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A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in
gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...
. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges. American football requires that a field goal must only come during a play from scrimmage (except in the case of a fair catch kick) while Canadian football retains open field kicks and thus field goals may be scored at any time from anywhere on the field and by any player. The vast majority of field goals, in both codes, are place kicked. Drop kicked field goals were common in the early days of gridiron football but are almost never done in modern times. In most leagues, a successful field goal awards three points (a notable exception is
six-man football Six-man football is a variant of gridiron football played with six players per team, instead of the standard 11 or 12. It is generally played by high schools in rural areas of the United States and Canada. History Six-man football was developed ...
in which, due to the small number of players available to stop the opposing team from blocking the kick, a field goal is worth four points). A field goal may also be scored through a fair catch kick, but this is extremely rare. Since a field goal is worth only three points, as opposed to a
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
, which is worth six points, it is usually only attempted in specific situations (see Strategy). The goal structure consists of a horizontal crossbar suspended above the ground, with two vertical goalposts apart extending vertically from each end of the crossbar. In American football, the goals are centered on each end line; in Canadian football, they are centered on each goal line.


Strategy

As a field goal is worth only three points, while a touchdown scores at least six (which usually becomes seven with a successful
conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...
, and potentially eight with a two-point conversion), teams will generally attempt a field goal only in the following situations: * It is last down (third in Canadian football, fourth down in American football), especially if the offense is more than a yard or two from a new first down, and within kicking range of the goal posts (about 45 yards at the professional level). * In the first half, if there is only enough time remaining to execute just one more play, regardless of the down. * In the waning moments of the second half, if a successful kick will win or tie the game. In this situation, a team may choose to attempt the field goal on an earlier down or if there is still enough time remaining to execute more than one play. If there are problems with the snap or hold, the team would be then able to abort the kick attempt (kneel down, or throw an incomplete pass), and still have at least one down and time remaining to re-attempt the kick. * In overtime, if a successful field goal will win and end the game, a team may choose to attempt a game-winning kick as soon as they get into field goal range (for example, a long pass completion that advances the ball inside the opponent's 20-yard line). In this situation, a team may just decide to try to end the game rather than risk another play that could result in an interception or fumble. Except in desperate situations, a team will generally attempt field goals only when keeping a drive alive is unlikely, and its kicker has a significant chance of success, as a missed field goal results in a turnover at the spot of the kick (in the NFL) or at the line of scrimmage (in the NCAA). In American high school rules and Canadian football, where a missed field goal is treated the same as a punt, most teams still opt not to attempt field goals from very long range since field goal formations are not conducive to covering kick returns. Even under ideal conditions, the best professional kickers historically had difficulty making kicks longer than 50 yards consistently. If a team chooses not to attempt a field goal on their last down, they can punt to the other team. A punt cannot score any points in American football unless the receiving team touches the ball first and the kicking team recovers it (though it can result in a single in Canadian football), but it may push the other team back toward its own end. The longest field goal kick in NFL history is 66 yards, a record set by
Justin Tucker Justin Paul Tucker (born November 21, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 201 ...
on September 26, 2021, which broke the record previously held by Matt Prater (2013) at 64 yards. The third longest is 63, originally set by Tom Dempsey (1970) and then matched by Jason Elam (1998), Sebastian Janikowski (2011), David Akers (2012), Graham Gano (2018), and Brett Maher (2019). The record in the CFL is 62 yards, set by Paul McCallum on October 27, 2001. High school, college and most professional football leagues offer only a three-point field goal; however, some professional leagues have encouraged more rare kicks through ''four-point field goals''. NFL Europe encouraged long field goals of 50 yards or more by making those worth four points instead of three (much like Australian rules' Super Goal or basketball's
three-point line A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two po ...
), a rule since adopted by the Stars Football League. Similarly, the sport of arena football sought (unsuccessfully) to repopularize the drop kick by making that worth four points; it failed, since only one kicker ( Brian Mitchell) was able to do it with any semblance of proficiency. (In
six-man football Six-man football is a variant of gridiron football played with six players per team, instead of the standard 11 or 12. It is generally played by high schools in rural areas of the United States and Canada. History Six-man football was developed ...
, all field goals are worth four points instead of the usual three.) The overall field goal percentage during the
2010 NFL season The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League and the 45th of the Super Bowl era. The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Or ...
was 82.3%. In comparison, Jan Stenerud, one of only three pure kickers in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...
(along with fellow placekicker
Morten Andersen Morten Andersen (born 19 August 1960), nicknamed the "Great Dane", is a Danish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. ...
and punter
Ray Guy William Ray Guy (December 22, 1949 – November 3, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a punter for the Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Guy was a first-team All-American selection ...
), had a career field goal percentage of 66.8% from 1967 to 1985.


