
NEW ORLEANS – On this day 49 years ago, New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey stepped up to the ball and booted a 63-yard field goal to give the Saints a win and cement his place in the history books.
Dempsey, who was born without toes on his right foot and without fingers on his right hand, wore a specially designed shoe with a flattened front.
On November 8, 1970, the Saints were losing to the Detroit Lions as time ran out, and Dempsey’s longshot field goal attempt was the team’s only hope for a walk off victory.
Dempsey set an NFL record that day that would stand until 2013, when Matt Prater landed a 64-yard field goal.
The New Orleans Saints posted video of the monumental kick: