Regarding Russell Erxeleben!

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by Bill in Sinton, Mar 1, 2009.

  1. Bill in Sinton

    Bill in Sinton 5,000+ Posts

    This is not to take away from our current kickers but I wish we could find one like Russell. I know he had legal issues but in this thread I want to concentrate on what he did for our football team while he was here and played 1975 to 1978. From the start he was a great one. I may need help in case my memory is off so please correct me if needed. During those years he had a great punting average and was a very reliable field goal and extra point kicker. He punted high and far and had enough hang time for the coverage to get down on the kicker. His kickoffs were usually deep enough in the end zond and rarely ran back because of the distance and height that enabled coverage to get down there too. He was a great one. I think he could have had a good pro career but he was with the wrong pro team in New Orleans. But he was a great one here. I don't remember him ever having a punt blocked or snapped over his head while at UT. But the thing is he was a HS QB and it was a confort knowing that if a ball was snapped over his head he would have a good chance to get it and make something out of it. Fortunately I don't think it ever happened here. He was a great one. I wish we could find one like him and offer him a scholarship.
     
  2. TXSNOS

    TXSNOS 1,000+ Posts

    Erxleben

    67 yards
     
  3. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    In regards to punters, I agree. We need another one of those.

    But as far as place kicking, I'd prefer we never have an Erxleben again.

     
  4. orangecat

    orangecat 1,000+ Posts

    slugga, all true except that Exrleben didn't use a 2 inch tee. I remember reading the annual Dave Campbell's Texas football article comparing Russell to Tony Franklin.
    Russell used a 1/2 inch tee, different from any other kicker.

    And to me his best two field goal kicks were not the 67 yarder but the two against OU, 62 and 64 yards.

    If NO had been smart they would have used him as a punter and kickoff specialist only.

    One thing most people also forget is that he was injured, I think his senior year. He pulled a leg muscle, I want to say a quad, and actually his last year was probably his worst year at Texas.

    One year he lead the country in punting with a 46.6 yard average, and I want to say his last year was the year he made that punt against A & M that went approximately 78 yards and bounced right over the pylon at the goal line. Most of the crowd thought the ball went out of bounds at the one inch line.
     
  5. rocat

    rocat 25+ Posts

    I agree with the above... NO (and Erxleben) would have been better served if he'd stuck to just punting, at which he was truly great. For his kicking, he was very long, but somewhat erratic, as the straight-on style did not lend itself to consistency as well as soccer-style. I think that affected his confidence and that bled on over to his punting as well...

    Another thing, typical NO, he was drafted way too high, and that made it harder for them to justify keeping him merely for punting.

    I read an article some time back about the three great kickers from the SWC - Erxleben, Franklin from aTm, and Little from Arkansas. Kind of sad... pro ball (and life itself, it seemed) did not work out terribly well for any of them... hope Russell gets straightened out.
     
  6. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    Every single highlight I've seen of Erxleben has a 2 inch tee in the picture (I specifically refer to this one shot I have of him in the "High Noon in Dallas" video hitting a warm up before the 1978 Oklahoma game up close).
     
  7. VacantlyOccupied

    VacantlyOccupied 500+ Posts

    He came to my 4th grade class and signed autographs one day. It happened to be a day when I wore a longhorn football jacket, so I was a happy kid. I think his girlfriend was our student teacher or something.

    From the perspective of a 4th grader, he was a badass, and 67 yards might as well have been a mile.
     
  8. hoopshookem

    hoopshookem 100+ Posts

    Russell Erxeleben is a UT legend. Piss on anyone who gives a rat's *** about the fricking NFL when we're talking about guy's who made history for UNIVERSITY of TEXAS FOOTBALL! [​IMG]
     
  9. ImissWallyPryor

    ImissWallyPryor 1,000+ Posts

    Most of us know about Russell's legal problems (I bet he woulda thought of the Ponzi scheme involving gold first), but what were Franklin's and Little's problems. I recall that Little was either paralyzed or killed in a car wreck, but maybe I'm thinking of Gabe Rivera. My 70's memory is failing me.
     
