|
Mike Clark (placekicker)
Michael Vincent Clark (November 7, 1940 – July 24, 2002) was an American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Texas A&M University. Early years Clark attended Longview High School, where he played as a wide receiver. He accepted a football scholarship from Texas A&M University under head coach Jim Myers. Clark had never tried kicking a field goal until being on the freshman team. He became the starter after one game, when the player in front of him was injured while trying to break up a wedge on special teams. Professional career Philadelphia Eagles Clark was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent after the 1963 NFL Draft. He was mainly a kickoff specialist. On September 1, 1964, he was sold to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh Steelers In 1964, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired Clark after deciding to trade Lou Michae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Specialized role The kicker initially was not a specialized role. Prior to the 1934 standardization of the prolate spheroid shape of the ball, drop kicking was the prevalent method of kicking field goals and conversions, but even after its replacement by place kicking, until the 1960s the kicker almost always doubled at another position on the roster. George Blanda, Lou Groza, Frank Gifford and Paul Hornung are prominent examples of players who were stars at other positions as well as being known for their kicking abilities. When the one-platoon system was abolished in the 1940s, the era of "two-way" players gave way to increased specialization, teams would employ a specialist at the punter or kicker position. Ben Agajanian, who started his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
College Football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most other sports in North America, no official minor league farm organizations exist in American or Canadian football. Therefore, college football is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; one step ahead of high school competition, and one step below professional competition (the NFL). In some areas of the US, especially the South and the Midwest, college football is more popular than professional football, and for much of the 20th century college football was seen as more prestigious. A player's performance in college football directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will typically declare for the professional draft after three to four years of colleg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike Connelly
Michael James Connelly (October 16, 1935 – October 4, 2021) was an American professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Utah State University and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1959 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Early years Connelly attended Pasadena High School, where he practiced football and baseball. He accepted a scholarship from Washington State University, playing freshman football. He then transferred to Pasadena City College for one season. He later signed for a 2-year stint with the United States Marine Corps, before moving on to play football at Utah State University from 1958 to 1959, where he was a two-way player, center/guard on offense and linebacker on defense. He garnered All-Skyline conference honors as a senior. Professional career Los Angeles Rams Connelly was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 12th ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1968 NFL Season
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season (NFL), regular season of the National Football League. Per the agreement made during the 1967 NFL season, 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division. The season ended when the 1968 Baltimore Colts season, Baltimore Colts defeated the 1968 Cleveland Browns season, Cleveland Browns in the NFL Championship Game, only to be defeated by the American Football League's 1968 New York Jets season, New York Jets in Super Bowl III at the Miami Orange Bowl, Orange Bowl in Miami. Subsequently, it was the first time in the history of professional football in which the NFL champion was not crowned as the world champion. One year later, this feat would be repeated, as the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. Draft The 1968 NFL/AFL Draft, the first time that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1966 NFL Season
The 1966 NFL season was the 47th regular season of the National Football League, and the first season in which the Super Bowl was played, though it was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The league expanded to 15 teams with the addition of the Atlanta Falcons, making a bye necessary each week for one team. This was the last season that the NFL was divided only into two separate conferences, and only one postseason round was played, that being between the two conference champions. The season concluded with the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game; the NFL champion Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 15, 1967. The interleague championship game would eventually be named the Super Bowl, and the 1966 season is now considered the first of the ''Super Bowl era''. Pat Studstill for the Detroit Lions set a record for consecutive games with more than 125 receiving yards with five, a record which was not ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It was the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts, the first having played for three years in the All-America Football Conference and one in the National Football League (NFL). The 1953–83 Baltimore Colts team played its home games at Memorial Stadium. Franchise history The Baltimore Colts were one of the first NFL teams to have cheerleaders, a marching band and a team "fight song" (along with the nearby Washington Redskins, forty miles southwest in the nation's capital). The Baltimore Colts were named after Baltimore's 149-year-old annual "Preakness Stakes", a premier thoroughbred horse racing event, second jewel of the famous "Triple Crown" championship series of the sport run at the historic Pimlico Race Course si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lou Michaels
