Chiefs Garo Yepremian.....dead...

Deberg_1990 · 05-16-2015, 09:45 PM

Garo Yepremian, a highly accomplished field-goal kicker who proved to be a comically inept Super Bowl passer in one of the most famous bloopers in the history of the National Football League, died on Friday at a hospital in Media, Pa. He was 70.

Yepremian, who lived in nearby Avondale, Pa., had a brain tumor, according to a statement issued by the Garo Yepremian Foundation for Brain Tumor Research. Yepremian established the organization in 2001 after his daughter-in-law was afflicted with a brain tumor that took her life in 2004.

Yepremian, who was left-footed, played in the N.F.L. from 1966 through 1981, kicking for the Detroit Lions, the Miami Dolphins, the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1966, he kicked six field goals for the Lions in a game against the Minnesota Vikings.

But the high points (and famous low point) of his career were with Miami. As Christmas Day turned to night in 1971, he kicked a 37-yard field goal in Kansas City, Mo., to lift the Dolphins over the Chiefs, 27-24, in the second overtime of a playoff game. The contest was the longest in N.F.L. history at the time. Weeks later, his field goal gave Miami its only points as the Dolphins lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-3, in the Super Bowl.

Then came the magical season of 1972. Yepremian was his team’s leading scorer as the Dolphins took a 16-0 record into the Super Bowl against the Washington Redskins on Jan. 14, 1973, in Los Angeles. The Dolphins were leading, 14-0, with just over two minutes left when Yepremian was sent in to attempt a field goal.

Don Shula, the Dolphins’ coach, relived the moment decades later, as The Associated Press recalled Saturday: “I thought, ‘Boy, this will be great if Garo kicks this field goal and we go ahead, 17-0, in a 17-0 season. What a great way that would be to remember the game.’ And then Garo did what he did.”

What Yepremian inexplicably did, after the Redskins’ Bill Brundige blocked the kick, was pick up the ball and try to pass it. But Yepremian was used to kicking the ball, not throwing it, and the ball slipped out of his hands. He tried to bat the ball out of bounds, but instead he batted it into the hands of the Redskins’ Mike Bass, who ran 49 yards for a touchdown.

Yepremian hid on the end of the bench for the final two minutes of the contest, his 5-foot-7 ½-inch stature making concealment easy. He was reprieved as the Dolphins hung on to win, 14-7, but his blunder was already legendary.

“Every airport you go to, people point to you and say, ‘Here’s the guy who screwed up in the Super Bowl,’ ” Yepremian said in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press. “Fortunately, I’m a happy-go-lucky guy.”

Yepremian also kicked for the Dolphins when they repeated as Super Bowl champions the next season. The Dolphins released him after the 1978 season, and he finished his career in New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

Garabed Sarkis Yepremian (pronounced ya-PREM-ee-an) was born in Cyprus on June 2, 1944, and came to the United States when he was 22. A former soccer player, he spoke only a little heavily accented English when he broke into professional football. “I keek a touchdown!” he supposedly exclaimed after a successful kick.

In his Miami years, Yepremian sold neckties, some made in his basement — “wide, wild and woolly ones, with bright, abstract patterns that remind you of the kind of visions people must have on acid trips,” as Judy Klemesrud of The New York Times wrote in 1972.

Yepremian’s wife, Maritza, was a co-founder of the cancer-research foundation, and a son, Garo Jr., is actively involved, according to the organization’s website. Information on other survivors was not immediately available.

Shula has always been able to laugh about the miscue. Still, he organized a special drill in training camp the season afterward, as he told the A.P.

“We had holder Earl Morrall let the ball slip through his fingers,” Shula said. “I yelled at Garo, ‘Fall on it! Fall on it!’ ” This time, he did.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/sp...pass.html?_r=0

**cdcox** · 05-16-2015, 09:55 PM

Never trust a keeker. RIP

**Rain Man** · 05-16-2015, 09:57 PM

(Long, long pause while I remember the most disappointing Christmas of my childhood.)

(Another long pause.)

(A third long pause.)

