Professional football, baseball players headline OPS Athletic Hall of Fame class

ATHLETICS

·         By Stu Pospisil / World-Herald staff writer

·         20 hrs ago

NFL alumni Chris Bober and Alex Henery and pro baseball pitcher Pat Venditte will enter the Omaha Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame on Nov. 23.

Jane Splittergerber-Elam (Benson), Mike Bahun (Bryan), Charlie Rush (Northwest), Russell Harrison (Technical) and the 1997 Omaha North girls swimming team will join Bober (South), Henery (Burke) and Venditte (Central) as this year’s inductees.

Bober was in the NFL for eight years, Henery for four. Venditte broke into the majors with his switch pitching in 2015.

The 14th annual induction dinner and ceremony, which starts at 5:30 p.m. with a social hour, will be at Metro Community College’s North Omaha Campus Culinary Arts Building, 5370 N. 30th St. Dinner is $85 a person or $750 for a table of 10 and reservations are needed. Call the OPS Athletic Office at (531) 299-9890.

More information on the honorees:

Jane Splittgerber-Elam, Benson (2002): One of the Bunnies’ most versatile female athletes of all-time, she lettered 10 times in five different sports: volleyball, softball, tennis, soccer and basketball. She was on the junior varsity football team as a sophomore. She was all-state in soccer and all-division in basketball. At UNO, she played on three Division II Final Four soccer teams and was the defensive MVP of the North Central Conference tournament in 2004. She is girls soccer coach at Millard South, with a career record of 99-88, and the east region director for Special Olympics Nebraska.

Mike Bahun, Bryan (1993): A three-sport athlete for the Bears, he was All-Nebraska and a National High School Baseball Coaches Association all-district selection as he led the state in batting average. He also wrestled, setting takedown records, and played football for the Bears while earning 11 letters. He was a third-team NJCAA All-American at Iowa Western and second-team All-Big Eight and Iowa State Offensive Player of the Year as a junior in 1996. He has been a high school and volunteer assistant college baseball coach and operates Fundraising University.

Alex Henery, Burke (2006): The former Husker and NFL kicker was the All-Nebraska punter as a senior at Burke and set Burke’s career scoring record in soccer as a two-time All-Nebraska midfielder. A walk-on at NU, he was all-conference while setting the career scoring record for football with 397 points and the NCAA career accuracy records for field goals and all kicks. He had a game-winning 57-yard field goal against Colorado as a sophomore. Selected by Philadelphia in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft, he set the league record for accuracy by a rookie kicker and was the Eagles’ starter for three years.

Pat Venditte, Central (2004): MLB’s first switch pitcher in the modern era was all-conference at Creighton. At Central, he lettered twice and was 5-4 as a senior while making the All-Nebraska second team. A walk-on at CU, he pitched for four years and was second-team All-America and the MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in 2007. Drafted twice by the New York Yankees, he’s pitched for five MLB teams since getting called up for the first time in 2015 and was voted to the AAA All-Star Game in 2018 and 2019.

1997 North Girls Swim Team: The first team to enter the Hall of Fame gave North its only state championship in girls swimming and diving. The Vikings were runners-up in 1995 and they were without Olympic hopeful Shandra Johnson the next season. It all came together in 1997 with seniors Amy Anderson, Anna Kathol, Meredith Sides and Johnson, juniors Madeline Porta, Kari O’Neill and Ali Peterson and sophomore Sharessa Johnson. At state, Shandra Johnson set state records in the 200 and 500 freestyle races, Peterson broke the 100 backstroke record and the Vikings, coached by Allison Terry, won two of the three relay events.

Charlie Rush, Northwest (athletic director): During his 16 years at Northwest, the Huskies won 10 state championships and were state runners-up 10 times across multiple sports. The Bellevue High athlete and NU graduate coached all sports at tiny Walton High before four years as wrestling coach at Lincoln Pius X. At now-closed Ryan High in Omaha, his last three years were as athletic director. He came to OPS in 1976 as a teacher at Tech for one year before tabbed as Northwest’s athletic director. He concluded his OPS career as athletic director at South from 1993 to 1999. He entered the Northwest Hall of Fame in 2012.

Chris Bober, South (1995): The eight-year offensive lineman in the NFL started 37 of his 92 games after starting 45 consecutive games at UNO. At South, he was a three-year letterman in football and baseball. His football career took off at UNO as he added nearly 100 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame. He was a two-time Division II All-American. The New York Giants signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1990, and he was on the active roster for three games. In his next three years he started 31 of 47 games. With Kansas City, he saw action in 44 of 48 games through 2006 and was placed on injured reserve for 2007 before retiring in 2008.

Russell Harrison, Technical (1967): A stellar senior year in football led to a scholarship at Kansas State and a chance at pro football. Born in Harlem, New York, he moved with his family to Omaha after grade school and attended Mann Junior High and Tech. He was a three-year starter for the Trojans, who were 8-1 his senior year as he made All-Nebraska and All-Metro. “Without him, we would have been 1-8,’’ coach Dick Christie said. In track, he set a longstanding national Junior Olympic age-group record in the 100-yard dash. As a Tech senior, he ran on the co-gold medal 880-yard relay, was second in the high and low hurdles at the 1967 state meet and led the state in the triple jump. At Kansas State, he lettered three years at fullback. The Los Angeles Rams drafted him, but knee injuries sidelined his bids to play for the Rams and the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL. He entered the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

John Huebscher, middle school: The retired teacher and coach at King Science and Technology Magnet Center coached cross country, wrestling, track and boys and girls basketball during his 30 years at the school, with his boys basketball teams winning two division titles and one city title. The North High graduate played football at UNO and started in OPS as a teacher and gymnastics coach for four years at Tech before moving to King. He received the Teacher of the Year Award from the Nebraska Association of Physical Education and Recreation in 1990.

