The legendary New Orleans Saints kicker, Tom Dempsey, who held the record for the longest field goal in NFL history from 1970 to 2013, died after contracting the new coronavirus, his team said on Sunday.
Dempsey, 73, died on Saturday in a nursing home where he had been battling Alzheimer's and dementia.
Several other residents of the facility where Dempsey was staying also contracted COVID-19.
Dempsey's gigantic 63-yard field goal, which won the game on November 8, 1970, was the most famous moment of his NFL career.
Born without toes on his right foot, Dempsey was an unlikely candidate for a career on the gridiron. However, he flourished with a specially modified flat-front right boot that critics claimed gave him an unfair advantage in kicking.
That didn't stop him from spending a decade in the NFL between 1969 and 1979 with stints in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Houston, and Buffalo.
His 63-yard field goal record, which secured a 19-17 victory over the Detroit Lions, stood as the longest in NFL history until Matt Prater converted a 64-yarder for the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium in 2013.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Carlene and the entire Dempsey family on the passing of their beloved Tom," said Saints owner Gayle Benson in a statement on Sunday.
(With information from AFP)