Gramatica, who had made field goals of 46 and 37 yards earlier in the game, warmed up behind the K-State bench before he walked onto the field to the cheers from 41,967 in attendance at the historic event in college football. K-State led 56-7 with just under one minute remaining in the second quarter and stood on the Northern Illinois 48-yard line following a screen pass when Snyder called a timeout before third down and with 2.6 seconds left on the clock. But this was against opposing players trying to crash through the line.īill Snyder had faith in Gramatica’s leg and accuracy. He knew it would reach, but was it straight? Or was it off like the 72-yarder that he missed during practice three days ago? Once, he hit a 75-yarder with holder James Garcia accompanying him on the field. Standing behind K-State linemen, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Gramatica couldn’t see the football as it made its descent. “I’m still trying to close my eyes and visualize it and see how it went through. “I still can’t believe it,” Gramatica said wide-eyed after the game, still cradling the football in his arms in the postgame interview room. More than 20 years later, it remains one of the greatest individual achievements by a player in K-State history.
The 65-yarder remains the longest field goal in FBS history without a kicking tee.
With one great kick, Gramatica’s 65-yard field goal sailed through the uprights in the north end zone - four feet above the crossbar - as the All-America and 1997 Lou Groza Award winner made history, connecting on the longest field goal in 20 years and the longest on record since the NCAA eliminated kicking tees in 1989. That’s precisely when the great Martin Gramatica signed his name in the NCAA record books at the end of the first half of a 73-7 victory over Northern Illinois.
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