefs. The first Norwegian NFL player, he played college football for the Montana State Bobcats and earned All-American honors. Stenerud began his career in the AFL after being selected by the Chiefs during the 1966 draft and joined the NFL following the AFL–NFL merger. Along with his 13 seasons in Kansas City, Stenerud was a member of the Green Bay Packers for four seasons and the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons until retiring in 1985.
In American football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist. The term derives from the attempted scorer kicking the ball "from placement" of a teammate holding the ball rather than by individually drop-kicking the ball through the goal posts.
Martin Gramatica is an Argentine former player of American football who was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats winning the Lou Groza Award and twice earning All-American honors. He was selected by the Buccaneers in the third round of the 1999 NFL draft.
A punter (P) in gridiron football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts (kicks) the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a third down in Canadian football. Punters may also occasionally take part in fake punts in those same situations, when they throw or run the football to get a first down instead of punting.
Jason Hanson is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker who spent his entire 21-year career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football with the Washington State Cougars, he was selected by the Lions in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft with the 56th overall pick. Hanson holds the NFL record for the most seasons played with one team and also holds multiple kicking and scoring records. Due to his longevity and statistical success, even on many non-playoff teams, Hanson is often cited as one of the most-loved players in Detroit Lions franchise history.
John Hall is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He kicked for Port Charlotte High School and played college football at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. While at Wisconsin, Hall played and won three bowl games. He signed as a rookie free agent to the New York Jets in 1997. During his time with the Jets, Hall established himself as one of the hardest hitting kickers in the NFL, once injuring a player on a kickoff tackle. Hall gave the Jets victory in The Monday Night Miracle in 2000 against the Dolphins with a 40-Yard field goal in overtime.
Mark DeWayne Moseley is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played for Philadelphia Eagles (1970), the Houston Oilers (1971–72), the Washington Redskins (1974–86), and the Cleveland Browns (1986). A native of Livingston, Texas, Moseley played quarterback at Texas A&M University and Stephen F. Austin State University before switching to kicker for his senior season at Stephen F. Austin.
Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian was an Armenian-Cypriot American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. During his nine seasons with the Dolphins, Yepremian led the league in scoring in 1971, received two Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro honors, and helped the Dolphins win two Super Bowl titles. Yepremian's first championship victory in Super Bowl VII occurred as a member of the 1972 Dolphins, the only team to complete a perfect season in NFL history. He also played for the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1981.
Aaron John Elling is an American former professional football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Wyoming.
Antonio Guerrero Zendejas is a Mexican-American former professional football placekicker. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League (USFL). After the USFL folded, he was selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Supplemental draft by the Washington Redskins.
Luis Fernando Zendejas is a Mexican former player of American football who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. He also was a member of the Arena Football League (AFL). He later played professionally in the United States Football League (USFL), and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Maximmillian Javier Zendejas is a Mexican former placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at the University of Arizona.
Lindley Franklin Elliott Jr. is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. He earned a Super Bowl ring playing for the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVII, beating the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Texas Tech.
Timothy R. Seder is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, and Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at Ashland University.
Garrett Hartley is an American former professional football placekicker. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Later that year he became the placekicker for the New Orleans Saints, for whom he set an NFL record for most consecutive successful field goals to start a career, and then became the first kicker in NFL history to convert three field goals of more than 40 yards in the Super Bowl. The Saints won Super Bowl XLIV, beating the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Taylor Mehlhaff is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, earning first-team All-American honors in 2007. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Kai August Forbath is an American former professional football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Lou Groza Award in 2009. He played in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams.
Will Reichard is an American professional football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he became the all-time NCAA Division I FBS scoring leader.