THE GREATEST KICKER OF ALLTIME: GARO YEPREMIAN
By Michele Ann
Bleacher Report
he-greatest-kicker-of-alltime-garo-yepremian
Dec 2 2009
HE MAKES UP STORIES ABOUT THE PAST WHEN HE SPEAKS AT BANQUETS HERE’S A
TYPICAL STORY THAT HE TELLS:
A YEAR BEFORE WE LOST TO THE DALLAS COWBOYS IN THE SUPERBOWL 24-3. WE
WEREN’T DOING WELL THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY PHONE CALL ON THE SIDELINE
AND IT RANG, AT HALFTIME COACH SHULA PICKED IT UP PRESIDENT NIXON WAS
CALLING AND HE LIKED TO SUGGEST SOME PLAYS.
NIXON SAID COACH YOU DIDN’T DO WELL IN THE FIRST HALF I WOULD LIKE TO
SUGGEST THE FLEA FLICKER PASS BECAUSE I THINK YOU WILL SCORE A
TOUCHDOWN.
IN THE SECOND HALF WE TRIED THE PASS IT BACKFIRED MEL RENFRO PICKED IT
OFF AND RAN IT BACK FOR A TOUCHDOWN.
COACH SHULA LOST A LOT OF RESPECT IN PRESIDENT NIXON’S PLAYCALLING THE
NEXT YEAR WE PLAYED THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS.
COACH SHULA CALLED ME OVER AND SAID I WAS IN CHARGE OF THE EMERGENCY
PHONE THIS WAS PART OF MY RESPONSIBILITY.
I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH TO DO DURING THE GAME SO COACH SHULA SAID IF IT
RINGS PICK IT UP AND SAY HI THIS IS GARO YEPREMIAN ON THE 40 YARD
LINE OF THE LOS ANGELES COLISEIUM MAY I HELP YOU.
NOBODY CALLED UNTIL THERE WERE FOUR MINUTES LEFT IN THE GAME I PICKED
UP THE PHONE AND A YOUNG LADY SAID MR. YEPREMIAN I HAVE THE PRESIDENT
ON THE LINE COULD YOU HOLD I WAS EXCITED, I HAD ONLY BEEN IN THIS
COUNTRY SIX YEARS.
THIS WAS A BIG HONOR FOR ME TO BE TALKING ON THE PHONE WITH THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THE HIGHEST POWER IN THE WORLD.
ALL OF A SUDDEN A VOICE CAME ON THE OTHER END AND SAID GARO MAKE NO
MISTAKE ABOUT THIS, I REALIZED THIS WAS PRESIDENT NIXON, I SAID SIR IT
IS A BIG HONOR FOR ME TO BE ON THE PHONE WITH YOU, IF ONLY MY FAMILY,
FANS AND TEAMMATES KNEW ABOUT THIS WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU.
THE PRESIDENT SAID I NEED A FAVOR, I SAID CERTAINLY WHATEVER YOU LIKE
DO YOU NEED AN AUTOGRAPH OR SOMETHING, HE SAID LOOK THERE ARE FOUR
MINUTES LEFT ON THE CLOCK, I HAVE A WAGER WITH VICE PRESIDENT SPIRO
AGNEW THAT THE POINT SPREAD WILL BE SEVEN POINTS CAN YOU HELP ME, I
TOLD HIM, I COULDN’T DO THAT TO MY TEAMMATES, FANS AND FAMILY.
THERE WAS SILENCE ON THE PHONE FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES, I HEAR THE
SOUNDS OF PAPER BEING SHUFFLED AROUND IN THE BACKGROUND, PRESIDENT
NIXON CAME BACK AND SAID GARO, I HAVE CHECKED ON YOUR PAPERS THAT YOU
HAVE FILED TO BE A CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, ALL OF A SUDDEN I
CHANGED MY TUNE.
I SAID SIR DON’T WORRY, THEN COACH SHULA CALLED ME OVER AND TOLD ME TO
KICK A 42 YARD FIELD GOAL, I COULD KICK 42 YARDERS IN MY DREAMS, IT
WAS AN EASY CHIP SHOT.
I STARTED THINKING HOW TO DO THIS IF I KICKED IT LOW ENOUGH IT WOULD
BE BLOCKED, AND I WOULD NOT BE BLAMED IF SOMETHING HAPPENED, I KICKED
IT LOW ENOUGH AND BALL BOUNCED EVERYWHERE.
