January 13, 2012

MVP Profile: Mark Moseley, 1982

Placekicker, Washington Redskins



Age: 34
12th season in pro football, 9th with Redskins
College: Stephen F. Austin
Height: 6’0” Weight: 205

Prelude:
Taken by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 14th round of the 1970 NFL draft, Moseley had a mediocre rookie year and lost his job to Happy Feller in the ’71 preseason. Catching on with the Houston Oilers during the season, he had a better year but was cut in favor of Skip Butler after one game in 1972. Moseley caught on with the Redskins in 1974 and finally hit his stride, leading the NFL in field goals kicked three times (1976, ’77, and ’79) and gaining selection to the Pro Bowl following a 1979 season in which he connected on 75.8 % of his field goal attempts (25 of 33). His performance dipped in ’80 and he nearly lost his job to Dan Miller during the 1982 preseason.

1982 Season Summary
Appeared in all 9 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking
Field goals – 20 [1]
Most field goals, game - 4 at St. Louis 12/12
Field goal attempts – 21 [4, tied with Joe Danelo]
Most field goal attempts, game – 4 at St. Louis 12/12
Field goal percentage – 95.2 [1]
PATs – 16 [17, tied with Florian Kempf & Ed Murray]
PAT attempts – 19 [14]
Longest field goal – 48 yards at Philadelphia 9/12

Scoring
Field Goals – 20
PATs – 16
Points – 76 [4]

Postseason: 4 G
Field goals – 4
Most field goals, game – 2 vs. Miami, Super Bowl
Field goal attempts – 8
Most field goal attempts, game – 2 in all four contests
PATs – 14
Most PATs, game – 4 vs. Detroit, NFC First Round playoff, vs. Dallas, NFC Championship
PAT attempts – 14
Longest field goal – 31 yards vs. Miami, Super Bowl

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Pro Football Weekly
1st team All-NFC: UPI
Pro Bowl

Redskins went 8-1 in strike-shortened season and were top seed in the NFC playoff tournament that replaced the usual postseason format. Defeated the Detroit Lions in the First Round playoff (31-7), Minnesota Vikings in the Second Round playoff (21-7), Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Championship (31-17), and Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl (27-17).

Aftermath:
With the high-scoring 1983 Redskins, Moseley set a then-record for points that didn’t include TDs with 161 (62 extra points and 33 field goals). He was finally let go during the 1986 season and finished up his career that year with Cleveland as the last straight-ahead placekicker in regular service in the NFL. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fourth all-time in career scoring with 1382 points, including 300 field goals in 457 attempts (65.6 %) and 482 extra points. His 1206 points and 263 field goals with the Redskins are franchise records.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).

[Updated 2/10/14]