Going Toe-To-Toe: The Brief History of the Barefoot Kickers of the NFL
Players in the NFL are often described as strong, fast, or talented, but only a few have earned the title of barefoot.
The bold and barefoot kickers of the NFL were convinced that their naked feet improved their play. Some cited that it provided increased grip and accuracy. These players had unique careers and fandoms backing them; who were the barefoot kickers?
Tony Franklin #1 during his time on the New England Patriots kicking off against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX on January 26th, 1986. The Bears crushed the Patriots 46-10. (Photo by Gin Ellis/Getty Images)
Tony Franklin was drafted in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft to the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was the pioneer of the barefoot kick.
His foot’s debut was on September 2nd, 1979, when the Eagles faced off against the New York Giants. In the first quarter of the game, the team lined up at 10 yards to go for a field goal.
The Eagles Quarterback Ron Jaworski #7 held the ball firmly in place. He knew his job in this routine play, being his sixth season in the NFL.
Franklin took four steps back and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. The whistle was blown.
Bolting toward the ball, Franklin sends the ball into the air and between the field goalposts. This point contributed to their win of that day, beating the Giants 23-17.
In 1979, Tony Franklin #1 kicking one of his iconic shoeless field goals while on the Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NFL Films held an interview with the barefoot kicker where Franklin arrived in his Honda Accord that sports a Texas plate with the tag “NOSHOE.”
He says that, “the only reason I kicked footballs barefoot was because it was the best way I could do it. I couldn’t kick with a shoe on with near the distance or near the accuracy.”
The Honda Accord owned and driven by the retired Tony Franklin that has the license plate “NOSHOE.” An unnamed woman presenting individual sits passenger. (Retrieved from NFL Films/Youtube)
In his early days of kicking without a shoe, he wore a sock. But this soon changed when he went to play collegiate for Texas A&M.
On this team, he proved to the world a kicker can successfully kick barefoot.
On October 16th, 1976, Baylor competed at Texas A&M. During this match, Franklin successfully kicked the longest NCAA field goal of 65-yards. He continued to show his dominance this match, following up with a 64-yard field goal later that game.
This inspired a fandom and cultivated some upcoming players to follow the trend. Rich Karlis was one of the few motivated by Franklin’s lack of footwear.
Close-up of Tony Franklin #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles during a game in Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1980. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Karlis #3 of the Denver Broncos joined the Broncos in 1982 as their kicker.
He said in an interview that he said that, “Franklin certainly influenced [him] as a kicker in college. He definitely got everyone’s attention. For [him] – it was something [he] learned and was stuck with”
While his foot was not capable of a distance record, he was skilled at his barefoot craft. This skill revealed its peak at the 1987 AFC Championship.
On January 31st, 1988, Rich Karlis #3 kicks a field goal that soars over the opposing Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXII. The Redskins defeated the Broncos 42-10. (Photo by Gin Ellis/Getty Images)
The Broncos and the Cleveland Browns had an intense back-and-forth the entire game. Karlis had already performed two field goals during the game, a 19-yarder in the second quarter and a 26-yarder in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, intense play erupted. Cleveland scored a field goal and a touchdown, but the Broncos answered back with a touchdown. Sadly, Karlis failed to score the field goal, which sent the match into overtime at 20-20.
Karlis was not going to let this ruin his great game. With the intensity of the game on his shoulders, the Broncos went for the field goal at 33 yards. Sporting a single shoe, Karlis prepared for a potential game-winning point. He ran at the ball, sending it through the posts, scoring the game winner setting the score at 23-20.
The game-winning field of sent into the air by Broncos Rich Karlis #3 against the Cleveland Browns, winning the AFC Championship. (Photo by John D. Hanlon/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images/Getty Images)
This was not his only moment of fame. Now on the Minnesota Vikings, Karlis was on another hot streak. Facing the Los Angeles Rams in the 1989 game, Karlis was on track to tie the NFL record for most field goals in a game. From 40 yards out – Karlis went for his seventh field goal of the match and got it.
Incidentally, that 1989 game was against fellow barefoot kicker Mike Lansford #1 of the Rams. Lansford began his career struggling to make field goals, getting cut from the Giants, Niners, and the Raiders.
Mike Lansford #1 of the Los Angeles Rams stands during a match against the Phoenix Cardinals on November 19th, 1989, in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto via Getty Images)
But this all changed when he decided to change his uniform. Lansford said, “one day I was working out with a bunch of existing pros, and I threw on some old mud-stained shoes and they created a blister on my heel. I didn’t want to waste this opportunity to work out with these guys, so after the first kick I just took my shoe off and that was it. By doing that, I lowered my foot on the ball just enough to get great height on the ball.”
He was successful throughout his career after discovering his preferred apparel. However, on December 31st, 1990, Lansford played his last game. In the second quarter, Lansford unknowingly scored the last NFL barefoot field goal at 24 yards.
In a game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers on September 14th, 1986, Mike Lansford #1 attempts a field goal that Steve Dils #8 set up. The Rams won the game 16-13. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
These unique players had their own sets of routines to ensure their barefoot kicks maintained their accuracy.
Franklin stated that he consistently had to trim his toenails to prevent them from breaking on impact, and this did not always work. He claims that his big toenail had been ripped off whilst colliding with a football multiple times.
Karlis’s regiment to keep his foot pristine was to apply a product that is typically used on cow utters. While he retired in 1990, he continues his pride in his foot to this day, representing his own business called Barefoot Bronco Woodworking.
Tony Franklin in his NFL retirement lounging with his famous bare-kicking foot during an interview. (Retrieved from NFL Films/Youtube)
The legacy of barefoot kicking has mostly faded into history. As NFL footwear has improved in quality and techniques of kicking are standardized, it is unlikely that we will see another barefoot kicker play professionally.
But who knows? An upcoming NFL star may be discovering his shoeless skill as you read this; history does like to repeat itself.