Henery and Foreman headline 2019 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class

NEBRASKA FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME

·         Lincoln Journal Star

·         Jul 9, 2019 Updated 2 hrs ago

Alex Henery kicks a 57-yard field goal against Colorado in 2008.

Alex Henery, one of the most accurate kickers in college football history, headlines a class of six nominees, including four Huskers, that will be inducted into the Nebraska Hall of Fame in September. 

Henery hit on a NCAA-record 89% of his field-goal attempts from 2007-2010 during his time in Lincoln. He scored a Nebraska-record 397 points by sinking 193-of-194 extra-point attempts. 

The Omaha Burke grad enjoyed a four-year career in the NFL. Henery is joined by Jay Foreman, Greg Jorgensen, Mark Behning and Lincoln High graduate Richie Ross as the 2019 inductees. Brad Smith, the former Chadron State coach and athletic director, becomes the 36th coach to enter the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. 

A three-time national champion, Foreman finished his NU career with 233 tackles, was a Butkus Award semifinalist in 1998 and played eight productive seasons in the NFL with four different teams. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native recorded a career-high 97 tackles, including seven tackles for a loss and three sacks, during his senior season in 1998. 

Behning, who was on the offensive line of some of the more prolific offenses at Nebraska from 1982-84, earned All-Big Eight honors his senior season. Jorgensen, also an offensive lineman and two-time All-Big Eight choice, served as a starting guard for Tom Osborne's teams in 1975-77. 

Ross played at Nebraska-Kearney and was a two-time Division II All-American, catching 279 passes for 4,882 yards and 50 touchdowns for the Lopers from 2002-2005. Smith, who spent 18 seasons leading the Eagles, becomes the first coach since 2012 to be inducted into the hall of fame. 

A Positive Kicker To A Dismal Year

December 4, 2012

By Joseph Santoliquito

Philadelphia, PA (CBS) — At first, he had to be shown how to put on shoulder pads. His coaches feared he’d come out of the locker room with his tailbone pad in front. He was just a high school kid who enjoyed flipping burgers and cleaning pools during summers at a country club with no aspirations of one day
playing in the NFL, yet alone starring in it.

There is a certain “aw shucks” quality to Eagles’ kicker Alex Henery. A playground soccer prodigy growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, he never played football until high school, went on to become a folklore legend at Nebraska, where he holds almost every single kicking record and is the powerhouse school’s all-time leading scorer, and now he’s breaking records in the NFL for the Eagles.

If there has been one shining quality to what has been an otherwise dismal season, it’s been Henery.

He’s made an Eagles’ team-record 21-straight field goals. Over the last two seasons, he’s made 38 of his last 39 attempts, and he still punishes himself for missing the 45-yard attempt on his second try of the season, in the opener at Cleveland. Otherwise, he would be a pristine 22 of 22 this season.

Since entering the NFL in 2011, Henery is 46-50 (92-percent), which makes him the second-most accurate kicker in the NFL during that span, behind only Jacksonville’s Josh Scobee (43-46, 93.5-percent).

Henery’s been one of the few—possibly only—All-Pro candidates the Eagles have had this season.

But if you know anything about Henery, it’s typical. He’s always been successful. At everything. Don’t let the “aw shucks” veneer fool you. Underneath the smiling 6-foot-2, 180-pound 25-year old, who looks like he’s 18 with his hat tucked tight over his eyes, lays a row of unseen shark’s teeth.

“Soccer was pretty much my main sport growing up, but no, I didn’t see anything like this coming,” said Henery, who graduated with an engineering degree from Nebraska. “I remember at first, I kicked it like a soccer ball, and hopefully, it went straight. This is kind of weird, because when I decided to go to college, I was actually a walk-on punter at Nebraska. I never even dreamed of playing too much there. None of the walk-ons get a chance to play too much there. It’s worked out.

“I think when you look as a kid at the typical NFL player, that’s not me. I wouldn’t think of myself being an NFL player. You kind of put them up on a pedestal and never think you can really reach that. Here I am today as one of them. I kind of look at it in disbelief as being one of them.”

Henery is—and breaking records.

His first step to the NFL began when then-Omaha Burke High School soccer coach Mike Bailey suggested he try punting and place kicking for the football team . Bailey, who still remains in close contact with Henery, was also the kicking coach for the football team.

“Al was a playground soccer legend coming in; he was among one of the top 25 players in his age group in the region and probably the most natural goal-scorer I’ve seen in my life,” Bailey said. “Al was third in the state in scoring as a freshman, broke his collarbone his sophomore year and led Nebraska in goals his junior and senior years. But Al benefitted from a great situation. Our headfootball coach , Jack Oholendt, knew kicking was a specialized skill.

“He was fine with us doing special teams first. They’d be gone by 4:30 so Al could get to club soccer practice. At first, I just wanted Al to come out and introduce himself to some of the older kids. That’s how we approached it. The technical skill of kicking a football from a soccer ball is a totally different skill set. They had to show Al how to put shoulder pads on. If the older kids didn’t show him, he would have come out with his tailbone pad on in the front.”

At Omaha Burke, Henery’s “wow moment” came the opening game of his sophomore year. In a game against Lincoln High, a snap flew high over Henery’s head. He retrieved the ball, dodged a tackler and somehow managed to punt it 70 yards—with a very generous roll.

Henery nonchalantly returned to the sideline. But Oholendt went crazy.

“That play just blew Coach Old’s mind,” Bailey said. “I remember him saying, ‘Geez, did he just kick it with his left foot?’ Al is right-footed and he kicked a ball 70 yards with his left foot. That’s just instinct for him. But that was probably the first time we saw Al show something. He’s always been his worst critic. Early in soccer, as a goal scorer, you might get 10 chances in a match, and you finish one. That’s a great percentage. With him, Al thought he should have scored five. Al never really golfed before, but he taught himself to golf, and became very good (a nine handicap). He gives meticulous attention to detail to everything he does. Every swing of his leg should be exactly the same. That’s why he’s so good at everything he does.”

