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Jim Bakken

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Jim Bakken
refer to caption
Bakken c. 2015
No. 25
Position:Kicker
Personal information
Born: (1940-11-02) November 2, 1940 (age 84)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Madison West
College:Wisconsin
NFL draft:1962 / round: 7 / pick: 88
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goals attempted:447
Field goals made:282
Field goal percentage:63.1%
Longest field goal:51
Extra points attempted:553
Extra points made:534
Extra point percentage:96.6%
Points scored:1,380
Stats at Pro Football Reference

James LeRoy Bakken (born November 2, 1940) is an American former professional football player who was a kicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals, playing occasionally as a punter as well. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and was named to the NFL 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Team. Bakken is one of 29 individuals to be named to two All-Decade teams.[1]

Early life

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Bakken was born on November 2, 1940, in Madison, Wisconsin.[2] He attended Madison West High School in Madison, graduating in 1958. He was on the football, basketball and baseball teams. The 1957 football team went undefeated (8–0), and was considered the best high school team in Wisconsin that year. In the same year, Bakken was most valuable player (MVP) of the Big 8 Conference, and the All-State quarterback.[3] He was All-State in baseball and basketball as well at Madison West.[4]

College football

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He went on to play three seasons of varsity football at the University of Wisconsin (1959-61).[5] He played football under coach Milt Bruhn. As a sophomore, Bakken shared the quarterback position with Dale Hackbart, and was also the team's kicker and punter.[3] Bakken's 1959 Badger team was Big-Ten Conference champion, and played in the 1960 Rose Bowl. He was honorable mention All-Big Ten that year.[6]

In 1960, he became the first punter in school history to average more than 40 yards per punt (41.9); and was seventh in the nation in punting average. In 1961, he was team co-captain. He led the Big Ten in punting average in 1960 and 1961.[6][7] In a 1961 game against Northwestern, he had a 90-yard punt, 47-yard field goal, and returned an interception for a touchdown, in the Badgers' upset victory.[3]

He also played one year of baseball for the Badgers.[3][4]

He was named to the Madison (Wisconsin) Sports Hall of Fame in 1984, and was inducted into the UW Athletic Department-National W Club Hall of Fame in 2001.[7][6]

Professional career

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Bakken was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round of the 1962 NFL draft.[8][9] He did not make the team and was instead picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played his entire NFL career.[2][3] He played 17 seasons, scoring a total of 1,380 points while never missing a game between 1963 and 1978; playing 234 consecutive games.[2][10] Only Larry Fitzgerald has played more games for the Cardinals.[11]

At the time he retired, his 1,380 points were second-most in AFL/NFL history (behind only George Blanda). He cracked the 100-point threshold in a season three times (1964, 1967, and 1973) and was selected to kick in the Pro Bowl four times. He led the NFL in made field goals in 1964 and 1967, as well as in scoring in 1967 (117 points).[2][6][3] He remains the Cardinals all-time leading scorer (as of 2025).[12] Bakken is the AFL/NFL's 39th leading scorer (as of 2025).[13]

He was selected first-team All-Conference in 1975 and 1976, and first-team All-Pro by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA), Pro Football Writers, and Pro Football Weekly both of those years.[14][15] In 1976, he was selected as the Cardinals' MVP.[6] In 1969, he was president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).[16][3]

Bakken was the first NFL kicker to attempt nine field goals and successfully convert seven in a Week 2 28–14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pitt Stadium on September 24, 1967.[17] That single-game field goal record was broken by Rob Bironas with eight in a game in 2007.[18]

His nickname with the Cardinals was "Bags".[4]

Honors

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Bakken was named by the voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the Professional Football 1960s All Decade Team, which included both NFL and American Football League players.[19] The voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame also selected Bakken to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, second team, one vote behind Garo Yepremian.[20][4]

He is a member of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.[10] The Missouri Athletic Club selected him Sportsman of the Year in 1976.[6]

In December 2010, the annual trophy for the Big Ten's best kicker, the "Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year" award, was co-named in his honor.[21]

Personal life

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Bakken was the Wisconsin State Masters Handball Doubles Champion seven times (1991-1997).[6]

Career regular season statistics

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Career high/best bolded

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tom Brady is first QB to make two all-decade teams". April 6, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Jim Bakken Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Network, Wisconsin Sports (March 1, 2003). "Jim Bakken - Player - Madison West / Wisconsin". Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d Dillon, Dennis (January 30, 2022). "Big Red Legends: Jim Bakken". THE BIG RED ZONE. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  5. ^ "Jim Bakken College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Jim Bakken (2001) | UW Athletic Hall of Fame". Wisconsin Badgers. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  7. ^ a b UWBadgers.com, "Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday", "Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday - UWBadgers.com - the Official Web Site of the Wisconsin Badgers Athletics". Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2012. . Retrieved November 21, 2010.
  8. ^ "1962 Los Angeles Rams". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "1962 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Moore, Tim. "Jim Bakken". St Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  11. ^ "Milestones in play for Cardinals in Week 1 game vs. Lions". Cards Wire. September 8, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  12. ^ "Arizona Cardinals Career Scoring Leaders | The Football Database". FootballDB.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  13. ^ "NFL Points Scored Career Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  14. ^ "1975 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  15. ^ "1976 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  16. ^ UWBadgers.com, "Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday", "Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday - UWBadgers.com - the Official Web Site of the Wisconsin Badgers Athletics". Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  17. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 24th, 1967". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  18. ^ Most field goals in a game – Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  19. ^ "NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s - OFFENSE | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  20. ^ "NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s - SPECIAL TEAMS/COACHES | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  21. ^ BigTen.org, "Football Trophy Names", http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/121310aaa.html Archived December 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
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