Former NFL placekicker Garo Yepremian, a member of two Super Bowl-winning clubs with the Dolphins, passed away Friday at age 70 due to cancer, according to CBS 3 in Philadelphia and The Associated Press.
Yepremian had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2014. More than a decade earlier, he had created a foundation devoted to fighting brain cancer after his daughter-in-law had been stricken with a brain tumor.
In 14 NFL seasons from 1966 through 1981, Yepremian connected on 210-of-313 field goals, twice making the Pro Bowl. In addition to nine seasons with Miami, Yepremian had stints with the Lions, Saints and Buccaneers.
Yepremian will forever have a little place in NFL history for his failed passing attempt in Super Bowl VII against Washington. After having a field goal blocked, Yepremian picked up the bouncing ball and tried to throw it. However, the ball slipped out of his right hand, and he deflected it forward into the hands of Washington’s Mike Bass, who returned it for a touchdown. Nevertheless, Miami held on for a 14-7 victory, the first of the franchise’s back-to-back Super Bowl titles.