Criqui also was the announcer for the original Miracle at the Meadowlands. If you pull up the clip, he references calling Dempsey's kick at the end of the clip. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-q7-komLkBsI.htmlsi=_6qrhuCO7WonFheu
What makes the feat even more impressive is the fact that he made the kick while below sea level. The kick that eventually broke the record was made Denver which is 5000+ feet above sea level
Detroit players said afterwards that (foot hitting ball) it sounded like an explosion. Black cleats, natural grass, gray face masks & Alex Karras trying to block the kick - REAL football.
To tell you what a monumental feat this was, Dempsey's 63-yard kick broke the then-NFL record by SEVEN yards. That record had been held by a Baltimore Colts kicker named Bert Rechichar since September 27, 1953. Rechichar's kick broke the then-NFL record of 55 yards set in 1924 by Paddy Driscoll, who accomplished that feat with a drop kick. Think about it: in the 51 years of the NFL to that point, no one had ever been able to top 56 yards by even a yard or two. And then along comes Dempsey and shatters the mark by nearly first-down distance. It's still, to me, the greatest one-man single-play performance in NFL history. Sure it's been topped, but when you consider that he was kicking it with a deformed foot on a grass field (correction: DIRT field) in a stadium that sat at or below sea level (no thin air in Denver, no domed stadiums with perfect conditions), you can see that it was a special athletic accomplishment. It was a titanic achievement, and one of my favorite NFL moments.
I agree. I was 12 at the time, and I will never forget the moment that my dad and I heard the announcer say it when we were watching another game. We looked at each other and said "Did he say 63 or 53?" It didn't seem like 53 would be the record, but 63 sounded unbelievable.
I'm surprised somebody hasn't made a movie about Dempsey's life. To overcome a severe handicap like he had and then do something like that is the stuff of legend. Sadly, it's been largely forgotten to time.
Considering the deflated footballs and torn up grass and dirt fields in those days, Dempsey’s kick is more impressive than any of the other 60+ yard field goals nowadays, even if they are becoming more routine. In those conditions, I don’t think even any of the kickers today could duplicate what Tom Dempsey did.
Especially if they had to kick straight on. Did you notice another thing in the video, one of the players threw a football at a opposing player and a fight ensued. In today's game which I hate they would have thrown a flag. Give me football of the 1960s and early to mid 70s any day.
I remember the Saints radio broadcast (the TV was blacked out locally)- went dead at the exact moment that Dempsey was lining up for the kick. For the next couple of minutes all my father and I could hear were occasional blasts of sound, enough to tell that something extraordinary had happened. It was reported the next day that bees had swarmed the WWL radio transmitter at Tulane stadium, knocking out the broadcast while Dempsey made history, but most folks locally concluded that the same miraculous energy force from Heaven that propelled the ball over the goalpost had interfered with the radio signal.
I remember my Mom yelling at the radio, "what happened?" as the radio went dead as the kick was in mid air. It was surreal. I'm turning the dial and beating on it but nothing! After a couple minutes they came back on the air and the crowd was still screaming when the announcer told us they had won, Al Wester on the radio call for WWL. That was almost as unbelievable as the kick itself.
Dempsey was born with a birth defect, he had roughly half of the foot he kicked with, he utilized the old school straight on kicking technique (not known to produce the length of the modern kicking style) and on a chewed up field. He also did so without access to the over inflated K ball the NFL uses today. Incredibly impressive.
Don Criqui is the voice of that announcer who called the 63-yard field goal. Criqui also handled Notre Dame football on the radio for several seasons. A tremendous play-by-play announcer who conducted his craft with professionalism, tremendous verbosity and passion! An unforgettable call for sure!
