Tag: tom dempsey

Tom Dempsey’s record-setting 63-yard field goal is the Saints Play of the Day

Tom Dempsey’s record-setting 63-yard field goal is the New Orleans Saints Play of the Day. He held that record for 43 years:

There are 63 days left on the calendar until the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2024 regular season, which makes Tom Dempsey’s record-setting 63-yard field goal the Saints Play of the Day.

Dempsey nailed the longest field goal in NFL history against the Detroit Lions in 1970, sending the game-winner through the upright as time expired — which was one of just two victories the Saints enjoyed that season. Having been born without toes on his right foot, Dempsey used a special box-toed boot that was later banned by the league.

His kick led to multiple NFL rules changes and stood as the record for 43 years. Several kickers tied him for distance, but Dempsey’s record wasn’t broken until Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater made good from 64 yards (taking advantage of the thin air at altitude, though in below-freezing temperatures). They were both lapped by Baltimore Ravens fan favorite Justin Tucker in 2021, when he set a new record from 66 yards.

Still, Dempsey’s place in NFL history is secure. Generations of fans knew who set that record, and for many Saints fans it was the highlight of the team’s early days. He’ll be missed, having died in 2020, but Dempsey — and his achievements as someone to cheer for when New Orleans truly needed it — won’t be forgotten.

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Saints kickers past and present pay tribute to the late Tom Dempsey

New Orleans Saints kickers Wil Lutz, Garrett Hartley and Morten Anderson paid tribute to Tom Dempsey, who lost his fight against coronavirus

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The New Orleans Saints family lost a local legend over the weekend, when legendary kicker Tom Dempsey — famous for his 63-yard field goal back in 1970, which set an NFL record that lasted decades — lost his battle with the novel coronavirus. Dempsey and his family remained residents of New Orleans well after his playing career with the Saints ended, doing their part to join a community that had welcomed them with open arms.

Several other important place-kickers in Saints history recently stepped up to remember the trailblazer who, in Morten Anderson’s words, showed them how to be a pro:

Each player paid tribute to Dempsey in their own way; Saints great Garrett Hartley, who famously sent New Orleans to its first Super Bowl with a walk-off field goal in overtime during the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, celebrated Dempsey’s legacy with his own 63 yarder:

And as for the current Saints kicker, Wil Lutz: the Pro Bowler was one of the first to respond to the news of Dempsey’s passing, doing his part to extend his condolences to the family while acknowledging the impact he left behind:

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Saints folk hero Tom Dempsey dead at 73 after battle with coronavirus

The New Orleans Saints lost a legend to the novel coronavirus, when former kicker Tom Dempsey died of complications from the infection.

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The novel coronavirus has claimed another member of the New Orleans Saints family. News broke late Saturday night that legendary former Saints kicker Tom Dempsey passed away due to health complications suffered after he contracted the infection, dying in hospice at 73. He was diagnosed with the coronavirus in late March, as were many other residents of the Lambeth House assisted living facility he resided in.

Dempsey only played a few years with the Saints early in the team’s history, but just about every Saints fan knows someone who claims to have been in the old Tulane Stadium in 1970 when Dempsey hit a walk-off, 63-yard field goal to defeat the Detroit Lions. That kick became an NFL record that lasted 43 years, until it was outdone by a single yard in the thin air at Denver’s Mile High Stadium. And that victory over the Lions was just the second and final game the Saints would win that year.

What’s fascinated so many fans is Dempsey’s story. He entered the NFL as an undrafted kicker and defensive lineman, leaving scouts unimpressed at workouts when he weighed in at 6-foot-2 and 255 pounds. Medicals didn’t help his case — Dempsey played football despite a birth defect that left him without toes on his right foot or fingers on his right hand. Despite his deformities, he put in the work and rose to the occasion when Saints fans desperately needed a hero.

And New Orleans treated him like a hero. Dempsey became the toast of the town, but things sort of got out of hand, and poor performance eventually sent him on a tour of the NFL.

“Instead of lifting weights, I was lifting too many forks and spoons and knives,” Dempsey later told the Associated Press. He went on to play for four different teams during a nine-year career, working odd jobs after his NFL days were over, but he and his family never left the New Orleans area. At one point he worked at a car dealership owned by one Tom Benson; years later, Benson purchased the Saints.

It’s such a shame that the coronavirus is threatening America’s most vulnerable, and hitting so close to home for so many Saints fans. Hopefully this public health crisis will pass sooner rather than later.

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Coronavirus claims record-breaking NFL kicker Tom Dempsey at 73

Coronavirus has claimed the life of record-breaking Saints kicker Tom Dempsey at 73

Tom Dempsey, who overcame physical challenges to become a record-setting NFL kicker, died late Saturday at age 73 due to novel coronavirus, his family told NOLA.com.

Per the report:

Dempsey — who overcame astronomical odds to establish what was then considered a virtually unbeatable record —  contracted the virus in March during an outbreak at the Lambeth House retirement home in Uptown New Orleans. He is one of at least 15 residents there to die after being stricken with the disease.