How field goals are kicked

When a team decides to attempt a field goal, it will generally line up in a very tight formation, with all but two players lined up along or near the line of scrimmage: the
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. S ...
and the holder. The holder is usually the team's punter or 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 Am ...
. Instead of the regular center, a team may have a dedicated long snapper trained especially to snap the ball on placekick attempts and punts. The holder usually lines up seven to eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, with the kicker a few yards behind him. Upon receiving the snap, the holder holds the ball against the ground vertically, with the stitches away from the kicker. The kicker begins his approach during the snap, so the snapper and holder have little margin for error. A split-second mistake can disrupt the entire attempt. Depending on the level of play, the ball, upon reaching the holder, is held up by either the aid of a small rubber "tee" (all ranks up to the high school level, which is not the same as the kickoff tee, but rather a small platform, and comes in either 1 or 2 inch varieties) or is held up by the ground (in college and at the professional level). The measurement of a field goal's distance is from the goalpost to the point where the ball was positioned for the kick by the holder. In American football, where the goalpost is located at the back of the end zone (above the end line), the ten yards of the end zone are added to the yard line distance at the spot of the hold. Until the 1960s, placekickers approached the ball
straight on "Straight On" is a song recorded by the rock band Heart. It was released as the first single from the band's 1978 album '' Dog & Butterfly''. In the U.S., "Straight On" became Heart's third single to crack the top twenty, peaking at number fiftee ...
, with the toe making first contact with the ball. The technique of kicking the ball " soccer-style", by approaching the ball at an angle and kicking it with the instep, was introduced by Hungarian-born kicker Pete Gogolak in the 1960s. Reflecting his roots in European soccer, Gogolak observed that kicking the ball at an angle could cover more distance than kicking straight-on; he played college football at
Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
and made his pro debut in 1964 with the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...
of the
AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
; his younger brother
Charlie Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority * ...
was also an NFL kicker. The soccer-style kick gained popularity and was nearly universal by the late 1970s; the last full-time straight-on kicker in the NFL was
Mark Moseley Mark DeWayne Moseley (born March 12, 1948) 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 ...
, who retired in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal en ...
.


Successful field goals

If there is any time left in the half, the method of resuming play after a successful field goal varies between leagues.


Missed field goals

A missed field goal is said to be "no good" if the kicked ball does not cross between the uprights and over the crossbar of the goal posts. If it misses to the side of the uprights, it may be called "wide left" or "wide right" as the case may be. A field goal attempt may be described as "short" if it does not have sufficient distance to go over the cross bar. Some commentators will only describe a field goal attempt as being short if it appears to have been aimed correctly while others will describe an attempt appearing to lack both accuracy and distance as being both wide and short. If a field goal attempt is missed, and the ball does not go out of bounds and has not been ruled dead by a referee, then a defensive player may advance the ball, as with a punt or kickoff. This type of play usually occurs either during an extremely long field goal attempt, or if the attempt is blocked. A notable return of a short field goal attempt was the Kick Six, which ended the 2013 Iron Bowl. If there is a significant likelihood of a miss and the strategic game situation warrants it, the defense places a player downfield, in or near their end zone, to catch the ball. The risk in this is that the return man may be tackled deep in his own territory, at a considerably worse position than he could have gotten by letting the ball go dead (see below); furthermore, should the returner fumble the ball, the kicking team can recover it and gain a new set of downs (the advantage is that the kicking team is lined up very close together to stop kick blockers, and not spread across the field like a kickoff or punt team, and is therefore in poor position to defend the return). Thus, teams will usually return a kick only towards the end of a half (when the kick will be the final play) or in a particularly desperate situation. If a ball caroms off one of the goal posts or the crossbar but lands in the field of play, the ball is considered dead and cannot be returned. (This is not the case in arena football, where large "rebound nets" surround the goal posts for the explicit purpose of keeping the ball in play.) However, if the ball continues into the goal after caroming, the score counts. Situations where the defense does not return a missed field goal vary between leagues and levels of play:


