He silenced a crowd with the longest field goal in NFL history - The Dallas Morning News

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Sports fans across the country watched in awe this season when Texas native Justin Tucker kicked the longest field goal in NFL history — a glorious 66-yard boot — in the Baltimore Ravens’ stunning walk-off win over the Detroit Lions. If you haven’t seen the video of this miraculous feat, you need to.

What’s nearly as astonishing as the distance of Tucker’s record-breaking kick — the ball seems to hang forever above Detroit’s domed Ford Field — is the way in which it finally travels through the uprights. The football struck the crossbar and bounced skyward before “hobbling through,” as one flabbergasted sportscaster put it, “silencing the crowd with the longest field goal in NFL history!”

For diehard football fans, Tucker’s record-breaking field goal was enough to earn the graduate of Westlake High School in Austin and former Texas Longhorn a spot as a finalist for Texan of the Year. But we see this tremendous accomplishment (again, 66 yards — two-thirds the length of the playing field!) as just one of the reasons this impressive Texan deserves recognition.

The 32-year-old Raven superstar, who finished his college career with a similarly thrilling walk-off field goal in 2011 against Texas A&M, is widely considered the greatest NFL kicker of all time, with four Pro-Bowl and All-Pro selections, one Super Bowl ring, and the highest career field-goal percentage in league history (90.65) at the close of last season.

But what’s lesser known is that Tucker wasn’t even selected in the 2012 NFL draft. Or that he had to try out for the Ravens and didn’t even make the roster until the end of May. Once signed, however, Tucker got to work rewriting the record books. As of week 14 of the NFL season, he’d made 316 field goals out of 348 attempts, raising his 10-year career accuracy rate to an amazing 90.8%.

As remarkable as his performance has been on the field, what Tucker and his wife, Amanda Bass, do to give back to their community and to promote and contribute to nationwide charities is equally impressive. Tucker, his wife, and the entire Ravens organization have been active in the Maryland Food Bank, which distributes more than 37 million meals annually, for years. Last season, for example, they partnered with Campbell’s to donate 500 cans of soup for every field goal Tucker made. With 35 field goals over the regular season, that equaled 17,500 cans of soup.

Tucker and his wife are also active in Catholic Charities and the Robin Hood Foundation, helping to raise $77.5 million for the latter at a star-studded benefit in New York City in October. Tucker is also a classically trained bass-baritone, and his performances for charity — including a Met-worthy rendition of “Ave Maria” and “O Holy Night” you can find online, are truly breathtaking.

For all his many talents and accomplishments on and off the field, and for using his success in the NFL as a platform to help those in need, we’re proud to name Justin Tucker as a finalist for Texan of the Year.

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He silenced a crowd with the longest field goal in NFL history - The Dallas Morning News
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