Nebraska and the rest of the nation was introduced to Henery his sophomore season there. He had beaten out a senior scholarship kicker, and his first major moment happened against Colorado.

With the game riding on his right leg, Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini turned to Henery to boot a 57-yarder with 1:50 left to play and the Huskers trailing 31-30. Henery kicked a school-record 57-yard bolt that just caught the inside of the right upright and sent Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium into delirium.

“I think what really did it for Alex was going to [former NFL kicker] Nate Kaeding’s camps, and then working there for him,” Bailey said. “You could see Alex start to invest in the thought he could do something with kicking during the summers when he was at Nebraska. Al is kind of a folk hero in the state of Nebraska, as he should be. He comes from good, grounded parents and he’s a tenacious competitor.”

The 57-yarder in the cold against Colorado put him on the national stage—and eventually caused the Eagles to take notice and select Henery, a kicker, with their second fourth-round pick in the 2011 draft. If you look at the Eagles’ 2011 draft class, Henery, and sixth-round pick Jason Kelce, have been the only impact players selected (1st: Danny Watkins (bust); 2nd: Jaiquawn Jarrett (cut); 3rd: Curtis Marsh (marginal contribution); 4th: Casey Matthews (bust)).

Mary Henery, Alex’s mother, still gets nervous each time her son plays. She didn’t even foresee this, yet she was his first coach, when Alex was 4½ playing soccer a level up with his older brother.

“I just don’t want to see him hurt; he works very hard and he does well, but he has always been driven to do well,” Mary said. “He’s had good coaches that taught him how to control his emotions in pressure situations, and he listens well and incorporates what he’s taught. I get nervous for him. He doesn’t show it, but it’s a challenge to stand in front of all those eyes and make a big kick. No, I didn’t foresee this at all.”

Now Henery is doing commercials during the Big 10 championship game between Nebraska and Wisconsin. He’s a member of the country club where he once cleaned pools and flipped burgers, and is quietly, coolly having an unforgettable season in what has been a forgettable year for the Eagles.

A typical NFL kick takes about 1.2 seconds after the nod. Henery doesn’t think. He turns it over to muscle memory as his personal navigator. Despite the futility of everything around him, Henery will continue to put his blinders up. He’ll tune out the swirling din and he likes the pressure.

“When I go out, I try not to look up and see how far it is,” Henery said. “There is a lot more that goes into this than me, with [long snapper] Jon [Dorenbos] and [holder] Mat [McBriar]. They’ve been great. I want to be placed in a tough situation, and if a kicker didn’t want that, he wouldn’t be any good. I want to be in a situation where I want to play in the Super Bowl and be there and have that pressure on me to win. I have to remain even keeled, and it’s always the next one that matters. I am pretty much a perfectionist.”

Henery has certainly been one near-perfect point this season.

Alex Henery extends franchise record with 20th straight field goal

By Rodger Sherman

December 2, 2012

A lot of things have gone wrong this season for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the play of Alex Henery has not been one of them. The kicker's 43-yarder to close the first half Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys not only extended the team's lead to 17-10, but also extended his franchise record for consecutive field goals made.

Henery's last miss was came Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns. Since then, he's made 20 straight field goals, the most ever by an Eagles kicker. He's 21-for-22 on the year with a long of 49 and has hit 37-of-38. He has missed an extra point, but other than that, he's been nearly flawless.

This isn't altogether surprising: Henery set a college record for accuracy at Nebraska, hitting 89.5 percent of his kicks for the Cornhuskers earning him a fourth-round pick in 2011 - high for a kicker. He's been worth it, setting a rookie record for accuracy by hitting 24 of his 27 kicks, and his two seasons in the league have been the most accurate by an Eagles kicker ever.

Henery one of few bright spots in dark season

Alex Henery has converted 35 of his last 36 field goal attempts with the Eagles.

By Reuben Frank

November 29, 2012

You can’t blame Alex Henery.

There’s a very short list of Philadelphia Eagles who can look themselves in the mirror and feel like they’ve done all they could during this wretched 2012 season.

DeMeco Ryans. Evan Mathis. LeSean McCoy. Fletcher Cox. Hmmm. We said it was a very short list.

No doubt Henery would be on there, though.

It’s pretty lame when your team MVP could be a 175-pound placekicker, but Henery has been nearly perfect this year and really since he got here as a rookie fourth-round pick out of Nebraska last year.

“Just been hitting the ball well,” Henery said. “I feel like we’ve been in a real good rhythm with Mat (McBriar, holder) and Jon (Dorenbos, snapper). So I’ve been happy with how I’m hitting it, and it’s been going through.”

Henery missed his second field goal attempt on opening day in Cleveland and has made 19 straight kicks since, breaking the franchise record of 17 consecutive field goals set by David Akers during his 2001 Pro Bowl season and matched last year by Henery.

Is it the longest streak of his life?

Good luck finding out from Henery.

“Honestly, I really don’t know,” he said. “I don’t really pay attention to all that stuff. I don’t remember my stats very well.

“It’s just one of those things where … your stats will be there in the end if you’re doing well and you’re doing your job.”

Henery converted his last 16 kicks last year, which means he’s made 35 of his last 36 field goals, which is 97 percent.

Let’s take a closer look at Henery’s season and career so far:

• He’s made 44 of 48 field goal attempts as an Eagle, for 91.7 percent. He doesn’t have enough attempts to qualify for the all-time leaders – the NFL requires kickers to make 100 field goals before they can be considered for record purposes – but based on guys who’ve made 25 or more field goals, he’s the most accurate kicker ever, just ahead of Dallas’s Dan Bailey, who the Eagles will see Sunday night. Bailey is 54 for 61 for 88.5 percent.

• Henery has made 20 of 21 kicks this year, which is 95.2 percent accuracy. If the season ended today, that would be the 12th-highest figure in NFL history.

