by Carly
18. January 2010 17:15
The 2010 class of the American Football Kicking Hall of Fame was honored Thursday, January 14 at the All-Area Football Banquet presented by The Augusta Chronicle, WJBF News Channel 6 and the Augusta Sports Council. The American Football Kicking Hall of Fame was created to recognize the individuals who excelled as kickers, to educate the public on the historic contributions of the kicking game, promote the advancement of kickers as strategic playmakers, and provide an arena to honor the players who put the “special” in special teams. This year's class includes Mr. Tom Dempsey, who booted a record-setting 63-yard field goal in 1970, and Mr. Yale Lary, a versatile standout on the Detroit Lions championship teams of the 1950’s and 60’s.
Tom Dempsey was an inspirational NFL player. Despite being born with only half a right foot and no right hand, the tenacious kicker had an 11-season NFL career. Dempsey played defensive end at Palomar Junior College in California before catching on as the New Orleans Saints' kicker and earning a Pro Bowl berth in 1969. The next season, with the seconds winding down in a game against the Detroit Lions, Dempsey's “kick heard 'round the world” shattered the NFL record by some seven yards. Dempsey's 63-yard bomb in the final two seconds of the game gave the Saints a 19-17 win over the Lions on November 8, 1970. The NFL record still stands today, though tied by the Denver Broncos' Jason Elam in 1998. Dempsey was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 1989.
Yale Lary, a native Texan and product of Texas A&M is remembered as a standout right safety, a truly great punter and an explosive punt returner. Each assessment is correct, as the multi-talented Lary was all of those things during his 11 seasons with the Detroit Lions. Lary won punting titles in 1959, 1961 and 1963, missing another one in 1962 by just 3.6 inches. From the end zone, Lary could consistently punt past midfield with enough hang time to give the coverage team time to work. Once, Lary had a string of six games and 32 punts with no returns and he had just four blocked of 503 in his career. As a defensive back, Lary was a key contributor for the Lions as they claimed three NFL World Championships in 1952, 1953 and 1957. He was named All-NFL four times, played in nine Pro Bowls and was a member of the All-Decade Team of the 1950s. The Lions selected Lary in the third round of the 1952 NFL Draft. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame in 1979.
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