Blocked field goals

Occasionally, the defense will succeed in blocking a field goal. If the ball falls in or behind the neutral zone, it is treated like a
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
and can be advanced by either team. If the ball instead falls forward beyond the neutral zone, it is treated like a missed field goal under the rules explained above.


History

In the early days of football, kicking was emphasized. In
1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Janua ...
, the scoring system was devised with field goals counting for five points, and touchdowns and conversions worth four points. In 1897, the touchdown was raised to five points while the conversion was lowered to one point. (In 1958, the NCAA created the two-point conversion for conversions scored via run or pass; the NFL followed suit in 1994.) Field goals were devalued to four points in 1904, and then to the modern three points in 1909. The touchdown was changed to six points in
1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ** German geophysicist Alfred ...
in American football; the Canadian game followed suit in 1956. The spot of the conversion has also changed through the years. In
1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...
, NCAA rules spotted the conversion at the 3-yard line, before moving it back to the 5-yard line in 1925. In 1929, the spot was moved up to the 2-yard line, matching the NFL. In 1968, the NCAA diverged from the NFL rules and moved the spot back to the original 3-yard line. Canadian rules originally spotted the conversion at the 5-yard line, which remains closer than in the American code (for kicked conversions) as the goalposts are at the front of the end zone. In , to make conversion kicks harder, the NFL and CFL moved the line of scrimmage for conversion kicks to the 15- and 25-yard lines, respectively. (The CFL also moved the spot for two-point conversion attempts to the 3-yard line, while then NFL remained at the 2-yard line.) The goalposts were originally located on the goal line; this led to many injuries and sometimes interfered with play. The NCAA moved the goal posts to the rear of the end zone in 1927. The NFL (still following NCAA rules at the time) followed suit, but moved the posts back to the goal line starting in the 1932 NFL Playoff Game, a change made necessary by the size of the indoor
Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. ...
and kept when the NFL rules stopped mirroring the NCAA rules in . The NFL kept the goal posts at the goal line until 1974, when they were moved back to the rear of the end zone, where they have remained since. This was partly a result of the narrowed hashmark distance made in (making them the same width as the goalposts), which had made for easier field-goal angles. The Canadian game still has posts on the goal line. The width of the goalposts and the hashmarks have also varied throughout the years. In 1959, the NCAA goalposts were widened to , the standard width for high school posts today. In 1991, the college goalposts were reduced in width to , matching the NFL. For the 1991 and
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...
seasons, this meant potentially severe angles for short field goal attempts, since the hashmark width remained at . In 1993, the NCAA narrowed the distance between the hashmarks to , matching what was the width of hashmarks in the NFL from through ; as mentioned above, the NFL narrowed the hashmarks in 1972 to goalpost width at . Canadian hash marks in amateur play are apart, 24 yards from each sideline. The
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
formerly used this spacing, but narrowed the hash mark spacing to in 2022. The Canadian field is in width, wider than the American field. The NFL increased the height of the uprights above the crossbar to in and in 1974. In , they were raised five feet to after the adoption of a proposal by
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
head coach Bill Belichick. The "slingshot" goalpost, having a single post curving 90° up from the ground to support the crossbar, was invented by Jim Trimble and Joel Rottman in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The first ones were built by Alcan and displayed at the
Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...
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in Montreal. The NFL had standardized its goalposts in 1966 and adopted the slingshot for the season. The NCAA subsequently adopted the same rule, but later allowed the use of "offset" goalposts with the older two-post base. The CFL was the first league to use the slingshot goalposts. They debuted in the 2nd game of the CFL's Eastern Conference final in 1966 at Montreal's Autostade because Landsdowne Park (now TD Place Stadium), the home of Ottawa Rough Riders, was undergoing renovations. They were also used in the
Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
the next week at Vancouver's Empire Stadium. Three schools in
Division I FBS The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). ...
currently use dual-support posts:
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
, LSU, and
Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a U.S. state, state in the Northwestern United States, Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first President of the United States, U.S. p ...
. A special exemption was allowed by the NFL for 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 ...
to use the offset goalposts during the
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season, when they used LSU's stadium for home games after
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
. Goalposts at the professional level today are sometimes equipped with a video camera mounted to the stanchion immediately behind the center of the crossbar. Since these cameras are both above and slightly behind the crossbar, a field goal attempt will be judged good if it strikes this equipment. A small plastic tee, which can be high (smaller than the kickoff tee), may be used for field goals and extra points in some leagues, including US high schools and Canadian amateur play. The NFL (and most other professional leagues) has never allowed the use of tees for field goal kick attempts, having always required kickers to kick off the ground for such attempts (and for extra points; a rare exception for a U.S.-based pro league to allow the usage of such tees for such attempts was the original USFL in the 1980s). In 1948, the NCAA authorized the use of the small rubberized kicking tee for extra points and field goals, but banned them by
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, requiring kicks from the ground, as in the NFL. The CFL allows the use of a tee for field goals and convert kicks, but it is optional. During the NFL season, a record 90 field goals of 50 yards or longer were made. In , this record was raised to 92 field goals of 50 yards or longer.


