Rafael Septién
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José Rafael Septién Michel (born December 12, 1953) is a
Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
former
placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...
in the National Football League (NFL) for the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
and Dallas Cowboys. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.


Early years

Rafael Septién's father,
Carlos Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...
, was a professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player in Mexico, who played for the national football team in the
1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
and
1954 FIFA World Cup The 1954 FIFA World Cup was the fifth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament for senior men's national teams of the nations affiliated to FIFA. It was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerla ...
s. He looked to follow in his steps by joining
Club América Club de Fútbol América S.A. de C.V., commonly known as Club América or simply América, is a professional football club based in Mexico City. Nicknamed ''Las Águilas'' (The Eagles), it competes in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football ...
's youth system. A friend told him that the University of Southwestern Louisiana needed a kicker, so he walked-on to the
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team after a tryout. He experienced success from the start of his
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
career. On October 5, 1974, he kicked a 57-yard field goal, breaking Gerald Landry's 1963 school record. In 1975 and 1976, he received first team Southland Conference honors. Septién had a remarkable college career, finishing as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette all-time leading kicker and breaking many of the school's records, some of which still stand today: * Most field goals made in a game: 5 vs. San Jose State University (1974). * Most points a game: 16 vs. San Jose State University (1974). * Most field goals attempted in a game: 6 vs. San Jose State University (1974). * Most field goals made in a season: 26 (1974). * Longest
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
: 57 yards vs. Lamar University (1974). * Most 50+ yard field goals in a season: 4 (1974). * Most 50+ yard field goals in a career: 9 (1974-1976). * Most 50+ yard field goals in a season: 4 (1974). * Most 50+ yard field goals in a game: 2 vs. Lamar University (1974).


Professional career


New Orleans Saints

Septién was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the tenth round (258th overall) of the
1977 NFL Draft The 1977 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977, at the Roosevelt Hotel ...
, but was waived on August 31.


Los Angeles Rams

On September 16,
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
, Septién was signed as a free agent by the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
. He made 18 out of 30 field goals; his 60% average ranked fourth best in the NFC and he was named to the All-rookie team. On August 28,
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, Septién was released after the final pre-season game to make room for third round draft choice Frank Corral, who would go on to have a standout rookie year.


Dallas Cowboys

On August 30,
1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, Septién was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys, who only had rookie kicker Jay Sherrill on the roster after All-Pro Efren Herrera was traded to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
because of a contract holdout. He showed a strong leg for kickoffs and was second in scoring in the
NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...
. He also played in
Super Bowl XIII Super Bowl XIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
, making a 27-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
in the third quarter and scoring four PATs, in a 35–31 loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. In
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
, Septién finished third in scoring in the
NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...
. In
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...
, he set a franchise record with 59 extra points and was fifth in scoring in the NFC. In
1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
, Septién received All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors at the end of the season, after tying Eddie Murray for the league lead with franchise records for 121 points, 27 field goals, and nine straight field goals made. He became the Cowboys' all-time career field goal leader with 73. In
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
, Septién became the team's all-time leading scorer, breaking Bob Hayes' previous mark of 456 points. He also made a career-long 53-yard field goal against the Houston Oilers. His 50-yard field goal against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
tied Garo Yepremian for the second longest in playoff history. In
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
, Septién broke his own Cowboys' scoring record with 123 points (fifth in the
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
) and his 81.5 percent field goal average broke Herrera's team season mark of 78.3 percent. In
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
, Septién was limited with a back injury. He missed the second half of a playoff loss to the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
with a pulled muscle in his right leg. On April 8,
1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...
, Septién was indicted after pleading guilty to a charge of indecency with a child and received a 10-year probated sentence. On April 15, he was released by the team and later replaced with
Roger Ruzek Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...
. Septién led the Cowboys in scoring in each of his nine seasons with the team, making 162 field goals in 226 attempts and scoring 388 PATs. He left as the fourth most accurate field goal kicker in league history, the eighteenth all-time scoring leader (first in franchise history) with 874 points and his 91 percent
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
accuracy in the playoffs was the best in league history. He was named to the Cowboys' 40th anniversary team in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
.


Denver Broncos

On June 14,
1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
, Septién was signed as a free agent by the Denver Broncos after being out of football for two years, but was waived on August 29.


Personal life

On January 22, 1987, a
Dallas County, Texas Dallas County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 2,613,539, making it the ninth-most populous county in the country. Dallas County is included in the Dallas-Arlington-F ...
grand jury indicted Septién on a charge of mishandling a minor. He pleaded guilty on April 8, to a charge of indecency with a child in an agreement with prosecutors that brought him a sentence of ten years of deferred probation and a $2,000 fine. He was released by the Cowboys a week later.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Septien, Rafael 1953 births Living people Sportspeople from Mexico City American football placekickers Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football players Los Angeles Rams players Dallas Cowboys players National Conference Pro Bowl players Mexican players of American football Mexican people of French descent Mexican expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate players of American football