Garo Yepremian dead at 70

Former Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian has died at the age of 70 after a fight with cancer, according to ESPN.com. Yepremian is best known for his gaffe in Super Bowl VII, a game which culminated the only perfect season in NFL history with the Dolphins defeating the Washington Redskins, 14-7.

Yepremian actually broke into professional football in 1966 with the Detroit Lions. Yepremian was one of the first kickers in the NFL to use the soccer-style approach of kicking with the side of your foot instead of straight ahead. At that time, most kickers also played another position, such as the Green Bay Packers’ Jerry Kramer, who was also a guard. However, Yepremian was only a kicker, lasting in the league until his retirement in 1981.

In Super Bowl VII, Yepremian lined up for a field goal which would have put Miami ahead 17-0 in the fourth quarter. Instead, the kick was blocked and landed in the hands of Yepremian, who tried to throw a pass but failed due to the small nature of his hands. The kicker then batted the ball back into the air and watched as Redskins defensive back Mike Bass caught it and raced 49 yards for a touchdown. Luckily for Yepremian, the Dolphins were able to hold on and win their first or two consecutive championships. Head coach Don Shula remembers the play well, per ESPN.

"“I thought, ‘Boy, this will be great if Garo kicks this field goal and we go ahead 17-0 in a 17-0 season. What a great way that would be to remember the game,” Shula said. “And then Garo did what he did, and it’s 14-7 with still a couple of minutes to go. I’m looking for Garo, and I’m ready to kill Garo, and I couldn’t find him. He went down to one end of the bench, and I haven’t seen him since.”"

In the wake of his death, Dolphins senior vice president and Yepremian’s former teammate, Nat Moore, released the following statement:

"“His effusive personality supplemented his strong competitive nature, and no one made more pressure kicks than Garo,”  Moore said. “While Garo is also remembered for his ill-fated pass attempt following a blocked kick in Super Bowl VII, even that miscue demonstrated his competitiveness — he was just trying to do whatever it took to make a play. … With his love of life and of the Dolphins, Garo was one of a kind.”"

Yepremian finished out his career with the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.