Herberton "Rusty" Fricke (born September 1, 1964) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

placekicker In gridiron football, the placekicker (PK), or simply kicker (K), is the player responsible for attempts at scoring Field goal (football), field goals and extra points. In most cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist ...

who played five seasons in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

with the

Pittsburgh Gladiators The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The ...

, Denver Dynamite and

Cincinnati Rockers The Cincinnati Rockers were an arena football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They began play in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League and competed through the 1993 season before they suspended operations due to low attendance. ...

. Fricke played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Lycoming College Lycoming College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is affiliated with the United Methodist Church but operates as an ind ...

Early life

Herberton Fricke was born on September 1, 1964. He played

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

growing up. He did not play football until his junior year of high school in

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 13,730 at the 2020 census. It is located in Abington Township and Upper More ...

College career

Fricke was a member of the Lycoming Warriors of

from 1983 to 1986 and was a three-year starter. In 1984, he earned

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

honorable mention

Little All-American The Little All-America team is an honor given annually in the United States to the best small-college players at their respective positions. The first Little All-America team for college football, selected with assistance from reporters in ever ...

and

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/SID honorable mention All-American honors. He made eight of 12 field goals his senior year while also converting 39 extra points, garnering Pizza Hut/SID honorable mention All-American honors for the second time. Fricke set school records for longest field goal with a 56-yarder in 1984 and best career extra point percentage (95.3% on 101 of 106 kicking). He was also a two-time first-team All-

Middle Atlantic Conferences The Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) is an umbrella organization of three List of NCAA conferences, intercollegiate athletic conferences that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division III, Division III. The 1 ...

selection. He was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 1994.

Professional career

Fricke signed with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

on April 30, 1987, after going undrafted in the

1987 NFL draft The 1987 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 April 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Ma ...

. He was cut by the Eagles on July 20, 1987. Fricke played in all 12 games for the

of the

(AFL) in 1988, converting seven of 37 field goals and 28 of 55 extra points while also posting four solo tackles and two assisted tackles. The Gladiators finished the year with a 6–6 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the

Detroit Drive The Massachusetts Marauders were a professional arena football team that was based in Worcester, Massachusetts. They were a member of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1988 to 1994. The team was established in Detroit in 1988, as the Detroit ...

. Fricke appeared in all four games for Pittsburgh in 1989, scoring four of 24 field goals and five of eight extra points. The Gladiators finished the year 3–1 and lost to the Drive in

ArenaBowl III Arena Bowl '89 (or Arena Bowl III) was the Arena Football League's third Arena Bowl. The game featured the #2 Pittsburgh Gladiators against the #1 Detroit Drive. Both teams finished their seasons at 3-1, yet the Drive greatly led in points agai ...

. Fricke played in all eight games for the Gladiators during the 1990 season, recording six of 29 field goals and 21 of 29 extra points. Pittsburgh finished the season 3–5 and lost to the Drive in the playoffs for the third year in a row. Fricke played in all ten games for the Denver Dynamite of the AFL in 1991, totaling 13 of 35 field goals, 40 of 49 extra points, and five solo tackles. The Dynamite finished the 1991 season with a 6–4 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The ...

. On July 26, 1991, against the Columbus Thunderbolts, Fricke became the first kicker in AFL history to make a 60-yard field goal. He earned first-team

All-Arena An All-Arena Team, an all-star team consisting of the best players of their position was selected every season in the Arena Football League (AFL). Teams * 1987 All-Arena Team, 1987 * 1988 All-Arena Team, 1988 * 1989 All-Arena Team, 1989 * 1990 Al ...

and AFL Kicker of the Year honors for his performance during the 1991 season. Fricke appeared in all 12 games for the AFL's

in 1993, converting 22 of 52 field goals and 30 of 37 extra points while also posting three solo tackles and one assisted tackle. The Rockers finished the season with a 2–10 record. In 1996, Fricke was named the kicker on the AFL's 10th Anniversary Team.

References

External links

Stats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fricke, Rusty Living people 1964 births American football placekickers Lycoming Warriors football players Philadelphia Eagles players Pittsburgh Gladiators players Denver Dynamite (arena football) players Cincinnati Rockers players Players of American football from Pennsylvania