Aubrey chases history

My fascination with field goal kickers began when I was roughly 10 years old.

I marveled at New Orleans Saints kicker Tom Dempsey, who set an NFL record with a 63-yard three-pointer in 1970 – despite being born with no toes on his right (kicking) foot.

And Pete Gogolak of the New York Giants and Jan Stenerud of the Kansas City Chiefs wowed me with their new-fangled “soccer-style” approach.

We had an old American Beech tree in the backyard, and one of its low-hanging limbs served as a natural crossbar. I’d spend what seemed like hours placing the ball on a plastic tee and attempting to use my trusty right leg to win games for either the Alabama Crimson Tide or New York Jets – depending on whether it was a Saturday or Sunday.

I made a bunch … and as fate would have it, the ones I missed I got to do over because the defense was called for offsides. Funny how that always happened.

Anyway, while throwing or passing for the winning touchdown was the dream of most offensive-minded kids, I longed to split the pipes on a 50-yard field goal to lead my team to glory.

A half century later I remain a leg man, and these days I’m living vicariously through Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey – who effortlessly drilled a 64-yarder against the Giants last Sunday to force overtime in a 40-37 Dallas win. His 46-yarder in the extra period won it.

Now, before I go any further, please note that I don’t cheer for the Cowboys. Hell, I usually cheer against them. I’ve had no affection for the team in the turquoise-gray britches since Lee Roy Jordan was making tackles for them.

Still, that’s where Aubrey plays, and I have a bit of history with him.

Back when he was with the Birmingham Stallions in the modern USFL, I got a one-on-one interview with. He had established himself as one of the best kickers in the spring league, but his story was even better because of all the layers. He was a former professional soccer player who hadn’t played American football since high school until leaving his job as a software engineer and signing with the Stallions.

The interview went much longer than I intended because the dude was so friendly and engaging. With a degree from Notre Dame and success in the business world, he was going to be fine with or without football.

But his enthusiasm for the game – and his desire to see if he could make a living at it – made him someone you find yourself rooting for.

“I kind of burnt out of soccer,” Aubrey told me back in May, 2023. “Transitioning from an attacking player to a defensive player, I really wanted to do something where I could get out there and score some points. I’ve been watching football my whole life. I’ve loved football and obviously I would have kept playing football as a high schooler if I had the option. So, I just wanted to go out and see if I could make football work.”

As a Stallion, he made 32 of 36 field goals over two seasons and nailed 57 of 59 extra points – and all 35 PATs he tried in 2023.

That was good enough to get a tryout with the Dallas Cowboys.

The rest, as they say, is history.

He kicked a 65-yarder in 2024 and the 64-yarder last week – as time expired in regulation  –  would’ve been good from beyond 70.

He followed up with the game-winner in the last second of O.T. It was the first time in NFL history a kicker had made field goals as time expired in both regulation and overtime in the same game.

“I think that’s the first walk-off field goal I’ve had,” Aubrey said in the postgame gaggle. “So I did it twice (Sunday), which was pretty cool as time expires, once to enter overtime and once in overtime. So, pretty cool moment.”

Now in the third season of his NFL career, Aubrey has been good on 82 of 91 field goal attempts (90.1 percent) and 85 of 88 extra points.

That’s almost unbelievable.

He connected on his first 35 field goals as an NFL player – that had never been done before – and last season he set a league record for most successful field goals of 50 yards or longer with 14.

“I have a job to get the ball through the uprights,” he said. “They (the offense) have a line that they want to get to, and they’ve got to find any way possible to get there.”

Justin Tucker currently holds the NFL regular season record for longest field goal, that coming from 66 yards in 2021 when he was with the Baltimore Ravens.

During the 2025 preseason, Jacksonville Jaguars sidewinder Cam Little hit a 70-yarder.

Look, I’m way too old to tee the ball up and try to clear a limb for an imaginary victory. But Aubrey, at age 30, has the time – and the leg – to make history for me.

My hope is that he gets a chance to stand alone in the record books before the 2025 season is done.

I’m pretty sure he hopes so, too. His next chance comes today when Dallas travels to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears.

“I believe I’m the best kicker in the league,” he said. “So, there’s no better spot to be. It’s an opportunity, so go have fun.”