Garo Yepremian, the Dolphins' kicker during their glory years in the 1970s, died Friday at age 70 after a yearlong battle with cancer, his wife, Maritza, confirmed Friday night.
Mr. Yepremian, who died in a hospital in Media, Pa., was the Dolphins' kicker from 1970-78 and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1970s. He spent his final two seasons with the Bucs. Three times, he led the league in field-goal accuracy.
He won the longest game in NFL history when he kicked a 37-yard field goal 7 minutes, 40 seconds into double overtime of the Dolphins' 27-24 AFC division playoff victory against the Chiefs on Christmas Day in 1971.
But Mr. Yepremian will be most remembered for a blooper in the Dolphins' 14-7 victory against Washington in Super Bowl VII.
With Miami leading 14-0, Mr. Yepremian attempted a field goal with slightly more than two minutes left. The kick was blocked by Bill Brundige, and Mr. Yepremian retrieved the ball before any other player could pounce on it.
But instead of merely falling on the ball, he picked it up and attempted to throw a pass. The ball slipped from his hands and went straight up in the air.
Mr. Yepremian then attempted to bat the ball out of bounds but instead batted it back up in the air, and it landed in the arms of Redskins cornerback Mike Bass, who returned it 49 yards for a touchdown.
But the Dolphins held on to finish 17-0, the only undefeated season in NFL history.
"This is the first time the goat of the game is in the winner's locker room," he joked afterward.
In an interview in 2007, Mr. Yepremian said: "Every airport you go to, people point to you and say, 'Here's the guy who screwed up in the Super Bowl.' After a while it bothers you. If it was anybody else, he would go crazy, but fortunately I'm a happy-go-lucky guy."
Mr. Yepremian made 24 of 37 field goals during that 1972 undefeated season.
Mr. Yepremian was born in Cyprus, the son of Armenian parents. He and his brother Krikor emigrated to the United States when he was 22.
After watching pro football games on television, Mr. Yepremian became convinced he could become an NFL kicker.
Mr. Yepremian, who stood 5 feet 8, began contacting NFL teams, with Krikor serving as his agent. The Lions signed him after a tryout and he made 15 of 28 field goals over two seasons. His NFL debut was the first pro football game he ever attended.
He left football to enlist in the U.S. Army, but the Lions decided not to re-sign him when he returned a year later, and Mr. Yepremian signed with the Michigan Arrows of the Continental Football League.
But the team folded and Mr. Yepremian sat out the 1969 season. He earned a job with the Dolphins in 1970, led the NFL with 117 points in 1971 and spent nine seasons with Miami.
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Explore all your optionsOver his career, Mr. Yepremian made 210 of 313 field goals (67.1 percent) and 444 of 464 extra points. His younger brother Berj kicked for the Florida Gators from 1976-78.