Joe Danelo
Personal information
Born: (1953-09-02) September 2, 1953 (age 70)
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:166 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school:Spokane (WA) Gonzaga Prep
College:Washington State
Position:Placekicker
NFL draft:1975 / Round: 10 / Pick: 257
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Joseph Peter Danelo (born September 2, 1953) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Buffalo Bills.

Born and raised in Spokane, Washington, Danelo graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1971.[1] He played college football at Washington State University in Pullman under head coach Jim Sweeney,[1] and was selected in the tenth round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.[2][3]

Professional career

The Dolphins kept Garo Yepremian and Danelo was back in Spokane when the Green Bay Packers called him to be a week-to-week injury replacement for Chester Marcol.[4][5][6] He appeared in the season's final twelve games. With Marcol returning in 1976, Packer head coach Bart Starr promised a trade; Danelo pushed for the first-year expansion Seattle Seahawks, but wound up instead with the New York Giants.[7]

In 1981, Danelo kicked a team-record 55-yard field goal for the Giants on September 20 (since broken),[8] and tied the NFL record of six field goals (with no misses) on October 18 (also since broken) at the Kingdome in Seattle.[9][10]

On December 19, 1981, Danelo kicked a game-winning 35-yard field goal in overtime against the Dallas Cowboys (after missing three in regulation and one in overtime, though he did kick the field goal that tied the game, sending it into overtime) that enabled both the Giants and the New York Jets to go to the playoffs for the first time in many years (after the Jets won their game against the Green Bay Packers the following day).[11]

Personal life

His youngest son was Mario Danelo (1985–2007), a USC Trojans placekicker.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Brown, Bruce (July 9, 1981). "Danelo visits". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 31.
  2. ^ "Miami tabs Danelo today; he's 3rd Cougar drafted". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). January 29, 1975. p. 13.
  3. ^ Emerson, Paul (January 30, 1975). "Pro draft holds some surprises". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  4. ^ Hofmann, Dale (October 4, 1975). "Packer gets kicker for Dolphins". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 1, part 2.
  5. ^ "Danelo gets Packer pact". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. October 4, 1975. p. 10.
  6. ^ "Packers find kicker in Danelo". Milwaukee Journal. October 4, 1975. p. 12.
  7. ^ Vaughan, Sue (March 22, 1978). "Danelo likes Gotham; Holmes after break". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 34.
  8. ^ Bonapace, Ruth (September 21, 1981). "Phil Simms completes 28 as Giants fly". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). p. 19.
  9. ^ Cour, Jim (October 19, 1981). "Danelo kicks record six field goals". The Day. (New London, Connecticut). Associated Press. p. 19.
  10. ^ "Danelo's 'six pack' rewards family's trip". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. October 19, 1981. p. 16.
  11. ^ Zimmerman, Paul (December 28, 1981). "WHAT'S NEW? NEW YORK, NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, BOTH THE JETS AND THE GIANTS WON BERTHS IN PRO FOOTBALL'S PLAYOFFS IN THE SAME SEASON". Sports Illustrated. No. December 28, 1981. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Blanchette, John (September 21, 2007). "Friends, family embrace legacy Mario Danelo built". Spokesman-Review. p. C1.

External links

Miami Dolphins 1975 NFL Draft selections
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