Mac Percival obit

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Mac Percival, Former Chicago Bears Kicker Known for Historic Game-Winning Kick, Dies at 86

Mac Percival, a former National Football League placekicker who spent most of his career with the Chicago Bears and became part of NFL history with one of the league's rare successful fair-catch free kicks, died on September 17, 2026, at the age of 86.

Born on February 26, 1940, in Vernon, Texas, Percival was an accomplished high school athlete whose primary sport was basketball. After attending Vernon High School, he earned a basketball scholarship to Texas Tech University, where he played for the Red Raiders and did not participate in college football.

Despite his unconventional path to professional football, Percival attracted the attention of the Dallas Cowboys through the club's well-known search for kicking talent. After spending four years as a high school teacher following college, he signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent in 1967, even though he had never played a down of college football. He was soon traded to the Chicago Bears, where his NFL career would flourish.

Joining the Bears as a rookie in 1967, Percival steadily developed into one of the league's more dependable kickers. In 1968, after refining his kicking technique under the guidance of former kicking star Ben Agajanian, he enjoyed the finest season of his career. He converted 25 field goals, scored 100 points, and became only the third player in Bears history to reach the 100-point mark in a season.

That same year, he delivered one of the signature moments of his career. With a game against the rival Green Bay Packers tied in the closing seconds, the Bears elected to attempt a rarely used fair-catch free kick from 43 yards. Percival made the kick, giving Chicago a dramatic victory and securing a place in one of the NFL's most unusual and memorable plays. Just one week earlier, he had kicked another late game-winner against the Minnesota Vikings.

Over seven seasons with the Bears from 1967 through 1973, Percival made 99 field goals and scored 456 points. He also remained the last Bears kicker to make five field goals in a single game, accomplishing the feat during a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in 1968.

In 1974, he returned to the Dallas Cowboys for a brief second stint before concluding his professional playing career. Over his NFL tenure, he appeared for both Dallas and Chicago, converting 101 field goals and earning a reputation as a reliable veteran specialist during an era when placekicking was far different from today's game.

Though he arrived in the NFL through an unlikely journey from basketball player and schoolteacher to professional football kicker, Mac Percival carved out a lasting legacy through perseverance, accuracy, and a flair for dramatic moments. He will be remembered by Bears fans as the kicker whose historic free kick stunned the Packers and as a proud representative of a generation that helped shape professional football's special teams tradition.

Condolences to his family and friends and may he Rest in Peace.