# The NFL’s (Kinda) First Placekicker: Meet Bear-for-a-Day Fred Venturelli

**By Hank Morrow**  \nPublished July 31, 2026  \nUpdated July 31, 2026

> In 1948, Chicago Bears owner-coach George Halas tapped Racine semi-pro legend Fred Venturelli to fix his kicking woes, creating an accidental pioneer.

When the Chicago Bears faced a kicking crisis heading into the 1948 NFL season, owner-coach George Halas did what modern front offices do when searching for a quick fix: he dipped into a proven underground talent pool. In this case, that talent pool was the semi-pro and sandlot circuit of Racine, Wisconsin, yielding a precedent-breaking signing that produced the oldest rookie in franchise history and the NFL's kinda-sorta first specialist placekicker.

His name was Fred Venturelli. At 31 years old, Venturelli was already a two-sport legend around Racine, starring in football and baseball for local outfits like the Racine Metal Parts and the Racine Legion. Billed at 5-foot-11 and 235 pounds, Venturelli possessed a golden leg that had previously earned him acclaim—including a 45-yard field goal back in 1939 for the Cooper Cardinals of Kenosha that matched the rare long-distance feats of early league pioneers like Dutch Sternaman and Paddy Driscoll.

To understand why Venturelli's arrival was groundbreaking, one has to examine the tactical landscape of professional football in its first three decades. Roster construction was dominated by the "60-Minute Men," versatile athletes required to play multiple phases of the game under strict substitution rules. Entering the 1940s, a player who subbed out could not return until the next quarter. Consequently, specialized roles were virtually non-existent; kicking duties fell to running backs, tackles, or guards who carried primary responsibilities on offense or defense.

The era's gold standard was Jack Manders, an exceptional running back nicknamed "Automatic Manders" whose accuracy helped him land an unprecedented 12th man spot on the 1934 UPI All-Pro team. But after Manders retired following the famous 73-0 NFL championship game in 1940, the Bears and the broader league entered a severe kicking slump. A widely syndicated 1943 UPI report declared field goals a "thing of the past," noting that while NFL teams converted 40 percent of their field goals in 1940, that success rate plummeted to just over 23 percent by 1943.

By 1947, the kicking job had fallen to halfback Ray "Scooter" McLean, who led the league in extra points made and attempted (44-52) but missed the team's lone field goal try of the season. With McLean retiring and the league actively debating the implementation of a "free substitution rule" on an annual trial basis, Halas needed a reliable solution to stop the bleeding in his kicking game.

Enter Bud Esser, a long-time Bears season-ticket holder and business associate of Halas. Esser ribbed the legendary coach about the Monsters of the Midway's kicking woes and insisted he knew a semi-pro standout in Racine who could outperform anyone currently on the roster. Halas took a chance, bringing Venturelli to camp for an audition.

Venturelli delivered immediate results. During an intra-squad game on August 15 in front of 3,500 fans, the veteran kicker converted all four of his extra-point kicks alongside a field goal. As noted by *The Journal Times* on August 30, 1948, the signing was viewed across NFL circles as precedent-breaking because Venturelli was offered a contract purely on the strength of his leg.

His official regular-season ledger with Chicago remains a pristine snapshot of a bygone era. Over his single career game played, Venturelli converted 4-of-4 extra point attempts and nailed 1-of-2 field goal tries, totaling 7 points. Though his tenure as a Bear lasted just that single regular-season appearance, Venturelli's brief crossover from sandlot lore into the NFL record books cemented his status as a fascinating tactical precursor to the modern, dedicated specialist.

## Sources

- [Jack Silverstein](https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2020/12/29/22204115/the-first-long-snapper-the-untold-story-of-george-burman-george-allen-bears-rams-washington) — original
- [Jack Silverstein Fri, July 17, 2026 at 11:00 PM UTC · 17 min read](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nfl-kinda-first-placekicker-meet-230000234.html) — original
- [pro-football-reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/V/VentFr20.htm) — original
- [chicagobears.com](https://www.chicagobears.com/news/chalktalk/chalk-talk-who-was-last-punter-to-kick-fg) — original
- [footballdb.com](https://www.footballdb.com/players/fred-venturelli-ventufr01) — original
- [nfl.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/fred-venturelli/) — original