Chris Bahr

Last updated

Chris Bahr
No. 10, 3
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1953-02-03) February 3, 1953 (age 71)
State College, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school: Neshaminy (Langhorne, Pennsylvania)
College: Penn State
NFL draft: 1976  / Round: 2 / Pick: 51
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goals:241/381
Field goal %:63.3
Longest field goal:55
Extra points:490/519
Player stats at PFR
Personal information
Full name Christopher Kurt Bahr
Position(s) Midfielder
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1972–1974 Penn State Nittany Lions
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1975 Philadelphia Atoms 22 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Christopher Kurt Bahr (born February 3, 1953) is a former professional American football and soccer player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) and played midfielder in the North American Soccer League (NASL).

Contents

High school

Bahr attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

College

Bahr attended Penn State, where he was named an All-American three times for soccer and once for football. He led the Nittany Lions in scoring in 1975, including four field goals over 50 yards. He averaged 39 yards in punts. Bahr graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and later earned a Juris Doctor at Southwestern University School of Law, attending school part-time while still playing with the Raiders.

Soccer

Bahr was the first round draft pick of the Philadelphia Atoms in the 1975 North American Soccer League draft. As a rookie midfielder, he made an immediate impression, tying an NASL scoring record for goals by a locally-born American by netting 11, including two 2-goal games and four game winners. Bahr also netted the first sudden death goal in Atoms history against the New York Cosmos in front of 20,124 at Veterans Stadium. He was named the 1975 NASL Rookie of the Year. Bahr played 22 games for the Atoms, scoring 11 goals before departing for the NFL.

Bahr also joined his Atoms coach, Al Miller, on the 1976 U.S. National Team. He scored both goals for the United States in their 2–0 shutout of Bermuda in the qualifying rounds for the XXI Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

NFL

Bahr switched football codes in 1976, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals, becoming their placekicker. [1] He played four seasons for the Bengals before being acquired by the Oakland Raiders in 1980; he played for them for most of the 1980s, following them to Los Angeles in 1982, becoming a stalwart placekicker with them that saw him win two Super Bowl championships. He is the Raiders' second all-time leader in scoring (817 points), and his 162 career field goals was a Raiders record until 2007 when it was surpassed by Sebastian Janikowski. Bahr kicked in two Raiders Super Bowl victories, (1981 and 1984). Perhaps his best year as a pro came in 1983 when he compiled a 78% field goal percentage. He finished his career with a strong season, kicking 17 field goals and 29 PATs for the San Diego Chargers in 1989.

He was named to the All-Rookie team in 1976 and a Sporting News All-AFC in 1977.

Career regular season statistics

Career high/best bolded

Personal

Bahr is the son of Walter Bahr, a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. His mother, Davies Ann, was a champion swimmer at Temple University and a physical education teacher at Penn State. His brother Casey Bahr was an All American soccer player at Navy, played professionally and was a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic soccer team. His younger brother, Matt Bahr played professional soccer and was also a standout placekicker in the NFL; he and Matt are two of six players to have played in both pro soccer and the NFL. [2] [3] Sister Davies Ann Bahr was an All-American gymnast at Penn State

Bahr holds an annual Chris Bahr Kicking Camp, a 3-day clinic for student in grades 7–12 at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

After his NFL career, Bahr graduated from Southwestern Law School and practiced law in California and Pennsylvania until 1999 when his license was suspended for failing to pay bar fees. He is currently a financial consultant, managing assets for professional athletes for ProVest Management Group in Columbus, Ohio. He lives in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania with his wife Eve, a corporate attorney, and their two children.

Bahr's son, C.J., is the placekicker for Slippery Rock University.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Blanda</span> American football player (1927–2010)

George Frederick Blanda was an American professional football player who was a placekicker and quarterback in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placekicker</span> Player position in American and Canadian football

In American football, the placekicker, or simply kicker, is the player who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist and occasionally in youth football, also acts as the punter.

