I’m a dangerous man when I start talking about special teams. Following Chris Boswell tying the NFL record for highest-paid kicker in history and my article explaining why he’s the greatest kicker in Pittsburgh Steelers history – even if it might not need much explaining – there’s plenty of other quirky history about prior franchise kickers.
Given the chance to expand on it, let’s delve into the fun and weird of Steelers kickers.
First Kicker Specialist In NFL History: Mose Kelsch (1933-1934)
In football’s early days, a player rarely played a single position. Rosters were smaller, and substitution rules made swapping players more challenging. Heck, back then, the head coach often doubled as a player.
It makes Kelsch’s situation unique. He’s widely considered the first “specialist” in NFL history. A portly man who didn’t attend college, papers would quip he attended the “School of Hard Knocks.” Kelsch knew Art Rooney Sr., “The Chief,” well, and played for some of his sandlot teams years earlier.
At 36 years old, when the Steelers – then called the Pittsburgh Pirates – debuted in 1933, he was signed to kick. In Week Two against the Chicago Cardinals, he made the first kick in team history after Butch Kottler’s 99-yard interception return for the Steelers’ first-ever touchdown. Later in the same game, Kelsch kicked the game-winning extra point after Paul Moss’ short touchdown catch to beat the Cardinals, 14-13; the franchise’s first win.
Kelsch finished the year 2-of-3 on extra points. He went 1-of-2 the following year. Sadly, he died in a car accident in July 1935.
Years ago, I made a short video on Kelsch’s story if you want to learn a little bit more.
First Black Kicker In NFL History: Gene Mingo (1969-1970)
To be clear, Pittsburgh was not the first team to roster Mingo. In fact, the Steelers didn’t bring him on board until the final two seasons of his NFL career. Mingo got his start with the Denver Broncos and is best known for his time with the franchise, 1960-1964. He made the Pro Bowl in 1962 after leading the league with 27 field goals and four rushing touchdowns. Today, he’s part of the franchise’s Ring of Honor.
After he bounced around several teams in the 60s, Pittsburgh signed Mingo in 1969, Chuck Noll’s first year. He made 12-of-26 field goals and all 26 of his extra points. He had a long of 41 yards in a loss to the New York Giants. Carried over into 1970, Mingo struggled through 10 games, making just 5-of-18 kicks. Pittsburgh cut him in favor of Allan Watson.
At 87, he’s one of the oldest Steelers alive.
First South African Player In NFL History: Gary Anderson (1982-1994)
I’ll put my hand up and admit I didn’t know this until a Twitter user alerted me to Anderson’s status a few days ago. Anderson isn’t just the first South African kicker but the first South African – period – to play in the NFL.
Anderson was born in Parys, South Africa, in 1959. He immigrated to the United States right after high school and earned a scholarship to Syracuse after an impressive tryout. Which, fun fact, occurred in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, where Will Howard would later grow up.
Drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1982, he never appeared in a regular-season game for them. Instead, his debut came with Pittsburgh. He holds the franchise record for field goals (309) and points (1,343), though Chris Boswell will likely best those by late this season.
First Canadian To Win A Super Bowl: Roy Gerela (1971-1978)
Gerela isn’t the first Canadian to appear in an NFL game, but he’s the first to win a Super Bowl. In fairness, the game was less than a decade old at this point, but Gerela was still the first to achieve it. Born in Alberta, his family moved to Maryland when Gerela was in high school. The Gerelas later moved to Hawaii, and he played college football at New Mexico State.
Gerela was a part of Pittsburgh’s first three titles: 1974, 1975, and 1978. He missed out on a fourth ring, released in favor of Matt Bahr ahead of the 1979 season. He’s best known for the Dallas Cowboys’ Cliff Harris mocking him during Super Bowl X after missing a kick. Jack Lambert threw Harris down; no Cowboy dared intervene, and the game turned on its head.
Just A Weird Guy: Booth Lusteg (1968)
Ok, there’s no “first” for Booth. Other than being the first and only NFL player to go by “Booth,” which was his middle name. He used it because it sounded more powerful than “Gerald.”
Lusteg nearly had a claim to fame. He’s regarded as the second-ever “soccer-style” kicker in NFL history, approaching from the side as today’s kickers do. Most in those days attacked the ball straight-on, as Mingo illustrates here. Pete Gogolak is considered football’s pioneer.
A colorful character, Lusteg kicked for Pittsburgh in 1968. He struggled, making just 8-of-20 tries and was a miserable 2-of-13 from 30 yards or longer. Predictably, he lasted just one season and was replaced by Mingo when Noll was hired the year after.
The Pro Football Researchers Association wrote a great biography on Lusteg’s life and career.
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