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Number Crunching: #6
by Chris Brophy
11/5/2009
Continuing with Football Diner’s Number Cruching series Chris Brophy takes a look at #6, and this time he remembers a Chargers kicker who overcame serious illness to have a successful career.
FD’s All Time #6: Rolf Benirschke, Kicker, (San Diego Chargers)
 We won’t get many pure specialists in this list and even the best kickers will struggle to make it past offensive or defensive stars. However, we have a kicker selection here, partly because #6 might be one of the weakest numbers we’ll come across on this journey but also because his story is not just that of a fine player, but a guy who had to battle his way onto the field after serious illness.
Benirschke was drafted in the 12th round of the 1977 draft by the Oakland Raiders but was dealt to the Chargers later that off-season. He won the kicking job and at one point made 12 consecutive field goals to reward the team’s faith in him.
It looked like the Chargers had found a solid kicker for the future but in his second season Benirschke began to get ill. Fever, diarrhea and stomach cramps continually bothered him and after deciding it was something more serious than a virus, he sought medical help which led to him being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (a form of inflammatory bowel disease). He was kept in hospital but left on game days to kick and amazingly went 18 of 22 on field goals for the ’78 season.
However, the condition continued to affect him and during a team flight in the 1979 season he collapsed and had to be rushed in for emergency surgery to remove his colon. He would have more surgery and spent his recovery in intensive care. By the time he was released from hospital he weighed only 124lbs and there would be no more football that season. His team supported him though and he appeared as an honorary team captain at one home game, gaining a standing ovation from the crowd.
He got back to health and regained his job the following year being named Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts. He would go on to kick for the team until 1986, becoming their all time leading scorer. He made the Pro Bowl as well as being named All-Pro and the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1983.
After retiring Benirschke went on to become the host of the quiz show Wheel of Fortune. It was not a great success as he was not a natural on television and he was soon replaced. In 1997 he became the 20th member of the Chargers Hall of Fame.
Role of Honourable Mentions:
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Kevin Butler, Kicker, (Chicago Bears)
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Bubby Brister, Quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, NY Jets, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings)
 Kevin Butler was the kicker for the Bears during their lone Super Bowl season. He also once held the record for consecutive field goals made which he set in 1989. He is the first (and so far only) pure kicker to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Bubby Brister was the bright young thing for the Steelers during Chuck Noll’s final years. He would never quite go on to establish himself as a long term starter but he had a long career in the league and won two Super Bowl rings as John Elway’s back-up for the Broncos. During the second of those Super Bowl years Brister was needed to stand in for Elway when injured. He won all five games he played in, four of them as starter.
Learn More about past NFL greats in our History Archive
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