Thread: Why the heck did Rich Karlis kick barefoot?

you think his toesies would get cold

He kicked barefoot because he was freaking awesome!

Was he the last of the bare footed kickers?

didnt make much money back then, couldnt afford shoes... leave the guy alone!

Same reason Grampa Simpson wore an onion on his belt.

Originally Posted by Joel

Same reason Grampa Simpson wore an onion on his belt.

helped him chase walking birds

pls respond

Sneaks, how jacked are you for the season?

Originally Posted by slim

Sneaks, how jacked are you for the season?

About normally jacked, (I just jacked 15 minutes ago btw)

Ask Rex Ryan.

Originally Posted by sneakers

About normally jacked, (I just jacked 15 minutes ago btw)

I thought I felt the earth move.

I remember when there was a couple of weeks where Rich struggled and nailed both uprights in the closing minutes where Denver lost. Sad for Rich but when they posted this cartoon i laughed so damn hard.

Easily my most requested and remembered cartoon, I owe my entire career, I think, to this cartoon. It followed then Broncos kicker Rich Karlis kicking the ball into the uprights in the waning seconds of key Broncos games two Sundays in a row. Both Field goals were no good.The cute bank teller that I had a crush on at the time wouldn’t talk to me the day it published but everyone else seemed to love it. Even Karlis himself who once told me “you captured exactly what was on my mind”.
I’ve got a busy few days of freelance assignments so this is a golden oldie for you. I’ll publish another tomorrow so if you have a request please leave your comments.

http://www.drewlitton.com/?tag=rich-karlis

I just found the following, written by Broncos_mtnman, on 11-29-06.

from article:

But for Karlis, barefoot kicking came out of necessity, not a drive to be unique.

"I saw Tony Franklin at Texas A&M kick it barefoot," Karlis said. "We talked about it a little bit at the University of Cincinnati just because by spring football my freshman year they had switched me from punting and kicking to just kicking. It was based on the necessity of learning and learning fast."

"I noticed that I tended to concentrate a lot more when I kicked barefoot because the pain associated with not concentrating was substantial enough."

It was not an easy way to kick. Sore feet and cold weather were just two obstacles.

"The coldest game (also the coldest game in Broncos history) that I played in was the game against Kansas City in 1983," Karlis said. "It was the last game of the (regular) season and I believe it registered with the wind chill at 30 below zero. And I was, without question, scratching my head not only as to why the heck I was playing barefoot, but why the heck I was even outside."

full article - http://forums.denverbroncos.com/show...ow-Rich-Karlis

I can't imagine kicking barefoot below 0; footballs are like bricks at that temperature. No wonder Mark Jackson had bruised ribs after The Drive.

Rex Ryan was his roommate in college, true story.