It is one of the most memorable NFL moments in a career that was absolutely remarkable. Dempsey connecting on a then-record-63 yard field goal in 1970 to defeat the Detroit Lions. Dempsey was born without fingers on his right hand or toes on his right foot. He wore a flat shoe on his kicking foot.

“I don’t believe it …,” Don Criqui said as the ball went through the uprights, “It’s GOOD!” Louisiana Congressman F. Edward Hebert had an account of “The Kick”  inserted into the Congressional Record.

Dempsey played 11 seasons, kicking for the Eagles, Oilers and Bills, as well as the Saints from 1969-79. He scored 729 points, making 159 field goals.

In 2012, Dempsey publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with dementia and detailed the treatment he was receiving for the condition. He spent the final years of his life at Lambeth House.

His family had said last weeek Dempsey was battling coronavirus in New Orleans. He contracted the novel coronavirus during the outbreak at a senior living center, his daughter said Monday. Ashley Dempsey said her 73-year-old father — who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia — developed symptoms of the respiratory disease caused by the virus, COVID-19.

In addition to his wife Carlene and daughter Ashley, Dempsey’s is survived by children Toby Dempsey (Pamela) and Meghan Dempsey Crosby (Lee), as well as his sister, Janice Dempsey. He also had three grandchildren: Dylan Dempsey, Logan Dempsey and Quinn Dempsey.

Dempsey becomes at least the second former NFL player to die after contracting COVID-19. Orlando McDaniel, who played three games for the Broncos in 1982, died last week. McDaniel, who played college ball at LSU, was 59.

Record-breaking Saints kicker Tom Dempsey battling coronavirus

Record-breaking Saints kicker Tom Dempsey is battling Covid-19.

It is one of the most memorable NFL moments in a career that was absolutely remarkable. New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey connecting on a then-record-63 yard field goal in 1970 to defeat the Detroit Lions.

Now, Dempsey is battling the coronavirus in New Orleans. He contracted the novel coronavirus during the outbreak at a senior living center in New Orleans, his daughter said Monday. Ashley Dempsey said her 73-year-old father — who is battling Alzheimer’s disease and dementia — developed symptoms of the respiratory disease caused by the virus, COVID-19, late last week. He was tested for COVID-19 and evaluated at Tulane University Medical Center.

Per Nola.com

The hospital deemed his oxygen levels to be adequate, and because Dempsey can’t feed himself, the decision was made to send him back to the nursing care section at Lambeth House, Ashley Dempsey said. Tom Dempsey’s positive test result came back Saturday; Ashley Dempsey said her father’s symptoms have been relatively mild, and his caretakers have been able to control his fever with Tylenol. “His appetite has been good,” Ashley Dempsey said. “He’s doing OK.”

Dempsey, like all his neighbors, has been cut off from his family since shortly after the outbreak started. Lambeth House had prohibited non-essential visitors by the time the first COVID-19 case there was publicly announced March 10.

The Tom Dempsey story was one of the most remarkable in NFL history. The kicker was born without toes on the right foot that kicked the historic field goal and without fingers on his right hand. Still, he played football — defensive line — in high school and was also on the wrestling and track teams. He made the leap to college ball, playing defensive end at Palomar Junior College in California. Dempsey was fitted with a special shoe that allowed him to swing his leg and drive the ball.

He eventually had an 11-year NFL career with his most memorable moment coming Nov. 8, 1970. Trailing 17-16 with time running out, Dempsey took the field and attempted a field goal from 63 yards. He connected.

Dempsey played with the Saints, Eagles, Rams, Oilers and Bills and scored 729 points in his NFL career.

Tom Dempsey among important players in Saints history impacted by the coronavirus

The New Orleans Saints family has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, with legendary kicker Tom Dempsey recently testing positive.

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The novel coronavirus has spread rapidly throughout the nation, hitting vulnerable populations like the elderly harder than most. That group includes big figures in New Orleans Saints lore such as the legendary Tom Dempsey, whose NFL-record 63-yard field goal at the old Tulane Stadium stood for 43 years. On Monday, the Times-Picayune’s Ramon Antonio Vargas reported that Dempsey tested positive for the coronavirus.

Dempsey, 73, has been a resident of the New Orleans-based Lambeth House Retirement Community, one of many nursing homes battling coronavirus infections. Because he is battling both Alzheimer’s and dementia, his family and the Tulane University Medical Center (which tested him for the coronavirus) agreed that he should continue to stay at Lambeth House.

Vargas added that Dempsey’s family reports he has so far dealt with just mild symptoms of the coronavirus, and that he has responded well to initial treatment. Still, it’s a very serious situation, which the families of other former Saints players can speak to.

Bobby Hebert Jr. lost his father, Bobby Hebert Sr., after testing positive for the coronavirus. Hebert Jr. played for both the Saints and the Atlanta Falcons during his 11-year NFL career and currently works as an analyst for WWL Radio in New Orleans.

Saints coach Sean Payton said last week that he was clear of infection after previously testing positive himself, though he’s remaining careful to stay at home during this public health crisis. With greater availability of testing raising the total number of cases daily, it feels like it’s only a matter of time until more members of the Saints family are affected by the coronavirus.

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