  10. RomaVicta

    RomaVicta 5,000+ Posts

    My god, the punt in the fourth quarter against the Sooners in 1977 was the most awesome kick I've ever seen. I think he kicked from our endzone and the OU receiver had to make an over the shoulder catch at about their 30. The receivers momentum carried him even further back and the coverage smothered him so the defense could seal the victory.

    Awesome power.
     
  11. Joe Fan

    Joe Fan 10,000+ Posts

    That guy could knock the holy hell out of a football.
     
  12. 9yrSenior

    9yrSenior < 25 Posts

    I want to keep this to football, man I really do. I think we have some really standout kickers on campus right now, what justin tucker has done with the rugby kicks has been nothing short of punting greatness (if there is such a thing)

    bailey and lawrence have both made some clutch kicks, bailey in the snow? yah, money.

    i had more confidence in the last year's special teams than at any point in Mack's tenure.

    I will leave the discussion at that as my rage towards R.E. simmers near the top. I am from Seguin (his hometown) and know many of the people he affected. ok. thats it. silence from me.

    Go Tucker!
    Go Lawrence!
    Hook'em
     
  13. Arbfarkle

    Arbfarkle 250+ Posts

    If my memory is working right, the rules about the ball used weren't as tight as today. I seem to remember Franklin talking about the balloon that he claimed that R. E. used. Also, if the field goal (when I pronounce that I seem to say feel gold) was missed and went over the goal line, the ball was brought out to the 20. I think that was changed in the pros about the time R.E. went pro, give or take a year. That probably kept the 3 guys mentioned here from being a lot richer. Hard to believe that with the rules as they are that you will see a lot of kicks from the other side of the 50, unless there is just seconds left in the half.
     
  14. Ignatius

    Ignatius 1,000+ Posts


     
  15. TexasUFO

    TexasUFO 25+ Posts

    Not that it really matters but Erxleben's injury his senior year was due to a blow to the shin of his kicking leg. They call it anterior compartment syndrom. The leg was swelling and putting pressure on the peroneal nerve causing foot drop. He was hospitilazed to get the swelling down and they almost had to make an incision in his lower leg to releave the pressure and increase circulation.

    Can't believe someone remembered the injury. He did not even know he had a problem until he was getting his ankles taped and could not hold his foot up to get taped (foot drop).

    Three of the best kickers in College football history at the same time in the SWC, Erxleben (Texas), Little (Arkansas), and Franklin (A&M). All hit multiple field goals between 63-67 yards.
     
  16. HollywoodHorns

    HollywoodHorns 25+ Posts

    His son played at Lake Travis. Was very good.
     
  17. accuratehorn

    accuratehorn 10,000+ Posts

    Erxeleben almost single-handedly (footedly) won the 1977 OU game, and I don't think we will ever see a kicker impact a game like that again. I certainly don't care what anyone does in the pros, but to grow up and train when the rules allowed tees, then to have to switch your technique can't be easy, plus there were some injury problems.
    As a college kicker or punter, you couldn't want better.
     
  18. Oilfield

    Oilfield Guest

    Loved Erxleben's career at Texas. It is hard to imagine a kicker and punter being so dominant these days, but he really was back then, especially against Zero-U.

    Oh and screw Tony Franklin. [​IMG]
     
  19. pflugervillehorn

    pflugervillehorn 25+ Posts

    I also wanted to give him much credit for our 77 victory. Our D stopped OU twice in the 4th at the one and we could not gain anything on our rushing. Russell on both punts (strong wind at his back) unloaded two 75+ punts. I am not talking 50 and 25 yards of roll. If you see film OU guy caught it running over his shoulder around the 25. Two huge kicks at a critical time.
     
  20. Steel Shank

    Steel Shank 1,000+ Posts

    During his time at Texas, was he the only kicker in the country using a tee, or did other kickers use them as well? Also, was his goal posts much wider than other kickers in the country? If so, it seems like he had an unfair advantage, and it's easily explained why he was better than everyone else.
     
  21. Hpslugga

    Hpslugga 2,500+ Posts

    Of course everyone else was using a tee and had the same goal posts.

