Botha once played for NFL ?
hiroaki maeda
I hope he'll stay for RU, and come to Japan for next Japan Sevens :).
BTW, I heard a rumor that Naas Botha (sorry, I don't know the correct
spelling) once has played for NFL. Is it true? If so, I'd like to know
when and where he played.
Thanks in advance.
--
- hiroaki maeda (mr.) -
- I live in Tokyo now, but would like to live -
- in Wales someday... -
PawlusG
Cowboys in 1983. He played a few exhibition games but did not make the
team. Kickers in the NFL are specialists who have little to do with the
team, waiting around until they are called on.
Rumor is that Botha, the Afrikaner hero, acted like an arrogant little
ass. So here he is, playing a position which most players make jokes
about (remember Garo Yepremian's pass in the Super Bowl), in a sport with
many black players. He was reportedly not very popular. Not to insult
South AFricans, but don't try to sound racially enlightened around
Americans. You end up sounding rascist. The next South AFrican who says
"Your blacks are not like our blacks..." One South AFrican I know said
this to a black man! Why didn't he just call him a n****r!
Botha stuck around the US for a while and led the Dallas Harlequins to the
1984 USA Rugby National Championship. I believe that Gawie Visagie was
also on that team. We lost to them in the semifinals.
George Pawlus
Chicago Lions RFC
hiroaki maeda
I (hiroaki maeda) wrote:
> (snip)
> BTW, I heard a rumor that Naas Botha (sorry, I don't know the correct
> spelling) once has played for NFL. Is it true? If so, I'd like to know
> when and where he played.
>
I've received some mails for my question. Naas has tried to be a punter for
Dallas Cowboys but failed to be a good player. He then played rugby football
with Dallas Harlequins to get the championship in 1984.
Thank men who replied my question.
Steve Nicol
Arthur Flatau
> Naas Botha tried out to be the punter (a specialist kicker) for the
> Dallas Cowboys in 1983. He played a few exhibition games but did
> not make the team.
It was my impression that he tried out as both a punter and a
placekicker (typically there are one of each on NFL teams). You are
right about his success.
> Botha stuck around the US for a while and led the Dallas Harlequins
> to the 1984 USA Rugby National Championship. I believe that Gawie
> Visagie was also on that team. We lost to them in the semifinals.
I played against Visagie (and Botha). However I don't remember that
Visagie actually played in the Championship (which I did not see, so
you may be right). I thought that Visagie just came over to play with
the 'quins (and Botha) for about a month or so.
Art
--
Arthur...@amd.com
Austin, Texas
gat...@imap2.asu.edu
Your comments are really thoughful. Maybe the reason for your resentment
towards South africans is that you could not beat them at rugby even if
you tried! You comments are uncalled for, especially now with the changes
going on, and also that you generalised. I am not racist. I am also a
White South African. But I have two white American Freinds who make Naas
Bothas racism look like a walk in the park. They do not speak to anyone
that is not white. I have my non white freinds, do you! And no, they are
not token freinds so I have something to say when writing to idiots like
you, they are real freinds.
So please, stop with your old war stories. Here is one for you. There once
was a nation who tried to play rugby, but they did not make it! Guess
who. I could also say that a few great Football players would not be able
to make club rugby, like Deon Sanders and guys like that, could they take
a hit without the pads. But such comparisons and stories are uncalled for
and serve no purpose. What could your example of Botha trying out for the
Cowboys benefit this newsgroup. People want to hear about rugby, not
about rugby player's failed attempts and jobs.
Thanks for showing that you are a caring loving man.
A non racist South African
PS I have no resentment against any Americans, and I enjoy living here in
the states, I have made good freinds and love the life, but it is people
like this that give Americans their obnoxious so called
characteristic attitudes.
Benjamin Morgan
he played for the LA Rams in the London Bowl a few years back. Did quite
well too I seem to remember. It was the same year he broke the world
record for the longest place kick (Almost his own ten yard line not
inthe centre of the pitch.) some 65 yards or so.
Ben M
Dirk Laurie
: BTW, I heard a rumor that Naas Botha (sorry, I don't know the correct
: spelling) once has played for NFL. Is it true? If so, I'd like to know
: when and where he played.
Naas Botha played for Dallas Cowboys, can't remember when, near 1980 I think.
Dirk
Dawid & Lois Kriel
writes:
>ho...@gol.com (hiroaki maeda) wrote:
>>
>> There're much talking about Jonah Lomu which way he'll go after this
WC.
>> I hope he'll stay for RU, and come to Japan for next Japan Sevens
:).
>>
correct
>> spelling) once has played for NFL. Is it true? If so, I'd like to
know
>> when and where he played.
