Below is a Facebook post from February 11, 2013.
Sometimes, you never know who you'll run into. Earlier this morning, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation life member Erroll Mann walked into our visitors center
to talk with me about some wildlife issues.
Erroll was a placekicker in the National Football League from 1968-78 and wore a championship ring from Super Bowl XI when he played
for the Raiders. (Yeah, he took it off and let me take a closer look at it.)
After swapping stories, I learned he was on the field in New Orleans on
November 8, 1970 and kicked what looked to be the winning field goal for the
Lions with 11 seconds left against the Saints. After a squib kick, the Saints
completed a quick pass and then Tom Dempsey attempted and nailed a 63-yard field
goal (an NFL record that stood for 43 years) to win the game (see video below). Erroll says he was so mad. He said
Dempsey couldn't even hit short field goals in warmups.
Wow, how 'bout that!
I was really sad to learn that Erroll passed away on April 11, 2013, only two months to the day after our encounter.
As a New Orleans native and life-long Saints fan, this remains my favorite all-time Saints highlight!
This highlight shows both Eroll Mann's field goal and Tom Dempsey's game-winner.
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