Mac L. Percival (born February 26, 1940, in

Vernon, Texas Vernon is a city and the county seat of Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. and as of the 2010 Census had a population of 11,002. History The original town was called Eagle Springs by the indigenous community as early as 1858. After the ...

) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

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. Spe ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

and

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

Early years

Percival attended Vernon High School. He used a straight-away style as one of the

kickers Kickers is a youth brand created in 1970 in France that produces a wide range of footwear and clothing. Kickers was bought in 2007 by the Royer group. Kickers are primarily popular amongst British school children, with Kickers 'Lo' style shoe ...

for the football team, but was only involved in kickoffs and

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

s. He also

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

, which was his main sport. He accepted a

scholarship from

, but did not play football during his time in college.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

In the Sixties, the

employed a kicking caravan search to unearth potential kickers. Percival was signed as an

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 a ...

after the

1967 NFL Draft The 1967 National Football League draft was conducted March 14–15, 1967, at the Gotham Hotel in New York City. It was the first common draft with the AFL, part of the AFL–NFL merger agreement of June 1966. This draft was delayed as new gui ...

, based on his performance in one of those searches, even though he never played a down of

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 ...

and that he had spent four years after college as a high school teacher. On September 6, he was traded along with

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

Austin Denney Austin Cheek Denney Jr. (January 2, 1944 – January 20, 2009) was an American football tight end in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Tennessee. Early years De ...

to the

in exchange for a third round draft choice (#71-

Ed Harmon Edward Charles Harmon (born December 16, 1946 in North Tonawanda, New York) is a former American football linebacker for the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at the University of Louisville. Early year ...

Chicago Bears

In 1967, the

acquired Percival to replace

kicker Kicker or The Kicker may refer to: Sports * Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football * ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany * Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player * Kicker, the word used i ...

Roger LeClerc. In his rookie season, he made 13 out of 26 field goals after appearing in 14 games. In 1968, with the coaching help of

Ben Agajanian Benjamin James "The Toeless Wonder" Agajanian (August 28, 1919 – February 8, 2018) was an American American football player, primarily a placekicker in the National Football League, the All-America Football Conference and American Football Leag ...

, he refined his technique and went on to make 25 out of 36 field goals, while scoring 100 points and becoming only the third player in franchise history to achieve that mark in a season. He is also the last Bears kicker to make five field goals in a game, which he accomplished against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

on October 10, during a 29–16 win. During his tenure with the Bears, he made 99 out of 182 field goals (54.4%) and scored 456 points.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On September 10, 1974, he was acquired by the

to replace George Hunt. He only lasted three games before being replaced by

Efren Herrera Efren or Efrén is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Efrén Echeverría (born 1932), musician guitarist, composer, and compiler from Paraguay *Efrén Pérez Rivera (born 1929), former college professor and noted Puerto Rican envi ...

Free kick

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, the Bears were facing their longtime

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. With :26 remaining in the game with the score tied at 10–10, Bears returner

Cecil Turner Cecil Turner (born April 2, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for six seasons for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He went to the Pro Bowl after the 1970 season, when he t ...

fair-caught a Packers punt at the Packers 43-yard line. The Bears decided to kick the game-winning kick as a

fair catch kick The fair catch kick is a rule at the professional and high school levels of American football that allows a team that has just made a fair catch to attempt a free kick from the spot of the catch. The kick must be either a place kick or a drop ki ...

, which has rarely been done before. Percival was able to make the 43-yarder to win the game. The kick was Percival's second game-winner, as he kicked a 47-yarder with :03 left against their rival in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

to give the Bears a 26–24 win at

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

the week before. Four years later in a 1972 exhibition game against the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

, Percival once again attempted a free kick. However, this time, the kick, which was 50 yards, missed. The Bears still won 20–17.Pierson, Don (Aug. 11, 1972). "Bears defeat Oilers 20-17". ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', p. c1.

References

External links

Bears Getting a Boot Out of PercivalPercival is not hen-pecked, but he listens to his wife
{{DEFAULTSORT:Percival, Mac 1940 births Living people People from Vernon, Texas People from Garland, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football placekickers Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball players Dallas Cowboys players Chicago Bears players American men's basketball players