Longest field goal records

According to the
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, the longest recorded field goal successfully kicked at any level was 69 yards. It was kicked by
Ove Johansson Ove Claes Johansson (born March 31, 1948) is a former American football placekicker and the current holder of the record for the longest field goal ever kicked during an American football game, at , for Abilene Christian University in their Octo ...
of the Abilene Christian University Wildcats in the 1976 game against East Texas State University Lions (now Texas A&M University–Commerce) in
Shotwell Stadium Shotwell Stadium is a stadium in Abilene, Texas. It was built in 1959, using Rice Stadium as a model. It was initially named the Public Schools Stadium. The first game played in the Stadium was in the fall of 1959. Shortly after the first season, ...
, Abilene, Texas.


NFL

The longest successful field goal in NFL history was 66 yards by
Justin Tucker Justin Paul Tucker (born November 21, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 201 ...
of the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
on September 26, 2021. The longest field goal attempt in an NFL game was 76 yards by Sebastian Janikowski of the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
against the San Diego Chargers on September 28, 2008. Prior to Dempsey's 1970 kick, the longest field goal in NFL history was 56 yards, by Bert Rechichar of the
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 breed ...
A 55-yard field goal, achieved by a drop kick, was recorded by Paddy Driscoll in , and stood as the unofficial record until that point; some sources indicate a 54-yarder by Glenn Presnell in as the due to the inability to precisely verify Driscoll's kick. In a pre-season NFL game between 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 ...
and the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...
on August 29, 2002,
Ola Kimrin Ola Fredrik Andreas Kimrin (born February 29, 1972) is a Swedish former American football placekicker who most recently played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. Background and college Kimrin kicked for the Limhamn G ...
kicked a 65-yard field goal. However, because pre-season games are not counted toward official records, this accomplishment did not stand as the official record, even before Tucker bested it in 2021.