    That's not the point. The point is that those two factors, especially when simultaneous, can produce kickers that appear better than they really are (I specifically refer to straight on kickers) and thus cannot translate their perceived talents to the next level. It's kind of like what people say about QB's who excel in June Jones/Mike Leach/Hal Mumme/Mouse Davis/Joe Tiller offenses (really about QB's in passing spread offenses in general) and end up failing in the NFL (if they're drafted at all). It shouldn't have surprised any of you that Erxleben was terrible at placekicking in the NFL.
     
  22. RomaVicta

    RomaVicta 5,000+ Posts

    Another detail about the 1977 OU game was that Erxleben wanted to go in at QB when our number one and two got hurt. RE had played QB in high school. But it was McEachern who went in and made his own bit of history.

    That was a hell of a season. That defense, Earl and RE.
     
  23. FlyinHorn

    FlyinHorn 100+ Posts

    I was 10 during the 77 season and used to listen to the horn games on the radio then run outside and pretend I was RE and kick my orange nerf football on the roof and try to catch the punt as it rolled off. (that seems like a runon)

    good times.
     
  24. rocat

    rocat 25+ Posts

    oh man, great memories of that '77 OU game. With the exception of the '06 Rose Bowl game, that might be my favorite UT game ever...

    Erxleben surely deserves a lot of credit for the win, but you can't forget Earl. Or McEachern. Or Johnnie Johnson. The play of the game was probably Johnson's tackle on Thomas Lott on 4th and goal - Lott, as good a wishbone QB as any ever, turned upfield and looked like he was in for sure, and Johnson came up from his safety spot and absolutely stopped him cold at the one. Maybe the greatest tackle ever.

    It was after that, as Texas failed to move the ball at all and Erxleben had to line up right at the very back of the end zone, that he absolutely crushed the punt. It was just a monstrous kick. As others mentioned earlier, the OU returner, lined up around midfield, and hoping to get a good return, just turned and sprinted, and ended up catching the ball over his shoulder like a long pass...
     
  25. Orangesweat

    Orangesweat 2,500+ Posts


     
  26. WorsterMan

    WorsterMan SEC here we come!!

    Forget all the NO / personal biz stuff. RE was and is my favorite Longhorn kicker and punter bar none.

    1977 stands out as my favorite TX - ou game that I attended. RE was a key part of that victory.

    His signature punt at UT was his 71 yarder vs. ou in 1977. I was there. The Horns were in trouble early when QB's McBath and Aune went down with season ending knee injuries a few plays apart. The Horns had to punt from inside their own 20 yd line - Russell booms this ungawdly punt with the wind to change field position with the sooners at critical part of the game. I was a punter in HS at that time - I was in awe.

    RomaVicta mentioned it - late in the 4th quarter Russell booms another monster punt from deep in Texas territory to get the Horns out of certain trouble and pin ou deep in it's territory vs. the swarming UT defense.

    Add to this, 2 long-*** FG's by RE that helped UT beat ou in 1977 AND almost beat ou in 1976, save a late fumble by UT RB Ivey Suber... perhaps the most painful TX-ou game I have ever attended.... 1984 would be #2.
     
  27. RayDog

    RayDog 500+ Posts

    I think the OP will be surprised at Tuckers average with a full season of rugby punts.

    He was looking good in practice, and there are reports he can rugby kick it left footed now, although I didn't see him attempt one in practice.
     
  28. LonghornRon

    LonghornRon 25+ Posts

    The Horns had lost their two kickers from the 74 season, Mike Dean and Billy "Sure" Schott, to graduation. If I remember the story correctly, at the start of fall practice in 75 DKR asked for anybody who thought he could kick to give it a try. Erxleben had been recruited as a QB. Well, RE gets up there and booms about 5 punts and 5 long field goals. At that point, Royal pulled him aside and told him he would never be playing QB on the Forty Acres.
     
  29. 12thStudStan

    12thStudStan 250+ Posts

    Russell Erxleben was golden.
     
  30. Steel Shank

    Steel Shank 1,000+ Posts

    The hell with the pros.

    Why didn't other schools go get them a straight on kicker and start kicking 67 yards field goals and average 46 yards a punt? Why the f**k didn't they go do that?
     

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