February 2nd, 2023 at 11:38 PM ^
Best Michigan kicker in my lifetime (I am old too, I predate Bo).
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:55 PM ^
Bo was born in 1929. That makes you older than 92, I think.
February 3rd, 2023 at 12:16 AM ^
Your interpretation would make me at least 93, or 94 with a January birthday. Naturally, I meant I predated Bo’s arrival as Michigan’s head coach.
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:46 AM ^
It was a trap. The fact that you responded means that you are, in fact, 93 years old.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.
February 3rd, 2023 at 10:28 AM ^
Yep, you got me. I couldn’t reply last night. It was past my bedtime.
February 3rd, 2023 at 10:31 AM ^
Shouldn't you be dozing in your recliner?
February 3rd, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
Isn't it time we ALL just got off his lawn.
But I agree with the main sentiment - I've been aware of Michigan football for ~ 50 years and I can't remember a kicker that was more impressive and solid.
I also still feel bad about/for Mike Lantry. And I think the '74 kick was good. But whateva
February 3rd, 2023 at 2:43 PM ^
I was born before Bo became coach!
February 3rd, 2023 at 7:30 AM ^
But the kicker with the best name HAS to be Ali Haji-sheik.
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:43 AM ^
Yes, according to Chat GPT, I was told the all time best Michigan Wolverine kicker was likely Ali Haji-sheik and/or Jason Hanson. But the beta version of Chat GPT doesn't have kicking stats from Moody's final season or two.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:09 AM ^
Jason Hanson?
Computers are stoopid...
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:38 AM ^
OK, I'll date myself. Ali Haji-shiek had such a bad season one year that I had a cartoon published on the editorial page in the Michigan Daily. It showed a banner strung across the Fleming building - "Kicker wanted - contact Bo". Glad he made it to the NFL but that season I wasn't so sure.
February 3rd, 2023 at 10:39 AM ^
That year he was Ali Haji-shank
February 3rd, 2023 at 2:47 PM ^
I remember that name! I also remember the Student Section bowing to him after a successful kick. Something like this:
February 3rd, 2023 at 11:00 AM ^
"Ali Haji-shiek had such a bad season one year that I had a cartoon published on the editorial page in the Michigan Daily."
Maybe his freshman season in 1979, when he was 0-for-4 in FG attempts.
Haji-Sheikh set a then-Michigan record for FGs in his career, and Jerry Hanlon said of him after Ali made the Giants roster in '83: "I told everybody when he came in here that he could be one of the best kickers in the country." In the same Daily article (below) the Daily writer Joe Ewing lauds Haji-Sheikh's consistency at Michigan.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:55 PM ^
It was ‘79 and those four lost games were by 2-3 points each. His 11/17 in ‘80 was also not very Moody-like. Glad he persevered and ultimately did well.
February 3rd, 2023 at 11:14 PM ^
That year I had a class with Haji-Sheik and usually sat next to him. He was a really good guy. Very chill.
February 3rd, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
And yet Ali Haji is only the 2nd best name for "Sheik"
February 3rd, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
Remy Martin Hamilton…
February 4th, 2023 at 12:39 AM ^
From whom our daughter got her middle name.
February 3rd, 2023 at 2:23 PM ^
he often had kickoffs go through the uprights. kicked from the 40 back then.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:46 PM ^
If there was ever a better kicker in NCAA history please make your argument below. I can't really think of one but I'm also not exactly a kicker historian either.
February 3rd, 2023 at 12:15 AM ^
People are gonna drag me for this but Mike Nugent (OSU yep that one) 352 points
February 4th, 2023 at 7:10 AM ^
No dragging, this came to mind for me as well. Very automatic
February 3rd, 2023 at 3:19 AM ^
Jankowski, Crosby, Kaeding
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:48 AM ^
Janikowski might be the best kicker of all time, pro or college. Dude had a monster leg and was quite accurate when he got his act together.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:04 AM ^
As a Raiders fan, I watched him for years and he was never confident he was going to hit. He had a monster leg, but seemed to miss a lot when it mattered most. He never felt like the sure thing Grammatica or Vinatieri were. I thought he was one of the wide right crew at Florida State, but looked it up and he was never one of those at least.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:12 AM ^
Janikowski? Yeah, he had a monster leg, but saying he's the best kicker ever is like saying Jeff George was the best QB ever because he had a monster arm.
