Athletes - Rolf Benirschke

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	Athletes - Rolf Benirschke

Rolf Benirschke (born February 7, 1955) was a placekicker in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1987.

About Rolf

Rolf attended La Jolla High School in La Jolla, California. In the 1977 NFL Draft he was the second-to-last pick by the Oakland Raiders, who traded him to San Diego for his rookie year. He attended college at the University of California at Davis.

In his rookie year in 1978, Rolf made all 12 of his 12 field goals. In the off-season before the 1978 season, his second season, Rolf developed chronic fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. He learned that he had ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease. Despite staying in the hospital for weeks at end, he made 34 of 38 field goals that year. He was named the NFL Man of the Year in 1983.

Living with ulcerative colitis

However, the problem worsened in the 1979 season, when, on the team plane coming home from a road trip, Rolf collapsed. He underwent two surgeries to remove his large intestine and he was in the intensive care unit for weeks. When released form the hospital, Rolf was only 123 pounds and had to adjust to life with two ostomy appliances.

On Sunday, November 18, 1979, Rolf made his dramatic return to the Chargers in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he did not play, he was named honorary team captain for the game, which was a sellout. Louie Kelcher, one of the Chargers' offensive linemen, assisted Rolf and held his hand out onto the field. In 1980 Rolf returned to kicking and played seven more seasons with the team before retiring in 1987 as the team's all-time leader in points scored (766).

In his career Rolf has been named the NFL Man of the Year, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and the NFL Players' Association's Hero of the Year. In 1997 he was the twentieth player inducted into the San Diego Chargers' Hall of Fame.

Life after football

Rolf hosted the TV game show Wheel of Fortune in 1989. Once while hosting, he said on-camera that he did not know what to do in a tie situation. In November of 1996 he published his book, Alive and Kicking! Rolf is married with four children. He is active in the San Diego, California area, volunteering his time with organizations like the San Diego Zoo, Scripps Hospital, United Way, the Chargers, and the San Diego Blood Bank.

Every year, Rolf is in charge of the Rolf Benirschke Legacy Golf Invitational, held at the Rancho Santa Fe Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Every year, some of the money is donated to charities like the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.

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