As many of you know, the Northwestern archives have made films of many old games available at the following link:
http://media.northwestern.edu/catalog?f[collection_ssim][]=Northwestern+University+Football+Films&sort=date_ssi+desc,+title_ssort+asc
The films are a treasure trove of images showing how the game has changed. Since it is the off season, I have been browsing some of them, and in watching the 1982 NIU game, I noted that the placekicker was left footed and kicked straight toe. I am old enough to remember when Pete Gogolak, Garo Yepremian and Jan Stenerud arrived on the football scene; within a few years, most kickers became instep/ soccer style, replacing the Lou Grozas and George Blandas of the world.
I do remember that John Duvic won kicking duties in 1983, kicking soccer style, and I assume we have had no straight-on kickers since.
The 1982 stats list two kickers, Paul Jolas and Rick Salvino.
Here is the first question I do not know the answer to: Who was the last NU kicker to score using a straight toe kick? I assume it was one of the two, but I do not remember either vividly, and can't identify which one is in the 1982 films. I also am assuming there was no later conventional kicker for the Cats.
The follow up question is raised because when the soccer kickers were coming to prominence, my friends at the time were fond of pointing out that before the change if the shape of the football in the '30s, dropkicks were common, and that the change to soccer kicking was a similar phenomenon. With this said, does anyone know who the last NU player was to score on a dropkick, and what year it was? As a bonus, has anyone found, in the NU archive film, a film of an NU player scoring by dropkick?
Since I do not know the answers to the questions, I can't arbitrate the correctness of anyone's answers.
http://media.northwestern.edu/catalog?f[collection_ssim][]=Northwestern+University+Football+Films&sort=date_ssi+desc,+title_ssort+asc
The films are a treasure trove of images showing how the game has changed. Since it is the off season, I have been browsing some of them, and in watching the 1982 NIU game, I noted that the placekicker was left footed and kicked straight toe. I am old enough to remember when Pete Gogolak, Garo Yepremian and Jan Stenerud arrived on the football scene; within a few years, most kickers became instep/ soccer style, replacing the Lou Grozas and George Blandas of the world.
I do remember that John Duvic won kicking duties in 1983, kicking soccer style, and I assume we have had no straight-on kickers since.
The 1982 stats list two kickers, Paul Jolas and Rick Salvino.
Here is the first question I do not know the answer to: Who was the last NU kicker to score using a straight toe kick? I assume it was one of the two, but I do not remember either vividly, and can't identify which one is in the 1982 films. I also am assuming there was no later conventional kicker for the Cats.
The follow up question is raised because when the soccer kickers were coming to prominence, my friends at the time were fond of pointing out that before the change if the shape of the football in the '30s, dropkicks were common, and that the change to soccer kicking was a similar phenomenon. With this said, does anyone know who the last NU player was to score on a dropkick, and what year it was? As a bonus, has anyone found, in the NU archive film, a film of an NU player scoring by dropkick?
Since I do not know the answers to the questions, I can't arbitrate the correctness of anyone's answers.