CARL BIRDSONG - INDUCTEE #130
hall of fame fast fact:
Carl Birdsong originally signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 1981. The Bills cut him after about 10 days in camp. Forty-eight hours later, Birdsong joined the St. Louis Cardinals.
Carl Birdsong
Carl Birdsong’s football career was loaded with highlights. Birdsong kicked for Amarillo High before kicking for Southwestern Oklahoma State.
He had wanted to play in the NFL since age 6. He went into pro football with the St. Louis Cardinals and averaged 41.4 yards per punt over a five-year career that included 73 games. Birdsong produced a career-best 75-yard punt his rookie season in 1981. In 1982, he led the National Football Conference in punting, averaging 43.8 yards per boot. Birdsong earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in 1983 and was All-Pro in 1982 and 1983. He only had three punts blocked in his NFL career.
Birdsong left football in 1985 to prepare for life after football. He became president of Maxor National Pharmacy Services Corp. in Amarillo.
Once, in front of a national television audience, Birdsong punted and hit the Louisiana Superdome’s video screen suspended near the stadium’s roof.