• After making an NFL-rookie-record 88.5 percent of his kicks last year, Henery is on pace to become the first kicker in history to make 88 percent of his kicks in each of his first two NFL seasons.

• Henery is the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, going 68 for 76. That means since leaving high school, he’s 112 for 124, or 90.3 percent. He made 18 of 19 as a senior at Nebraska, so he’s 62 for 67 over the past three years (92.5 percent).

• Henery is 13 for 14 (92.9 percent) in the crucial 40-to-49-yard range.

And how much does all this stuff mean to him?

Henery is non-plussed when asked about his consecutive field goal record. He’s non-plussed about pretty much everything.

“That’s not one of those things that I look at,” he said. “It’s a cool honor, but I have to concentrate on the next kick, not the last one.

“To me, none of that matters. As long as I’m doing the job, I’m happy.”

While Henery was chatting with a couple writers before practice Thursday, special teamer Colt Anderson walked over and said, “Hey, can you guys please get Alex to the Pro Bowl?”

That will be up to the fans, coaches and players around the league, but Henery has a shot.

Henery leads the NFC at 95.2 percent, with Vikings kicker Blair Walsh and Bailey next at 92.3 percent (24 for 26) and 91.7 percent (22 for 24), although they both play in domes.

David Akers went to five Pro Bowls during his 12 years with the Eagles and a sixth last year with the 49ers.

“It’d be really cool,” Henery said. “I think I’m still young maybe for that. I don’t know. It’s one of those things, until it happens, I won’t believe it.”

A Streak Of Historic Proportions

November 27, 2012

By Patrick Wall

Kicker Alex Henery has quietly been putting together an impressive career with the Eagles. Last season, he set a team and NFL rookie record by hitting 88.9 percent of his field goals. Henery continued rewriting the team history books on Monday night.

After connecting on three field goals, Henery has hit 19 in a row, an Eagles record that he previously shared with David Akers. Henery has been nearly automatic throughout his career, connecting on 44 of 48 field goals since last season. Over the last two seasons, Henery has become the second-most accurate kicker in the league, trailing only Jacksonville’s Josh Scobee. This year, Henery has missed just one field goal attempt.

The conditions Monday night were ideal. Plus, Henery works with two former Pro Bowl selections, long snapper Jon Dorenbos and punter/holder Mat McBriar.

"Today I hit everything in pregame; I don’t think I missed even one. I hit the ball well today and our rhythm was good," said Henery, who was successful from 36, 41 and 45 yards. "A lot of credit goes to Jon and Mat for making things smooth. There is a lot more that goes into it than just me kicking it."

When asked about his accomplishment, Henery was unfazed. Such is the life of a kicker.
"That is not one of those things I look at," he said. "It’s a cool honor, but I have to concentrate on the next kick, not the last one.

"This is a team sport, so how the team does is more important than how an individual does. I just do what I can, but we have to get the win. That is what matters."

Oh Henery

November 19, 2012

By PhiladelphiaEagles.com

The following notes were compiled by the Eagles media relations department following the Eagles' 31-6 loss to the Washington Redskins.

Nick's Notes - QB Nick Foles made his first-career start, becoming the first Eagles quarterback to do so since Donovan McNabb on 11/14/99 vs. Washington. His 204 passing yards were the most by an Eagles rookie in his first start since Randall Cunningham's 211 on 9/15/85 vs. LA Rams ... His 21 completions were the third-highest total ever by an Eagles rookie ... Foles became the eighth first-year player to start for the Eagles this season

Offensive Quick Hits - The offense has scored on their first possession of the second half in nine straight games (four touchdowns, five field goals) ... WR DeSean Jackson has 273 career receptions for 4,774 yards. His reception total is tied with Mike Quick for the most ever by an Eagle in his first five seasons and he needs just 30 more yards to surpass him in that category as well ... RB LeSean McCoy had a season-high 67 receiving yards ...WR Riley Cooper tied a career high with five receptions.

Oh Henery - K Alex Henery has made 16 field goals in a row, which the fourth-longest streak in team history and the second-longest current streak behind Cleveland's Phil Dawson (25).

Defensive Nuggets - The Eagles are the only team in the NFL that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season ... DT Fletcher Cox and DE Trent Cole split a sack. Cole now has 70 in his career ... DE Jason Babin also recorded a sack and leads the team with 4.5 this season.

Hard to Get More Consistent Than Eagles’ Henery

November 8, 2012

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – 2012 obviously hasn’t gone according to plan to this point for the Eagles. They are 3-5, mired in a four-game losing streak and plagued by struggles on both sides of the ball.

However, second-year kicker Alex Henery has been a consistent bright spot and really has been since he arrived in 2011.

Drafted by the Eagles in the 4th round of the 2011 draft out of Nebraska, you can literally count the number of field goal misses Henery has had on one hand. He is 38 of 42 in his NFL career, including 14 of 15 here in 2012.

“Been pretty happy with the way I’ve been kicking the ball, especially field goals,” Henery tells KYW Newsradio. “Kick-off wise I’ve kind of been up and down, but I’m pretty happy how I’m hitting the ball.”

The Eagles drafted Henery to replace the most successful kicker in franchise history in David Akers, who is now in San Francisco. Despite the big shoes to fill, Henery says he didn’t feel any added pressure to succeed when he came in as a rookie.

“Tried not to worry too much about it,” Henery says. “People try to build it up more than it really is. I was just coming in here to do my job and help out the team any way I can. David was here for a good number of years and was a great kicker here, so I respected that. But I was here to do my job and not really put too much more added pressure on than I needed to.”

Kicking outdoors in the northeast can prove to be a challenge and he says the Linc has its moments.

“It’s probably one of the harder places (to kick)” Henery says. “But I’m from Nebraska and it’s kind of like Nebraska’s stadium. You get your winds coming through the corners and it’s just one of those things, on the day of the game, you go out there and see which way it’s blowing, trust it, and go on kicking like you normally do.”

