#63

        The past year has been pure torture for most New Orleans Saints fans, myself included.  It all began with a heartbreaking loss to the 49ers in last year’s playoffs which saw the Saints stage an amazing comeback only to have it erased with seconds to go by our defensive backs’ inability to cover the 49er tight end. (I guess I have to note that the 6’3” 250 pound tight end did run a 4.38 40-yard dash, but I digress.) That was followed by an investigation by the Commissioner-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named which decimated the coaching staff and cost the team its defensive captain. This season’s 0-3 start has several NFL analysts ranking the Saints 32^nd out of 32 teams and is bringing back feelings that Saints fans everywhere thought they had moved past. Just 3 short years removed from the Saints’ Super Bowl victory which took them 43 seasons to accomplish, experts and football fans alike have written off the 2012 campaign as just another woeful performance by the NFL’s lovable losers. You see, after being formed in 1967, the Saints didn’t finish .500 until 1979 and didn’t finish with a winning record until 1993. Their 1^st playoff win was in 2000, followed 9 years later by their Super Bowl XLIV victory. But for all the losing seasons, the Saints always had 1 record which was theirs and theirs alone. And it stood alone for Saints fans to cherish for 28 years until it was tied, tied again, and then tied again. So now, at 0-3 and ranked at the bottom of many NFL rankings, I look back at our record and smile. So in honor of Tom Dempsey, his half-foot, and his mighty leg, I present our guest number of the day:

#63

Dempsey's half-shoe on display at the Hall of Fame

a.) It all started during the Saints 4^th season. In a November game against the Detroit Lions, the Saints were losing 17-16 with seconds to play. The previous record for the longest field goal which had stood for 17 years was 56 yards, and Tom Dempsey was lining up at the Saints own 37-yard line to kick a 63-yarder. (And in case you aren’t a student of Saints history, I guess I should mention that Tom Dempsey was born with only ½ a foot with which to kick. His flat-front kicking shoe can still be seen at the Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.) Dempsey made the kick and earned his spot in the record books. Dempsey’s record would stand for another 28 years before being tied by Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos. Three years later the record was tied again by Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders, followed by David Akers of the 49ers a couple of weeks ago. But for Saints fans everywhere, until someone has the boot to send one 64 yards, our guy will always be the original record holder from 63.

b.) And speaking of football, or futbol, or whatever they call it in Japan, this video from a Japanese J. League Division 2 soccer team taken in November 2011 captures the world record for the longest header struck for a goal. It’s pretty amazing to see the thing go in, especially after watching it bounce over the keeper’s head. So congratulations to defender Ryujiro Ueda of the Fagiano Okayama team for heading a ball into the back of the net from 57 meters and 80 centimeters away—or as we say in America, 63 yards. I’m not sure which would be more difficult, kicking it with half a foot or bouncing it off your head.

c.) The 63^rd U.S. Open saw an 18-hole playoff decide the tournament for the 2^nd consecutive year. The previous year’s champion, Jack Nicklaus, didn’t even make the cut after finishing the second round +11 for the tournament. The 1962 runner-up, who lost to Nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff, would rise to the top once again and find himself in another playoff. History would repeat itself, however, and Arnold Palmer would once again be forced to settle for the runner-up spot. Poor weather conditions wreaked havoc on the professionals and resulted in the highest winning score since WWII. It also crushed the dreams of the many amateur participants as no amateurs made the cut for the 1^st time in Open history. The 3-man playoff consisted of the ’52 Open winner Julius Boros, ’61 top ten finisher Jacky Cupit, and the 3-time Masters and ’60 Open champion Palmer. After bogeying the 2^nd playoff hole, Boros settled in and carried a 3 stroke lead onto the back nine. Palmer’s chance ended when he triple-bogeyed the 11^th hole and took himself out of contention. Boros would go on to finish the playoff -1, with Cupit posting a +2 and Palmer a +5. With the victory, Boros became the 2^nd oldest golfer to win the U.S. Open. And before you feel too sorry for Arnold Palmer, he would go on to win his 4^th Masters the next year to complete his list of 7 Majors wins. And when was the 63^rd U.S. Open played? It was played at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, in June 1963.

d.) On August 20, 2008, Gene Upshaw died at the age of 63, bringing an end to his 41 years working with the NFL, as a player from 1967-1981 and as the Executive Director for the NFLPA from 1983 until the time of his death. During his time as Executive Director of the players’ association, Upshaw presided over the 1987 strike, as well as several lawsuits brought by the players against the league which ultimately ushered in the age of modern free-agency. During his 15 year Hall of Fame playing career, Upshaw only wore the uniform of one team: the Oakland Raiders. Before his retirement, Upshaw would play in 3 AFL title games, 7 AFC Championship games, and 6 NFL Pro Bowls. He would also play in 3 Super Bowls in 1967, 1976, and 1980, making him the only player to play for the same team in a Super Bowl in 3 different decades. (Jerry Rice is the only player to have played in the Super Bowl over 3 decades, but he played with the 49ers and the Raiders.) An imposing figure, “Uptown Gene” stood 6’5” and played at somewhere near 255 pounds. His health and endurance over his entire career led to Upshaw breaking the record for consecutive starts at left guard. From 1967-1981, Upshaw started 207 consecutive regular season games in addition to 24 playoff starts for a record total of 231 consecutive starts at left guard. And what was on that Oakland Raider jersey that played in 231 straight games?

#63