James Thomas Breech is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), who played for Oakland Raiders in 1979 and Cincinnati Bengals from 1980-1992. Before his NFL career, Breech played for the University of California, Berkeley and Sacramento High School. Breech was notable among kickers for wearing a different size cleat on his kicking foot. He wore a smaller size 5 cleat on his right kicking foot which he felt gave him more control and stability kicking the football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebastian Janikowski</span> Polish-born American football player (born 1978)

Sebastian Paweł Janikowski is a Polish-born former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected 17th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the Raiders, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. During his final season he played for the Seattle Seahawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Bahr</span> American football player (born 1956)

Matthew David Bahr is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), and professional soccer player in the North American Soccer League. He attended Neshaminy High School in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, where he excelled in both football and soccer. He is the son of National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Walter Bahr, and is the brother of NFL kicker Chris Bahr; he and Chris are two of six players to have played in both pro soccer and the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Bahr</span> American soccer player

Walter Alfred Bahr was an American professional soccer player, considered one of the greatest ever in the United States. He was the long-time captain of the U.S. men's national team and played in the 1950 FIFA World Cup when the U.S. defeated England 1–0. Bahr's three sons Casey, Chris, and Matt, all played professional soccer in the defunct North American Soccer League. Casey and Chris also played for the U.S. Olympic team, and Chris and Matt later became placekickers in the National Football League, each earning two Super Bowl rings.

Derek Smethurst is a retired South African soccer forward who played professionally in South Africa, England and the United States.

David Wayne Kimball is a former professional American football placekicker, most notably with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. He was allocated to NFL Europe by the Oakland Raiders in 2006. He attended State College Area High School and was a Parade All-American selection there in 1999. He resides in State College, Pennsylvania.

Carl Roy Gerela is a Canadian former professional football player who was a placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

John Lee is a Korean former American football placekicker. He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a two-time All-American. Lee was selected in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 32nd overall pick. He played one season with the Cardinals and was the first Korean to play in the NFL. He was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

Horst Herbert Erich Mühlmann was a professional footballer and American football player. He was a placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs (1969), the Cincinnati Bengals (1969–1974) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1975–1977).

Jeff Todd Jaeger is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. Jaeger played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning All-American honors. In the NFL, he played for the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Butler (American football)</span> American football player (born 1962)

Kevin Gregory Butler is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and then played in the NFL for the Chicago Bears (1985–1995) and the Arizona Cardinals (1996–1997). Since retiring, he has continued his affiliation with the University of Georgia as a special teams assistant and the cohost of the Budweiser Fifth Quarter Show on 106.1 WNGC and 960 WRFC in Athens. He is the first kicker ever inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Efrén Herrera is a Mexican-American former placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. He also was a member of the Oklahoma Outlaws in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Errol Denis Mann was an American football placekicker. He played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1978, and was a member of the Oakland Raiders' Super Bowl XI winning team. When attempting kicks, Mann used the straight-on style, which was the standard method at the time. This style of kicking later fell into disuse with the advent of soccer/association football-style place-kicking in the 1970s. The straight-on method is almost never used by American football placekickers now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Miller (soccer)</span> American soccer coach

Al Miller is an American former collegiate and professional soccer coach. After leaving coaching, he then became a general manager for two indoor soccer clubs in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Stan Startzell is a retired U.S. soccer midfielder who spent four seasons in the North American Soccer League. He currently works in the financial services sector and is the president of the Duxbury Soccer Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Hauschka</span> American football player (born 1985)

Stephen Theodore Hauschka is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Middlebury College and North Carolina State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt McCrane</span> American football player (born 1994)

Matthew McCrane is an American football placekicker for the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Kansas State University. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has also played for the Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Guardians, and Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Wright (American football)</span> American football player (born 1996)

Matthew Wright is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. Wright is known for breaking the Jacksonville Jaguars' 20-game losing streak, when he scored two fourth quarter field goals, including a game-winning 53 yarder in an NFL International Series game against the Miami Dolphins in London. Wright played college football at UCF where he was a member of the undefeated 2017 team that was selected as National Champions by the Colley Matrix.

References

  1. ↑ Hill, Adam (August 1, 2020). "Sport change kicked Chris Bahr's career into high gear". reviewjournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hill, Adam (August 1, 2020). "Sport change kicked Chris Bahr's career into high gear". reviewjournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2023. Matt Bahr followed a similar path, making them two of only six men to play professional soccer and in the NFL.
  3. ↑ Collegian, Andrew Destin. "'A dream to coach' | How Penn Staters Matt and Chris Bahr carved out professional careers in two sports". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.