Ben Agajanian

“He has done more for the kicking game in both college and the pros in the past 50 years than anybody I know,” said the late Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry of Ben Agajanian. So impressive was Agajanian at his craft that his shoes were placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 1974.

Agajanian played football at UNM in 1940-41, doubling as a kicker and tackle for head coach Ted Shipkey. He played professional football for 17 years, performing in four different leagues. He was a member of the 1956 NFL champion New York Giants.

Following his retirement from playing, Agajanian coached 24 years for the Dallas Cowboys under Landry.

He taught more than 10,000 youngsters how to kick and snap, conducting free clinics in Long Beach, Calif., for more than 40 years. The coaching techniques Agajanian invented include the “back three steps and over two” that soccer-style kickers still use today. He was also the first coach to teach centers to snap the football on the exact spot, laces in front.