Thomas John Dempsey (January 12, 1947 – April 4, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills. He was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand. Dempsey wore a special shoe for kicking. Unlike the "soccer-style" approach which was becoming more widely used during his career, Dempsey's kicking style was the then-standard straight-toe style. With the Saints in 1970, he made a 63-yard field goal, setting an NFL record which stood for 43 years.
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Early life and education
Dempsey was born in Milwaukee and attended high school and college in Southern California. He was born with no toes on his right foot and no fingers on his right hand. To accommodate his foot structure, Dempsey wore a custom, flat-front kicking shoe that had no toe box.