1972 New England Patriots- kick the habit
The “Sports Huddle” sports talk radio show debuted in 1971 on WBZ (1030-AM). It was a Sunday evening program hosted by Eddie Andelman with his sidekicks, Jimmy McCarthy and Mark Witkin. After a brief stay on WBZ (Eddie Andelman always referred to WBZ as “Wyoming Blasting and Zoning “), the show moved down the dial to WEEI (590- AM).
The creative panel had quite a following from the start. Eddie was the ringleader. He urged his callers to be critical of the local teams with any topic open for discussion. This usually led to his favorite subject, which was food. A caller had told Eddie that “hot dogs were the ultimate sports food”. This led to Eddie getting the Boston Red Sox to provide better condiments to its fans for their ballpark franks. This also included, onions. The Hot Dog Safari held each May at Suffolk Downs has raised millions for charity.
With the talk show firmly established, the panel looked for ways to help the local teams. Eddie was intrigued by soccer players. He was always talking about their feet, and how their arms were not needed. He loved the way they approached the ball from the side, and often talked about their accuracy.
The November 27, 1966 NFL game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants ended in a 72-41 rout for the Redskins. It was a battle of brothers who were the placekickers for the teams. Pete Gogolak was the New York Giants kicker from Cornell University while his brother, Charlie from Princeton University kicked for the Redskins. They combined for an NFL record, 14 PATS (points after touchdowns). Eddie Andelman’s question was “How could these two Ivy leaguers from Budapest, Hungary be so skilled at American football? “.
Random phone calls produced much fun and enjoyment. Many revealed secrets over the airwaves after much prodding from Eddie and the guys. The phone call to the Daily Mirror, Britain’s brightest tabloid newspaper created the kicking contest that Eddie had hoped for. 12 soccer players were to participate in a kicking competition with the winner getting a tryout from the New England Patriots. The Daily Mirror picked up the tab on the expenses.
The contest was called "Superfoot". Mike Walker from Carnforth, Lancashire was the bricklayer who made the 1972 New England Patriots as their starting placekicker. The contest nickname stuck, and number 12 in your media guide was Mike “Superfoot“ Walker. He would appear in 8 games for the Patriots, making 2 of 8 field goals. He would be cut by the Patriots, and also by the 1973 Los Angeles Rams. He would pave the way for future soccer star kickers, including fellow Brit John Smith who excelled for the Patriots.
Following his retirement after a brief NFL career, Mike put away the bricks, got married, got a job as a liquor salesman, and became a footnote in New England sports history. “I’ll drink to that”.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
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