 Johansson in 2006 | |||||||||
| No. 10 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1948-03-31)March 31, 1948 Gothenburg, Sweden | ||||||||
| Died: | September 30, 2023(2023-09-30) (aged 75) Amarillo, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| College: | Abilene Christian | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1977: 12th round, 316th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Ove Claes Johansson (March 31, 1948 – September 30, 2023) was anAmerican footballplacekicker and the current holder of the record for the longestfield goal ever kicked during an American football game, at 69 yards (63 m), forAbilene Christian University in their October 16, 1976 victory over East Texas State.[1] Johansson is the oldest player to be drafted in theNFL Draft, being 28 years, 281 days old when he was selected in the 12th round of the1977 NFL draft by theHouston Oilers.[2]
Johansson was a junior atAbilene Christian University after being an all American soccer player at national powerDavis and Elkins College, and performed this kick during ACU's 1976homecoming game againstEast Texas State University atShotwell Stadium, inAbilene, Texas.[3][4] This record kick is longer than any other field goal kicked in organized football, one yard longer than the currenthigh school record set byDirk Borgognone in 1985, two yards longer than theNCAA record (Abilene Christian was playing in theNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics at the time), and three yards longer than the currentNFL record of 66 yards set byJustin Tucker in theBaltimore Ravens vs.Detroit Lions game of September 26, 2021.[5]
Johansson had previously playedassociation football, and the 1976 season was his first and only season to playcollege football. He hurt his knee in a season-ending bowl game and played in just two regular season games in theNational Football League. Kicking for thePhiladelphia Eagles in 1977, he was successful in only one of his four field goal attempts and one of threeextra points.[6][7] Johansson was the first Swedish-born player to play in the NFL, twelve years beforeBjörn Nittmo.
Johansson was a businessman and motivational speaker inAmarillo, Texas, and was married to April (Bankes) Johansson. They have a daughter, Annika Spalding, and her husband Brett, and a son, Stefan Johansson and his partner Monica Mosier. Their grandchildren are Liv and Stellan Spalding. The family isbilingualEnglish-Swedish.
Ove Johansson died on September 30, 2023, at the age of 75.[8]