Jan Stenerud

Infobox NFLretired
name=Jan Stenerud


width=200
caption=Jan Stenerud - 2005
position=Placekicker
number=3, 10
birthdate=birth date and age|1942|11|26
Fetsund, Norway
deathdate=
debutyear=1967
finalyear=1985
AFLdraftyear=1966
AFLdraftround=3
AFLdraftpick=39 cite web|title=1966 AFL Draft on Pro-Football-Reference |work=rbref.com |url=http://rbref.com/draft/1966_AFL.htm |accessdate=2007-12-14]
college=Montana State
teams=
* Kansas City Chiefs (1967-1979)
* Green Bay Packers (1980-1983)
* Minnesota Vikings (1984-1985)
stat1label=Field goals
stat1value=373 / 558
stat2label=FG%
stat2value=66.8
stat3label=Extra points
stat3value=580 / 601
highlights=
* 6x Pro Bowl selection (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975, 1984) cite web|title=Stenerud on Pro-Football-Reference |work=rbref.com |url=http://rbref.com/players/S/stenejan01.htm |accessdate=2007-12-14]
* 10x All-Pro selection (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, 1984) cite web|title=Stenerud on Pro-Football-Reference |work=rbref.com |url=http://rbref.com/players/S/stenejan01.htm |accessdate=2007-12-14]
* Pro Bowl MVP (1972)
* Chiefs Hall of Fame
* NFL 75th All-Time Team
* Packers Hall of Fame
* Kansas City Chiefs #3 retired
nfl=STE292578
HOF=203

Jan Stenerud (born November 26, 1942) is a Norwegian former football player for the Kansas City Chiefs (1967-1979), Green Bay Packers (1980-1983), and Minnesota Vikings (1984-1985) of the National Football League. Stenerud was one of the first professional football players to be used as a dedicated kicker, due to his excellent "sharpshooting" ball kicking performance. He was one of the first placekickers to use the "soccer style", a technique the Hungarian-born Pete Gogolak had recently introduced in the AFL. Stenerud came to the United States on a ski jumping scholarship and had never played football. While attending Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, he joined the football team and in 1964 kicked a 59-yard field goal, then a college football record, against the rival Montana Grizzlies.

During his 3 years in the AFL, Stenerud hit 70% of his field goals, compared with a 53% average for the other kickers in the AFL and NFL.

After the 1969 season, Stenerud won Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7. In that game, Stenerud kicked three field goals, scoring the first 9 points of the game for his team. His first, a 48-yarder, would remain the longest field goal in a Super Bowl until January 1994, when the record was broken by the Buffalo Bills kicker Steve Christie in Super Bowl XXVIII.

But Stenerud wasn't infallible. He missed two field goals and had another kick blocked on Christmas Day, 1971 in an AFC divisional playoff game against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins won the game 27-24 in double overtime on a 37-yard field goal by Garo Yepremian. The game is the longest in NFL history at 82 minutes, 40 seconds of playing time, and was also the final football game in Kansas City Municipal Stadium.

In 1981, Stenerud converted 35 of 36 field goal attempts (97.2%), the highest percentage until Gary Anderson made all 35 regular season attempts in 1998. The remaining NFL kickers had a 64% success rate in 1981.

Stenerud retired in 1986, after 19 seasons (3 AFL, 16 NFL). In his career, he converted 373 out of 558 field goals (67 percent) and 580 out of 601 extra points (97%). Overall, Stenerud scored a total of 1,699 points. At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player in the NFL to have played in the AFL.

Enshrined in 1991, Stenerud, along with George Blanda and Lou Groza is one of only three kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he is the only one of those three who did not play another position (Blanda played Quarterback, Lou Groza played Offensive Tackle). The Chiefs have retired jersey number 3 in his honor. In 1994, he was selected on NFL's 75th Anniversary Team

In recent years Stenerud has been involved in a Kansas City firm that is involved in designing stadiums and sports arenas. He also worked as a commentator for Scandinavian TV channel TV3's Super Bowl Sunday coverage in the 1990s, and still maintains strong ties with his native Norway. The street where he grew up, in the municipality Fet, was renamed in his honor.

Jan Stenerud hit the 59-yard field goal versus the Montana Grizzlies in 1965 not in 1964.

It was Brawl of the Wild Game #65 in 1965. 90 seconds into the game he made the field goal from 59-yards. He later missed one (barely) from 67 yards.

References

http://www.missoulian.com/specials/UM-MSU100/G64-70.html

ee also

*List of American Football League players

External links

*"Pro Football Hall of Fame:" [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=203 Member profile]
* [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=STENEJAN01 Career Stats]
* [http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLdotcom.htm American Football League Web site]
* [http://www.conigliofamily.com/AFLHallofFamePhotos.htm#JanStenerud Stenerud's photo on the American Football League Hall of Fame Web site]