>>
>>
>> --
>> - hiroaki maeda (mr.) -
>> - I live in Tokyo now, but would like to live -
>> - in Wales someday... -
>>
>
out with the Cowboys and New England Patriots.Cowboys cut him,and I
think he played a couple of pre- season games for the Patriots,before
they also cut him.After that he went back to S.A. and had to prove in
court that he never recieved any money from either team,to play rugby
again.Rugby at the time was still very amateur.Like my english
spelling.This all happened round 1983-84.After this,Naas came back to
rugby,and Captained S.A. in the Cavalier N.Z. rebel tour of S.A.
CHEERS
Margaret Finlay
Ben Clegg
(Benjamin Morgan) wrote:
> ANother RU player who played a very professional game is Paul Thorburn,
> he played for the LA Rams in the London Bowl a few years back. Did quite
> well too I seem to remember.
I was at the game, and we were all surprised at how bad the Rams' kicker
was - wasn't until I got back that I found out it was Paul Thorburn. At
first we thought there was some new strategy in kicking-off and only
sending the ball low and flat for about 40 yards. He looked terrible,
although I don't imagine he'd practiced too much, anyway he didn't look to
have a hope in hell of being snapped up to play the game seriously.
Cheers,
Ben
=====================================================================
Ben Clegg |"Psychologist! Does that mean...
e-mail: be...@oregon.uoregon.edu |you can tell what I'm thinking?"
Department of Psychology, |
University of Oregon. |
|
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~benc |
=====================================================================
Benjamin Morgan
: In article <3rjj1s$2...@infa.central.susx.ac.uk>, ta...@central.susx.ac.uk
: (Benjamin Morgan) wrote:
: > ANother RU player who played a very professional game is Paul Thorburn,
: > he played for the LA Rams in the London Bowl a few years back. Did quite
: > well too I seem to remember.
: I was at the game, and we were all surprised at how bad the Rams' kicker
: was - wasn't until I got back that I found out it was Paul Thorburn. At
: first we thought there was some new strategy in kicking-off and only
: sending the ball low and flat for about 40 yards. He looked terrible,
: although I don't imagine he'd practiced too much, anyway he didn't look to
: have a hope in hell of being snapped up to play the game seriously.
I remember him getting a couple of field goals, I also don't think he
ever intended playing the game. He was invited by the Rams to play the
one game as they were between kickers I think. They'd seen his 65 yard
penalty against Scotland obviously.
Ben M
Jason Ralph
: ANother RU player who played a very professional game is Paul Thorburn,
: he played for the LA Rams in the London Bowl a few years back. Did quite
: record for the longest place kick (Almost his own ten yard line not
: inthe centre of the pitch.) some 65 yards or so.
Hi Ben,
I always remember Thorburn's kick to have been taken just behind the
ten metre line? Does any body know how long that kick actually was?
JasonR.
Jonathan Davies
It was 65 yards...against Scotland - However he made a pigs ear of the
Kickoff in his NFL gane...The ball went about 25 yards !. I reckon that
that was the end of Paul's NFL career !.
- Jonathan.
James Connan
record is held by a player from Eastern Pronince (R.S.A). A fullback named
J ver Meulen. Saw it in the G book of records.
James Connan
Benjamin Morgan
: > I always remember Thorburn's kick to have been taken just behind the
: > ten metre line? Does any body know how long that kick actually was?
: If it was behind his own 10yard line it would have been over a 90 yard
: kick. It must have been behind his 40yard line to be over 60 yards. In
: US football, the half way line is 50yards and you count back from there
: each way until you reach the goal line.
No, your thinking of the wrong sport. In the correct version of the game
the 10 yard line is so called because it is 10 yards away from the
halfway line. Also in your version if it was behind his own 10 yard line
it would be over 100 yards as the posts are located at the back of the
end zone which is 10 yards long (15 in Canada). Paul Thorburns kick has
been measured at 65 yards.
Ben M
peter w
(Jason Ralph) wrote:
> I always remember Thorburn's kick to have been taken just behind the
> ten metre line? Does any body know how long that kick actually was?
>
If it was behind his own 10yard line it would have been over a 90 yard
kick. It must have been behind his 40yard line to be over 60 yards. In
US football, the half way line is 50yards and you count back from there
each way until you reach the goal line.
darius jedbergh
Jason Ralph
: In article <3rm2o5$r...@infa.central.susx.ac.uk>, jas...@central.susx.ac.uk
Sorry, there has obviously been a little confusion here. I meant THE
kick, not just any old kick. Thorburn is cheifly remembered for his goal
kicking (although he wasn't too bad as a full-back either, great
defence, but not much attacking flair) and of all of his kicks, he is
remembered for the longest penalty goal in Rugby Union history.
Against Scotland in the early nineties he kicked a penaly from around
about his own ten metre line, it was at a slight angle and it was still
going up as it crossed the crossbar. Ben Morgan said that it was taken
from just in front of the line, whilst I remember it being taken from
just behind the line. Which one of us is right?
JasonR.
PS. Who cares about American football when there is rugby on the TV?