CFL

*62 yards, Paul McCallum, Saskatchewan Roughriders vs.
Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Comm ...
, October 27, 2001CFL, "Regular Season All-Time Records", retrieved February 9, 2011. *60 yards, Dave Ridgway, Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers, September 6, 1987


College football

*69 yards,
Ove Johansson Ove Claes Johansson (born March 31, 1948) is a former American football placekicker and the current holder of the record for the longest field goal ever kicked during an American football game, at , for Abilene Christian University in their Octo ...
, Abilene Christian vs.
East Texas State East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
on October 16, 1976. (NAIA) *67 yards, Tom Odle, Fort Hays State vs. Washburn, 1988. (NCAA) *67 yards, Joe Williams,
Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study ...
vs.
Southern Illinois Southern Illinois, also known as Little Egypt, is the southern third of Illinois, principally along and south of Interstate 64. Although part of a Midwestern state, this region is aligned in culture more with that of the Upland South than the Mi ...
, 1978. (NCAA Division I) *67 yards, Russell Erxleben,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
vs.
Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
, 1977. (NCAA Division I) *67 yards, Steve Little,
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
vs.
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, 1977. (NCAA Division I) *65 yards,
J. T. Haxall John Triplett "Jerry" Haxall (April 22, 1860 – July 9, 1939) was a college football player. On November 30, 1882, he kicked a 65-yard field goal from placement for a then record in the Princeton–Yale contest at the Polo Grounds. The r ...
,
Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...
vs.
Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
, 1882. *65 yards, Tony Franklin, Texas A&M vs. Baylor on October 16, 1976. (NCAA Division I) All of the above kicks were successful with the use of a kicking tee, which was banned by the NCAA after the 1988 season. *65 yards, Martin Gramatica, Kansas State vs. Northern Illinois, 1998 - without a tee; also the longest field goal since the NCAA narrowed the goalposts from 23 feet, 4 inches to 18 feet, 6 inches in 1991. The longest known drop-kicked field goal in college football was a 62-yard kick from Pat O'Dea, an Australian kicker who played for
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. O'Dea's kick took place in a blizzard against Northwestern on November 15, 1898.


U Sports

The longest field goal in
U Sports football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confe ...
history is 59 yards, by Niko Difonte of Calgary Dinos, playing against the
UBC Thunderbirds The UBC Thunderbirds are the athletic teams that represent the University of British Columbia in the University Endowment Lands just outside the city limits of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In Canadian intercollegiate competition, the Thu ...
on November 11, 2017. The field goal was the final and winning play of the 81st Hardy Cup.


High school

*68 yards, Dirk Borgognone, Reno High School vs.
Sparks High School Sparks High School is a public high school located at 820 15th Street, Sparks, Nevada, United States. It serves about 1150 students as a member of the Washoe County School District. It is ranked in the top-1000 schools based on the number of AP exa ...
(Nevada), September 27, 1985Santoro, Joe (2005)
For a moment in time, he was The Kid Who Made The Kick
RGJ.com. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
*67 yards,
Austin Rehkow Austin Rehkow (born March 17, 1995) is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football for the Idaho Vandals football team at the University of Idaho. Early years Rehkow was raised in Veradale, Washington and atten ...
,
Central Valley High School (Spokane Valley, Washington) Central Valley High School, often referred to as "CV", is a high school located in Spokane Valley, Washington. Central Valley is one of the three high schools in Central Valley School District #356. History Central Valley High School was origi ...
vs. Shadle Park High School (Spokane, Washington), October 18, 2012, game-tying FG with :02 left in 4th quarter (CV would go on to win 62-55).Jenks, Jayson. (2012)

Central Valley's Austin Rehkow kicks state-record 67-yard field goal. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
Brown, Nathan. (2012)

Austin Rehkow Incredible RECORD 67-Yard Field Goal!!!
*62 yards, David Rosenbaum, Jackson-Reed High School, Woodrow Wilson High School vs. Spingarn High School, October 3, 2003. *62 yards, Russell Wheatley, Permian High School (Odessa, TX) vs
Longview High School Longview High School (colloquially known as LHS) is a public high school located in the city of Longview, Texas, in Gregg County, United States and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Longview Independent School District ...
, December 13, 1975


Independent amateur

*68 yards, Fabrizio Scaccia, Treasure Coast Bobcats (FL), March 29, 2009 (world record for a kick without the aid of a tee, which was banned for field goal and extra point attempts in the NCAA in 1989)


Independent Women's Football League

* 44 yards, Sarah Oliver,
California Quake The California Quake was a women's professional tackle American football, football team based in Los Angeles County, California. The Quake played for 13 seasons in the Western Conference of the Independent Women's Football League. Home games were ...
vs.
New Mexico Menace The New Mexico Menace is a football team in the Independent Women's Football League based in Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most ...
, April 26, 2008.