EARL MORRALL MY HOLDER TOLD ME TO PICK IT UP, I SAID WHY DON’T YOU
PICK IT UP, HE INFORMED HE WAS 38 YEARS OLD, SO I DECIDED TO PICK IT
UP THE BALL AND THROW IT NOT REALIZING MY HAND WAS TOO SMALL.
BILL BRUNDIGE CAME TOWARDS ME AND I TRIED TO THROW IT BUT THE BALL
SLIPPED OUT OF MY HAND, MIKE BASS PICKED IT OFF AND RAN IT BACK FOR A
TOUCHDOWN.
TO CUT THE STORY SHORT SIX MONTHS LATER, I BECAME A CITIZEN. THAT IS
THE STORY, I TELL AT BANQUETS AND I ALSO TELL THEM, THAT I HAVE HIGH
REGARD FOR THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, IT IS JUST A JOKE BECAUSE
PRESIDENT NIXON GAVE THE REDSKINS A PLAY BEFORE THE SUPERBOWL, THAT
DIDN’T WORK, THAT IS WHY I TELL THIS STORY.
I THOUGHT JAN STENERUD (K.C.), ROY GERELA (PITT), TONI FRITSCH
(DALLAS), HORST MUHLMAN (CINN), JOHN SMITH (N.E.), BOBBY HOWFIELD
(NYJ) AND NICK MIKE-MAYER (BUFF) WERE THE BEST THAT I PLAYED AGAINST.
TOM DEMPSEY WHO BOOTED A 63-YARD FIELD GOAL FOR NEW ORLEANS WAS A
STRONG KICKER, I GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THAT KICK, BUT HE WASN’T
CONSISTENT. EVEN THOU WE WON I HAVE TO SUFFER THE HUMILIATION FOR THE
REST OF MY LIFE, AND MY KIDS WILL SUFFER FOR IT THE REST OF THEIR
LIVES, WHEN MY KIDS INTRODUCE THEMSELVES PEOPLE SAY, YOUR DAD SCREWED
UP IN THE SUPERBOWL, THAT BOTHERS ME, BUT YOU TAKE IT IN STRIDE AND
MAKE A JOKE OUT OF IT.
ONE TIME, I WAS AT THE AIRPORT AND A GUY POINT ME OUT TO HIS SON AND
SAID GARO YEPREMIAN, HE PLAYED 15 YEARS IN THE NFL, KICKER OF THE
DECADE, HE PLAYED IN THE LONGEST GAME IN THE HISTORY OF FOOTBALL,
PLAYED IN THE THREE SUPERBOWLS, AND SCORED OVER 1,000 POINTS GREAT
KICKER HE TURNED HIS BACK AND WALKED AWAY.
THAT WAS DEFINITELY A CHANGE OF PACE, WHEN SOMEONE ASK ME HOW IS YOUR
PASSING ARM, I TELL HIM I DON’T REMEMBER, THEN THE GUY SAYS, I
REMEMBER IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY, AND HIS WIFE WILL USUALLY SAY HE
HAS A GREAT MEMORY, I SAY REALLY, I WILL GIVE HIM A TEST RIGHT NOW, HE
WILL GET NERVOUS, BUT I TELL HIM THAT EVERYBODY PASSES THIS TEST, MY
QUESTION IS DO YOU REMEMBER LAST YEAR SUPERBOWL, HE’LL SAY OF COURSE
IT WAS NEW ENGLAND AND ST. LOUIS, THEN MY NEXT QUESTION IS DO YOU
REMEMBER THE LAST PASS KURT WARNER THREW IN THE FOURTH QUARTER, HE’LL
SAY NO, I DON’T, I SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOU REMEMBER MINE 30 YEARS
AGO SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN SPECIAL.
GARO YEPREMIAN LEFT SCHOOL AT 15 AND EDUCATED HIMSELF HE SPEAKS FOUR
LANGUAGES ENGLISH, ARMENIAN, GREEK AND TURKISH.
GARO CAME TO USA IN 1966 FROM CYPRUS. GARO AND HIS WIFE MARITZA HAVE 2
SONS GARO, JR. 26 IN 2004 AZAD 20 IN 2004 A KICKER AT MEDERSVILLE
UNIVERSITY IN LANCASTER, PA.
GARO AND HIS WIFE MARITZA LIVE IN OXFORD, PA.
GARO’S OLDER BROTHER KIKRO WAS GM OF NASL NEW YORK COSMOS AND HIS
YOUNGER BROTHER BERJ YEPREMIAN WAS A KICKER AT MIAMI KILLIAN HIGH
SCHOOL AND WENT ON TO KICK FOR 4 YEARS AT UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA.