By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Playing in the Super Bowl was a dream that never came true for Doug Pelfrey during his seven seasons as a place kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1993 to 1999.
In fact, none of the teams Pelfrey was on even made it to the NFL playoffs, so the Bengals’ successful postseason run this season has been a vicarious thrill for the Scott High School graduate who now lives in Edgewood.
Former Bengals place kicker Doug Pelfrey
On Sunday, Pelfrey will be among the millions of fans around the world watching the surprising Cincinnati Bengals take on the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I think that’s what’s so exciting is nobody really saw it coming this year,” he said of the young Bengals team. “In the first 10 games or so nobody was really expecting them to go to the playoffs. But now it’s like, wow. It caught everybody off guard and that’s what’s so cool about it.”
The fact that rookie place kicker Evan McPherson won two of the three AFC playoff games with a field goal makes the story even sweeter for Pelfrey, who knows what it’s like to be put in that situation with a game on the line.
“Obviously, he’s handling the pressure really, really well,” Pelfrey said. “He’s really confident, he’s got a live leg and a great operation, and the fans love him. I think he’s in a really good spot right now.”
As a place kicker for the University of Kentucky, Pelfrey had game-winning field goals against Georgia and Cincinnati that helped him attract the attention of NFL scouts. He signed with the Bengals and won several games with his leg during his pro career when he scored 660 total points.
In his second season, Pelfrey won the 1994 season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles by kicking two field goals in the final seconds, including a career-best 54-yarder. One year later, the Bengals defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the final game of the 1995 season on a 51-yard field goal by Pelfrey as time expired.
Doug Pelfrey gets a hug from one of the Cincinnati Bengals coaches after his game-winning 51-yard field goal as time expired in the final game of the 1995 season.
McPherson has gained national publicity with his unwavering reliability during the this year’s NFL playoffs. In three games, he converted all 12 of his field goals attempts, including one from 58 yards that set a team record and two from 52 yards.
It was his 52-yard field goal against the Tennessee Titans that put the Bengals in the AFC championship game. The title game went into overtime and McPherson won it with a 31-yard kick.
“The thing is, when you’re kicking well there’s really not a lot of pressure. It’s kind of exciting and fun,” Pelfrey said. “So right now he’s in a really good spot, and I hope he can keep riding it through to the end and get a Super Bowl victory.”
Pelfrey points out that two players partially responsible for McPherson’s success are long snapper Kevin Harris and holder Kevin Huber. Together, they’ve executed 28 of 33 field goal attempts this season.
“If you watch the game-winning kick against the Titans,” Pelfrey said, “the snap was literally perfect with how Huber caught it with the laces in his hands and he just put the ball straight down. One of the tricks for a kicker is the longer you can see the ball usually the more kicks you make. So if you get a clean snap and they don’t have to twirl the laces it’s like kicking by yourself.”
The Bengals player getting the lion’s share of publicity for the team’s success is 25-year-old quarterback Joe Burrow, who wears the No. 9 jersey. That happens to be the same number Pelfrey wore during his career.
Over the past few weeks, fans have been buying replicas of the No. 9 jersey at a record clip and the demand will be even higher if Burrow leads the Bengals to their first Super Bowl victory on Sunday.
“It’s fun. It changes the city,” Pelfrey said of the Bengals’ unexpected playoff run. “This team has really endeared themselves to the city. For the next 30 years, they’ll never forget all these games.”
