Lets Look At Jan Stenerud

Longtime Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Jan Stenerud has had an interesting career path filled with tons of accomplishments that ended him up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Stenerud came to America from Norway on a ski jumping scholarship to Montana State University. While at MSU, Stenerud went out for the football team and with his “soccer style” way of kicking that was not yet popular in football, he promptly broke the record for longest field goal ever kicked when he booted a 59 yarder against the Bobcats big rival the University of Montana Grizzlies.

Stenefud played his first three seasons in pro football in the AFL until the Chiefs team he was on was included in the merger with the NFL. During his three seasons in the AFL he made 70% of his attempted field goals compared with all other listed kickers in both the AFL and NFL who averaged approximately 53%. Stenerud kicked three field goals in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl IV victory over the Baltimore Colts. Stenerud would kick for the Chiefs through the 1979 season before joining the Green Bay Packers for three seasons, and then spending his last two seasons kicking for the Minnesota Vikings. When Stenerud retired following the 1985 season he was the last former AFL player still playing in the NFL. He would enter the Hall-of-Fame in 1991.

Some Jan Stenerud career highlights:

Six time Pro Bowl selection: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, and 1994
Ten time All Pro selection: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1984
Pro Bowl MVP: 1972
There are two other kickers in the Hall-of-Fame (George Blanda and Lou Groza), but Stenerud is the only full time kicker who didn’t play another position in the Hall-of-Fame.

A young man travels from Norway to the USA on a ski jumping scholarship and ends up in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame!