Highlighted Year: Matt Bahr, 1984

Placekicker, Cleveland Browns

Age:  28

6^th season in pro football, 4^th (3^rd complete) with Browns

College: Penn State

Height: 5’10” Weight: 175

Prelude:

One of two brothers to become placekickers in the NFL (his older sibling Chris kicked for the Bengals, Raiders, and Chargers), Bahr received All-America honors in college after connecting on 81.5 percent of his field goals and was chosen by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 1979 NFL draft. He also played soccer, in college and professionally with the Colorado Caribous and Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League, before joining the Steelers. Bahr kicked 18 field goals and a league-leading 50 extra points for Pittsburgh in 1979, a season capped with a Super Bowl victory, and played a second year before being beaten out by David Trout in the ’81 preseason and moving on to the San Francisco 49ers. He was traded to Cleveland four games into the season and, while there were concerns about the length of his kickoffs, Bahr connected on a solid 13 of 20 field goal tries. Following a lesser year in 1982, he rebounded in ’83 to lead the NFL with an 87.5 field goal percentage (21 of 24).

1984 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking

Field goals – 24 [4, tied with Mark Moseley & Gary Anderson; 1^st in AFC]

Most field goals, game – 3 vs. New England 10/7, at Atlanta 11/18

Field goal attempts – 32 [7, tied with Gary Anderson]

Most field goal attempts, game – 4 vs. New England 10/7

Field goal percentage – 75.0 [9]

PATs – 25

PAT attempts – 25

Longest field goal – 50 yards at Cincinnati 10/21

Scoring

Field Goals – 24

PATs – 25

Points – 97 [17]

Browns went 5-11 to finish third in the AFC Central.

Aftermath:

Bahr spent another five seasons with the Browns, although injuries were a factor when he tore knee ligaments while making a tackle in 1986 that cost him the remaining four games that year, the postseason, and most of ’87. After kicking 143 field goals and 248 extra points, resulting in 677 points for the Browns, Bahr moved on to the New York Giants in 1990 and, in addition to 17 field goals in 13 regular season contests, booted five field goals against the 49ers in winning the NFC Championship game 15-13. He also was successful on both of his three-point attempts in the one-point Super Bowl win over Buffalo. After two more years with New York, Bahr started the 1993 season with Philadelphia, who waived him in December, and finished up with New England, where he kicked a career-high 27 field goals in ’94. He played one more season for the Patriots (and was cut in the 1996 preseason in favor of rookie Adam Vinatieri)  and concluded his 17-year career with 300 field goals out of 415 attempts (72.3 %), 522 extra points, and 1422 points, which ranked ninth in NFL history at the time.

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Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

1991: Giants Dethrone Two-Time Champion 49ers for NFC Title

For most of the 1990 season, it seemed as though the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants were mirroring each other while on a collision course for supremacy in the NFC. Both teams started out with 10-0 records. A week before they were due to square off at Candlestick Park, both lost for the first time, and to division rivals in each instance – the 49ers falling 28-17 to the Rams and the Giants by 31-13 at Philadelphia. San Francisco won the ensuing matchup, 7-3.

The 49ers, under second-year Head Coach George Seifert, had won the previous two Super Bowls and looked poised to join the Packers as winners of three straight NFL titles. They ended the ’90 regular season with a league-best 14-2 record, coasting to first place in the NFC West, and defeated Washington in the Divisional playoff round. To be sure, weaknesses were beginning to show due to wear and tear as safety Ronnie Lott missed five games and RB Roger Craig limped through a sub-par season. Still, QB Joe Montana and WR Jerry Rice, who led the league with 100 pass receptions, 1502 receiving yards, and 13 touchdown catches, provided plenty of heroics on offense.

The Giants, coached by Bill Parcells, ended the regular season with several question marks. Their conservative, ball-control offense, led by QB Phil Simms, suffered only 14 turnovers. The defense, featuring LB Lawrence Taylor (pictured at bottom), was top-ranked in the NFL and also had solid performances from LB Pepper Johnson, NT Erik Howard, and veteran CB Everson Walls. However, the team lost three of its last six games and Simms and starting RB Rodney Hampton were eliminated from the postseason by injuries. To be sure, the Giants still won the NFC East with a 13-3 record, and they crushed the Bears in the Divisional playoff. But they were dependent upon unproven backup QB Jeff Hostetler, operating an offense rendered even more conservative, and 33-year-old RB Ottis Anderson (pictured at top).


There were 65,750 on hand at Candlestick Park on January 20, 1991 for the NFC Championship game. The first half ended at 6-6 with both teams booting two field goals apiece – from 47 and 35 yards by San Francisco’s Mike Cofer and 28 and 42 yards by veteran placekicker Matt Bahr (pictured at right).

The 49ers finally scored a touchdown in the third quarter as Montana connected with WR John Taylor on a 61-yard play. Bahr narrowed the margin to 13-9 with a 46-yard field goal late in the same period.

Montana was knocked out of the game with a broken finger after being sacked with under ten minutes remaining in the game. Meanwhile, the Giants utilized a fake punt that turned into a 30-yard run by LB Gary Reasons, setting up a fourth field goal by Bahr from 38 yards that made it a one-point contest.

49ers backup QB Steve Young kept the ball on the ground, throwing just one pass, and it was almost enough. But with 2:36 remaining, Lawrence Taylor recovered a fumble by Craig. It was the only turnover of the game, and a costly one. Hostetler, completing two key passes, moved the Giants 33 yards in six plays into field goal range. With time running out, Bahr kicked his fifth field goal, from 42 yards, and the Giants were the winners by a 15-13 margin.


In the defensive struggle, New York won the battle for ball control, keeping the offense on the field for 39 minutes and outrushing the 49ers, 152 yards to 39. Even with San Francisco’s superior air attack, the Giants had the upper hand in total yards with 311 to 240. Jeff Hostetler (pictured at left) performed capably, completing 15 of 27 passes for 176 yards and, most importantly, not throwing any interceptions. Ottis Anderson was the top rusher with 67 yards on 20 carries. WR Mark Ingram and TE Mark Bavaro each caught five passes, with Ingram gaining the most yards (82, to the tight end’s 54). Matt Bahr, in his first season with the Giants after nine years in Cleveland, made five of his six field goal attempts, which were crucial.

Before having to leave the game, Joe Montana completed 18 of 26 passes for 190 yards and a TD with none picked off. Thanks to the long touchdown, John Taylor had the most receiving yards with 75 on two receptions, while Jerry Rice had the most catches with 5, but for just 54 yards. The weak rushing attack was led by Roger Craig, with 26 yards on 8 attempts.

New York went on to defeat Buffalo in a closely-fought Super Bowl that was decided by one point. However, Coach Parcells left in the offseason and the Giants slumped under his successor, Ray Handley. The 49ers missed the playoffs in ’91 despite a 10-6 record, but rebounded to make the playoffs in each of the following six seasons with one Super Bowl victory mixed in.