The Kick

 

It happened at Tulane Stadium...

Tom Dempsey was his name...

He played for the New Orleans Saints... 

Kicking field goals was his game...

He was born with only one hand...

And his right leg had half a foot...

But Tom Dempsey had a great big heart... 

And for The Saints that’s all it took...

His teammates called him Stubby...

Tom had a tremendous smile...

He loved drinking beer with his buddies... 

They would overdo it every once in a while...

He woke up that Sunday morning...

It was overcast and the sky was grey...

November 8th of 1970 was the date... 

And Tom Dempsey was ready to play...

The Detroit Lions had come to town...

They were indeed the team to beat...

The Saints were down 17-16 with two seconds left... 

Most of the fans were heading for Willow Street...

Coach Roberts had a decision to make...

Everyone knew the game was on the line...

Kilmer could throw the Hail Mary pass... 

But the Coach wasn’t feeling The Sign...

Then one of the trainers suggested Tom...

And Coach Robert’s said “Oh, what the hell!”

He screamed “Dempsey, get your butt on the field! 

Win the game and you’ll have a story to tell!”

He ran onto the field wearing a big smile...

Because Tom Dempsey came ready to play... 

He felt confident that his foot was ready... 

He told everyone to move out of his way...

Jackie Burkett’s snap was just perfect...

So was Joe Scarpatti’s field goal hold...

Dempsey approached straight-on and swung his thick right leg... 

A perfect kick, as the story was told...

The ball sailed through the air in slow motion... 

It cleared the crossbar by no more than an inch... 

He kicked a world record 63-yarder...

Tom Dempsey had come through in the pinch...

The whole team put Tom on their shoulders... 

A new world record second to none...

A few people were still left in the stadium... 

They couldn’t believe the Saints had won...

While most fans had already left the stadium...

Many claimed they witnessed The Kick...

What will always be one of the Saints greatest moments... 

Most witnesses are laying it on thick...

Whether you were in Tulane Stadium that day...

Whether you witnessed The Kick or not...

Stubby’s record held for 43 long years...

That day Tom Dempsey took his best shot...

© 2022 Jeffrey Pipes Guice

My Wonder Years: A Book