Steve O'Neal (born February 4, 1946 in
Hearne, Texas
Hearne ( ) is a city in Robertson County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 4,544. The city is named for a family that settled in the area in the 19th century and promoted the construction of rail lines throu ...
) 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 wi ...
punter and a
wide receiver. O'Neal is best known for kicking a 98-yard
punt during the
American Football League game between the
New York Jets and the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
on September 21, 1969. This
punt set the record for the longest punt in
American Football League and professional football history.
[ He finished his career with 337 punts for 13,725 yards and a 40.7 yards per punt average.
]
Professional football career
O'Neal was drafted in the 13th round, pick 21 of the 1969 Common Draft by the AFL's New York Jets. O'Neal was traded by the Jets to the New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
before the 1973 season along with backup quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Bob Davis in exchange for wide receiver Margene Adkins
Margene Adkins (born April 30, 1947) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and New York Jets. He also was a member of the Ottawa Rough Riders in the Can ...
and punter Julian Fagan.Weeb Ewbank
Wilbur Charles "Weeb" Ewbank (May 6, 1907 – November 17, 1998) was an American professional football coach. He led the Baltimore Colts to consecutive NFL championships in 1958 and 1959 and the New York Jets to victory in Super Bowl III in Janu ...
said of the trade that "We've been disappointed with our punting game which is the reason for this trade," although Fagan only lasted one year with the Jets.[ He set a career-high with 81 punts in his final season for the New Orleans Saints in 1973. After struggling during the 1974 preseason, he was waived by the Saints before the 1974 regular season began and replaced by Donnie Gibbs, who himself was waived after the first regular season game and replaced by Tom Blanchard.]
See also
*List of American Football League players
The following is a list of men who played for the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969).
Players
A
B
C
D
Elbert Dubenion
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
Notes
Player notes
1,398 ...
References
1946 births
Living people
People from Hearne, Texas
American football punters
American football wide receivers
Texas A&M Aggies football players
New York Jets players
New Orleans Saints players
American Football League players
People from Bryan, Texas
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