Garo Yepremian showed up in the NFL the hard way. Born in Cyprus, he had a soccer scholarship lined up at Indiana until the school found out he had already played semi-pro in England and yanked it. Instead of heading home, he decided to try kicking American football, a sport he had never played. His brother helped set up a tryout with the Detroit Lions, and somehow he stuck.

The Lions years were short and awkward. He made the roster but never really fit, and after a stint in the military the team let him go. He spent time with the Michigan Arrows in the Continental Football League before the Dolphins signed him in 1970. Once he got to Miami he settled in and became one of the more reliable kickers of the decade. He led the NFL in field-goal percentage three times, earned first-team All-Pro in 1971 and 1973, and made the Pro Bowl twice. In 1971 he led the league in scoring with 117 points. He was never the biggest or strongest guy on the roster, but he could hit the kicks the Dolphins needed, especially when the game was close.

Two plays still define him. On Christmas Day 1971 he made the 37-yard field goal in double overtime that beat the Chiefs and put Miami in Super Bowl VI. A year later, in Super Bowl VII, his attempt late in the game was blocked. Instead of falling on the ball he tried to throw it, the pass was picked off, and the Redskins returned it for a touchdown. Miami still won 14-7 and finished the only perfect season in NFL history. He joked afterward that it was the first time the goat of the game was celebrating in the winner’s locker room.

He left Miami after the 1978 season and signed with the Saints. With the Dolphins he scored 830 points over nine years, and the team later put him on the Honor Roll.