Henery has had to adjust a bit here in 2012 as his holder changed when the Eagles switched punters from Chas Henry to Mat McBriar, but that change hasn’t interfered with his success.

“It was nice that I was able to work with him in camp. So it made the transition a little bit easier since it was during a game week. Other than that it’s just getting used to the rhythm and the timing and going with it from there.”

Henery and the Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at 4:25pm at the Linc.

Alex Henery makes NFL history

Alex Henery is the only kicker in NFL history with a minimum of 20 attempts to make 90 percent of his field goal attempts.

From Reuben Frank's "Eagles by the Numbers: The only positive stat"

November 1, 2012

Had enough negativity? Had enough misery?

It’s been a tough stretch for the Eagles. Three-game losing streak. Juan Castillo’s firing. Questions about Michael Vick’s future. A head coach on the hot seat. Players openly questioning the team’s heart.

It’s been pretty bad.

So for this week’s "Eagles By the Numbers," we wanted to give everybody a break from all the gloom and put together some nice, positive, cheery stats.

We wanted to, but we couldn’t find any.

OK, well, we found one.

Ready?

Here we go ... the the only positive Eagles stat we could find this week:

Alex Henery is the only kicker in NFL history with a minimum of 20 attempts to make 90 percent of his field goal attempts!

Fired up?

Henery’s field goal Sunday against the Falcons made him 36-for-40 in his career, just ahead of current Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey for the all-time NFL field goal percentage lead. Bailey is 45-for-51 (88.2 percent).

Neither one has enough attempts to qualify for the actual NFL record books. The legit NFL placekicking accuracy record holder is Nate Kaeding, who is 180-for-207 (87.0 percent) in his career with the Chargers. But based on a minimum of 40 kicks, your all-time leader is Henery.

Henery might have some company soon, though. Vikings rookie kicker Blair Walsh has made 17 of 18 kicks (94.4 percent), and Ravens rookie Justin Tucker is 14-for-15 (93.3 percent).

In fact, of the 10 most accurate kickers in history with a minimum of 10 attempts, nine are currently active (Mike Vanderjagt is the lone exception).

Henery set an Eagles accuracy record last year (and an NFL rookie record) when he made 24 of 27 field goals (88.9 percent), and he’s ahead of that pace this year, with 12-for-13 (92.3 percent).

If Henery makes at least 88 percent of his kicks this year, he’ll become the first kicker in NFL history to convert 88 percent or better (with a minimum of 16 attempts) in each of his first two seasons.

Kicker stats! Hoo boy!

Alex Henery sets NFL record

October 17, 2012

By Reuben Frank

Henery makes four FGs, plays unlikely hero

Four field goals on Sunday night in the Eagles' win over the Giants made Alex Henery 8-for-9 on the season.

By Geoff Mosher

October 1, 2012

Alex Henery makes clutch fourth-quarter kicks all the time. They just happen at practice and in his mind more than they actually take place in real games.

“You prepare yourself every game that it’s going to come down to you,” the Eagles’ second year kicker said. “So when it comes, you’re ready for it and you’re not really shocked.”

Henery was the rare offensive hero for the Eagles on Sunday night against the Giants, as he made all four of his field goal attempts to account for 12 of the team’s 19 points. His 26-yarder with less than two minutes left in the fourth served as the game-winner in the Eagles’ 19-17 win.

Henery also made kicks of 25, 48 and 35 yards. The 48-yarder, his longest this season and second-longest of his career, put the Eagles up 13-10.

Considering that he spent the week practicing with a new holder (punter Mat McBriar) and long snapper (Kyle Nelson), those are some impressive numbers.

“I knew it was gonna be big,” Henery said of the 48-yarder. “Especially the way the game was going. After this week, working with a different snapper and holder, I was real happy with how it went [Sunday] and I hit the ball real well.”

Making his game even sweeter were two misses from his counterpart, Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes, from 54 yards out in the final 15 seconds. Tynes missed wide left on the first attempt, which came off his foot mere seconds after Eagles coach Andy Reid called timeout to ice the veteran. Tynes then came up short on his second attempt.

“He’s a good kicker,” Henery said. “He’s made a lot of big kicks over the years. That was the tougher way to kick tonight, I think, into the wind. It was just something that it didn’t go and we got the win.”

Tynes is one of the NFL’s most clutch kickers. He kicked the overtime 31-yarder in the Giants’ 20-17 win over San Francisco in the NFC Championship earlier this year to become the first player in league history with two postseason overtime makes. His other, a 47-yarder, came in the Giants’ upset of the Packers in the 2008 NFC title game.

Henery, a fourth-round pick last year, is still carving his reputation after being drafted to replace David Akers, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer who signed with San Francisco last season after the Eagles let him walk.

Henery made 24 of 27 kicks as a rookie, setting a franchise accuracy record (88.9), and was the most accurate rookie kicker in NFL history.

Not many Eagles games have come down to Henery in the final minutes, but he prepares each week like it's inevitable.

“Every game you tell yourself you need to make all of them,” he said, “and it’s going to come down to you eventually.”

Henery Passes Test With Clutch Kick

August 10, 2012

By Chris McPherson

When Alex Henery's game-winning 51-yard field goal cleared the uprights with plenty of room to spare on Thursday night, there wasn't much reaction from the kicker.

Holder Chas Henry already had his arms raised to signal a successful kick while the ball was still in the air. Henery's teammates swarmed him on the field. As Henery jogged to the sideline, still showing no emotion, his teammates continued to mob him. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson sprinted down the sideline to slap him on the helmet.

"It was pretty cool to get everyone excited like that and get the win," Henery said. "Everyone's happy I guess."

