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By Kent Larsen
RM Moves On, But is Still Remembered for Kick
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA -- Back at the Air Force Academy after a two-year
LDS mission, Dallas Thompson is well remembered, both at the Academy and
at Notre Dame. Thompson is a Rhodes Scholar applicant who wants to start
an international center to help abused children. But he is remembered
for a single kick in a football game four years ago.
Actually, it was two kicks. On October 22, 1996, Thompson was a
sophomore place kicker for the Air Force Falcons. In overtime, Thompson made a
22-yard field goal to put Air Force over 8th-ranked Notre Dame. After a
delay-of-game penalty, Thompson made the kick again, the second time
from 27 yards, to win the game for Air Force.
Thompson is somewhat reticent about his achievement. "It was
just another football game," he says. "Yeah, it was a big win. But there
are thousands of kickers across the nation who won big games and it's forgotten about
a year or two later." However, opposing players remember it
differently. Tight end Dan O'Leary says, "It crushed us. We had a chance to go to a
great bowl game that year. We had a lot of talent on that team." The game was
one of the last in highly-acclaimed Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz' final season,
and contributed to a 8-3 record that left Notre Dame out of that year's
bowl games.
Thompson is still surprised at all the attention that kick gets. When
asked, he has to admit that he lost his place kicking ability on his
mission, although he still plays for Air Force as a punder and is ranked 29th
in the nation.
Saturday, Air Force faced Notre Dame again, losing by three points in
overtime. But, history almost repeated itself during the game. In the
final seconds of regulation time, Air Force made a field goal attempt that
would have won the game. Notre Dame blocked the kick of current place
kicker Dave Adams.
Source:
Air Force cadet doesn't want to be remembered for game-winning field goal
Detroit MI News (AP) 28Oct00 S2
By Tom Coyne: Associated Press Writer
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