We live here outside Detroit. Dad and I just came home from my Jr.Sports football game. Turned on our new color T.V. to see the field goal that has haunted me and the Lions for 50 + years. Miss you Dad. 🇺🇲
What an unforgettable moment -- and two great calls of the kick. What became totally forgotten that day, at least for a while, was that the same day and just a few hours after Dempsey's miracle, 43-year old George Blanda led a fourth-quarter comeback for the Raiders over the Browns. Blanda fired a touchdown pass to tie the game with under two minutes to go, then, when the Raiders got the ball back with just seconds left, he did what Kilmer did for the Saints -- a short pass to get him somewhat within field goal range. A week before against the Chiefs in KC, Blanda had kicked a 48-yarder to tie the game with three seconds left. That one barely made it over the crossbar. The one against the Browns was 53 yards and into the wind. I was at the game, and didn't figure old George had much of a chance. But he must've caught it just right with his square-toed shoe, because that thing boomed off his foot and cleared the uprights about three quarters of the way up. It probably would have been good from 60. Rightfully,. the headlines the next day belonged to Dempsey and his phenomenal kick. But Blanda was just getting started on the series of comeback wins that featured him coming off the bench in relief of Daryl Lamonica that would wind up winning George the NFL MVP award for that season.
I remember both of those games. Blanda became a folk hero of sorts and was voted Male Athlete of the Year for his heroics. Curt Gowdy summed it up best: "He's unreal!"
looks like a young Jim Tunney the referee signaling it was good .Another great one Dave that field goal was unheard of back then ,,and by the way Jim is still with us at 94 years young
Once again the legendary voices of Pat Summerall and Don Criqui set the stage for a legendary kick. The sound of the football when Dempsey hit the ball is awesome. To close it with the voices of the Saints play by play radio voice, John Facenda, and Tom Dempsey himself is just legendary. Thank you Dave once again for legendary work.
boy, are those some legendary announcers you named there. and nobody will ever be a better team than dick enberg and merlin olson. charlie jones was great as well.
02:16 - Dempsey REALLY got his leg into this one, as evidenced by the sound of the kick. To be fair though, I DID boost the volume a bit there for a second for extra effect :)
Sounded like a cannon going off, and I remember it sounded loud even before you boosted the volume (not sure you're supposed to give away trade secrets, though!).
I thought that indeed it was Don Criqui doing the call. I had always thought that he was one of the better broadcasters. I had never heard this call before. Outstanding.
I had no idea Don Crique had the broadcast for this moment. All I've ever seen is a Sabol highlight. It's the only pre-Archie Manning highlight the Saints had.
I was 6 years old at the time and living in Philadelphia. I began following Philadelphia sports soon thereafter. I would hear TV commentators on Eagles games mention the record when Dempsey took the field for the Eagles. For awhile, I mistakenly assumed he had set the record when playing for the Eagles. I later learned he had set it with the Saints the year before he joined the Eagles. As a kid, he was my favorite Eagle for a childish reason. His uniform number was 19. My birthday is November 19 so that’s why I chose him as my favorite Eagle. His playing with disabilities also intrigued me.
He may have made it with an extra 2 yards on that. What he did not have was a full foot but an incredible determination and perhaps the hand of god lifting that football. One of the greatest kicks if not the greatest kicks in NFL history.
Lions fan here. Dempsey put a dagger into the hearts of all Lions fans that day. However, as a fan of the game, hats off to him for having ice in his veins and hitting that unbelievable kick to win the game. I have to admit, I was jumping up and down inside as I was so happy for him.
Legend had it back then that the Saints' coach thought the ball was at the LIONS 45 yard line, which had him going to the field goal try on the last play. Supposedly, it was said after the game, had the Saints' coach been aware of the ball on the SAINTS 45 yard line, the field goal try would not have been attempted.
This kick broke the Lions back. They won out to go 10-4, but this game was one of the toughest losses I've ever seen. Dempsey not only set the record, he absolutely shattered it. A 63 yd field goal then was like Bob Beamons 29' 2-1/2" long jump. It stood for a long time.....
It amazes me that it took so long for them to move the goalposts to the BACK of the end zone. I can’t imagine how that impacted the game to have it right there behind the goal line in the middle of play.
To those of us who grew up during that era there was nothing unusual about it at all. The goal posts could be a factor on other plays, but that was the norm and there were rules in place to deal with it.
I can remember exactly where I was when that happened. We lived in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans. Back then home games weren't televised locally so my dad listened to it on the radio. He had given up on the game figuring with 11 seconds left to play that the Saints wouldn't be able to do anything. We had gone to the backyard to throw the football around, fathers and sons did that sort of thing back then, when we heard my mother calling out to my dad, " Jerry, the Saints won the game. " My dad couldn't believe it. He even told me what the previous kicking record was. I had gotten Tom Dempsey's autograph at a game earlier in the season as he was entering the locker room before a game. Those were the days when players were approachable and didn't even think about charging for their autographs. Shortly thereafter, a song was written that was played locally, " The Mighty Kick Of Dempsey." Those were great days.
