Cam Little won’t be getting his name in the NFL record book after smashing a 70-yard field goal on Saturday night, but he will certainly have some bragging rights and that’s because his improbable kick appears to be the longest field goal in a game by any kicker in the history of football.
The first American football game was played in 1869 and in the 156 years since then, no kicker had ever made a 70-yard field goal in a game until Little hit his kick just before halftime during Jacksonville’s 31-25 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
You’ve probably already seen a highlight of the kick, but it’s definitely worth watching again, so let’s check it out.
Despite the long kick, Little’s name won’t be etched in the NFL record book, because preseason kicks don’t count. Due to that rule, Justin Tucker’s 66-yard field goal from 2021 still stands as the longest kick in league history.
That being said, it does appear that Little’s kick is the longest field goal by anyone in a game ever. The previous mark was held Abilene Christian University kicker Ove Johansson, who hit a 69-yarder all the way back in 1976. And yes, there is footage of it.
The second longest kick actually belongs to high schooler Dirk Borgognone, who hit a 68-yard field goal for Reno High in Nevada back in 1985.
Once you get to 67 yards, things get kind of crowded. According to ESPN, there have been a total of four kickers who have hit a 67-yard field goal at the college level.
- Tom Odle, Fort Hays State (1988)
- Joe Williams, Wichita State (1978)
- Steve Little, Arkansas (1977)
- Russell Erxleben, Texas (1977)
The high school level has also had four players hit from 67 yards out with the most recent one coming in 2012, according to MaxPreps.
- Austin Rehkow, Central Valley in Spokane Valley, Wash. (2012)
- Kip Smith, Legacy High School in Broomfield, Colo. (2009)
- Rusty Curry, Duluth High School in Georgia (1999)
- Rossell Cowsert, Dallas Christian School in Mesquite, Texas (1987)
You might recognize Rehkow’s name and that’s because he currently has a sibling playing in the NFL in his brother Ryan, who’s heading into his second season with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Once you get to 66 yards, that’s when you get to Tucker’s NFL record. If you’re wondering why college and high school players have been able to hit longer kicks, there’s actually a perfectly good explanation: Kicking blocks.
Here’s exactly how the Jaguars used Travis Hunter in the rookie’s NFL preseason debut against the Steelers
Cody Benjamin
College kickers were allowed to use a 1- to 2-inch kicking block until 1989 when they were banned. Before the ban, kickers were essentially kicking off a tee as long as the holder was able to get the ball in the right spot. The five longest field goals in college history all came when the kicking block was legal. The longest field goal at the college level since the ban of the kicking block came from Martin Gramatica, who hit a 65-yarder for Kansas State in 1998.
Kicking blocks are still legal in high school, but players don’t have to use them. Former NFL kicker John Carney recently made a video about why high school kickers SHOULD use the block.
The fact that every field goal ever from 67 yards or longer has come off a kicking block makes Little’s 70-yarder EVEN MORE impressive. And not only did he make the kick, but he drilled it: Little’s field goal had so much juice on it that it probably would have been good from 73 to 75 yards.
At the rate things are going, it seems like it will only be a matter of time before an NFL kicker drills a 70-yarder in a regular-season game. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey was the last player to attempt a field goal of at least 70 yards in the regular season and that came last December in a game against the Carolina Panthers.
Aubrey’s kick is one of just two attempts from 70 yards that the NFL has seen over the past 10 years, but no one should be surprised if that number doubles this year. The Cowboys kicker did drill a 65-yard field goal last season, which is the second-longest in NFL history. He also hit a 66-yard field goal during the preseason last year, which unofficially tied Tucker’s record. No NFL kicker had ever hit from 67 yards or longer in the preseason until Little happened.
Little’s kick might not count in the record book, but he’s going to have bragging rights for life, because he did the impossible by pulling off something that no player in recorded football history had ever done: He drilled a 70-yard field goal.
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