On a humid November day in New Orleans, Tom Dempsey lined up to take the kick that would define his career. The previously raucous crowd at Tulane Stadium was hushed as Dempsey stood in position for a hail-Mary field goal attempt. Down seventeen to sixteen against the Detroit Lions, the Saints had only eight seconds on the clock when they got the ball back. Billy Kilmer, the Saint’s journeyman quarterback, heaved a weak pass to Danny Abramowicz, who was able to haul in the ball and go out of bounds with two seconds remaining on the clock. Out trotted Tom Dempsey and the kicking team, preparing themselves for a sixty-three yard field goal attempt. As the ball was snapped, the crowd began to murmur; as the ball flew from Dempsey’s boot like a shot, the crowd began to roar. The Saints announcers watched the play incredulously, even commenting, “I don’t believe this,” as the ball sailed closer and closer to its target. For a brief moment in time, every eye in the stadium is trained on the ball, as it hurdles end over end towards the goal. Tulane Stadium explodes as Dempsey’s one-in-a-million shot passes through the uprights, sealing not only victory for the Saints, but also the legacy of Tom Dempsey.

Thomas John Dempsey was born on January 12th, 1947 to working-class parents Huey and LaVerne Dempsey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As soon as he was born, his parents noticed their son was different. Unfortunately, Dempsey was born without his right hand or any of the toes on his right foot, which seemed to limit Thomas’s future options, especially in athletics. In spite of this, Tom was a daring and athletic young man, excelling in athletics after the family’s relocation to Encinitas, California. After high school, he attended Palomar College, a public community college in San Diego County. His skill in college earned him a tryout with the San Diego Chargers, and although he was unable to make their roster. In 1969, he was hired as a kicker for the struggling New Orleans Saints. At this time, the Saints were a dismal outfit more commonly known to the people of New Orleans as the “Aints” for their overall ineffectiveness. Dempsey was a breath of fresh air for a team that desperately needed one. With his distinctive boot that provided him with a large surface area to launch the ball and his direct, American, style of kicking, he was a fan favorite in New Orleans. Despite his impressive stats, his game-winning kick, and his popularity with the city, the Saints opted not to re-sign Dempsey after the 1970 season. He then played for the Philadelphia Eagles for four years, his longest tenure with any one team. After his stint with the Eagles, he played for the Los Angeles Rams, the Houston Oilers, and the Buffalo Bills before finally retiring following the 1979 season. During his career, the NFL introduced two rules for kickers, specifically to counter Dempsey’s dominance. The first rule change moved the goalposts to the back of the endzone, which was a reaction to the higher percentages of field goals being made by Dempsey and other kickers of the era. The second rule, lovingly dubbed the “Tom Dempsey rule,” states that any shoe worn by a player with an artificial limb must be a regulation shoe. The only player who was granted an exception to the rule was the man who inspired it. 

At the end of his playing career, Dempsey resided with his wife Carlene in Metairie, Louisiana. He had three children: Ashley, Toby, and Meghan, and he remained close to them throughout his life. In 2013, Dempsey was diagnosed with dementia and placed in a senior care facility. Unfortunately, he would go on to contract the coronavirus during an outbreak at his facility in March of this year. On April 4th, 2020, Tom Dempsey passed away from complications caused by COVID-19. Despite the tragedy of Dempsey’s death, he should be remembered as a man who loved his family and football as well as a pioneer who blazed a trail for representation in the NFL.