I remember watching the ending of this game November 8, 1970 to understand just how great this achievement was Tom Dempsey with half a foot kicking straight away from his own 37 yard line (goal posts were on the goal line then) with the game on the line I think it was one of greatest kicks in NFL history it took 28 years for someone just to equal the record (Jason Elam in Denver 1998) for those of us who saw Dempsey kick live it's one of those sports moments I'll never forget RIP TOM 🌺
I was 10 yrs old watching football that day, this replay was shown on all stations ..goal post in end zone,But imagine going for FG from your Own 37 yrd line !!!?🏈🏈
A couple of observations: Dodd’s great catch along the sideline on the next-to-last play made it all possible, and was eerily similar to Drew Pearson’s amazing catch along the sideline near midfield in the Hail Mary game that got the Cowboys in place for his heroics a couple plays later. Also, I love the official’s emphatic “it’s good!” signal, literally jumping in the air, as he eyed the kick from just behind the goalpost. Very befitting the result of an incredible moment.
Thank you for remembering Mr. Dempsey's kick, a truly nice man who I got to meet often at various Saints alumni functions. It was very sad when he passed away back in 2020 because memories of his 63-yard field goal brought back happy feelings in an era of Saints football when there wasn't a lot of happy feelings. It's easy to forget that when he left the NFL after the 1979 season, he held the career record for most 50-plus yard field goals made, a record that has been easily eclipsed by many kickers since.
I was 8 years old sitting in my Grandparents house after church when we watched this. To us it was a meaningless game in Cheyenne, Wyoming, but still, I will never forget this. vs
I remember seeing this game on TV when I was a kid. And for long afterward, it was one of the very few bright moments Saints fans could look back upon during the Meacom era, when four wins was considered a "good" year.
I've seen the NFL films highlight film of Tom Dempsey's record setting Field goal hundreds of times, but, I have never seen the CBS broadcast version of the play before... And as impressive as Dempsey's kick was, the reception from Kilmer to Dodd on the sideline with 2 seconds left to set up the game winning FG, was almost as impressive! A great pass and a great catch to set up one of the all time greatest moments in NFL history!
I know we have seen kicks of this distance since, but with the goal post on the goal like and lining up behind the 50 it seems so much longer! this record stood for a long time. He kicked it the year I was born and I believe I was in my 30's when broken.
Amazing job with this, Dave. And for one of the singular plays in NFL history that deserves its own spotlight. For me, even though there have now been longer kicks, this will always be THE kick, with a very honorable mention to Adam Vinatieri's 45-yarder in a blizzard to force OT in the Tuck Rule game. Eleven seconds...a KO return, an incredible pass/catch for Kilmer/Dodd, and then...history. Six inches less on any of those plays, and this never happens. Electrifying to watch, every single time.
After the ball had cleared the crossbar a stunned Alex Karras stood on the field in disbelief and said to Saints receiver Danny Abramowicz... "Danny, Dempsey didn't kick that ball, God did." 🤣
I watched it on TV as it happened. The Lions finished 10-4 in 1970 to get the only NFC wildcard spot. The Vikings were 12-2 so it didn't prevent the Lions from winning the Central Division. That FG record was finally matched 28 years later. It was an incredible kick by Dempsey
You always hear about legendary calls in sports ("Do you believe in miracles? Yes!!" and "Bless his heart, he has to be the sickest man in America."), but you never hear much about this one. It belongs in the pantheon of great in-the-moment calls where the announcer forgets himself for a second and reacts like any other fan.
Criqui was fantastic on this one. He goes from bemused that they're even going to try, to a variation on "that's got a chance" (to borrow another mid-kick reaction from the great Bill King) to electrified.
@@GeorgeDamon I think the only thing holding Criqui's call back from greater fame is that it wasn't a nationally televised game. It's just not as well-known as the Miracle on Ice call. And we know Uncle Verne's fantastic reaction to Jackie Smith's drop because NFL Films included it in the Super Bowl XIII highlight film.