Maybe it's Henery's "aw, shucks" attitude that allowed him to thrive on this opportunity. The most accurate kicker in NCAA history was the Eagles' fourth-round draft pick just a year ago. Henery set the NFL rookie record and single-season franchise record for field goal accuracy (88.9 percent). With 118 points, Henery also set the franchise rookie record for scoring. Henery will begin the 2012 regular season with a streak of 16 consecutive successful field goal attempts, which is currently the third-longest in team history.

Last season, Henery did hit a 51-yard field goal at Dallas, but he never faced a game-tying or game-winning clutch situation.

"It's good to get some of those in before the start of the regular season. I was happy with how I hit it," said Henery, who also had three touchbacks. "I think every kicker looks to get in those situations. It's good to get practice at them and know how to handle situations like that."

Henery did not alter the lean of the ball or adjust his kicking style for the distance. Henery said Mother Nature assisted by providing a little wind at his back. In fact, Henery was more than happy to offer compliments to everyone else but himself. He credited the offense for getting him in a position where he could attempt a game-winning kick. Then, he praised long snapper Jon Dorenbos and Henry, who got the ball down where Henery wanted it.

"They're perfect like they've always been. I can always rely upon them in situations like that," Henery said. "They came through and I was able to too."

The preseason is a time to find out about your football team. The Eagles learned on Thursday night that Henery's strong leg can be trusted in the clutch.

Alex Henery In Control Of FG Game

It was a rookie season that was historic, and yet nobody talks about Alex Henery and the Eagles' kicking game these days. Isn't that the ultimate compliment for Henery, the second-year placekicker?

By Dave Spadaro

June 6, 2012

All Henery did was make 24 of his 27 field goal chances, missing only a 63-yarder at the end of the first half in Atlanta and two chippie-kicks in the agonizing loss to San Francisco at Lincoln Financial Field.

In one fell swoop, so to speak, Henery eased all concerns about a kicking game that had for a decade been handled at a Pro Bowl level by David Akers, the greatest kicker in franchise history. The Eagles invested a fourth-round draft pick in Henery, a standout at Nebraska, and allowed Akers to test free agency and ultimately sign with the 49ers. There, Akers had a brilliant 2011 season and reached the Pro Bowl and nearly the Super Bowl.

Here, Henery started the next generation of great kicking for the Eagles.

Consider that a win-win for all concerned.

"I didn't think about David or any of that other stuff when I came here. I didn't know what to expect. I was thrown into a situation and just went with it. There wasn't time to think about it. I was just focused on my job and I guess pretty happy with the way things went, especially the way I finished the season," said Henery. "Every kick you go out there and your job is to make it. I felt like I maintained my strength and actually got stronger through the year."

Henery's misses are etched in his mind. In Atlanta, he thought he hit it well and because it was a lower trajectory, the kick was tipped and fell short. Against the 49ers, Henery missed from 39 yards and then 33 yards, pushing both kicks wide right.

"The two I missed, I didn't follow through and I just sliced the ball," said Henery. "It happens. I wasn't happy at all, so I had a correction to make and I made it."

The Eagles thought Henery was special enough at Nebraska to use a fourth-round pick on him, a stunning move at the time. They added kickoff duties to his list of job responsibilities, and Henery did a great job in that department. As for field goals, Henery made his last 13 kicks after the misses against the 49ers.

Now Henery is on to his second NFL season. The Eagles didn't add a kicker for competition, a clear sign that they have complete trust in him in his sophomore campaign. The team may add a leg later just to give Henery a breather in training camp, but he is the guy 100 percent. The Eagles believe they have something special in Henery, who has a big leg and a flatline-demeanor that is perfect for the pressure of the job.

Henery says he was "50/50" on kickoffs last year, and he is striving for more consistency in that phase of his game. He also wants to be as automatic as possible from 55 yards and in on field goals and extend his range to 60-plus yards.

"I know what's going on and what to expect and that's a good thing," said Henery about being in his second season. "It's kind of more relaxed and I'm able to work more on my game instead of spending time thinking about other things. It's gone well."

Henery is an avid golfer, an 8-handicap and he recently shot a 73 at Blue Heron Pines in South Jersey. It's no surprise that he is a steady hand on the links, as much as he is lining up for a pressure field goal with Jon Dorenbos snapping to holder Chas Henry.

The Eagles overhauled their kicking game last offseason, a bold and daring move lost in the shuffle of the free-agency spree that dominated the headlines. A generation of excellence from Akers was suddenly a gigantic question, and Henery provided the resounding answer of confidence.

If you have been an Eagles fan long enough to cheer the team prior to the Akers years, you know how shaky the kicking game here was. You know about all the ups and downs of the special teams. Henery looks like the next great one, an incredibly visionary move by Howie Roseman and Andy Reid in the 2011 draft. Without skipping a beat, the Eagles have themselves another fantastic placekicker.

"I don't look at things other than just making sure I go out every day and focus on my job," he said. "There isn't anything really in my life that makes me lose my cool, I guess. I probably lose it more on the golf course than in football. This is my job and so I go out there and know what I have to do. I have to make kicks. I just go out and do it."

It sounds so simple, but it's not. The Eagles have themselves a good one in Henery, and potentially a great one if he continues to stay in his groove, hone his timing and build his strength. There is not an ounce of waver in Henery's personality. He's married. He's a solid guy. He's a humble young man. He loves being an Eagle.

And he's on his way to terrific things, even if nobody talks much about him. The truth is, the lack of chatter is the highest form of flattery for a kicker who one year ago was replacing a legend. Now Henery is on his own path, and is off to an historic start.

Eagles' Henery most accurate rookie kicker

January 2, 2012

By Reuben Frank

Five hours after his season ended, Alex Henery became the most accurate rookie placekicker in NFL history.

Henery, the Eagles’ rookie fourth-round pick, made two more field goals Sunday in the Eagles’ season-ending 34-10 win over the Redskins at the Linc.

After missing three of his first 11 kicks, Henery made his last 16 and finished the season with 24 field goals in 27 attempts (88.9 percent), which at the moment the Eagles’ season ended, tied Cowboys rookie Dan Bailey for the most accurate season ever by a rookie.