No. Fucking. Way.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:37 AM ^
janikowski was very good in college, but nothing special in the nfl. he made one pro bowl, which isn't much of a real metric, but...you know, ONE.
February 3rd, 2023 at 10:49 AM ^
I think it's fair to only compare college careers since Moody has zero NFL experience yet.
If we are including NFL I would add Nick Lowery and Morten Anderson to the list. I was able to see both play for the Chiefs towards the end of their careers. Both were very solid.
February 4th, 2023 at 7:15 AM ^
I was going to suggest Anderson as well. Very solid pro career, completely uninformed in his college career, however
February 4th, 2023 at 8:40 AM ^
Janikowski allegedly made a kick from 70 in pregame warmups
February 3rd, 2023 at 5:37 AM ^
russell erxleben - wouldn’t say “better,” but in the conversation. jason hanson, too.
February 3rd, 2023 at 7:51 AM ^
He is good, but how about the job Jay has done with ST. I am surprised that some NFL team has not hired him to be the ST coach.
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:49 AM ^
I know it's not likely to be true but what if Jim hand's off the team to his son after he departs for the NFL in a few years? I don't know anything about Jay's leadership skills but he's a damn good coach and recruiter.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
many special teams coaches make outstanding head coaches when they get the chance. something about a wider focus than offense or defense-specific guys, plus they need to have an ability to organize from both sides of the ball, often with limited talent resources (you don't usually get to use the 5-stars except as returners). marv levy, belichick, bobby ross, cowher, vermeil, ditka...it's a longer list than you might expect.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
The only way Jay could become the HC at UM is for him to go out and show he could do a good job at another school. Does not need to be P5. It could be an Ivy League school. He just needs to show that he can be a HC.
February 3rd, 2023 at 7:28 PM ^
It's unlikely but I wouldn't say it's the only way. John Beilein showed you don't have to prove you can coach basketball at an assistant level to be a head coach. Jay seems to have success at every position coaching job he leads. Give him coordinater duties and see if he can successfully drive results. If he can lead a staff of coaches and players to success, it may be in his blood to be a great head coach.
who knows?
shalom
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:32 AM ^
As much of a flame-out as he was in the NFL, Roberto Aguayo was unbelievable in college. Probably the best college kicker I've seen.
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:34 AM ^
I came here to say this
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:46 AM ^
Really bizarre to think Florida St might have had the two best college kickers of all time (Aguayo and Jankowski), given their history
February 3rd, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^
John Lee at UCLA was similar. Booming leg. Great CFB kicker. High pick by STL (pre Zona) Cards and flamed out badly. Cards drafted Steve Little out of ARK in late 1970s who also bombed as an NFL kicker then got injured badly in a car wreck and died in his early 40s. I hope Zona doesn't draft Jake given their past record.
February 3rd, 2023 at 8:39 AM ^
One that we all are familiar with: Jason Hanson. He was a second round pick and was money from deep.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Hanson
February 3rd, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
I don’t know how good he was in college, but Justin Tucker is the best pro kicker I’ve ever seen. Longest kick, highest accuracy, I don’t what else you would be evaluating kickers with.
February 3rd, 2023 at 3:12 PM ^
Highest paid also $$$
February 3rd, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
Former college kicker here (in the days when we were allowed to use a tee). In the humble opinion of this oldster, the nod goes to Kevin Butler. A worthy fourth-round draft pick by the Bears and, to date, the only kicker in the college HOF.
February 3rd, 2023 at 7:34 PM ^
Jason Hanson was inducted to the college HoF in 2020