Rest in peace.

RJ · 05-16-2015, 09:59 PM

He was a good keeker. RIP, Garo. Thanks for the memories, even the bad ones.

milkman · 05-16-2015, 09:59 PM

Did someone play a longer game than that '71 playoff game that I missed?

**Rain Man** · 05-16-2015, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Did someone play a longer game than that '71 playoff game that I missed?

Yeah, that's a strange statement in the article. It's still the longest game.

BlackHelicopters · 05-17-2015, 05:26 AM

Still remember Christmas 1971. Anyway, RIP.

Hoopsdoc · 05-17-2015, 05:44 AM

Was he one of the old school, straight ahead kickers?

TEX · 05-17-2015, 07:27 AM

That pass he made in the Super Bowl from that botched kick, was better than some of Matt Casel's...

But damn - I STILL remember the Christmas Day game...

RIP Garo.

Kman34 · 05-17-2015, 07:45 AM

I hate kickers but I will give my respects to Mr Yepremian...RIP... Thanks for the ****ing delay in opening my presents at my grandmas and congrats for kicking the winning ****ing FG in that game...

Seriously I hope the Garo Yepremian Foundation for Brain Tumor Research does wonderful things...

**rockymtnchief** · 05-17-2015, 09:17 AM

Sadly, that Christmas game was the day I became a Chiefs fan.

R.I.P. Garo.

**gblowfish** · 05-17-2015, 09:26 AM

I'm sorry, but I can't feel too badly about this. Just being honest.

**srvy** · 05-17-2015, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoopsdoc

Was he one of the old school, straight ahead kickers?

Nope.

RIP Garo was never mad at you because you did your job. As for Janski never he chocked.

**Bob Dole** · 05-17-2015, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by srvy

Nope.

RIP Garo was never mad at you because you did your job. As for Janski never he chocked.

English translation, please.

**srvy** · 05-17-2015, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Dole

English translation, please.