Because the Cowboys were scheduled to play Sunday night, all it would take for Bailey to lock up the all-time NFL rookie kicking accuracy record was one field goal against the Giants without a miss.

But Bailey missed his only attempt of the night -- a 51-yarder as the first half ended -- which dropped Bailey below Henery and gave Henery the title of most accurate rookie kicker in NFL history.

Bailey finished 32 for 37 (86.5 percent).

Henery, the all-time NCAA career accuracy record holder at 90 percent, also broke David Akers’ franchise record for field goal accuracy in a season. Akers held the record at 88.2 percent, set in 2002 (30 for 34).

“Dan’s a good friend of mine and Dave’s a great guy, and they’re both great kickers, so just being mentioned in the same breath as those guys is a great compliment,” Henery said. “Dave was here so long and was such a great kicker for so many years here, to break a record that he held, it’s just a cool feeling to finish off the season on a positive.”

Two of Henery’s misses came from inside 40 yards in a one-point loss to the 49ers. The other was a longshot 63-yarder against the Falcons. Without that Falcons attempt, Henery would have been in the 92-percent neighborhood and be finishing one of the 20 most-accurate seasons in NFL history.

After the 49ers game, Henery was perfect, going 16 for 16. If he makes his first field goal attempt of 2012, he’ll tie Akers’ franchise record for most consecutive field goals made.

“Definitely happy with how the season ended,” Henery said. “Getting over those first few misses was huge. It was just a matter of working on some technique things, and after the first few games, everything just slowed down for me, and I was able to get into a rhythm and get back to kicking the way I usually do.”

Calm customer Henery on verge of records

Alex Henery has made his last 14 field goal attempts. (US Presswire)

By Reuben Frank

December 29, 2011

It’s not that he’s comatose, it’s just that nothing affects him. Nothing bothers him. Nothing ever gets to him.

OK, maybe he is comatose.

“My wife will always say, ‘How do you not stress out about anything?’” Alex Henery said. “And I just say, ‘There’s no reason to stress out about anything, it’s not going to make something better or worse.’

“I don’t really stress on myself, whether it’s football or life. It’s just how I approach things. If something big is coming up, my wife will say, ‘How are you not nervous?’ I don’t really know. I just don’t get nervous. Stressing out never helped. It’s just how I approach things I guess. It works out.”

So far, it’s worked out very well.

The Eagles cut ties with one of the greatest kickers in NFL history, six-time Pro Bowl pick David Akers, and replaced him with a rookie fourth-round draft pick. And if that’s not pressure, what is?

“Coming here to fill Dave’s shoes, I never really stressed myself about that,” Henery said. “I just wanted to come here, show what I can do, do my job the best I can, and it’ll all work out how it works out.”

Whatever his approach, it’s working. Since missing two field goals in the Eagles’ loss to the 49ers, Henery has been perfect.

He’s made 14 consecutive field goals, the fifth-longest streak in franchise history and just three shy of Akers’ club record of 17, set in 2001 and matched in 2009. And he’s within range of both the NFL single-season rookie accuracy record and Akers’ single-season Eagles accuracy record.

Overall, Henery is 22 for 25 on field goal attempts this year (88 percent), including a miss from 63 yards against the Falcons.

With one or more field goals without a miss in the Eagles’ finale against the Redskins on Sunday, he’ll break Akers’ franchise record of 88.2 percent accuracy, set in 2002.

Henery is also working on the second-most accurate rookie placekicking season in NFL history. No. 1 is current Cowboys rookie Dan Bailey, who has made 32 of 36 attempts (88.9 percent) this year. So any combination of one Bailey miss and no Henery misses will leave Henery as the most accurate rookie kicker ever.

All of this, by the way, is of zero interest to Henery.

“It doesn’t really mean too much,” he said. “Just like in college, the records I got, I couldn’t even tell you what they were.”

One of them happens to be the NCAA record for most accurate kicker in college football history at 90 percent.

Take away the 63-yard attempt just before halftime in Atlanta and Henery is right in that 90 percent range again ... 92 percent, actually.

Rarified territory for any kicker.

“He’s continued to work at it,” special teams coach Bobby April said. “Certainly, working with the same two guys (long snapper Jon Dorenbos and holder Chas Henry) has helped him. And I think even adjusting to the NFL has helped him.

“Even though it’s easier to kick on the Pro hash than the college hash, he was in a habit of a different approach to the ball for so long kicking it off the wider hashes that even though it was easier ... it took a while for us to get the right approach.

“He’s doing a good job. I think he’s just going to keep getting better and stronger.”

Most importantly, Henery has rebounded from that disappointing day against the 49ers. Since missing wide right from 33 and 39 yards in a game the Eagles lost by one point, he’s made all 14 attempts he’s taken in the Eagles’ last 11 games.

Henery said the 49ers game didn’t shake his confidence – after all, Akers missed two field goals in that game as well. Instead, he used it as a learning experience, studying the two misses and making sure not to make the same mistakes again.

“I guess that’s how I approach everything,” he said. “Whether you do good or bad, just move on from the next one. Don’t let it affect you too much, just move on to the next kick.”

Overall this year, Henery ranks eighth in the NFL among kickers with 20 or more attempts at 88.0 percent.

For the record, Akers (three times) and Gary Anderson (in 1996) are the only Eagles kickers in history to make 85 percent of their kicks in a season.

“I guess it shows the hard work I’ve put into it and myself wanting to be perfect every attempt,” he said. “That’s really the big thing – just being happy with how I hit the ball. That’s more important than the records. I really don’t pay attention to the records. If I focus on each kick, those things will come with it. That’s kind of how I look at it.

“As long as I’m doing my job, those numbers will come how I want them to be. You can’t think like, ‘Oh, if I miss this one my percentage will go down to this or that.’ Just prepare for each kick the best you can.”