Criqui even brought up this kick 8 years later on the Miracle at the Meadowlands call, talking on that call he said "I saw Dempsey kick a 63-yard field goal, this is even MORE unbelievable!"
I can’t thank you enough for this video. I was a wide-eyed nine-year-old at my second Saints game that day. To see it in this amazing, sharp color version takes me back to Tulane Stadium.
I miss Don Criqui. He was one of my all time favorite announcers. He's mostly retired these days and I suppose at age 83 he had to quit sometime. He called some meorable Orange Bowl games.
Very impressive to hit a 63 yarder back in 1970, as kicking wasn't the art form it has now become. Back in the 70s and even well into the 80s, the best NFL kickers would make maybe about 75% of their kicks, and that would make you a Pro Bowler. Nowadays, 75% will get you cut real fast. Nowadays, you'd better convert about 85-90%.
In 1967 George Blanda made 20 field goals out of 30 attempts for the Oakland Raiders. That's 67%. That accomplishment made him the All-AFL kicker for that year.
You’re right. Indeed, Dempsey hit just 53% of his kicks that year which makes this kick that much more remarkable. In fact, the Saints cut him during training camp the following season for missing too many kicks!
This is the really fun fact: Don Criqui called the Dempsey FG for CBS. He also was the one who called the Cleveland vs New Orleans game in 2018 where Tim Couch threw up a final play Hail Mary that's answered allowing the Browns to walk-off against the Saints. 45 years later. In between being #3 PbP man at NBC for so long. And he called the '83 Orange Bowl iconic classic between Miami and Nebraska. One of the best, and underrated.
Don Criqui on the original broadcast has been doing NFL and college games forever just like Dick Stockton. Was on CBS then moved to NBC in the 80's then went back to CBS when they regained the rights to the AFC from NBC.
I remember watching this game, I was 10 years old and I think Don Criqui was the announcer on the CBS telecast. I don't know why this game was on in our area (in Ohio) what a remarkable kick! Thanks for the memories 😊
Great work Dave, and much appreciated ! I can still vividly recall that day, my Dad and I took a break from raking leaves to watch the game and then sat there for seemingly hours afterward with our jaws dropped, not believing what we had just witnessed ! Thank you for sharing this Dave!
Not only a great hold & great kick, one of the often-overlooked challenges for a field goal this long is it must be kicked a little lower than usual to travel a 63-yard distance. So there is a higher probability of the kick being blocked. Therefore we also should give kudos to the Saints' blockers for keeping the defenders away from Dempsey. Another thing overlooked are the reactions of the Lions' players after the kick. Check it out after the 3:29 mark. Complete disbelief he somehow made this kick and they lost the game! What a contrast to the wild celebration by the Saints and their fans!
Great historic moment, now improved. Many may have never seen the broadcast clip before or know it existed. Great use of available sources to make it a well rounded look at the story.
Thank you for an outstanding video of a great moment in NFL history Dave! Seeing the goal posts where they used to be(not a chance of making it if they werent inside the endzone), referee Jim Tunney just makes it that much better
Dave this looks amazing, NFL Films with your enhancements will look gorgeous, I hope you definitely upload more NFL Films footage from the late 60s, 70s, and 80s (up to 1985 or 86) as it will look gorgeous. Only my Lions could allow a record like that to happen. LOL!
Dave, they mentioned the score of this game during that Giant/Cowboys game that you posted the other day. Tom breaking the old record by 7 yards was like Secretariat breaking the Belmont record by over 2 seconds. Other worldly sporting achievements
I remember watching this game on tv and thought my team would go to the playoffs but along comes this Dempsey dude and breaks the record and out go the Lions. Lions and playoffs is not a common phrase. Except for this year. Go Lions!! Give Dempsey credit, he made me cry that day.
Well then, I guess My memory is fading. I still DO remember the feeling of wtf. I thought for sure they were knocked out of the playoffs because of that game. Thanks for the correction.
Not only did Dempsey kick the LONGEST field goal in NFL history to that point, but he also kicked the SHORTEST field goal (8 yards!) in the very same game!
Great point, but actually according to my research there were two other 8-yard field goals prior to this, one by Jan Stenerud, the other by Jim Bakken: www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196710300crd.htm www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196812220rai.htm
