Would a Kicker Kicking Consistent 70 Plus Yard Field Goals Get the Heisman?

Gus the Mule never won a heisman.

Definitely. But show me one who can.

I would guess not... In the last 50 years there have been (with only one or two exceptions) no Heisman winners who were not the quaterback, wide receiver or running back of a team in the top 15 in the Nation. That's why it was such a big deal when Charles Woodson won it a few years ago - he was the first defensive player to win in something like 30 years. And he played cornerback for a top-5 team, a much higher profile position than a kicker.

shoot......a kicker won the super bowl last year and he didn't get the MVP award......I'm not sure but I thought he also scored more points than the quarterback did to during that game. He got like 3 field goals......Brady only got what one touchdown pass..... 9 points to 6....

I believe it was 1973 (give or take a year or two) that Ohio State right guard John Hicks was either 2nd or 3rd in the Heisman balloting. That is the highest I've heard of for a non-skill position. Of course, he did not win.

swofford wrote:

shoot......a kicker won the super bowl last year and he didn't get the MVP award......I'm not sure but I thought he also scored more points than the quarterback did to during that game. He got like 3 field goals......Brady only got what one touchdown pass..... 9 points to 6....

Not only did he not win MVP, he wasn't even named best athlete from South Dakota; that honor went to our very own Rod DeHaven.

I laugh at South Dakota.

Some of you people are missing the point of the question. Would a kicker who consistently kicked 70 yard field goals win the Heisman Trophy?

Since in college anything 45 yards or longer is considered long, and someone is able to consistently connect another 1/4 of the football field longer, then I would have to say YES. That would mean that anytime his team got to midfield or not even quite to midfield that they would be in a position to score. That is huge.

Yes. The Heisman is supposed to go to the "outstanding football player." Such a kicker would score a TON of points, and points win games.

Consider that a 70-yard field goal would be kicked from the team's own 40-yard line (60 yds of field + 10 yds of end zone). On placekicks, the ball is usually placed 7-8 yards behind the line of scrimmage. So a team would have to get only to its own 47-48 yard line to get into field goal range.

Now, watch a college game (it's bowl season, should be easy to find) and check to see how many of a team's posessions stall between its own 47 yard line and the opposition's 28 yard line (from which it's a 45-yard field goal, still good but do-able for many big-time teams' kickers). Multiply by 2 (assumes that a kicker that good will make two-thirds of his long kicks) and that gives you a rough idea of the extra scoring that team gets from having a totally SICK kicker versus just a "good" kicker. Then check that differential against the final score of the game.

I think you would have a tough time promoting a kicker and convincing the voters, but if a guy could hit from 70 consistently you would have two things on your hands -- a Heisman finalist and a freak of nature.

People give kickers a lot of grief, but the fact is a good one is like gold. I know college is a little different, but the number of games in the NFL that are settled by less than six points is amazing. If you have a guy that can consistenly nail field goals from 50 yards and in -- and in any kind of weather, you really have a weapon. Paul Edinger of the Bears is a scrawny dude with a funny style, but he is money from 45 yards and in and pretty accurate up to 55 or so. And if Vinatieri didn't hit those kicks in the snow against the Raiders last year, he would never have had the chance in the SB because his whole team would have been sitting home watching the game on TV.

In the college game this year, Ohio State's kicker nailed 22, 25? in a row at one point, and he is a major reason the Buckeyes are undefeated and playing in the Fiesta Bowl in Jan. 3.

A good kicker is worth a ton, and 70+ yards would be amazing.

Even with talent, I don't think that 70 yard kicks would be possible on a regular basis. To kick the ball 70 yards through the air would require a very low trajectory. The chances of these kicks being blocked are very high.

This is why some kickers can go out and nail 60+ yard kicks in practice when there are no defensive lineman standing in the way. Once a 6'5" monster with 36" arms and some semblance of a vertical leap is in the middle, it's another story.

YOU CAN DO IT! GO FOR IT!!!!

We're rootin' you on at Letsrun.

Get real. Even in the pros, a 70 yard FG is a rarity-I don't even know if it's ever been done. It's just too long. Now, maybe a consistent 55 yarder(which may exist) could win it.

But the point stands, it doesn't matter how good the kicker is. They Heisman trophy is not given to the Best Player in the League, they already have an award for that. It's given to the most popular player, that's why a kicker can never win it... They could never be that popular. It doesn't matter how good they are. If they were freakishly athletic at a young age and playing football, they probably would have gotten converted to another position.

No there isn't a kicker who has made a 70-yarder -- I think the D-1A record is 67 and the NFL record is 63 -- but it's fun to speculate. And as far as being moved to another position, that doesn't always happen. There are a few instances where a kicker (Kris Brown of the Steelers last year, for example) is one of the best athletes on the team. Brown was one of the fastest runners on the squad right up there with the wideouts, so much so they gave him the ball and let him run on a couple of fakes. If they have the leg, the coaches would just rather keep them there.

Speaking of kickers, did anybody know that Nicholas Setta at Notre Dame was all-state in cross-country and a state champion in track? He was a four-sport athlete: he ran XC, played soccer, and kicked for the football team in the fall, and ran track in the spring.

First of all, my previous post was as facetious as it gets. Obviously, it ain't happenin.

BUT, let's suppose we can dream a little and let's just say somehow it happens. OF COURSE, if this guy is on a winning team at all (which is pretty much a prerequisite), he IS winning the Heisman... he would be changing the game as we know it (and scoring a ton of points). Popular? You don't think he would be popular?? All the sporting news pieces would show each and every 70+ yarder all season. A 70 yarder means, your on your own 47yard line. It would be unbelievable.

[quote]atownrunnin wrote:

I think you would have a tough time promoting a kicker and convincing the voters, but if a guy could hit from 70 consistently you would have two things on your hands -- a Heisman finalist and a freak of nature.

Unless he was trained by Charlie Francis.

No chance to win the Heisman. He would, however, be the direct cause of a rule change. Not sure what the change would be, but I?ll guaran-damn-tee that the pigskin establishment would never stand for teams winning games while never crossing midfield.

Popular?!? He?d be a pariah.

Oh, and actually, Woodson was the first and only defensive player ever to win it.