Translation is

Miami Dolphins and

Jan Stenerud

05-16-2015, 09:45 PM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3914454	Garo Yepremian.....dead... Garo Yepremian, a highly accomplished field-goal kicker who proved to be a comically inept Super Bowl passer in one of the most famous bloopers in the history of the National Football League, died on Friday at a hospital in Media, Pa. He was 70. Yepremian, who lived in nearby Avondale, Pa., had a brain tumor, according to a statement issued by the Garo Yepremian Foundation for Brain Tumor Research. Yepremian established the organization in 2001 after his daughter-in-law was afflicted with a brain tumor that took her life in 2004. Yepremian, who was left-footed, played in the N.F.L. from 1966 through 1981, kicking for the Detroit Lions, the Miami Dolphins, the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1966, he kicked six field goals for the Lions in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. But the high points (and famous low point) of his career were with Miami. As Christmas Day turned to night in 1971, he kicked a 37-yard field goal in Kansas City, Mo., to lift the Dolphins over the Chiefs, 27-24, in the second overtime of a playoff game. The contest was the longest in N.F.L. history at the time. Weeks later, his field goal gave Miami its only points as the Dolphins lost to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-3, in the Super Bowl. Then came the magical season of 1972. Yepremian was his team’s leading scorer as the Dolphins took a 16-0 record into the Super Bowl against the Washington Redskins on Jan. 14, 1973, in Los Angeles. The Dolphins were leading, 14-0, with just over two minutes left when Yepremian was sent in to attempt a field goal. Don Shula, the Dolphins’ coach, relived the moment decades later, as The Associated Press recalled Saturday: “I thought, ‘Boy, this will be great if Garo kicks this field goal and we go ahead, 17-0, in a 17-0 season. What a great way that would be to remember the game.’ And then Garo did what he did.” What Yepremian inexplicably did, after the Redskins’ Bill Brundige blocked the kick, was pick up the ball and try to pass it. But Yepremian was used to kicking the ball, not throwing it, and the ball slipped out of his hands. He tried to bat the ball out of bounds, but instead he batted it into the hands of the Redskins’ Mike Bass, who ran 49 yards for a touchdown. Yepremian hid on the end of the bench for the final two minutes of the contest, his 5-foot-7 ½-inch stature making concealment easy. He was reprieved as the Dolphins hung on to win, 14-7, but his blunder was already legendary. “Every airport you go to, people point to you and say, ‘Here’s the guy who screwed up in the Super Bowl,’ ” Yepremian said in a 2007 interview with The Associated Press. “Fortunately, I’m a happy-go-lucky guy.” Yepremian also kicked for the Dolphins when they repeated as Super Bowl champions the next season. The Dolphins released him after the 1978 season, and he finished his career in New Orleans and Tampa Bay. Garabed Sarkis Yepremian (pronounced ya-PREM-ee-an) was born in Cyprus on June 2, 1944, and came to the United States when he was 22. A former soccer player, he spoke only a little heavily accented English when he broke into professional football. “I keek a touchdown!” he supposedly exclaimed after a successful kick. In his Miami years, Yepremian sold neckties, some made in his basement — “wide, wild and woolly ones, with bright, abstract patterns that remind you of the kind of visions people must have on acid trips,” as Judy Klemesrud of The New York Times wrote in 1972. Yepremian’s wife, Maritza, was a co-founder of the cancer-research foundation, and a son, Garo Jr., is actively involved, according to the organization’s website. Information on other survivors was not immediately available. Shula has always been able to laugh about the miscue. Still, he organized a special drill in training camp the season afterward, as he told the A.P. “We had holder Earl Morrall let the ball slip through his fingers,” Shula said. “I yelled at Garo, ‘Fall on it! Fall on it!’ ” This time, he did. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/sp...pass.html?_r=0
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05-16-2015, 09:55 PM	#2
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $2351769	Never trust a keeker. RIP
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05-16-2015, 09:57 PM	#3
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3328491 VARSITY	(Long, long pause while I remember the most disappointing Christmas of my childhood.) (Another long pause.) (A third long pause.) Rest in peace. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
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05-16-2015, 09:59 PM	#4
RJ Supporter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: In a shotgun shack Casino cash: $9965202	He was a good keeker. RIP, Garo. Thanks for the memories, even the bad ones.
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05-16-2015, 09:59 PM	#5
milkman Dumbass! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Leading the Marty bashing Casino cash: $10029395	Did someone play a longer game than that '71 playoff game that I missed? __________________
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05-17-2015, 05:26 AM	#7
BlackHelicopters Spiraling down the Drain Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dante's Ninth Circle Casino cash: $2720588	Still remember Christmas 1971. Anyway, RIP. __________________ "We're both part of the same hypocrisy, Senator, but never think it applies to my family." "Fredo. You are my brother, and I love you. But never take sides against the Family again. Ever." 2019 Adopt a Chief - Travis Kelce #87
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05-17-2015, 07:27 AM	#9
TEX Out Gunning CP's Fandom Police Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Laguna Beach, CA Casino cash: $2373127	That pass he made in the Super Bowl from that botched kick, was better than some of Matt Casel's... But damn - I STILL remember the Christmas Day game... RIP Garo. __________________ "The CHIEFS, HAVE THEIR DYNASTY!"
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05-17-2015, 07:45 AM	#10
Kman34 My Mamma Says Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Glass Cage Of Emotion Casino cash: $1981786 VARSITY	I hate kickers but I will give my respects to Mr Yepremian...RIP... Thanks for the **ing delay in opening my presents at my grandmas and congrats for kicking the winning **ing FG in that game... Seriously I hope the Garo Yepremian Foundation for Brain Tumor Research does wonderful things...
Posts: 13,881

05-17-2015, 09:17 AM	#11
rockymtnchief Supporter Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: The Crazys of Montana Casino cash: $10018968 VARSITY	Sadly, that Christmas game was the day I became a Chiefs fan. R.I.P. Garo. __________________
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05-17-2015, 09:26 AM	#12
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $17686178 VARSITY	I'm sorry, but I can't feel too badly about this. Just being honest.
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