Louis Andrew "Lou" Michaels (originally Majka) (September 28, 1935 – January 19, 2016) was an American football player who was a standout defensive lineman for the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1955 to 1957. After Kentucky's victory over archrival Tennessee in 1957, Michaels has been quoted saying, "Nothing sucks like a Big Orange." Michaels played professionally for 14 years, 1958–71, with the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He also played placekicker, and was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1962 and 1963 seasons. In 1962, Michaels led the league in field goals made. He finished his career with a 54.8% field goal percentage and 955 points. By 1969 he was almost exclusively a placekicker for the Colts but after a season in which he was successful on less than half his field goal attempts and struggled especially with longer kicks, rookie Jim O'Brien won the Colts placekickin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1964 NFL Season
The 1964 NFL season was the 45th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season started, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle reinstated Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras, who had been suspended for the 1963 season due to gambling. Beginning this season, the home team in each game was allowed the option of wearing their white jerseys. Since 1957, league rules had mandated that the visiting team wear white and the home team wear colored jerseys. The NFL also increased the regular season roster limit from 37 to 40 active players, which would remain unchanged for a decade. The season ended when the Cleveland Browns shut out the Baltimore Colts 27–0 in the NFL Championship Game. Draft The 1964 NFL Draft was held on December 2, 1963 at Chicago's Sheraton Hotel & Towers. With the first pick, the San Francisco 49ers selected end Dave Parks from Texas Tech University. Rule changes Active roster changes Prior ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kickoff (gridiron Football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return'' the ball, i.e., attempt to advance it towards the kicking team's end zone, until the player with the ball is tackled by the kicking team, goes out of bounds, scores a touchdown, or the play is otherwise ruled dead. Kickoffs take place at the start of each half of play, the beginning of overtime in some overtime formats, and after scoring plays. Common variants on the typical kickoff format include the onside kick, in which the kicking team attempts to regain possession of the ball; a touchback, which may occur if the ball is kicked into the receiving team's end zone; or a fair catch, in which a player on the receiving team asks to catch the ball without interference from the kicking team, waiving his entitlement to attempt a return rush ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1963 NFL Draft
The 1963 National Football League draft was held at the Sheraton in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, December 3, 1962. The first overall selection was quarterback Terry Baker of Oregon State, the Heisman Trophy winner, taken by the Los Angeles Rams. The AFL draft was held two days earlier in Dallas. Player selections Round one Round two Round three Round four Round five Round six Round seven Round eight Round nine Round ten Round eleven Round twelve * 4 Signed with the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League. Round thirteen Round fourteen Round fifteen Round sixteen Round seventeen Round eighteen Round nineteen Round twenty Hall of Famers * Bobby Bell, linebacker from Minnesota taken 2nd round, 16th overall by the Minnesota Vikings.Bobby Bell signed with the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League :Inducted: Professional Football Hall of Fame class of 1983.List of 1980s Hall of Fame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Undrafted Free Agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is allowed to solicit offers from other teams. In some circumstances, the free agent's options are limited by league rules. Types Terms Unrestricted free agent Unrestricted free agents are players without a team. They have either been released from their club, had the term of their contract expire without a renewal, or were not chosen in a league's draft of amateur players. These people, generally speaking, are free to entertain offers from all other teams in the player's most recent league and elsewhere and to decide with whom to sign a contract. Players who have been bought out of league standard contracts may have restrictions within that league, such as not being able to sign with the buy-out club for a period of time in the NHL, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Special Teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitutions", meaning that they may change any number of players during any "dead ball" situation. This has resulted in the development of three task-specific "platoons" of players within any single team: the offense (the team with possession of the ball, which is trying to score), the defense (the team trying to prevent the other team from scoring, and to take the ball from them), and the so-called 'special teams' (who play in all kicking situations). Within these three separate "platoons", various positions exist depending on the jobs that the players are doing. Offense In American football, the offense is the team that has possession of the ball and is advancing toward the opponent's end zone to score points. The eleven players of the offen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
