Gifts
It was November 8, 1970. At Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, the New Orleans Saints were playing the Detroit Lions. The Saints had won only one of their seven games so far, but they had led for much of this afternoon's contest against the Detroit Lions. But things had taken an abrupt turn for the worse (in true Saints fashion), and with two seconds to go, the score was 17-16 in favor of the Lions, and the ball was way down on the Saints' 45-yard line.
They were going to lose by one miserable point.
Saints’ kicker Tom Dempsey strode onto the field. He'd have to kick the ball 63 yards to score. And that had never been done before. Reality-oriented fans were already slogging down the stadium ramps, and the stadium seats were already half empty. Those leaving felt they could at least beat the post-game traffic gridlock.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The kick, which had to cut through the heavy, turbulent air in an outdoor stadium known for its unpredictable wind patterns, propelled the New Orleans Saints to a last-second 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions. It eclipsed the NFL mark of 56 yards, set by the Baltimore Colts in 1953. Tom Dempsey kicked the longest field goal ever-- 63 yards!
The odds seemed stacked against Tom Dempsey as he lined up for that field-goal attempt.
Just seconds on the clock.
Unpredictable winds.
63 yards of open field.
But poor odds were nothing new to Dempsey. Tom Dempsey was born with half a right foot and only one finger on his right hand. This may have stopped others from achieving their dreams, but Dempsey never used that as an excuse. He never let it keep him from chasing his dreams.
In college, he wanted to be a lineman, but just before tryouts, the coach grew dissatisfied with the current kicker. When Dempsey twice kicked the ball out of the end zone, the Palomar College coach knew he had found his kicker. Dempsey went on to be an all-league two-way lineman, a heavyweight wrestling champion, and a discus thrower for the college track team.
Now he wanted to play professional football. Tom Dempsey was fitted with a special shoe that allowed him to swing his leg and drive the ball like a polo player using a mallet.
And on November 8, 1970, Tom Dempsey, now a player in the National Football League, with two seconds left, booted the ball high and straight -- 63 yards through the goalposts, setting a world record.
Sometimes in life, what limits us is what our brain, our heart, our spirit, our attitude, our faith, or our vision cannot imagine. Given the right conditions, we often can achieve so much more. "Until we are willing to use what God has already given us, there is no need to ask for anymore."