Rolf Benirschke
San Diego's placekicker who battled a life-threatening disease and redeemed a famous playoff miss with an iconic overtime winner.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American football player·Birthday: February 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Rolf Benirschke's career was defined by resilience that transcended the football field. As the soft-spoken placekicker for the San Diego Chargers, he was a key component of the high-flying 'Air Coryell' offense. His moment of public triumph and torment came in the 1981 AFC Divisional playoff, the 'Epic in Miami.' After missing a potential game-winning 27-yard field goal in overtime, he got a second chance minutes later and coolly nailed a 29-yarder to win it, a redemption arc played out on national television. That grit was personal; just two years earlier, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and nearly died from complications, undergoing two major surgeries and losing 40 pounds. He not only returned to play but became a Pro Bowl kicker. After football, he channeled his experience into advocacy, founding the Grateful Heart Foundation and becoming a prominent speaker on health and perseverance, proving his impact stretched far beyond the goalposts.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Rolf was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rolf Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Rolf's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Kicked the game-winning 29-yard field goal in overtime to win the 1981 AFC Divisional playoff game, known as the 'Epic in Miami.'
- Overcame a near-fatal battle with ulcerative colitis in 1979 to return to the NFL and earn a Pro Bowl selection in 1982.
- Played his entire 10-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, scoring 766 points.
- Founded the Grateful Heart Foundation, which supports organ transplant patients and promotes health awareness.
Did You Know?
His father, Kurt Benirschke, was a pioneering pathologist and geneticist who helped establish the San Diego Zoo's Frozen Zoo.
He hosted the long-running game show 'Sports Challenge' after his football career.
He was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 1982.
“I learned that life is about getting up one more time than you're knocked down.”
