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Rolf Benirschke
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Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Joachim Benirschke (born February 7, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1977 until 1986. He is probably most known for missing a potential 27-yard game-winning field goal in overtime of the playoff game known as the "Epic in Miami” but then getting a second chance and connecting from 29 yards fourteen minutes into overtime to win the game on January 2, 1982.
Following his retirement from football, Benirschke was hired by Merv Griffin to replace Pat Sajak as host of the daytime game show Wheel of Fortune in 1989 after seeing him on a talk show.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1955, but grew up in San Diego, California and attended La Jolla High School. His father Kurt Benirschke, a German immigrant, was a pathologist at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the founder/director of the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species at the San Diego Zoo, where Rolf worked summers in high school and college.
Rolf Benirschke majored in zoology at the University of California, Davis, where he played football under coach Jim Sochor. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL draft, and was then traded to the San Diego Chargers for his rookie year in the National Football League.
In the off-season before the 1978 season (his second season) he developed chronic fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. He learned that he had ulcerative colitis—a form of inflammatory bowel disease.
His health problems got worse in the 1979 season, when, on the team plane coming home from a road trip, Benirschke collapsed. He underwent two surgeries to remove his large intestine and he was in the intensive care unit for weeks. When released from the hospital, he weighed only 123 pounds and had to adjust to life with two ostomy appliances. His ileostomy was eventually reversed in a Kock pouch procedure.
On Sunday, November 18, 1979, Benirschke made his dramatic return to the Chargers in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he did not play, he participated in the opening coin toss and was named honorary team captain for the game, which was a sellout. Louie Kelcher, a Chargers' defensive tackle, assisted him and held his hand out onto the field. The Chargers won the game 35–7.
From 1980 to 1982, Benirschke was also a broadcaster for the San Diego Sockers of the former North American Soccer League.
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Rolf Benirschke
Rolf Joachim Benirschke (born February 7, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the San Diego Chargers from 1977 until 1986. He is probably most known for missing a potential 27-yard game-winning field goal in overtime of the playoff game known as the "Epic in Miami” but then getting a second chance and connecting from 29 yards fourteen minutes into overtime to win the game on January 2, 1982.
Following his retirement from football, Benirschke was hired by Merv Griffin to replace Pat Sajak as host of the daytime game show Wheel of Fortune in 1989 after seeing him on a talk show.
He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1955, but grew up in San Diego, California and attended La Jolla High School. His father Kurt Benirschke, a German immigrant, was a pathologist at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the founder/director of the Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species at the San Diego Zoo, where Rolf worked summers in high school and college.
Rolf Benirschke majored in zoology at the University of California, Davis, where he played football under coach Jim Sochor. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL draft, and was then traded to the San Diego Chargers for his rookie year in the National Football League.
In the off-season before the 1978 season (his second season) he developed chronic fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. He learned that he had ulcerative colitis—a form of inflammatory bowel disease.
His health problems got worse in the 1979 season, when, on the team plane coming home from a road trip, Benirschke collapsed. He underwent two surgeries to remove his large intestine and he was in the intensive care unit for weeks. When released from the hospital, he weighed only 123 pounds and had to adjust to life with two ostomy appliances. His ileostomy was eventually reversed in a Kock pouch procedure.
On Sunday, November 18, 1979, Benirschke made his dramatic return to the Chargers in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he did not play, he participated in the opening coin toss and was named honorary team captain for the game, which was a sellout. Louie Kelcher, a Chargers' defensive tackle, assisted him and held his hand out onto the field. The Chargers won the game 35–7.
From 1980 to 1982, Benirschke was also a broadcaster for the San Diego Sockers of the former North American Soccer League.
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