Breaking Records for the Longest Field Goal in College Football

The longest field goal in college football history has stood since 1976, and no successful field goals of at least 65 yards have been made since 1999.

During the 1976, 1977, and 1978 seasons, there were five field goals of at least 65 yards. Since then, there have been just two. Part of the issue is that kickers were no longer allowed to kick off tees around that time.

Kickers can get some attention when it comes to news about NCAAF.

Let’s look at the longest field goals in college football history.

Here Are The Longest College Football Field Goals Johansson  Sets The Standard

A former soccer player had converted just four field goals before he lined up for a kick that would be the longest field goal in college.

With the wind measured at 17 miles per hour at Ove Johansson’s back, the conditions were right for the Abilene Christian kicker to make history in a 1976 game against East Texas State.

Johansson was making kicks from 70 yards before the game. Still, when he trotted out for a 69-yard kick, there were plenty of surprised onlookers.

Johansson died in 2023. He reflected on his record-breaking moment in an interview with NCAA.com in 2019.

“The leg was working,” Johansson told NCAA.com in 2019. “It was exciting to get on that field knowing if I make this field goal, then I will do something that no one has ever done in the sport.”

The Houston Oilers selected Johansson in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. Yes, it has been a while because the Houston Oilers do not exist, and neither does the 12th round in the NFL draft.

A Crowded Field At No. 2

The next season, Steve Little of Arkansas and Russell Erxleben of Texas had 67-yard field goals, setting the major college field goal record.

Ironically, Little’s 67-yard boot came against Texas on Oct. 15.

The St. Louis Cardinals selected Little 15th overall in the 1978 NFL Draft. Little made less than 50% of his field goals in the NFL and also missed ten extra points, leading to a brief run at the NFL level.

Erxleben set the mark for the longest college field goal against Rice. He was also a three-time All-American punter. That was enough for the New Orleans Saints to take Erxleben with the 11th overall pick.

Wichita State’s Joe Williams joined the list of players with 67-yard field goals in 1978, and 10 years later, Tom Odle of Fort Hays State matched the feat.

Future NFL Kickers Join The Club

While Erxleben and Little spent time in the NFL, the two players tied for sixth in the list of the longest field goals in college football history had more success at the next level.

Tony Franklin set the college record with a 65-yard field while playing for Texas A&M in 1976 in a game against Baylor. That happened to be the same day as Johannson’s record-setting boot. With Abilene Christian competing at the NAIA level, Franklin held the NCAA record before it was snapped the following season.

Franklin also had a 64-yard FG in the same game, which made him the only kicker with two 60-yard field goals in the same contest. He held NCAA records for most 50-yard field goals, career field goals, and kicking points when his time with the Aggies ended.

Franklin was a third-round selection by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1979, and his career-long field goal of 59 yards came as a rookie. However, his best days came with the New England Patriots, and he made 78 field goals in three seasons.

Martin Gramatica of Kansas State matched Franklin with a 67-yard FG in 1998. Gramatica had 155 career NFL field goals and was 228 for 230 on extra points in his nine-year NFL career.

Temple Kicker Nearly Joined the 65-And-Over Club

Maddux Trujillo hit a 64-yard field goal in a game against Utah State in the 2024 season.

Trujillo told reporters he didn’t strike the ball as well as he had hoped and questioned whether it would find its way through the uprights. It hit off the crossbar and had enough momentum to go down as the longest field goal in a college football game since 2009 and the longest by a Division I kicker since UTEP’s Jose Martinez in 2008.

Who Has The Longest Field Goal in NFL History?

It is fair to suggest that Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints made the most famous regular-season field goal in NFL history. His 63-yard kick defeated the Detroit Lions in 1970, and it was the longest field goal in the NFL at the time.

In 2011, Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders hit a 63-yard field goal, and the following season, David Akers of the San Francisco 49ers tied the record in a win over Green Bay. However, the first one to tie Dempsey was Jason Elam in 1998. It was easy to credit that kick to playing in the altitude at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

In 2013, Denver’s Matt Prater broke Dempsey’s mark with a 64-yard field goal. Then, Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens was good from 66 yards in a 2021 game. Just like Dempsey’s boot, it was the final play in a win over the Detroit Lions. Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys joined the long-distance kicking club. He connected on a 66-yard field in 2024, negated by penalty, but was good from 65 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.