Longest missed field goal return records


NFL

Field goal returns are rare in the NFL, since an attempt with sufficient distance that misses the uprights will automatically be dead. Returns are possible when a field goal is short, but in that case returners will usually down the ball so as to scrimmage from the spot of the kick. Normally, a return will only be attempted when there is not enough time left in the half to run a play from scrimmage. Nevertheless, the following five field goals have been returned for at least 107 yards in the 21st century (the record set by
Antonio Cromartie Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and current cornerback coach for the Texas A&M Aggies football team. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round by the San Dieg ...
in 2007, and later tied by Jamal Agnew in 2021, 109 yards, is also the maximum amount of yards that can be achieved on a scoring play):


CFL

Because the goalposts in Canadian football are on the goal line, and because downing the ball in the end zone results in the kicking team scoring a single point, field goal returns are much more common. The longest missed field goal return in the CFL is 131 total yards. Against the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes ( French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Cana ...
on August 22, 1958, the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the CFL East Division, East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based i ...
' Boyd Carter ran 15 yards, then threw a lateral to Dave Mann (American football), Dave Mann, who then returned it for the final 116 yards. This return, which started 21 yards behind the goal line, was during the era of 25-yard end zones (which made the maximum theoretical missed field return distance 134 yards in those days) and therefore cannot be met or exceeded on the modern field with 20-yard end zones. Since the shortening of the end zones in the CFL in 1986, a field goal has been returned for the maximum 129 yards on four occasions: by Bashir Levingston of the Toronto Argonauts on June 28, 2007, by Dominique Dorsey also of the Toronto Argonauts on August 2, 2007, by Tristan Jackson of the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 14, 2012 and by Trent Guy of the Montreal Alouettes on September 23, 2012.


NCAA

In NCAA college football, only five missed field goals returns for touchdowns have ever been returned 100 yards or more: *September 17, 1966: Don Guest (California Golden Bears football, California Golden Bears), 108-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 47-yard field goal attempt by
Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a U.S. state, state in the Northwestern United States, Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first President of the United States, U.S. p ...
. *September 28, 1968: Richie Luzzi (Clemson Tigers football, Clemson Tigers), 108-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 47-yard field goal attempt by Georgia Bulldogs football, Georgia. *September 7, 2013: Odell Beckham Jr. (2013 LSU Tigers football team, LSU Tigers), 109-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 59-yard field goal attempt by 2013 UAB Blazers football team, UAB. *November 30, 2013: Chris Davis (cornerback), Chris Davis, Jr. (2013 Auburn Tigers football team, Auburn Tigers), 109-yard return for a touchdown after what would have been a tie-breaking 57-yard field goal attempt by 2013 Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Alabama fell short as time expired, what some writers and fans call Kick Six, the greatest play in college football history. *September 3, 2016: Brandon Wilson (2016 Houston Cougars football team, Houston Cougars), 109-yard return for a touchdown after a failed 53-yard field goal attempt by 2016 Oklahoma Sooners football team, Oklahoma.


U Sports

In U Sports football, like in the CFL, the longest possible missed field goal return is 129 yards, and this has occurred three times. * Jeremy Botelho of the Manitoba Bisons playing against the Simon Fraser Clansmen on September 11, 2009 * Jedd Gardner of the Guelph Gryphons playing against the McMaster Marauders on October 8, 2010 * Tunde Adeleke of the Carleton Ravens playing against the Ottawa Gee-Gees on October 5, 2013


See also

*Double Doink


References


External links


Official NFL Field Goal Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field Goal (American And Canadian Football) American football plays American football terminology Canadian football terminology Articles containing video clips