Most of Henery’s field goals were mid-range this season, but he bombed a 47-yarder against the Bears in November and easily made a career-long 51-yarder Sunday in the Eagles’ win over the Cowboys. He’s a perfect 5 for 5 this year on attempts in the 40s and 50s.

“I think he’s getting stronger as the season goes on,” head coach Andy Reid said. “It looks like he’s doing a good job. Looks like his kickoffs are maintaining their depth, and even a couple extra yards on to it where he’s booting a few of them out of the end zone, and that’s a good thing.”

Henery said what looks like him getting stronger is actually just him becoming a better kicker.

“I don’t know if I’ve gotten stronger,” he said. “I’m not trying to get stronger during the season, just trying to maintain. I think it’s really more just hitting the ball where I want to hit the ball.

“A lot of kickers will over-kick and then they’ll decline as the year goes on. I just feel like I’m a good rhythm, hitting the ball well, and it’s been going in.”

Ex-Husker kicker Henery happy in Philadelphia

By KEN HAMBLETON

December 23, 2011

Alex Henery pondered the question as though his cell phone reception was breaking up.

"What? Could I be playing indoor soccer in an adult league in Omaha right now? Sure. I guess. But this gig is working out pretty well right now," he said.

Henery, easily one of the all-time Husker greats, capped a record-setting college career and was the fourth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles last April.

Although the much-mocked "Dream Team" Eagles have not performed up to expectations, Henery has lived up to his prospects.

The rookie from Nebraska by way of Omaha Burke is 11th in the NFL in field-goal accuracy (20-of-23) and he's hit all 40 of his extra-point kicks. The 6-foot-1, 177-pound kicker even has two tackles this year.

Comparatively speaking, Henery, the 120th player taken in the draft last spring, is worth every bit of his reported salary of $375,000 this year and $2.7 million over four years.

"I came in and had to re-establish myself as a kicker -- new team, new ball, bigger, faster opponents," Henery said this week from his home near downtown Philadelphia. "Kicking is kicking. I've made the technical adjustments week by week and the game has slowed down again for me.
"When you're a freshman, like when you're a rookie, the game and everything seems so fast you can't think straight," he said.

His two missed field goals in an exhibition game had Eagles fans mumbling about the team getting rid of longtime kicker David Akers.

Then Henery missed a couple more field goals, including a 63-yard attempt just before halftime of the Atlanta game, but he's hit 18 straight -- the seventh-longest streak in the NFL.

Henery came to the Eagles along with rookie punter and kick holder Chaz Henry. The two worked extensively on their timing with veteran long snapper Jon Dorenbos.

"They help me get over the bad kicks and onto the next one," Henery said.

Henery and Henry also trade off punting and kicking for a brief time in practice -- "Just in case," Henery said.

According to Eagles Insider, Philadelphia special-teams coach Bobby April said the group of Henery, Henry and Dorenbos has worked out well.

"I think he's (Alex) just getting very consistent in his daily routine and all of them have worked hard at that," April said.

The Eagles have a long-shot chance to reach the playoffs. They could win the NFL East ... if they beat Dallas on Saturday and the New York Giants lose to the New York Jets, then Philadelphia would have to win on New Year's Day against Washington.

"Things have to fall into place and we have to win our last two, but it's good to know we have a chance," Henery said. "I don't find a lot of guys talking about it in the locker room, but as a kicker, you're kind of out of it anyway. You kick. You make the kick and that's about it."

In the meantime, Henery holds his own when somebody brings up what school produces the best kickers.

"We've got Josh Brown at the Rams, had Kris Brown for all those years with Houston, Adi Kunalic just signed with Carolina and Sam Koch is still punting for the Ravens -- Nebraska is kind of a Kicker U. these days. And I'm sure Brett Maher, the way he's kicking for the Huskers, he'll be kicking in this league some day, too."

Alex Henery highest drafted kicker since 2006

Grading Teams on Their Picks

May 2, 2011

USA Today’s Jarrett Bell grades every NFL team on their 2011 draft picks:

Philadelphia Eagles: Another typical Andy Reid pick for the trenches, with G Danny Watkins bringing immediate impact. They addressed the DB concerns with Jaiqwaun Jarrett and Curtis Marsh. OLB Casey Matthews already has a connection: his brother Clay had the hit on Kevin Kolb that put Michael Vick on the field. Fourth-rounder Alex Henery was highest-drafted kicker since the New England Patriots took Stephen Gostkowski in 2006.

Finding gems buried in draft

By Tom Pedulla

April 25, 2011

Teams that enjoy success in the NFL draft are able to delve beyond obvious first-round selections to find overlooked talents in the middle rounds and later who can be developed into impact players. USA TODAY's Tom Pedulla joins them in a weekly search for Draft Gems leading to the April 28-30 selection process at New York's Radio City Music Hall:

K Alex Henery

• Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 175

• School: Nebraska

• Hometown: Omaha

• Key statistic: Converted all 14 of his postseason field goal attempts.

• College highlights: Set NCAA record by making 89.5% of his field goal tries (68 of 76). Also set NCAA mark for accuracy on extra points, missing once in 194 kicks. First-team All-American went 18-of-19 on field goals last season. Lone miss was a blocked 51-yarder. Walk-on closed career with three successive 100-point seasons and set school record with 397 points. Strong punter as well, averaging 43.2 yards per boot.

• Upside: Possesses length strength, accuracy and poise to be a money kicker and a difference-maker in big games.

• Downside: Did not handle kickoff duties at Nebraska, a hole in the resume that may concern some teams.

• Projected round: Sixth.

• Coach's quote: "He's very calm under pressure. He faced a lot of big moments for us, and he always came through." —Nebraska special teams coordinator John Papuchis

• Draft expert: "Henery is the top field goal kicker to come out of the college ranks in the last few years. His accuracy is outstanding." —Rob Rang, senior analyst, NFLDraftScout.com