Garo Yepremian dies at 70; kicker part of undefeated Dolphins team

[Zorro]

Source: LA Times

Former NFL kicker Garo Yepremian, who was part of the Miami Dolphins' undefeated 1972 team and best remembered for his infamous Super Bowl blunder, died Friday of cancer. He was 70.

Yepremian, who played 14 seasons in the NFL and won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins, died at a hospital in Media, Penn. He was diagnosed with cancer in May 2014, his wife, Maritza, told the Associated Press.

A native of Cyprus, Yepremian emigrated to the United States with his brother at the age of 22. After watching an NFL game on television, he became convinced he could kick for an NFL team.

The "soccer-style" kicker made his debut with the Detroit Lions in 1966, playing in the first football game he ever attended. He set a league record during his rookie season when he kicked six field goals in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. He joined the Dolphins in 1970 and played a role in the team's rise to prominence under coach Don Shula in the early part of the decade.



Read more: http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-garo-yepremian-dies-dolphins-kicker-20150516-story.html

[Jack Rabbit]

1. RIP

He was the smallest man in the NFL at the time. He was about 5'8" and weighed 175 pounds.

[pscot]

3. His Topps card

"

[SCVDem]

2. It keeps getting closer!

I turned 60 last month.

I won't be around to see the fruits of MY Generation. I really expected better. Sorry kids.

I remember you Garo. Good journey to you.

[Wilms]

4. At the White House a year and a half ago.

[BeyondGeography]

5. He was a great kicker

A pioneer, too. Took guts for a little guy with the funny name and the weird (at the time) kicking style to come here and do what he did. The Super Bowl play is just a small part of the story.

RIP, Garo.

[840high]

9. Yes he was.

[LoisB]

6. RIP. Great kicker.

[John1956PA]

7. A few weeks after Super Bowl VII, Don Shula laughed off Garo's attempted pass.

However, according to Football Hall of Shame, a book on infamous gridiron miscues, Shula summoned Garo during the flight back to Miamia and told Garo, "If you try that again, I'll kill you."

As we all can imagine, if Garo had unexpectedly connected on the pass, the play would have been hailed as one of the greatest ever.

I will always fondly recall Garo's great career of splitting the uprights with soccer-style kicks.

[shenmue]

8. Rest in peace

[NBachers]

10. I lived in Miami those years. Those guys . . . they sure have a mythology built up around them.

At the link, there's a picture of him with Larry Little.

[FlaGatorJD]

11. I met him when I was 11 years old

He came over to do a promo at a sporting goods in Naples.

At the time, football was everything to me, so I was extremely excited.

I think the 5'8" was an exaggeration, because I was very
close to the same height at 11. He was the first celebrity
I ever met, and while they had not yet gone undefeated,
they were a very big deal. Fond childhood memory.