Rolf Benirschke
Encyclopedia
Rolf Joachim Benirschke (born February 7, 1955) is a former American football
placekicker
in the National Football League
for the San Diego Chargers
from 1978 to 1987, and was the host of the NBC
daytime Wheel Of Fortune
in 1989.
in San Diego where his father Kurt Benirschke
, a German immigrant, was pathologist at UCSD medical school.
He attended college at the University of California at Davis
, playing under coach Jim Sochor
. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders
in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL Draft
, and was then traded to the San Diego Chargers
for his rookie year in the National Football League
.
In the off-season before the 1978 season, his second season, he developed chronic fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. He learned that he had ulcerative colitis
, a form of inflammatory bowel disease
.
and he was in the intensive care unit for weeks. When released from the hospital, he weighed only 123 pounds and had to adjust to life with two ostomy
appliances. His ileostomy was eventually reversed in a Koch pouch procedure.
On Sunday, November 18, 1979, Benirschke 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
, a Chargers' defensive tackle, assisted him and held his hand out onto the field. The Chargers won the game 35-7.
From 1980 to 1982, Benirschke was also a broadcaster for the San Diego Sockers of the former North American Soccer League.
In 1980 Benirschke 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).
He was named the NFL Man of the Year
in 1983. He was selected to the Pro Bowl
after the 1983 season. In 1997 he was the twentieth player inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.
Wheel of Fortune
from January 10 to June 30, 1989 after Pat Sajak
left the daytime version to host The Pat Sajak Show
; Sajak has continued to host the nighttime syndicated version. When the daytime version moved to CBS
, Bob Goen
succeeded Benirschke as host. He has not been involved in television since, but was among the many participants in the E! Network's True Hollywood Story episode on Wheel.
He founded and later sold a financial services company, and has been involved in venture capital and development groups. He is the national spokesman for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and for Hepatitis C awareness.
In November 1996 he published his book, Alive and Kicking!
During and after his football tenure he was also an endangered animal activist who created a well known endangered animal charity.
He is married to the former Mary Michaletz; the couple have 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, the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County and the San Diego Blood Bank. Every year, he is in charge of the Rolf Benirschke Legacy Golf Invitational, held at the Rancho Santa Fe Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California
. Some of the money is donated to charities such as the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1978 to 1987, and was the host of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
daytime Wheel Of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
in 1989.
Early career
Benirschke attended La Jolla High SchoolLa Jolla High School
La Jolla, CA 92037 Enrollment 1,650 Colors Black & Red██ Mascot Viking Rival Schools The Bishop's School, Cathedral Catholic High School, Mission Bay High School, University City High School Homepage...
in San Diego where his father Kurt Benirschke
Kurt Benirschke
Kurt Benirschke is a German-born American pathologist, geneticist and expert on the placenta and reproduction in humans and myriad mammalian species....
, a German immigrant, was pathologist at UCSD medical school.
He attended college at the University of California at Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
, playing under coach Jim Sochor
Jim Sochor
Jim Sochor is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at the University of California, Davis from 1970 to 1988 during which time compiling a record of 156–41–5 and won 18 consecutive conference championships,...
. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 12th round of the 1977 NFL Draft
1977 NFL Draft
The 1977 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977...
, and was then traded to the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
for his rookie year in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
In the off-season before the 1978 season, his second season, he developed chronic fever, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. He learned that he had ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
, a form of inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease
In medicine, inflammatory bowel disease is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.-Classification:...
.
Living with ulcerative colitis
His health problems worsened in the 1979 season, when, on the team plane coming home from a road trip, Benirschke collapsed. He underwent two surgeries to remove his large intestineLarge intestine
The large intestine is the third-to-last part of the digestive system — — in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass useless waste material from the body...
and he was in the intensive care unit for weeks. When released from the hospital, he weighed only 123 pounds and had to adjust to life with two ostomy
Ileostomy
An ileostomy is a surgical opening constructed by bringing the end or loop of small intestine out onto the surface of the skin. Intestinal waste passes out of the ileostomy and is collected in an external pouching system stuck to the skin...
appliances. His ileostomy was eventually reversed in a Koch pouch procedure.
On Sunday, November 18, 1979, Benirschke made his dramatic return to the Chargers in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. While he did not play, he was named honorary team captain for the game, which was a sellout. Louie Kelcher
Louie Kelcher
Louis James Kelcher was an American football player who played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers. His primary position was defensive tackle. His outstanding performance made him one of the team's most popular players from 1975-83...
, a Chargers' defensive tackle, assisted him and held his hand out onto the field. The Chargers won the game 35-7.
From 1980 to 1982, Benirschke was also a broadcaster for the San Diego Sockers of the former North American Soccer League.
In 1980 Benirschke 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).
He was named the NFL Man of the Year
Walter Payton Man of the Year Award
The Walter Payton Man of the Year award is given annually by the National Football League honoring a player's volunteer and charity work, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called simply the NFL Man of the Year Award...
in 1983. He was selected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
after the 1983 season. In 1997 he was the twentieth player inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.
Life after football
Benirschke hosted the daytime version of the TV game showGame show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
from January 10 to June 30, 1989 after Pat Sajak
Pat Sajak
Pat Sajak is a television personality, former weatherman, actor and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
left the daytime version to host The Pat Sajak Show
The Pat Sajak Show
The Pat Sajak Show is an American late-night television talk show which aired on CBS from January 9, 1989 to April 13, 1990.-Cast:The show was hosted by Pat Sajak, best known as host of the game show Wheel of Fortune...
; Sajak has continued to host the nighttime syndicated version. When the daytime version moved to CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, Bob Goen
Bob Goen
Robert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
succeeded Benirschke as host. He has not been involved in television since, but was among the many participants in the E! Network's True Hollywood Story episode on Wheel.
He founded and later sold a financial services company, and has been involved in venture capital and development groups. He is the national spokesman for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and for Hepatitis C awareness.
In November 1996 he published his book, Alive and Kicking!
During and after his football tenure he was also an endangered animal activist who created a well known endangered animal charity.
He is married to the former Mary Michaletz; the couple have four children. He is active in the San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
area, volunteering his time with organizations like the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
, Scripps Hospital
Scripps Health
Scripps Health is a nonprofit health care system based in San Diego, California. The system includes four hospitals and 19 outpatient facilities, and treats a half-million patients annually through 2,600 affiliated physicians....
, United Way, the Chargers, the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County and the San Diego Blood Bank. Every year, he is in charge of the Rolf Benirschke Legacy Golf Invitational, held at the Rancho Santa Fe Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe, California
Rancho Santa Fe known locally as ″The Ranch″, is one of the most exclusive and affluent communities in Southern California. It is also a census-designated place in San Diego County, California and an unincorporated bedroom community of San Diego County...
. Some of the money is donated to charities such as the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America and the Prostate Cancer Foundation.