Michael Vanderjagt   [1970]

Professional Sports Figure

Field goal kickers in the National Football League [NFL] are not likely to end up in the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But if one ever does it will likely be Michael [Mike] Vanderjagt. At the end of the 2005 football season he had become the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history. His statistics showed that he had a NFL record 217 completed field goals on 248 attempts, equal to a 87.5 percent scoring average.

Vanderjagt was born in Oakville, Ontario, Canada on March 24, 1970. There is little known about his parents' background but with the name of Vanderjagt there is little question about his original national background.

At Oakville's White Oaks High School he was a four-sport star competing in football, basketball, soccer and track. In 1988 he enrolled in Michigan State as a quarterback. It appears that he was impatient at not being considered for a starting position. Freshmen seldom are considered for starting positions. He left Michigan State and played as a punter and quarterback at a junior college. In 1991 he returned to major college football at West Virginia University where he was their place kicker. Upon graduation in 1993 he returned to Canada where he played for a Canadian Football League [CFL] team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, for one season. He did not play in the 1994 and 1995 seasons for unknown reasons. He returned to the CFL in 1996 and became the place kicker and punter for the Toronto Argonauts. In 1996 and in 1997 the Argonauts won the CFL's Grey Cup, Canada's national professional football championship. His association with the Argonauts gave some momentum and visibility to Vanderjagt's football career.

In 1998, at age 28, he joined the Indianapolis Colts and was their place kicker until the end of the 2005-2006 season, setting records nearly year after year. In his first year, in 1998, he had a perfect regular season not missing a single field goal or point-after attempt for the entire season. In 1999 he led the NFL in scoring. He had a spectacular season in 2003 when he became the first kicker in NFL history not to miss a single field goal or a point after attempt. This feat was accomplished not only for the regular season but also for the playoffs.

In addition to the above, Vanderjagt had a streak of 42 successful field goal attempts, the longest in NFL history. The streak ended on September 9, 1994 when he missed a 48 yard attempt against the New England Patriots.

Vanderjagt was not only the near-perfect field goal kicker, but he was also the near-perfect point-after attempt kicker. He completed 292 out of 294 point-after attempts during his NFL career. He also was rookie of the year in 1998, was voted all-pro in 1999 and went to the NFL Pro Bowl in 2003. That year he was also the Colt's all-time leading scorer.

Vanderjagt's football kicking career, at least with the Indianapolis Colts, came to an end during the Colts' final playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in January 2006. The Colts were three points behind the Steelers with only seconds remaining on the clock. The Colts decided to try a field goal attempt. If successful the game would have gone into overtime. Unfortunately for the Colts and for Vanderjagt the field goal attempt failed. As is well-known in such cases the kicker becomes the scapegoat for the loss. The field goal failure by itself would not normally be a reason why the Colts would have decided to cut Vanderjagt. But Vanderjagt had now reached the ripe old age of 36, old for NFL players. The Colts decided to go with a younger and cheaper kicker. Vanderjagt had become too expensive, and possibly too risky. But, lo and behold, in the Fall of 2006, the Dallas Cowboys needed a field goal kicker and hired Vanderjagt for the position.

Vanderjagt was active in fund raising for children with terminal and life altering diseases. He was the founder of a fund-raising fund, "The Just Kicking It Fund", and through his fund raising activities was able to make significant contributions for afflicted children. He personally also made considerable financial contributions to the cause.

Although Vanderjagt is in essence a Dutch-Canadian, he has been included in this Hall of Fame because of his international success and visibility, his records and accomplishments. The most successful part of his career with the Indianapolis Colts occurred in the United States, and therefore we consider him a Dutch-American.

Vanderjagt is married to his wife Janalyn. In the off-season the family lives in Toronto. They have a son, Jay Michael, born on April 13, 1999.

 

REFERENCES

Danceage (link no longer active)

Wikipedia

 

E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON; GOOGLE: Kindle Store Pegels

 

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS, CURRENT AND HISTORIC

EIGHT PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE ROOSEVELTS, VANDERBILTS AND OTHERS, 2015

FIFTEEN PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE VAN BURENS, KOCH BROTHERS, VOORHEES AND OTHERS, 2015

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS IN U.S. GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, 2015

 

DUTCH PEGELS INVOLVED IN WARS

ALLIED EUROPE CAMPAIGN—1944/1945: TACTICAL MISTAKES, 2017

THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE NETHERLANDS: MEMOIRS, 2017

FRENCH REVOLUTION, NAPOLEON AND RUSSIAN WAR OF 1812, 2015

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