Thomas John Dempsey was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills.
12 Facts About Tom Dempsey
1.
2.
Unlike the "soccer style" approach which was becoming more and more widely used during his career, Tom Dempsey's kicking style was the then-standard straight-toe style.
3.
Tom Dempsey was born in Milwaukee and attended high school and college in Southern California.
4.
Tom Dempsey was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand.
5.
Tom Dempsey was born without toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand.
6.
Tom Dempsey wore a modified shoe with a flattened and enlarged toe surface.
7.
Since Tom Dempsey was the only kicker to make a field goal from more than sixty yards prior to the relocation of the goal posts, he remains the only player in NFL history to successfully kick a field goal from beyond his own team's 40-yard line.
8.
In 1983, Tom Dempsey was inducted into the American Football Association's Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame.
9.
Tom Dempsey's house was flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
10.
Tom Dempsey married Carlene and had three children, one named Ashley.
11.
On March 30,2020, Tom Dempsey tested positive for COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic.
12.
Tom Dempsey was one of 15 residents at a New Orleans senior residence to test positive for the virus.